Optimistic Penguin

Figure Comic - Summer Holidays - The Villa - Part Four - Finale

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:04:00 +0000

After the events of the last episode the Revoltech girls assemble their weapons and hunt down the murder, will vengeance be theirs or is this the end of the Revoltech girls? Find out in this episode of Figure Comic – Summer Holidays – The Villa - Part Four - Finale.

Starring:

Mikuru Asahina
Yoko
Yuki Nagato
Haruhi Suzumiya
Optimistic Penguin
Fate Testarossa
Deunan Knute
Briareos Hecatonchires

Enjoy ^.^

And so our dear Mikuru, Yuki and Haruhi are retiring from Figure Comic, we wish them all a fond farewell as they go off in search of new horizons and adventures.

Please stay tuned in for next weeks Figure Comic Summer Holidays Series, what strange creature has attacked the Figma girls, will Subaru and Vita be able to track it down in time to save them or is it too late?

Figure Review - Revoltech Queen's Blade Alleyne

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 08:30:00 +0000

Alleyne is an old and seasoned warrior of an forest elf tribe.

Alleyne

Queen's Blade (Second Season)
Revoltech Queen's Blade
Kaiyodo
No.007
Sculpted by Ooshima Yuuki
Distributed by Hobby Stock
Certified by Hobby Japan

Character:

The Queen’s Blade games are combat picture book games. Alleyne is one of the oldest and seasoned warriors of a tribe of forest elves, she is taciturn and blunt in her dealings with others. She has a close friendship with Echidna, who often chastises her, and her growing feelings of wanting to protect Nowa the half-elf lead Alleyne to set out for the Queen's Blade tournament.

Packaging:

Alleyne comes in a standard Revoltech Queen's Blade box.

On the front is a window for viewing the figure, on is a picture of the figure, on the other side is information on the S&M feature and Revoltech joint system, all in Japanese, on there are pictures of S&M modes and of the accessories, also some more information on the figure, and on the bottom is more relevant information, all in Japanese. Instructions for swapping face pieces and other items are usually printed on either inside of the box tabs or on a piece of paper slipped inside the packaging. Also take note that all figures you purchase have the correct authentication printed or stickered on the box.

Inside the box the figure is held between two pieces of molded plastic, with spaces for their accessories. The stand is stored in plastic bags underneath the figure in the plastic molding. Figures are usually wrapped with plastic in certain areas to protect the paint.

Revoltech's now come with a little orange box for storing accessories in, a special coin is also included, which can be used towards purchases from Kaiyodo affiliated shops in Japan or directly from their website, however this offer only works for people living in Japan.

Packaging = 7/10

Stand:

Alleyne comes with the standard Revoltech Queen's Blade stand. Made of semi-clear black plastic it has four points of articulation which move forwards and back on Revoltech joints, one joint is at the bottom where it plugs into the base, this then plugs into main stand pole, then there is a double Revoltech joint, and then another bit of pole and then another Revoltech joint which plugs into the back of the figure. The articulation of the stand allows the Revoltech to be posed in a variety of dynamic poses, even more so than a Figma stand, it is overall a very well designed stand.

The Revoltech Queen's Blade stand also has another feature it has one small raised peg on the base so that you can plug one of the figure's feet into the stand's base, this is a nice touch by Kaiyodo as it gives the figure added stability and or another posing option.

Stand = 9/10

Sculpt:

This is Alleyne Queen's Blade Second Season Version.

It was Alleyne's look which first attracted me to her, like Figma Cute I have not watched or have an interest in Queen's Blade as it is not my thing at all, but Cute and Alleyne I just could not refuse getting figures as they are just great looking characters with well executed sculpts.

Starting from the top, Alleyne's hat is very nice, with nice celtic-esq design on the top, her face is well shaped and her long elven ears look great, her hair is very well sculpted with it all being a soft or semi-soft PVC so that it doesn't restrict movement and looks soft and lovely. Her cloak is very well sculpted, with ripples and wind-blown parts, and a soft PVC part that goes around her neck. Her arms are well designed with her bracer's being removable, her legs are nice and I love her boots, from the spiky ruffled tops to the detailed cuffs that hang over her shoes, and a nice surprise was that both her top and skirt are made of soft PVC.

Her top and her skirt can be removed and replaced with her battle damaged clothes, her body underneath her clothes is well shaped and realistically detailed. She also has a pair of leaf-made panties under her skirt, which can also be removed. So over all a great sculpt with good detail and I love the use of lots of soft PVC.

Sculpt = 9/10

Paint:

I love Alleyne's colour scheme, deep red, slightly pearly green and forest green. Her cloak and hat are a lovely red with nicely painted detailing around her hat, some trim painting on her cloak, but over all nice. Her hair is wonderfully shaded like all my previous Revoltechs, her face is well painted her eyes being especially lovely. All her green armor clothing parts are well detailed and painted, with few run-overs. And her skin tone is just gorgeous, she has lovely shading around her stomach and around her chest it's done really well and rather realistic.

Alleyne's accessories are painted well, her staff has nice paint and colour, and her extra face has very cute blush on it's cheeks, her battle damaged clothes are also well painted and shaded.

Paint = 8/10

Articulation:

Alleyne use’s the standard Revoltech Queen's Blade joint system. Revoltech joints are hinge joints with pegs on either end allowing both forward and back movement and rotation.

At the head a Revoltech joint is used at the bottom of the neck allowing the figure to look up and down and turn their head left and right, however looking up is restricted somewhat by the design of the back of the hair. To change the faces on Revoltech Queen's Blade figures the front piece of hair is pushed up as it is on a hinge joint and then the faces can be taken of and swapped.

A Revoltech joint is used as the shoulder, which allows a full range of motion. Further down a Revoltech joint is used as the elbow and bends in and then out straight and there is some slight rotation for the lower arm to turn in and out. At the wrist the various hands plug onto a small Revoltech joint which in turn plugs into the lower arm, which allows the hands a full range of motion.

A large Revoltech joint is then used under her chest and upper torso which allows the figure to bend forwards and back and twist side to side. At the hips each leg is attached via a Revoltech joint allowing the leg to move up and down and side to side and to turn in and out somewhat, another swivel joint is then used at the top of her boots to allow her leg to turn in and out.

A Revoltech joint is then used as the knee allowing the knee to bend backwards and then out to straight, and there is some slight rotation for the lower leg to turn in and out. The ankle also is a Revoltech joint allowing the foot to point and flex turn in and out.

Many Revoltech Queen's Blade also have additional articulation based upon specific character design. Alleyne has two Revoltech joints, one in each side of her hair, allowing her hair to move around in a number of wind-blown ways. Alleyne's cloak is then made up of three parts, each side use's a Revoltech joint that plugs into her shoulder blade so that her cloak can move forwards and back and up and down and twist, then near the edge of the cloak is another piece with a Revoltech joint, allowing the end corners of the cloak to twist and turn in all directions. When each cloak piece is attached to each shoulder the soft PVC section around the neck is placed on before putting on her head back on. And lastly her hat plugs into the back of her head via a Revoltech joint and so she can be posed in a hat blowing-off pose.

