Tag: eastern figures

Oshino Shinobu – Monogatari – Ver.2

I was pretty sure I’d end up with at least one Oshino figure by the end of my Japan holiday. My only surprise is that I managed to keep it to one. Whilst I’m not familiar with

Monogatari

, I do rather like Shinobu’s design, and this one was on my “to buy” list due to the wings.

So here she is:

She’s definitely a cute figure, but… as we go on to see… her quality is somewhat lacking. Her hair and expression are nice, and the wings… cute li’l devil wings. I know some people have passed on this figure due to the fact they aren’t character-appropriate, but for me I’m a sucker for wings and therefore don’t care. Barring her skirt, she is pretty much plain, flat colours. If you look near her bracelet, you’ll see a bit of a seam too.

Left:

Here we see the obvious seam in her hair, and a bit of a weird sticky-out bit behind her ear. It looks OK from the front though, If you look near her ankle, there is a bit of a flaw in the finish. On her skirt, you’ll also see a bit of a grubby mark – there were a few of these on the figure. If it wasn’t for these marks, the skirt would look good. She’s also posed nicely, which is what attracted me to this figure. So at least there’s that.

Right:

… I think she’s broken her neck! Yeah.. this angle ain’ pretty! Her shoes are nice, but here you can see where I had issues getting her into the base – she didn’t slot in nicely. The bows feel a bit “plonked on” and aren’t exactly the pinnacle of sculpting. For me, this lacklustre effort emphasises the overall plainness of her dress. But that neck… she doesn’t look odd from the front, but the side angle makes me think “The Exorcist”. I feel they could have made this figure with her not quite as side-on so she didn’t look like she has broken her neck.

Dress close up:

The top edging is a bit dodgy, and the strap is a bit uneven in the sculpt. I’m starting to wonder if those bows are erasers…

Feet:

The feet themselves are nicely done, and the bows here look OK. However the white paint on the shoes themselves is awful and is a blobby, bootleggy-style mess. One of her shoes there is a gap between the sole and the upper, but apparently I didn’t get a good photo of that. 

Back:

Her hair is definitely a big block of yellow… something. Has an old prize figure feel. Not too much to say about it.

Hair from the top:

I like the shapes in it, that’s about it. Doesn’t much look like hair. Could’ve really done with some shading.

Wings:

They’re pretty nice, paint a little shaky though. More notable on the right wing. These weren’t too hard to put in place, but did need heat to go. Her wrist accoutrements are nice, but I’m seeing some stray paint near her watch….

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this figure. It’s not awful, but it isn’t great either. You could certainly do worse… like a bootleg. This figure was readily available at around 1k yen. I wouldn’t recommend paying more than that tbh, if you like it despite its flaws. Or y’know. Just don’t bother. 

Lilith Aensland – Vampire

Just a small figure for today, but a trading figure I was excited to see:

Lilith from Vampire/Darkstalkers. I love the cute look on her face, and the strong, vibrant colours used for this figure. Her hair has come out nicely, along with all her wings. For a small trading figure, it has been painted well, and looks the part.

Left:

I like her jaunty pose. The wing paint is mostly where it should be,with only a little bit out of place. The bats on her leggings are nicely defined. Here we can see Lord Raptor’s face – it is nicely detailed, so you can see him well. The tongue is also a separate part – it came detached in the bag I bought it in, and it took me a bit to work out where it went XD. The figure likely came in a gachapon, so it is supposed to disassemble, but likely originally had assembly instructions. Fortunately these things aren’t too hard to construct.

Right:

Whilst Lord Raptor is one colour, they’ve done a good job with the texturing, so he looks good. It’s so easy for translucent figure and figure parts to look bad and cheesy, but here I think it works well. The backs of her wings don’t have too much to them, but that’s more the design of Lilth than the figure itself. It has the one notable detail she has – the creases on her wings.

Back:

Here we see Lord Raptor’s impressive mane :). And Lilith’s back, which has some definition to it. The paint and sculpt is impressive on this tiny figure, especially so for a trading figure.

I’m glad I was able to pick this one up, and would recommend it to anyone who likes it.. if you can get hold of it.

Nathan Seymour – Tiger & Bunny – Banpresto

This figure I was considering buying prior to Japan, and came across whilst I was there, so decided to buy him. For Nathan, there are only two prepainted non-trading figures, and the other one was an exclusive, so if you’re a fan of this dude (not in costume) it’s slim pickings.

So let’s take a look what we got:

All in all, a pretty decent figure. Phew. Some paint flaws on the orange parts of his top, but the rest of it seems decent. His makeup has been replicated well, and he has shading throughout his outfit, which is definitely a bonus for a prize figure.

Face:

He has nice sculpt detail in his face, along with the makeup that matches with the show. I also like the ribbon around his neck, which is painted well, and I especially like the purple of the gem attached to it.

Left:

His hair and ruff look really good imo, and look pretty much like they’re supposed to. His earring is crisp and defined, which is good for such a small part. The clothes flow nicely, along with the shading present. We can see one seam down his coat, but it has been fairly well hidden.

