Metroid Database.com

True 3D: Volume 1

The Samus Aran Action Figure

Text and Photos by TJ, MDb Webmonster
03.23.03

Calling Metroid Prime on the Gamecube "3D" is one thing. But we've never had a Samus figure which we could hold in our hands, examine and display...in other words, Samus has never been truly three-dimensional. Until now.

It's been a little while now since the long-awaited, first-ever Samus Aran action figure by JoyRide Studios was released. And since it's not really a design that's specific to any one Metroid game, I didn't know where to put photos of it on the MDb. So, inspired by my favorite toy website, ToyBoxDX, I decided to take some nicer photos and do a dedicated pictorial feature on the Samus action figure.

The sculpt on the figure is pretty good: nice detailing, mostly accurate. My only complaint is the tiny midsection on Samus, which makes her look like she's wearing some painful Victorian-era corset to achieve a nine-inch waist. The colors are accurate, although the paintjob is pretty simplistic. More detail on the armor's panel lines and a flat or metallic finish would help this figure a lot, so it's certainly a worthy candidate for some customization, or at least a little detailing-up.

Samus' posability is extremely limited, which is the figure's biggest problem. The arms are ball-jointed just below the large shoulder pads and have a very small range of motion, rendering Samus unable to even hold her gun arm out straight in any direction. The aforementioned tiny waist has no articulation. If one could do a little hack-job on the figure and address those two issues, that could be a major improvement. I would suggest trying to make the shoulder pads and the waist swivel.

Regardless of these issues, however, Samus looks mighty fine standing on your shelf or desk just as she is. With an interchangeable melon (helmet or head) included, I certainly can't complain about finally being able to hold a Samus action figure after all these years of wishing there was one.