Remember when I used to feature car stuff here? No? Me neither, but the navigation bar tells me I otherwise. However unlike the past this  post should be slightly more interesting.

This weekend I went to Mosport International Raceway for the American Le Mans Series of racing as well as support races. Mosport is a track I know well, I’ve gone since before I was born, my parents used to go there to camp and watch races, and my father even used to race a BRG Austin Mini there. He has many great stories of back then and often tells me how the track has changed a lot over the years, it’s much safer now of course. One such story he tells includes flipping his Mini just before turn 5a (Moss Corner) in such a way that his roof never hits the ground and he lands on all four wheels. Of course in doing so all four corners of his suspension are crushed, his sub-frame ruined and a set of rims damaged. Up until this race he’d only participated in 30 minute events, this race however was his first 2 hour race and due to a lapse in concentration in around the 30 minute mark, the aforementioned crash occurred. He never had any great success racing, but the way he tells the stories you can tell he really enjoyed every moment of it and I think it’s because of that enthusiasm I became interested in auto racing at a young age. It’s been a passion of mine long before I knew about anime, figure collecting or even computers.

I suspect had racing remained as cheap as it was when he participated, I too would have started racing, in fact my father at one point almost bought me a go-kart however after attending a couple of karting events he decided against it. Not for safety reasons, but because of the petty arguments between families of the participating children. Somewhat unfortunate, but I can see how the competitive nature of these events would spur the worst in some people. Eventually, I did get a go-kart, but not the kind you’d go racing with. It was of the home made variety with just a little 5.5 hp Honda motor, cantilever chassis and did at best 52 km/h (~32 mph). Our neighbours at the time allowed us to use their field in which my father cut out a race track in the grass.

Unfortunately, the costs of modern racing are exorbitantly high and are ever increasing, even in the smallest of series. Not only do you have to buy a car, you need to maintain it and most importantly outfit it with the proper safety kit, such as a roll cage, proper seat with racing harness, fire extinguisher etc… Additionally you need to outfit yourself with all the appropriate safety gear, helmet, fire retardant clothing, coveralls head restraint if required such as HANS device. All of this adds up considerably, and of course doesn’t include entry fees, transporting your car, accidents, broken or worn parts, consumables etc… etc… All of this means I’ll likely never get to actually participate in a real race, but that hasn’t stopped me from attending. (Or blowing up a motor….)

Having visited Mosport so much, one would think I have a lot of great pictures from there to choose from, and over a number of years. This however isn’t the case, photography wasn’t a hobby of mine back  just a few years ago, nor any of my family members. Because of this we only had your average P&S film or digital cameras prior to my dSLR. So, that means all these pictures are from after I got into photography, as such their quality varies greatly, so bear with me.

One of the really neat things about the ALMS is how close they let you get to their cars, sure some teams are a little more secretive than others with specific components but generally you’re able to nearly sit in the cars. Before the start of every race they let the crowd out onto the grid to get a good close look and even touch the cars. I’m positive that if I were a car owner, or driver this would be nerve wracking for me. I’d worry some idiot would trip and fall on my car or break something or adjust something that couldn’t be fixed in time for the race. Generally I don’t think anything too substantial could be done, but still it’s a great deal of trust on behalf of the teams, even if they are all there keeping a close eye on things.

While the grid walk is fun, it’s also a very crowded place and hard to get a shot without people, in fact it’s impossible without multiple shots and tricks in post-processing. This is why I prefer wandering the paddock instead, not only do you get to see the cars, but you get to see under the bonnet, the drivers, and the teams preparing the cars. You also get to see teams receiving their battered and broken cars after a wreck. All of which seems much more interesting to me than some parked cars. You have to pay attention though while you’re there, there’s always vehicles moving about and you don’t want to get in their way. From segways to ‘Ferrari’ semis from Texas.

Enough with the still life shots, lets get some action…

Not actiony enough I don’t think, racing always needs crashes, it’s what everyone is sadistically hoping for isn’t it?

Auto racing photography presents a number of challenges over my usual figure shoots. Of course the objects are moving, but in addition to that my viewing angles are limited, my lenses not always suited to the distances and the lighting is uncontrollable. This past weekend for example was a very sunny weekend, and the races all took place with the sun high in the sky creating very harsh shadows, fairly undesirable, and in addition to that as the sun set in the west, I started to get the dark side of the car causing me to over expose the surrounding scenery. I really do wonder how the pros do it, what filters I should buy, or settings to use but all in all I feel I got some decent shots over the few years I’ve been shooting. I do have plenty more I could include, but not all of them are from Mosport, perhaps in the future I’ll do another post with sort of a ‘best of’* from the race tracks I’ve been to and have bothered taking pictures at, such as Mid-Ohio and the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal.

-Aka

(* I wouldn’t call this current set a ‘best of’ as there was somewhat of a narrative going on in my head as I wrote it.)

Good Smile Company’s Sengoku Nadeko, so so pre-ordered. Like I could help it right?

It astonishes me how well Bakemonogatari is doing, it seems to defy the moé craze, it has so many puns and Japanese word associations that are hard to translate, it has walls of text, it seems to have a lot of the stuff many people wouldn’t like. Yet despite it, it’s incredibly successful and as far as I can tell didn’t have the merchandising hit the market till after the fact. Which to me indicates the producers didn’t think it would be the hit it is, and/or didn’t feel the need to hype it up. Now of course, after the fact, there’s an obvious demand and where there’s an empty space in a market there’s money to be made.  It occurs to me after writing that first sentence however, that the hard to translate puns and word associations really are only a foreign market problem. I guess the only true reason this series has done so well, beyond the fact that it’s quite good, is that the moé craze is pretty crap, there’s nothing of worth within it.

At any rate, Nadeko was an obvious pre-order, I don’t think there’s much to be said at this point. Will there be much to say when I receive her? Probably not, everyone else is so much faster! I will say just one little thing though in agreement with Ashlotte, baggy pants, that is all.

More Info.

-Aka

The unmarked box. Supposedly it helps mask the items you purchase by not claiming to be anything at all. But in not claiming to be anything at all we all know what it really means.

Two-hundred and fifteen days ago, I placed an order. I placed this order as I looked away from the screen, I knew what I was ordering, and I knew the cost, and I knew that in clicking this button she would eventually arrive at my door. But still I looked away. I looked away because part of me felt ashamed and embarrassed that I was making such a purchase. After all the reviews I’ve seen on the Internets however, I realize it’s ok, everyone else is just like me, everyone else ordered Shoujo S as well, and those who didn’t wished they did or could have.

