Kotobukiya has followed up their Yui Takamura figure with one of Cryska Barchenowa, one half of Total Eclipse’s Soviet duo. This is the third Cryska figure that I own and that Yui figure is the third one that I own of her, as well. When it comes to figures, it seems like these two girls plus Inia Sestina are the only ones to exist; one wonders if Stella and Cui Yifei will ever get their turn to shine. Oh, and Tarisa too, I guess. It’d be nice to see them get some love from figure makers, but for now, let’s take a look at our favorite commie mech driver.
I’ve already written posts about Alphamax’s underwear-clad Cryska and Kotobukiya’s underwear-clad Cryska so I’ll skip the lengthy character biography this time and just mention the highlights: Cryska is one of the main characters of Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse. She’s from Soviet Russia and flies an advanced combat mech (called a tactical surface fighter in the series) with her partner Inia Sestina. She’s presented as being aloof, rather homicidal, and perhaps a bit insane – which makes her a fairly standard anime love interest character. Total Eclipse’s story is continued in a visual novel, curiously released only on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 rather than on the PC. Cryska goes through some interesting times and that’s all that will be mentioned here about that.
Like her earlier figures, Kotobukiya’s Cryska is sculpted in 1/7 scale, sitting at about 12 centimeters in height and 18 centimeters in length. Like her castmate Yui, Cryska comes with a stone-themed base and some loose rocks to scatter around it if one so chooses. I put them back in the box since I’d just lose them if I left them out.
For some reason or another, very few of the Total Eclipse characters are sculpted standing up. This theme seems common to mecha pilot figures, as most of the figures of the Evangelion girls have them sitting or lying down as well. This depiction of Cryska is obviously no exception, but while I usually prefer figures that are standing upright, I really like how Cryska is posed. For one thing, I appreciate how there’s a strong sense of direction in the sculpt; the length of her limbs and her sideways gaze vector attention to her left.
Or so it would seem, except her breasts are so massive that they command attention all to themselves. Impossibly spherical and impossibly encased, it’s difficult to ignore them. I still wish that Kotobukiya had sculpted her nipples, but I suppose one can’t have everything. Regardless, they look great, and they also offer a reasonable explanation for why she’s not standing up.
Cryska’s feminine pose offers a sharp contrast to her bulky, futuristic body armor. Her narrow waist, slender limbs, and long legs are clearly evident and go a long way towards establishing Cryska’s visual appeal.
Her pilot suit also contributes significantly to her sexiness. It covers her up fully but leaves virtually nothing to the imagination (except her nipples). I think it’s pretty neat how her sternum and navel are readily visible.
Cryska’s expression is also very appealing. She looks cold and indifferent, but there is also the slightest hint of a smile on her lips, inviting and perilous. Her glance, turned into the wind, is knowing and seductive, that of a femme fatale.
The impression of danger is made considerably less abstract by her one accessory, which is some sort of commie sidearm. I left my gun nut days behind me around when I hit puberty so I’m afraid I’m not sure what sort of gun this is; however, from my experience with pop culture, any time a Soviet or Russian person holds a gun, it’s usually a Makarov or Tokarev if it’s a pistol, some sort of AK if it’s an assault rifle, and a Dragunov if it’s a sniper rifle. Doubtless somebody will come along in the comments section and identify exactly what model of firearm this is.
While getting the pistol into her hand isn’t too difficult, her left arm flexes to an unusual, even alarming degree. I was afraid that I was going to damage it while fitting the pistol into her grip.
Her posterior end is obviously not going to be visible when displayed normally, but the sculptor has done a very fine job with it. It is of a size to match her bust and the armored thong imprint of her bodysuit emphasizes the shape of her buttocks.
The rear view also shows the curvature of her back and the impression of her shoulderblades. Cryska has a really nicely-designed body.
One aspect of her design that I didn’t notice before getting this figure is that she only has one shoulderpad. Sometimes asymmetry can be very appealing but this time, I can’t help thinking it’d be better if she had a matching pauldron on her right shoulder or if it had been omitted from her design altogether. That said, I do kinda like the look of its bulky, plastic appearance against Cryska’s litheness.
Another aspect that isn’t too obvious at first is that her chinstrap seems to be a lot less obstrusive than Yui’s. It’s painted dark blue, which blends in against the collar of her suit.
Like their Yui figure from a few months ago, Kotobukiya’s Cryska is superb. I think the pose works very well, despite my usual preference for standing figures. Cryska looks very appealing reclining on one leg, but she also looks very serious and quite dangerous as well. This figure does a great job of capturing her persona and sexiness; hopefully Kotobukiya’s upcoming figures of Inia and Meiya Mitsurugi are just as good, and hopefully those aren’t the last Muv-Luv Alternative figures that they create.
For a nice review of Cryska, check out Reflective Boundary.
While Cryska’s base looks similar to Yui’s, they don’t actually fit together. Well, technically the front of Cryska’s base can fit with the back of Yui’s base, but then Cryska would be blocked from view, so that’s not a good option. Incidentally, Cryska seems to have Yui beat in terms of bust size.
