S.H. Figuarts Luigi review

Despite being a cowardly Player 2, Luigi is a man that still manages to be as iconic as his older brother. I'm glad that his personality's different from Mario, and having him be taller yet younger in age is something you don't see as often. Palette swaps are no longer such a thing like they were in the past. Luigi's merchandise isn't as common as Mario's, but it's on par with what Mario gets. The S.H. Figuarts Mario I reviewed a while back was pretty good, but I wish it was more worth the price tag it was going for. Yes, it's a quality Japanese figure from Tamashii Nations, but I wish it had more accessories. Could Luigi's accessories have more value for money than Mario's?

Here is Luigi out of the packaging. Much like with Mario, this figure manages to capture the look of the character model from the games. The proportions look correct to that of Luigi's in-universe, and nothing seems reused from Mario. Not even the hands or the shoes seem reused from Mario.

Articulation is about the same as with Mario. The only difference is that his head isn't as expressive as it is on Mario. Beyond that, it can hinge front and back slightly to help him look forward or up, and it moves side to side more. The shoulders are somewhat limited, as they don't quite move up too far, though they can move front and back until they reach to his face. The elbows bend nearly 90 degrees, and the wrists swivel. There is no real diaphragm or waist movement on this figure, but the hips can move around in a way I didn't expect them to. Like with Mario, the hips move front and back with not just a ball joint that connects the legs, but also with a swivel built into the hips, so you can get more range of movement. The ball joint adds a bit more movement, the knees are able to bend at a right angle, and the feet are multi-jointed, with a ball and socket attached up the leg where and another ball and socket for the feet, so you can pose Luigi to pivot or have his feet hang low is he was to jump.

One thing that I like most about Luigi compared to Mario is the fact that he comes with a flight stand. Yes, Luigi got a flight stand while Mario didn't. It's got fairly thick portions, but it should help keep Luigi posed at a relative height for his jump. Mario interestingly never had that, but you had to buy multiple packs of accessories instead.

Luigi also comes with a piece made for attaching him to the stand from the back, which has a peg sticking out if you swap a portion of the back.

Here are some of Luigi's other accessories. Two alternate open hands, a red Koopa Troopa shell, and a brick. The hands can be swapped

Luigi's hands can be swapped, and he can hold the red Koopa Troopa that he comes with. Switching out the hands can get very annoying; the pegs feel like they don't fit with the holes used to attach the hands. But these open hands are more than just for an expressive pose; Luigi can hold the turtle shell with some small clear tabs that slot into the holes of his hands and the Koopa Troopa shell. Those pieces are needed to have him hold it properly so do not loae them.

For a figure comparison, here we have Luigi next to the World of Nintendo version, the Banpresto version, the Joyride Luigi's Mansion promo figure, and the ToyBiz Mario Kart 64 figure. The World of Nintendo version is second best when put next to the Figuart, and while it's got less of a problem with hiding the articulation joints, the articulation is slightly inferior to that of the Figuart, and the shade of green looks a bit off. That said, the paint apps look fine for what they are. The Banpresto figure looks the nicest, but the articulation is lacking, and it's likely going to be knocked off to be sold at flea markets and Chinese shops. The Joyride figure is somewhat of a pre-posed figure that reflects his appearance from Luigi's Mansion. Nice for that purpose only, but it's a one-off display piece for the most part, not a full-on Luigi figure. ToyBiz's Mario figure is alright for what he is, but he looks a lot more like a Mario figure that's somewhat altered to look like Luigi. Doesn't also capture the look of the N64 renders, 

Here we have Luigi next to his little big bro, Mario! These two look pretty good together, especially considering how consistent they are in terms of looks and articulation. It makes me wish we got more characters in the line, like Peach, Daisy, Toad, and more. AS mentioned, I'm happy that there are no reused parts for Luigi, as his proportions are obviously different from that of Mario's. It's more than just a color swap, although the overalls are a darker blue and the boots have a darker shade of brown. Speaking of, neither the hands or the boots are the same as Mario's since they're smaller in comparison.

This Luigi figure was neat to get to go along with Mario, though Luigi has more value for money in comparison. He has alternate hands and a flight stand that he can use, which also interacts with the other items if you want to make a small display. Surprising how Mario doesn't have one, but that's Tamashii Nations trying to make accessory kits without, I don't know, making an actual figure be the main point of the set. Even if Luigi's better than Mario in the accessory department, he has about the same articulation limitations that Mario has. I feel Luigi's more worth the asking price of $30 (depending on where you get him), but try going for discounts of you can.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