This picture makes me think I should have ordered others now as well.

More Info.

-Aka

As far as things stand today, Djibril is the only tentacled figure I’m willing to purchase. Ever since seeing her over at foo-bar-baz she’s sat on my wishlist waiting for a reasonable price.

Somewhat of an impulse purchase, I got Djibril off MFC’s Sales section from a user named PorcelainePriss. It was a quick and easy deal and Djibril arrived 8 days later.  Having originally been a mail-order exclusive to Hobby Japan and an original retail price of ¥7,980 / $108 CAD, my purchase price of $40 feels pretty justified.

Not really sure about her character, I know I’ve seen lots of artwork and perhaps an anime or clip of an anime with a character that looked like her or was her. But whatever, tentacles, dissolving swimsuit, pervy fun, that’s what she is.

More Info.

-Aka

Good Smile Company’s simplistic Misaka Mikoto figure arrived a week and a half ago and I have to say, I’m a little underwhelmed. But there are some external factors at work here.

Misaka, the star of two series, A Certain Magical Index as well as her very own show A Certain Scientific Railgun. Misaka rose to fame in Magical Index probably because Index herself wasn’t all that interesting a character, and that half the series seemed to focus on Misaka and her story instead (thankfully). Part of me wonders what the appeal of Misaka is, on the surface she’s somewhat bland and tomboyish. Her school uniform is plain an unassuming, her hair is short and simple and she wears shorts under her skirt. But when you get into her character she has some fun quirks, her love of cute, childish things, her insecurities, her thousands upon thousands of clones created for military-grade combat. Wait, what? Seriously? 20,000 to be exact, many of whom are killed, but lets not spoil too much.

Good Smile Company’s Misaka Mikoto has been sculpted by Yokota Ken, which you may remember from last weeks review of Ogata Rina as he sculpted her as well. Misaka being a small Japanese middle school girl makes for a rather small 1/8th scale figure. Only 18 cm tall which, if you do the math means she’s 144 cm (4’8″) in real life. Being such a small figure GSC offered her for a lower price than the average, ¥5,800, which in her release month of July was averaged at $69 CAD, still rather expensive for what you get I think. Personally I snagged her for $52 CAD from AmiAmi, a bit of a deal against the usual prices of figures but again, a bit much. Though, looking back I did feel she was offered a good price…

Before I continue I should probably mention the external factors that have influenced my opinion of Misaka. Misaka arrived with two other figures both of whom are not only more interesting, but better produced as well. Max Factory’s Seena Kanon, as well as Alter’s Momohime. Two figures that are rather hard to live up to within their respective genres. While I would not have liked to break up the shipping for cost reasons, part of me wishes I had as then Misaka arriving alone would have left a better impression on me from the start.

With the bias disclosure out of the way lets get to the nitty gritty. Misaka’s got some problems, seams, she has them. Visible on both her legs, including her puffy stockings, there are seams running up both sides and this is a problem. Being the simple figure she is, one isn’t as distracted by accessories or dynamism and instead drawn more towards the attributes of the characters physique most closely. Enjoying me some legs, I of course checked them out, admired those slender projections protruding downwards from her torso, but continually was distracted by a ridge running up them. It didn’t seem to matter much on lighting and angles as they were on both sides of both legs, ever so annoying to my eye. There is however good news, that’s it, that’s the only true fault in Misaka. I examined her entire body _{(er… um…)} and that’s the worst I could find.

Everything else about Misaka is actually rather well done, which I suspect is a side effect of her simplistic nature. The paintwork on Misaka is what you’d hope to expect, everything is finely painted and within their respective confines, the shading of colours is adequate for effect but plain enough to maintain the drab nature of her school uniform and shorts. The pose is about as dynamic as her uncreative character design as is the ancillary arm and included weapon. Furthermore her pose isn’t out of character like many figures receive.  Overall Misaka seems like an average figure that’s been produced with some extra care, something I wish Rina had received a little more of during her creation.

Before Wonder Festival I felt this figure seemed an acceptable Misaka figure, she was much better than the others I’d seen such as cockmongler Misaka as Chag called her or everyone’s favourite figure manufacturer, Taki Corps verison. But after this sculpt by the garage kit producer Sakura Zensen I can hardly like GSC’s. Sakura Zensen’s adds character and casualness to Misaka, she doesn’t feel posed at all and much more candid, a look I really prefer in my figures. It’s one of the main reasons I prefer Volks Horo over Good Smile or Kotos which could arguably be better done, or World is Mine Miku over standard Miku. Casualness is sexy. Be it clothed or nude a casual completely natural and comfortable pose will always be my favourite.

Would have been fun if Misaka came with a pair of proper girls underwear instead of a second arm… for her to wear! Not me!

-Aka

Scoring

Sculpting: 4 out of 5 stars
Painting: 4 out of 5 stars
Pose: 2 out of 5 stars
Cost: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Satisfaction: 3 out of 5 stars

Overall: 3.1 out of 5 stars

Gallery

Those of you who managed to get my Wishlist: Wonder Festival 2010 (Summer) post to actually load and read it in it’s entirety (it was a rather large post) will know this figure was on it and that I praised it over Good Smile Company’s attempt.

Kotobukiya’s much quicker to the gates than Good Smile that’s for sure. Many of the figures they featured at WonFes this summer have already been released for pre-order, in fact all of the figures I featured have been released. Which is unfortunate, does that mean I need to buy them all? Ouch!

As mentioned in the WonFes post, I like this figure because it reminds me of who Kanbaru is to me, and she’s a playful perv and I loved every minute of it. Her pose draws one’s attention away from the basketball she’s throwing your way and towards other aspects. It’s something I could totally picture her doing to throw you off and cause the basketbell to smack you in the face. Now, the perv in me wishes she had some cameltoe there, but I think that really would probably have been over the top and isn’t needed. I love her ass anyway. And her running shoes, I prefer a girl in running shoes over one in heels.

Kanbaru’s sculpted by Nakamura Hirotoshi in 1/8th scale putting her at 15.5cm tall in her bent over position. Her MSRP is ¥6,800 / $81 CAD, however as the usual goes she can be had for cheaper. From a quick search ’round the stores the cheapest I’ve seen her is ¥5,430 / $65 CAD. Kanbaru also comes with a second arm that replaces her bandaged arm. It’s furry, just like in the anime. We wont see Kanbaru until at least December, I hate waiting so long for things.

