S.H. Figuarts Street Fighter V Blanka First Look

[JayC]

Looks like Tamashii Nations is going to be the first modern company to bring us a new Street Fighter Blanka figures. This scan showed up on Toys Daily giving us a first look at what appears to be a 6" S.H. Figuarts Classic Blanka figure for their Street Fighter V line. We don't have much in the way of details at this time other than a 3D rendering of what the figure will look like. Hopefully we will maybe get a look at this figure during New York Comic Con next weekend.

Blanka is probably one of the more popular characters from the original Street Fighter II line-up, but being he is a larger character covered in fur I guess it's not to surprising companies like Tamashii or Storm Collectibles have waited to tackle this guy. It would requite a whole new unique sculpt that probably would be hard to reuse for any other characters. I am sure however we will see variant colors for him done like his classic greenish fur with orange hair and alternate player 2 version with yellow fur and blue hair.

 

[sXeblues]

I’ve been watching an anime series this season called ‘High Score Girl’, that is set in the late 80s, early to mid 90s, wherein classic Sega, Square, and other arcade and console games feature prominently — including actual gameplay within the show — as well as characters popping out of the games, (in the imagination of the show’s main character). Most notably, from Street Fighter II, Blanka and Guile. The prominence of that game, and several of its subsequent iterations, in the show, really have me nostalgic for the characters I remember playing as in my youth. I’d frankly love to see this Blanka come to fruition. Hoping that it doesn’t prove to be a fluke.

[EvilHayato]

Thats definitely not based off his Street Fighter V incarnation. They made him a bit different for V. Hes got alot more hair growth all over. IF this is based on Street Fighter V it could be based off his Nostalgia outfit but I dont see that since pretty much all their figures so far that Ive seen from them have been based off street fighter 4. Either way he looks promising and should be pretty interesting if we can get him into his unique poses. Definitely the most articulated Blanka yet. 

1 hour ago, sXeblues said:

I’ve been watching an anime series this season called ‘High Score Girl’, that is set in the late 80s, early to mid 90s, wherein classic Sega, Square, and other arcade and console games feature prominently — including actual gameplay within the show — as well as characters popping out of the games, (in the imagination of the show’s main character). Most notably, from Street Fighter II, Blanka and Guile. The prominence of that game, and several of its subsequent iterations, in the show, really have me nostalgic for the characters I remember playing as in my youth. I’d frankly love to see this Blanka come to fruition. Hoping that it doesn’t prove to be a fluke.

Thats interesting, I ve never really heard of this show before and I looked it up after reading your mention of it. It has alot of fighting games in it which of course intrigues me. I will have to look into it. I feel like ive seen something about this before in the fighting game sites I follow where it actually features some of the pros in the actual anime. Im not sure if this is indeed that one tho. 

[yojoebro82]

I just bought SHF Chun-Li and love it.  I have my eye on all the original SF characters.  Blanka is as good as sold!

[GojiBill]

I love the SHF line, but I can’t bring myself to spend $50-60 on a 6-8 figure. I know they have exceptional sculpting and articulation, but I just can’t do it. If I could, I’d have the entire Godzilla Monsterarts line in my cabinets.

[FASVB]

Blanka is a classic character and I don't thin we ever had a very nice figure of him. SHF will do a great job. no doubt. The bad thing is this will be a soulweb exclusive. 

Yeah Storm is waiting a while to tackle this one and no doubt they will do an amazing job. I wonder how they will make the electric effect and how the alternate version will look like. 

[EvilHayato]

1 hour ago, FASVB said:

Blanka is a classic character and I don't thin we ever had a very nice figure of him. SHF will do a great job. no doubt. The bad thing is this will be a soulweb exclusive. 

Yeah Storm is waiting a while to tackle this one and no doubt they will do an amazing job. I wonder how they will make the electric effect and how the alternate version will look like. 

SOTA toys did a pretty decent blanka back in the day. His face was a bit off but overall figure was really good and blanka figures at that time were mostly consisting of like 4 points of articulation so it was steps above the times. 