Right:

Here we can see he has painted fingernails, which is good, and the different finishes. His coat is shiny, whilst the rest of him isn’t.

Back:

Here we can see his right hand has a ring on, and also has painted nails. The edge of his cuff could’ve done with a tad more orange paint though. His ruff is nicely shared though, and I like the hole in the back of his top – it adds a good amount of detail. His leggings and boots are nicely shaded, to complete the figure.

For a prize figure, this one is really good, so I am really happy with him. I’m glad they did a decent job on him as there is rather a lack of figures for the side characters of Tiger & Bunny, especially out of costume. He is one of my favourite side characters, despite being a bit too stereotypical in places. If you like this dude, I’d recommend this figure. It should also be pretty cheap to obtain, as these Tiger & Bunny figures don’t seem overly popular.

Mari Illustrious Makinami – Evangelion – Wave – Plugsuit ver.

There were many Maris to choose from, and I decided to go with this one:

I went with this one, as Wave figures tend to be better than prize figures and not too expensive. Also they’re not too big, which is a bonus when to use haven’t got infinite room. Out of the box, I am really pleased with this one – she is well-painted and sculpted, and the finish is really nice. She has a pretty basic stand, but I’m not too bothered by that.

I like the shininess of her plugsuit, and her expression fits her seriousness. The glasses are also well done.

Left:

Looking closely at the lines on her legs, they’re not perfect, but do the job. There is also a bit of a ridge where her legs connect to her body, where you can see the blue parts have been made to compensate for this. The side of her head looks good, though I think I’d prefer if her hair learned on her body, rather than stick out like it does. She doesn’t have much movement in her pose, so it makes it look a little odd to me.

Right:

Not too much different from the other side. Her headband paint is a bit better on this side, and her hair looks less odd, as it doesn’t look like it is floating of its own accord. The different coloured parts of the suit are well defined.

Back:

A little sneaky gold bit! Funny what I notice when writing these blogs. Her hands look good and are well posed. Ridges where her legs join her body could’ve done with some tidying up. Her backpack looks good, and her hair makes more sense from this angle. Her hair is a soft rubbery plastic, so not too much chance of breaking it. There is some sculpting on the upper part of her hair, stopping it from being totally plain, which is nice.

Overall, I think this is a decent Mari figure, and a cut above a prize figure. However, the joins could have done with some work to make them less severe. If you can pick this one up at a reasonable price, and happy with a smaller figure, I’d recommend it.

Yuuki – Code Register – Banpresto EXQ

This figure I had a couple of goes at trying to win at a claw machine, and realised it probably wasn’t gonna happen, so ended up looking for it throughout my holiday. Ended up finding her cheapish without box:

Aww, cute figure. These Banpresto figures are certainly a good thing in the prize figure world. I love Yuuki’s hair colour. The sculpting is good. but similar to the other EXQ ones I have, the skin lacks shading. The dress has an embossed pattern on, which I’m on the fence about. It does add detail, but does look a bit like she’s bandaged. Paint on the hair band looks like it goes a bit far on mine. 

Face:

Here we can see where the hairband is either ridged or the paint goes too far. Decision up to he reader. She does have some blush on her face, which is a nice touch. I love her cute expression. On mine, if you look closely, the chest doesn’t quite marry up with the dress, but it doesn’t really show when on a shelf.

Left:

Her hair curls around her nicely, and we can see where she sits on the stand. Her stand holds her well. The sculpt of her ears is clean, and looks good.

Right:

Here we can see there is shading in the hair, and a couple of seams. The seams are pretty decently hidden. 

Back:

Here we can see where the hair goes from light to dark, to light again. The backs of her legs are sculpted nicely too. 

Overall, I’m glad I got this figure, but don’t think it’s worth more than I paid. Some of these new EXQ figures are really worth their aftermarket price, but this one I’m on the fence about. I’m glad to have her, but with the outfit and the hairband, I’m more on the fence about her than the other EXQ figures. 

Cyborg – Justice League (2017) – Kotobukiya

This figure I found was for sale at one of Mandarake stores I planned to visit, so put it on my “to buy list”.

And then bought it:

Whilst the film was a pile of poop (watched it on the plane), I quite like the design of Cyborg. Not convinced it rivals his comic book look, but I like it on its own merits. What I like about it: the red accents, the wires near his chin, and a couple of other details on his upper half. What I don’t like: The midriff feels overly fussy, his legs feel too “robot”. 

Face:

His face is nicely sculpted and painted, and I think Kotobukiya did a good job of this. The metal part fits well. His hair, however, looks rather on the painted-on side, which spoils it a bit. I really like his upper chest with the angular parts, red glow and wires. Love the show-of-strength pose. 

Stand:

The base is magnetic, so he sticks well to it. I like the logo, but the base being thing looks like more like a cheap coaster than a base for a figure. Wish they went for the thicker style the other western Kotobukiya figures came on. 

Left:

The pose doesn’t feel overdone from this angle, which I  like. The sculptwork is really nice and looks good from this angle.

