Krauser – Resident Evil 4: Wave 2
NECA
Sculptor – Jason Frailey

Fans of Resident Evil may have noticed that many characters just will not stay dead.  There was Brad Vickers, the cowardly pilot from the first game who is killed by the S.T.A.R.S-hunting tyrant, Nemesis, only to come back to be seen lurking near Racoon City Police Department as a “super” zombie and of course, there is Albert Wesker who we saw die brutally in the hands of the first Tyrant although he is still around, beating on Chris Redfield with his new found powers and stealing Plagas samples.  The same can be said for Jack Krauser.  Although never featured in previous games, the main protagonist of RE4, Leon S. Kennedy saw his U.S. Government agent comrade die in a crash 2 years prior to the story.  However, he is back and now he’s not quite the same.  To make things worse, he’s working for Wesker now.

Packaging

NECA have always been in the habit of using clam-shell packaging.  However, rather than using traditional McFarlane-style, it is much smaller due to the hanger being at the top along with the insert space as opposed to the side.  For fans of this series, you’ll notice the insert uses the same formula as the previous wave, this time in blue, making it easier to distinguish the new from the old figures in your local store.  There is now text on the back, giving a brief outline of the character in question.  My only complaint here is the use of thin clear plastic, which is not so much an issue for people who open their figures but MOC collectors should be weary as these damage quite easily.

Likeness

After his resurrection, Krauser was given the ability to mutate his arm to become claw-like.  This figure is based on this appearance during the fight with Leon, where he is forced to use it.  The actual pose and design is based on a piece of control art straight from Capcom and in comparison, it looks very much like a three dimensional presentation of that.  The head sculpt likeness is extremely accurate, right down to the sculpted scar on his lip.  A minor nitpick but the camouflage scheme on his pants are different from the control art but it is nothing to get upset about at all.

Sculpting

This is indeed one finely sculpted figure.  The main part of the figure that would be noticed is the claw.  What can only be described as a mess of flesh, cartilage and metal, the sculptor took no shortcuts in attempting to represent this.  It is very finely detailed as seen in the tiny scratches on the metal and the texturing on the cartilage proportions.  The skin itself is so textured that you won’t be able to find a smooth part.  In fact, everything is so detailed that you can even see the fabric textured on to the figure’s boot straps.  The head sculpt looks exactly how Krauser did in the game although the eyes seem a bit too close together. 

Paint

A good figure can only be made excellent with an above-par paint job and this paint job is definitely over that level.  What I truly like is the way that the textured parts of the sculpt are complimented by the paint.  For example boots and knee pads are black with a grey wash to simulate the leather feel while the metal parts of the claw are provided with a metallic sheen.  The skin around the claw is also given a gloss.  In the game, when the arm mutates, a lot of liquid is ejected and the gloss simulates that extremely well.  Even the veins are given a dark highlighted color.  The finer paint detail such as the camo-scheme and the face paint is very well done with no signs of paint slop.

Scale

In the figure’s crouching position, Krasuer measures in at 7 inches tall, just a bit taller than the Leon figure who is also crouching.  This figure is indeed in scale with the other Resident Evil 4 figures from NECA as well as their other 7 inch scale lines such as Sin City.  You could add this in with later Resident Evil releases from Palisades Toys such as Chris Redfield and Wesker but it is a little too big in scale to fit naturally.

Stability

There is not any hip or knee articulation on this figure so support from the sculpted legs would have been necessary.  Thankfully, the cut joints just above the boots are useful for this and it works well to get Krauser to stand without falling.  It has been on the shelf for close to a week now and no problems have occurred, even with the oversized claw arm.

Articulation

Krauser has 7 points of articulation which include a ball jointed neck and right shoulder and cut joints for the left elbow, wrist waist and just above the boots.  Fans of articulation will be disappointed that it is unable to make a wide range of poses as other RE figures released by other companies.  However, the ball jointed head and claw shoulder have been given a large range of motion to allow more poses that work other then that seen in the control art.

Accessories

Separate from the figure are three small claw-like objects which attach to the main claw of the figure are three separate points and can be slightly posed due to the ball in the position where you put them on.  Why these weren’t simply added to the sculpt of the figure is a mystery.  Krauser is also packaged with his trusty knife which he enjoys to use.  It is well sculpted with a snake insignia as seen in the game and can be placed into the holster on his back.  Not really accessories but attached to the figure at the belt are three grenades and equipment pockets.  Again, all are equally as well sculpted and painted as the figure itself.

Cost/Value

The £10.75 was an absolute pleasure to part with to get such an amazing looking figure.  It seems quite sturdy since it is made from a more solid plastic than most figures and is right for the collector’s market.  Anything from 12.99 and below is a good price whether you live in the UK or the US.

Availability

The second Resident Evil wave was released about a month or two ago in the US and about three weeks in the UK although I haven’t seen them in some places.  You should be able to find them in stores that sold the first wave.  One thing to notice about video game figures is that they tend to stay on pegs, especially the lesser known characters.  Fans of RE4 will know that Krauser is not one of them so be sure to pick it up for both the character design and the sculpt.

Overall

I have been a NECA fan since the Kill Bill figures they released and hearing that they obtained the Resident Evil 4 license was a great relief since I expected them to show the same great quality in sculpt and paint work in their newly found license.  My expectations have surely been exceeded with Krauser.  Although the minimal articulation does hurt the fact that posing the figure is limited but the fact that the sculpting is phenomenal and that the articulation is barely visible definitely makes up for a great sculpture.

Grade

8.5