Uzuki Shimamura: Crystal Night Party Ver.: A Talk With the Sculptor and Painter

Hello everyone, Kahotan here! (@gsc_kahotan)

My eyes… my eyes!!! My allergies are really acting up today… (/ω＼)

Anyway, today I’m going to be speaking to the sculptor and and painter of Uzuki Shimamura: Crystal Night Party Ver.! – Kai Sasaki (Shashaki) and Ekoshi!

Shashaki: I sculpted this figure knowing that she would be in the center of the three New Generation girls. I really wanted to bring out that feeling of what it means to be an idol!

Ekoshi: I was told to make her look ‘sparkling’, when I started my paintwork!

(・∀・) This “sparkling” look was also mentioned by the expression painter! It must have really become a theme for the figure!

“Even the pose for the figure was thought up here in the GSC Offices. We had a rough illustration of the three of them together in the final pose, and as soon as I saw that illustration I knew I had to make Uzuki look great as the centrepiece to the set.” 

(・∀・) “They will surely all look great as single figures, but the design really caters to those who want to display them as a set!”

“Another point that I really like is the fact that there is a nice difference between the previously released Shimamura Uzuki: New Generation Ver.!”

“The previous Uzuki figure was based on one of the card illustrations from the game, and it has a very 2D-based appearance because of this. This is by no means a bad thing and certainly has its own charms, but this time around I wanted to bring out her cuteness in a different way, and went for a slightly more realistic sculpt.“

(・∀・) “The fabric of her outfit around the chest and gloves that is being moved by her pose has been sculpted with such high levels of detail!”

“I actually went out and bought similar gloves and put them on myself to see exactly how they looked! For science!!”

(・∀・) “Seen the pose was made by GSC, that means that there was no original illustration to work with… it must have been quite a test for your both your creativity and sculpting ability!”

“I was working on this while the anime was airing on TV, and I remember shedding a couple of tears for Uzuki while I cheered her on… she was always so adorable in the opening theme! My sculpt just kept remembering that cuteness, and aiming to get the figure just as cute!”

“I also often thought of the opening theme when working on the paintwork. That sparkling outfit with the light blue of the skirt and blue lines that lay along her outfit were really the points that really stood out to me.”

(・∀・) “Ah… the blues on the outfit are really lovely!”

“In order to get the blues to stand out against the white, I had to layer the colors in a slightly different way to normal! But I think the colors came out really nicely in the end! The flowing accessory on her back makes use of pearl paint as well as a half-glossy white that gives a really bright appearance that suits her so well!”

– Other Highlights –

“For me, her hair is easily one of the biggest highlights!! The twirling ends of her hair are so twisty… and even this is after a couple of changes that made them a little bit more straight!” 

“When painting the figure, the prototype is first duplicated with multiple casts… the hair alone was made of of 14 different parts to paint, which is quite unbelievable. But I felt the passion of Shashaki’s sculpting and did my best to match his passion for the paintwork!!”

“The hair was also the area that went though the most changes since the unpainted prototype was revealed, I said earlier I was aiming for a more realistic sculpt, and that included the details and flow of the hair! It was very difficult to decide just how much each strand should twist, or where to straighten out a bit more a better appearance… I spent a lot more time than you’d imagine working on the hair!”

(・∀・) “No matter what angle you choose to look from, the hair always makes for such a nice accent to the overall figure!”

– What Area worked on by the Other Did You Like Best? –

“I love the way the gloves have been painted, as well as the white hem of the skirt. I really tried to give the gloves a texture through the sculpt, but it was only after it was painted that the texture really came out nicely. The white part on the skirt was actually a little more of a creamy white before some changes went though…” 

“That’s right! At first it was more of a yellow color, but while we were taking a look at it within GSC it was agreed that it would look better as a straight-up white! As soon as I went with the white instead I instantly knew that was the right choice. As I mentioned before, we then added in more gloss and pearl paint in order to get closer to that ideal shininess!!”

(・∀・) “What did you like most about the sculpt, Ekoshi?”

“The layers of the skirt and the hair really stand out… but I’d have to say the way her knee-highs are squeezing her skin is my best!!”

“Originally the thighs were a little larger than they are now… but after some discussion it was decided they needed to be thinned down a bit to be closer to the character designs.”

“The way her hips are slightly turned is also a really lovely touch! Plus she looks amazing from the back!! You can just imagine being the producer and watching your idol from backstage when you look at her from the back!!“

(・∀・) “I also love the way she looks from the back with her outfit trailing out behind her! You can also pose her with her gaze to the side and pretend to be looking up to her on stage as a fan instead! ♡”

“Depending on the angle you look from the face can have quite a different impression! I hope that fans enjoy her from all sorts of different angles if they decide to pick her up!”

★ Kai Sasaki (Shashaki)’s Desk!★

△ Some of the items he has worked on include Nendoroid Snow Miku: Snow Bell Ver., Nendoroid Mikazuki Munechika  and Nendoroid Galko!

He also has lots of action figures on display!

△ Moving them around is great for a change of pace once in awhile! (｡･ω･)ﾉﾞ

★Ekoshi‘s Desk ★

Her desk is surrounded by cute girls!! 

△ A nice view to enjoy when taking a breather between work! ♪

Filled with love from those who worked on her…

Uzuki Shimamura:
Crystal Night Party Ver.!

⇒ Product Details: http://www.goodsmile.info/en/product/5573/

Orders from the GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP will also include this special staircase stage base as a bonus!! ♪

There is also a commercial up on YouTube!! (●´ω｀●)

Plus, I also got a comment from Uzuki Shimamura’s voice actress, Ayaka Ohashi!

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Hi everyone, this is Ayaka Ohashi, the voice actress for Uzuki Shimamura!
I can’t tell you how excited I am for this Uzuki Shimamura: Crystal Party Ver.!!!

I had the pleasure of seeing the figure for myself… the creases on the gloves, the flow of the outfit, her adorable smile, cute posing, fluffy hair and impressive skirt all come together in lovely detail to create such an amazing figure. You can really feel the love for Uzuki that has been poured into this figure!!

I currently have the Nendoroid, figma and other scale figures of Uzuki on display in my house, but I can’t wait to add this one to my collection!! On that note, I’m so happy that there are so many different figures of Uzuki to choose from!! She is really loved by the fans, which makes me feel happy as well!! Thanks everyone!!

Rin and Mio are also currently in development, so those who want to display the New Generation girls together have a whole set to look forward to! I can’t wait for the release!

Thank you very much for the comment, Ayaka Ohashi-san!!

Orders from the GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP are open until the 11th May 2016 at 21:00! Make sure you don’t miss out her!!  (・∀・)

Uzuki Shimamura: Crystal Night Party Ver. (GSC Online)

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♥︎ Today’s Date ♥︎

What is ‘Today’s Date’?

Today’s date is a photo corner featuring figure photos sent in by fans with the theme ‘The Perfect Date’. See the bottom of this post for details on how to take part: Kahotan Post Office

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Planning Team / Kahotan / Twitter ID：@gsc_kahotan
English Updates: @gsc_kevin

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