More Info.

-Aka

I love tsunderes. Their feelings are written all over their face and match the exact opposite of what they’re saying. Megahouse’s Serizawa Fumino gives off this exact vibe so perfectly. (Updated)

I don’t like violent tsunderes though, just to be clear. Narusegawa Naru is not my ideal tsundere. Moving on.

I liked Fumino when I saw her in all the wonfes coverage, but wasn’t sure if I’d go through with the order or not. School girl in her school uniform with long flowing hair, where have I seen that before? (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or any of these.) However Serizawa does differ from these examples in one way, her attitude, she’s so obviously a tsundere, especially given the two faces she’s got, both tsun and dere. I’ll definitely be leaving the tsun face on.

Other attributes Fumino offers that appeal to me, the hint of bum visible from under the flowing skirt and the zettai ryouiki. A lesser noticed attribute that takes some finding is her thigh gap, mmm.

Fumino should ship in November and cost ¥7,140 / $86 CAD. She’s 1/8th scale but measures in a 19 cm tall making her a little shorter than the standard I believe but it’s likely due to her size in the series or something.

Update: It would appear that there was some irony in this post I wasn’t aware of when I originally wrote it. Having never seen Mayoi Neko Overrun, I didn’t know that Fumino was a violent tsundere. Thanks to Quaz for confusing the hell out of me until finally asking him on twitter was he was talking about, revealing said irony.

More Info.

-Aka

I’ve given in, it’s as simple as that. I tried to hold off and managed to do so for over a week, but no more.

I already own enough Miku figures really, and I’m not really sure what it is I find so special about her that I need to keep buying variations, but I do. This latest variant is by a pretty well known artist, I’m sure some of you have heard of this chap, a certain imaginative Tony Taka. Tony’s done an illustration for like, every character ever, he’s definitely a prolific individual. He’s even drawn a certain magical wolfgirl (NSFW / Where’s her tail?). So it comes as little surprise that the man’s drawn a Miku picture and with all the figure adaptations of his work and Miku’s popularity it’s very little surprise the illustration was used.

As mentioned in my Wonfes wishlist, I’m feeling similar frustrations as others with Max Factory on this figure. They’ve done what looks like a spectacular job there’s no question about that, but what we do question is… why? Why another Miku with her standard attire. There are so many other pieces of artwork out there that could be used, with so much style and creativity, but instead they decided to go with a popular artist and the standard affair. Or another question, why another Miku at all? There are so many other franchises that could use some attention. But of course we all know why, she sells, even despite my complaints I pre-ordered her.

At any rate, Miku should be arriving in stores, barring no delays, January 2011 for the sizeable sum of ¥ 8,800 / $105 CAD. For this sizeable sum, you receive a 1/7th scale 21.5 cm tall action shot of Miku as illustrated by Mr. Taka and sculpted by Chieri complete with translucent aqua coloured hair, zettai ryouiki, splendid armpits, a shapely small chest and a lack of attention to the most important detail. What’s that you ask? What’s the most important detail? she looks fine you say? Well look again!

More Info.

-Aka

It feels like it’s been forever since I sat down and wrote a review of a figure I actually owned. Last week of course I wrote many single paragraphs about many different figures but this week it’s back to business. Going against the grain I will not be reviewing my Momohime just yet. I’m going back a couple of months, a couple of couple of months, well actually half a year back to January. My favourite character from the anime White Album. Damnit Tōya, what is wrong with you! *ahem*.

White Album, originally a visual novel published by Leaf in 1998 and later re-released by Aquaplus on the Playstation 3 in 2010, was also adapted as an anime in 2009. The series started January 3rd with the first half of the final 26 episodes and finished later that year in the Fall eventually ending on Christmas Day. The series was enjoyable and kept my interest all through out, I even found myself complaining amongst my friends about the protagonists decisions or indecisions. One of the biggest observations about the series was how it would have been a non-series had it taken place not in the 80s but today. The abundance of cellphones would have removed all the tension and drama, but I digress. Ogata Rina was by far the most likeable character as far as I was concerned, and so much more likeable than the protagonists girlfriend and main heroine, Morikawa Yuki, that I refused to buy her, leaving my set incomplete and Rina all alone.

Good Smile Company choosing to capitalize on the series previewed both Morikawa Yuki and Ogata Rina at Wonder Festival 2009 (Summer), right between the two seasons of White Album. A smart decision I feel, as my need for more White Album and my love for Rina’s character grew in anticipation of the last half, I was open to the idea of a figure of the characters. Releasing the 1/8th scale figure for pre-order at ¥6,190 / $73 CAD just after the anime returned, my anticipation was at it’s climax so I immediately jumped on Rina, and of course ignored the doormat Yuki. Now it was a waiting game, waiting until January 2010 when she’d be released.

Rina arrived February 11th, at a time when I was more interested in reviewing Alter’s Al Azif, Sega’s Maria and Wonder Festival 2010 (Winter) and went ignored and unopened. Now that Wonder Festival 2010 (Summer) has passed it feels a great opportunity to bring Rina down off the shelf and out of her box, finally. The first thing I notice about Rina is of course her ‘action pose’, or rather, her I’m about to fall over pose if Yuki’s not there to lean on (and vise versa for Yuki). In this, I should have bought Yuki if only to have something for Rina to lean on. Rina’s pose shows some energy as you might imagine her having during one of her performances, her hair flowing outwards and her skirt flowing upwards as she dances across the stage. The colour scheme of her clothes seem well matched, though the red highheels might be a bit much. Every colour in the rainbow goes well with white and black, and yellow and blue are complimentary colours making the blue and gold work. The best part of her clothes though, zettai ryouiki, but you knew that was coming.

Looking more closely at her clothes and into the paintwork Good Smile’s done, well it leaves something to be desired that’s for sure. Rina’s hair, thighhighs, shoes, skirt and top all for the most part seem quite satisfactorily done, but moving in closer to the gold edging well, it seems like the artist was in a hurry. Get some gold paint on there real quick and don’t let the QC guy take too long a look or he might notice my complete and utter fail of a paint job that’s been done. To be honest it’s really the only thing wrong with Rina, but it’s wrong in quite a severe manner. There are many sections of white where gold should be, and many sections of gold where white should be. There are brush marks in much of it and some of it is far too thin. It’s a real shame because everything else on Rina seems acceptably done.

