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.
It’s been a quite a while since my last preview roundup (three months!), so this week I’ll try to catch up with all the notable releases since August.
Continue reading
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.
It’s been a while since my last preview roundup (over a month!), so this week I’ll try to catch up with all the notable releases from the past month or so.
Continue reading
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. Continue reading
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, I’m mostly catching up with new releases from the past several weeks where I had no posts. Continue reading
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.~
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
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.~
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.~
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.
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.
Wave – 1/8 Aisaka Taiga [China Dress Ver.]
Toradora! fans will be pleased to note that Wave will be releasing another Taiga figure later this year. I haven’t watched this series yet, but it’s near the top of my “planning to watch” list and I definitely want to get a Taiga figure at some point. This particular Taiga looks interesting, but it should be noted that it’s yet another JP mail order exclusive, so I’m not too eager to jump through those hoops for a figure I’m only on the fence about.
On a side note, I believe this is the first time I’ve written about a figure from Wave. They seem to do mostly 1/10 scale stuff, which is smaller than what I typically go for. I’m curious as to what level of quality they typically deliver.
Kotobukiya – 1/10 Hanshin Tigers Lum-chan [Repaint Ver.]
I usually use “1/10 scale or smaller” as grounds for instantly disqualifying a figure from further consideration, but I felt like this rather unique Lum figure was at least worth a mention. One can only guess that the marketing department over at Kotobukiya made a thematic connection between Lum’s trademark tiger-striped bikini and the popular Japanese baseball team the Hanshin Tigers and this is the result.
Curiously, AmiAmi is only making this figure available through their Japanese site. The figure shows up via search on the English site, but attempting to pull it up results in a message that the figure is not available. Hmm… 😕
Alter – 1/8 Akiyama Mio [Festival Ver.]
Alter’s “Festival Version” Mio is now available for preorder. I previously covered this figure as part of my Winter Wonder Festival write-up.
My feelings about this figure haven’t changed drastically since seeing the coverage of said event. I certainly like this Mio better than Alter’s previous attempt, but we’ve already seen hints of a very similar, but better (IMO) Mio from Max Factory.
Between this and the Max Factory version, I’ll wait for the latter, but what I really want to see is a figure with Mio in her ending sequence outfit. I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record on this last point. -_-
Alter – 1/8 Amae Koromo
Here’s another figure I previously covered as part of my Winter Wonder Festival write-up.
As with Mio, my impressions of Ms. Koromo really haven’t changed since the show. I really dig the Alice and Wonderland attire, which is the main selling point of the figure for me. There’s also the loli aspect, which could be a negative for some. This is a pretty tasteful figure though, so I’m not particularly bothered.
Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that this figure will be one of the first victims of this year’s budget. At this point, I think I have enough funds for about two more figures and I already have those funds earmarked for GSC’s Tohsaka Rin and either Max Factory’s Mio or Append Miku. I’m toying with the idea of selling one or two figures out of my collection this year, which could free up funds for Koromo. We’ll see.
Cospa (Resinya!) – Non-scale Aegis [Heavy/Normal Armor Versions]
Resinya’s Aegis from the the Persona 3 series is now available for reservation. I previously wrote about this figure for both the Wonder Festival and Miyazawa Model Exhibition events earlier this year.
One unexpected change you’ll notice about this figure versus what was shown at the tradeshows is that Aegis will come in two versions that are basically identical except for the fact that she’s wearing a vest and helmet in one version (i.e., “Heavy Armor Version”) and nothing extra in the other (i.e., “Normal Armor Version”). AmiAmi lists the armored Aegis as the regular edition and the other version as a limited edition.
My thoughts on Resinya’s Aegis are still very much mixed. On the one hand, this figure is a deliciously detailed and large version of my favorite character design from the Persona video games. On the other, my last experience with Resinya was a bit of a letdown, so I’m reluctant to fork out big bucks for Aegis sight-unseen. Even if that wasn’t the case, the budget crunch I described above would still apply.
Re-Release: Alter – 1/8 Yagyu Jubei
Finally, for those who missed her the first time around, Alter is re-releasing Jubei from Hyakka Ryoran. Other than a new release date of Aug. 2010, all the same details as before apply, so you can check my original preview and review posts. FWIW, I grabbed Jubei on the first go round and felt like she was one of my best purchases of the past year.
Sometimes I wonder how and why manufacturers decide to re-release certain figures and not others. 😕
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.
Max Factory - 1/7 Kureha ~Swimsuit Ver.~
Here’s the next entry in Max Factory’s 2010 Shining Wind lineup. This time we have Kureha in a swimsuit.
I’m still trying to figure out if I should expect the all of the remaining figures for this year to follow this theme or whether Max Factory is just filling in the gaps in their Shining Wind lineup, which has been a mix of normal clothes and swimsuits up to this point. Given that the two figures shown so far, Seena and Kureha, both had past releases from MF featuring their normal outfits, it could still go either way. I’m really hoping it’s the latter, because I’m finding these swimsuits rather boring. -_-
On a related note, Max’s other Kureha ranks very high on my list of long sold out figures I’d like to pick up at some point.
