Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS (Summer Holiday Version)

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

As reliable as death and taxes is Alter’s proclivity for making figures of characters from the Nanoha series. This one was a bit surprising though, as it appeared that they had wrapped up the StrikerS series with Vivio a couple of years ago. It seemed likely that they would begin adapting the new designs from the upcoming movie but contrary to that expectation, they’re going back to StrikerS. Not that I have a problem with that since I feel kinda dirty every time I look at my loli Fate figures.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

Like many figures, this version of Nanoha is based off of an illustration. A few obvious changes have been made; most noticeably, her right arm is now raised up, giving the figure a slightly more dynamic feel, and the position of her head has been changed, which gives the figure a more perceptible sense of engagement with the viewer.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

Like most of Alter’s recent figures from the Nanoha franchise, Nanoha is 1/7 scale. However, she appears quite large, being about 23 centimeters in height, and could reasonably be considered 1/6 scale. She’s ready for display right out of the box with no additional effort or fuss necessary. The gray wall that she’s sitting on can mount to an additional circular plastic base; I don’t really think that it is necessary as the wall seems stable enough by itself, but for those who want an added measure of security at the cost of shelf space, it’s there for you.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

To be honest, at first I wasn’t particularly excited about this figure. Neither swimsuit figures nor figures of the Nanoha characters are in short supply, and both categories are reasonably well represented in my collection – though oddly, this is the first adult Nanoha figure that I own. That was one of the reasons I ordered it; I don’t have anything against the characters as lolis, but I prefer their adult designs. I was surprised and pleased that Alter decided to make a figure of grown-up and filled-out Nanoha rather than a counterpart to the Fate figure they released late last year, though I have to admit that I might’ve gotten a loli Nanoha swimsuit figure if they made one, being that the Fate figure looks a bit like a lonely orphan on my shelf.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

However, being able to see the figure in person, I’m quite happy with it. I’m very pleased with its size; I’m always a fan of larger figures, and Nanoha’s larger-than-expected size is a definite plus. It also portends good things for Alter’s upcoming Fate figure, which is listed as being a solid 27 centimeters tall.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

Nanoha’s face – dominated by her expressive eyes – is also very pretty, and her sunny disposition perfectly complements the breezy, balmy feel of this figure. Her sideways glance and gentle smile project a sense of friendly, flirty affability – all appropriate things for perhaps the most accomplished and dedicated friend-maker in anime.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

As expected of an Alter figure, Nanoha’s body sculpt is superb, veritably exuding sex appeal. Unlike some swimsuit figures, her body build is not particularly stylized – her stomach is toned but not overly so, and indeed, there’s a slight suggestion of tummy fat that, as it did with Max Factory’s Tamaki Kousaka, gives her body a softer look. Nanoha’s breasts are large but not unbelievably so, and they are sculpted in a realistic manner, with her bikini top looking as if it’s actually supporting them. Her narrow waist – again, not unreasonably so – accentuates her broad hips, which is one of my favorite aspects of this figure. Also sexy is the way Nanoha’s low-rise bikini reveals the arc of her hipbones.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

Speaking of her swimsuit, Nanoha’s bikini has a sporty look that makes for a very nice change from the solid-color suits featured by most figures of this type. She’s also wearing a cute short-sleeve hoody, the garment of choice of chavs, protestors, and now magical girls, it seems – though Alter’s upcoming Fate figure does not wear one despite doing so in the illustration.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Str ikerS Figure Review

Another nice aspect of this figure is the contrast between the movement of her side ponytail and hair ribbon and her relaxed pose. As with Alter’s other Nanoha figures, her hair is sculpted particularly nicely, with individual tendrils of hair whipping out behind her.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

One odd thing: her face looks a bit flat when viewed from the side.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

Another odd thing: her buttocks are flattened out in this manner so that she can comfortably perch on the wall. It keeps her stable, but it does mean that some creativity and imagination will be required if one wishes to put her on an alternate base.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