Moving to the mold work Yokota Ken’s sculpted Rina with enough details to be happy with and enough wrinkles to appear like she’s wearing clothes.  The corrugations in her skirt are pleasing and the folds between her breasts as well as under are delightful in what they hint towards. But what stands out most in terms of sculpting is Rin’a hair, the number layers and directions in her hair. Along with the well done shading I think it’s some of the better hair I’ve seen on a figure, which is interesting when contrasted with how poorly her paintwork is elsewhere. I do wonder what went on in that factory of Good Smiles. Rina’s sculpting though could have used some more attention to detail however, for example her thighhighs, despite the bend of her leg have no wrinkles or fold where one should expect some. It’s like they’re painted on to her legs.

The last problem with my Rina though is her base, I love that it’s a record that’s a great idea. But where’s the sticker I’m supposed to put on it? Good Smile Company’s forgotten mine! I see no such sticker in my box, or the packaging. Additionally why is it separate in the first place? it should be placed at the factory or printed on.

Rina was by far my favourite character from White Album and I’m quite happy to own a figure of her. Since GSC’s Rina is the only available there’s not much choice in the matter and overall from the usual distances she’s quite acceptable. But the problems noted above really drag her down, and it’s a real shame because she could have been the definitive Ogata Rina, but unfortunately she can’t be. Someone else is just going to have to release a better Rina, one preferably in her street clothes as they felt more intimate, where her stage clothes gives her a distant feel. Volks has released a Dollfie for Rina, with her original eye colour from the game (brown), unlike the Anime where her eyes were blue such as this figure. But most Dollfie’s seem to have the same face and tend not to look like their animated counterparts very much. The two so far I’ve felt got it most right in that regard is Tohsaka Rin and Saber, but I digress. Ogata Rina is a failed attempt at the perfect Rina, and I’ll always be a little disappointed with Good Smile’s attempt.

There needs to be more Rina artwork on the Internets…

-Aka

Scoring

Sculpting: 4 out of 5 stars
Painting: 2 out of 5 stars
Pose: 3 out of 5 stars
Cost: 3 out of 5 stars
Satisfaction: 3 out of 5 stars

Overall: 3 out of 5 stars

Gallery

I held off on making my Wonder Festival 2010 (Summer) wishlist post in hopes it would allow more pictures to filter out onto the Internet making my job easier in selecting the best pictures available to represent each item. Like my previous post on Wonder Festival 2010 (Winter) I’ve compiled a list of items that interested me and will break them up into sections that can be traversed via the TOC below.

The coverage of WF2010S has been great and I’d like to thank these sources for their pictures and information. All of the pictures within are borrowed or stolen (whichever it is you prefer to call it) from these sources and the rights belong to their respective owners and I use them without their explicit permissions.

Alter

Alter had a number of interesting figures in their line up this summer and all seem elaborate enough to warrant at the least a glance. Many of the previously announced figures were there as well and a great abundance of K-On figures of course. It’s great they’re doing each character but it’s too much for me. Too much Fate as well, the world could do with less Fate and more chaos.

Dizzy

Dizzy isn’t a character I tend to like much, I don’t know anything about her but looks wise she’s just not quite my thing. She has all the attributes, but in the wrong sizes. This figure of her however is one I cannot ignore, I tried actually but no it’s just too awesome. It’s like 3 figures in one, you’ve got Dizzy, but you’ve got what looks like her conscience as well, her inner conflict exposed. The good side of her conscience reminds me of Belldandy and Holy Bell actually. I’d love to see her painted up and perhaps with the price hidden from view so I can pretend all is right with the world.

Houmei

Everyone hoped Max Factory would release Houmei in their Shining Wind swimsuit line of figures, I’m now glad they didn’t, or if they do I’ll likely ignore it entirely now. Alter’s got what looks like will be an amazing figure. With all the material swooping around and flowing and her legs up I’m sold already. I have no interest in Houmei particularly but she looks great. I really hate though, seeing these unpainted figures and knowing just how long it’ll likely take to get released, if ever. I hope she’s quick to the market and reasonably priced. That’s too much to ask isn’t it? Sucks.

Saten Ruiko & Kinoshita Hideyoshi

It’s interesting to see Alter produce these two figures before other figures from their respective casts. Hideyoshi the adorable trap who insists he’s a boy has ended up as the fan favourite from the series Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu and Ruiko Saten who’s the most normal girl in To Aru Kagaku no Railgun yet for me most appealing as well. Perhaps they’re trying to get a head of the curve and will release the other characters later, if at all. It’s interesting to see a male character figure who’s not either bad ass, obviously male, and not obviously a trap either. Hideyoshi seems very androgynous in this respect, dressed like a boy, flat like a boy but a haircut like a girl and a face like a girls. Personally I’d prefer he was dressed like a girl so I could pretend he was his twin sister instead. Saten has a nice pose and exposed tummy, but her downside for me is her stupid grin. It’s just so stupid looking, I really wish they’d chosen a different facial expression. Actually ideally, her flipping up Uiharu Kazari’s skirt would have been the best pose. Alter’s gotten these 2 out pretty quick as they’re already on sale at various stores.

Senjougahara Hitagi

When Good Smile Company announced their Hitagi figure, the Internets went wild with speculation on what Alter would or could do with their version, how could they possibly one up GSC? Well it turns out they couldn’t. While she looks great and I’ll try to buy her, she just doesn’t feel nearly as unique as GSC’s attempt and thus fails at oneupmanship. Of course absolute judgement will remain for reviews, but so far she has one advantage over GSC’s, multiple viewing angles. Are her breasts bigger in this version as well?

Tainaka Ritsu

Ritsu was totally expected, with all the other K-On! figures that Alter’s already made you knew they were going to make a Ritsu figure. We all hoped they’d do a Ritsu figure with a full drumset but held reservations as it seemed perhaps too complex or expensive. Perhaps I had too little faith in Alter but I was surprised to see a full drumset in front of Ritsu, and ecstatic that they actually did it. Because of this I will definitely be making the attempt to fit Ritsu into my pre-order list making her the first K-On! figure I want to buy. And if you needed another reason to buy her, how about @Chag89′s comment on Twitter.

