YoRHa No.2 Type B from Nier: Automata (Moonlight Studio Version)

2B from Nier: Automata

So this statue and this post both require a bit of explanation. I hadn’t intended to review it but it looks pretty good, even if it does take certain liberties with 2B’s design, and I thought it might make for an interesting review. The principal thing here is that this statue is in no way an officially licensed product and I’m generally a little reluctant to review such things unless they are doujin products whose production is largely motivated by a desire to display artistic creativity and to express an affinity for the originating material, and being that this statue is the product of some enterprising individuals in China, I’m inclined to think that its existence owes more to its potential commercial viability rather than aesthetic concerns. But like I said, it looks pretty good and hey, its producers may very well have an appreciation for both the character and for the female form, as we’ll see. Also, there actually is a licensed 1/4 scale statue of the Nier: Automata characters, produced by Prime 1 Studio. However, they’ve made the somewhat shady move of requiring consumers to buy the very expensive full set of all three characters if one wishes to display 2B without her skirt; the standalone statue doesn’t have that feature (though I imagine a brave collector could remedy that with some hand tools). Given that situation, and combined with my lingering resentment towards Square – undiminished even after a quarter of a century – for helping Sony destroy Sega in the game console business, my qualms regarding the unlicensed nature of this statue are largely mitigated.

So I’m going to put up some pictures of this statue – this is going to be a brief review, without as many pictures as usual and a great deal more explanatory text, since some people might be curious about this statue and others like it. This statue comes with a ton of optional parts, including her sword, another head, and different arms. The configuration I have her in here is the way I wanted to display her, so the other parts are back in the box.

2B from Nier: Automata

But first, some background information. As any enthusiast of geopolitical affairs would note, China has in recent times become a major player in international diplomacy and the global economy. A conspicuous consequence of this ascent is that Chinese companies have transitioned from simply manufacturing the designs of overseas corporations to developing and fabricating their own commodities for export. This doesn’t generally yet include things like cars and aircraft, but it does include computers, smartphones – and figures. There’s a surprisingly active industry involved in designing and manufacturing finished figures and statues, often of characters from popular Japanese video games and anime, which are then sold on websites of varying repute. I bought this statue from FNC, and I’ve since bought and received another statue (this Tifa Lockhart statue if anyone is curious) from them, so I think they are reliable, but caveat emptor is absolutely the rule when it comes to products of this provenance.

2B from Nier: Automata

This statue is produced by a group called Moonlight Studio and is designated MLS-002 (their first product was a large statue of the elf character from the old MMO Lineage II). I am not sure if this sculpt – and it’s certain that this statue was digitally sculpted – is original or if it’s based off of fan artwork that was adapted through ZBrush or something. Regardless, it’s produced in 1/4 scale and stands about 51 centimeters in height, including the base. As mentioned, it comes with a large number of optional parts, most of which stayed right in the box.

2B from Nier: Automata

Flare’s official PVC figure of 2B wasn’t particularly faithful to her canonical design, and neither is this statue, though this version has the excuse of being designed to appeal to certain sensibilities in a way that might not have passed muster with a more mainstream product. Namely, 2B is posed leaning forward in a way that highlights her backside – and well it should, since clearly a great deal of attention was lavished on making this part of her body the focal point of her entire design. Her ass, accentuated by her iconic thong leotard, is large and shapely in a way that the Flare figure neglected.

Her backside does distract somewhat from the rest of her body, which is appealing but also stylized in a way that is perhaps not immediately obvious. Her legs are very long, unnaturally so; they are aesthetically pleasing but they start to look odd the longer one studies them. Similarly, her torso is a little short for her height, and one might wonder how her feet actually fit into her boots.

2B from Nier: Automata

The design of this statue is certainly geared to maximize sex appeal but other aspects of its look were not neglected. 2B has a very lovely face, with a surprising amount of detail featured in her eyes, eyebrows, and lips. I own a fair number of 1/4 scale figures and statues and very few can equal this level of facial detail. Given that this statue is not produced by a major manufacturer and was priced relatively cheaply for a 1/4 scale statue, this level of attention is certainly both surprising and gratifying.

2B from Nier: Automata

The design of the costume doesnt suffer, either. The feathers sprouting from her sleeves are particularly detailed.