I’m surprised by how much I like this figure. Nanoha is very sexy and that’s always a good thing, but she also has an attractive and pleasing look that reminds one of sun-drenched warmth, of gentle ocean surf and halcyon, idle, and idyllic days. This is a great-looking figure and I’m quite happy to own it, and also quite looking forward to Fate – despite some misgivings regarding a particular aspect of her sculpt. However, the unpainted sample shown at the recent MegaHobby show seems to have undergone revision in the objectionable area, and one can hope that the issue is thus settled.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review
Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review

Here’s a size comparison between adult Nanoha and loli Fate. The scale sizes look accurate, though the giant anime-style heads skew the perception a bit.

Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review
Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review
Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review
Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review
Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review
Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review
Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS Figure Review
This entry was posted in Figure Review and tagged , , , , , , .

32 Responses to Nanoha Takamachi from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS (Summer Holiday Version)

  1. Asa says:

    She really is gorgeous, and I love the way you’ve lit the shoot, giving it a very sunny outdoorsy feeling suited to such a figure (as opposed to many of your usual dungeony sort of shoots).

    I really want a 1/7 Nanoha to go with my Fate, but I can’t bring myself to buy a weaponless version. Unfortunately the Exceed figure is worth quite a lot, when it rarely sells. The others can all be picked up at reasonable prices, but nobody seems to let go of Nanoha.

    While her squared butt is a tad odd, it really works well with her on the provided wall, and makes her look very natural (highlighted in pic 12 here, realistic squish).

    She’s quite a stunning figure, and if she had weapons or were kemono I’d have ordered her without hesitation, but I can’t bring myself to break my collecting rules for her.

    • TomTheCat says:

      Asa, take a look into the Dragon product range. Dragon were (and still are) originally makers of plastic model kits, but have expanded their ranges to completed models and 1/6 soldier figures, among others.

      To equip these 1/6 figures, there are loads of weapons available. Most are World War II vintage, but weapons non the less. If this Nanoha figure is rather large for 1/7, a 1/6 Dragon gun would look pretty good leaning on the wall beside her, I daresay.

      However, if you insist that a weapon come originally with your figures, it is your loss 😉

    • Tier says:

      I can’t say I was not tempted to put her in front of that stained red wall and wood floor that I use so often. Though that’s due in large part to its ease of setup versus something like this, which was much more of a pain in the butt than I thought it’d be (admittedly, that’s because I didn’t spend enough time thinking about it).

      Hopefully Alter will move on to Force and make a figure of Nanoha with her capital ship armament. A new Fate would be good too, though I don’t know if her character design changed other than her new ponytail.

  2. Wieselhead says:

    Oh it’s Milf Nanoha ;D
    I like loli Nanoha the most to be honest, but this figure adaption of her older self looks super nice, I especially love how the face has turned out. The eyes and the mouth shows so much expression. I also like her body proportions stomach and hips turned in a very attractive way.
    I can’t help myself, the boobs look strange inside her bikini top, kind of long and saggy.

    With the hoodie jacket and the striped bikini this swimsuit figure looks more dynamic than most other ones, it’s has a somewhat active and casual appearance.

    Great pictures again 05, 12 and 21 would be my personal favorites.

    ALTER has flattened her buttocks, these monsters XD
    Well, It is not that tragic albeit it’s a little sad for friends of the female butt.

    • Tier says:

      Mommy Nanoha! I wonder if they’ll bother making a Vivio, being that their other two Vivios seem to not have sold that well. Particularly the Sankt Kaiser one. Well, it evidently didn’t sell that well at full price, anyway.

      Aww man, I like the realistic look of her breasts XD Not that I have anything at all against the antigravity properties that the chests of most female anime characters have, but it’s nice to see a relatively realistic-looking bust on an anime figure once in a while, I think.

      Yeah, I was pretty surprised that they leveled off her butt, though it makes sense for keeping her stable. I’ve got that BEAT Tamaki Kousaka figure that’s also leaning up against furniture, and she fell over all the time since she’s not sculpted to be stable.