Good Smile Company

Good Smile Company continues to impress with their line up of figures each seemingly more ambitious than the previous. Ignoring all their Nendoroids which I loathe so much, they’ve definitely got some great momentum behind them these days. With nine figures on my “want to buy” list when they’re released they easily top the leader board in terms of future purchases. I can only hope that I’ll be able to afford the entirety of my GSC wishlist from this years WF2010S. But it’s not all love for Good Smile Company, they’ve wronged me. Where did Kyrie Rason go GSC? I hope for your sake she’s going up for pre-order soon, because I’d rather her than any of the Black Rock Shooter figures at this point.

Bakemonogatari

Tokunaga Hironori’s been busy with Good Smile Company continuing their Bakermonogatari line of figures. After his sculpt of Hitagi and Saber -Triumphant Excalibur- I think I’ll buy anything this man makes. This is a love/hate relationship though, while I love his work I just know it’s going to come at a hefty price and despite it I’m sure I’ll buy buy buy. This will be the end of me, especially if their Shinobu matches my love for this one.

Hanekawa Tsubasa

Bought. Pretty simple. Catgirl Tsubasa was great in Bakemonogatari, and while I’d prefer the white haired varient and a tail on my catgirls she’s definitely going to be added to my now growing Bakemonogatari shrine. I love how Tsubasa’s right shoe is missing revealing her socked foot and how she’s holding down her skirt in a failed attempt to stop us (me) from looking. I can’t wait to see her painted up like Hitagi and Nadeko.

Kanbaru Suruga

Hironori’s Kanbaru receives a bit of mixed praise from me, she seems quite wonderful but I don’t quite get the Kanbaru feel from the figure that I think I should. Her expression seems right, but I feel that some how she should be in a more revealing pose due to the way her mind tended to work throughout the series. Her base however speaks volumes, it’s exactly Kanbaru and such a great base. I can only hope GSC doesn’t change it like they did the full wrecking ball to half wrecking ball on Hayakawa Yuzuko (Proto, Release).

Sengoku Nadeko

Nadeko looks to be the next release in this like from GSC as she’s painted up and appears ready to go. I do wonder how long the wait will be and what delays we’ll encounter. I was scared when I first saw pictures from Wonder Festival, Nadeko appeared to have suffered a wrongful amputation of both her legs just above the knee. The concept I suppose is so that she appears to be walking in the water rather than atop the water such as Jesus. I prefer to use her full legs however, and hope I’m given this option, Nadeko may not be Jesus but in my world she’s going to walk on water damnit.

Others

Bakemonogatari and Black Rock Shooter aren’t the only franchises GSC is in on. They’ve got Fate/Stay Night figures, Vocaloid and even some new Angel Beats figures in the works. Some of these figures have been displayed previously but remain on my wishlist because GSC has yet to get around to actually releasing and for some still yet to paint them as well. Laziness!

Black Gold Saw

Yet another Black Rock Shooter figure is displayed. I kept thinking she was a varient on Black Rock Shooter herself, but I don’t think she is. She’s got breasts. She’s got a nice side profile to her face, but she feels awfully similar to Black Rock Shooter in her appearance. Is she a sidekick? Not really sure if I’ll bother with this figure though. Just isn’t new enough in her feel, and I’m starting to hate Black Rock Shooter at this point, perhaps just getting tired of the hype.

Hatsune Miku “Love is War”

Quite possibly the largest base I’ve ever seen for a figure, Hatsune Miku “Love is War” is pretty extravagent. There have been some changes to LIW Miku since WF2010W, she’s now in full colour as you can see, however she’s missing her megaphone wire, her strap now faces forward and down instead of to the left and her hair appears to be resting on the a speaker. I think the hair hitting the speaker has to do with how she’s mounted to the base, if you look behind her she’s appears to be held in place by some wires, which could allow her to shift left and right. However the other changes seem quite minor and I wonder why they exist. Either way she looks quite nice in colour, but I just can’t imagine the cost of shipping for such a large base.

Hatsune Miku “Racing Miku”

An interseting varient to go along with Good Smile Company’s sponsorship of a car in the SuperGT class of racing in Japan. I believe they originally sponsored a BMW Z4 GTR but have since moved on to a Porsche 911 GT3 R which I much prefer. I’ve not followed any of the SuperGT series this year, but if their performance in the past is any indication they haven’t done that well this year either. Interestingly, they have a theme song that can be heard on their website and since Miku’s a team member, she of course sings the song. This particular Miku appeals to me a little more than others just for the fact it’s racing related, one of my other interests and one I wish could be a hobby. I don’t think that Miku’s strong enough to change a tyre on a race car quick enough though to be competitive. But I’d still let her do it because it’d be cute. (It’s really hard to find pictures of Racing Miku!)

Nakamura Yuri & Tachibana Kanade (aka Tenshi)

Good Smile’s chosen an interesting material to produce their two Angel Beats figures out of. I really hate it. It removes much of the detail that might be perceived in the sculpt making them look rather bland, and perhaps they are. Yuri looks very much like Haruhi, and even more so despite the gun since her hair isn’t purple. Tenshi is also lacking, while she looks cute, her eyes look far too empty and my biggest complaint, where are the wings? Tenshi needs wings. Tenshi isn’t Tenshi without them, she’s Kanade which is fine too I guess. I’ll wait to make any real judgements on these figures however, as they’re obviously pretty proto and perhaps Tenshi will have a wing add-on extra.

Saber Alter

Saber Alter’s looking pretty badass though I think in terms of detail and finish GSC’s Saber Lily tops her. But Saber Alter goes well with Saber -Triumphant Excalibur-. One cool connection with Saber Alter is the sculptor, Hiroshi (Sakurazensen) sculpted both this Saber Alter figure as well as the Kyrie Rason figure I wish GSC would release. I really hope Saber Alter’s not taking her place that would be far too unfortunate. I believe in previous versions of Saber Alter she wasn’t wearing her mask, so I imagine it’s safe to assume it shall be removable.

Tohsaka Rin

Still unpainted, STILL!! Good Smile Company, why, why are you neglecting this lovely Rin figure? The sculptor has done an excellent job forging rin out of plastic, her wonderfully detailed hair, her perky breasts, the visible zettai ryouiki even though she’s yet to be painted. Tohsaka Rin should already be released and on her way to my door, I wonder what GSC’s waiting for. More Black Rock Shooter crap? Anyway, there have been some changes to Rin since the last round it seems. Her breasts appear to differ slightly, while still perky I believe she’s lost the nippons, her face looks more rounded than the previous rendition as well. The biggest change however is her base, people seem to be calling it “Unlimited Blade Works ground” so I’ll go with that. I’ve been dying for another good Tohsaka Rin figure for a while, my only current one is the previous last best Rin also by GSC.

