Review: Yamato 1/6 Iris Hallett ~Creators’ Labo 032~

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The first scale PVC figure I ever purchased was Yamato’s 1/8 Aoyama Motoko, of Love Hina fame, back in 2005. It was cheap, poorly detailed, required a ridiculously ugly support arm, and was generally terrible all-around by today’s standards. Despite her failings, Yamato’s Motoko acted as my gateway drug to the figure scene and I appreciated her for what she was, at least until I knew better. As an unfortunate side effect of that experience, I’ve tended to associate Yamato with cheap, ugly figures ever since and generally wouldn’t give them the time of day.

Enter Iris Hallett as the 32nd entry in Yamato’s Creators Labo series, based on the iconic artwork of Masamune Shirow. It’s rare that Yamato figures manage to really get my attention, but Iris did the trick well enough to overcome my reservations with buying Yamato and committing to what was a pretty pricey offering for a non-exclusive, non-limited PVC figure.
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Preorder Roundup: 2012.03 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.

It’s been over five months since my last preorder write-up, so there’s a lot of ground to cover. Let’s get started.
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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.