FFVIIR Cloud Strife Play Arts Kai Version 1 vs Version 2 MyFigureCollection.net

Celeb Highlights
Hello! The guy who really likes Cloud is back with another entry. This style of entries is not something I'm very familiar with, but I thought it would be helpful to compare the two of these figures since I own both of them and people can see the differences side by side! At first I very much did not intend to buy the version 2, but I really liked how his new face and hair sculpt looked...and I collect Cloud figures anyways. Also I ended up labeling most of these pictures because I was not paying attention and was not consistent with which side whatever version was on. So sorry!

Keep in mind that I brought my version 1 second-hand and it has been through a fair bit of posing. I got version 2 brand new from amiami.

Firstly, Here's some side by side pictures of the boxes. For the most part not really different. https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546032.jpeghttps://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546031.jpeghttps://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546030.jpeg

I wanted to briefly touch on the fact that they have completely different stands. I have no idea when they opted to change the stand design, but I'm glad they did. The version 1 stand is the kind that you kind of have to assemble yourself (as in, you even have to screw it together) and it's overall very flimsy. I have a friend with a Zack Fair PAK that has the same stand. Version 2 stand still is not my favorite and I wish it was clear, but I like the design of it more and you do not have to too much assembly. However the stand is not something I even use much considering my Clouds can stand on their own pretty easily.
https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546029.jpeg

Now here is the most notable difference between the two versions. The face and hair sculpt.
https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546035.jpeghttps://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546026.jpeghttps://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546027.jpeg
Version 2 is by far the one I think looks nicer and looks more like the game. The version 1 was based on the first trailer and they jumped the gun in making a figure of it... The hair in version 1 looks incredibly chunky and it was not something I was a big fan of. Maybe it's just me, but in version 1 he looks more angry while in version 2 he has the more stoic expression Cloud is known for.
The jawlines are also slightly different too. Version 1 has a bigger jaw while version 2 has a slimmer, softer jawline. In this case I think they're both handsome, but the slimmer jawline suits Cloud more.
The only thing I like more about version 1 is that it has a more 3-D eye sculpt and version 2 is ever so slightly more flat where his eyes are painted. I don't think this is noticeable at all in photos, so it's really not a big deal. It is something that I wanted to point out, though.

To the overall figure.
https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546021.jpeghttps://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546022.jpeg
View spoilerHide spoilerAlso I misplaced the 'button' for my version 1 somewhere... I'm sure it'll turn up eventually, though.
https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546025.jpeghttps://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546020.jpeg
The rest of the sculpt to the clothes are seemingly close to each other. The only differences I really see in the sculpt are in the clothing folds. Most apparent differences to me are the folds beneath his knees. I do see some differences in the paint job in some places, though. For example, version 1's pauldron appears to have a more shiny finish compared to version 2's.
Also his set of extra hands are near-identical too. Was concerned I'd get them mixed up in the process of taking pictures.
https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546024.jpeg

The next most notable difference is the size of the buster sword. May have already spot it in the back view picture above. Before I got this home I was actually concerned I would get the swords mixed up. It is more to scale with Cloud's actual side and height. https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546023.jpeg
Materia slots are the same size, but the version 2 one has a little bit more detail in the sculpting around them.
https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546028.jpeg

And a little bit more on the version 2 figure. I really like this figure! Trying to change his hands was a bit of a chore, but then I did the classic hair dryer trick that everyone on this site tells you to do and they were finally willing to pop in place.https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546033.jpeg
Figure tends to hold poses really well and I stated that he is pretty good at being able to stand on his own. The one concern I am going to have about this figure is that his wrist joints will probably inevitably become weaker over time. Especially when I want to post him in one of his classic Cloud poses such as this one:
https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/pictures/2020/10/21/2546034.jpeg
Version 1 undeniably had his wrist joints grow weaker over time, but now with even a bigger sword it is a concern I have. I wonder if this is as much as an issue with characters who wield smaller weapons. (If anyone can answer that with their experiences with PAK, I'd love to know.)

Thanks for reading my entry! I love Cloud and I am very happy with my purchase. I hope Square Enix makes a Zack Fair Remake version as well. His Crisis Core PAK is pretty, but it's not in scale with any of my Clouds! Cloud is actually bigger than him when Zack is supposed to be visibly taller than him.

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