Review of the just-released boxed outfit set from JX Toys, which is inspired by Tifa Lockheart from the "Final Fantasy" franchise. Click any image for full-size versions, or visit the JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review album. No outtakes or anything -- everything I took is posted here.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
Before covering anything in the set, let me impress the importance of looking over the instructions and EVERYTHING in the box, and figuring out what the instructions are trying to tell you. It would help if you could read Chinese, but if you don't then I hope my experience can help you out.
Most importantly, hiding at the bottom of the box will be 3 sheets of fairly thick, transparent plastic. What they're trying to say in steps 1 and 4 are to use these sheets in strategic places.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Headsculpt Portrait by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
Portrait shot of the "TiFa" headsculpt. Matches the S23B suntan pretty well, although I think you could also probably get away with using it on a pale figure as well. Might get a shot of that to show what I mean. Lovely, in a little more of a cartoon-y sort of way.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
The product pre-release photos looked like they put this set on the standard large-bust Phicen/TBLeague body (an S12D if you want to get particular about it), and while I think it's probably a pretty good match to the character model in the original game, I wanted to put her on the more muscular S23B body. While other characters in the game use swords and staffs and guns and other weapons to fight, Tifa is a martial-arts fighter who pounds enemies with her fists, and I thought the S23B body would be more appropriate. This does mean some stuff doesn't fit quite as well as it could.
The outfit starts with Tifa's trademark cropped tank top, adding in a pair of black panties. Nothing hugely out of the ordinary, but nicely executed.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
Closer look at the fit of the top and panty. No visible staining afterwards from the panty, but soaking it to remove any excess dye isn't a bad idea.
You can see a bit of the fuzz left behind by the shirt and the panty, but it's not a stain.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
The leather mini-skirt with suspenders is a very snug fit on the S23B. It is a stretch vinyl fabric, so it will give a bit while getting it on but should snap back into place once it's in position. Still, a bit of wax paper or plastic wrap around the legs and hips will help a lot in getting the thing on.
There are ornamental buckles on her suspenders, which I would have preferred to be real ones to customize the fit. The suspenders are permanently attached to the skirt by those little loops, which are plastic that looks like elastic.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
The skirt is very, very short, same as in the game, and the suspenders help emphasize a specific part of Tifa's body. The panty can help the figure avoid stains and inadvertent flashing of naughty bits because that is a very, very short skirt.
FWIW, the box contains a larger plastic sheet which is intended to go on under the skirt, both to help get it on easier and to protect the body. The tight fit of the skirt means there's a lot of close contact between the skirt and the body and that can lead to staining very easily.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
Make sure the criss-cross in the suspenders goes in back and not in front. It's also not too easy to see here, but I think the first problem the set runs into on the S23B body is that the rear waistband leaves a pretty big gap on the back.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
There are 2 arm sleeves that are made of the same stretchy material as the skirt. The first mistake I made in dressing the figure was putting some plastic wrap on her arms to help get the sleeves on, but not going all the way up the arm. This is what two of those clear plastic sheets in the box are for.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
Whatever you use to get those sleeves on, they look pretty good once they're in place and the material is flexible enough that a Phicen body can still hold bent-elbow poses. At least with plastic wrap under there -- I think the plastic sheets in the box are VERY thick and might impair elbow functionality more than the sleeves do.
The box also comes with three pairs of hands, which will be seen later.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
There's a pair of dark socklets that are supposed to go on the leg under the boots, but I found them to be completely useless. I just couldn't get them over the ankle peg and onto the legs, so I ditched them entirely.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
The boot is a solid piece of semi-hard plastic, with an ankle socket at the bottom of the foot. It fits the Phicen/TBLeague ankle ball perfectly, but the stiff structure of the boot means you get limited ankle articulation and therefore limited posing possibilities.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
The completed figure, along with the spare hands she has in the box. She's sporting her fist hands (why oh why doesn't Phicen/TBLeague make fist hands themselves?), a pair of flat-palmed hands, and then a semi-open right hand and a fist left hand with a band. Of the hands, only the left-band fist had trouble getting on or off the wrist peg.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
"It'll be better for you if you go limp when I knock you out. Otherwise, you might hurt yourself worse when you fall."
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
Pow!
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
My problem with the boots is that they're stiff enough that you lose ankle articulation, but not so stiff that they can support the figure on their own. This is about as deep a stance as you can get before you lose stability. The socklets might help by removing some of the slack in the ankle, and maybe I should have just been more patient (or used plastic wrap) to get them on. But I'm generally not a fan of sculpted boots overall. If they were doing this, I'd have preferred one of those two-section designs like Hot Toys has been doing lately, though I don't know if her boots work with that design.
Overall, I think there's a whole lot to like about the clothing set, and mostly minor quibbles about the things I don't (the specific tailoring, potential for staining, and the boots). If you're a fan of the character, I think it's a pretty good buy for the money.
JX Toys TiFa Female Fighter Photo Review by Ed's Toy Box, on Flickr
And here's the reason why you should really pay attention to the stuff in the box. I used plastic wrap on the arms, but only up to the elbow, and this left stains on the inside of both elbows from the sleeves. Considering how tight the fit is, I'm a little surprised it didn't go higher. I'm not holding this against JX Toys since they do include SOMETHING in the box to keep this from happening, and I'm pretty sure I can get those out on my own. So let my impatience be a warning to anyone who gets this set.
#jxtoys #tifa #finalfantasy #productreview #female #film
