March 28, 2013 by Kahotan

Sakura Miku Café & Project Diva -F- Café: Part 2

Part two of my Sakura Miku & Project Diva -F- Café report!

sakura-miku-cafe-project-diva-f-cafe-part-2
Yesterday I showed everyone how the store looked, but today I’ll be focusing on the food and drinks!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

When it comes down to it, I guess the heart of any theme café is the menu! It was really hard to decide on what to get, but I eventually decided, so let me show everyone what I ordered! (`・ω・´)
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Project DIVA -F- Curry: ¥980!

Aaah!! The carrots are the shape of the PS3 controls!! Σ(・∀・)
Plus the musical note in the centre between the rice and curry is made from cheese – which really brings out the flavour of the curry!!
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The placemat that came with my curry!

Ordering meals from the DIVA-F menu allows you to get your hands on various different placemats! The design differs depending on what you decide to order, so take a look on the menu before you order if you want a specific design!

The placemat is of course yours to take home! You can also pay an extra ¥200 to have it laminated to keep it as good as new – simply ask the staff!
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Sakura Udon: ¥780!

This is a lovely choice particularly for the girls, and you can even choose between hot or cold noodles! (I decided on warm!)

You simply dip the noodles into the sauce on the side (with cherry blossoms floating in it!) to add an absolutely amazing flavour!!
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I’m getting quite full now, but I can still keep going!!
Sakura Miku 3-Color Dango: ¥680!

Each order includes three sticks each with three dango, plus green tea is also included! Each of the dango are also quite big, so if you’re feeling peckish it’s definitely a good choice!

Plus!! Don’t any of you think this plate looks familiar?
It’s based directly on the cherry blossom stand included with Nendoroid Sakura Miku!! The café team just made a few adjustments to use it in store!!
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Ordering the udon or dango will get you this placemat!

You get to take home an adorable placemat illustrated by Puti Devil!! Just look at it, it’s almost too cute! You can enjoy this adorable Sakura Miku whenever you like!
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Sakura Café au lait/Milk Tea: ¥580

This has some cherry blossom syrup in it, which really gives a slightly sweet taste that calms the nerves… I chose the café au lait, but you can instead pick milk tea if you prefer!

A little bit of cream is also provided on the side, allowing you to adjust the sweetness to your liking – the syrup is already quite sweet though, so just add a little bit at first until you get it how you like!
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Sakura Beer: ¥680!

A mixture of the cherry blossom syrup and beer!! It’s super tasty!!

It has a slightly sweet taste to it, so I’d even recommend it to girls who don’t normally like beer!! You can also choose between both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions!

Beer and viewing cherry blossoms go hand-in-hand with each other, and now everyone can enjoy the experience!
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The coasters that came with the drinks!!

The left one came with the beer, and the right with the café au lait!
They’re also super adorable!! You just want to grab them all!! (((゜Д゜)))
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By the way…

If you order from the DIVA -F- Menu, you’ll get a little medal that looks like this! But just what is this for…? Well…
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You can use it at the in-store capsule machine after your meal!

There is a special capsule machine filled with Miku badges!! There are a total of 18 to collect!! Don’t forget to get your badge if you decide to order from the DIVA -F- menu!
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There are also Sakura Miku badges on the opposite side of the register!

These don’t use the medal I showed before, each one costs ¥300! These ones are a lot bigger though – there are a total of six to collect and each features a Nendoroid-like illustration based on Puti Devil’s designs!

That brings my Sakura Miku & Project DIVA -F- Café report to an end!

Well… what did you think?

I’m really not that good when it comes to food reports (as those who watch the GSC live broadcasts will know), but I hope that at some point while reading this you thought ‘that looks tasty’, ‘that looks like fun!’ or ‘I think I should go too!”.

I’m sure there will be many more interesting theme cafés coming up soon for everyone to enjoy, so keep your eyes on the GSC Tetsu Café!! (`・ω・´)

Good Smile & Karaoke no Tetsujin Café
http://www.gstjcafé.jp/

But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 27, 2013 by Kahotan

Sakura Miku Café & Project Diva -F- Café: Part 1

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The 5th floor of the Akiba Cultures Zone:
The Good Smile & Karaoke no Tetsujin Café!