Pose:

Alleyne is therefore highly posable and can be posed in a variety of ways. With the use of the accessories supplied, her staff, cherries and battle damaged clothes, she can be displayed in a number of poses, ready for battle with her staff, relaxing with her cherries, and in pain with damaged clothing. However there are a few areas in which articulation is restricted, while her cloak is on her arm movement is somewhat restricted, also her arm's a hard to get in a pose which looks realistic as the shoulder joint is stiff and the elbow joint tends to look strange from some angles, however these are minor issues. One downside is that although she has loads of points of articulation and movement it does mean that setting her in a pose takes that much longer.

Articulation & Pose = 8/10

Enjoyment:

I will break down enjoyment into two categories: Accessories and Play Value.

Accessories:

Alleyne comes with two facial expressions; a plain content expression, and a pained blushing expression. Alleyne also comes with an assortment of hands; a pair of hands for holding her staff, and a hand holding some cherries.

Alleyne also comes with her staff and with her battle damage clothes. Alleyne can hold her staff by putting it in her semi-soft PVC hands. She also comes with an orange box for storing her accessories and a special coin as mentioned before.

Play Value:

I will break down play value into two categories: Compatibility, with other figures and accessories, and general play.

Compatibiltiy:

As I only own one Revoltech Queen's Blade this section cannot be filled out in full. However as Alleyne's hands are made of soft PVC she can hold most Figma accessories in her hands.

Next up is a height comparison, as you can see she is roughly the same height as a Figma and so fits in well with the other figures.

General Play:

In general Alleyne is a very fun figure, I love the use of soft PVC clothing on her and the fact that she can get in so many poses due to her numerous points of articulation, she is a beautiful and regal looking character and I am very happy with her, and impressed with the improvements in the Revoltech action figures.

Enjoyment = 8/10

Over all Alleyne scores 8.2/10

Figure Review - Figma Fate Testarossa The Movie 1st Ver.

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:17:00 +0000

Fate Testarossa the beautiful clone and antagonist of Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha

Fate Testarossa
Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 1st
Figma
Max Factory
No.056
Sculpted by Masaki Apsy
Distributed by Good SMILE Company
Certified by King

Character:

The Nanoha series began with Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha where in Nanoha a young school girl helps a mage to collect ‘Jewel Seeds’ she then encounters an enemy who is also looking for the seeds, Fate, Fate is apart of 'Project Fate' an illegal research program of cloning and resurrection, Fate is therefore a clone of Precia's daughter Alicia with implanted memories, Precia then uses Fate to collect the Jewel Seeds. At that the end of the series Nanoha and Fate become friends. This figure is based from the new film Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The Movie 1st and retells the same story as the anime series but with some variations. Later in Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha A’s which takes place half a year after the first series wherein another magical girl Hayate is using an intelligent device the Book of Darkness to grant a wish, thus the Wolkenritter, Signum, Vita, Zafira and Shamal, appear to help Hayate fill the pages of the Book of Darkness, Nanoha and Fate then battle it out with the knights. After this series and around ten or so years later StrikerS kicks off with all the characters (Nanoha, Fate, Hayate & the Wolkenritter) and some new characters working in the Time-Space Administration Bureau.

Fate is a naive girl who was abused by her ruthless mother Precia, however Fate remained blindly loyal to Precia and searched for the Jewel Seeds. This search made her cross ways with Nanoha, who through dedication helped reform Fate into her true self, after the revelation that she is a clone with implanted memories she teams up with Nanoha for the rest of the Magical Girl series. Fate is a quiet and reflective person. In Nanoha A's Fate is adopted by Lindy and changes her name to Fate T. Harlaown, and in StrikerS she becomes the leader of the Lightning squadron at the Time-Space Administration Bureau. Fate's intelligent device Bardiche, Bardiche is a battle axe which can transform into a number of different attack modes

Packaging:

Fate comes in a standard Figma box.

On the front is a window for viewing the figure, on one side is the Figma logo, on the other is a picture of the figure, on the back there is relevant information, all in Japanese, and pictures of the figure in various poses with their various accessories. Instructions for swapping face pieces and other items are usually printed on either inside of the box tabs or on a piece of paper slipped inside the packaging. Also take note that all figures you purchase have the correct authentication printed or stickered on the box.

Inside the box the figure is held between two pieces of molded plastic, with spaces for their accessories. The extra hands and the base of the Figma stand are stored in plastic bags underneath the figure in the plastic molding. Figures are usually wrapped with plastic in certain areas to protect the paint. Boxes also come with inserts which act as backdrops in the box and can be taken out and used for backdrops while displaying figures. Fate's backdrop is a blue starry sky. Fate also comes with a special cut-out to use of the Di: Stage.

Figma’s also are supplied with a small zip-lock bag to store all the accessories in, the name of the figure can be written on this bag so that figure accessories can be stored neatly. Figma’s also come with a neat little device for storing the extra hands in.

Packaging = 7/10

Stand:

Fate comes with the standard Figma stand. Made of clear plastic it has three points of articulation which move forwards and back on hinge joints, one joint is at the bottom where it plugs into the base, one in the middle and one where it plugs into the Figma. The articulation of the stand allows the Figma to be posed in a variety of dynamic poses, and because it is clear it does not interfere with the aesthetic of taking dynamic and exciting photos. Fate's cloak has a hole in the back where you plug her stand into and then into her back, holding her and her cloak securely to the stand. Fate also comes with a clear peg to use with her cloak when she is not on her stand, the peg plugs into her back through the cloak so that her cloak is securely attached to her back.

Stand = 7/10

Sculpt:

This is Fate Testarossa The Movie 1st Version.

Fate has a nice sculpt she is small and around the same size of Vita, however as she is wearing minimal clothing she appears much slimmer and taller. Her hair is nicely done, with blown in the wind strands with the end of her ponytails being a little soft to prevent them from breaking easily. Her body is slim and her stomach is sculpted particularly nice with her belly-button showing as her clothes are skin tight, her skirt is shaped nicely with ripples and waves in it, and her belt has nice detail. She then has thigh-highs and some very simple yet nice boots with lovely red ribbon on them, her gloves are simple too but with nice detailing on the hand.

Her cloak, which is sculpted in a wind-blown style, can be removed. Her cloak also has soft PVC around the neck and colour allowing her to move her neck freely when the cloak is attached. Fate's skirt can also be removed to show her leotard like clothing with soft PVC black panties.

Over all a nice design and sculpt.

