Yoko Litner Noodle Stopper – Part 2

So this post will be dedicated to showcasing the replacement Yoko, and comparing it to the original one. Fortunately this one came in one piece, and is less flawed than the first.

So here she is, on the Pasta n’ Sauce:

Looking much better than the first one – no snapped noodle, and the paint has reached the “corner” of her pants. Sadly the grey smudge just above her stocking is a mark like the other one had, but on her backside. 

Here she is from the back:

Nothing here to complain about. The tiny dot on her hair is fluff. 

From the top:

She looks better from this angle too – none of her back is shiny like the previous, studs are better painted on this one too (but not perfect – would be a difficult bit to paint tbh). 

And finally the rear shot:

No random grey dots here. I think most people will find this shot agreeable :P. 

Now to compare the two:

Seeing double! Feel free to play spot the difference :). 

Here’s the undersides:

Note how the one on the right is slightly less attached together properly, but the new one has a bit of stray white paint on her pants. 

Above:

Not sure if it’ll really show in the above shot without zooming in, but the back of the new one is attached better. Also the belt is painted better on the second (left). 

Lastly, here are two backsides to contrast and compare:

Yep, comparing… If you get to this paragraph, well done! Also I’m pleased with the replacement, and is more in line with what I hoped for. It’s not flaw-free, but for the price, you can’t really expect that. Still would strongly recommend using these as display pieces only, but it is a second lottery if you’re going to get one that looks like it should have passed QC or not. 

Yoko Litner Noodle Stopper – Part 1

Saw this up for preorder, decided to go for it, as I wanted a Yoko figure, and this was inexpensive, and a small form factor, so it wouldn’t take up too much space. Unfortunately, my first one came partially broken, and a number of flaws.

I didn’t have a small noodle pot to hand, so here she is stopping some Pasta n’ Sauce:

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From this shot, you can see where the top hair chopstick has been snapped off – it doesn’t show too much from this angle, but it is shorter than it should be. 

Here’s a close-up of her face, which is probably her best angle:

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And a more side-on view:

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In this shot, you can see where the black paint didn’t quite get to the corner of her pants. Her face is nice though. 

Here she is from the back:

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You can see the chopstick breakage from here, plus a mark on her backside. Her stockings are nicely done though. 

Opposite side:

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This angle’s actually pretty good for lack-of-flaws. The details ion her boots is nice, and the way her hair flows is nice. 

So what is her underside like?

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Super-flat so she can act as a noodle stopper! The bra on this one is decently painted, especially compared to some others I saw, however the pants-body joint is a mess. 

Here’s a close-up of the waist:

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Yuck. Looks almost like someone tried to take her apart :/. Some of the silver blocks are bootleg-level of quality, sigh. 

The next few shots will be closeups of the flaws I’ve found.

First up, the back of her hair: 

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There is some clumpy paint, and a black scuff. Note the broken hair decoration – I had a quick feel of the other one – this figure would make for a bad noodle stopper, as it’d be awfully easy to break these, especially if you had to clean her. 

Some weird black mark under the sealant: 

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Also some thigh gap going on, on the left. 

Sealant, what sealant?:

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On her left hand side, you an see some mottled, shininess. This is present all across her back, and I’m pretty sure this is related to the sealant layer being done improperly. I’m not an expert though. Also the lower half of her body isn’t well contected into the strap, leaving a bit of a mess. A the very top of the pic, you can see where the purple paint has escaped its designated area. 

I was disappointed with this figure, and especially considering it arrived broken, I contacted the retailer to investigate my options. They very kindly sent me another one free of charge, part 2 will show pics of the replacement. 

Anastasia S-Style

Since finding out this series, I’ve set about buying some of the others that are already released. This one I saw for sale on a UK site for a good price, shortly after Christmas, so had to order it. 

Here she is:

Love the colour of her swimsuit, and she’s nicely posed. Love the necklace and charm details. 

Here she is from the left side:

And the right:

And her back:

Nicely sculpted posterior here. I find her hair slightly on the too-glossy side, but some of the post-editing may make it look a bit more distinctive than it actually is. 

She also comes with the option of an overshirt/top. To put her top on, you need to first take off her arms and head:

Not her prettiest angle! The dent on her right arm is where her forearm touches her upper arm, so this flat surface doesn’t show when she’s together. 