2B from Nier: Automata

The base of the statue also looks quite good, with this head resembling one of the characters from the original Nier and Nier: Automata (and the mask that series creator Yoko Taro likes to wear during press events). There are some additional details such as 2B’s sword that can be placed in the base but since they take up additional space, I didn’t include them here.

2B from Nier: Automata

Moonlight Studio has taken a fancy to this character as they have two more 2B statues in the pipeline: one in sort of a wedding dress and another with 2B dressed in Kaine’s outfit from the original game. They both look pretty good and I might look to pick them up.

2B from Nier: Automata

Despite a great deal of trepidation regarding trying to acquire this statue (and some lost money), I’m really happy to have this statue. This rendition of 2B looks sexy, detailed, and superb overall. I’m being judicious as to which statues of this type I’m interested in but this one is one that I don’t regret pursuing.

2B from Nier: Automata
2B from Nier: Automata
2B from Nier: Automata
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22 Responses to YoRHa No.2 Type B from Nier: Automata (Moonlight Studio Version)

  1. wieselhead says:

    This is a big butt… are her batteries stored there?
    I really like her wide hips and the smooth thighs.

    Well, she actually looks fantastic without a doubt.

    The pose, it’s sexy of course and it is probably something that makes fans happy, but it also appears as if she had fallen on her butt a minute ago and says “ouchy” lol.

    I would really like a figure of a curvy girl that just stands straight someday.

    The design of her face is so detailed and convincing, 1/4 scale rarely shows that level of detail.
    Seems like a really talented person was at work there, the eye looks so real there.

    A pleasure to see an 1/4 scaled figure that is no damn bunny girl.
    I really like how nice this figure looks, too bad you didn’t show all of her parts.
    Is she made of PVC?

    The other 2B figures from them look also quite nice, I haven’t played the game yet,
    but I would be interested in purchasing one ^^

    • Tier says:

      I really did not expect that much from this statue; I was figuring that it would look a little worse than some of the Sideshow statues I have but in terms of workmanship, I think it puts them to shame. Haha, yeah, there has been a weird proliferation of FREEing and BINDing bunnygirls in the last couple of years. It’s odd that even though there are so many, I’m a little reluctant to buy them because I prefer the bare-legged versions and so sometimes I want to skip the first versions with the fishnets.

    • Bostonbrandon says:

      Sir, you may be interested in the Dragontoys rendition of Iriza from the seishoujo game Dominance. One of the best upright curvy figures I’ve ever encountered to be sure.

      • mechgouki says:

        I have Iriza figure, but sadly mine is the red version, not the original color.

        I could only say it is not bad, rather than exceptional. They didn’t do her private parts very well if you know what I mean lol.

      • Tier says:

        I had to look up that figure but I remember it, and looking up Dragon Toy on Mandarake, I’m surprised at how many of their figures are still available. It’s too bad that they seem to no longer be making them.

  2. Aya says:

    Ah this unlicensed, no wonder i seen many chinese brand statue sell for around half price of the usual one(with more well known maker and of course licensed), and surprisingly they aren’t copy. Sega and square ? are you talking about how FFVII failed to be released on Sega Saturn ?
    Seeing many Chinese model kits and figure (some licensed some unofficial) step up their game and no longer copy works/bootlegs maybe within 5 years their brand will be grown to be super Big in the industry, like mobile game Chinese developer mobile games dominated the industry these past years.
    About This 2B wow she looks good yes not authentic of how her face looks but hey she is hot

    • Tier says:

      It’s more how FF7 helped the PlayStation dominate its generation, though admittedly Sega screwed up enough that they probably would’ve lost the console war anyway. I’m personally sad that there’s probably never going to be a Phantasy Star V.

      I’m curious to see whether Chinese companies get more involved in the anime and video game industries. Judging by the recent Honkai Impact episode, I’m a little hesitant to say that I’m enthusiastic about experiencing Chinese-produced properties, but at the least, there’s likely to be some major drama as Chinese fans clash with everyone else in the world, and that has the potential to be entertaining.

  3. DP says:

    Nice figure (in more ways than one)! 2B really is one of the most iconic visual designs from video games we’ve seen in a long time. The body and pose are very good. The face is also attractive, perhaps with more humanity than the original design, though I think I would have preferred a more accurate one anyway. Perhaps this is a slightly different android (2D? 2C?)