Sculpt = 8/10

Paint:

Fate has a simple yet effective colour scheme, it is dramatic with mainly black, with details of red and gold, with a white skirt, this set against her blonde hair makes her a visually dramatic and appealing figure. As for the paint job her red and gold detailing is good in some places but in other it is messy or it looks like it needs another layer of paint, her black ribbons are also messy where the black meets the blonde. On the plus side her face's are painted well and her skirt has some nice shading and depth.

Fate's accessories are also very well painted with shading on the semi-transparent yellow energy parts, going dark yellow and then a whiter-clearer yellow in the center, also the gold within the clear half globe gives the center of her intelligent device a nice glow. They have also used nice chrome silver, gold, and smoky-grey on her Bardiche which is nice.

Paint = 7/10

Articulation:

Fate use’s the standard Figma joint system. Figma joints are hinge joints with pegs on either end allowing both forward and back movement and rotation.

At the head a Figma joint is used at the top of the neck allowing the figure to look up and down and turn their head left and right, however looking up is restricted somewhat by the design of the back of the hair. To change the faces on Figma’s the front piece of hair is removed and then the faces can be taken of and swapped.

The shoulder consists of a double joint, a ball joint which sits inside the upper body, this is attached to a ball shaped Figma joint which acts as the shoulder, and this allows full range of motion to the shoulder. Further down a Figma joint is used as the elbow and bends in and then out straight and there is some slight rotation for the lower arm to turn in and out. At the wrist the various hands plug into a small hole at the end of the arm. Each hand either has a straight peg or has a peg which is on a hinge joint, which not only allows the hand to rotate but also to move up and down which gives the figure realistic wrist movement. Older Figma’s usually have small balls on the end of the hand pegs to secure the hands in the arms, however this often meant that changing the hands required too much force, and some people experienced broken hand pegs because of this, newer Figma’s use only straight pegs for the hands making it easier for the hands to be swapped, however this has meant that hands are now more prone to getting loose and falling off the arms when posing the figure. Fate uses the straight peg hands, but only her left hand comes loose and falls off occasionaly.

A Figma joint is then used as the knee allowing the knee to bend backwards and then out to straight, and there is some slight rotation for the lower leg to turn in and out. The ankle also is a Figma joint allowing the foot to point and flex turn in and out.

Many Figma’s also have additional articulation based upon specific character design. Fate also has articulation in each of her ponytails, which is a peg and ball joint, allowing her ponytails to move in all directions. Fate also has two points of articulation in her cloak, each side of her cloak has a Figma joint, this gives the cloak some movement when posing.

Pose:

Fate is therefore highly posable and can be posed in a variety of ways. With the use of the accessories supplied, her Bardiche, she can be displayed in a number of poses, she can be ready to strike with her Grave Form, in mid swing with Scythe Form, battle prepared with Axe Form. However there are a few areas in which articulation is restricted, while Fate is wearing her cloak her arm movements are restircted somewhat, however when she is not wearing her cloak she has no restrictions in design, another area of restriction is that although her cloak has two points of articuation the movement is minimal, so a nice thought by Max Factory to articulated the cloak but poor execution in the actual range of movement the articulation allows.

Articulation & Pose = 9/10

Enjoyment:

I will break down enjoyment into two categories: Accessories and Play Value.

Accessories:

Fate comes with three facial expressions; a plain content expression, and a teeth gritted angry expression. Fate also comes with an assortment of hands; a pair of open hands, a pair of fists, a pair of relaxed hands, two pairs of hands for holding items.

Fate also comes with her intelligent device Bardiche with attachments for all its forms, Axe Form, where Bardiche is in a simple Axe shape, Scythe Form, also known as Arc Saber a melee attack consisting of a blade scythe blade of light coming from Bardiche, another attack in this form is Scythe Slash, and lastly Grave Form, also known as, Thunder Rage, a multitarget attack.

Fate also has a alternative fringe piece with her hair more wind-blown.

To use the different form the top of Bardiche is unplugged from the staff, the hands slide on and then a new form is plugged onto the top of the staff. Max Factory even supplied two pairs of holding hands one smaller for holding her Bardiche securely, and another pair for holding things looser and also they can be used to hold a number of accessories which belong to other Figma's.

Play Value:

I will break down play value into two categories: Compatibility, with other figures and accessories, and general play.

Compatibiltiy:

Because Fate's hands for holding items are not completely closed she is able to hold practically any other Figma item. She can go for a ride on Reimu's broom, rock n roll with Miku's microphone, use Signum, Vita, Cute, and Saber's weapons, as well as play around with Miku's leeks and Reimu's sake, she can even use Aegi's rocket punch. Vita and Miku's face's can also fit Fate's face.

Next up is a height comparison, as you can see she is on the short side of the Figma height scale, and is around the same height as Vita.

General Play:

In general Fate is a fun figure, she is easy to pose, however she is easier to pose when her cloak is not attached as her cloak tends to make posing difficult so it's best to pose then attach the cloak. Fate's range of forms for Bardiche also give her a lot of dramatic diversity. Fate has character and spunk and will fit in nicely with my other Figma's.

Overall Fate is an enjoyable figure, beautiful and little and full of attitude.

Enjoyment = 8/10

Over all Fate scores 7.7/10

Mystery Project - Part One

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:24:00 +0000

At the moment I am working on a new figure project, but what is it? is it a bird? is it a plane?

Once again I had the urge to cut up cardboard boxes and make something creative, and so my mystery project is born, and in less than an hour I had one side done.

And up goes the second half, I am a wiz with the craft knife and box-tape.

Then on goes the back wall.

And here are two of my lovely figures checking out the new digs.

Then a bit later on I put in a railing and a step so my figures don't fall and hurt themselves. Popsicle sticks and kebab sticks can be used to a number of things besides food.

Here is how I am going to use popsicle sticks as skirting board to go over the wall paper.

I also purchased a new piece of furniture via e-bay for my mystery project. It's a Re-Ment Kotatsu.

And its just great, the detail is awesome, they have a little heater on the bottom and even a power cord.

It also has a changable table top, one side is red and one side is a wood finish. There is also a fruit basket of oranges.

Then there are the cushions for sitting or kneeling, and the Kotatsu blanket, how cute and snug.

Although the Kotatsu is a bit large for the figures, it works better as a normal coffee table without the blanket, as the blanket raises the height of the table a little. However the Kotatsu will serve the purpose I bought it for, and what purpose is that you may ask? Well I am not telling you its a mystery!!!

Figure Feature - Figure Orders and Wish List - March 2010

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 08:30:00 +0000

Just thought I would share with you once again what figures are currently on my pre-order list, and some very anticipated figures which I am keen to get my hands one.