Right:

The expression fits the pose from this side, but the hair being a bit shiny looks odd. ‘tis my main niggle with this figure. The shading on the metal parts is really nice and give it a lifelike feel. 

Back:

I really like the design of the back, and think it works better than the front… but that’s more DC’s fault. The fin effect is a lot less fussy than the randomness on the front, and the metal places help accent it. The shielding on the spine looks really good to me:

Here we can also see the number of paint effects going on, on the metal parts of the figure. I think they did a really good job with that. 

Overall, I think if you like this figure mostly relies on if you like DC’s design. Apart from the hair, I think Kotobukiya did a good job of recreating Cyborg in figure form, and am glad to have him, even though the film is poop. 

DC, stop making crap movies kkthx!

Kuroyukihime – Accel World – Incognito Avatar Ver

Whilst there aren’t so many Black Lotus figures, there’s plenty of Kuroyukihime… so here’s one more!

This figure was nicer out of the box than I was expecting. The mask is painted well, the dress has some shading, and her face looks really nice. Also the base isn’t boring and plain.

Face:

The eyes are nicely detailed, and don’t feel as overly heavy in the linework as the ones on the FuRyu one I looked at recently. I love the butterfly attaching her collar to her dress, and the rose is a nice addition. 

Mask:

The colours complement each other well, and are within the lines. Is a really nice piece. 

Base:

These butterflies are silver and are decently reflective. It goes well with the dressed-up party theme. Her shoes do look a bit on the “painted on” side. but aren’t too bad imo.

Left:

Her hair isn’t shaded, but I don’t think it detracts that much from the figure. Having the dress shaded though does make a good bit of difference to the look of the figure and I’m glad they did it. Here you can see the shading they have on the back of her legs – from the side it looks OK, but from the back it looks kind of like she has sunburn. 

Right:

She has a nice armband on this side – butterfly-themed ofc :). I like the way her hands are posed as it gives a sense of motion to her.  Most of the hair is stranded, which makes it look good. 

Back:

Here you can see the sunburn on the back of her legs. Her legs are nicely shaped though, and her hair is sculpted nicely. 

Overall, I really like this figure. I may get the recoloured variant at some point in the future. Super-glad I picked this one up. 

Black Lotus – Accel World – FuRyu

This was a figure I didn’t expect to see, so was really happy when I did. As it wasn’t overpriced, it was an instabuy. So here she is:

There aren’t too many figures of Kuroyukihime in her avatar form, so gotta buy them all :). According to MFC, I have all but two exclusive model kits, which are too rare for me to obsessively track down.

And, as usual, she’s a bit hard to photograph, with her main colour being black. Her finish isn’t too even, and being a flat colour, this is pretty noticeable. Not entirely a surprise though, as she is a prize figure. She is nicely posed though, in her battle mode.

“Face” close-up:

I love that they’ve added all her small, purple details in. The ones in the middle shine more than the others such as the ones on her shoulders. The mask is a nice shade of purple, with the mildest hint of face.

Side of her head:

Here you can see where the finish isn’t entirely even. The purple parts of her head spikes have been included, but these points are prone to bending, which can be seen with her left spike. I may fix this at some point, but it will be a mild pain to do so.

Left:

If you look closely at her arm spike, this presents the largest issue I have with the finish – here you can see the splotchiness I was referring to. And here we get a good look at her support stand, which manages to be not too intrusive. Here we can see where her legs are extended out, showing the purple areas – I do rather like her in this mode. The way she’s posed makes me feel like she means business.

Close-up on the legs:

The translucent plastic is what really makes this figure imo. I think this came out well.

Right:

Not too different from the left. The base is plain, but holds the figure up just fine. Gives a good contrast, if you’re looking at her from an angle that the base is behind her. 

Arm close-up:

This one has a better finish to it than the other one. The trianglar & diamond-shaped parts came out well imo. If the finish was even like this all over, I’d strongly recommend it as a prize figure, but with the finish flaws it draws it more back to average.

Detailing:

More purple! Still loving these litle deails throughout – the one on her am and skirt. 

Back:

Her back is well-sculpted, and she has the fins on the back of her legs. I think she really does have the spiky, slender appearance from the back.

Stand:

The stand goes into a small hole in her left leg. It’s a bit of a fiddle to get in there, but sturdier than I thought it would be. She stands fine, without wobbling, unless you poke her. I like this stand, as I don’t find it too intrusive, and it holds her in the air well. Being metal, they have been able to make it quite thin, so it feels like it stands out less than a plastic clip or pokey stand.Overall, I’d recommend this figure to someone who wants all things Black Lotus, and those who want a cheapish figure as they like the character design. I don’t think I’d recommend her to a general collector, due to prize figure flaws. I’m happy with her though, and glad to add her to my collection. 

Armisael – Evangelion – Wave

This figure I randomly came across in Nakano Broadway Mandarake. Didn’t see it on the site prior to going, but it instantly went into the basket once I saw it. So here she is:

Reading about this after buying, she was an exclusive, so really happy I managed to come across her at a good price. One of the things that probably keeps her price down is some people regard her as a bit of a lazy cash-in, as she’s not too dissimilar to some of the other entries in this line. However, I was really excited to see this one, as it’s based on one of the events in the series. 

