Chester Cheetah (Chester Cheetah (Jada Toys)) Review

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Chester Cheetah (Chester Cheetah (Jada Toys)) Review

Chester Cheetah
Chester Cheetah (Jada Toys) (Jada Toys)Over the past year or two, Jada Toys has evolved from just a company dedicated to die-cast cars and miniature figures to one of the best names in action figures today. Their Street Fighter and Mega Man licenses have been shaping up pretty well, and they have other licenses coming like Cyberpunk Edgerunners. In between the popular properties are more unexpected choices, like, who expected a figure of the Cheetos mascot Chester Cheetah? I'm more surprised it didn't happen sooner.

The box for Chester is very similar to what Jada did with their General Mills monsters figures, given that it's a fifth-panel window box with the same graphics as a Cheetos bag on the front (Crunchy Cheetos, since that's the best kind), and "Action Figure Facts" on the side. The contents inside are held between two plastic trays, but there are still some ties in there, with one holding the two trays together. It feels unnecessary to me, but it at least means it's less likely things will jumble around in the box.

Chester's sculpt is based off the traditional design of the character, rather than the hi-def look from newer commercials. The portrait is fantastic on him, and given that this is a character that's appeared in 3D plenty of times, it wouldn't be hard for Jada to replicate it. He has a grin by default, but it can be swapped out for a closed mouth look. Both heads are solid hunks of plastic with clean paint work, and subtle texturing to the nose. The sunglasses aren't removable, and it's just as well since there's no visible eyes behind them. Thin wires were used for the whiskers, and the prototype had clear whiskers, but the final product makes them black, which is a better look for them.

When I first saw Chester in-person at FYE (who wanted $45 for him, eff that), I was surprised by how big he was. Granted, he's only 5 1/2" tall, but the height is noticeable in-hand. Chester is a tall, lanky wildcat with big hands and hi-top sneakers, along with a long tail. It's all accurate to the character, and the articulation is integrated into the design well. What really deserves mention is the paint, as it's mostly clean all over, with very little clumping or bleed. The fur has an orange-yellow gradient, and the spots and tip of the tail have a glossier finish to them than the rest of the figure. I saw some of the white areas were starting to yellow a bit, likely due to sun exposure, so be mindful of that. And as a little bonus, the right hand(s) has some orange dust on the fingers, no doubt from a bag of Cheetos.

Jada has proven they can do great articulation, and Chester is no exception. He has a barbell head aided by a single-ball peg neck, with plenty of range, and the heads swap with ease. The swivel/hinge shoulders, elbows, and wrists allow for a variety of arm poses, and the elbows were designed with deep bend in mind, something not usually done with this type of joint. Working our way down from that, he has a ball waist and hips, swivel/hinge knees, ankles, and tail, and swivel thighs and shins. Although having swivel thighs when there's already swivels at the knees sounds redundant, it actually allows for natural-looking leg poses. The joints move and hold nicely, and there's no shortage of poses he can take on.

Although Chester is light on extras, it's enough for both the character and the price point. In addition to the extra head, he has two pairs of hands, posed and gripping, and they swap with no issues. There's also a bag of Crunchy Cheetos, with accurate printed graphics, and a big Cheeto. Well, big for him, but not quite big enough to use as a weapon. The paint and texture on it are pretty good, though it's unlikely to be mistaken for real food. I think some more hand options and a bag of Cheetos Puffs would be beneficial to Chester, but Jada wanted to keep the price equal with the likes of Hasbro, and that means not going overboard with accessories.

I may sound biased, but this Chester may be the best figure we've gotten this year. The great sculpt and paint, combined with plenty of accessories and a reasonable price, are what we expect out of Jada, but being a character as unexpected as this one makes it all the more enjoyable. He's a great figure for sure, and I'll certainly be getting the glow in the dark "Flamin' Hot" version exclusive to Entertainment Earth.

- 7/9/24