They could easily just do an electric backdrop prop similar to what you would see in a dragonball z figure where it looks like they are powering up. Then have electric effects similar to what they have for rain in front of him. 

[FASVB]

20 minutes ago, EvilHayato said:

They could easily just do an electric backdrop prop similar to what you would see in a dragonball z figure where it looks like they are powering up. Then have electric effects similar to what they have for rain in front of him. 

Yeah, but  in Blanka is different I think they should mold the effect to fit on his back when he is crouching . I wish they could also put articulation that you can put him in a ball shape or something close to that, but that would require a crazy amount  or articulation and the figure would probably be very broken and gappy. 

[sXeblues]

7 hours ago, EvilHayato said:

Thats definitely not based off his Thats interesting, I ve never really heard of this show before and I looked it up after reading your mention of it. It has alot of fighting games in it which of course intrigues me. I will have to look into it. I feel like ive seen something about this before in the fighting game sites I follow where it actually features some of the pros in the actual anime. Im not sure if this is indeed that one tho. 

Yea, I’m not entirely sure if this is the one that features any gaming pros... But there is one whole episode where the two main characters partake in a competition, and it’s possible a couple of their adversaries were voiced by notable players. I really love the characterization in it, and all of the references to those classic games — like, I near lost it when they showcased Virtua Fighter, as I have fond memories of a unit I would play at a local theater, back in the 90s — all really takes me back.

[MLs4life]

I've only been collecting for a year now and I've never tried any anime figures before. Maybe I'll start.

[ShemShem]

I never picked up a Street Fighter and I'm not a huge fan of Anime. I don't hate just not interested.

[EvilHayato]

3 hours ago, FASVB said:

Yeah, but  in Blanka is different I think they should mold the effect to fit on his back when he is crouching . I wish they could also put articulation that you can put him in a ball shape or something close to that, but that would require a crazy amount  or articulation and the figure would probably be very broken and gappy. 

Having any kind of mold on top of the figure may look super weird and lose the effect but I could also see it done well if done right. To make him be able to do the ball move would require some ingenious engineering on their part to pull off. Theyd almost have to make him a transformer to get that pose down. And he would for sure be very gappy and look weird. 

 

1 hour ago, sXeblues said:

Yea, I’m not entirely sure if this is the one that features any gaming pros... But there is one whole episode where the two main characters partake in a competition, and it’s possible a couple of their adversaries were voiced by notable players. I really love the characterization in it, and all of the references to those classic games — like, I near lost it when they showcased Virtua Fighter, as I have fond memories of a unit I would play at a local theater, back in the 90s — all really takes me back.

Well there is a manga of the anime.. pretty sure the manga came first and then the anime. It might have only been featured in the manga which Im pretty sure this is that same series. I play these games so often, i still have nostalgia for them but they are like an integral part of me anymore. I dont get the nostalgia AS crazy as I once did. 

[EvilHayato]

2 minutes ago, ShemShem said:

I never picked up a Street Fighter and I'm not a huge fan of Anime. I don't hate just not interested.

[FASVB]

23 minutes ago, EvilHayato said:

I am also a more of MK fan, but some characters like Chun Li, Blanka and Ryu are classics. I hope theu do classic Ken too. 

 

[sXeblues]

6 hours ago, EvilHayato said:

Well there is a manga of the anime.. pretty sure the manga came first and then the anime. It might have only been featured in the manga which Im pretty sure this is that same series. I play these games so often, i still have nostalgia for them but they are like an integral part of me anymore. I dont get the nostalgia AS crazy as I once did. 

Yea, more often than not a manga (or what they call light novels) or a video game will precede an anime’s being put into production. I make it a point not to read manga or LNs because I like to focus on the anime itself, and also as a means of avoiding spoilers. I guess I tend to still have a strong sense of nostalgia for those older games and such, because I was always very limited in what I had available to me to play. Whether that be because the family couldn’t afford that many games, or because arcade trips never lasted long enough. So, I tend to have a soft spot for things that I was aware of, but never really got to fully experience or appreciate back then.