I love the “veins” effect, though the fading on the black parts of the suit is a bit odd. Not sure why the suit colouring has been done like this, instead of closer to Rei’s design. 

Left:

She leans forward a bit, but this is not really visible from the front. Not sure what’s up with the tippy-toeing. She looks nice from the side as well imo. 

Right:

Here, she doesn’t feel like she’s leaning quite as far from the other side to me. Paint is a little unsteady in some of the smaller areas. The fade, despite its oddness, seems to be done well. Hair seam feels a bit neater on this side.

Back:

Backpack has been done nicely, but there’s some stray paint on her backside. Bit of a shame. Palm paint on her hands also has some flaws. Veiny effect still nice throughout though. 

Base:

To match the others, she has the same “biohazard sample” base. I like this attention to detail on the bases. 

Shot from the bottom:

Here we can see the Adam embryo is an indentation into the base. I like the way they did this on the bases, and I think the effect looks really good. This base is also a pleasing red colour. 

Overall, I’m really happy with this figure and glad to have stumbled upon it. I can see why it isn’t a particularly sought-after piece being “another Rei”, but for me I really like what it is, so had to get it :). If you don’t think she’s too boring, and happen to come across her, I would recommend her. 

Asuka Langely – Fruits Punch

This one I bought before Rei, as I found it cheap but boxless. Then I had to chase down Rei…. which I eventually got, and for a reasonable price :). 

So here’s the Asuka that goes with the Fruits Punch ReI:

The mark on the base was just some dirt, and got washed off after these photos. I like the way Asuka’s outfit is more flamboyant than Rei’s, which matches her personality. Asuka does feel a good bit more detailed, with the more complicated rain-dress and the way her clothes poke out of the rainwear. The matching bracelets work really well imo. Her umbrella is held in by pegs on either end – one for the base, one for her hand. 

Again her face and hair are a simplified style. Her neuroclips are more clearly themed than Rei’s, by being obviously strawberries. I guess Rei’s are supposed to be pips? 

Left:

Her hair curls up nicely, and those strawberries kind of work. Bit of a weird shape. However, the seam on her leg is pretty visible. 

Right:

I do like her pose from this angle – has that sassy look that fits Asuka. Her hands are sculpted nicely, and have a good amount of motion in them. Again, her leg has a clear seamline in it. 

Back:

Her hair looks OK, if simple. The umbrella looks OK, but not too much like a strawberry to me. Feels like they went more umbrella than strawberry, but it’s not a dealbreaker. 

Overall, I’m pretty happy with this figure. Even though Rei is my favourite of the pair in the show, I think this is my favourite of this pair of figures. I feel it has more to offer visually, and the extra clothes make the outfit less jarring. Again, this is a figure if you like unusual outfits. Happy with this pair – you should be able to get them fairly cheap, if you like them. Wouldn’t recommend paying a lot as they are prize figures, but they’re pretty nice ones.

Rei Ayanami – Fruits Punch

This figure I had times I really wanted to buy it and times I thought it was the worst thing ever… but seeing it in person, I decided to go for it. So here she is:

So here she is, donning an outfit that’s an interesting mishmash between beachwear and rainwear. Personally, I’d prefer if this figure didn’t have the gummi boots. Her hair has been done in a simplified manner, but this is more for the style of the figure. I do love the fruity bracelet she’s wearing. 

Left:

She definitely has an older prize figure look about her, with the shiny skin and simplified style, however the simplified style has been worked with, making it age better than others. I like the way the lemon umbrella goes over her shoulder, but it’s gonna bend over time. It also has a little drip that comes down off it, but mine likes to be a bit sideways. She does have a hole in her hand a peg on the umbrella sits in, so she holds it fairly firmly. 

Right:

The rainwear is a rubbery material, whilst the rest of the figure is hard plastic. The holes let us look at the paintwork better, underneath the raincoat, which I appreciate. Hair seam definitely isn’t in hiding here.

Back:

I like the finish on the back of the lemon umbrella – it has a nice shade to it. The back of the raincoat has some interesting details which stop it from being plain. 

Overall, I think this is a cute figure. If you like your figures in unusual outfits, and a fan of Evangelion, this figure could be for you. The paintwork is imperfect in places, but seems decent enough for a prize figure. It doesn’t feel as cheap as I thought it might do, so was pleasantly surprised by that. 

Kuroyukihime – Tea-drinking edition

So.. finally! The Japan loot! Which will be coming out in no particular order…. 

(Yes, it has taken me over a month to finally get to this point…)

First up, here we have Kuroyukihime engaging in a suitably British pastime of drinking tea:

She has quite a cute expression on her face. The paint job does a good job of texture, but not one of shading. Her coat does get affected in this photo, but I don’t think it’s as bad irl. Though the buttons are the same colour as the coat, which doesn’t change outside of this photo :P. 