Kotobukiya

Koto surprised me with two figures this WF. Yet another Yuzuhara Konomi this time as a mage and just like her recent bikini varient she’s adorable but for differing reasons of course. It’s hard to understand though why they’d release so many of the same character so quickly. The second surprise was Mina Tepes, and not so much because they decided to do her but because she actually looks pretty good, better than any artwork I’ve seen of her manga or anime. Koto’s also got their Hachikuji Mayoi figure on display. I think they’re the first ones to display her. Beyond that, nothing much to mention, another Xecty figure, a Fujibayashi Kyou figure that looks like a production version of a previous garage kit by Paradise Cafe, and Alicia Melchiott from Senjou no Varukyuria: Gallian Chronicles. Oh, how could I forget, Koto also had their Kanbaru on display as well.

Kanbaru Suruga

Contrasting with GSC’s Kanbaru with it’s reserved nature Koto’s previewed a much more outwardly playful Kanbaru that seems more fitting of her character, at least as I remember her. She was always trying to draw your attention, or rather the protagonists attention away from the subject and into the gutter. A pose such as hers does this well, perhaps I’m supposed to be paying attention to the basketballs as she’s throwing one towards me, but I can’t help but look elsewhere. Good job Kotobukiya on this, I think you out do Good Smile in terms of character. However I’m unsure if this is actually a Koto release, MyFigureCollect claims it so, but I can’t seem to find it in many reports and definitely not in Neko Magic’s Kotobukiya section. It also feels like the figure was hidden, because no one seems to have taken any pictures compared to other figures.

Mina Tepes

As mentioned Mina Tepes was a bit of a surprise for me. I didn’t like the series very much, at least the anime, but I knew of it’s popularity. So it’s not that she was released that’s a surprise, but that she actually looks pretty cute. I found her to be utterly repulsive in the anime so this is a big surprise for me. Her clothing though looks a bit too sexy for her body type however. I’ll probably end up not buying her unless she’s on sale somewhere as her ¥8,800 / $84 CAD MSRP is rather high. But Koto’s 1/6th scale products tend to be pretty good.

Sorami Kanata

Sora no Woto was a cute little series I enjoyed watching. It reminded me of Haibane Renmei in a number of ways and that helped nestle it in close to my heart. It was very much just a slice of life anime with a grandeur close. I complained about the series though because of some choices made with regards to the animation, very much like K-On instead of it’s original style which was much more detailed and awesome. So Kanata here unfortunate will likely just remain on the wishlist forever because she’s too K-On-esque for me, nor is she my favourite character. Rio and Noel were more interesting to me.

Yuzuhara Konomi “Mage ver.”

Someone at Kotobukiya must really have a hardon for Konomi. They’ve released two Konomi bikini figures recently, identical except colour and now previewed a rather well done mage Konomi. If this figure’s released, I’d be inclined to buy for sure. While the two swimsuit varients are cute I’m waiting for them to go into the bargin bin before I buy. I do enjoy undressing figures. But Mage Konomi is just adorable, the stupid puffy leg warmers and sleeves, lots of purple, school bag-like object, layered skirt and broom definitely help make this figure for me. The pose feels somewhat happy generic but the rest works.

Max Factory

It feels like Max Factory continues to produce fewer and fewer figures as times goes on and more and more figmas. Max’s quality is always top notch but I really wish they’d release more than figmas, though they are cheap and fun. It seems like MF only announced two figures both of which are Miku figures, their Tony Taka varient and their Append version, at least both are coloured though.

Hatsune Miku Append

We’ve seen this figure before at previous events and information about it seems pretty scarce. Previously only a garage kit, then a garage kit by Max Factory, then a full out release, I don’t know what to believe. Whatever the case may be she looks quite wonderful despite the fact I’m not a fan of Miku Append’s clothes. To me she seems to give off this mix of ballet dancer with arobics instructor vibe and I don’t like it. I find many aspects of her attire appealing but that overall feel really ends up ruining the figure for me. I love the strip up the center of her clothes and how it forms her tie and I love I’ve yet to tell if she’s wearing any underwear. Nopan Miku ftw.

Hatsune Miku Tony Taka ver.

I’m starting to feel Ashlotte’s frustration (1, 2) with Max Factory on this figure. I seem to have become a big fan of Miku’s looks but too much of a good thing ends up as quite the opposite. Max Factory should have chosen one of the many different Miku’s available instead of sticking with the same old. I’ve already got what I consider the definitive Miku figure, I don’t really need another Miku in the same clothes, even if it is fabulous. The only issue with my definitive Miku figure, and this here Miku is both their pantsu are white. Everyone knows Miku wears shimapan, why would they do this to us? I don’t want to have to learn to paint just to paint Miku’s panties properly guys. C’mon get with the program! At anyrate, Miku’s pose is quite dynamic and allows her hair to flow in a natural seeming way despite it’s unnatural length. Her stretched out arms allow great access for armpit enthusiasts and her skirt allows easy viewing for those of use who wish to complain about her pantsu, or confirm if she’s got a Tony Taka style bum. Much like Alter’s Saten and Hideyoshi figures, Max Factory’s got this one out the door quickly and is available for pre-order already.

Makinami Mari Illustrious

Max Factory hasn’t really moved on this Mari figure so far. She’s sorta boring in pose, but has the right pinks I feel and the right look. She was painted in past events so perhaps she’ll be released soon, or perhaps MF’s just waiting for capacity within their facilities as they’ve got that swimsuit line of figures coming over the next couple of months. I do wish they’d chosen something more dynamic for her to be doing, but I can see some appeal in this simplicity. I can picture her standing atop an Evangelion, wind blowing her hair as she calmly looks across the landscape before her. But without the Evangelion beneith her, she just feels too posed. Hopefully she’ll be cheap when she’s finally released.

Megahouse

Megahouse has a bunch of figures at Wonfes, almost all of them I don’t want. So many of them are from their P.O.P lineup of figures, which I think is all One Piece or something, boring. Their Eas figure (Ok, Alpha x Omegas) interests me slightly but not really enough to say much about. Beyond the two figures below, they really don’t have anything I seem to want, and even these aren’t necessarily high on the list.

