Original Figure Review - NECA Pacific Rim 7" Figure Series Ultra Deluxe Otachi

For a while many collectors felt as if NECA would never get to make Otachi, one of the Category 4 Kaiju that attacked Hong Kong in Guillermo Del Toro's 2013 film, Pacific Rim. However given that their Pacific Rim figures have been selling well, it was not that surprising that Otachi would ultimately be made. It was originally unveiled at last year's San Diego Comic-Con, and was officially released towards the end of February of this year.

There was much excitement for this figure. Does Otachi live up to the hype? Let us see!

Otachi comes in a window box with a similar packaging design to the previous two Kaiju figure releases – Knifehead *Toys 'R Us Exclusive) and Axehead. The figure is packaged into two pieces along with the two accessories (which we'll get to later in this review) – the main body, and the tail. In order to attach the tail to the figure just attach it to the ball joint on the main body. It should be easy, but if you're having trouble with your's then use a hair dryer on the tail socket to soften it up. But any extra effort to assemble it shouldn't be necessary.

Once assembled, Otachi is certainly a gargantuan figure when compared to the rest of the lineup. In height it's actually shorter than most figures at around six to seven inches at its tallest. It's in her length that makes Otachi a beast at over a foot. It's interesting to note that Otachi isn't as long as she was originally advertised, 18 inches. However, regardless to what was originally stated, Otachi still is the largest Kaiju figure in NECA's Pacific Rim line. Given that it, like all other figures in this line, was sculpted using actual CG files from the film, Otachi appears as she did on screen. The body is chock full of meticulous details.

Personally, Otachi possesses the best looking paint apps and detail work than any other Kaiju in NECA's Pacific Rim figure line. Much of its body is covered with a dark green coloration with a subtle wash of dark gray to bring out some of the finer details between the scales on its skin and cracks on its armor plating down its back. Bioluminescent areas on its body such as its mouth, neck, back, and tail are colored with a light blue color. Like on all Kaiju, Otachi also possesses those tribal-like markings too. Instead of them being all over her body, they're only on her underside. Along with those markings there are also scratches, which are caused by Crimson Typhoon during their battle in Hong Kong. This added detail makes me wonder if NECA would ultimately do a “Thundercloud Formation” Crimson Typhoon figure. Perhaps someday...

When it comes to articulation on NECA's Kaiju, we have come to expect the standard methods that we've seen on Knifehead, Trespasser, and Scunner. However, being an entirely different sculpt, Otachi takes things to a whole new level.

With Otachi's jaw being able to split into two, both sides are connected to individual ball joints. The jaw itself is split in the middle, allowing one to display it wide open giving it a fierce and intimidating look to it.  

Otachi's neck joint is on a ball joint, however, the neck itself is too large for it to be moved from side to side. However, it allows Otachi's neck and head to be reared up or down. 

The shoulders, arms, and wrists are on ball joints allowing Otachi to be posed in various dynamic poses. Unlike on other Kaiju figures like Knifhead, Trespasser, and Scunner, the elbow joints on Otachi are much more dynamic and they can bend 90% and below. The joints themselves (at least on my figure) are slightly loose and allow posing the figure with relative ease. 

Otachi's legs are similarly articulated as previous Kaiju figures. There's a ball joint in the pelvic area that allows the hip to be positioned inward and/or outward. The knee is on a hinge/swivel joint while the ankles are ball joints. 

What makes this figure stand out amongst all of NECA's Kaiju figures is that the entire tail is articulated (much like NECA's 24" Head-to-Tail Godzilla action figure.) The joints are quite firm to hold a pose, but also loose enough to allow easy movement. 

One of the neat things that came as a surprise to me is the mode of articulation on the claws at the end of Otachi's tail. All three of them are on hinge joints, but the great thing about it is that all three joints are connected by a gear-like contraption. That means if you try to open or close one claw, it moves all the others so all the claws move in a synchronized motion. I personally love fidgeting with this part of the figure. The cool thing about this feature is that it can firmly hold onto accessories like the cargo ship (aka boat sword) that came with the Hong Kong Brawl Gipsy Danger figure. 

Otachi is perhaps the only Kaiju figure so far to come with accessories. The first is an alternate tongue accessory with an Acid Spray effect erupting from it. The other is a Baby Otachi figure, sculpted to scale with the adult figure. 

In order to attach the alternate tongue with acid spray effect, one must remove the regular tongue that is on the figure when packaged. Depending on the figure, it could take some force. I just wiggled mine for a few seconds and ultimately it popped out. After that just wedge in the alternate tongue into the empty socket. It holds out really well and the Acid Spray effect is pretty neat. In warmer temperatures, however, the effect will sag a bit. 

The second accessory is a mini Baby Otachi figure. The addition of Baby Otachi was not part of the original announcement of the figure, which makes me believe that it was added on later in the figure's production. Despite its extremely small size, it is far more detailed that I originally expected. The mouth and tongue are painted, the eyes are a whitish yellow with a tiny black pupil, and the entire body is painted in a fleshy pink color along with a light gray wash to bring out details. 

Like I mentioned, the Baby Otachi figure was made to scale, which is a nice touch by NECA. They'll also be releasing a larger six inch rubber Baby Otachi figure later this spring. 

Speaking of scale, here is Otachi with the Hong Kong Brawl Gipsy Danger. At its tallest, Otachi can meet Gipsy eye-to-eye, but in a normal pose it stands at around 6-7 inches. This is precisely in scale with Gipsy and the other Jaegers. 

So what's the verdict on Otachi? Well, NECA has certainly given me a reason why not to bash on them too much. Otachi is an amazing figure! Personally, I feel that this is their best Kaiju figure so far. When NECA puts effort into a product, they can do some amazing things. Their Otachi is well worth the money. I highly recommend this figure to fans of Pacific Rim and any Kaiju collector out there. 

This isn't the only Otachi figure from NECA though. It's been recently hinted that a Winged/Battle Damaged version will be made as well. More on that when more details emerge from the "Breach."