Kotobukiya’s previous Cryska was also a 1/7 scale figure, but it seems a little smaller than their newer Cryska.
Certainly the newer Cryska will take up much more shelf space.
She does look wonderful, but I still can’t help but dislike her due to the source. Well, anime. I dunno about the VNs. But the anime was laughable. Great looks, appalling story. All that nationalistic angst was unbearable, and incredibly unnatural at times. They put way too much effort trying to force it at times it just didn’t belong.
Still. Pretty girls are pretty girls. Even if she has ginormoboobs. Inia was my favourite character, though, so she’s the only one I’d consider of the cast.
I like the shoot you did, though. Especially the shot with Yui, as they really fit well together. And you’re great at these post-apocalyptic type devastation/ruin/industrial wasteland type sets. Really makes figures like this shine.
Haha, I can understand that. Oftentimes I buy figures based more on visual appeal, but there are a few instances where my impression of the source is so polluted that I cannot divorce those feelings from the appeal of the figure. For instance, pretty much everything I’ve seen from Oreimo falls into that category for me.
Funny that you mention the shot with Yui; that was almost a throwaway shot. I hate shooting two figures in the same picture, and I particularly hate it when one has to go in front of the other because then I have to use Photoshop to focus-stack them. Jeebus bless Adobe’s engineers for implementing that function so well because I was shooting handheld and the frames were misaligned.
Awesome collect as usual. It’s interesting that you mention the chin strap, which is the main reason why I couldn’t bring myself to pick up the Yui Takamura figure as it is quite a bit more intrusive. If only had they sculpted Yui like Cryska’s chin strap, I would have picked her up no doubt.
As a side note, I highly encourage you to finish the series. While it’s nowhere near as epic as the original game, but the girls are pretty and it does get better near the end.
I felt the EXACT same way. Yui’s chin strap looked weird, but Cryska’s blends much more into her outfit.
I’ve heard a number of people express a dislike for the chin strap. It bothers me a little less, I think, but I wish it weren’t so pointy; I’d like it better if it actually were more of just a chin strap. I also don’t really like the pointy bits sticking out of Yui’s hips and now that I look at her, Cryska doesn’t have those, which is good.
Yeah, it’s on my list to finish; now that the character introductions are done with, I think it will be better. I just need to get past this angsty Soviet arc, since it’s really, really silly. I’m expecting that Yifei’s introduction ought to make things better; at the least, I don’t think I’m predisposed to dislike her from the start like I do with most tsundere types.
I originally held off on buying her because I don’t like her anywhere as much as I do Yui. But damn, I might have to pick Cryska up after all, I had no idea she was this shiny. Unless it just happens to be more of your fancy camerawork doing the trick.
The reason Cryska’s pauldrons are asymmetrical is because Inia has the up-armored pauldron on her right arm, to contrast Cryska’s up-armored left shoulder. However, why they do that in-universe is beyond me, beside design purposes.
She’s a little less shiny than Yui, in that the dark blue/purple parts of her suit have more of a satin or plastic look while Yui’s suit was almost uniformly glossy. The light blue parts are just as shiny, though.
Ah, you are correct, I hadn’t noticed or thought about that but it makes sense since they are a pair. I’m guessing you’re right, it’s just a design affectation. As random as it sounds, it kinda reminds me of Tomax and Xamot from GI Joe, who were twins who also mirrored some of their clothing elements.
I like Cryska a bit more than Yui as her color scheme and suit look better to me. Or maybe I just dig Soviet girls?
Her breasts are a little too melon-shaped IMO. I would have preferred them to lie a little more naturally. I do like all the things going on around her crotchal region. She’s got that symbol right on her mons pubis and another one above it… not exactly the traditional location of tramp stamps but I like it! And as you mentioned, that butt sculpt is really nice.
It could be! I have to admit that Cryska’s icy look is pretty appealing. Enormously stereotypical maybe, but then, nobody will ever accuse Total Eclipse of subtlety.
Yeah, the circular breasts are a little unnatural. Okay, extremely unnatural, particularly when I look at that Mai figure I just wrote about, who has big boobs that look like they actually have some weight and shape. I do dig the markings on her suit too, though, particularly their location; the design of the pilot suits is perhaps the very best thing about Muv-Luv Alternative.
I like your setting, a big pile of rubble.
And as we readers are called upon to identify the gun, here I am to oblige: It’s a Makarov PM (Pistolet Makarova). After the second world war had interrupted the development of a new Soviet sidearm, work was picked up again in 1945. This design of Nikolai Fjedorovic Makarov is based on a German wartime development of a special caliber (9mm Ultra) Walther PP, which was originally designed for the Luftwaffe. Anyway, it was announced the winner and adopted as the standard Soviet sidearm in 1951. It is still widely used in numerous countries as well as in the Russian armed forces, although it’s no longer their standard sidearm.
Ah, thanks very much for that. I knew someone would come through! If there are two things that I can count on, it’s that if I don’t know something about guns or Fate/stay night, someone will come along to enlighten me. Though if this were the USSR’s standard gun, I guess its history is not at all obscure (I’ve had some people tell me the most arcane things about Fate/stay night).