Chara-Ani - 1/8 Houjo Kuniko
Here’s a new figure that caught my eye from Chara-Ani. It’s based on a character design from a relatively obscure series called Shangri-La. What makes it interesting–at least to me–is that fact that Range Murata handled the character designs for the series.
I find the character design for this figure appealing enough, particularly the unusual color scheme, but I find the choice of pose and base rather odd. The pose Chara-Ani went with suggests that Kuniko should be in mid-air, but the base they chose lacks the pegs you would expect for a mid-air pose, so the pose ends up just looking awkward.
I guess I’ll have to wait a while longer to find the perfect Range Murata figure.
I wanted to have my Saber Lily review ready for today, but evidently it’s just not going to happen. You’ll have to make do with more previews instead. *sigh* -_-
Alter - 1/8 Momohime
Preorders have started for Alter’s Momohime. I think she looks even better in the official photos than she did at Wonder Festival, last month. It looks like she’ll have a switchable forearm in case you want to display the sword unsheathed.
I’m planning to pick up Momohime even though the budget’s getting pretty tight. I don’t have any particular attachment to Muramasa: The Demon Blade, but this figure looks too good to pass up.
Good Smile Company - 1/8 Misaka Mikoto
GSC’s new Mikoto figure looks rather mundane next to some of the other figures they’ve pushed out recently. As such, she’s probably going to appeal primarily to fans of the To Aru series. I haven’t see either show, but they look like something I’d like to watch eventually.
I do find it interesting that GSC tucked shorts under Mikoto’s skirt rather than the typical pantsu. I imagine this it some kind of nod to her character design rather than a concerted effort to be different, but it’s nice to see all the same. Also, the clear base shown in the preview shows is probably a good indication this this figure won’t be getting the fancy base treatment GSC has been doing of late.
Kotobukiya - 1/8 Senjōgahara Hitagi
Here’s the final version of the Hitagi figure Kotobukiya showed off at WF2010W. I definitely like GSC’s version better, but I guess Koto is technically first to the market with a scale Bakemonogatari figure. I like the motion conveyed in Hitagi’s skirt, tie, and hair, but the tentacle thing is just creepy. -_-‘
PS: Somebody needs to hurry up and license this show!
I don’t have any new reviews ready yet and there have been several interesting new releases since my last roundup, so I’m doing this post earlier than usual. February’s roundup was kind of lengthy anyway, so maybe this is for the better. ^_^’
Alter - 1/8 Clalaclan Philias ~Armor Ver.~
Alter showed off their upcoming Clalaclan figure at WF2010W, but she really didn’t catch my eye for whatever reason until I saw these official release photos.
Clalaclan definitely isn’t my favorite Shining Wind character–I’m embarrassed to admit that I actually thought her name was “Clanclan” previously–but Alter’s rendition is looking awesome in her full battle regalia. There are a lot of unique and interesting visual details to be had here, like the multi-layered skirt and diadem, but I particularly like the medieval shield, which is a relative rarity among anime figures.
There’s a pretty decent chance I’ll be picking this one up. ^_^
Kotobukiya - 1/8 Feena Fam Earthlight ~Royal Dress Up Ver.~
Here we have the completed version of Kotobukiya’s prototype Feena Fam Earthlight previewed earlier at WF2010W. The good news is she looks much, much better than I thought earlier. The bad news is she’s another Japanese online and mail order exclusive. -_-
I’m a bit conflicted on this one. Feena is rather high on my list of characters for whom I want a nice figure and Koto’s Feena looks pretty good from what I can see here. That said, this is a terribly expensive figure for its size and my (limited) experience with Koto in the past has been decidedly average. IMO, average doesn’t cut it from a 12,000 yen 1/8 scale mandatory-proxy-buy figure.
So, do I give Koto the benefit of the doubt or hope for another Feena?
Max Factory - 1/7 Seena
Max Factory’s new Seena figure is–from what I’m reading–the first of four Shining Wind figures we should expect to see from MF this year. I’m not terribly exited about this particular figure–I think the outfit and pose are rather plain–but I am optimistic about the prospect of more Shining Wind figures from a top manufacturer like Max Factory in the near future. Personally, I’m hoping to see Xecty in her normal outfit.
New Line - 1/6 Revy ~Swimwear Ver.~
New Line actually managed to sneak their new Revy announcement last month after my February recap post, so I’m covering her in March. -_-
Black Lagoon initially flew under my radar, but it proved to be a great series once I got around to checking it out. Revy totally makes the series work and she’s a great character that deserves some great figure treatment.
Unfortunately, I have yet to see a Revy figure I really like and I think New Line missed the memo on this one. The bikini feels terribly out of character for Revy and smacks of blatant fan-service on New Line’s part, which is really too bad considering that their other Revy might well be the best one to date.
Figyura (フィギュラ) 