While some people were initially skeptical that a license like Street Fighter could carry an action figure line fifteen years after the height of its popularity, many collectors jumped on board SOTA’s SF line in 2004 when they saw the incredibly high quality of design and execution of the figures. SOTA made it through four waves before SOTA went through a significant restructuring, ending the line before a few characters from the most recognizable game, Street Fighter II: The World Warriors, had been produced.

SOTA decided to reboot the franchise as Street Fighter Revolution and released a “preview” wave featuring two brand-new sculpts of Ryu and Ken. The Revolution figures were very similar to the original SOTA figures, but with slightly different sculpting styles–the character looked a bit more stylized, as they did in the comics and game art. And finally, at long last, Revolution Wave 1 is out, which features World Warriors heavy-hitters Zangief, E. Honda and Dhalsim, as well as R. Mika from Street Fighter Alpha 3.

SFII is pretty much the only fighting game I was ever been able to get into (aside from Super Smash Bros), and E. Honda was my favorite fighter–or at least, he was the one I was the best with, which translated into him being my favorite, of course. From the moment I started collecting SOTA’s Street Fighter figures, I’ve been waiting for Honda, as well as Dhalsim, another favorite of mine (and also my father’s, when he deigned to let me thwump him in SFII as a kid).

It looks like this may be SOTA’s last hurrah with the SF franchise–NECA has secured the action figure rights to next year’s Street Fighter IV, and I would think SOTA has either lost the license or, more likely, wouldn’t want to try and press on with a competing line out there. To my knowledge, there’s been no official word on whether or not SOTA’s SF days are done, but the very lack of news probably isn’t a good sign.

Nonetheless, SOTA has gone out on a pretty high note. (more…)