MOTOKO KUSANAGI - Banpresto Ghost in the Shell Arise statue review

My relationship with Ghost in the Shell is an ever-evolving one. It's not something I immediately took to, and with every new incarnation comes a bit of "adjustment" on my part. The original film left me confused, but bored enough to not really care. When I got a bit older and re-visited it, I was able to appreciate it much more. I've since watched (and really loved) both "Stand Alone Complex" seasons, the Solid State Society follow-up, and even "Innocence", to some degree. But "Arise" really took some getting used to...

I watched Borders 1 and 2 of the Arise series about a year ago, and the best I could say was that didn't hate them (I personally preferred the 1st to the 2nd). Motoko's new look and personality didn't really click too well for me, and the new, less-refined personality angles on the rest of the team members were much the same. At that point, I had a hard time appreciating that these characters were new to one another, and to the idea of the Section as a "team".

I saw Banpresto's Arise Kusanagi statue at that time, but decided that since I didn't much care for the character design in the films I shouldn't bother with buying a figure.

Fast forward to this past month and the release of Borders 3 and 4, which re-ignited my interest in Ghost in the Shell. I re-watched the entire series from the beginning, and wow did I see things differently! The four Borders come together well in a story arc that I enjoyed, and a character treatment of the Major that I grew to appreciate. That, combined with a reveal from Figma of a New Movie Major figure due for release next February, and I knew I had to order Banpresto's statue.

The box arrived unexpectedly from Japan yesterday, providing a wonderful surprise-ending to an otherwise exhausting work week (love when that happens!).

The actual package is fairly unassuming, but does a fine job of protecting the statue, while allowing you to see what you're getting inside. Kusanagi is sandwiched between two plastic clamshells, unattached to her base. There's a plastic wrap around her, keeping the rubbing to a minimum, and hopefully helping to ensure no paint rubs. It was surprising to me how far back the figure is set in the packaging - I had expected the front window to have a clear plastic flush against it, which it does not. However, everything inside was snug and safe.

There are no images on the box, the red and white are pretty stark, and everything is written in Japanese, save the heading on the front and top.

In sharp contrast to the dull, utilitarian box, the figure inside is really terrific! This version of Major Motoko Kusanagi stands 7 & 1/2 inches tall, on a large black base. She is made of a hard, rigid plastic, and features no points of articulation.

The sculpt and paint details are top-notch. The shirt, jacket and pants are all full of appropriate wrinkles, with the jacket and pants getting an airbrush of a darker color at the creases to add some depth. There are loads of buckles and zippers all over the place, painted nicely with a shiny silver (no bleed, either!).

There's a really odd strap/belt and buckle in the middle of the jacket's back - not really sure what function that would serve - but it's done well. The boots are a darker, deeper shade of red to set them apart from the pants and jacket.

The plastic of the bare skin is cast in flesh colored plastic, which looks great. The whole thing contrasts so beautifully with her hair, which is in such an awesome shade of purple/blue that it seems to change depending on the lighting. The face is gorgeous, with super-clear details all around the eyes. I think they've actually succeeded in making the statue more attractive than the animation did.

I do find the pose to be a bit awkward. Her upper half is in mid-twist to her left, while her legs are slightly pigeon-toed, with her right heel lifting. That, combined with her chin-down and shoulder thrust out make for an odd overall pose. Try standing like this - maybe you'll see what I mean. It's all just very unnatural.

The twist and downward glare make this a difficult figure to place on the shelf. She looks best above eye-level, and with the base set so that it's more of a "diamond" than a "square", with a corner as the front rather than a side as the front (that all sounds really awkward, but hopefully it makes some sense).

Once on the shelf, though, the statue is just great. The colors are so unique, and the detailing is so rich that she's wonderful to stare at. The hair in particular has great, deep strands, and the pistol stands out beautifully against the flesh color of her hand and the deep red of her outfit. It's truly a striking piece.

The base is probably the weakest part of this figure. It's a black square with a "wall" on two sides behind the figure. There's a little detail of lines and circles (screw heads, maybe?) carved onto the surface, but it's pretty boring and doesn't really set the figure off in any way. There's a raised portion to meet the heel of her right foot, and the pegs are really snug, so she's not going anywhere once she's attached. I do wish it was less obtrusive (it's needlessly "thick" looking) and enhanced the figure in some way, but whatever. It's a base.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this figure. It captures the Arise look of the character well, and it is really nicely done. Best of all, it is relatively inexpensive and can be had for a little over $30.