Close-up of her face:

Her face is fairly decent – a bit heavy-handed with the linework. The hair is pretty simple, and is pretty flat where it isn’t stranded. 

The tea:

Yep, looks like a more British brew, than an Asian one. Tea doesn’t quite get to all the edges of the tea surface, so it does leave a bit of a “shallow cup” look to it. Because of the way the tea is angled, you don’t tend to see much of it anyway. 

Left:

This figure shows the figure in a better light, and pretty close to its actual look. If you’re wondering how she sits on this chair, there are a couple of dimples at the front of it, which she rests in.You can still easily nudge her out of them, but they’re good enough for display purposes. Here we can see a little bit of rough painting on the edging on her skirt. It’s a little inconsistent most of the way around. 

Right:

Little bit of a scuff visible in her hair. There are a couple of these. Here we can see the attempt at shading in her hair. It’s fairly abrupt imo, but there’s less of a contrast when looking at it irl, so it’s not too visible. again, the skirt edging is a bit messy. The skirt is folded nicely, but feels a little stiff, as that’s the only crease there is. that isn’t pleats. 

Back:

Slightly roughly-hewn chair XD. Just plain white back here. The chair connects to the base with 4 pegs – these were an absolute arse to get in place. Even with heat they were difficult, and I was a bit worried about breaking them. I don’t think I’ll disconnect the chair from the base, lest I snap a peg or two. 

Chair, no Kuroyukihime:

The front of the chair has some blue shading for the middle bit, though it’s nothing to write home about. On mine, there are stray paint blobs too, which aren’t too visible here. Here we can see the dimples that keep her in place, and why they’re not super-effective at it, being fairly shallow. 

Overall, it’s reasonably decent for a prize figure. I think this is one more for the Kuroyukihime fans than anyone else. From a small distance away, she’s a pretty decent figure, but doesn’t really stand up to close scrutiny. I think she’s a bit hard to find an optimal viewing angle too. I’m pleased to have this figure, even though I don’t think it’ll be winning any awards. 

Suzune Arizono – Kiseijyui Suzune – Questioners

This figure is now my largest scale figure – at 1/3.5 scale. Bit of an interesting choice there, but hey. I bought this figure from someone on MFC.

So here she is:

She’s immediately striking from her pose and size. She isn’t too tall as a figure, due to her kneeling pose. There’s no hiding her chest, lol. 

Close-up of her face:

Her face feels a bit doll-like to me, and looks a little odd. Doesn’t help her eyes feel a little flat. She does have painted lips though, and I think her mouth looks good. Her hair is nicely shaded, and the strands sculpted well. The buckles on her collar are also painted and sculpted well.

Left:

Looking at her from the side reveals she’s leaning backwards somewhat. The arm looks somewhat unnatural from this angle. The colours in her hair show up well from this angle too.

Right:

I think she looks more attractive from this side than the other. Her arms look less odd from this side, and we can see her body better. I like the amount of details that have gone into her clothes, especially considering she’s a cast-off. The seam-lines have been done in realistic places, and she has wrinkles in her skirt and top.

Back:

Here we can see the buckle that holds her top on. I like the way her boot is folded over where she is leaning on it. I think her spine crease is a bit severe, but her shoulder bones are sculpted well.

Frog:

Yep, you read that right. She has this frog keeping things… kind of SFW? This frog doesn’t detach, but if you’re buying this figure, I’d ask why you would even want to, as it’s a highlight of the figure.

The clothed option I’d say is a viable one. Also, once you’ve sussed how to cast her on and off, it is reasonably easy to do.

Here are her clothes:

As we can see, they’re reasonably detailed and well-painted, in the small spots that have paint. But they’re rather the dust magnet, for being black.


To cast off her skirt, we separate her:

The upper half also has her collar off in the upper picture – this is how her top comes off. This collar can then be placed back on the figure, to mostly hide where her top comes off. The lug between the upper and lower halves is big, giving it a good, solid connection. It fits tightly, but not so tight that you can’t wiggle it out by hand.

So here she is, reassembled:

Her pose comes across as powerful and confident. I love the sculpting around her stomach area. Without the chest covering parts, her clothes become a small halter-top and a strap around her midriff. The gap does kind of show where the cups attach into the collar – that isn’t too well hidden.

Close-up of her chest:

She has a nice pair of nipples. She’s large-chested, but doesn’t feel ridiculous. They’ve managed to keep them to a nice shape, that isn’t reminiscent of balloons. 

Frog:

The frog is very nicely painted, and has a good amount of shading. I love the way his tongue is reaching up across her stomach, and he is in a good clinging pose. Some people have detached the frog from this figure, and apparently it isn’t detailed and sculpted underneath – things are pretty much frog-shaped, so I wouldn’t be tempted to do that. 

Frog eye:

Here you can see the way she’s shaped to the frog. Here we can see the frog is lighter on the bottom than the top, and its eye. Eye isn’t very detailed, but does the job. 

Left:

She looks nice from the side, apart from that arm still looks odd 😛

Right:

Here you get a good look at the side of her chest, and a bit of her backside. That’s one pointy nipple.