And with the top on:

It looks OK, but for me, it looks too much like a plastic mac, so I’m not planning to display her with it. There is some nice detailing in it though:

Zipper is well painted, and there’s the suggestion of some pockets. 

Top from the left:

And the right:

This side you can see where the top joins – it pops apart, so you can slip it over her shoulders. It comes apart and goes together with relative ease, so it’s unlikely you’re going to break the nubs, and it stays together well once assembled (have had figures where the clothes tend to pop apart). 

And from the back:

It hangs nicely over her. Is a pretty colour, but I prefer the purple more. 

Closeup of the hood:

Doesn’t look like a “true” hood from this angle, but you’re not likely to be looking at it like this. 

Happy with this figure, and glad they made the overshirt an optional accessory. Personally, I think she looks better without it, but I think it works if you like it. Whilst small, these figures have the quality of scale figures, which I think makes them great for collecting on a budget – of money and space. The line seems to be gaining popularity, as there are several being released in the next few months – some of which I have on pre-order. Hopefully I’ll be able to display the ones I buy as a collection together, but I don’t think I’ll pick up every release. 

Poison Ivy

I’ve had my eye on this one for a little bit, seeing as I saw it was released, but not really in the UK yet. Went to a local comic shop who were selling her for a good price, so I couldn’t resist picking her up, despite my December overspend.

The vine is a separate part, which can be posed however you like. The detail in her face is also impressive:

Looks like she paid special attention to her makeup this morning :). 

Right hand side:

Love the vibrant red colour of her hair. Her skin is also nicely painted, giving it a very skinlike appearance. 

Left side:

Hiding behind the leaves! I have them mostly going over her legs, are they are very much an expanse of green – on one side this does give you the place to display them, on the other hand she looks a bit too much on the bland side without the extra leaves. Her top is nice and leafy though – however, I’d prefer it if they prioritised the leaf shapes over the top shape, as it looks a little too flat imo. 

Back:

Perfect angle to admire her hair :). Maybe not as competent as more expensive figure manufacturers, but it does the job, in an eye-catching red. There uis a bunch of shades in there though, which does help it along. 

The base and her shoes:

A very simple base, but works surprisingly well. The boot painting is very eye-catching though, and I really like her footwear. The base is a translucent green, which matches the figure and probably looks better than the photo I took here. It’s not a base that’s going to win awards, but it works with the figure, and is more exciting than a plain disc, and doesn’t detract from the figure. 

This one is likely to have a prominent position in my new display cabinet… once it has been built… Can’t have too much Poison Ivy!

Tiger & Bunny: Kotetsu and Blue Rose

After pondering what I could pad my Mandarake order out with… I remembered I wanted to get some Tiger & Bunny figures. After some deliberation, I went for a Kotetsu prize figure and Chibi Arts Blue Rose. Ordinarily I wouldn’t go for a chibi figure, but Blue Rose seems to be woefully catered for in the figure market. 

First up, Kotetsu:

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Lookin’ nice from the front. Some good shading, most of the paintwork is good, a bit missed on the chin, but it’s not really noticeable. Not pictured are the way he fits into the base – he looks like he’s wearing platform shoes, but the extra “shoe” fits into the strangely shaped slots on the base. 

Here’s a close-up of the face to admire the beard paint:

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As you ca see, it doesn’t quite fit in the marked area, and there is some mould fuzz on his hand. For a prize figure though, the derps are minor. 

From the right side:

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He sadly has some marks on his hip, probably from rattlin’ around in his box. He hasn’t been out, but he was secondhand, so he may have been shaken around a bit. The marks don’t show from the front though.

Left side:

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Do love the accuracy of the moulding of the jewellery and hand. It’s also been nicely, which is a strong bonus in prize figures. 

Finally, his back:

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Some nice shading work here, if you want to admire his backside. Not doing it for me personally, but he does have good shoulders. 

All in all, pleased with my pic.

Next up, Blue Rose:

The speech bubble is of her catchphrase, and translates to:

“My ice may be a little cold, but your crime has been put completely on hold!”

She is a bit sticky with plasticiser, from being kept in her box, and she has some minor chipping on her headpiece, but this could be from when she was manufactured. This chibi works surprisingly well for me. 

