Of course, anytime there's a hit video game, there's other merchandise, including action figures. The fact that it's 20 years now since its original release and the license for action figures and toys is still strong says quite a bit about the long term popularity of the games.

The popular block figures from Art Asylum, mini-mates, are now hitting the Street Fighter scene. There were two Action Figure Express exclusives released earlier, along with a Previews exclusive (Demetri and Morrigan in their player 2 colors), but the regular wave 1 figures are now finally shipping. Two of the three regular sets are based on well known SFII characters, while the third (and the fourth chase set) are based on the Darkstalkers game.

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, you can always reach me at mwc@mwctoys.com. If you enjoy this review, take a minute to check out my other site at Michael's Review of the Week, and let me know what you think. Now on to the review!

"Street Fighter mini-mates"

The regular sets includes Ryu vs Akuma, Bison vs Chun-Li, and Demetri vs. Morrigan. There is a chase pair of Demetri vs. Lillith as well.

Packaging - **1/2
This set goes back to the cardback/bubble package, rather than the box of the Marvel mini-mates line. I much prefer the box of course, but the advantage here is that you can see the figures before purchasing.

Don't get me wrong - the colors and graphics are strong and appealing. Unfortunately though, the boxes have spoiled me since they are so much more collector friendly and easy to store.

Sculpting - ***
If you haven't bought mini-mates before, then please understand that sculpting in the traditional sense isn't really the point. There is *some* sculpting, but it's very minimal. Instead, paint is predominately used to imply the characters and their emotions, using a fairly generic body and head.

These six have unique hair of course, along with a few extra sculpted items, like sparring gloves, capes, hats, skirts, or bracelets. These extra pieces add the character's personality to the standard body. Of the set of six, my personal favorites are Bison and Chun-li, and the execution on these two along with the expression turned out really well.

Paint - ***1/2
While the sculpts are minimal, the paint ops are not. There is plenty of detail for such basic figures, and the quality of the work is always impressive.

I must admit however that there was more slop on this set than I've seen in the past. Areas like Ryu's belt or the spikes on Chun-li's bracelets weren't cut as well between colors as I expected, with some bleed occuring in a number of places.

Still, the most critical application - the faces - is excellent. I'm not sure what kind of tampo or masking process they use for these, but it works extremely well, leaving a very clean result.

Articulation - ***1/2
Of all the mini-figures on the market, the mini-mates are the best articulated. Each figure has neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

The figure can use these joints to take and maintain a ton of poses, and the articulation also allows the figures to be takend completely apart, and reassembled with pieces from other figures. These feature can be a lot of fun for kids, although they may end up losing their share of itty bitty hands and feet.

Accessories - **
Each of the figures comes with an energy bolt accessory, designed specifically around one of their special moves. Unlike the LOTR mini-mates, there are no small stands included, so you may want to steal some from those figures. Since these are fighting toys, maintaining a fighting pose on the shelf will be pretty important. You can also get some flat LEGO pieces to work as stands.

The energy bolts are designed to fit on the hand (or in the case of Chun-li, the foot) of the respective owner. Without a stand, getting them to hold the very heavy, mostly solid, plastic blast of energy and remain upright is a tough one. The only one that would do it for me without any extra support is Bison, since the heavy cape in back helps shift some of the center of gravity.

Snag a few of the clear display stands from the LOTR mini-mates though, and you'll be able to do some sweet poses. Not including those stands here hurt the score, since they are so important this time around.

Fun Factor - ***1/2
My youngest kids are five, and they love the mini-block style figures. Whether they're Playmobil, LEGO or mini-mates, they enjoy playing with this size and style much more than the larger 6 - 8" size most collector's prefer. I suspect that as they age, they're preference will change, but for the under 7 crowd, these are tons of fun.

These also appeal to collectors because of the cool factor. They have that certain something that combines nostalgia with modern appeal, call it the X factor of action figures. Pop culture collectors are less likely than toy collectors to enjoy them, since they generally prefer figures with more accurate sculpting and larger size.

Value - **
At around $7 a pair, these are still a tad too expensive. Considering the current market though, especially for mini-figures, the price is not real surprising, and fans of Street Fighter or the style probably won't complain about the cost too much.

Overall - ***
If you have fans of Street Fighter around the house, they will enjoy these blocky versions of their favorite characters. While mini-mates are fun for kids in general, this set may have a little less appeal than say, the Marvel mini-mates, simply because younger kids are less likely to know who they are.

For collectors with less space, small figures make a fantastic display. If Art Asylum and Diamond Select continue the line, we could end up with a whole shelf of the best characters from the many games.

Where to Buy -
Your local comic shop may get these in, or if you're one of the lucky ones that still has a Suncoast or Sam Goody around that sells toys, you might find them there. Your best odds are online though:

- CornerStoreComics has the wave in, with regular sets around $6.50 each, or the three packs of regular figures for $19.

- Amazing Toyz also has them in for aroudn $6.50 a set, and also has the Previews exclusive Demetri vs. Morrigan in their player 2 colors.

- Yikes Comics has them in stock for about $8 each, or $20 for the set of six.

Related Links -
There's been plenty of other mini-mates reviews of course. Some key links:

- If you're into mini-mates, you'll want to check out Mini-mate Central, where there's all the latest news and info.

- I've reviewed some of the Marvel versions in the past, including Magneto and Professor X, the early X-men set, more X-men and Spider-man, Jean Grey and Cyclops, and even the very first wave of Marvel based mini-mates from three years ago.