Marvel Vs Capcom: Modock/Akuma & Sentinel/Ryu

Like the Wolverine/Viewtiful Joe & Magneto/Zero 2-packs I recently reviewed, these MiniMates are based on a series of video games created by Capcom in which characters created by Marvel Comics and Capcom's own characters appear together. Series 3 are based on the third version, Fate of Two Worlds. While I'm not a gamer, these sets have some colorful characters that look fun to me.

 

Modock is a freaky Marvel creation, first appearing in '67 under the reign of the late, great Jack Kirby. Only Kirby could come up with something that looked like this!

From Wikipedia:

George Tarleton is a technician for the organization Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM). Having recently created the artifact the Cosmic Cube, the AIM scientists use advanced mutagenics to alter Tarleton and create the super intelligent MODOC (acronym for Mental Organism Designed Only for Computing) to study and improve the object. MODOC, however, becomes ambitious and kills its former masters and takes control of AIM. Calling itself MODOK (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing).

  

 

I stupidly passed on this set the first time I saw it, but had to return for Modock, maybe the most unique MiniMate I've ever seen. He's pretty top-heavy, but the chair holds him upright just fine and looks killer atop it's translucent blastoff base! 

 

The online Street Fighter wiki says Akuma (悪魔 or アクマ, "Demon, Devil" in Japanese), known in Japan as Gouki (豪鬼, Gōki, "Great Devil", "Great Demon" or "Great Ogre"), is a popular fighter as well as a popular villain in the Street Fighter series and UDON comics. He is known as "The Supreme Master of the Fist."

Being Supreme Master of the Fist and all, I assume one of the translucent blast accessories is for Akuma. The sculpt and color on this tiny figure a great! Those are prayer beads around his neck, and the Kanji symbol for "Ten" appears on the back of Akuma's gi top. While I bought this 2-pack for Modock, I think I like Akuma even more- lookit that hair!   :D

 

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Sentinels are the longtime antagonists of the X-Men, introduced in issue #14 in 1965. The 30 foot tall, flying robots fire energy blasts, and become more dangerous each time the X-Men face them due to their tactical thought capabilities, enhancing their counterattack. It would have been nice if he was an oversized MiniMate, more in scale with the rest, but I'll take this. See my post on the Marvel Universe 16" Masterworks Sentinel!

 

I really like that they used the purple & blue color combo from Marvel Comics canon on this. This is a seriously chunky MiniMate, and his articulation is somewhat restricted due to this. One of the boots is not perfectly secure in it's leg fitting, which gave me a little trouble posing him in flight, but I'm amused by him overall. I mean, who doesn't like giant, killer robots?

 

 

According to the online Capcom database, Ryu's first appearance in the original Street Fighter replaced the red headband with a white one and depicted him with bright red hair, gray eyes, and red slippers. I like the shade of red they used, and while I never played much Street Fighter, this is a fun, archetypal, little martial artist. Trivia from the database: Ryu and Chun Li are the only Street Fighter characters that appear in every Capcom Versus game.

 

Ryu's shirt/belt overlay can be removed, revealing his block, yet fit chest- the result, no doubt, of never missing a Street Fighter game  :D

Diamond Select gave us four bases with this set, two flat disc and two flight posts- I'm not sure why since Modock has the chair, unless the Sentinel was meant to utilize both flight posts, but Rtu looks cool flying through the air! While I bought the sets for the Marvel characters, Akuma & Ryu rock hard and will go great with the other Capcom characters I have. I'd recommend these to any Minimate fan!

More Later- Make It FUN!