First is Figma Maris Kirisame from the Touhou Project, I was drawn to her because she was just so cute, and at the time I had missed out on getting Reimu Hakurei, whom I have since aquired. I was lucky enough that Otacute were taking pre-orders for her, and so I have placed my order, and it will be my first time buying from Otacute. Figma Marisa Kirisame comes out in April.

http://www.otacute.com/

Next up is the way awesome Figma Rider from Fate/Stay Night, I was so excited when the first sneek peak photo's of her were up on the web, and so when the pre-orders opened I managed to get one through Hobby Search, which is good because I have some points with them I need to use up. Figma Rider comes out in May.

http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/

Then there is a new buddy for my Subaru Nakajima from actSta, yep I am going to save my coins so that I can pay for my pre-order of Teana Lanster in June, I ordered Lanster through AmiAmi, who has become my favourite online store since they launched their english website.

http://www.amiami.com/shop/?set=english

And here is something different, I have order Side A & B of the latest Good Smile Company Nendoroid Play Set, now my Nendo's will have a place to play. Ordered through AmiAmi and coming out around June.

http://www.amiami.com/shop/?set=english

Now onto my wishlist!

I got really excited when I saw this, as did others. I had been keen for an Archer figure for a long time after seeing the Hyper Fate ones, which are pricey. And here Figma has answered the call with what so far looks like a great figure, and I will do my best to get one when they go on pre-order, however as of yet there is no details on a possible date.

Next is a new Haruhi Suzumiya Figma, now this one to me has a much better character design and clothing style than the other Haruhi Figma's and I am keen to pick this up, as I do not have any Haruhi Figma's. No release date for this figure either.

Then there is KOS-MOS who just looks wicked, and although I do not know much about the character if I will deffinitely try and get one as the character is just an awesome design, plus those huge guns look wicked, lol I enjoy my Figma accessories of guns and swords. No release date given for her either.

Now this up coming Yamaguchi Revoltech made me the most excited I think, because I really want more male figures and I have recently been watching Trigun and I love Vash the Stampede, and here is a figure of him, and it looks freakin mean. A must get in my books, still no date specified except sometimes this year.

I have had my eye on this little cute Cirno from Touhou Project for sometime now, but currently she is just a resin kit by LiquidStone, however as they made some completed ones of Reimu and Marisa in this figure line I am hoping they will make one of little Cirno, because she is just too cute.

FREEing are also coming out with some more fun Figma sized toys, I had some of the Skateboards/Rollerblade sets ordered but I cancelled the order and I don't think I will renew it as they are coming out with motabikes and jet-ski's which are way cooler.

Now the big question that was facing me was which to buy of the new Eva characters, because Fraulein Revoltech are making new versions of them and they look amazing, but then Figma turned around and are also making version of the Eva girls. At first I was going to go with Fraulein as I do love the Fraulein figure line and seeing as both the Figma and Revoltech versions look just as good as each other my decision was tough, but in the end I think I will go with the Figma's because the majority of my figure collection is now Figma and I want most of my figures to be in the same scale as each other, for photo's and comics.

So I plan on getting Asuka because she is awesome, and perhaps the new character Mari, because she is in a PINK plug suit, I will prob skip on Rei as I was never really a fan of her character.

So it seems from now on I am a Figma collector, it's been so long since Revoltech have made Frauleins that my Figma's are taking over.

Figure Comic - Summer Holidays - Into the Wild - Part Three

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 11:00:00 +0000

Last time on Into the Wild Vita and Subaru returned to camp to find it in ruins with the other Figma girls no where insight. What happened to the Figma girls after Vita left? Find out in this episode of Figure Comic – Summer Holidays – Into the Wild - Part Three.

Starring:

Signum
Saber
Cute
Vita
Miku Hatsune
Aegis
Orana (Lion)

Enjoy ^.^

Please stay tuned in for next weeks Figure Comic Summer Holidays Series. Who is behind Ami's killing? And you wants all the Revoltech's dead?

Figure Comic - Summer Holidays - Fortune Teller

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:58:00 +0000

We break from our usual Summer Holiday comics for a while and spend an afternoon with the Nendoroids. On one summer day Raspberyl meets a Shrine Maiden, are her fortunes looking good or bad? Join Raspberyl, Pastel Ink and Reimu Hakurei in this episode of Figure Comic - Fortune Teller.

Starring:

Raspberyl
Pastel Ink
Reimu Hakurei

Enjoy ^.^

Figure Comic - Summer Holidays - The Villa - Part Three

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:54:00 +0000

It's the last day at the Villa and the girls want to spend it in style by throwing another party, however, their guests seem to have gone missing, and who is that at the door? Find out in this episode of Figure Comic – Summer Holidays – The Villa - Part Three.

Starring:

Mikuru Asahina
Yoko
Yuki Nagato
Haruhi Suzumiya
Optimistic Penguin
Ami Futami

Enjoy ^.^

Please stay tuned in for next weeks Figure Comic Summer Holidays Series, meanwhile what happened to the Figma girls, why was the camp site deserted?

Figure Photo Shoot - Be My Valentine

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 06:45:00 +0000

In the spirit of Valentines Day, which is coming up in just a few days some of the girls posed for special Valentines Day photo's.

Aegis.

Cute say's be my valentine.

Haruhi in a bed of flower petals.

Yoko wants a hug.

The world is Miku's.

Reimu is having a happy valentines day.

Happy Valentines Day.

Figure Review - Figma Reimu Hakurei - Limited Figma

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:23:00 +0000

Reimu Hakurei sake drinking shrine maiden of Touhou.

Reimu Hakurei

Touhou Project
Limited Figma
Max Factory
No.055
Sculpted by Masaki Apsy
Distributed by Good SMILE Company
Certified by Touhou Project

Character:

Reimu Hakurei is a main character from the Touhou Project games, which are a series of shooting games. Touhou Projects plot revolves around strange phenomena that occur in the realm of Gensokyo, an isolated community which was once haunted by yokai, now in present day human and yokai coexist in Gensokyo, however the seal which surrounds Gensokyo has weakened and more things from the outside world appear in Gensokyo.

Reimu Hakurei is the shrine maiden of Hakurei shrine the only known gateway from Gensokyo and the outside world. Reimu is an easygoing and somewhat lazy when it comes to training her magic. However she has a strong sense of duty and for the sake of Gensokyo she perseveres through all obstacles. She is a pleasant person and gets along with everyone even past enemies.

Packaging:

Reimu comes in a standard Figma box.

On the front is a window for viewing the figure, on one side is the Figma logo, on the other is a picture of the figure, on the back there is relevant information, all in Japanese, and pictures of the figure in various poses with their various accessories. Instructions for swapping face pieces and other items are usually printed on either inside of the box tabs or on a piece of paper slipped inside the packaging. Also take note that all figures you purchase have the correct authentication printed or stickered on the box.

