Hello everyone! I received my first single AC Cloud too! It's from a local supplier so nothing much to comment on the delivery time. Definitely first batch though because of the absence of the 'better' packaging.
I am a HUGE FF7AC and Cloud fan, so naturally i have watched the entire AC/C movie frame by frame because I just love it that much... I'm also an obsessive collector of anything AC Cloud, so I have multiples of all his figures, from PAKs to the Masterpiece Arts and what not. I also have multiple of GT Clouds on the way too, so if there are any differences between batches or QC or just anything interesting, I'll be sure to post here.
Anyway, on to the figure and some thoughts.
Some quick comments:
- Head sculpt is perfect, more so in person than in any photo you see.
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TAKE GREAT CARE WHEN REMOVING THE HANDS. I used hot water and a hair dryer but as I was removing the hand, the entire joint came apart and the peg of the wrist swivel got stuck in the hand. It was an agonizing 1 hour operation involving a kettle, a hair dryer, pliers of varying sizes and a lot of mini heart attacks. Don't be like me, please be careful!
- Head sculpt is really perfect.
- My swords came fine... some scruffs and loose magnets but nothing a bit of super glue can't fix. The engineering is extremely impressive, and the fact it combines and comes apart so easily yet maintaining its sturdiness is downright impressive.
- Head sculpt is like he walked out of the screen.
- Tailoring is very good. As mentioned earlier, I'm a crazy AC Cloud fan, so I have identified several inaccuracies on his costume. All minor nitpicks (missing seams and belts etc), but it does not take anything away from the overall awesomeness of this figure. Would I have liked it more if it was more accurate? Absolutely. But right now, it's as good as it comes so I won't lose sleep over it. See next point too.
- Head sculpt is absolutely godlike - The head makes the figure more than anything, so minor costume/outfit imperfections are acceptable (to me).
- I have a minor QC issue on his right arm, see if you can spot it in the photos below, but nothing much I can do about it anyway. Ah wells...
- I did NOT strip him, so I can't comment on anything under his clothes.
- I spent about 2 hours adjusting his outfit for an accurate 'layout'. Call it a condition, but I need my mixed media figures properly attired haha. So I adjusted the way his top sits on his body, the position of the shoulder armour, the height of his pants, the position of his apron, the way the apron buckles are adjusted etc etc etc
- Head sculpt is incredible.
- I like his covered left sleeve and I'm going to sew it on
Sorry for the wall of text, and thank you for reading if you made it this far. On with the photos!