Here’s two shots of her sides:

Her tendrils are nicely done in clear plastic, but her front hair doesn’t like to clip well into her back hair. May attempt to fix this at some point, with some hot air. Most of this figure slotted together surprisingly well, with the odd bits needing heating to get in place. 

Her back:

Tried to lean her against the board, but nah, she wasn’t gonna stand. Some details back here, which is nice. 

Here are her other parts:

Plenty of bits to choose from! The tiny guns go where here tiny holsters are on her legs (small blue lumps), if you don’t want her to be holding her guns. The arms in the top-right are the default ones, which she holds her hands out from her sides. I love the selection of items they provided. 

The other things she can say:

Yeah, I accidentally put the one in Japanese on its side… It translates to “I decided to believe my friends until the end as a hero”. At some point, I may swap in the Cutie Escape! one. 

Tiger & Bunny was a bit of an up and down show for me – some of it I loved, other bits I’m waiting for them to get on with it/less interested in what was going on. I may get figures of one or two of the characters, but I’m not going to be making a Tiger & Bunny display. Happy with my purchases though. 

Devilman & Migi

Shortly after writing the blog entry for Sirene… I went onto Mandarake and did an order, mainly for Devilman. Yep, I’m getting the set – the other one is moving around in the postal system, but may be some time before I see him.

So here’s Devilman by Bandai:

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This guy was rather the butt to assemble. Needed to heat up most of the parts, and the tail peg became very rubbery, which made it hard to insert. He was worth the assembly time though!

Here he is from the front of his body:

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Loving those wings, and the explosion. Here’s a closer shot showing the foot stomp (Deibru Smassshh~~), also showing some of the wing in more detail:

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The explosion is two pieces pegged to the base. 

Here he is from the back:

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Not too much to add here, still looking awesome.

Close-up of the wing:

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Love the way they’ve done the details and the shading on the wings, plus the translucent orange. 

Finally, Sirene and Devilman together:

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On his own, Devilman’s base does look lonely, and as if it should be part of something else. It looks a little lonely like this, but hopefully I should have the third figure soon! Really glad I found this set, it’s very nicely done, especially for the prices I got these two at, and hopefully the price I get the last one for. 

And as it’s just a short one to show, here’s Migi from this order:

He’s well-painted, and perfect to sticking to a Detolf :). 

Harley Quinn

This was the second figure for Christmas, but for this one I only saw the box beforehand, as it doesn’t have a window in the box (and the figure itself was in a well-taped polystyrene cube). 

And this one is ¾ of Harley Quinn – one of my favourite characters. This figure was more detailed than expected, so am pleased about that. I like the two textures used on the base. 

Here is a close-up of her face:

I like the expression she has, and the contrast in her face. Her ruff is pearlescent, which stops it from blending too much with the skin. 

Harley’s left side:

She has a tattoo on this side, which is a nice touch, and in this photo you can see the leather strap that holds the hammer in place. I thought this was a nice touch, as it does its job well, without being intrusive. It’s nice having the hammer as a separate part, as it helps it to look realistic (some figures have the accessories moulded in, and it always shows to some extent). 

Harley’s right:

Here you can see the detail on the hammer, which is nicely wood-like, and her nicely painted glove. The belt of bullets also looks good. 

Back of Harley:

She has a nice cape. but the paint in the middle isn’t quite done right, which is a bit of a shame. However, this doesn’t bother me much, as I won’t be seeing this side often.

Am glad I got this figure – it was nicer than I anticipated it to be, which is always a good thing. The mixed media, with the straps on the top and the leather holding the hammer are very nice touches, which help the figure stand out. I’m particularly pleased with the hammer’s texture too. 

Can never have too much Harley 🙂

Kaworu Nagsia

This was one of two figures I got as Christmas presents. This one I ended up ordering and having a sneak preview prior to Christmas.

And now I can finally appreciate him fully:

I love the shiny plugsuit, and the blue colour of it. Due to this and his pose, this figure is quite striking. 

Here is a close-up of his face:

Not much shading on his face, but it is nicely sculpted, and has good definition. 

Side of Kaworu:

Is a very arched pose, and he’s a very thin and tall chap :). Can also see where his hip bones jut out slightly, due to his slight build. 