    • Tier says:

      I think that Platinum showed how an attractive heroine can sell a game and build (or revive) a franchise; too bad so many Western developers are running away from this type of character aesthetic. Maybe this could be the android from the Studio FOW-produced 3D film?

  4. TomTheCat says:

    This really seems to be a nice figure. Too bad I don’t like her costume. You mention her “unnaturally long” legs. (We don’t see them because I assume your backdrop isn’t large enough…) What I notice, and that’s in each figure of her, are her spidery arms. The peculiar design of her half-length-forearm sleeves only emphasizes this impression. So, despite all the nice details in the face, eyes, lips, and the accurate reproduction of the various surface textures, this is a figure I don’t need in my collection.

    However, I’m very much intrigued by the Tifa Lockhart figure you mentioned. By all means, please do showcase that one in a future review!

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, the backdrop’s not really big enough to accommodate, and I didn’t take a full set of photographs. I am not too certain if I am going to photograph Tifa; I never actually put her clothes on because the vendor sent me a video showing how they should be applied taking care to avoid paint transfer, and I figure I’ll just avoid that problem altogether. But maybe people might be interested in photos of naked Tifa. She’s not exactly perfect either since her paint is peculiarly pinkish, which is perhaps where the producing studio got its name.

      • TomTheCat says:

        Wow, an extra instruction video to avoid paint transfer o_O
        But yeah, I’ll take a nekkid Tifa anytime XD

        • TomTheCat says:

          Again regarding Tifa, this figure is presently promoted on E2046, both in GK form and in their pre-painted Gathering line. If you reviewed her, it would be very helpful to aid making a decision…

          • Tier says:

            That’s a little funny, they’re making an unlicensed figure of an unlicensed figure. I’m still not sure if I’m gonna review her since I’ve actually received a bunch of figures recently (all my Native figures that were trapped in Japan arrived recently), but I did take a couple of pictures of her: here’s a front view and a back view. Also, here’s some pictures of her clothed.

  5. Bostonbrandon says:

    She’s quite nice, but the scale and price destroy any possibility of purchasing her. While I do love larger scaled figures, these days insane pricing and lack of shelves force me to be over fastidious when considering a potential new addition.
    One odd thing that I like about this figure is that she (to my mind) looks like one of the many Instagram cosplays that are still so popular 🙂

    • Tier says:

      True enough … and yeah, I’m almost certain that she’s patterned after that style 😀 I don’t use Instagram but I remember coming across some cosplay photos and being surprised at how closely they resembled some artwork I’ve seen, particularly by Korean artists.

  6. TomTheCat says:

    Many thanks for the Tifa pictures. The eyes are indeed looking a bit weird, in addition to not looking like Tifa’s at all… Also, it’s good to hear that you got a couple of Native figures. It’s about time we got to see some NSFW reviews for a change, lol

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, I’d definitely agree. There’s definitely a ton of liberties being taken by the statue makers and anyone interested in looking at these sorts of products is going to have to be comfortable with that.

  7. mechgouki says:

    In my honest opinion, there are only 2 reasons why anyone should ever order the expensive and fragile, unlicensed studio polyresin statues.

    1) They are big.
    2) Clothes are optional.

    In fact I consider part 2 very important. I’ve seen Gentleman Studio’s version of Boa Hancock with something shoved inside her. No way can you get that mainstream.

    But seriously, they are friggin expensive, but worse, friggin fragile.

    • Tier says:

      I’d add a couple more reasons, one being that a lot of them look pretty good and the other is that a lot of them are of characters that may never get any kind of officially-sanctioned figure or statue. But yeah, your point about them being fragile is well taken, and I think that goes for any other kind of big statue. I’m a little terrified about setting up my Kerrigan statue since I’ve heard her wings are kinda delicate.

  8. Er2de2 says:

    I found your homepage by chance and would like to thank you for the review of 2B.
    I had pre-ordered the Flare Statue but canceled it again. i like 2B and 2A but the statue of 2B was somehow too thin for me, especially the back part. this statue and the other 2 from moonlight look amazing. and I ordered one. (and will certainly order a second one.) my first in this size. otherwise only collect kantei, azur lane figures and Amakuni.
    Your photographs are all very nice to look at and your texts are pleasant to read. good work!

    • Tier says:

      Thanks for the kind words! Yeah, I agree the Flare-produced 2B figure made some major changes to her design, and not necessarily for the better. I’m glad to have been of help!

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