Back:

She has a nicely sculpted ass. I think she looks really good from the back, when cast-off. 

Close-up of her boots:

Love the distinct tread in her boots. 

Boot side:

The boots are very nicely detailed – the buckles are really nice, and the boot not being fully tight gives it extra detail 

Left glove:

Her gloves are nice too, and look leathery. Plus there are some nice seam-lines on them, adding to the detail. However, looking close you can see where some paint has gone stray. She’s also got delicately painted nails, adding to the detail.

Overall I really like this figure. Despite being a larger scale than anything I own, she fits on a Detolf shelf quite well, due to her pose. Was a bit worried she’d be too big to fit anywhere, but was glad to find that was not the case. I think her body shape and the unique frog aspect make this a really good figure and one I’m very pleased to have in my collection. Would recommend this figure if you don’t mind the relatively minor flaws with it, if you can get hold of it. Might not be easy to do that. 

Hatsuse Izuna – No Game No Life

This figure was also waiting for me at home, from my holiday in Japan. Pre-ordered this one some time ago, as the chance of delay is very real with the companies that produce/distribute via GSC. However, amazingly, this one was released on time! And thus got to hang out in the parcel box until I returned home… This figure is of a younger character in a swimsuit, so flagged this as NSFW, though she’s not showing anything. 

So let’s first check out the epic base she comes with:

image

Yeah, uh, thanks Aquamarine. 

And here she is, freed from her plastic prison:

image

The first thing that stands out are the colours – they’re very vibrant, and do the anime justice. I’m very happy her hair came out vibrant, which is essential for a NGNL figure. The swimsuit is also slightly shiny, and that works really well too imo. 

Close-up of her face:

image

Her earls look really good, and her hairband has come out well. The hair paint blending stands up to close scrutiny too. Not a big fan of her expression, but it has been done well. I’d prefer it if she at least looked a little happy and not under duress. 

Swimsuit:

image

The details are really nice, as well as the contrasting finish, though the finish doesn’t show so much in this photo. The red details are painted as they’re moulded, but they do sort of suddenly end… which I find a little odd, but not a dealbreaker for me. Do think it would look better if they appeared to carry on underneath her arms. 

Left:

image

Here we can see her HUGE tail, which is very nicely painted, but does have a whacking great big seam mark down the middle of it. Would prefer it if that wasn’t there, but it doesn’t show from the front, thankfully. 

Leg close-up:

image

Her shoes are nicely done, as with the wrinkles in her socks. The base of her shoes is also done with a shiny finish, which gives them a look of quality. 

Robe pattern:

image

She has this detailed pattern on the top and the bottom of her robe. It looks really good, and helps this figure stand out from less expensive figures. The shading here is also lovely, and really helps to add depth. 

Close-up of the shiny swimsuit:

image

Here you can see where the light is being reflected off it, and the wrinkles that have been sculpted and shaded. I think the belly button is a bit overdone though, but this style seems pretty common on Japanese figures. 

Right:

image

Hair still looking vibrant :). And more of the robe pattern. The red detail on her sleeves looks better like this, as you can’t see the odd termination.

Back:

image

The shading from her hair and tail are both really visible here, and look great. You can also see shading on the base of her shoe and on the back of her ears. I love the way it’s all so smoothly blended. 

Close-up of the tail tip:

image

Yeah, this was the first seam mark I noticed. Really rather visible. Would’ve been nice if they could’ve done something about this to make it show up a bit less, but again, not visible from the front. 

Back of her head:

image

Just love the sunset colours.

Detail of the dress from underneath:

image

The edging is done really nicely in gold, plus this pattern printed throughout. Also the dress is shaded under here too, to emphasise the peaks and valleys in the fabric.

Seams in the robe:

image

These are very visible if viewing the figure from beneath, as they’re pretty gappy. Kinda almost wants some filler in there… Again, it is a hidden seam, so you only really see it when you’re looking for it, but you do really see it if you look from the bottom imo. 

Overall, this is a really nicely produced figure, with many things that point to it being a premium product. However, Aquamarine figures are pretty pricey. And it really depends if you want a loli in a swimsuit… I don’t really see her in a pose-y way, so I like this figure, but I know her pose, outfit and supposed age is a bone of contention between collectors. But from a pure-figure perspective, she’s a really nice figure, and I think Aquamarine did a really good job with her. 

EVA-01 – TV ver. – Evangelion – NXEDGE

This one I ordered just before holiday and was delivered whilst whilst I was away. Well, I say delivered, more like chilled out at the delivery office until I paid the charges… This one sold out online in most places, so when it briefly was in stock again at AmiAmi, I went ahead and grabbed it, as I wasn’t sure if I’d see it in Japan if it was sought after. Turns out I could’ve picked it up, but I would’ve been annoyed if I didn’t see it and didn’t buy it when I could.

So here he is:

D’aww one cute l’il EVA. The articulation is very nice and smooth, and the colours are striking. 

Here he is from a more top-down angle:

The sculpting is really nice, and there’s a good amount of detail on this small model. For this, I feel he’s worth the price. 