Serizawa Fumino

Fumino looks like she must be a tsundere. Having not watched Mayoi Neko Overrun I can’t really say of course, but that’s definitely a tsundere’s pose. Her skirt and the particular angles of some shots make for a nice hint of bum, and her shirt seems to be working on separating her breasts for easy viewing. It also looks as though she has two faces, one looks happy and the other embarrassed. Definitely tsundere. I’ll probably pick this one up if she’s good on price.

Yagyu Jubei

Not really a fan of this figure but I’m including her for ‘dat ass’ and a bandaid. I believe that’s all she’s wearing on the lower half of her torso, just a bandaid. That’s a very interesting piece of attire I’d like to example closer. I’ve often wondered though, how much would it hurt to peel that off compared to other places on the body. I personally don’t want to find out, especially when the woman is holding two deadly weapons. Interesting figure but not really gong to buy.

Orchid Seed

Orchid Seed has many the big breast in their upcoming figure line. And since I’m really on the hate for Orchid these days I don’t really want any of their figures. But I will mention some that have interesting attributes. One named Princess from F.F ISM whatever that is, appear to be riding a giant cock. Ok it’s probably a mushroom but you know what they’re hinting at, if you can even call that hinting. They’ve got Nanako from To Heart 2 in her swimsuit as illustrated by Kawata Hisashi. There’s Nishikawa Chiharu from Comic Kairakuten kneeling and displaying some large underboob while seductively undoing her panties. A topless Erina from Honey Blonde displaying some rather large boobage. Aizawa Nao sitting on a pumpkin squishing her breasts together for our pleasure. Some ginormously boobed elf woman from Bastard. A painted up Dwarf from Lineage II and Alfin from Shining Force: Feather. Lastly though they have Ziska from Brandish, and of the bunch is the only one I’d consider at the moment, you may already know why. But that pose is well, you can describe it yourself. I need to find a way to give Ziska a breast reduction, and Orchid some higher quality. Maybe I should consult with this guy.

Other

Having covered all the big companies lets move onto the remainder of things and see what they’ve put on the table for us. There are a few prospects within this section that I’d like and can only hope they’re reasonable when released in both price and craftsmanship. In this section will be AmiAmi, Kaitendoh, Konami, Phat Company, and SEGA.

Perrine H Clostermann by AmiAmi Zero

Having recently watched Strike Witches I’ve got them on the mind and enjoy their figures a little more these days than in the past. Perrine wasn’t the greatest character, but she was cute so a figure of her would be decent. I would also like one of Sanya, Erica, Lucchini and Eila. Not really a fan of Yoshika and the others. SEGA also has a Perrine figure out and depending on price I may just get it instead but she doesn’t look as good and this version comes with a sword! I’m not sure if Alter or Kotobukiya are continuing with all the girls or not, would be nice to know but I guess I can pick and choose.

Mito Mashiro by Kaitendoh

Mito’s a cute character with lots of artwork I enjoy, but Volks’ rendition is fairly lacking I found. Surprised I was to see Kaitendoh take a stab at the character and she looks not half bad. I like the posing and how her clothes are falling off her. But why did it have to be Kaitendoh? I don’t reallyknow anything about them, and would love to buy a figure like this but I can’t help but be deterred by what their track record likely is, bad to terrible. Poor Mito, I’ll llikely never own you now.

Love Plus by Konami

Konami is releasing Anegasaki Nene, Kobayakawa Rinko and Takane Manaka from their hit dating game Love Plus. I like these 3 figures due to the candid nature of their poses. Most dynamically posed figures still have a very artificial position, there’s perceived movement but it’s obvious and planned. I feel these 3 figures, while of course the same, entirely planned, have a different attitude to them. Each character seems to have been caught mid-action in much the same way you’d snap a photo of a friend. While the action itself is pretty inane the effect is pretty interesting. They’re all 1/8th scale and apparently are said to cost ¥6,500 / $77 CAD. That seems pretty unfortunate at first as it’s entirely too much money for such a figure, but apparently each figure comes with 5 different hair styles and if you buy all 3 as a set you get a bonus item. That’s pretty cool, too bad they’re exclusives. Guess it’s not likely I’ll be getting these 3.

Lily by Phat Company

I have no idea who Phat Company is, and why they have such a terrible name. But they seem to have been grouped in with Max Factory and Good Smile Company’s display area and makes me wonder if they’re similar to the Asakura Nemu figure i have which I’ve never been sure was Good Smile Company produced, CIRCUS produced both or neither or what. The sculptor however is YOSHI, who did my “definitive” Hatsune Miku figure by GSC, among apparently 35 others as well. Busy dude, done work for Alter, Examu, Hobby Japan, Kotobukiya, Good Smile Company, SEGA, Trepang, Wave and Wafudoh Ganguten. Not sure why he’s decided to do the brand new Vocaloid character, surely the others deserve figures first but she’s interesting. I’m not sure if I like her face quite yet, but it doesn’t look like she’s wearing a bra, she has a nice tummy, odd pirate like thigh boots, and a nice attitude to her. I look forward to seeing more.

Katsura Hinagiku “Waitress” and “Swimsuit” by SEGA

These two should go well next to my Maria figure also by SEGA. Maria surprised me with her quality for such a low price, by no means perfect but if these two figures live up to those expectations they’ll be happy additions to my collection. I may only get Waitress Hinagiku though, she’d fit the best next to Maria. Suppose she could be maid Hinagiku, really not sure to be honest as they have no titles as far as I’m aware. Waitress Hinagiku looks nice with her short skirt, the gap between her thighs, blowing hair which I might add would be strange in a resturant and arms back. Swimsuit Hinagiku also looks nice wearing what appears to be a bikini and holding a blindfold and bat. Does Hinagiku want to be blindfolded and smacked, is that her fetish? Kinky girl. Oh, there’s a watermelon there, yes of course there is.

Shikinami Asuka Langley by SEGA

Quite a nice looking figure of Asuka from SEGA. I’m not sure who gave her the captains seat though, it seems a really bad idea does it not? I mean Asuka can only lead us into choas and disaster through aggression and thoughtless actions. Regardless, she looks very cute in her captains chair, I hope she’s not some form of prize figure or exclusive because SEGA’s never worth anything more than $25 CAD really. I might pay $30 CAD for this I suppose, really depends, I don’t even know the scale. Regardless she’s on the prospective list.

