Periodically, I like to take a look at new figures that are available for pre-order. This isn’t intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a selection of new releases that I personally find interesting or notable.

This week’s unintentional theme: 1/7 scale girls with non-Japanese names.

Max Factory – 1/7 Clalaclan ~Swimsuit Ver.~

• Character: Clalaclan Philias
• Series: Shining Wind
• Scale: 1/7
• Height: 240 mm
• Material: PVC
• Company: Max Factory
• Price: 6,800 yen
• Date: Oct. 2010
• Link 1: Max Factory
• Link 2: Hobby Search
• Link 3: AmiAmi

Max Factory has unveiled yet another entry in their 2010 Shining Wind set. This time they’ve given us Clalaclan in a bikini. If the swimsuit-themed trend wasn’t completely clear before, it should be now. 🙂

I have to admit that I really like this latest entry. I didn’t particularly care for Max’s Seena or Kureha’s swimsuit renditions, but I’m really digging their new Clalaclan. Unfortunately, I won’t be picking her up any time soon thanks to budgetary constraints. 😦

Grands – 1/7 Ikaros

• Character: Ikaros
• Series: Sora no Otoshimono
• Scale: 1/7
• Height: 220 mm
• Material: PVC
• Company: Grands
• Price: 9,333 yen
• Date: Oct. 2010
• Link 1: Hobby Search
• Link 2: AmiAmi

Here’s the final version of the Ikaros figure from Grands that I looked at previously for the Winter Wonder Festival. It looks like they’ve made some adjustments to the paint job with Ikaros’ outfit and hair ribbon getting a glossier look than what they had on the WF2010W prototype.

Overall, I think this looks like a nice (busty) angel-type figure. Ikaros isn’t a must-have for me and Grands is an unknown quantity regarding quality, so I’ll reserve final judgement until I see a web review or two for this figure.

Orchid Seed – 1/7 Ryomou Shimei ~Orchid Seed Ver.~

• Character: Ryomou Shimei
• Series: Ikki Tousen
• Scale: 1/7
• Height: 140 mm
• Material: PVC
• Company: Orchid Seed
• Price: 8,000 yen
• Date: Jul. 2010
• Link 1: Orchid Seed
• Link 2: Hobby Search
• Link 3: AmiAmi

I was wondering how long it would be before I did a write-up on a Ryomou figure. My figure collection tells me I have a bit of a soft spot for her character, with three Ryomou’s on my shelf and several others I can think of off-hand that I would happily pick up for the right price.

Orchid Seed’s newest Ryomou figure is interesting because it’s based on my favorite illustration from the Ikki Tousen: Dragon Destiny Official Visual Fanbook. Beyond the obvious ecchi appeal, I like the detailing on the cushion and ottoman that make up the base for the figure. The chibi plush toys featuring other characters from the Ikki Tousen series provide a bit of a light-hearted feel to the figure.

Beat – 1/7 Al Azif ~Beat Ver.~

• Character: Al Azif
• Series: Demonbane
• Scale: 1/7
• Height: 190 mm
• Material: PVC
• Company: Beat
• Price: 8,400 yen
• Date: Aug. 2010
• Link 1: Hobby Search
• Link 2: AmiAmi

Just in time for the upcoming English language release of Nitroplus’s Demonbane, Beat has a new figure featuring the game’s main heroine, Al Azif. She’s one of my favorite eroge character designs and Max Factory’s version was one of my earliest figure purchases.

IMO, this is easily the best looking Al figure to come along in a long time.  I definitely prefer her original design as shown here to the recent “adult” version put out by Orchid Seed. The outfit, pose, and modeling all look pretty good here, but I wonder how well Beat will execute the design as they transition to mass production. If they do a nice job, this might be a figure that I pick up down the line.