Sorry Yui but Cryska is 40% hotter than you ^^ The color theme reminds me of how I mixed colors for my SU 27 “Flanker” model and a little of the blue color ended in my hair as the syringe exploded ;D
I like how the bright blue accentuates all of her nice area’s, I love to look at her deep belly button and the decal below makes her quite hot. You could mistake her curvy body for protectors coming from the suit, but no it’s Cryska herself ^^ Her hips seem to be in focus next to the boobs. Like you I also would have liked a little more sexualized plug suit figure, like some nipples or more transparency here and there, but Cryska looks already super appealing with her pose and all the detailed sculpting.
The dress looks so nice, bright blue, black, purple and the different shades of silk matte and shiny finish.I would have prefered it when the glossy parts were more polished, the texture on it bothers me little, little bit.
For some reason I like the mono shoulder pad, kind of stylish.
At least I would like to see Cui Yifei and most of all Tarisa adapted as figures as well. I will part with Yui and get this Cryska, I honestly like her a lot more now XD
Haha, poor Yui … if only she weren’t such a jerk at the start of the show. I’ll be honest, I think I’m still kinda partial to Yui myself, but maybe that’s just because she’s the main girl. And also because she’s got some really great doujinshi, including one drawn by Total Eclipse’s official manga artist, where she gets chained up and sold. It’s really, really cool.
Haha, that’s hilarious; I used to enjoy building model airplanes as a kid but I really, really sucked at it, particularly the painting, since I always painted the model after assembling it rather than before, like you’re supposed to. My most vivid memory of building a model kit was when I was trimming something with an Xacto knife when I felt something weird; then I looked down and then I noticed the blade was embedded in my leg. I remember it took like five or six seconds for me to feel pain and for the bleeding to start.
Cryska’s piloting suit is really sexy; I particularly like how hers (and all the other Muv-Luv girls) have a high-cut leg style and thong back design; I think that’s really neat. I also like Cryska’s blue coloring; indeed, her colors are very similar to the colors of this website.
Aww, poor Yui XD That is so sad, they were not fated to be together on your shelf.
Greetings! I am Kelvin , Sales & Marketing Officer of E2046.com. We are an online store based in Hong Kong offering a wide range of Japanese anime resin figures since 2000.
Seeing your blog is with various anime and manga contents. Just like this review of Cryska Barchenowa, you really do a great job, it is very attractive. That’s why we would like to know if you are interested in cooperating with us. While we have an exclusive lineup of pre-painted figures, the Gathering, we would like to provide sample pictures of the kits for reviews on your site.
Should you have any enquiries, please feel free to email me on kelvin@e2046.com .
Kelvin Tam
Sales & Marketing Officer
Thanks for stopping by! I only review stuff that I personally photograph, so I do not think I can do anything with just sample pictures, but thank you for the offer.
Another very well written and awesomely photographed review. The boobs are shaped a bit too torpedo like for me but she looks great in your picks. Dig the purple hair too.
I say E2046 should hook you up with a free pre-painted statue or two for you trouble then go for it. 🙂
Ha, I will freely and happily admit that I can be bought. I’m a 21st century man, I have no integrity and my overarching priority is my own welfare and advancement. If anyone wants to give me free stuff, I will be very glad to take it. I mean, unless it sucks; I don’t know how to apply makeup, and I definitely can’t put lipstick on a pig.
This time I have to thank you for saving me some money and shelfspace because despite your usual excellent photography and some great things about this figure, including the excellent rear view, the top was a show-stopper for me, pretty much the same reason why I skipped https://www.tentaclearmada.com/2013/06/tomo-asama-from-horizon-in-the-middle-of-nowhere/
While my preferred cup range is B to C, I do appreciate small ones (think Sora no Otoshimono: Forte – Nymph) and huges ones (think Bridget or Menace) as well. So it’s not so much the size but rather the shape and lack of nipples, both probably justified by the outfit. So the top spoiled the fun of the excellent rear for me. While the face looks lovely, I still prefer Cryska UN Force Easy Jacket (http://myfigurecollection.net/item/125016)
She’s definitely pretty buxom. The odd thing is that Inia Sestina also looks like she has a really healthy rack, despite being much smaller in stature than Cryska. One seldom sees a character with a loli-type body build with such large breasts. Yeah, the shape is pretty curious, too; that kinda seems to be a Muv-Luv trademark, having unrealistically rounded breasts. I kinda like it and I kinda don’t, at the same time.
I definitely do not mind buxom and I got a fair number of figures in my collection that dig rather deep into the cup-size alphabet. It’s really more a matter of shape. In real life too fake breasts are easily spotted as they are look spheres cut into half. Real breasts, especially big ones, show the effect of gravity on the curves.
But guess what, just when I thought your review “rescued” my wallet and precious shelf and storage space, I caved in and ordered her on Mandarake at 6,340 Yen. The lower price got me off the fence because it is still a purchase “despite” the rounded breasts. However, this figure really has all the right curves in all the other places, as Dvalinn pointed out as well. To me the rear view is always the most important and she scores big time there, literally and figuratively. Nice waist and hips too and the I like the way they sculpted the navel area. So overall this figure really has a lot going for it and a 2,000+ yen savings made the decision a little easier 😉
As for the Inia Sestina of this set, larger breasts on a small body can at times be really sexy but the sculpt of this figure cannot be compared to Cryska’s. My favorite Inia Sestina is still this one: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/96904.