Inside the box the figure is held between two pieces of molded plastic, with spaces for their accessories. The extra hands and the base of the Figma stand are stored in plastic bags underneath the figure in the plastic molding. Figures are usually wrapped with plastic in certain areas to protect the paint. Boxes also come with inserts which act as backdrops in the box and can be taken out and used for backdrops while displaying figures. Reimu also comes with a special cut-out to use of the Di: Stage.

Packaging = 7/10

Stand:

Reimu comes with the standard Figma stand. Made of clear plastic it has three points of articulation which move forwards and back on hinge joints, one joint is at the bottom where it plugs into the base, one in the middle and one where it plugs into the Figma. The articulation of the stand allows the Figma to be posed in a variety of dynamic poses, and because it is clear it does not interfere with the aesthetic of taking dynamic and exciting photos.

Stand = 7/10

Sculpt:

Reimu's character design has changed throughout the Touhou Project games and so this is Max Factories interpretation of Reimu's character design, and well I am a fan. She oozes cuteness, from her big red bow to her tiny little feet. She is a very small and dainty Figma, with a small body and big clothes.

Starting from the top, Reimu’s bow is lovely with nice ripples and wind-blown ribbon, the ribbons being made of soft PVC. Reimu also has a very nice hair sculpt, it is detailed and flowing, her bangs at the front are made of soft PVC so that they are not in fear of breaking and they do not restrict movement, similarly the collar of her shirt is made of soft PVC. Her shirt is in a lovely wind-blown shape which reveals her tummy, and a very cute belly-button. The wind-blown look continues into her skirt which ripples nicely with the frills of her underskirt done very well indeed.

Her sleeves are also wind-blown and are nicely shaped and detailed, however as they are hard PVC it does make some poses look strange and her sleeves will stick out sideways.

Reimu is also the first Figma to have bloomers! Yes that’s right lovely bloomers, the panties part of them is soft PVC as is standard for Figma panties, and the rest of the bloomers are a mold of her upper leg, and they are lovely and puffy and frilled at the bottom, very cute indeed. Her legs are very thin and girlish and she has ruffled socks and nice shoes.

Over all a well done sculpt, all the joints are sufficiently disguised and she is just delightful.

Sculpt = 8/10

Paint:

Reimu has a lovely colour scheme red and white, with a nice little yellow handkerchief scarf. For the most part Reimu’s paint is plain, however she has wonderful detailing around her bow and collar and the bottom of her skirt, and all of it is perfect. The red ribbons on her sleeves are also painted well. A nice touch is that unlike most Figma’s Reimu has some nice shading done in her hair giving it a lovely depth, unfortunately my Reimu has some parts where the paint on her hair has been scratched, but these are only very small spot. Only other complaint with paint is that her wraps on her bangs are painted rather messily.

Reimu's accessories are well painted, her facial expressions are done neatly and the detailing on her charms is fantastic, her Sake bottle is nicely done as well.

Overall a very nice paint job, Reimu is very visually appealing.

Paint = 8/10

Articulation:

Reimu use’s the standard Figma joint system. Figma joints are hinge joints with pegs on either end allowing both forward and back movement and rotation.

At the head a Figma joint is used at the top of the neck allowing the figure to look up and down and turn their head left and right, however looking up is restricted somewhat by the design of the back of the hair. To change the faces on Figma’s the front piece of hair is removed and then the faces can be taken of and swapped.

The shoulder consists of a double joint, a ball joint which sits inside the upper body, this is attached to a ball shaped Figma joint which acts as the shoulder, and this allows full range of motion to the shoulder. Further down a Figma joint is used as the elbow and bends in and then out straight and there is some slight rotation for the lower arm to turn in and out. At the wrist the various hands plug into a small hole at the end of the arm. Each hand either has a straight peg or has a peg which is on a hinge joint, which not only allows the hand to rotate but also to move up and down which gives the figure realistic wrist movement. Older Figma’s usually have small balls on the end of the hand pegs to secure the hands in the arms, however this often meant that changing the hands required too much force, and some people experienced broken hand pegs because of this, newer Figma’s use only straight pegs for the hands making it easier for the hands to be swapped, however this has meant that hands are now more prone to getting loose and falling off the arms when posing the figure. Reimu uses the straight peg hands, but her hands fit nicely and do not come loose.

Depending upon the character design of Figma’s they either have a waist joint under their chest or at the middle of their torso. Waist joints are ball and socket joints, a ball joint will be attached to the upper body and which plug into a socket in the main torso, this gives the body twisting movement and bending forwards and back. Reimu uses a waist joint under her chest. At the hips a three jointed ball and socket joint is used. One ball plugs into a socket at the bottom of the torso acting as the hip joint; this allows the hips to turn side to side, lean forward or back, then on each of the other two ball joints the legs plug on. Each leg has an inner socket which the ball joint plugs into, this piece allows full range of motion from the ball joint and also allows the thigh to turn in and out as it pegs inside the main leg piece.

A Figma joint is then used as the knee allowing the knee to bend backwards and then out to straight, and there is some slight rotation for the lower leg to turn in and out. The ankle also is a Figma joint allowing the foot to point and flex turn in and out.

Many Figma’s also have additional articulation based upon specific character design. Reimu has a bow and a pony-tail and so she has a peg joint which her bow slips onto and at the end is a ball joint where her pony-tail plugs on allowing her hair to move in all directions.

Pose:

Reimu is therefore highly posable and can be posed in a variety of ways. With the use of the accessories supplied Reimu can be displayed in a number of poses; battle ready with her charms and prayer rod, shrine maiden style with her broom for keeping the shrine in good order, and of course her happy drunk pose with Sake bottle in hand. However there are a few areas in which articulation is restricted, because her sleeves are made of hard PVC some poses are restricted or look odd because her sleeves are permanently in a wind-blown style. The other restriction is like most Figma's her skirt stops her from sitting down as it is made of hard PVC, also this means she cannot do extreme leg movements, however she is able to kneel which is nice. One note worthy thing is that unlike a lot of Figma's she is nicely weighted and so it is easy to pose her and she rarely falls over.

Articulation & Pose = 8/10

Enjoyment:

I will break down enjoyment into two categories: Accessories and Play Value.

Accessories:

Reimu three facial expressions; her plain content expression, an angry battle ready expression, and her happy drunk expression. Reimu also comes with an assortment of hands; a pair of open hands, a pair of fists, a pair of hands holding her charms, a pair of hands for holding her green tea cup, a pair for holding items, and finally one hand holding a red dish and another hand for holding her bottle of Sake.

Reimu also comes with her prayer rod, a cup of green tea, a broom, and a bottle of Sake, you are provided with two stickers for the Sake bottle, one to stick onto the bottle as the label and a spare incase something happens to the first one. It is nice of them to provide two just in case, however it would have been even nicer if the label was already on the Sake instead of having to apply it yourself.