Here he is in the box:

And the other bits that weren’t on display:

He comes with a goodly amount of accessories, as well as the stand, which I’m pleased with. The accessories all seem to be of good quality, with moulding and painting. 

Here he is from the front with no weapons:

Not sure if he wants to hug me or strangle me… 

Left:

Here we see his slit eyes, and the sculpting on his head, that not many figures tend to have in such detail. Here we can also see the fuel cable he comes with, which clips on reasonably well, but is still fairly easy to knock out. 

Right:

Yep, looking good from this angle too. Got all the li’l green details. 

Back:

Not much colour to speak of back here. On one of my other models, the “diamond” bits just above the fuel cable are black, but here they’re purple. 

Another back shot:

Certainly a fair amount of sculpting going on here, which makes EVA-01 eye-catching. 

Top:

We even have his EVA-01 logo sculpted into the top of his head. So if he’s drunk and lying in a ditch, you’ll be able to find out where to return him. 

Overall, I really like this small figure. Glad I got it, and I didn’t risk missing out on it, even if it would’ve been cheaper. If you don’t mind paying a fair bit for a small figure, I’d recommend him, and probably this series of figures. 

Mito Ikumi – Food Wars – Kotobukiya

This figure I tried to buy off the seller once before, but he changed his mind about selling. Then a couple of months later I saw him selling it again – kind of surprised he didn’t message me, seeing as I was willing to buy before, but ah well, messaged him and bought it.

After spending a week at a drop-off point before bring collected, she finally got to me:

And I’m definitely glad to have her in my collection. She comes pre-attached to the base, so all you need to do is give her her meat cleaver and she’s all assembled. She also demonstrates two of the things I tend to like about Kotobukiya figures – the bases are never plain, and the ‘clean’ art style and colouring that can make these figures stand out.

Close-up of her face:

She has a good smile to her, and nicely shaded hair. Her outfit is painted cleany, and looks true to the character. Her body is nicely sculpted with her collarbones and her boobs which don’t feel too overly large. The silver buckles on her straps contrast nicely and are painted well.

Close-up of her stomach:

She has a crease above her belly, and her pelvic area is sculpted, which helps her body look realistic. I also like the way her shorts are unbuttoned, but not revealing anything. The shorts have a decent amount of detail, and are a pleasing shade of blue, that compliments the figure.

Left:

Her pose is leaning forward slightly, which I think works well. It gives off a sexy vibe, without overdoing it. Her body looks trim, but not muscly, which fits the character for me.

Her boots are nicely shaded, and look like a comic version of leather, which fits the style of this figure.

Right:

Here we can see where she is holding her right arm with her left. The fingers are posed very naturally, which I like. Here we can see her larger holstered cleaver – I like these details, but these knives aren’t ‘real’, so you can’t take them out. Kinda wish you could, and decide which knife/cleaver she is holding, but it’s not a biggie.

Back:

Her back has a good amount of detail to it, with the back of her top and her shorts having pockets.

Let’s have a closer look at her upper back:

A bit of flashing or spare paint is present in the upper knot of her top. Not a dealbreaker, but a bit sloppy. The lower knot is a lot neater imo. I like the way her spine has been shaded on the back too.

Backside:

Showin’ a little crack, I like the way they’ve clearly made the shorts as a separate piece. So many figures don’t have the clothes as separate pieces, so I really like it when a manufacturer does something like this. It makes a big difference to a figure imo. She might not be big in the backside department, but I think they’ve done a good job with it. The shors are really nice, with the pockets and the blue shading. There is some slightly “off” paint where the short trim is – believe this is supposed to be frayed jeans, and the shorts are cutoffs, but the effect doesn’t quite work for me. It’s a hard thing to get right, but it’s not something I’d expect to be excellent on a Koto figure. Does look a bit more like a wool trim though – think they’d need more dark blue lines in it for it to work better.

Overall, I really like this figure and glad to have it. Food Wars doesn’t have a lot of figures, so it’s nice to have a decent one in my budget. I did look at buying the Alter one, but I didn’t want to spend twice the money on a Mito Ikumi figure. If money was no object, the Alter one is likely to be a decent bit better and more realistic in its appearance, but I think this one is a solid substitute if you don’t want to spend so much.

Kuroyukihime – Accel World – Nendoroid

Normally I don’t buy Nendoroid, but this one is Kuroyukihime so I decided to make an exception based on the subject and the price:

I love this outfit of Kuroyukihime’s and she had her umbrella too, so I couldn’t say no. The figure is painted well, and the shiny butterflies stand out. I also really like the cute, smiling face.

Here she is with Arita in avatar form:

She also has an arm so she can hold Arita in her arms, but I didn’t take a picture of this. I likely won’t display her like that, as she can’t both hold him and her umbrella, and I like the umbrella too much. Arita looks cute and well-painted. I love the fact he is much smaller, as I can imagine him being so in Kuroyukihime’s presence.

Left:

Here we can see her hair, which is less detailed from the side, but this is standard for Nendoroids. It is shaded though, so it doesn’t look bad. I didn’t take a shot of the right, as it’s mostly umbrella, or similar to this if I took it out of her hands.