Garage Kits

As always at these events there are many many well done garage kits that we all wish would be made into full on PVC figures so that we the unskilled masses can possess such works of art. If I were skilled myself I’d own so many more figures that I just couldn’t otherwise have had, and that’s what this section is for. That part of me that wishes I was skilled enough to produce and/or paint my own figures in poses that appeal to me and of characters I love.

Drossel von Flügel by Akiyamakobo Inc.

Ah Drossel, my favourite robot girl my how big you’ve gotten! Why, I think you might be 140 cm tall! Where do I get my hands on one of these, and damnit she better walk the walk and talk the talk! I’d known previously of a life-sized Drossel but pictures and information was nearly non-existant, or at the very least in foreign languages. While there’s still pretty much no information as far as I know, I do know two things that I didn’t before. Drossel’s height and who makes her and that they have a website. Ok I guess that was three things. Anyway the day I can buy a Drossel robot that’s actually a robot is the day I elope. I figure it’s more likely than genetically engineering myself a Horo.

Oshino Shinobu “Redjuice” by G.S.O.

Someone good better pick this kit up fast, it’s such a well done recreation of Redjuice’s artwork and I want it. The background has to be included of course, as it too is part of the original artwork. You may recall another piece of artwork Redjuice drew that was picked up as a figure and how great (though quality plagued at times) that figure was, so I can only hope someone similar does at the very least a similar job. While there are some differences between G.S.O.’s work and the artwork I think she’s close enough to be considered nearly identical, and as I said already, want. Want. Now.

Togame by Jetstream

How many of you are watching Katanagatari? I hope all of you because it’s a fun series of movies or long single episodes, OVAs? released monthly. Togame is one of the main characters from the show and this figure bears a resemblance to her. Ok, it is her, but well the sculptor has decided that Togame needed bigger breasts which I of course disagree with. Ignoring that though this is definitely Togame, and I do think she’s in need of a figure. She’s a fun character and the story’s great so why not? Also, I find myself liking short haired Togame more and more. Interesting.

Akuma Girl by M-Field

This figure isn’t new to Wonder Festival 2010 Summer, but it is new to my wishlist. M-Field previously did Modeler Girl which I’d wanted for a long time and continue to do so. M-Field seems quite good at sculpting out cute original figures that appeal to my tastes. Everything about Akuma Girl appeals to me, from her pouty face, something we don’t get to see very often, to her kneeling pose and wrinkled thighhighs. I do wonder why no one picks them up, or if M-Field chooses not to be. I really know nothing about them. Anyway, she wears shimapan.

Kobayakawa Rinko by Polygonia

Not really a fan of Love Plus as I don’t really know much about it so I couldn’t tell you which girl I’d pick. But if Sankaku Complex is to be believed, Love Plus will be the end of humanity. Whatever the case is, Rinko here is a pretty well done figure. She’s got one of those poses a shy girl would make trying to hide behind her legs so as to not reveal too much of her body but in doing so revealing other areas. They can’t win. Rinko appears to be quite the flat girl but this figure at least gives her some breasts which is much more attractive than another figure which chooses no breasts as the “right” option. Same swimsuit in both, so I guess that’s cannon.

Misaka Mikoto by Sakura Zensen

Of the Misaka figures out there so far this is by far the cutest and least generic feeling so far. The ‘scene’ is pretty sparse but her pose and facial expression is adorable. I wish the Good Smile Company Misaka that recently shipped looked like this, I’d probably be much happier when she arrives. I did find it surprising no one tried for an upskirt shot on this figure, does she have her usual shorts on underneith? I’ll never know

Hanekawa Tsubasa by T’s System

This garage kit used to be my favourite Hanekawa figure out there, however Good Smile Company’s got a pretty nice looking one in the works now that now tops this one. But this one is still quite cute, even if a little plain. I don’t understand a catgirl without a tail though, Hanekawa really needs a tail. I like how T’s has postured her, she’s got a friendly “Nice to see you again” wave and an engaging forward lean. Does T’s System’s works get picked up by others? Could be a good little figure for a simpler manufacturer.

Oshino Shinobu by T’s System

Not as good as the Redjuice Shinobu above but still an adorable Shinobu. If this were a SEGA like figure I’d buy her, she’s simple enough to be done by them and done well enough. While T’s System has sculpted her in 1/6th I think she’d be fine and preferable in 1/8th. I never realized her dress was torn at the bottom until this figure, is it like that in the series? I feel I should go back and check that out but I’m a bit too lazy right now. She does however make me want a donut, which I do have and have just grabbed and proceeded to eat.

Hanekawa Tsubasa by Tail Slap

Yet another Hanekawa Tsubasa figure, yet another want. You’d think she was my favourite character in Bakemonogatari, but she isn’t, none of them are really, they were all great in their roles so it’s hard to pick. Hitagi might be tops though, or Kanbaru. Curious, have any of the Hanekawa figures I’ve chosen not had the cat ears? I think not. Part of me thinks this figure isn’t better than the GSC attempt, but I think that’s just the part that’s trying to convince me this figure isn’t good because I know I can’t buy it. She’s more creatively sculpted and seems to share more of the character that catgirl Hanekawa actually had, where the other figures all seem very much like Hanekawa’s normal self. I like the branch base, reminds me of my Global Horo (A rest in the Forest) figure but seems to look much more realistic. Though, I don’t like the base of the base though…

Closing

Holy shit. This post took forever, and I do mean forever to write. Between finding all the pictures, making sure their sources were right, working, working some more, website crashing, not being able to save, tearing hair out, finding new pictures, replacing old ones, uploading the pictures, adjusting the sizes to make them fit right, updating information as it changed, sleeping, working more, working yet more, uploading more pictures and arranging the new ones, writing, editing, and making sure the entire post looked right in multiple browsers and fixing the mistakes due to some little hacks within…. Done. I’m finally done. This is quite possibly the longest post I’ve ever written, but oddly is only 6 times the text of a usual review post yet took me 5 days to write due to all of the above mentioned. Anyway, lots and lots of figures I want, and that’s good, while my wallet will never agree with it, it’s good to have so much selection and excellet work out there. I look forward to Wonder Festival 2011 Winter, perhaps I’ll do better with that post.

-Aka