Even though it’s a weekday, there are still so many customers visiting the store! Thanks everyone!! The theme of the café is very special to me, so I hope that everyone who comes by will enjoy it thoroughly!!

The previous photo was taken at the sales area in the café, which stocks goods from all the previous theme cafés! If you just want to stop by to use the sales corner without making use of the café, feel free to do so – you can get your hands on some really lovely goods!
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A Sakura Miku tote bag!

Ooh!! It’s so cute, and only ¥1,300! I almost couldn’t resist buying it for myself…
It’s a very popular product, so there are times when it won’t be in stock though, so do keep that in mind!

By the way, Nendoroid Sakura Miku is also on sale at the café at the moment! There is limited stock of this too, but you can keep your eyes on the GSC-Tetsu Café Twitter account for stock updates! (Japanese)

GSC-Tetsu Café Twitter
http://www.gstjcafé.jp/
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Time to head into the café area!!

There are currently four themes going on at the café: Vivid Red Operation, Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT, Hatsune Miku Project DIVA -F- and Sakura Miku! Just inform the staff which theme you’d like to sit at!
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The music in the café is Miku music!!

Plus the PVs found in the PS3 game ‘Hatsune Miku Project DIVA -F-‘ are all shown on the screens around the café! Songs collected on the KARENT website are also used as music for the café!

Your eyes, ears and mouth are in for a Miku treat!
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Cherry blossom viewing at the Sakura Miku corner!

Last year we also had a Sakura Miku café, which went down very well with the fans. This year we have Puti Devil’s illustrations on display inthe corner for fans to enjoy. This Sakura Miku is just too adorable!! I swear the first time I saw this illustration I got goosebumps because she looked so lovely! 😛
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I got a ‘DIVA-F’ themed table!

Which means I get to stare at all the cute Miku modules while enjoying my food!! I specially didn’t eat lunch today to save up for this, so I’m definitely ready for some food!! (I’m happy to get fat for Miku-san!! (`・ω・´))
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The Project DIVA-F- Menu!

Four different meals, six desserts and six drinks – so much to choose from!!
… and I want them all!!!

– Meals –
Project DIVA -F- Curry
Miku-Luka Two Color Pasta
Rin-Len Loco Moco
MEIKO & KAITO Plate

– Desserts –
Tell Your World (Hatsune Miku)
Tokyo Teddy Bear (Kagamine Rin)
Yume Kui Shirokuro Baku (Kagamine Len)
DYE (Megurine Luka)
Haiwa Haini (KAITO)
Stay with me (MEIKO)

– Drinks –
Linkage (Hatsune Miku)
Scissors (Kagamine Rin)
Tricker (Kagamine Len)
Eternal White (Megurine Luka)
Requiem (KAITO)
Blue Crystal (MEIKO)

Plus every single product comes with a badge, meals comes with placemat and desserts and drinks come with a coaster! So much stuff!! (((((゜∀゜)))))

For more details, you can check the official website below!

– Hatsune Miku Project DIVA-F-café
http://www.gstjcafé.jp/theme-café/1585/
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The Sakura Miku Menu!

There aren’t quite as many options for the Sakura Miku side, but the menu look so cute!! On the right side you can see Sakura Miku holding onto a white dango, which is one of the options on the menu! She’s so adorable!!

– Meal –
Sakura Udon

– Dessert –
Sakura Miku 3-Color Dango

– Drinks –
Sakura Beer
Sakura Café au lait/Milk Tea

This menu also comes with a place mat if you order the meal and a coaster for drinks and desserts! They feature Puti Devil’s super cute illustrations!! How could anyone say no to that?!

– Sakura Miku Café –
http://www.gstjcafé.jp/theme-café/1581/

Anyway, I’m starving so I’m going to order now, but…
I’ll be continuing this post tomorrow!!

