Somewhere along the way, and without really realizing it, I've somehow managed to accumulate a small collection of
Ghost in the Shell Major Motoko Kusanagi figures (at the moment, I count 9 different versions on my shelf). Chief amongst them is my Alpha Max statue, which I plan to review shortly. Coming up closely behind is Taito's MUCH less expensive Lottery Prize A "Stand Alone Complex" statue. The most shocking thing about this statue is that I can't find a
single detailed review of it anywhere on the internet. So...I decided to write one myself.
First of all, know that with Taito (I have a few different statues by them) you are getting a relatively inexpensive, mid-to-small-sized statue. It's made from hard plastic (almost brittle - be careful with her) and feels very lightweight (ie, hollow). Kusanagi comes in a window box with large beautiful photos of the prototype on all sides. The statue is sandwiched between a pair of clear clamshell trays, and there's a bit of plastic wrap thrown in around her for good measure. The box is attractive enough, but the cardboard is pretty flimsy and chances are that it (the box) will have a bit of creasing, bending, and worn edges, no matter how hard the shipper tries to protect it. The figure shouldn't have any issue, though (I've gotten two of these, and both figures were perfect, despite damage to the boxes). The back of the box shows a shot of this statue paired with Lottery Prize B, Batou. Each comes on a half-circle base that should sit up against one another so that the figures stand back-to-back. I've got Batou on order. When he arrives, I'll do a quick review with shots of both statues together.
As far as the statue itself goes, I've got to say, this is one gorgeous figure. Standing about 7 & 1/4" tall, the sculpt, paint, proportions and detail are simply astounding. Aside from a couple of very minor nits, she's just about perfect in my book. First, there's the pose. The Major is standing with her right foot slightly elevated at the heel, her chin down towards her chest and her coat and hair blowing out behind her to the left. Her right hand grips her pistol while her left cradles a green apple across her chest. This apple seems out of place unless you've watched the
Stand Alone Complex 2nd GiG season. In the last episode, Kusanagi is trapped under some rubble with Kuze and an apple. I won't say any more in an effort to avoid spoilers, but suffice it to say that the apple
is strangely significant. Plus its vibrant green really provides a striking contrast to the deep shades of violet and grey that the rest of the statue possesses.
Taito's Motoko has one of the prettiest faces of any version I've seen of the character. The eyes are set pretty wide apart, and are slightly oversized. They are applied perfectly. The styling, sculpt and movement in the hair frame the face nicely, and despite a fairly neutral expression, the Major comes off as stern yet feminine. The little details are all expertly applied: buttons on the coat, metal clasps on the shoulders, and some really terrific creasing on the back and arms of the coat, which provide a great contrast to the ultra-smooth nature of the body suit. And finally, there's some really, really subtle airbrushing to key spots on the torso and legs. The darker purple applied there enhance the depth of the entire sculpt, and really make me feel like this is a much higher-end statue than it actually is.
Taito's Lottery A Prize Motoko Kusanagi is a real winner. Very rarely do I get truly impressed with a figure or statue, but this is one of those instances where I truly love what I got. As I said earlier, this is my second favorite version of the character that I own, much more so than the newer Hdge Technical statue. I like Taito's figure so much, in fact, that I purchased a second to keep in-package. As far as the Major goes, it doesn't get much better than this!
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