[NeedlessImmortals]

I love this line but I'm sort of mixing and matching figures from both this and the Storm line and I feel like Blanka should be bigger than the SH Figuarts that have been made so far so hopefully we get lucky.

[EvilHayato]

7 hours ago, sXeblues said:

Yea, more often than not a manga (or what they call light novels) or a video game will precede an anime’s being put into production. I make it a point not to read manga or LNs because I like to focus on the anime itself, and also as a means of avoiding spoilers. I guess I tend to still have a strong sense of nostalgia for those older games and such, because I was always very limited in what I had available to me to play. Whether that be because the family couldn’t afford that many games, or because arcade trips never lasted long enough. So, I tend to have a soft spot for things that I was aware of, but never really got to fully experience or appreciate back then.

I m not saying I could afford many games or any of that. I became engrossed in arcade and fighting game culture from the very beginning. They are integral to my being if that makes any sense. Emulators also help with that nostalgia which Ive had available to me since like the late 90s. Its so integral to me, its what influences me in both my art, my life, and the things I collect. Basically its something you got a glimpse of back then and forgot, whereas for me its something that carried with me and has never left my side. 

[chowy]

it looks good, been looking for a Blanka fig for a while. 

[sXeblues]

10 hours ago, EvilHayato said:

I m not saying I could afford many games or any of that. I became engrossed in arcade and fighting game culture from the very beginning. They are integral to my being if that makes any sense. Emulators also help with that nostalgia which Ive had available to me since like the late 90s. Its so integral to me, its what influences me in both my art, my life, and the things I collect. Basically its something you got a glimpse of back then and forgot, whereas for me its something that carried with me and has never left my side. 

I feel you... For me it was movies, comic books, action figures, Star Trek — and later anime — and stuff like that, that took up a lot of that mindspace. Although, with the debut of the Playstation, and Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid, I was totally rocked by the gaming world a lot more than I had been as a kid. And I kept up with it as much as possible, all the way up to the PS3. But, once mine died, that was it. I’ve never been in a position to afford a new one, nor any other console, since then. And that was like, 2011.

[EvilHayato]

3 minutes ago, sXeblues said:

I feel you... For me it was movies, comic books, action figures, Star Trek — and later anime — and stuff like that, that took up a lot of that mindspace. Although, with the debut of the Playstation, and Final Fantasy VII and Metal Gear Solid, I was totally rocked by the gaming world a lot more than I had been as a kid. And I kept up with it as much as possible, all the way up to the PS3. But, once mine died, that was it. I’ve never been in a position to afford a new one, nor any other console, since then. And that was like, 2011.

I mean I have many facets of my nostalgia and geekdom. It wasnt just fighting games and all that but it has always been one of my passions and favorite things. Comics and movies have always been there.. well not so much comics in the last like decade but action figures obviously heh. Great thing about fighting games is they dont take up alot of time really so you can still find time to hit up more story driven games as well. Loved MGS and other games like Tenchu and Twisted Metal back in that era. As much of a fighting game person as I am, the overall video game spectrum has always been one im very close to. I used to get all kinds of video game magazines and always be informed on the newest thing. Then the internet hit and here we are. Ever updated at every second as things happen. I also am trying to find a way into the gaming industry in general as i am a 3d artist. Ive had things kind of get in the way of that venture but i still strive for it so i am still very much informed on "whats hot" and whats going on in the industry. 

[sXeblues]

30 minutes ago, EvilHayato said:

I mean I have many facets of my nostalgia and geekdom. It wasnt just fighting games and all that but it has always been one of my passions and favorite things. Comics and movies have always been there.. well not so much comics in the last like decade but action figures obviously heh. Great thing about fighting games is they dont take up alot of time really so you can still find time to hit up more story driven games as well. Loved MGS and other games like Tenchu and Twisted Metal back in that era. As much of a fighting game person as I am, the overall video game spectrum has always been one im very close to. I used to get all kinds of video game magazines and always be informed on the newest thing. Then the internet hit and here we are. Ever updated at every second as things happen. I also am trying to find a way into the gaming industry in general as i am a 3d artist. Ive had things kind of get in the way of that venture but i still strive for it so i am still very much informed on "whats hot" and whats going on in the industry. 