I’ll be eating so much that you’ll never believe it’s just for one person!!
Those who want to see what the actual meals look like can look forward to it!

But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 22, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Kobato Hasegawa

The Akihabara GSC Testu Café!

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I’m here today to take some new prototype photos! (･∀･)ﾉ

The GSC Tetsu Café is currently running a Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT Café! Plus this weekend is TAF (the Tokyo International Anime Fair @ Ariake), so this was the only place I was able to find some prototypes to take photos of!

Stabilizing the camera on my knee while taking photos was rather bad manners out in public, and it was even harder with all the customers watching me! 😛
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From Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT:
Nendoroid Kobato Hasegawa!

From the anime series “Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT” comes a Nendoroid of Kodaka’s little sister, the adorable Kobato Hasegawa! Her cute goth-loli outfit has been shrunk down, and her different colored eyes look just as cute in Nendoroid form! The patched-up bunny plushie she always holds on to is included, along with the ‘An-chan Plushie’ which shows just how severe her brother complex is!

The third Haganai Nendoroid, following on from Yozora and Niku!

The upper arm of her adorable goth-loli outfit (where the red ribbons are) is detachable, and her hips are fitted with a Nendoroid joint which makes her really posable!! It’s so much fun!

Plus she also comes with a load of optional parts to play with!!
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This is how she looks from the back!

Her outfit has frilly lace all over, but the lace on her sleeves and petticoat are separate parts – which gives a much more realistic feel to the outfit!

The frills in her hair can spin around to make sure that they won’t get in the way of posing the twin tails!
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Her patched-up bunny is also included!

It’s so tiny but still so detailed!! There are still so many separately painted areas… and just look at the tiny stitches!! (((゜Д゜)))

You can pose her holding it with just one arm like in the image above, or with both arms instead!
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I got thirsty so I ordered a Kobato Hasegawa juice! (･∀･)

I actually really wanted to try the ‘Neighbor’s Club Udon’, but I don’t think it would be a good idea to eat with trying to take photos of Kobato-chan! But I’ll definitely be back another time to try some!!

Every time you order a drink at the café, you also get a lovely character coaster to take home with you! There are many different series menus to choose from, so be sure to check out the café if you’re ever in Akihabara!!

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT Café:
http://www.gstjcafé.jp/theme-café/1589/
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A smiling expression and An-chan plushie!

Once again, amazing quality for such a tiny part!! Σ(゜Д゜;）

To show just how much Kobato loves her brother, she even comes with a plushie of him!! Separate bent arms (not the same ones as for the bunny) are also included for her to hold this plushie.

When she holds the bunny plushie it’s more like she is hugging it, but with the An-chan plushie it’s more like she is gently wrapping him in her hands instead!
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“My name is Leysis Vi Felicity Sumeragi…
an ancestor of the Great Blood Clan of the Night!”

We can’t forget this pose!!

Two special arms are also included to fully recreate the ‘Leysis’ pose!! You really can pose Kobato in all of her most important poses! 。・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。
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But the most amazing parts have to be these!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ
A sulking expression and sitting parts!

She’s so adorable!!!

I guess there are some people who might not find this to be a cute expression… but I think I need to sit them down in a late-night bar and help them get the facts straight!!

Posed faces aren’t what makes girls cute!! It’s expressions like this!!

Expressions like these are the ones that really show off true personality, which makes them all the more special! Just looking at her like this makes me want to pet her on the head and say “There, there… everything will be alright’. 😛
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Plus, Nendoroid Yozora Mikaduki is being rereleased!

She’ll be up for preorder on the same day that Kobato opens for preorders! Yozora even comes with the sofa in the Neighbor’s club, so if you missed out the first time, be sure you don’t miss out again!!
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From Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai NEXT:
Nendoroid Kobato Hasegawa!

She’ll be up for preorder from the 26th March! (`･ω･´)
Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

Finally, a quick notice!!