LARA CROFT Tomb Raider - On the Shelf

Here are a couple of shots of my current Tomb Raider display. The first shelf has: Adventures of Lara Croft (Playmates) Yeti diorama, Bengal Tiger diorama, ToyFare exclusive Bomber Jacket Lara, Toy Biz beastly ugly Lara, Motorcycle Lara and the Combat Training version from the first Angelina Jolie movie. Below that shelf, the next has Adventures of Lara Croft Doberman diorama, Large Scale Wetsuit Lara, Great White Shark diorama Lara, Large Scale standard Lara and Nile Crocodile diorama Lara.

Next: Upper Shelf is NECA Legends Lara, Playmates Lara, NECA Underworld Lara and Anniversary Lara, with a couple doubles of the Adventures Playmates Laras in the background. Lower shelf down has a couple of "Cradle of Life" Shadow Guardians, the Wetsuit statue, a couple of SOTA Wetsuit Lara's and a Jacketed SOTA version, along with a blistered NECA Anniversary figure, and the large 12" Electronic NECA Legends Lara. I've got a few more not pictured, including a couple more doubles in-package, the large Gaming Heads "Survivor" statue and the Play Arts Kai figure. So, that's my Lara Croft collection as it stands today. If you'd like to see a review of any of the figures that I haven't done so far, feel free to request one and I will do my best to get one posted...

REBOR DINOSAURS - On the Shelf

Here's a couple of shots of my current Rebor Dinosaurs collection. The upper shelf has the Ceratosaurus Dentisulcatus "Savage" and the newest release, Acrocanthosaurus atokensis "Hercules". The lower shelf sports Utahraptor ostrommaysorum "Wind Hunter", Tyrannosaurus Rex "King T. rex" and Yutyrannus huali "Y-rex". The T. rex is posed standing on a Schleich Triceratops (until the "Fallen Queen" diorama stand is released, because the big guy just won't stay standing with that little stone Rebor included as its stand. There's a Halo 1/35 scale driver that came with a die-cast vehicle in the foreground of the lower shelf for scale. I've framed each of their included information cards (with the exception of Utahraptor's - I need to go out and get one more frame), as well. If you'd like a review of any of the figures I haven't already done, say so and I'll do my best to post one...

MEZCO ONE:12 Collective Thoughts

My One:12 Collective Judge Dredd figure arrived yesterday and reminded me anew just how awesome the line is. I do have the Dark Knight Batman (both the regular and PX Exclusive versions) and it really is an amazing action figure. But my excitement waned a bit between that release and Dredd's. However, once I got the Judge in-hand, well...just Holy Cow. What an amazing figure. And that got me to thinking about my own One:12 Collective wishes.

I've seen pictures of the upcoming releases in the line: Superman, Flash, Space Ghost and Frankenstein. They look cool and all, but I don't honestly have any interest in any of them. And in all honesty, I feel like Mezco might be overlooking the real power of what they have here. They've created a way to articulate action figures while keeping a gorgeous aesthetic. So, it would be logical to tackle figures who have never been able to meet that standard: figures whose sculpt hinders their articulation because they haven't been clothed in cloth. Superman? Flash? Too many of those out there already, with some really excellent articulation. Frankenstein? Doesn't need great articulation in my mind. Space Ghost? Ok, yeah, he's pretty cool but I just don't have much of an investment. That all said, I decided to consider: which characters do I really love, and wish they had a highly detailed sculpt NOT RESTRICTED by plastic clothing?

I came up with two at the top of my list:
1) Gandalf the Wizard. I love this character, especially in the books. And Toy Biz did a really fair job with many versions of him. In fact, their "White" is my current favorite Gandalf. But, his layers and layers of cloaks and robes really make any kind of posing difficult. Toy Vault did a clothed version nearly 20 years ago, but the sculpt underneath it all is...well, 20 years old. Mezco could finally do this character justice, really and truly. A highly articulated Gandalf, with a great sculpt, appropriate accessories and an so many iterations - I think it would be a real gold-mine for the line. In fact, if Mezco managed somehow to get Harry Potter and the assorted characters from that world into the One:12 Collective, it would be all over (Star Ace is getting a lot of great press for their 12" versions; I'm certain Mezco could match their quality in this 6" scale).

2) Lara Croft. NECA did a fair job at sculpting some good Tomb Raider figures, but they never managed to get any articulation in there, and the faces were never painted in a manner that did the figures justice. Imagine a line of Lara Croft figures articulated enough to allow her to be posed as she should, while still capturing a beautiful likeness. She's iconic and the reboot has given the franchise new life. Now is the time for my dream Lara! Mezco...please?

If I want to get crazy, there are a couple more figures I can wish for that I know would never happen, but which I can imagine as One:12 Collective jems. Vin Diesel as Richard B. Riddick from "The Chronicles of Riddick". The Major, Motoko Kusanagi from "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex". Aragorn and the Witch King Ringwraith from LotR. Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Mark Messier in a NY Rangers Captain's jersey with the 1994 Stanley Cup....