The back of Kaworu:

Featuring one of his best features ;). He has a very shapely backside, so he might have to go in a mirrored cabinet, lol. The backpack is also nicely done. A decent amount of detail back here. 

I do love this figure – the colour and the pose really make it for me. He’s a figure I’m likely to pick up and appreciate, so I’m glad I asked for this for Christmas :). 

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst figure set

I bought this for £5, along with the Star Wars figures featured in my last blog.

In the set you get these three figures:

From left to right these figures are: Icarus, Faith Connors and Kuma. As I’ve only played the original Mirror’s Edge, I’m only familiar with Faith. As this was a limited edition set, the GAME I visited only had one set on the shelves. 

Before we get into the figures themselves, all the bottoms of the bases are the same and look like this:

The bases themselves are magnetic, and the feet of the characters stick anywhere on the top face of the base. I like this feature, as the base holds them well, and they’re not easy to knock over, plus no pegs to break. 

Onto the figures! So let’s start with the main character, Faith:

Here she is, with her expression of grim determination. We also have matt and shiny paint finishes, which really helps the figures stand out. And all the paint seems to be in the right places, which is a massive achievement for figures of this size. 

Here’s Faith’s right side:

… showing the edition number and her tattoo. The tattoo is nicely done, and I have 2426/3500. As expected, it’s in the higher end of the edition numbers, but maybe not as high as I’d expect for buying it during its selloff period. 

Faith’s left side:

No tattoo this side, and I like the way they’ve posed her arm and hand so it looks like she is about to do something. 

The back:

Nothing much to see here, but the details have all been finished off as expected. Crease continue to the back on her trousers, her bag strap is fully detailed. If I wanted to nitpick, I can point out the paint flaw on her armband, at the top. 

Now for Icarus:

I do love the shininess of his clothing, and a credit to the game designers to make him “match” with Faith. 

Side of Icarus:

He has looser clothing with more creases compared to Faith, which is a nice touch. I like the way his arm warmers are creased realistically around the wrist. Icarus’s other side is more of the same, so skipping that. 

Back of Icarus:

Not a huge amount to see here. Might be nice if the back of his hoodie had some detailing, but I found one screenshot showing his back, and there’s nothing there. Does seem somewhat unnaturally flat – maybe some extra creasing could have left it looking less plain, like his trousers. 

Finally, Kuma:

A cute little robot design, but the paintwork ends up looking sloppy, due to the white paint not finishing smoothly in a couple of places. If I had a choice of sets, I may have checked his paintjob in another set, but I’m not hugely bothered, as Faith was the one I was really after, with the other two being nice bonuses. He is a rather cute design though. 

Kuma’s left side:

This one’s name is easy to remember, what with it being written on him ;). 

Kuma’s right side:

Can see some of the less-smooth painting on this side, on his head, which is a bit of a shame, compared to the other figures. 

Kuma’s back:

Some nice detailing here, but some lumpiness on his head, that I’m not sure is part of his character design. 

In conclusion, this is a nicely painted set, especially for its size. Would be better if Kuma had some more attention paid to him, but I didn’t pay full price, so I’m not fussy. Originally the set was £18, which would be more than I would’ve wanted to pay, but probably justifiable for the quality of the figures. For £5, this set is a steal imo, if you’re into the Mirror’s Edge franchise. 

Bad Taste Bears: Scarlet & Skully

I bought these in a figure shop, just prior to Christmas. 

First up, Scarlet:

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I remember seeing this one years ago, and wanting to buy it. But as I lived with my parents… wasn’t gonna happen. But now I have… her?

She comes fully equipped with her own handcuffs:

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And edition number stamped on her backside:

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I also got a keyring at the same time. His name is Skully:

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Aww, isn’t he cute? 😛

A pic of the back:

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So now I own 3 Bad Taste Bears. May own more in future, should I come across any cheap enough that I like. There are a few I could truly call “bad taste” but a lot of them seem rather tame to me these days. 

Ahsoka Tano & Anakin Skywalker

Saw these in GAME for 99p, so I couldn’t resist. Not hugely into Star Wars, but these were nice looking figures for a cheap price. 

First up, Ahsoka:

And in the writing of this article, I have learned that Twi’lek and Togrutas are two different speicies, and Ahsoka is the latter. 

