Though he does not really need much of an introduction. Raiden first debuted in the 1990s Mortal Kombat title which was first released on the Arcade, before then being ported to platforms such as the Playstation 3, XBox 360, Sega Mega Drive, to name but a few. He has since become one of the much loved and iconic characters throughout the series. He is also one of the very few to have appeared in over 15 titles and still manages to play a significant part within the games today.
After the second defeat of Shinnok, Raiden managed to become an Elder God. Where he was granted supernatural abilities, including the ability to teleport, control lightning, and even fly. He is also the sworn protector of Earthrealm and one of the strongest characters within the series.
My personal love for the Raiden character began with the 1998 tv series, Mortal Kombat Conquest. Which was produced by Lawrence Kasanoff (True Lies). This was actually the first time I had ever heard of Mortal Kombat and basically decided to watch the show due to being a fan of the name, Mortal Kombat.
In Mortal Kombat Conquest, Raiden was played by actor Jeffrey Meek (Raven, The Exile). He was basically seen as a bit of a father figure to the main protagonist, Kung Lao (Paolo Montalbán).
Unfortunately, despite how much I personally enjoyed the show, Mortal Kombat Conquest did not get the credit I thought it deserved back then. Due to this it never did get a proper ending.
Anyway, enough of how amazing Mortal Kombat Conquest is, or rather was, and how electrifyingly brilliant the whole Raiden character is. Perhaps now is a good time to get on to the actual topic of this article, that being a review of the latest Mortal Kombat Klassic Raiden statue.
The Mortal Kombat Klassic Raiden statue is said to be a 1:10 scale statue that has been created by the team over at Iron Studios.
The statue was created to reflect how Raiden looked in the original arcade Mortal Kombat games, hence the word ‘Klassic’. So this included his much darker blue vest, white outfit, and straw hat.
I was really eager to get my mitts on this one after being refunded on a past Raiden statue which never got a public release in the end, despite being available for pre-order. Apparently the statue was cancelled due to lack of interest and the increase of overall cost of manufacturing. Despite the disappointment of this, it only ended up fuelling more excitement in getting this one from Iron Studios instead.
The box in which the Raiden statue comes in looks rather nice, with artwork of the statue put into detail on both sides. Which is always a nice feature to see and, of course, beats the much less professional look of a plain simple coloured box.
Iron Studios are a great company that know how to make product boxes look amazing. They are also really good at packaging too. Having packaged the statue in a tight polystyrene protector, which thankfully meant that our statue managed to survive transit and arrived unscathed.
When I first opened the box I noticed that a lot of the accessories came separately, as in not actually attached to the statue itself. This included the base, lightning bolt features, and accessories.
This, I see as a more common occurrence in this day and age. It is also a good way of further protecting the statue and reducing the risk of any unnecessary damage being caused.
What you get inside the box is the following;
- Raiden 1:10 scale statue
- Base
- Lightning Bolt accessories
- Skeleton type accessories
- Extra hand
Each piece is really easy to put together and it is really simple to add Raiden to the actual base. We did not have any trouble with fitting and placing everything together.
The only problem, if you call it that, was placing the accessories to the base. The reason for this is that the skeleton pieces do come separately and do not exactly connect to the base itself. Instead it is mainly left for you to choose where to place them, making them overall, a set of loose pieces that could easily be lost if you are not careful. This only really applies to the skeleton pieces, which are mainly only used to make the base stand out a bit better. Plus, it also gives and adds to the whole affect of Raiden haven eliminated his opponent, which is essentially what these skeleton pieces are used to represent.
The base that Raiden stands on is rather stylish looking. Representing the name of the product on the bottom of the base and a yin and yang symbol featured on the actual main portion of the base.
The base also comes with traces of blood and include several skulls, which go alongside the skeleton type accessories to once again represent death and destruction. Thankfully these skulls are attached to the base, therefore reducing the risk of loosing them. Unlike with the actual skeleton accessories.
Sticking with the whole death and destruction setting that this statue manages to showcase, you can also see the Mortal Kombat logo or symbol on the front of the base, which has also been shown to represent traces of blood.
The base has also been given cracks to symbolize this setting too. Yes, those cracks are part of the setting ha! Though much more difficult to spot, there are also blood traces on Raiden’s pants.
As someone who does not like Shao Kahn, I like to pretend that this is a setting in which Raiden has managed to eliminate him. I mean Shao Kahn tends to wear a skeleton themed helmet so it kind of fits, right? ha!
The lightning bolt accessory that can be used to represent Raiden’s ability to control lighting is a rather cool feature. It is an ability that Raiden is definitely known to be able to perform. This ability is also how he managed to obtain the nickname, Thunder God. So lets be honest without this accessory, it just would not add up.
Thankfully Raiden comes with an extra hand accessory which is mainly used for this feature. Allowing him to be able to hold and control the electrical bolt with ease.
The head sculpt has been rather nicely done. Managing to show off Raiden’s white eyes that he has.
Though Raiden has been seen to change his eye colour throughout the Mortal Kombat series, depending on what action he is currently undertaking. This includes being able to change from white, blue, and even red.
However, for the purpose of the whole ‘Klassic’ style that the statue has been based on, his eyes here are predominantly white.
Overall the (MK) Mortal Kombat Klassic Raiden 1:10 scale statue is a rather nice piece, that manages to showcase the arcade version (old skhool version) of the Thunder God, Raiden very well.
The way Raiden is shown to be able to control the lightning in this piece is really nice and very in-character. Which is mandatory in my opinion.
The whole death and destruction setting that the base manages to pull off is really cool too. It manages to give the whole vibe of Raiden looking to have been fighting and eliminating his target. The blood traces that can be found on the base also helps give the whole fatality effect too. All of which Mortal Kombat is known for.
I am rather happy with this piece and it certainly makes up for having been disappointed that the Raiden statue that I tried to purchase before was, unfortunately cancelled.
Please keep in mind that the Raiden statue that I purchased before this one and the one, in which, I am referring to was not made by the team over at Iron Studios. Just in case there is any confusion here.
For more information or to purchase the product, click here (Affiliate Link)
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Has been playing video games for her entire life so far. Grew up with the Sega Master System II. Her favourite games include both Resident Evil 2 (OG) and Final Fantasy VIII.
She now writes articles about video games.
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