Well, I’m glad I was helpful in both cases XD Funny that you mention that figure of Inia; I have it sitting somewhere in my closet. Maybe I should take it out of its box one of these days.
Yup, it sure did help both ways, she got shipped today and look forward to see how she works out in reality. As for Inia, that makes two of us: I have not yet opened mine either because I have a backlog of more than 60 boxes to be opened and since the box of this one has very large windows, it is lower on the priority list. She has a lovely shaped rear and top. The curves are subtle but everything is nicely shaped in proportion. The hair and the huge gun render what would otherwise be another generic swimsuit figure into a more unique composition. Although it is not in the top favorites of my collection I am still glad I got her as I have yet to discover a better Inia figure I would trade her for.
Maybe I’ll photograph her soon; she’s one of those figures where I don’t really feel like making a special background (particularly since I can’t really think of a good special background for her), so I could do her photos pretty easily, I think. Plus I have three Cryska reviews and three Yui reviews here, but only one of Inia, so the Alphamax one plus Kotobukiya’s upcoming pilot suit one would balance it out.
I think she is being too much prostitued, like Sena from Boku wa Tomodachi, Tamaki Kosaka or even Asuna from SAO, who is getting too many figures, you should do more other figures that you think they could be interesting.
BTW, are you going to make a review of Queen’s Blade Alleyne “Swimsuit” (if it can be called like that) Version?
I like Cryska so if I had more Cryska figures to review, I’d definitely review them. The next figure I’m going to review is one that doesn’t get nearly enough figures. For sure.
If you’re talking about the Orchid Seed one, I probably will. I don’t think it’s due out until 2014, and I’ve got a backlog that exceeds a year, so I’ll probably be getting around to reviewing her sometime around 2015.
I’ve got this Cryska sitting on my desk right now, and I have to admit, I like her even better than Yui. Her face looks a smidge better, her QC is improved (on mine, anyway) and her overall colour scheme fits even more. And yeah, chin strap isn’t as noticeable (though it doesn’t bother me as much as some people). Her boobs do look a little silly, but to counterbalance that she’s got quite some junk in the trunk and I love how shiny she is. Definitely one of the finest figures I’ve gotten so far this year.
Didn’t use the rocks myself either. They fit nicely next to Yui, but with Cryska they fall off way more easily and quite frankly, there’s no room for them. Cryska takes up pretty much all the space on the base. Now I wonder where to put her on the shelf, since she’s a spacehog.
Speaking of doujinshi, Type-G made one of her and Inia too (though less dark, sadly enough). Gotta love it when official artists make that stuff. Wish there was more of her though.
Yeah, I really like Cryska a lot, as well as Yui; being that we’re well over halfway through 2013, I was thinking which figures I’d put on my usual year-end list and both of these figures are high in my personal rankings. It’s going to be a tough decision for me to figure out which one I like more.
Type-G appear to be fans of Muv-Luv and Nanoha; I have absolutely no problem with this. The Inia and Cryska doujinshi was a sweet book XD I have to admit, as much as I like the darker, more sordid books, seeing them together like that was pretty cute. Yui, though, Yui looks pretty good chained up.
Recently received my Cryska from the comic store I ordered it through, along with the Yui earlier. Shinny suits are always a plus, and there is plenty of fan-service niceness in the two figures, but the lack of the ‘torpedo detonators’ is still a bit of a letdown. Isn’t there supposed to be an Inia Sestina that goes with this Cryska and Yui? If so; will you be getting an reviewing it as well? For favorites; I like Yui. For the series… the ‘lost on an island three miles from base’ arc killed it for me, I’ve never been able to go back and watch the rest of the series, even though (I think,) a certain other blue-haired rich-girl character I also like may show up. As far as the artist of the Yui doujin you spoke about; did you mean Ukyou Takao?
Yeah, I think the figure would look perfect with perky nipples. Even though her breasts are enormous, they somehow seem incomplete without them. There is indeed an Inia figure that will go with Yui and Cryska, and I have indeed ordered it. (I’ve got another Inia figure – the Alphamax one with the swimsuit and the big-ass rifle – that I guess I should review at some point.)
Haha, I actually thought the rainy island part was kinda cute XD Though to be honest, that was partly because the second intro – after the really bloody and engaging first intro – was pretty bad, and then the whole Soviet part later on was where I gave up. Compared to that, Survivor Island looked like a fun place to be.
The doujinshi I mentioned was drawn by Takashi Ishigaki of Type-G (NSFW link). You can see the cover over on the left-hand sidebar. There’s an English language translation that’s not too hard to find; it’s fun stuff. I would’ve preferred a different ending, though.
Sorry for bugging you, but one more question about that doujinshi. I assume you’re not talking about the amazon link in the left-hand sidebar. Now (Two and a half weeks later) there is no picture that seems in any way related to Muv-Luv or any of its characters except for that amazon link.