      • Wieselhead says:

        Well, a Vivio like this would definitely be cute, but since they already Altered) Fate from this illustration, I doubt that she will be made.
        I hope Im wrong with this assumption 😉

        Haha I didn’t want to appear like the enemy of real boobs here XD
        Maybe it was just the angle or the design of her bikini top that gave me the impression that something was odd, or I just missed some underboob. Anyway it is a very nice figure of adult Nanoha overall =)

        • Tier says:

          Swimsuit Vivio would be cute. Maybe Gift can make a 1/4 scale Vivio to go with loli Nanoha; it’d be all kinds of wrong but it’d look so right.

          Haha, it is all good XD I’ve noticed a lot of people who watch anime have a fetish for exact breast sizes. Me though, it’s all good to me, as long as they’re not super-gigantic.

  3. Halbred says:

    Wow, she’s gorgeous. I’ve been interested in Nanoha since she was announced due in large part to her bizarrely realistic body sculpt. I didn’t even realize she’d been released! Good to see such a positive review of her–should I ever come across Nanoha I’ll be unable to turn her down. Also nice to see she’s fairly large. I’m trying to avoid buying 1/8th-scale girls now because they just don’t gel with the rest of my collection.

    Case in point: my very first figure, the BOME Kasumi (from Dead or Alive) is somewhere between 1/8th and 1/7th scale. There is just no place for her anymore on my “figure shelf.” She is overshadowed by everyone around her, including, most obviously, my more recent acquisition: Satellizer el Bridget, my first 1/4th-scale girl (LOVE IT). My temporary solution is to segregate my few 1/8th-scale girls from everyone else in a different room. I really need to get some wall shelves: right now ALL my girls are wedged together on top of my dresser, and I’m quickly running out of real estate.

    • Tier says:

      Good to hear that you tracked down Satellizer! I’m kinda wishing I’d bought Ingrid to pair them up, even though I have no place to put them. 1/4 truly is a great scale size, although they really tower over 1/8 scale figures (so to speak, in Satellizer’s case).

  4. TomTheCat says:

    Looking at these pictures is to the eyes like listening to the Beatles’ “Good Day Sunshine” is to the ears. Try it and feel the summer…

    • Tier says:

      Indeed! Actually though, you know what songs I hear? I hear Mariah Carey’s first album, which is what I was listening to the last time I went to a beach, which was, uhh … about twenty years ago. It’s been a while.

  5. Aaron says:

    OMG, this figure is beautiful. I cannot stand Fate Testarossa’s design, but I like Nanoha and I think only this version (so…StrikerS…Adult?). I don’t know anything about the anime so forgive my ignorance.

    I like just about everything about her, her smile, her pose, her breasts. I especially like her hips butt, crotch area and tummy, her bikini design, and her hoodie. The only things I don’t care for are her sandals, which look kind of flat compared to the rest of the figure, and the butt cutouts, which are fine if she is sitting on her shelf, but I would have rather seen the shelf fitted to her butt.

    You also took some beautiful pictures of her. She looks great. I think it would have been nice to have an ocean/air background though. Right now she looks like she is on a skyscraper, which is kind of weird for the swimsuit, but still fits because of the flowing motion of the hoodie and hair.

    I may look around for this figure, just because it is so nice.

    • Tier says:

      OMG hating on Fate ;_; I should post pictures of my big-ass Fate doll. Though I probably ought to comb her hair first. And figure out where I put her shoes.

      Yeah, StrikerS takes place when Nanoha and Fate are adults; I think they’re 19 years old in that series, versus 9 years old in the original series.

      I was a bit surprised that they didn’t modify the wall to conform to her, as you say; I remember Native’s Kotone Ousaka figure took that approach, where her desk had a butt-shaped cutout so that she wouldn’t fall off of it. Nanoha’s flattened posterior is mostly obscured, but there’s just something weird about knowing that that’s the way it is, even if you can’t see it.

