Killzone: Helghast Sniper Action Figure

Hey Everyone

Thanks for coming down to toyconstruct for some nerdy goodness, and JQ & I are very happy to keep this ol' blog running into 2012!

Anyone out there a fan of the Killzone series? I am :)

As a quick introduction into the franchise, Killzone is a futuristic sci-fi shooter that pits the ISA (the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance aka good guys) against the Helghan Empire (Nazi-esque regime) in 2 sister planets in the Alpha Centuri system. The Helghasts were actually human people who settled on Helghan, a planet known for its resources and harsh environment, so harsh that Helghasts have become evolved human beings. Much like the Nazis and WWII, the Helghasts invade the ISA to avenge their defeat from a prior war (Killzone 1) and to rule as the supreme race over "lesser" humans, but are defeated and see their planet being invaded by the ISA in Killzone 2 & 3.

Here's the intro movie for Killzone 3 that would pretty much give you a good idea on what Killzone's all about (may have spoilers if you didn't play the previous 2 games):

*If you have a PS3, I highly recommend playing it!

The designs made for the series has been excellent, especially with the Helghan soldiers in their many varieties. At least to me, they look really cool and fearsome.

The different Helghast soldiers you'll face in Killzone 2, the sniper is on the bottom row, second from the left.

With that, allow me to introduce to you DC Unlimited's Helghast Sniper action figure, one of the enemies you face regularly in the series and can be a pain in the butt if you are not careful...

Full body shot of the action figure.

Armed with a VC32 bolt-action sniper rifle, which is also incidentally the only scoped sniper rifle you get in the game (weird that the ISA doesn't have their own...), they are known to "hunt" in small groups and are spotted with the lasers that they use for aiming.

Close-ups of the VC32 sniper rifle that comes with the figure.

The rifle itself is painted to an acceptable level, provided that you can overlook an imperfect paintjob (it's a little messy). The gun itself is painted to look like it is somewhat worn, but I guess you are getting for what you pay for ($16 a figure, which is quite affordable). A little modification might make the rifle look even better.

Half body shot...

DC Unlimited provides action figures that are kinda similar to MacFarlanes, in the sense that they are well sculpted but are very limited in articulation. This figure is made of mostly hard plastic for the body and softer plastic for the cloak. Unfortunately, the hands of this sniper figure do not fit very well with the rifle provided.

The figure itself is well-proportioned and well-sculpted with good attention to detail, which should come as no surprise as it's based on the CGI renders from the the game. DC Unlimited is also known to produce action figures based on various computer games, from World of Warcraft to Mass Effect (discontinued), which probably guarantees you a fan base who are very willing to purchase action figures from the games they love. I think NECA (National Entertainment Collectibles Association) is also in the same business.

One thing I love about the figure is the 3 eyes, they are painted quite well with each being a bright yellow spot with an orange halo to give an illuminated and piercing glare. The eyes give this guy a half-man half-machine look, human but yet not-so-human, which to me is a testament on the incredible job the game designers did with the fearsome Helghast soldiers! The ISA soldiers in comparison look very generic, somewhat akin to Starship troopers and Alien colonial marines.

After looking through these pictures, I think I need to change my setup so that more of the figure can be seen, and expand the variety of pictures that I take. I am rather satisfied with the pictures here as they pick out details under the lighting to give a gritty/urban look, but a lot of shadow obscures the rest of the figure. I might look into light sheds that photography shops sell, as they provide even lighting for the whole figure...usually used by ebay sellers that have the figure against a white background. But they are quite expensive ($80+)....we shall see, or I would look into taking against white backgrounds and using flash.

Well, that's all I have for now, and thank you once again for visiting!

Take care and see you next time :)