Anyway, I think I caught a glimpse of the cover in question at the time, and I even found it on Mandarake. But you’re talking about an English translation “that’s not too hard to find.” Now comes the bugging part: Please give me a hint where to find that English version, because while I guess I’d be happy just looking at the pictures, I still would be more comfortable when I could read what’s going on. Is this available in print anyway or would I have to search online?
I shall give you the slightest, smallest, most subtle hint: search for “english ouka chiru” and you shall find what you seek.
Thanks for that. I’ve found it, and then some (In the true sense of the word) Jeez o_O
Meanwhile I got Cryska. Mandarake’s item and box were as good as new. In fact I often receive new boxes in worse condition than this one. No regrets getting her, especially at this price. The breast are less of an issue than I feared. In fact they do have (very) subtly defined nipple areas in a sense that they are not perfectly rounded in the nipple areas. I noticed it on your review but was not sure it were not just reflections.
There is however a major sculpting issue that, while visible in your review, I only noticed when seeing the actual figure. Instead of explaining what I mean, I added arrows on your picture in this picture: http://www.granalcazar.com/pix/cryska.jpg
That is what I call sloppy sculpting. The really should have rounded that area a bit. Makes me want to file that area myself and repaint the area, should be doable, but perhaps in a next life though… Despite this issue, I would still buy this lovely figure.
Ah, yes, I see that now. I hadn’t noticed it back then. That’s not too surprising though, I guess; I’ve seen other figures with that issue. In fact, one of them was a Kotobukiya figure; I was looking at this review the other week that made mention of this very thing. I guess it doesn’t bug me too much but it definitely is pretty sloppy.
Agree, it is not a show-stopper but the sculptor could have done better. Now that I like this one so much, I did what I said I would never do and I just bought: https://www.tentaclearmada.com/2013/06/tomo-asama-from-horizon-in-the-middle-of-nowhere/
Never say never when it comes to anime figures 😉
Plamoya had a good deal for 5,332 Yen only or 6,776 including SAL shipping after using my 5% re-order coupon.
Good advice indeed; long ago, I told myself I didn’t like bunny ears, and now I’ve got a bunch of FREEing’s bunnygirl figures and I’m looking forward to the one of Eucliwood.
I was a little bit surprised that Tomo got a discount, but I guess I shouldn’t be; it seems like a lot of figures made by GSC or their partner companies make their way to the bargain bin if they don’t sell out immediately. I’m still a little bit surprised that that one big Madoka figure is still stuck in the discount pile at Amiami; I thought that one was sure to sell out quickly.
Oh, bunnies, that’s a very big threshold for me. I am now at 124 figures and still no bunny. The ears are less of an issue, its’ really the tail that spoils the rear view for me. But sooner or later I will end up with a bunny, but just like I already ended up with maids, nurses, uniforms, it will be despite the bunny outfit, not because of the outfit. I can understand there is a fetish element to those things for a lot of people but for me it makes no difference. I have to like the face and the body shape of the figure.
Agree the Tomo was a surprise and the thing that (combined with seeing Cryska for real), got me off the fence to get her. Hard to predict which figures will be popular. For instance for a variety of reasons I am extremely happy with this purchase: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/144503 but only 2 owners at MFC. It’s a very well scuplted figure with high quality finish all the way to the table and lamp with batteries. Then I had to scramble for a pre-order of http://myfigurecollection.net/item/153069 which sold out within days of the pre-release announcement.
Which Madoka figure are you referring to?
Kaitendoh/Lechery seems to be one of those companies that still hasn’t gotten much of a fanbase. It probably doesn’t help that a lot of their figures are ero in nature; me, I’m looking forward to that one figure of the twintailed girl sitting on the can. I would not be surprised if I’m the only person on the internet to do a review of it. In contrast, everybody loves Daisy, and I think that might be the figure I am most looking forward to now.
I’m referring to the one with the bow and arrow … uhh, her powered-up form, I guess. At least, I think that’s what it is. I think it’s actually the most popular figure on Tsuki-board so it’s linked right on the front page.
Oh yes, that Madoka figure is massively popular, 2000+ owners on Tsuki-board. I must be blind because I never saw it on amiami’s discount pile and I visit that often. However, not my cup of tea. When it comes to winged figures I also prefer Peace Keeper Daisy and am looking forward too my pre-order. Other winged favorites in my collection are Black Tinkerbell, Tenshi, Succubus Sylvia, and Nasca.