Back:

Love her wings. The moulding details help them stand out, and the colours chosen are good. Arita has his tail, which is about all you’d expect from this angle.

Umbrella:

The umbrella has some texture to it, which helps show those touches that go into official figures over bootlegs. It helps give it a fabric-y feel. The rim is also painted nicely, which frames it well. The handle for the umbrella is also painted neatly, especially given its small size.

Overall, I really like this Nendoroid and I don’t feel it overdoes the chibi. Some Nendoroids I’m put off by the proportions, but for this one I feel it works. Glad to have another Kuroyukihime in my collection.

Astarotte Ygvar – Astarotte no Omocha!

This figure was included in my Mandarake order, and was a store purchase:

I did try to buy this from a MFC user, but they went AWOL during the process of trying to buy, so I was glad to see this on Mandarake. She’s very cute imo, and I love the cute swimsuit she’s wearing. And also the cute tail. 

Close-up of her face:

Aww, she’s got that little tooth that demonic beings have in Japanese things. Her hair is nicely shaded, and pretty detailed in its sculpt. Her eyes are also detailed, and I like the way there’s an edging to the swimsuit – see the heart cutout on her suit. The seams on the ring are also really well done, and make the ring look like the plastic the rings are made out of. Imo, it is better than Rin’s ring.

Left:

I love the flowers in her hair, plus the wispy parts that fly out of the larger clumps of her hair. Her leaning pose feels natural to me, and not overdone. 

Close-up of the hair from the side:

The petal-bows in her hair look nice and compliment her hair. The hair wisps aren’t particularly well blended in at the top, but it doesn’t bother me much. 

Right:

Here she is with her ring. Her tail curls nicely around the ring, and we can see the translucent ring, which is a pretty pale blue colour. I like that they’ve included the air valve in the moulding. 

Close-up of the ring:

The detail in the mould is really nice – the edges of the ring has the flange that most of these rings have, and the creases almost make it look like it’ll be soft to the touch, though it is not. The valve doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny, but it is a nice inclusion. 

Back:

Her hair is nicely shaded, as well as her swimsuit. Her tail looks good from this angle too.

Close-up of her back:

Her tail blends OK into her back, but not with any particular finesse. She’s also got a cute little heart on the back of her swimsuit too, which is a nice detail.

Overall I think this is a very pretty, cute figure, with the added bonus of having a tail. Really glad to finally have her. 

O-157 – Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture

A likely short blog… for a random buy in a Mandarake Urban Mine. 

Now for a photo not in my usual location:

This guy is designed to dangle, so took the photos of where he dangles underneath a wall-mounted display cabinet. This cabinet is… not the best… so the bracket is to prevent the bottom of it bending over time, and provides the perfect hanging point for this dude. 

This dude is… E. Coli. Yep, just the thing I wanted a figure of! But he’s cute and tentacly! 

Side:

Nothing much interesting here. He’s a little bit darker in colour than the little keychain I got, some time ago. I prefer the colour used in the keychain, but this colour isn’t bad. 

Back:

Yep, nothing to see here. 

If you’e short of a smiley strain of E. Coli in your life, this guy delivers. He is an older prize figure, so the quality is that of an old prize figure, but being something that doesn’t have much need for different colours, it works. Also if you want to display this one, you’re going to need somewhere to dangle him from – for me this is a bonus, as it’s one less thing to find shelf space for! 

Sister Hell – Sister Tilette ver

So that limited edition I mentioned… it was still for sale at the retailer I found it at. So I decided to get that one too:

The translucent clothing on this one does more to hide her intimate areas. But still, doesn’t leave much to the imagination… The hair on this one also has the weird shape to hold the habit.

Face:

Again, her face is largely obscured by hair and her arm. However, she’s also got some blush on her cheek, which is a nice touch. The hair paint seems a little less messy on this one too. 

Left:

Yep, looks nice like the other one. Might not be too many words on this blog, as this one is a clone of the other. Her censoring clothing doesn’t match as well to her straps as the other one. 

Right:

Back:

I think the gold and red works as well as the gold and black. I did wonder if it’d feel like it blended in too much or wouldn’t quite match, but I don’t feel that looking at the figure. 

Base:

Here’s her base, which differs in the plaque saying “Theresa Tilette” and being red. 

The other angles of the base are pretty much the same:


Now for Tilette fully assembled:

Looking impressive as the other one. The habit has the same flaws as the other one, and is identical. This one has more colour contrast, with having a red “outfit” rather than black. 

Left:

Mmm, bad habit…

Right:

Yep, still rockin’ that nice body. Hand didn’t naturally go on quite as well as the other one, but isn’t really visible from the front. Could use some heat to move it, if I felt it needed moving. 

Back:

Again, same as the other one, but with more red.

Overall, I like the two colour schemes equally. I have these two on either end of a shelf, and I think they look really good like that. This one will likely be a lot hard to get hold of, as she was a limited edition, limited to 300 pieces. So it was a bit random finding this one at a random UK retailer.