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On the 23rd and 24th March, GSC will be at the Tokyo International Anime Fair at the Tokyo Big Sight! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

The booth name at the event is “GOOD SMILE COMPANY & ULTRA SUPER PICTURES (Booth #D-2)”! There will be a number of companies involved in the anime world at the event, so be sure to stop by if you’re in the area!

Even just looking around the event is always a load of fun!
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There will also be new figures on display!

This photo is of Deep Sea Girl Miku, which we first saw back at WonFes! She’s back again after a couple of small changes! Nendoroid Kobato Hasegawa will also be on display at the event!!

There aren’t too many figures on display, but there will also be a few brand new figures debuting at the event too!!
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Also, it’s that time of the year for the cherry blossom photo festival!

As always, I’m collecting photos of everyone’s favorite figures surrounded by cherry blossoms! If you go out to view the cherry blossoms this year, be sure to take a figure and a camera with you!!

But make sure you don’t pluck any blossoms off the trees! Keep nature in mind when taking the photos!

You can send your photos through to the following address:
mikatan-b@goodsmile.jp

These were some blossoms I saw on my way to the Big Sight – I even got a birdie in the photo too!! I’m so glad I happened to have my camera with me!!

But anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 21, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Ren & Darth wooser

Find today’s prototype in this photo!

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It wasn’t too hard, I’m sure most of you found him!

This is actually the desk of the WEB team’s manager! I secretly took the photo without him noticing… it’s so nice to work in a place where everyone has figures on display!

Figures have definitely become more popular recently, but I wish more people would have them on display for everyday things like work – what does your work desk look like? (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ
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From wooser’s hand-to-mouth life:
Nendoroid Ren & Darth wooser!

From the anime series featuring the ‘new hero'(?) wooser, ‘wooser’s hand-to-mouth life’ comes a Nendoroid of the modern-day girl, Ren! But that’s not all – Darth wooser, the silent freeloading creature is also included along with are all sorts of extra parts to really show off Ren’s adorable charm!

A second set following on from Rin & wooser!

In March we see the release of Nendoroid Rin & wooser + Mechawooser, which had some of the most impressive volume for a Nendoroid ever… and now we also have Ren coming to join them too!

Posing the two of them together looks really cute, and there are even special parts to make a specific pose together which I’ll show at the end!
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This is how they look from the back!

It’s quite hard to see in this photo, but the hoodie Ren is wearing has Darth wooser’s eyes and nose on it! (the dot in the middle isn’t a mouth).

The attention to detail is great as always! The gap of skin you see between her skirt and socks also looks lovely! (=゜ω゜=)
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She can also wear the hood!

If you look closely, you’ll also notice that Ren’s fringe is different when wearing the hood! What this means is that…

She actually comes with two complete head parts!! Σ(･∀･)

Along with bent left and right arms, she also comes with a clenched right hand and a pointing left hand! Bent arm parts allow for so many different poses, they’re easily one of my best things to have when posing a Nendoroid!
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She also comes with a swimsuit body!

T-This is one really sexy Nendoroid!! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

It’s nice to see that even Nendoroids can have a sexy side sometimes! She also comes with arm parts that be put in front of her like this which really show off her impressive bust! Kahoyama was in charge of this figure, and I really have to thank him for including such a sexy pose!!

But hold on… there are two complete head parts and two complete body parts… can you see where I’m going with this?
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The reverse side of the swimsuit!

The bare feet do cause the leg joints to show a bit, but you can still make out her lovely curves which I think look great! You can have her with or without the hood in swimsuit version as well.

As you can see in the image, she comes with two complete bodies and heads, which means… you pretty much get two complete Nendoroids!! Σ(･∀･)

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Darth wooser is also included!

I’ve been focusing on Ren completely up until now, but we can’t forget about the mysterious, red-eyed Darth wooser! He’s not just an extra, he’s one of the main features of the set! (`・ω・´)

It’s strangely relaxing to see the contrast between him and the yellow wooser. Oh, and the dot in the middle is his nose, not his mouth. (For the second time.)
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A heart-pose together with Rin!