For some strange reasons a lot of people on Tsuki-board have an axe to grind with Kaitendoh/Lechery. Personally, I really like the design and quality of the stuff they make. Now for me, a lot of their figures being ero in nature *does* help 😉 As mentioned before all their accessories are very detailed and of high quality. OK, there are sometimes quality issues here and there but the same can be said about most other companies, e.g. my recent alphamax figure required one hour of sanding rework, see my comment here http://myfigurecollection.net/item/137123
I prefer the look and feel of the candy-resin over pvc and the fact the arms are attached with magnets. Maybe they made some bad stuff long time ago but what I have is excellent stuff both in the sculpting, design and implementation. Right now I got seven of them and many are top favorites in my collection: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/70390 (a very big favorite), http://myfigurecollection.net/item/27740 (amazing figure despite some minor quality issues) http://myfigurecollection.net/item/95614 (lovely despite the panties covering something “square” (making you wonder if the sculptor has ever been with a real woman?) but her rear view more than compensates for that), http://myfigurecollection.net/item/61835, http://myfigurecollection.net/item/129513, http://myfigurecollection.net/item/139402, http://myfigurecollection.net/item/144503
Yeah, that Madoka is hugely popular, though I didn’t know it was quite that many. It appears to have finally sold out just recently, though I would guess it’ll be available on Mandarake and other secondary sources for a while. My favorite winged figure is extremely easy to guess, particularly since I only have a few figures with wings; off the top of my head, I think I only have four.
It’s a little odd how people will avoid manufacturers; I guess I understand it, since I typically stay away from Griffon figures, but I’d definitely be willing to give them another look if my concerns about them were allayed. But I’ve seen a lot of people offer justifications for avoiding companies like Yamato (back when they were around, anyway) and Daiki Kougyou, and that’s nearly impossible to do because both of those companies are wildly inconsistent. (Good Smile Company isn’t exactly a model of consistency, either.)
Ahh, that Golden Darkness figure sounds quite problematic; I’ve never been brave enough to sand down a defect, or even to use one of those Magic Eraser cleaning sponges. Usually I just try to forget about it, but that’s pretty hard to do, even with figures that I wouldn’t put in my favorites.
I’ve only got a couple of their figures, and none under their Lechery brand name, so I can’t really give my own assessment. Their older Tamaki figure is not that great, but it was their first figure so I suppose that can be forgiven. I really do like their Nurse Miyuu figure a lot, though. Aside from the naked girl on the toilet, I’m also looking forward to Kaitendoh’s Rias Gremory figure; I can’t say it’s perfect, but the face seems to be closest to the anime style of any High School DxD figure I’ve yet seen.
Just discovered two more winged figures: Sora no Otoshimono – Forte – Nymph (I bought that not for the wings but(t) for a much more obvious reason ;-)) and Sora no Otoshimono – Astraea.
You hit the nail when talking about “consistency”. There is the consistency of a manufacturer across different figures, i.e. one figure compared to another, and there is the production consistency of a particular figure, i.e. the difference between the worst and best production output of a particular figure, e.g. like I was unlucky with Golden Darkness. So I guess people who start off with a bad figure or a bad production output of a generally good figure stay away from those manufacturers in the future. Based on my experience, having bought from a very wide range of manufacturers, there is a fair amount of luck needed and it is not a good idea to jump to conclusions based on just one or two figures or on what others write. The key thing is that they are all made in China nowadays where the variance in production quality is higher than in Japan. I have an extensive range of tools, sandpaper, chemicals, paints, glues, and fillers to improve my figures which in itself a fun aspect of this hobby, especially if the result is better than before you started, which is unfortunately not always the case 😉
Sanding is always a last resort solution and very find grade should b used typically 1000 or higher, sometimes 800 if more material needs to be removed. With Golden Darkness I was fortunate to have a perfect result because there was no (hard to restore) skin shading in that area. With To Heart 2 Another Days – HMX-17c Silfa from Kotobukiya I was less lucky because I had to sand away a rather deep dimple in the thigh that was caused by someone partially sanding away a embedded black particle in the production. As a result I had do sand away quite a bit and all the paint and shading on the leg was gone. Restoring that is a challenge. With Orchid Seed’s Ameri Kawai I was lucky again, a mysterious 6mm diamerter dark red stain in the cleavage area which was impossible to remove with any chemical or rubbing, definitely not point. I was afraid this was going to be a deep under the surface stain like Reiko (about which we corresponded before), but fortunately, very minor sanding with 1500mm sandpaper made it completely disappear! So we got Alphamax, OrchidSeed, and Kotobukiya, each with a problem. But most of their other figures were fine.
If you are referring to the upcoming Rias Gremory pole dancer, I love her face and the hair but I am still hesitant overall. It’s not “And then there are figures that I know I’m going to buy and nothing is going to stop me.” kind of figures you mentioned in your Metatron review: https://www.tentaclearmada.com/2009/05/metatron-from-demonbane/. Metatron on the contrary, is one such figure, which is why, after reading your review I bought one today. Had not seen that figure until today for some reason.
Ah, yes, I forgot about Nymph and Ikaros; I guess I have eight figures with wings, then.
Yeah, that’s pretty much why I am hesitant to buy Griffon’s figures; I bought one of their earliest figures and was quite disappointed; I bought a few more of their figures and didn’t see much improvement. That said, I do really like their swimsuit maid Sasara figure.