      At the risk of sounding snarky, constructing an ocean on my desk is well beyond my capabilities. I was aiming for something like the original art, which showed her in an area elevated above the beach, so I was thinking of placing her in some kind of overlook. I originally planned something more elaborate, but then the Celtics/Heat series went seven games and I didn’t have the time to build anything complicated. Using a printed background pretty much dictated that even attempting to build a beach was impossible, because whenever I use a sky picture as a background, I always hide the horizon; I don’t have enough depth on my computer desk to make the horizon convincingly realistic, so I avoid it altogether.

      • Aaron says:

        I was thinking more along the lines of using a background more like this. I didn’t mean construct a beach and ocean…just use an image of one. That way you wouldn’t have to construct anything more than what you had. Granted finding the correct picture and probably even setup angle would have taken some time, but I think it would have worked based off of what I have seen in your reviews/photos.

        http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2×4662121/ocean_and_sky_with_low_cumulus_clouds_u14231281.jpg

        • Tier says:

          Yeah, it wouldn’t have worked; I don’t have enough space available to make it look realistic. I only have about two feet of depth available, and at that distance any printed backdrop with a visible horizon is going to look completely fake. I could possibly improve its look with a very fast wide-angle lens and a lot of Photoshopping, but I don’t own one and I’m not sure that additional Photoshopping wouldn’t just make it look more fake, particularly since I’m not really a Photoshop expert.

  6. Wow, Nanoha came out much nicer than anticipated. I was tempted to get this one myself. I’ve always felt bad for having Alter’s old Fate figure but absolutely no Nanoha to go with her. I was tempted to get this one (and the upcoming matching Fate) but ended up passing since I don’t have the budget or space for many figures anymore. What a pity!

    I do like that they gave Nanoha a bit of pudge on her belly. It’s silly seeing all these rail-thin anime girls with gigantic knockers and meaty booties. Nanoha’s more plausible body sculpt is a welcomed change.

    • Tier says:

      Aww; yeah, I’m wondering how I’m going to make space for all the figures I’ve got on order for this year. I keep talking about pawning off old, unwanted figures but I’m going to have to actually do it pretty soon. At least I’ve taken some steps towards selling them; I’ve boxed up about a dozen figures that I would like to sell.

      Yeah, I really love Nanoha’s sculpt; the more realistic look with just a bit of stomach definition, the realistic breasts, and particularly the wide hips looks fantastic, I think. Not that I dislike idealized, stylized anime character designs, but it’s nice to see something like this every once in a while.

  7. motaku96 says:

    Oooh~ You got her! I’ll be getting her myself in a few weeks. Really looking forward to it. Already pegging her as one of my favorite figures.

    • Tier says:

      It’s a great figure! Hope you get yours soon. I’m kinda surprised she seems to have sold well, since I didn’t sense a ton of excitement for this figure (versus, oh, something like God Madoka, which I need to make a buying decision on in the next four or five hours, it seems).

  8. nagisa says:

    Congrats on your first adult nanoha figure (And for me anyway). And mine’s still on the way. Can’t wait how much customs will rape me for this, ouch. I guess this figure’s aura is relaxing, just like her loli uniform version. Despite of the lack of hype, a lot of people seems to like it. It crossed the fine line between anime and reality on this one, something that the 1/4 figs seemed not to get right somehow due to the face.The God Madoka figure sure is the most hyped figure of the year. Add a commercial and a building sized poster, yeah you will surely get a lot of attention, not to mention the sheer popularity of the anime. So are you gonna take a “wide” bite? And lastly, I guess they finalized fate’s unchartered territory in a better way, hence the unpainted prototype was shown. A swimming pool or a real beach background can make this figure “alive”, stranger’s stares included, hehe. But still, that’s a nice alternative you got there.

