Sonic Free-Riders WAVE the SWALLOW!

Sonic the Hedgehog: Free Riders Wave the Swallow from Jazwares

I'll admit I know next to nothing about the Sonic universe.  I had a game on my Sega Game Gear in the 90's and I enjoyed it, but beyond the major three characters (Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails), everything else was far off my radar.  I started to take notice when Jazwares began releasing their super-articulated 3" Sonic action figures a few years ago.  I bought every one with glee, but eventually sold all of them but one (Amy Rose) solely for space reasons.  The existence of Wave as the second female in the line really caught me by surprise.  She was already in circulation for a month before I ever caught wind - and that NEVER happens.  And now I discover that there are supposedly at least two more Sonic females due in the coming years (Rouge the Bat, and Blaze the Cat).

The figure comes in standard Sonic Jazwares packaging.  Nothing really special about it, but it's colorful and displays the character well if you're a MOC collector.

Sonic Free Riders is a relatively recent game (2010) where all the classic Sonic characters (and new ones) are racing through obstacles on skateboards/hoverboards/snowboards.. something like that.  So Wave comes packaged with an obligatory "skateboard" with wheels.  It attaches to her feet with a standard peg-and-hole setup and is easily removeable.

As I MAY have mentioned before, a secondary interest of mine is birds.  That said, I LOVE how Sega incorporated the look of a true Swallow into her design. I think most character designers would have been happy to give her a beak and some feathers and call it a day.  The hair extending back into two long distinct points and her little forked tail made me smile when I took her out of the package.  Here's a classic swallow for reference.  (You'll recognize it from the shoulders and chest of your neighbourhood hipsters)

This figure is great.  She has really heavy feet so she poses and stands well, and she comes with an amazing 18 points of articulation.  She may even have more but she's so tiny I'm afraid to bend her.

 

Time for some comparison shots!  The only other Sonic figure I have is modern Amy Rose.  You'll see she's a little smaller, but Amy is only supposed to be 8 or 12 years old in the games and comics (as Sonic's self-proclaimed girlfriend), so I think the scale is probably intential, and if not, at least excusable.

Cheers!  I'll be back when I get Rouge, Blaze and Cream!