...ah, well...I can dream and wish...

Please share your own thoughts and wishes, as well...

MAJOR MOTOKO KUSANAGI - Figma "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" Figure

With this past week's pre-order announcement of the Figma Motoko Kusanagi from the new "Arise" series movie, I realized that (despite my excitement at the time) I never posted a look at the first Figma Major: Figma's "Stand Alone Complex" version. At this point in time, reviews are available aplenty, so it really isn't worth going into too much detail. It's also worth noting that, now that the "new figure shine" has had time to temper a bit, I can make a more honest assessment of this figure. Short version: it's good. Not great. I'm glad to have it, but certainly wouldn't mind another take on the character.

 Figma's Motoko can hit most all of the poses shown on the box, which is good. It took some patience for me to get some of them down (but, remember, I'm kind of awful at posing), but I think she looks really terrific in most of the action poses I could manage. The accessories work well with her, for the most part, but the hair and faces can be annoyingly loose.

I generally like the sculpt, but there's something a bit "spindly" about the legs, and lower torso part of the pants come across as a little "diapery". Otherwise, she's great. I like the way the jacket was done, but the extra chest piece is useless - it doesn't help with across-chest posing as advertised in any way.

I've used the Gutto Kuru pistol blast effect in one of the shots below, but otherwise everything is what came with the Figma. I'll be taking a look at the rest of my Ghost in the Shell Motoko Kusanagi collection in the next couple of posts...

LARA CROFT - Tomb Raider Anniversary NECA figure

NECA's Tomb Raider Anniversary 7" scale Lara Croft is an interesting figure. It features an incredible sculpt and some of the finest detailing I've ever seen on an action figure. The boots, straps and sweater sport some really incredible texturing. In fact, it's among my absolute favorite female body sculpts of all time. True, it's essentially a statue. I can forgive that, since I'm not someone who spends a great deal of time posing and re-posing for my shelf. The biggest downfall of this particular action figure is her face: the paint detail there really serves to ruin the figure nearly completely. I set out to try to remedy the face as best I could. I'm no expert, so all I was trying for was something a little more..."less ugly". I'm pretty satisfied with the results. 

Original, in package...

The eyes. Oh, those eyes. She looks crazed, wired and in desperate need of some sleep. I think the deep creases sculpted above and below the actual eye, combined with the wash they  were given, make them too pronounced at this scale. So, I tried to make them a little more subtle with some skin-tone paint. The iris of each eye seemed a little small in scale to the rest of the eyeball, so I tried to expand those slightly.

Finally, the lips appeared too thin, making them "pursed", and off-color. I used some brighter red to fill them out. Like I said, the results, though far from perfect, make her a lot less painful to look at. I really wish the production figure had come to look more like the in-game model, or even like the one shown on the back of the package. If anything, I'd absolutely LOVE for NECA to revisit the Tomb Raider franchise as part of their "Ultimate" Player Select versions, much like they are doing with the upcoming "God of War" Ultimate Kratos. This figure's body sculpt, combined with some ingenious articulation and an actual face more in-line with the game would be my dream Lara...

My custom paint work.

I love the detailing on the boots

This is a Tamashii Stage Act stand, not the one she came with...

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

KYLO REN - Hallmark 2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens Ornament

A new batch of holiday ornaments was released this weekend (or so I was told by the checkout clerk at my local Hallmark store), and among them was the new Star Wars character, Kylo Ren. I've had some real difficulty getting a hold of Kylo Ren figure merchandise so far (though I have been able to do so, with some work), and it was a real surprise to find this ornament plentifully stocked!

The figure runs about $18, and does not include electronics of any kind. He stands about 4 & 1/2" tall, and the sculpt is actually pretty cool. There are lots of small details to bring out texture, wrinkles and folds to the robe, and the paint is adequate for accentuating, whether it's the silver applied to the mask, the grayer drybrushing to the outfit, or the matte black of the boots, gloves and belt that offset the rest of the outfit. The silver on the mask is a little sloppy up-close, but it really looks fine at a normal distance.

The red of the lightsaber if very candy-like, so if I had any gripe I think that's what it would be. And when viewed from the side, Kylo's head seems to sit very far forward under the hood, but the way the back of the hood pulls makes it seem like he'd have to have a really elongated head from front to back. It's really not a big deal from most angles, but from the side directly on, it's a tad strange.

The figure is otherwise really great. The pose is cool, the hanger tab is mostly unobtrusive (it sticks out the very top of his hood), and he makes for an excellent display piece. I suspect this particular ornament is going to sell out quickly (if Ren's TBS, Figuarts and Elite version sellouts are an accurate indicator), so you may want to get online or over to your local Hallmark ASAP if you want one...