Talkin' 'bout my Jen-eration
Written: Feb 15 '02 (Updated Jun 23 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: base, articulation
Cons: likeness? what likeness?
The Bottom Line: She's fun to play with and looks cool, too; what could be better?
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| yogore's Full Review: Art Asylum Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Jen Yu A... |
"Who am I? I am the Invincible Sword Goddess, armed with the invincible Green Destiny."
A young aristocrat yearning for adventure, Jen Yu grabs hold of the majestic sword "Green Destiny" and wreaks havoc on the 19th century China countryside. Single handedly taking on an entire bar full of men, Jen Yu is the cornerstone of a scene that will live forever in movie lore.
The youthful upstart of the film, Jen is depicted in the black ninja gear she wears on her first night outing. While the "material" of the outfit is expertly sculpted, this choice means that Jen's face is concealed behind a black scarf, which is a molded piece of the figure's head. So while the eyes and forehead do indeed look like an angry Zhang Ziyi, that's really not enough of a basis to judge the figure's likeness. There is a version with a removable mask, but she does not include the base--there's no way to get the best of both worlds.
Each of the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon figures is sold in two versions: with or without their ornate base. I bought the base version, but apparently the Jen that does not have a base makes up for it by having a removable mask. So you'll have to choose between no base or no face; either way, you're missing out on something. Plus, most retailers didn't order the non-base versions, so finding Jen's face is incredibly difficult.
Jen comes with an 11x6x5 base recreating the entrance to Sir Te's study, so if you put it next to the piece included with Yu Shu Lien (http://www.epinions.com/content_54773780100), you can have a pretty nice little diorama in which your figures can face off. The entrance consists of stone steps and a short porch, a few pillars and paper doors, plus a section of tiled roof. With a bit of patience, it is possible to balance Jen (or the other figures) on the roof.
Jen Yu comes with a Wudan sword, and a wrapped cloth sheathe to hold it. The wrapping has a ribbon attached, and can be slung over the figure's shoulder to simulate the theft of the Green Destiny (which is included with Lu Shu Lien, but will fit in Jen's pack). The figure features four interchangeable hands--a fist to hold the weapon, two open palms, and one with the first two fingers pointed.
Jen is just as articulated as the other figures in the line, with 14 points of articulation. Parts of her costume (such as the filigreed skirt) are molded from soft pvc to simulate cloth and allow a wide range of motion. Ball-jointed ankles allow the figure to remain balanced in a variety of action poses--I've had her standing on one foot (and, admittedly, the tiptoes of the other foot) for several weeks now, and she hasn't fallen over even when the desk got bumped.
I had hoped that there would be a second line of CTHD figures, but a spokesman from Art Asylum has confirmed that they have no plans to produce any more figures until the prequel is released. So for now, Jen must remain hidden behind her black veil. In spite of that, this is figure is great fun to play with and has a great likeness to the film, which makes it a great find for fans.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 12.99
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Epinions.com ID:
yogore
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About Me:
Eventually I'm sure to run out. But not yet. 68 down, 32 to go.
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