About.com Rating

Chun-Li from the Street Fighter series of video games has always been known for her humongous thighs, but this Round 2 toy from NECA's Street Fighter IV line takes them to a brand new extreme. Can she overcome the enormity of her legs, or is Chun-Li just another toy with a monstrous defect? 

• Name: Chun-Li
• Line: Street Fighter IV, Round 2
• Year of Release: 2009
• Manufacturer: NECA
• Scale: 6-inch

Sculpt and Design

There's no reason to delay this, I'm going to have to talk about the legs.


Say what you will, but I think it's pretty clear they're too big. I've seen the concept art, I've seen screenshots from the game, and to me it's all irrelevant, because if you look at the figure, she looks absurd. I know some people like them, but I'm not one of them, and she's going to lose points from me because they're at least 33% too big. She's almost twice as wide at the mid-thigh than she is at the waist, and those proportions just won't work for me.

With that said, I do still like the sculpt of this figure very much, in almost every other regard. For instance, the legs are too big, but they're shaped quite nicely with subtle muscle groups and natural looking knees. The cloth areas of her costume have appropriate wrinkles whether hanging freely our bunched at her shoulders. I especially like the way the strips coming out of her hair dangle and seem to be caught in the wind or mid-kick. Her skirt doesn't sit perfectly symmetrical on her waste, but it's hardly noticeable and not a real fault.

Paint and Color

With Chun-Li's paint, NECA got all the ideas right, but the executions are still quite lacking. For instance, the colors all look perfect, when they're not covered in a messy wash, like her boots are. The legs have a very subtle airbrush effect that looks fine because it only augments, instead of overwhelms, as do the various blue areas with a dark blue/purple sprayed on. Those spots, sadly, aren't as consistent and come off as messy, particularly on her back. The gold trim applications are horrendous at best, as they're messy, crooked, and don't stay anywhere close to the lines at some points.

The lines on her chest are much better, but don't make up for the ugly on the skirt. Her face details are perfectly crisp and spotless, which is a surprise given the stray paint splotches present on the rest of the figure. The head is really in a different world than the rest of the figure; it looks impeccable, while everything else is mediocre at best. There are even a few spots with chips, which sure doesn't help either. I feel like I'm listing a lot of negatives, and there are many problems, but the net-effect is still an average one, because she doesn't look bad from a normal viewing distance.

Articulation and Posing

NECA decided not to skimp when it comes to Street Fighter and articulation. I guess the great minds over there figured that a game based so heavily on action deserves figures that can move around a bit, and that's precisely what Chun-Li is. The only thing bigger than her thighs might be the number of joints she has.

There are so many possibilities because you can work in very subtle changes in every little spot. I can't think of a single point I would add, because this is a perfect combination of looks and function. All the joints are extremely tight, which can be frustrating, yet it's definitely a benefit because she balances quite well on her stoic joints. Nothing is broken and nothing limits any of her points, even her neck, where a full range of motion is easily achieved, allowing plenty of personality and enthusiasm to come through in various stances. 

Overall Thoughts

Chun-Li manages to be a great action figure despite a few obvious weaknesses. Her paint is seriously flawed, and her thighs are seriously oversized, but other than that, this is a near-perfect action figure.

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