And Togrutas have three head-tails:

From this angle she looks particularly mean with her pair of lightsabers:

Love the use of colour in this character, and the bases for this set are nice and thematic. There is also little in the way of paint flaws on this one. 

Now for Anakin:

Lookin’ grumpy with his lightsaber, but also a bit dinged up, and not intentionally so. 

Side view:

Can see the marks on his leg more on this shot, but you can admire the pose chosen. 

Back:

He has a weird dot on his head – looks like a hole in the outer layer of finish, and some scrapes on his coattails. Seems to be a reoccurring issue with the figures with large black areas – pretty sure the black colouring makes these marks more obvious, but it does seem to be something the darker characters are more prone to having. 

Maybe if I looked more at the sets, I could have had an Anakin with less marks on him, but tbh, I only bought this set for Ahsoka, but it’s something to be mindful of if you’re going to pick up your own set. 

For 99p, this set is cheap enough that even if you just like the character designs and want to display them, it’s worth picking up (at the time of writing, it seems readily available). The set also comes with a clear piece, but it’s not really a good display piece, so I didn’t photograph it. 

Spawn – Shadowhawk

This is the figure I bought with the one in the previous blog. 

Here he is in all his glory:

He certainly remembered to bring a weapon to the fight! Or six. Here’s a close-up of his upper weaponry:

Getting some Wolverine vibes from his face. 

Here’s a close-up of the grappling hook:

This weapon actually fires, but it’s more like a spear as it doesn’t have a thread. 

Close-up of the gun-knife:

It’s got all the attachments! Not entirely sure if it makes the gun more deadly. You could probably clobber multiple people at once with it though, should he run out of ammo…. Though he does have that pointy knife in the grapple hand. 

Here’s his back, showing where the cables are attached at his back:

The cables, unlike most other figures, came attached. Was a bit interesting getting him out of the box, but at least they won’t have the distinct disadvantage of falling out. Does mean you can’t display him without his weapons, but I’m not bothered about that. 

Side shot of the wiring:

This was originally the shot for the gun, but it came out clearer in the other pic. So you can admire his clawed hand on this side, which also has the notch for the grappling gun. 

So if you like your action figures armed to the teeth, this one is for you! Not sure I would’ve picked him up if it weren’t for the freebies the comic shop guy threw in, but getting him out of the box, he’s grown on me. Especially in the first photo in this blog, he does cut an imposing stance. 

She-Spawn

Bought this from a comic book shop in Bath, along with another Spawn figure (coming soon!). 

She had a few parts to assemble – the “gun”, shoulder armour and leg armour, plus the sword she has in her right hand. Without the accoutrements, she’s quite a slender figure with them… well, she’s quite bulky now. But not quite Spawn bulky. 

Here’s a closer shot of her upper half & shoulder-mount… thing:

Mmm, skull boobs :P. The launcher on her shoulder can figure the spear in he beast’s mouth. 

Other side of the launcher:

Is quite a big thing, with an articulated ‘tail’. 

The back of She-Spawn

Her hair is rather like an extended soft paintbrush, but it is a nice touch I like that some of the Spawn figures have. Enough details on the back for her to feel complete as a figure. 

Despite the amount of attachments, she was surprisingly easy to balance, though there is the option not to equip everything. The shoulder cannon does leave an odd hole, but the other two parts are simply clipped on. Her one annoying part is the sword – it’s not very well shaped to her hand, so she doesn’t grip it well. It just about wedges in there, but I can see myself white-tacking this in future (or boxing it). My favourite details are her asymmetric belts and the skulls ;). 

Sirene

Sirene is a character from Devilman. She’s a harpy with electric powers. This figure was on my Mandarake wishlist for some time, and my recent Urban Mine digging gave me the excuse to order it. 

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She’s designed to go with two other Devilman figures, but still looks great on her own. Am impressed with the detail in this figure. 

Here’s a close-up of the base:

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Her wings rest atop the branch, and her feet have some tiny little holes that her toes rest into. She’s a lot less easy to knock over than she first appears, which is nice. 

Close-up of her face:

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She’s got very big head wings here. 

She also has butt-wings:

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Never know when you might need to fan something away! Also there is a bit of a waterfall on this side, and the back is just “cut” water, rather than a waterfall. 