I’ve also noticed that people seem to be easily persuaded by anecdotal remarks. There was once a post by this guy who runs a reasonably well-known website who remarked that he didn’t think Yamato’s Ringo didn’t look as good as the prototype; a bunch of people expressed agreement (to be fair, there were differences, although they did not affect my opinion of the figure), and then a bunch of his sycophantic followers started claiming that the figure sucked and then people started claiming that Yamato sucked. Stuff like that is pretty depressing to read. It’s why I don’t really read the user comments on Tsuki-board unless I’m looking for specific information.
That sounds like a very useful skill to have; hopefully it’s not one that is needed very often but I know how even a seemingly minor imperfection or flaw can drive one crazy. One of my Inia Sestina figures (by Kotobukiya, interesting how often they are coming up in this discussion) has this little red speck on her leg; I did not notice it for a long time but when I did, I could not stop looking at it, and whenever I see the figure, it’s one of the things I can’t help but think about. I know I have some fine sandpaper somewhere here, for a polishing project that I never finished; maybe I’ll see if I can fix it.
Metatron is still one of my favorite figures; in fact, I’d say it’s my second favorite Alter figure. I put many of my newer figures on my desk and they eventually get moved to a shelf when I get tired of looking at them, but Metatron has always been on my desk.
Indeed scary how one negative post can escalate into a fire that can inflict a lot of damage to the perception of a figure or even a brand. I do read what people write, just to be sure I am not overlooking something major but in general if I like a figure, I just get it regardless what others think. For some figures I am the only owner (like this gem I found: http://myfigurecollection.net/picture/789113&ref=user%3Aloveanime) on Tsuki-board, which in itself feels good ;-).
Being a perfectionist I agree that a minor imperfection or flaw can drive one crazy. However, I have learned to appreciate a figure because of the things I like about it rather than focusing on the flaws. Nevertheless, given my passion for restoring and repairing things (not just figures) I will usually attempt to remove the flaw unless experience tells me the issue is best left untouched because the risk of turning a small flaw into a major flaw (happened before!) is too high.
Inia keeps reappearing indeed ;-), still have to open up mine. If you send me a macro picture of that speck I could probably advise on the best course of action. A red speck is strange as there is no red paint on that figure. However I got a few figures with “foreign” color specs too. If it is paint, my first attempt is a cotton swab with rubbing alcohol. This can really require a lot of rubbing before it goes away and can lead to a glossy patch. A bit more aggressive approach is to assist the process with the tip of a bamboo skewer but this may lead to minor scratches. Both the glossy patch or minor scratches can be worked away with very slight rubbing of grade 1,000 or 1,500 sandpaper. If this does not work you can just use 1,000 or 1,500 sandpaper. If 1,500 is too glossy, then use 1,000 for a more matte finish matching the rest of the figure. Almost no pressure should be applied to the sandpaper to avoid scratches. One word of caution: all these methods will affect any shading and that is very difficult to restore. So if the stain is for instance in the middle of a thigh that is not coated with any paint, it usually works well. If it is closer to for instance the panty line where typically a paint gradient is applied on the PVC, any sanding will create a patch in that gradient. I got several ways to restore that but it is tricky, time consuming and requires skill and experience. Never perform any of the above on a cold cast figure because those are painted. The above approaches are for the unpainted areas of PVC figures only.
I do have about 11 Griffons, some of them were “rookie” purchases when I just started collecting which I would not buy again today. Although Griffon is not my favorite brand (and is certainly in a different league from say Alter, Orchidseed, or Native), I am still happy with several of Griffon figures such as http://myfigurecollection.net/picture/790789&ref=item%3A99091 and especially http://myfigurecollection.net/picture/790789&ref=user%3Aloveanime which is a really sexy sculpt especially in cast off mode.
Look forward to Metatron, one of those figures with a very short time lag between first seeing her and buying her.
Oops two times the same link at the end, the first link was supposed to be http://myfigurecollection.net/item/115219.
Yeah, it was a depressing episode, though it happened about five or six years ago, back when the figure collecting community was smaller and, I think, a little more centralized, since there was no Tsuki-board or Tumblr and the people who used Facebook were mostly college kids. I tend to follow the same philosophy when it comes to purchasing stuff; I seem to be one of the few people who likes Giga Pulse figures and Yamato/Arcadia/Azone dolls with painted eyes.
Ah, yes, I remember that barbarian Sasara; I did think about getting the figure since I really like that costume on her. She doesn’t look all that bad, now that I look at her again. I do hope they’ll go away from those bases with the nameplate, though.
Here is that peculiar dot on Inia:
I’m really not sure what that dot is. The first thing I tried was rubbing it with some isopropyl alcohol, but that didn’t work. I’ve never seen that kind of fluorescent red dot on a figure before. Maybe I might try using a Magic Eraser.
Have yet to get a Giga Pulse figure but we seem to have similar tastes as you have about 25% of what I have in my collection.
Agree on the base, but other than that, Sasara is really nicely sculpted especially if you take off the top and she is not expensive.
By the way, the Inia I have been talking about all along was http://myfigurecollection.net/item/96904.