A special set of arms and ‘heart hands’ are included with Rin and Ren to create this pose! But no one said anything about this when Nendoroid Rin & wooser + Mechawooser was announced! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

Kahoyama kept some things hidden for even more of a surprise!! (｀・ω・´)b

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From wooser’s hand-to-mouth life:
Nendoroid Ren & Darth wooser!

She’ll be up for preorder from tomorrow! (`･ω･´)
Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 19, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Rin Natsume

From the Planning MD Team – Shuu-chan’s seat!

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The planning team has recently been split into two sections –
the hobby team and the MD team!

The hobby team will be working on the same figure planning that the planning team has always done, while the MD (merchandising) team will be working on various goods other than figures! Although Shuu-chan is working on plans with the MD team, he is also still working hard with figure planning projects too!

You can trust that the MD team will be bringing all sorts of interesting new goods for everyone soon!
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From Little Busters:
Nendoroid Rin Natsume!

From the popular game that recently became an anime series ‘Little Busters!’ comes a Nendoroid of the main heroine, the cat-loving Rin Natsume! Two of her favorite cats – Lennon and Dorj are also included together with a cat toy, allowing you to recreate even more scenes from the series!

She’s so super cute!!

Just look at her! She’s adorable!!

The baggy blazer sleeves and the pleated skirt both look so good in Nendoroid size! Her sharp-cornered eyes also look lovely!
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This is how she looks from the back!

Rin is well known for her really long ponytail, which is also fitted with a Nendoroid joint allowing you to move it around however you like!

The bell on her left side looks so big in comparison to her body – but that’s the charm of the Nendoroid design!
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A toy for the cats is included!

She can hold the toy in her right hand to play with the kitties! I think the toy will come connected to her hand, so you’ll have to swap out her hand for this pose!
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The cats – Lennon and Dorj!

Lennon is the white cat who plays a very important role in the story, and Dorj is the bigger, round cat! Cats really are the perfect thing to be included with Rin!!

The detail on the cats is also really impressive – just look at Lennon’s expression, or the gradient used for Dorj’s stripes!
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An embarrassed face!

I can’t help but want to hug her when I see this expression!! Rin is normally very curt, so seeing an expression like this really makes her stand out!
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Rin’s angry kitty face!

Using this expression and the included cat ears, you can recreate Rin’s famous hissing pose!!

This is one expression that simply had to be included with a Rin Nendoroid! She does look rather intimidating for a Nendoroid! 😛

The cat ears are the type that connect by removing a section of the fringe part.
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Lennon can also hang from her arm!

A special bent right arm and an alternate body for Lennon allow for this pose – the same head part for Lennon is used for both this and his sitting pose.
He looks just like a real cat in this pose… so relaxed and happy!
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A glove and ball for baseball!

The Little Busters game featured a lovely mini-game where the Little Buster’s team would play baseball, and these allow you to pose Rin ready for practice!

You can combine these hands with the bent and straight arms for a number of different poses – just ensure you don’t hit any of the cats or Rin will get angry!
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From Little Busters:
Nendoroid Rin Natsume!

She’ll be up for preorder from the 22nd March! (`･ω･´)
Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 18, 2013 by Kahotan

[Bonus] Painting a Nendoroid Expression: The Team’s First Expressions!

The expression painting series ended a few weeks back!

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Here we have the Mikatan Miku-san!

There are a lot of things that could still be improved, but I still think she looks cute for my first ever expression! 😛

You can do everything besides the gradient with pretty simple tools, and it’s actually so much fun to watch the expression slowly take shape! If you missed out on the series, be sure to take a look at the complete series linked below!

Most of the staff in the production team didn’t seem to like the idea of me putting their work up on the blog, but I hope it’ll inspire other people to try themselves!

All the expressions in this blog (except for the last one) were all just done as personal practice – they were never used in any actual products.
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Seibu-kun from the production team!

The sculptor of Nendoroid Snow Miku: Strawberry White Kimono Ver.!

