You know what they say about the best-laid schemes of mice and men. I had hoped to have had Saber Alter’s backdrop ready by now but other events – including a prolonged period of exultation after watching the Lakers get crushed and ignobly ejected from the playoffs – have dictated otherwise, so let’s take a look at a pillowcase instead. If anybody wants to know my thoughts about Saber Alter, I think she’s one spiffy figure.
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One of the nice things about Hobby Japan’s Queen’s Gate series is that it gives a spotlight to a few characters who wouldn’t otherwise get a lot of love from figure makers. Dizzy was one, at least until Alter made their figure, and I’ve also ordered Ivy Valentine’s figure, since she’s only gotten a few thus far. I gave some thought to trying to get the Queen’s Gate figure of Katja from Seikon no Qwaser, but while I like the character, I would’ve liked the figure more if she were in her dominatrix outfit. Curiously, Lily from Namco’s Tekken series stands out as the sole Queen’s Gate character not to get a figure thus far. That’s a shame; I wouldn’t mind seeing a figure of her, especially in her 3P costume. Oh well. Junko Hattori is another character that would seem an unlikely candidate for a conventional, mass-market figure; she’s not generally regarded as one of the best characters from her show, and her show is primarily known for its absurd level of incoherence. At any rate, I do like both the character and the way that she looks, so even though having to go through a proxy service is a bit of a hassle, I ordered her right away and here she is now.
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Back when I wrote about Kotobukiya’s Dizzy, I mentioned that I wished a better manufacturer like Alter or Max Factory had done the figure instead. Dizzy was the main reason I first played the Guilty Gear series and while I enjoy the games on their own merits now, Dizzy is still one of my favorite characters across all fictional media. While I did not dislike Kotobukiya’s figure, I still hoped that someone would do a better job of it. I didn’t expect to ever see that happen; after all, I’ve been pining away for an Irma figure – since MegaHouse has done almost all of the other Queen’s Blade figures – and an Itsuki Kannagi figure – since Good Smile Company sponsored Sora Kake Girl – to no avail. But fate works in strange ways and Dizzy now has two figures. I’d still like to see Irma and Itsuki get figures but when it comes to wishes made on a wing and a prayer, one out of three ain’t bad at all.
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Action figures are a very popular segment of the figure market but I haven’t ever reviewed one here. That changes today as I’ve finally gotten around to taking some pictures of Good Smile Company’s Nanoha. This is part of their actsta line, which curiously has been restricted only to characters from the Nanoha franchise. Oddly, this is also the first figure I’ve gotten of the white devil magician girl, despite having several figures of her blonde counterpart.
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Many of the figures I reviewed early this year were fighting girls but now we are seeing a glut of swimsuit girls. Following Nadeko is Eleanor Mercer. Like Nadeko, Eleanor sports a sunny expression that is sure to cheer up everyone. Unlike Nadeko, Eleanor radiates pure sex appeal – or wanton sluttiness, depending on your particular lexical inclination. Nothing wrong with that, of course, and because of that Eleanor offers an impression distinct amongst all the other swimsuit figures on my shelf.
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Many of the figures I buy tend to fall into at least one of two categories – usually they are holding some kind of weapon or they are dressed in an overt sexual manner. Nadeko could technically fit into that second category but even so, she stands apart from many of the figures I own because I didn’t buy her for her sexy swimsuit. I’ve been looking forward to Nadeko for a while and though spring isn’t really the most appropriate season for her, I’m happy she’s here since this is another great figure.
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This year has seen a profusion of Tamaki, Sonico, and Miku figures, but Fate Testarossa has quietly staked her own claim as an It-Girl of 2011. Alter has already released an astonishing three figures of her in this year’s first four months, joining the Fate T. Harlaown figure they released two years ago to great acclaim and also the 2006 figure that was one of their earliest products. I had planned to skip this figure – she was rather expensive, her head seemed overly large and her angry scowl is a bit generic. But then Hobby Search tossed her in their bargain bin and I reversed my decision. I’m very glad I did because this is a spectacular figure, no doubt.
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I sometimes give my figures informal nicknames, particularly if I have multiple versions of a particular character. I’ve got E.T. Miku, transvestite Yoko, gangsta lean Saber (review pending for over a year), and now I have this figure, which I’ve taken to calling fat Tamaki. It’s not a very charitable nickname and its accuracy is questionable as well, but the main thing is I had planned to cancel this figure. Unfortunately for me, Hobby Search revised their cancellation policy while I wasn’t paying attention and so I was stuck with my order. I guess I could’ve simply refrained from paying; I don’t think Hobby Search would have carried out any reprisals against me, since I’ve purchased the equivalent of an economy automobile from them these last couple of years. However, I did appreciate some aspects of this figure and now that I have her, there are some things I like about Tamaki, and some things I don’t, which is better than how I expected to feel.
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2011 may be the year of Tamaki and Miku Hatsune, but here at Tentacle Armada, we are busy celebrating the greatness of the beautiful fighting girl. Four of the seven figure reviews posted here since the start of the year have featured swordsgirls and today we have the fifth. Another Tamaki figure is probably next up but for now, we shall continue showing our love for big-eyed anime girls in tiny bikinis with big swords. It’s a classic combination that can’t be beat.
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Good Smile Company’s Nanoha actsta action figure has been sprawled out on my desk for the last week. I planned on photographing it for my next review but a couple days back, I found out that I’ve misplaced part of her base. Being anything but an exemplar of self-motivation, I put off looking for it until the other night, when I decided that I really ought to write a new post. However, a comprehensive search of my room didn’t turn it up and now I have no clue where it might be. So instead of doing a Nanoha review, I thought that I’d take Jubei out of her box and photograph her instead. I was saving her for some time when I had more interesting ideas for photographing her, but life is about adapting when things do not go as planned. Besides, I can’t say I was too enthusiastic about doing a poseable figure review since I’m no good at them, anyway.
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