Unlike most of the previous Figma's, Reimu's hands for holding are not completely closed which means that item can be easily slipped into her hands, this also means that she can hold a number of accessories which belong to other Figma's, this is a very nice touch by Max Factory.

Play Value:

I will break down play value into two categories: Compatibility, with other figures and accessories, and general play.

Compatibiltiy:

Because Reimu's hands for holding items are not completely closed she is able to hold practically any other Figma item. She can use the weapons for Signum, Saber, Cute and Vita, she can also play around with Miku's leeks as well as have a drunken karaoke night with Miku's microphone. This opens up the possability of poses for Reimu, and brings her enjoyment factor way up.

Next up is a height comparison, as you can see she is on the shorter side of the Figma height scale, yet fits in well with the other figures.

General Play:

In general Reimu is an enjoyable figure, she is easy to pose, has a good amount of accessories and her happy drunk facial expression is just so cute. Reimu is deffinitely a Figma with character, and she fits in well with the other misfit Figma's I have.

Overall Reimu is a fun figure, she has good range of expressions and the design of her hands means that she has loads of play potentail.

Enjoyment = 9/10

Over all Reimu Hakurei scores 7.8/10

Figure Photo Shoot - Coloured Card

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 02:17:00 +0000

The other day I bought some nice coloured card from a scrapbooking shop. Here are just a few photo's taken with some of the paper I bought.

Aegis is ready to fight.

Cute is in danger...

Future Vita.

Cute.

Pastel Ink - Pink Candy.

Vita all grown up.

The rest of the photo shoot can be seen at my Deviant Art gallery here: http://www.optimisticpenguin101.devaintart.com/

Figure Comic - Summer Holidays - Pokemon Park

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:25:00 +0000

We break from our usual Summer Holiday comics for a while and spend an afternoon with the Nendoroids. As the summer days get brighter the Nendo's head off to the Pokemon Park for the afternoon. Join Raspberyl and Pastel Ink in this episode of Figure Comic - Pokemon Park.

Starring:

Raspberyl
Pastel Ink

Enjoy ^.^

Figure Comic - Summer Holidays - Into the Wild - Part Two

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 22:59:00 +0000

Figure Comic – Summer Holidays – Into the Wild - Part Two

After the adventures of the previous day Vita was in the mood to do more exploring, and so off she went in search of some fun. What fun and excitement will Vita discover? Find out in this episode of Figure Comic – Summer Holidays – Into the Wild - Part Two.

Starring:

Vita
Subaru Nakajima
Totoro

Enjoy ^.^

Please stay tuned in for next weeks Figure Comic Summer Holidays Series, meanwhile back at the villa the Revoltech girls though blissfully unaware are in great danger.

Figure Comic - Summer Holidays - The Villa - Part Two

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 10:49:00 +0000

Figure Comic – Summer Holidays - The Villa - Part Two.

After gate-crashing Mikuru's new-year holiday the Revoltech girls find that there is a thief amongst them. Will Yoko be able to uncover the thief before all their cake is gone? Find out in this episode of Figure Comic – Summer Holidays – The Villa - Part Two.

Starring:

Mikuru Asahina

Yoko
Yuki Nagato
Haruhi Suzumiya
Optimistic Penguin

Enjoy ^.^

Please stay tuned in for next weeks Figure Comic Summer Holidays Series, while the rest of the Figma girls are busy at camp Vita goes in search of a little adventure of her own!

Figure Comic - Summer Holidays - Into the Wild

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:43:00 +0000

Figure Comic – Summer Holidays – Into the Wild

While the Fraulein Revoltech girls holidayed in nice villa, the Figma girls decided to face off against nature. What events await them in the wild? Find out in this episode of Figure Comic – Summer Holidays – Into the Wild.

Starring:

Signum
Saber
Cute
Vita
Miku Hatsune
Aegis
Orana (Lion)

Enjoy ^.^

Please stay tuned in for next weeks Figure Comic Summer Holidays Series. What happens when there is a thief amongst the holidaying Revoltech girls?

Figure Comic - Summer Holidays - The Villa

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 22:09:00 +0000

Figure Comic – Summer Holidays - The Villa.

In the new-year Mikuru decided to take some time off, rent a villa, relax, read a few books, however her tranquility was short lived when some uninvited quests showed up. What will happen to Mikuru’s summer holiday? Find out in this episode of Figure Comic – Summer Holidays – The Villa.

Starring:

Mikuru Asahina
Yoko
Yuki Nagato
Haruhi Suzumiya
Ami Futami
Mami Futami
Miki Hoshii
Haruka Amami
Optimistic Penguin

Enjoy ^.^

Please stay tuned in for next weeks Figure Comic Summer Holidays Series, wherein the Figma Girls go in search of adventure!

Figure Feature - New Years Eve Party

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:54:00 +0000

While I went away on holiday over new-years the girls decided to have a New Years Eve Party.

The Cafe has been transformed into a New Years Party hot spot.

Mikuru enlisted the help of Raspberyl to work as bar tender.

Mikuru put out some of her best desserts.

The dance floor was cranking.

She even had booked the IdolMaster's to perform.

Briareos was on guard duty again and was making sure no minor's were allowed entry, much to Vita's dismay.

Figure Comic - Preview - Summer 2010

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 09:25:00 +0000

A sneak preview of two up and comic Figure Comics for Summer 2010.

Figure Comic - Nativity

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:40:00 +0000

Figure Comic - Nativity

To celebrate the festive season the figures have put on a very special production of the Christmas story. This is the figures interpretation of the wonderful story of the birth of Jesus Christ. Disclaimer: Please do not take offence from this comic I am in no way mocking or parodying the Christmas story, I myself am a Christian and this is my own fun version of the story, so please no Bible bashing! Please enjoy this special holiday episode of Figure Comic - Nativity.

Starring:

Raspberyl - as Joseph
Pastel Ink - as Mary
Wing Gundam Zero Endless Waltz - as Angel
Haruhi Suzumiya - as Magi
Yuki Nagato - as Magi
Mikuru Asahina - as Magi
Yoko - as Inkeeper
Aegis - as Inkeeper
Saber - as Shepherd
Signum - as Shepherd
Vita - as Shepherd
Guss - as Sheep
Rachel - as Donkey
Camel - as Camel

Merry Christmas from an Optimistic Penguin and all my figure friends. I hope you all have a great Christmas, this is Optimistic Penguin saying peace out for the year. But first a special thanks to all my followers and readers and subscribers I have enjoyed your comments and feedback very much. Love to all, see you in the new year!

Figure Review - Figma Cute - Exclusive Figma

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:09:00 +0000

Cute the ultra-cute herione of the latest PSP Queen's Blade Spiral Chaos

Exclusive Figma: PSP Queen’s Blade Spiral Chaos Gekitou Pack

Cute.
Queen’s Blade Spiral Chaos.
Figma.
Max Factory.
No. SP 006.
Sculpted by Masaki Apsy.
Distributed by Bandai Namco Games.
Certified by Bandai Namco Games.