That’s awesome that you’re a 3D artist... That was one avenue of schooling I loosely considered going into, in the early 2000s. As, at that time, I was at the height of my gaming interests.

I too picked up magazines every month, like EGM, Gamepro and such, to stay as much ‘in the know’ as I possibly could. Especially where it pertained to the Final Fantasy franchise. I distinctly remember pouring over an EGM with preview images of VIII, IX and X, just ahead of their respective releases.

My biggest issue with fighting games — which I did enjoy — was being horrible at learning the combos and button presses. I mean, it was fairly significant to learn to make Sub-Zero throw a ball of ice at an opponent, for me. In what is, as I came to understand, one of — if not the — most basic moves in the game. And that was a particular achievement to me, lol.

I wish you luck getting a foot in the door of the industry, though. It seems like, with all of the various game development companies, that they’re always looking for somebody with talent to add to their roster of programmers, and such.

[EvilHayato]

2 minutes ago, sXeblues said:

That’s awesome that you’re a 3D artist... That was one avenue of schooling I loosely considered going into, in the early 2000s. As, at that time, I was at the height of my gaming interests.

I too picked up magazines every month, like EGM, Gamepro and such, to stay as much ‘in thr know’ as I possibly could. Especially where it pertained to the Final Fantasy franchise. I distinctly remember pouring over an EGM with preview images of VIII, IX and X, just ahead of their respective releases.

My biggest issue with fighting games — which I did enjoy — was being horrible at learning the combos and button presses. I mean, it was fairly significant to learn to make Sub-Zero throw a ball of ice at an opponent, for me. In what is, as I came to understande, one of — if not the — most basic moves in the game. And that was a particular achievement to me, lol.

I wish you luck getting a foot in the door of the industry, though. It seems like, with all of the various game development companies, that they’re always looking for somebody with talent to add to their roster of programmers and such.

haha yeah EGM and Gamepro were my main mags. I had some random ones as well but those were my primary subscriptions. I absolutely loved EGM the most tho. 

As for fighting games, they really just take getting used to and have some knowledge of how one works and get the fundamentals of that down and then most other fighters after that are easier to grasp and understand. They are fun and typically easy to get into but hard to master. I think most people get overwhelmed and intimidated by their learning curves but once you really understand them, they really pay off in the fun dept. Even the example you chose with subzeros ice ball, is the same command as throwing Ryu from street fighters hadouken. That kind of similarity helps you grow with each game. Its not the most basic move, basic move would be what is called a 'normal' which is just hitting a punch or kick button. That would be consider a basic special move which requires alittle bit more technique but not alot. 

I have a bunch of friends in the industry, Ive just had some life moments either hold me back or get in my way. Mind is there, just need to physically be there. They are always looking for someone with talent yes... but that sentence usually ends in 'with 4 years of experience and at least one AAA title shipped'. Definitely not a programmer, thats too technical and too mathy for me. Im a creative, I create character models. My profile pic is one of them.. (a bust of my boy akuma from street fighter)  

[sXeblues]

35 minutes ago, EvilHayato said:

They are always looking for someone with talent yes... but that sentence usually ends in 'with 4 years of experience and at least one AAA title shipped'.

Yea, that’s a shame... It seems to be that way with most industries. You always have to have acheived some level of experience, before even being considered for certain positions. And it’s like, ‘okay, but if I can’t get hired to begin with, how do I gain that experience?’

39 minutes ago, EvilHayato said:

My profile pic is one of them.. (a bust of my boy akuma from street fighter)  

Oh damn, that’s pretty dope! 

[EvilHayato]

Thanks and yeah big jobs like that that have so many requirements make no sense. But the thing is once you are in, you are in and jobs become alot easier to find with those credentials. 

[AGUIC23]

I can't wait to own this figure, thanks JayC for the update!. I bet is going to be expensive.