    • Tier says:

      I thought about getting the 1/4 scale figures, particularly when they went on discount, and I guess I still get a little tempted whenever I see them on Mandarake. However, something always looked off with them; they had those really anime-like faces and very elongated, somewhat realistic bodies that looked really mismatched, as if they were really figures of sexy women wearing Nanoha kigurumi masks. Hayate looked better but I don’t know much about Hayate other than that she was in a wheelchair in the first episode of Nanoha A’s and that she had a talking book or something.

      I was thinking of ordering God Madoka too, though I was very surprised by how popular it is since I haven’t watched the anime and I don’t really read up message boards much. She does look pretty good, though, I have to admit, particularly since she doesn’t seem to have the anime-accurate melon-shaped head their other Madoka figures have. At that price tag though, it’s kinda hard for me to justify buying a figure when I don’t know much about the character and when I’m not too enthralled by its breasts and stuff.

      • nagisa says:

        For a price tag, it’s a justified one, but not as the likes of alter fate zanber or exceed mode nanoha. They compensate it for the hype and pupularity of the series. I guess her breasts are not on your standards but the cleavage can be her winning factor, hehe. Give the anime a chance if you want, and movie second a’s will be showing on july (bd’s on december maybe).
        Oh and motored saber is a fig worthy of collecting, great for those who don’t have an sabers on their shelves.

        • Tier says:

          Yeah, for fans of the show, I am sure she will be very much worth the price. If I had seen the show – and I guess I ought to get around to watching it one of these days (though I kinda know at least a few of its major plot points already) – I’m sure I would’ve ordered her … and I suppose I still might, if she isn’t sold out a month or so from now. I’ll probably give the show a chance – truthfully, the main reason I never got around to watching it (besides my usual laziness) is the Hidamari Sketch-style melon-shaped heads.

          • nagisa says:

            Got mine yesterday and I am really impressed on her. As my first adult nanoha figure, its a great addition for my growing nanoha’s. But ironically, I don’t have any single fate figure as of now.

  9. Break says:

    geh, you always make me want figures i didnt want before xD this oe particularly seems very refreshing, especially next to my action posing loli nanoha xD the thing with the buttocks stings me the wrong way a little btu it doesnt seem too bad sicne shell be on th wall anywas and hey, sicne shes not in the barrier jacket and that little issues might scare some people away, here is hope shell get intot he bargain bin despite her alterness and awesomeness, like sankt kaiser vivio did (i recently got vivio btw. didnt think too much before but after gettign her: shes gorgeous, although her boobs are alittle tooo giant. migth be partly the fault of her skintight clothing though. shes oen of thsoe figures you really learn to love after you actually get them, seems pics cant do her justice properly?)
    well, ill just be on the lookout for this one after selling soem old stuff (dead master, and a nerf-gun that was modified by an actual special-effects maker. it looks awesome but im not actually into gun replicas and only bought it to sell it again since its an awesome and unique thing xD) i wa salos thinkign of gettign a fate-tattoo, although im still nto exactly sure about that.

    • Tier says:

      She appears to be sold out at the three main retailers, but perhaps she’ll show up discounted on Mandarake or someplace else. It’s a very pretty figure; probably not one that a lot of people were hyped up for, unlike Madoka or bike Saber, which I guess is coming out this month, but still very attractive. I was surprised that Alter chose to make her but I’m glad to see they’re still committed to making figures of the Nanoha characters as grown-ups.

  10. Otakumouse says:

    I’m quite “allergic” to figures that have big eyes, but because of your awesome photos, I’m kinda thinking to also to get her once I visited the hobby shop here 🙂 Great pictures as always! 😉

    • Tier says:

      Thanks! I was surprised at how big her eyes are; I didn’t pay a lot of attention to them in the preview pics, and anime-style eyes are almost always big, but Nanoha’s seem larger than most.

  11. Pingback: Review: Selvaria Bles by Alter (Swimsuit ver.) | Plastic Parfait

Leave a Reply to Break Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *