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.
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. 😕
Alter - 1/8 Nakano Azusa
Alter showed off their upcoming Azusa figure at WF2010 and online shops started taking reservations for her a few days later. Azusa is probably my favorite K-ON! character design after Mio, mostly owing to her hairstyle. I would probably display her in Azu-nyan mode, but I’m always a bit leery of customizable bits on my fixed-pose figures these days after seeing too many unsightly gaps or loose parts on figures I’ve purchased in the past.
Griffon Enterprises - Tomoe
When I first saw Griffon’s new Queen’s Blade figure on the Hobby Search page in a modest outfit and pose with no mention or images to suggest a cast-off ability, I was impressed. Figures from the Queen’s Blade series so often fall into the generic ecchi/cast-off/crap category that seeing something more normal is refreshing. Or at least it was… until I poked around further and found that the figure is does indeed feature a cast-off ability. Ugh.
Alter - 1/8 Senhime
Senhime is Alter’s latest entry in their line of Hyakka Ryoran figures. I have to admit that I really like the character designs for this series. They’re definitely fan service-oriented, but it’s not generic fan service.
I’m liking Senhime’s outfit. The neatly pleated skirt seems to be the visual centerpiece and the purple/red/black color combo works very well here. The one thing that I’m not so sure that I like is Senhime’s expression here. I’m guessing it’s part of her character, but the frown she’s wearing seems to suggest she’d rather be doing other things. -_-
Alter - 1/8 Sanya V. Litvyak
February seems to be the month for Strike Witches figures; two from Alter and one from Kotobukiya. I haven’t personally seen the series–though I do have the DVD set on order–but I have noticed that the series has been thoroughly vilified in the West for reasons I can understand, but don’t necessarily agree with. Regardless of how you feel about Strike Witches, you have to admit that it is at least unique from a character design standpoint. The moefication of girls as WWII fighter planes isn’t something you see every day, even in anime.
Sanya isn’t my favorite design among the Strike Witches characters–that distinction probably belongs to Lucchini–so I can’t say I was exactly looking for a Sanya figure, but I can see some appeal here. For one, I find the dark colors of Sanya’s outfit and her Striker Unit appealing. I also think there could be some value in the fact that this Sanya is probably going to be one of the tamer figures from the Strike Witches series, for someone who’s conscious about their figure collection.
Alter - 1/8 Miyafuji Yoshika
Alter’s other Strike Witches figure for this month is a re-release of main character Miyafuji Yoshika. Sometimes I wonder how and why manufacturers decide to re-release certain figures and not others. I considered Alter’s Yoshika briefly the first time around, but ultimately decided to pass. Among the motley assortment of character in Strike Witches, I actually find Yoshika kind of plain. Sad but true.
Kotobukiya - 1/8 Erica Hartmann
As mentioned in the Sanya comments, Kotobukiya also got in on this month’s Strike Witches action with their own Erica figure. Like the others, Erica isn’t my favorite character design from the series so this figure doesn’t win any brownie points there. It also looks like stand Koto is using for Erica would be more visually intrusive than the minimalist metal pins that Alter is using. I’m not a fan of bases that have visible supports in the first place, so the less I see, the better.
Gift - 1/4 Minamoto Chizuru
You’ve got love a figure that’s gratuitous in more ways than one. Outrageous outfit. Enormous size. Massive price tag. Gift’s latest is a 1/4 scale bunny girl who does all things in large proportions. ^_^
Kotobukiya - 1/6 Kousaka Tamaki ~Panic~
It seems that Kotobukiya isn’t quite done milking To Heart 2’s Tamaki for their 4-Leaves series. Here we have the third 1/6 scale Tamaki figure in a similar crouching pose. This one features a slightly different sculpt with Tamaki in the middle of a wardrobe malfunction rather than supporting her bra using her mouth as in the previous 4-Leaves figures. Of the three, I think I like the look of this version the least.
FREEing - 1/8 Akiyama Mio
Yay! It’s another Mio figure!
Boo! She’s not wearing her ending sequence outfit! -_-
FREEing’s new Mio was one of the handful of upcoming Mio figures shown off at WF2010W. It’s hard not to compare her to Alter’s maid Mio, which I probably liked more between the two. I’m missing the musical references from the series here–Alter’s maid Mio is shown holding her guitar–which I think leaves Mio looking a little too generic. I’m also not particularly fond of the troubled expression she’s wearing here. Oh well, the wait continues…
It seems like the K-ON! figures are finally starting to come in. I think this is the third Mio figure I’ve seen and there are previews for a forth Mio from another manufacturer floating around the net. I’m liking Mio’s outfit in upLark’s version as compared to Alter’s version, but I’m still not sure they got the face right. I’m also kind of disappointed to see that no one seems to want to do a 1/6 scale K-ON! figure yet.
Alter appears to be the first out the gate with a K-ON! figure (at least that I’ve seen). I’m surprised it has taken this long with the buzz surrounding the series. The Alter/Mio combo is the best I could have hoped for. That said, I find myself a little disappointed with what they came up with. I’m thinking that it’s probably my preference for Mio’s stage outfit over the school uniform, but this figure just doesn’t scream “buy me” like it could. For now, I’m probably going to hold off and hope for more quality K-ON! figures in the near future.
Figyura (フィギュラ) 