Character:

The Queen’s Blade games are combat picture book games. In Spiral Chaos Cute is the main heroine. The Queen’s Blade games are combat picture book games. In Spiral Chaos Cute is the main heroine. In the games Cute is a novice fighter, however over the course of the game Cute's mysterious powers show themselves to be caught up in the deciding the fate of the world.

Packaging:

Cute comes in a Exclusive Figma box.

On the front is a window for viewing the figure, on one side is an art picture of three characters from the game, on the other is an art picture of Cute, on the back is a large art picture of the various characters from the game and the game logo, the relevant information, all in Japanese, is found on the bottom of the box or on the bottom of the front of the box. Instructions for swapping face pieces and other items are usually printed on either inside of the box tabs or on a piece of paper slipped inside the packaging. Also take note that all figures you purchase have the correct authentication printed or stickered on the box.

Inside the box the figure is held between two pieces of molded plastic, with spaces for their accessories. The extra hands and the base of the Figma stand are stored in plastic bags underneath the figure in the plastic molding. Figures are usually wrapped with plastic in certain areas to protect the paint. Boxes also come with inserts which act as backdrops in the box and can be taken out and used for backdrops while displaying figures. Cute's backdrop is a sunset with a magic circle featured on it.

Cut also comes with two fitted card board pieces which hold the game and the cd securely, the visual art book was contained in a plastic bag attatched to the outside of the main box. Please note that I will not be reviewing the PSP game Spiral Chaos, or the cd.

Packaging = 6/10

Stand:

Cute comes with the standard Figma stand. Made of clear plastic it has three points of articulation which move forwards and back on hinge joints, one joint is at the bottom where it plugs into the base, one in the middle and one where it plugs into the Figma. The articulation of the stand allows the Figma to be posed in a variety of dynamic poses, and because it is clear it does not interfere with the aesthetic of taking dynamic and exciting photos.

Stand = 7/10

Sculpt:

Cute’s sculpt is what drew me to the Figma. Her clothing design and detail is just wonderful. So starting from the top, she has a nice hair with little pony-tails either side of her head with black ribbons in she also has white hair clips on either side of her fringe. Her face is nicely shaped and I love the stars in her eyes. At her neck she has her collar cape thing, which is separate from her and can be removed, her cape has a nice star shape punched out of the back where it fans out on each side, and her tie which is in a blown in the wind pose has a circle hole at the bottom, like her hair ribbons do. Her top is several layer, you have the black layer which is painted onto her, her white straps which are soft PVC which is really cool as it means you get the correct character design of straps sitting off her shoulders and yet they will move about easily to allow full range of arm motion. The main part of her top is also soft PVC very nice, and means that it doesn’t restrict waist movement. The detail on her top is really nice, with cross over straps and little crosses and bows on the bottom of her top.

Her arms have nicely detailed gloves on and then lower arm armor which is in two pieces a circlet and a shield plate, a very nice rounded design. On her hands she has a Fraulein Revoltech style cuff which slips onto the hand and then the hand plugs into the arm, this allows the clothing stays true to the character and yet doesn’t compromise the Figma design.

Now her skirt is made of three layers. The top has on it a very cool and cute little waist pack, which seems to have a life of its own as it has eyes and teeth, then at the back she has bow and there are little diamond shapes cut out of the ends of the bows ribbons. A nice thing to note is that the strap of her bag is fully detailed and just great, however most of it is under her top, but moving her around you can see it underneath. Her second layer of skirt is pleated and made of soft PVC, the layer under that is also soft PVC and has some nice detail around the bottom to make it look a bit lacey. Then she has the cutest panties. They are soft PVC and have some nice frilly detail around the top to make them lacey and at the sides have bows with long ribbon, very sweet. I do not have a picture of them because it is just rude to take a picture of a girls under skirt!

Onto her legs, like her arms she has long stockings, this time with nice crosses on the top and suspender straps running up her thighs very cute and slightly Lolita. When you get to her boots she has some inner boot on her lower leg which runs down to her feet, which are nice heeled boots, this is the only place where design has restricted her movement, her feet can move very little, as she then has an armor shin plate. There is an ankle plate which curves around and joins to her shin plate, with a lovely three feathered wing on the outside ankle and then her shin plate comes out in a large rounded piece which sits forward from her leg, a very nice shape. And instead of the standard Figma soft PVC panties, her's have lovely lace-like detail around the top, and bows on either hip with ribbons that hang down bellow the bottom of her skirt, very cute.

And so over all a fantastic sculpt they have not scrimped on detail or on allowing movement with the use of lots of soft PVC and layers, a wonderful and beautiful figure.

Sculpt = 10/10

Paint:

Cute is painted really well with minimal human error, so just fantastic. There is barely any paint mess-ups and her colour scheme is wonderful, she is full of color with reds and yellows and purples some green and brown and with such nice detailing and little embellishments, making her a superb display figure she is just lovely to look at.

This time I will start with her feet. Her boots are red and white with yellow stars on the top of each foot, and nice white stars at the top of her shin armor plate, and there is gold on the button of the winged boots, which looks great. Her stockings are nicely painted with red detail trim and yellow crosses. A very nice touch is they even have included the detail of the top of her suspenders above her panties, which is nice even though you don’t really see it unless you are staring up her skirt. Her skirt is white then red then white, with darker red paint in the pleats of the second layer to make it look even better, her top skirt then has a lovely purple/blue star on the front. As mentioned before she has her bag, which is light browns with white teeth and red eyes, and a little yellow star above its eyes in the middle. Very nicely painted bag. Her top is well painted to a purple with a darker purple trim, highlights of yellow on the crosses and white on bows, and a little shield emblem which has a smiley face, which is half yellow half green. She has a black halter painted on underneath her outer top and her collar/cape is white with a nice red tie, painted very neatly. Her gloves are the same as her stockings and arm armor the same as her leg plates. Her cuffs are well painted with red trim and a yellow star on each. Her face's are also great, her eyes done really well, perfect little stars and with just enough human quality to them, and of course her cute rosey cheeks. Her hair is nice light pink with some white clips and black ribbons. Oh and on her left arm she has a little red star tattoo which has eyes.

So over all her body is well painted, just wonderful bright colors and nice detailing. Good job Figma.

Cute’s accessories are painted well, her blades have great coloring with a fade of light silver at the tip into a darker color, and the handles are a brownish tan colour and at the end have a nice gold end, only two points where a paint is messy, on one sword there is a little paint missing probably scraped off near the handle and on the other the gold looks like it could have used another layer as you can see the darker paint underneath, but those are no biggies. Her hands are just painted her skin tone, which may I say is a very nice tone, a lovely rich peachy color. Her faces are great, I just love her eyes red with star shaped goldish pupils, but they have managed to make her look human even with those eyes just with the expression in the faces. She also has nice rosey cheeks on all her faces and some added blush on one of her faces.

