Street Fighter Master Gen - Mobile Edition

Street Fighter
Street Fighter Master Gen
By Hervé St-Louis
September 23, 2006 - 20:35

Gen is the old master martial artist who appeared as a level boss in the first Street Fighter game. Constantly seeking worthy opponents, Gen entered the World Warrior Tournament but was not pleased. Only Akuma was good enough to offer him an entertaining fight. One could say that Gen has a death wish and wants to die fighting. Gen can use a variety of skills when he fights.

Likeness

Gen looks exactly as the cartoon and Anime inspired depiction he has had in Street Fighter. There are small details, like the pins on the his robes’ torso that are not placed exactly the same way.

Sculpt

Gen is calm and has a body that can be articulated with grace. It’s a great design for such a spiritual and reflective character. He is one of the few Street Fighter action figures to have normal proportions. Yet although the figure is that of an older man, he still shows that he can threaten any Street Fighter opponent just by spinning them with one of his hand using their weight against them.

Paint

Different parts of the figure are made with plastics and rubber of different origins. Yet, the figure preserve much colour unity. There are some discolourations in some of his arms though. Unlike other Sota Street Fighter action figures, Gen doesn’t have skin shading. Only his hair have any painting details.

Scale

Gen is shorter than Ryu and a little shorter than Cammy. However his limbs don’t share the female’ Street Fighters’ proportions. As an older character, Gen’s small stature is fine.

Stability

Gen doesn’t have perfectly flat feet and they are short. That makes him hard to put upright. It’s possible to find a good balance but he won’t stand up for long. There are no peg holes in his feet to stabilize him. His chest is too top heavy and tips the figure all the time. Not a great figure to pose in a basic stance, although you might have more success if posed in an action move.

Articulation

Gen has 35 articulations, many of which are not easy to reach. For example everything under his robe is limited. His calves articulations are so stiff, it feels as if they will break if pressed too hard. He has other articulations at the shoulders, the biceps, the elbows, the wrists, the palms, the abdominal, the waist, the hips, the knees, the ankles, the soles and the toes.

Plastic

Gen’s composition is PVC and rubber. The thickness and resistance of the PVC depends on the body part. For example, his torso is thicker and heavier than his limbs or hands. The rubber serves as the front and back tail, as well the belt of the character. Articulations are well blended within the figure.

Props

Gen comes with three pair of hands in all and two heads. Of course, one set of each is already attached to the action figure. One pair of hands are fist, the other grasping. The third set is posed as if he was picking something with his thumbs and indexes. It mimics a martial art pose, but I don’t know which. The alternate head for gen only has one of his brows raised up and mild smile.

Packaging

The package can only opened with a pair of scissors. I suggest that parents open these packages for their kids as shred from the package can cut. Inside the package, is a leaflet of the Street Fighter Round Three action figures as well as a cardboard image of Gen. Gen is tied with wires inside the package. These package are not environmental friendly as few materials can be recycled.

Cost

Street Fighter action figures retail for $12 in most online stores and Sota Toys. Some stores seeking to liquidate extra stock may sell for less. Bargain hunters, start hunting.

Availability

Gen was released a year ago with the third Street Fighter wave. Not considered a popular character, stock of this figure should be available mostly at online stores. Brick and mortar stores may have stock too, hidden in the sales bin. Most retailers who ordered Street Fighter action figures, ordered them as complete sets. Therefore, it’s likely that Gen is one of the left over. Several coloured variants of Gen were released by Sota and some sold at specific retailers. This increases the likelihood that collectors can find a copy of this figure, provided they are not picky about colour.