New Release Roundup: 7-May-2010 Edition

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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.

New Release Roundup

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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.~

  • Character: Kureha
  • Series: Shining Wind
  • Scale: 1/7
  • Height: 230 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Max Factory
  • Price: 6,800 yen
  • Date: Sep. 2010
  • Link 1: Max Factory
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

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

  • Character: Houjo Kuniko
  • Series: Shangri-La
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 135 mm
  • Material: PVC/ABS
  • Company: Chara-Ani
  • Price: 6,648 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Chara-Ani
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

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.

Review: Good Smile Company 1/7 Saber Lily ~Distant Avalon~

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I don’t think Saber needs any great introduction. She’s easily one of the most iconic anime characters from the past decade and I can think of precious few characters who have received more figure reproductions.

Saber Lily was introduced as a new variant of Saber’s character for the Fate/unlimited codes fighting game series. This new “form” swaps Saber’s traditional blue & white long-sleeved dress for a cream & black sleeveless dress and her unique braided hairstyle for a bow and ponytail. The new look serves to meaningfully differentiate Saber Lily from Fate/stay night-era Saber while retaining the key visual cues that make Saber instantly identifiable.
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New Release Roundup, Mid-Mar. 2010 Edition

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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.~

  • Character: Clalaclan Philias
  • Series: Shining Wind
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 215 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Alter
  • Price: 9,800 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Alter
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

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

  • Character: Kanon Seena
  • Series: Shining Wind
  • Scale: 1/7
  • Height: 235 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Max Factory
  • Price: 6,477 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Max Factory
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

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.~

  • Character: Revy
  • Series: Black Lagoon
  • Scale: 1/6
  • Height: 260 mm
  • Material: PVC/ABS
  • Company: New Line
  • Price: 8,800 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: New Line
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

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.

New Release Roundup, Jan. 2010 Edition

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It’s drawing near the end of the month, which means it’s time to look at some of the interesting new figures that opened for reservations this month. ^_^

Good Smile Company – 1/7 Saber ~Triumphant Excalibur~

  • Character: Saber
  • Series: Fate/stay night
  • Scale: 1/7
  • Height: 250 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Good Smile Company
  • Price: 9,800 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Official Site
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Good Smile Company has another Saber figure hot on the heels of their Saber Lily figure released late last year. This new figure features Saber wearing her original FSN battle armor in a nice aerial action pose. I’m thinking her face looks a little funny in one of the official photos, but otherwise the new Saber is looking top-notch. I haven’t preordered her yet, but I imagine it’s only a matter of time.

Kotobukiya – 1/8 Xecty ~E.V.E.~

  • Character: Xecty
  • Series: Shining Wind
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 200 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Kotobukiya
  • Price: 7,140 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Official Site
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Kotobukiya has another Shining Wind figure ready for preorder. This one features Xecty sporting a bit of a different look than what I’m used to seeing. Her new outfit reminds me of Kingdom Hearts for some reason.

Kotobukiya – 1/8 Kasugano Sora ~Sukumizu~

  • Character: Kasugano Sora
  • Series: Yosuga no Sora
  • Scale: 1/6
  • Height: 130 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Kotobukiya
  • Price: 7,140 yen
  • Date: May 2010
  • Link 1: Hobby Search
  • Link 2: AmiAmi

Here’s the next entry in Kotobukiya’s 4-Leaves series, featuring Kasugano Sora from the eroge Yosuga no Sora. I like Sora’s character design, but this particular figure comes across as a bit too generic for my liking. Considering it as a school swimsuit figure, I can think of other examples I like better (To Heart 2‘s Tamaki has several that come to mind). As a Sora figure, I think MegaHouse did a better job of capturing her character.

Yamato – Creator’s Labo #024 Tsukasa Bullet Compact Hog

  • Character: ??
  • Series: Tsukasa Bullet
  • Scale: Non
  • Height: 185 mm
  • Material: PVC/ABS
  • Company: Yamato
  • Price: 11,340 yen
  • Date: Jun. 2010
  • Link 1: Official Site
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Yamato’s newest entry in the Creator’s Labo series features the work of Tsukasa Jun, whose style here reminds me of Range Murata. While I am appreciative of Jun’s artistic style and this particular piece is eye-catching enough, it doesn’t quite push all the right buttons to make it my first steampunk figure purchase. Interesting, nonetheless.

Well, I think that about does it for this month’s new release roundup! See anything you like? I think Saber’s a pretty sure bet for me.