Her ‘Shift’ body is also painted as well as her main body. However there are a few run-overs on close inspection, but nothing major. Overall a great paint job, excellent detail and design.

Paint = 10/10

Articulation:

Cute's use’s the standard Figma joint system. Figma joints are hinge joints with pegs on either end allowing both forward and back movement and rotation.

At the head a Figma joint is used at the top of the neck allowing the figure to look up and down and turn their head left and right, however looking up is restricted somewhat by the design of the back of the hair. To change the faces on Figma’s the front piece of hair is removed and then the faces can be taken of and swapped.

The shoulder consists of a double joint, a ball joint which sits inside the upper body, this is attached to a ball shaped Figma joint which acts as the shoulder, and this allows full range of motion to the shoulder. Further down a Figma joint is used as the elbow and bends in and then out straight and there is some slight rotation for the lower arm to turn in and out. At the wrist the various hands plug into a small hole at the end of the arm. Each hand either has a straight peg or has a peg which is on a hinge joint, which not only allows the hand to rotate but also to move up and down which gives the figure realistic wrist movement. Older Figma’s usually have small balls on the end of the hand pegs to secure the hands in the arms, however this often meant that changing the hands required too much force, and some people experienced broken hand pegs because of this, newer Figma’s use only straight pegs for the hands making it easier for the hands to be swapped, however this has meant that hands are now more prone to getting loose and falling off the arms when posing the figure. Cute uses the straight peg hands, and these do come loose and fall off most of the time

Depending upon the character design of Figma’s they either have a waist joint under their chest or at the middle of their torso. Waist joints are ball and socket joints, a ball joint will be attached to the upper body and which plug into a socket in the main torso, this gives the body twisting movement and bending forwards and back. Cute has a waist joint in the middle of her torso. At the hips a three jointed ball and socket joint is used. One ball plugs into a socket at the bottom of the torso acting as the hip joint; this allows the hips to turn side to side, lean forward or back, then on each of the other two ball joints the legs plug on. Each leg has an inner socket which the ball joint plugs into, this piece allows full range of motion from the ball joint and also allows the thigh to turn in and out as it pegs inside the main leg piece.

A Figma joint is then used as the knee allowing the knee to bend backwards and then out to straight, and there is some slight rotation for the lower leg to turn in and out. The ankle also is a Figma joint allowing the foot to point and flex turn in and out.

Many Figma’s also have additional articulation based upon specific character design. Cute does not have any additional points of articulation.

Pose:

Cute is therefore highly posable and can be posed in a variety of ways. With the use of the accessories supplied, her two blades and her 'shift' body, she can be displayed in a number of poses, attack ready with a blade in each hand, just plain sweet and cute with her smile, or using the 'shift' battle damaged body. However there are a few areas in which articulation is restricted, although her skirt is mainly made from soft PVC she still cannot flat on her bottom, but she gets close too it, also the design of her boots means that she barely has any movement in her feet.

Articulation & Pose = 8/10

Enjoyment:

I will break down my review of enjoyment into two categories, accessories, and play value.

Accessories:

Cute comes with three facial expressions; a plain somewhat concerned expression, a happy smiling expression, and a worried embarrassed expression. Cute also comes with an assortment of hands; a pair of open hands, a pair of fists, a pair of relaxed hands, a pair of pointing hands, and a pair of hands for holding items.

Cute also come with her two blades, each handle can be unplugged so that a hand can be slipped on and then reattatched.

Unlike most of the previous Figma's, Cute's hands for holding are not completely closed which means that items can be easily be slipped into her hands, this also means that she can hold a number of accessories which belong to other Figma's, this is a very nice touch by Max Factory.

Next accessory is her ‘Shift’ body which is an extra body with battle damage inflicted upon it. Her clothes and skirt is tattered and the back of her skirt has been ripped off showing her panties. Now the ‘Shift’ body is used by putting her lower legs and arms onto Figma joints which are attached to the body, and of course her head as well.

Play Value:

I will break down play value into two categories: Compatibility, with other figures and accessories, and general play.

Compatibiltiy:

Because Cute's hands for holding items are not completely closed she is able to hold practically any other Figma item. She can use the weapons for Signum, Saber and Vita, she can also play around with Miku's leeks as well as rock it out with Miku's microphone. As her hands are almost the same skin shade as Reimu's she can use Reimu's cup holding hands and magic card hands, she also fits Reimu's face pieces, however they do fit rahter loosely, however this means Cute can become a happy drunk just like Reimu. This opens up the possability of poses for Cute, and brings her enjoyment factor way up.

Oh and don't forget when all is said and done someone has to do the cleaning, now start sweeping Cute!

Next up is a height comparison, as you can see she is on the taller side of the Figma height scale, yet fits in well with the other figures.

General Play:

In general Cute is an extremely enjoyable figure and one of my favourite figures, she is easy to pose, and has loads of soft PVC parts which is great, and although she doesn't come with many accessories her holding item hands allow her to mix and match with a range of other Figma items. Cute is deffinitely a Figma with character and fashion sense, and she fits in well with the other misfit Figma's I have.

Overall Cute is an extremely enjoyable and cute figure, she has attitude and character enough to make her a wonderful addition to any Figma collection.

Enjoyment = 9/10

Over all Cute scores 8.5/10

Twelve Days of Christmas - On the Twelth Day....

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:12:00 +0000

Welcome to the final of my figures Twelve Days of Christmas Song. Now as you may know traditionally the Twelve Days of Christmas mark the twelve days after Christmas day in which the three magi or 'wise men' made their journey to the place of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, but as the days after Christmas will be busy we decided instead to bring them to you as the twelve days leading up to Christmas.

A special thanks to all those people who have been following my Twelve Days of Christmas.

So without further a due here is the twelth day, please enjoy ^.^

Twelve Days of Christmas - On the Eleventh Day....

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:40:00 +0000

To celebrate Christmas the figures have decided to create a sing along for all of you, for the following days the figures will treat you to their own version of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Now as you may know traditionally the Twelve Days of Christmas mark the twelve days after Christmas day in which the three magi or 'wise men' made their journey to the place of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, but as the days after Christmas will be busy we decided instead to bring them to you as the twelve days leading up to Christmas.

So here's the eleventh day, please enjoy ^.^

Twelve Days of Christmas - On the Tenth Day....

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:01:00 +0000

Twelve Days of Christmas - On the Ninth Day....

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:22:00 +0000

Twelve Days of Christmas - On the Eighth Day....

sara.fearon@optimisticpenguin.com (OptimisticPenguin) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:07:00 +0000