Probably fluorescent red dot is from another figure being made in the same factory. I would need an even closer shot to be sure but it looks like it’s on the surface and not embedded in the PVC. Upon closer inspection there also seems to be a typical “Grade 100” sandpaper scratch from the factory. I notice that often on figures, when there is a black speck or something. I suspect when they spot a stain in the factory they use some (super coarse !) sandpaper in the hope that it will go a way and if it does not go away very quickly, they just move onto the next figure, mass production. Either way you end up with an unsightly scratch, I have quite a few figures which needed to be touched up because of that. So it seems you ended up with a speckle AND a scratch… It looks like the figure has very little shading so I would using grade 1000 sandpaper. Usually I cut a 1/2 inch x 1 inch rectangular piece an curl up the 1/2 inch side and let the front end of the 1 inch long strip touch the spot, while holding the back end. The curl ensures you are only sanding the speckle area. Holding it on one end ensures very subtle pressure. Do this very carefully and use a magnifying glass. I got one that watchmakers use that can be worn on the head and has a lamp.
One non-destructive thing you could try before sanding is using water based paint and mix it to the right color and apply it with a toothpick over the stain and flatten it with your finger while it is still not dry. Often this is just enough to make it not noticeable unless you really know it’s there and pay attention. I mean a fluorescent spot will always draw attention. But once covered you tend not to notice it after a while. This may the recommended approach here because although from the picture there does not seem to be much shading, in reality there may be some paint gradient on the figure as you are very close to the edge of the stockings. If you sand there, touching up the gradient is tricky.
Yeah, I have that Inia figure as well, somewhere around here. Someday I will have to remember to take it out of its box and photograph it.
Ah, thanks for all that; I recently found that my Rana Linchen figure has some very unsightly marks and if I want to fix it, I guess I’m going to have to figure out a course of action. To be honest, I don’t know that I trust myself when it comes to sanding, so maybe I’ll try practicing on an unwanted figure first. I have tried painting over paint defects, though; I had a figure that had a black speck on its face. I found it hard to match the skin tone, though, and I found it hard to get a good paint consistency where the color would fully cover up the blemish, but not be so thick as to leave a noticeable bump. I think I might take your advice on Inia, though, since the mark is on her leg and I think that a paint touchup would be less noticeable.
I am fortunate to be gifted with an ability to blend colors with ease to match any desired color. Just get a cheap set of water based paint and soon you will get the hang of blending the right colors. It is best to mix very small quantities and for skin tones it is mostly white paint with very minor quantities of yellow, pink, brown, and red. To even out the pint just give the spot a gentle tap/wipe with your fingers and let it dry. Then a second or third round should give full coverage. It’s really more art than science. The nice thing about water based paints is that it is perfectly reversible so you can always restart if your are not happy with the result.
It is also much safer than sanding for sure.
Yeah, that was my experience as well; it was mostly trial and error. At least the paint I used was easy to remove with alcohol when I screwed up. It certainly does sound less nerve-wracking than sanding.
Today I tried something new with a pre-owned Tsundero Yoshii Yuka. She had a lot of paint transfer on her breasts from the red scarf which was impossible to remove with rubbing alcohol. So I tried Mr. Color Thinner 110 and it worked perfectly, she looks brand new now! In addition it does not create shiny patches which rubbing alcohol sometimes produces. However, be extremely careful with thinner, what works for Yoshii Yuka may not work for other figures, so test first in safe areas like the neck or so and stay away from any skin shading as thinner is likely to interfere with that.
Yeah, I found that out the hard way myself. I noticed my Max Factory Kureha figure (the swimsuit one) had an odd light patch on the back of her head. I thought it might’ve been paint transfer from somewhere, so I rubbed it with some rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip, and then I noticed I was rubbing paint right off of her head. Oh well. At least you can’t normally see it.
Rubbing alcohol and especially thinner are very risky if you want to remove paint transfer on a painted surface (as opposed to unpainted pvc), I’ve had my “cold sweat” moments too, all part of the learning curve.
If you are talking this Kureha http://myfigurecollection.net/item/31443, I incidentally ordered that one last week! She is very shapely (and little bit of a curve in her tummy too) but, as others also commented, they could have given her a curvier rear view.
Yep, that’s the Kureha I’m talking about; very nice figure, one that I like more now than I did back when I got it.
I hope Fikatsia ‘Mother Russia’ Latrova at least got a figure. Of all the girls in Muv Luv the one I like are Yui, Cryska, Meiya, Fikatsia and Mitsuki.
Erp, overlooked this comment. It’d be really nice if more of the Muv-Luv girls got figures, but it looks like only the main characters are going to be so honored. Personally, I think a Lilia figure could be pretty cute.
Where can i buy this figure i cant seem to find it anyware at all
You should be able to find her pre-owned from time to time on amiami.com. I just checked and there is one, and they even still have her new.
Assuming you’re in the US, she’s available at a ton of stores. She’s for sale at Amazon, for instance.
Well; I suppose Inia’s out now; (at least, mine arrived at the store where I ordered it…)
Looking through the new Previews Magazine…
Are you going to pick up the fourth release; Kagami Sumika?
She is! I have Inia’s box right here, next to me, actually. Yeah, I’ll probably order Sumika too; Meiya came out pretty nicely so I’m sure Sumika will look just as good as her and the Total Eclipse characters.