Back view of the figure:

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This shows how the back really is the back, but the branch has been done nicely. Her head wings are also highly detailed on the back, which is nice. This would be a good figure for a mirror cabinet. 

View showing the spike details:

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Glad I bought this figure – it exceeded expectations, and am now considering obtaining the rest have ordered Devliman. 

SnapP’s Al Azif

This was an addition to one of my recent Mandarake orders. This was super-cheap and Al Azif, so I chucked it into my cart. So what did I get?:

She has the approximate appearance of Al Azif, but her flesh colour is REALLY pale. Would be nicer if there was a bit more colour to her skin – she looks a little sick, lol. 

Back of the figure:

Some meh painting on the top bands, but OK other than that. There’s a hole here – I assume at least one of the

SnapP’s

figures comes with a tail, as this isn’t a stand hole. 

Left side:

There’s a gap in her hairpiece here – I did try to reduce this, but it’s rather obstinate. Not too much of a biggie, as it’s not visible from the front. 

Right side:

Less of a hair gap on this side. 

For a cheap figure, I can’t complain. The figure has a minimal of articulation – the shoulders and neck move. Would be nice if there was some hand articulation to get some actual poses out of it – moving the arms is a bit pointless, with the hand pose she has. The only reason she has this articulation in the first place is because her parts are replaceable with other figures in the range. If you want a “cosplaying” Al Azif figure, this figure is for you. If not, I’d give it a pass. 

Lilith Aensland

This was one of two items added to one of my Urban Mine boxes to fill out space. 

And here she is:

Nice, striking colours, but has a simple paint job, as she’s an older figure. For the most part, it’s a decently done paint job, but there is a bit of sloppiness at the top of her apron. 

Close-up of her face:

That’s one smiley, happy face. Can see the paint issues on the apron, but I don’t find them too distracting. 

Here’s a side-on view:

And here’s a pic of her back:

Some detail back here, enough to make it not fully plain. Can see some paint flaws with the white paint on her shoulder and neck. 

Close-up of the base:

This base is designed to connect to two others, and the set consists of four figures total. As this figure is old, and I’m less interested in half the set, I’m unlikely to get hold of the rest. I am considering 3D printing a new base for her, as this one isn’t particularly nice on its own. 

This is the reason why I’d want to print one:

She has pronged feet, instead of the prongs being on the base, so she needs something to hold them in place to stand up, hence me considering 3D printing rather than using some of the pegged stands I already have. 

Evangelion Chronicle Rei & Asuka

Won these on the Urban Mine auctions. Paid more than I should have done for them, but ah well… Could’ve bought one from a Mandarake store for less, but was too late when I went to check. D’oh. Should have paid around ~£5 each, but ended up paying ~£10 each, so not a massive miscalculation. 

And I do like them:

Rei Ayanami

First up, Rei. 

I do like the pearlescent nature of her outfit, and the expression feels “Rei”. There’s a decent amount of detail to be found in this figure, especially for its age. 

Here’s her back:

Her “backpack” is present, and some shading in her hair. I like the colours chosen – distinctive, and complimentary. 

Asuka Langely

Next up, Asuka:

Not as keen on her expression as Rei, but the pose is interesting. Also her number is a bit oddly placed. 

The back of Asuka:

Nice amount of “animation” in the hair. And her butt. 

Here’s a side shot, showing off more of her pose:

With both of these figures, I needed to heat the feet to get them on their bases – the plastic is kind of rubbery, so gets quite flexible when warmed. With Rei, I had to douse her in cold water, to prevent her from setting in a leaned position. I won’t be surprised if these figures will lean over time, but they’ll be easy enough to “reset”. 

These figures make a nice pair, and am glad to have them. 

Urban Mine: Evangelion Extra Book

So.. this was a wildcard bid based on this picture:

I bid low on it, ¥200, and won it for ¥100. No other takers. I bidded it on because a) Evangelion b) T-shirt c) Possibly a figure thing. 

So, let’s see what was in there. 

First of all, the book and the box:

The outers… so far, so Japanese. 

So what was the “figure”? If you look closely at the 3rd picture (or read Japanese), you may have figured it out:

A cute little awakened EVA-01 strap. 

