Figure Name: Sci-Fi Revoltech Monsters, Inc. Sulley & Mike
Figure Maker: Kaiyodo
Retail/List Price: ¥3,334
Available at: HobbyLink Japan

I was utterly thrilled when I opened my package to find this box. It is just so detailed. The front, the back, and both of the box's sides are full of information and pictures of Sulley and Mike (both in figure and movie form). A flap on the box opens to reveal a window with the figures staring right back at you through a plastic screen. You can close the box's flap with the velcro dot on the side. It holds up very well.

The two friends come with an instruction manual (in Japanese, of course), a sort of mini catalog, and a "Revoltech Coin." As far as I could gather it was some kind of plastic currency to collect. I immediately set it aside and began looking at the fun stuff. Aside from the actual body of Sulley and Mike, the set also includes two Monsters Incorporated work helmets (you can tell which is for which character because Mike's has a slot for his horn on the inside), an extra facial expression for Sulley, a small display placard, and an accessory box to put the hats and placard in. In all honesty, I didn't quite get the purpose of the box.

Sulley was the first of the pair that I played with, and while it may just have been my inexperience with the figure line, he was the most challenging to figure out. For starters, his tail was initially seperate from the body and I had to attach it myself. It was tough to get the tail to fit onto the stub, and for a few moments, I was worried that I had broken it. I had several instances of worry like this when manipulating Sulley's joints in his arms. They were just so stiff. I eventually got a semi-handle on it, though.

You can choose which way each of Sulley's eyes are looking by taking off the front of his face and rotating the nubs on the back of each corresponding eye to look their desired direction and then clicking the face back onto the rest of the figure. 

Unfortunately, I am disappointed to say that Sulley had quite a few noticeable paint flaws. For starters, his horns were really rather dirty-looking. It seemed as though someone had rubbed dirt or some sort of waxy residue on them. It was really weird. Also, if I turned smiling face backwards, I noticed two spots of white where it should have been all blue. The paint somehow didn't make it to that area. The last flaw was seen when I went to change Sulley's heads. I noticed this big dirty, brown smudge on his neck. This one is thankfully hidden when his head is attached. 

After being a little disappointed with Sulley, I cautiously moved onto Mike. Thankfully, I didn't have to assemble parts of him. Like Sulley, he can wear a hard hat. Mike's attaches to one of his horns so it hangs sort of askew on his head.

To move Mike's eye, you pull his face off (just like I did with Sulley) and rotated the nub. I will say both the opening of the head and the moving of the eye were easier with Mike for some reason.

Mike suffers from a rather odd design choice in that the majority of his joints are in his ankles and legs, making him incredibly difficult the pose as he falls over at the slightest provocation. This design is made more curious by the fact that Mike's arms have no joints at the hands or wrists. The arms can move up or down, but it ends there. 

Like Sulley, Mike also suffers from paint issues. It is most noticeable on his backside, but his entire bottom area is speckled yellow-green, a different shade than the rest of his body. His joints are this color as well, making them stand out. 

I'm not going to lie; this set was quite disappointing. I would let some of the joint problems pass as this is my first interaction with the line, but with the glaring quality issues, this set falls just short of "good" in my eyes. These are not the toys the heroes of Monstropolis deserve. I can't say the experience would dissuade me from trying another Revoltech, but I certainly wouldn't have such high hopes next time around.

[A big thank-you to HobbyLink Japan for supplying us with this sample!]