Action Figure Review: Blanka from Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers by Jada Toys

 

   Ready for something pretty new? How about we check out Blanka, the battling beast from Brazil! I loved Blanka as a kid. He jut looked cool, his moves weren't too difficult to pull off, and you could spam his Electric Thunder move pretty easily. I never was all that good at Street Fighter so I definitely enjoyed characters who had moves that looked cool and used one button: E. Honda's Hundred Hand Slap, Chun-Li's lightning leg, and Blanka's Electric Thunder. The movie took some liberties with Blanka (well, everything, really) but at least they let him be green with orange hair. Oddly enough, though, the commercials for various Street Fighter II toys featured better looking Blankas. Blanka released alongside Sagat (who I also have, review coming soon) as one of the first two deluxe Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers figure. And they're definitely deluxe feeling, being noticeably larger than the other figures! I picked mine up from BBTS where I had a preorder dating back to when they were originally listed for $30. They changed to $35 at some point to do tariffs and such, but BBTS honored the preorder price for those who jumped in early. Nice! Let's check out Blanka, the most electrifying man in street fighting, after the break...

The Facts:

Height: 6 7/8ths inches

Articulation: Swivel/ hinge ankles, shin swivels, double hinged knees, swivel thighs, ball jointed hips, ball jointed waist, balljointed mid-torso, swivel/hinge shoulders w/lateral pec hinges, bicep swivels, double hinged elbows, swivel/hinge wrists, swivel/hinge neck, and a barbell jointed head.

Accessories: 4 swappable hands, 2 swappable portraits, and two Electric Thunder effects.

Non-Scalper Price: $35 dollars

The Positives:

* Since he's a deluxe figure, it's definitely important that Blanka seem more impressive than a standard figure. He definitely is since he's noticeably larger. He's a tall guy, though he usually crouches. Still, check out how much chunkier he is than Ken. Ken's 6 1/8ths inches while Blanka's just a bit under 7 inches (he's right around there if you count his hair). He's not puny or scaled down to fit in the line. I'm quite glad that Jada made him and Sagat suitably large and just raised the price a bit rather than cutting corners. 

* Blanka is also pretty darn cool looking. He's muscular, green, and underdressed. Well, for running around in the jungles of Brazil and street fighting, I guess he's suitably dressed. His shorts are pretty simple and he's sporting some leg irons. Someone tried to hold him captive, but clearly they failed. The green color is pretty spot on for Street Fighter II. Over the years Blanka has become more of a true green color, but in his original appearance he was much paler. I guess Jimmy (his real name, not Carlos "Charlie" Blanka like in the live action film) really knows the truth that it's not easy being green. There is some nice muscle shadowing, too. Not much, but just enough to show off the texture and keep him from looking too plain.

* Blanka looks seriously awesome. Check out that face! The teeth, the wild hair, the brow; this guy has it all. I really love the style that Jada has gone with for this line; blending the look of the 16 bit characters with the anime aesthetic seen in the art for the game just works and Jada does it so well.

* Let's talk about Blanka's hair. Not only is it orange and just plain fierce looking but it also moves nicely with his neck. How? Well, the hair is in too pieces and the longer part of it is made from a very flexible material. It's got some weight, though, so whether you have Blanka standing up straight or crouched over with his neck pulled back, the hair lies properly down his back. 

* The second portrait of Blanka has the same great (and functional) hair, but it also has a much more aggressive portrait. This is the kind of face Blanka makes when he's going in a Dan Flashes looking for some shorts with a complicated pattern! I love it! Way cooler than any Blanka I've owned before, that's for sure.

* Blanka's not only sporting hair on his chest but also on his arms. It's wild looking! Does it stand on end when he does his electrical attack? 

* Not only does he have some crazy claws on his toes but Blanka also has more hair on his shins and two ankle cuffs. The chains are broken off but the cuffs are still on him. They're separate pieces so they just kind of move around over his shins. That has to be a bit uncomfortable.

* Blanka's articulation is excellent. He's sturdy and has an impressive range of motion. Not only does he have all the same joints as the other figures in this line but his thigh cuts and balljointed waist are hidden by his shorts, he can absolutely pose in a hunched over position, and his neck is on a swivel/hinge join so his head can lean forward or back. He can even tuck into a pretty impressive beast ball for his rolling attack.

* Four swappable hands are included, which is two more than most people I know have. There's a pair of claws with open hands, like he's swatting at something, and a pair of fists for punching his enemies. Considering those claws, I think taking a punch from Blanka would be advisable over the claws. Blanka should have come with a little set of nail clippers. You know, Guile came with a comb. Maybe Blanka gets nail clippers, Balrog comes with a tooth brush, Zangief comes with a can of Axe. 

* Blanka comes with two electrical effects to recreate his Electric Thunder attack. He's actually a pretty mellow guy who just likes hanging out with his family, but he also has the powers he gained from electrical eels due to crash landing in the Brazilian rainforest. That means that sometimes, someone is getting zapped. Both pieces of electric can stand on their own. They're flexible and won't break, but they stand firmly in place. The colors goes from yellow at the bottom to clear at the top, producing a cool effect.

   Blanka is a very impressive figure and just a ton of fun to mess around with. My only real complaint would be that I wish the lightning effects were a bit taller. Not massive, but maybe covering Blanka a bit more. Otherwise, he's quite cool and feels worthy of being a deluxe figure. The articulation is excellent and there's just a lot of fun to be had here. I'm sure we'll get a blue Blanka at some point (Player 2 version), but this guy is iconic enough that you'll probably want to snag him right away. He's a Great and a 1/2 figure and one of the most eye-catching figures to date in this line.



Looking for more of Blanka? I've also reviewed Super7's Street Fighter II/ M.U.S.C.L.E. Pack C with Blanka in it.

For more Ultra Street Fighter II: The New Challengers reviews check out the following:

Cammy

Chun-Li
Chun-Li (Deluxe Player 2 Exclusive)
Dee Jay
Dhalsim
Fei Long (Deluxe Player 2 Exclusive)
Guile
Ken
M. Bison
Violent Ken (Deluxe)