Here’s the back of it:

Was quite annoying to get the plastic copyright tag out of the way to photo this XD. He really is quite tiny, but he’s well painted. 

Now for the t-shirt:

Translating the text on the front of the “book” (we’d call it a magazine), it does say EVA wireframe T-shirt, and yep, it certainly is. 

Here’s a closeup of the EVA:

One dude being carried by another dude. A little difficult to look at, but I find it a cool design. 

Logos on the bottom corner of the T-shirt:

The T-shirt is slightly too big for me, but I think I can get away with it :P.It’s not particularly thick T-shirt material, but feels good to wear, so I’ll see how long it lasts. 

From what I can ascertain, the book details what you can “get” in terms of scenes from the Evangelion Pachinko machine, and some ads for other Evangelion merch. There’s some cool pics in it, but not much to write home about. 

Can’t complain for less than a fiver, including shipping. The T-shirt makes it worth it, and I have the awakened EVA hanging up in the bedroom currently. If you’re a size S T-shirt or UK12-14, this T-shirt should fit. I’m around UK10-12, for comparison. 

Urban Mine: Retro Asuka

Back on the Urban Mines! First lot, this one:

Initially thought this was a different figure, but it turns out it was one not on MFC. Stuffed a bid on it, and won it for ¥100. 

So what did I get?

Haha, that face! This figure really does show its age – it has a copyright date of ‘96, which is the end of the Evangelion anime run. In my photos, she looks about the right colour, but she’s actually slightly pinkish. The text by her feet is her name in Japanese:

Side of the figure:

Not too much to say about the side – hand angle feels a bit unnatural to me. You can see that painted side hair clearer here – looking more like a sideburn than a bit of stray hair. 

Finally, the back:

Not so much detail in the hair, but her butt looks good. 

Whilst this is far from the best Asuka you can own, in some way it’s nice to own a bit of history, and to see how far figures have come over the years. The face is the weakest part of this figure, other than that it isn’t too bad. 

Odds n’ Sods: Part 2

Three more pieces of random.

Picard and Borg Queen Minimates

These figures I got from a comic book shop in Bath. 

Bought them because… Borg Queen. They’re not too bad out of the packaging, Picard looks nicer out of the packaging than I thought, with the accessories. 

Here’s a side shot, showing the phaser “clipped” to his belt:

Personally I would have preferred a back clip or something for the rifle, so he could hold the phaser and carry the rifle, as I feel Picard is more a phaser kinda guy. I should prolly re-angle that phaser though, unless I choose to switch it out with the rifle anyway… but it does leave what looks like sprue on his waist. 

Backs of the figures:

The Borg Queen’s head wires came out quite well, but the copyright info kinda spoils the look, especially a some is over the printed design too… 

I wouldn’t have bought these at full price, owing to them being stylised, but I don’t mind them being in my collection. 

Ghost Rider

This guy I bought from TK Maxx. Found him at the tills – so the annoying scrabble through the till queue merchandise was fruitful that day. It’s annoying because there can be good things hidden there, but you’ve gotta move out of the way for people ready to pay for stuff ><

Cute li’l dude :P. Hands and head are on the big side of the body, as these will work with the full-sized figures. Head looks OK, but the hands do look a bit on the odd side. 

Here he is from the back:

Yeah, not really his best angle. His fire-hair looks neat though. 

He also comes with an optional green dragon accessory:

Not familiar with this being a “thing” and I’m not entirely keen on it. It’s an OK part on its own, but I don’t think it goes with Ghost Rider. Will probably live in the box of spare parts, just in case I get a Mash ‘Em it works with. 

Side shot, if you want to see more of it:

Darth Maul

Kinda surprised I didn’t have this dude already, but he probably didn’t get the chance to bin as hard as some of the other Disney Infinity. Found this in the same TK Maxx visit as Ghost Rider. 

For some reason, both of the ones they had had small scuffings on the black parts. Not sure why, but it’s not too visible irl. His head paint has been done well though, and is very striking. 

Shot showing his saber:

Looking nice n’ lethal. 

A shot showing the back:

Again, some minor scuffing, but he looks good from this angle too. 

And just for completeness, here’s his head spikes:

Love this little Maul, despite the small flaws. A welcome addition to my collection.