At the moment he only works on the sculpting and coloring of figures, but one day he is aiming to be able to do the expressions as well! The very first expression he made was this one!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
It does look a bit too spread out…

I also think the eyes are a bit slanted… it’s a nice simple expression though!

Just as Oda-P said, the first time you paint an expression, the eyes will almost always end up looking slanted. Even looking at my Miku expression above, the eyes are definitely not quite straight… expressions certainly aren’t easy!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Expression Artist-chan #1

This is the painter who was in charge of all three of Nendoroid Snow Miku: Strawberry White Kimono Ver.’s expressions! While they were still in the rough stages I checked the expressions myself, and there were almost no changes that needed to be done!!

Kawapon taught all the expression artists, and the fact that they’re all so good at their job really shows just how well he taught them!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
These both look really difficult!!

Trying characters with such difficult expressions first must have been quite the challenge. The expression on the right is overall a little bit too big, and I think the eyes are a little bit too far apart. I think if the pupils were a little bit bigger and the line beneath the eye was shorter then it’d look great!

Of course that is all much easier said than done – I know I’d never be able to apply my own corrections. Once you try painting the expression yourself you realize just how hard it is!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Expression Artist-chan #2

This is the artist behind the Nendoroid Petite Hatsune Miku Selection expressions! The set had many different fan-made characters that were all still basically the same character, which makes emphasizing the little features on the expressions all the more important.

They all came out looking absolutely adorable, so don’t miss out on them!

– Nendoroid Petite Hatsune Miku Selection –
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3853/
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
It’s not easy to get the lines equally thick on both sides!

You can definitely notice the difference in the thickness of the lines on the left expression here. This is really just a matter of practice, and the more you work on expressions the better you’ll become at judging the thickness of each line.The things you need to watch while working on the lines is that they look correct, cute and visible to the right degree.

If you compare these expressions to the ones above, you’ll notice that even though they’re the same characters they look considerably different! Even the smallest of details are important with expressions, so when just a few small things differ the expression can look completely different!!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Lastly we have Oda-P!!

I’d be lying if I said this blog wasn’t made for this section! 😛

Oda-P can draw almost any characters expression in such a cute way now… but his very first expression was in fact… this one!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
The fabled Nendoroid Haruhi!!

Apparently Oda-P spent just 4 hours working on this expression so that it could be put in this magazine in time. This is the March 2007 edition of FIGURE Maniacs – that’s from 6 years ago!!!

At the time, Oda-P didn’t think expressions could possibly take all that long, but once he started he realized just how much work they were! It’s one of those things that’s hard to grasp until you actually try it for yourself!!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
It certainly packs quite a punch…

It’s not too bad, right? Shortly after the magazine was published, Kawapon went and redid all of Haruhi’s expressions… which means these expression by Oda-P are actually incredibly rare!

Apparently Oda-P himself had specially been avoiding looking at them again, but went back to them just for this blog post! 😛

Conclusion:

Nobody is good at expression painting from the start!

The more you practice, the better you’ll become! Practice makes perfect!

This blog is here for all those that are trying to paint an expression and feel it isn’t going well. Just remember that everyone has to start somewhere! If you believe you can get better and are determined to do so, then you should be able to make perfect expressions with some practice!

Don’t forget about the Sculptor’s Tryout & Finisher’s Tryout: 2013 Spring!
The deadline for applications is Sunday, the 31st March!

Sculptor’s Tryout & Finisher’s Tryout: 2013 Spring
http://www.goodsmile.info/post/ja/3624/

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 6, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Toshiki Kai

Today we start off with a quiz…

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Do you know what this is?

Just by seeing this, it looks like some figure part with someone’s signature written on it in permanent marker… but in actual fact…
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It’s Wingal’s front paw! (Included with Nendoroid Aichi Sendou!)

This is a sample that the manufacturing team are working on at the moment, which is undoubtedly split up into a lot more pieces than the final version. Each one of these parts has the date written on them for quality control. Sometimes the parts are so small that it’s rather hard to write the date on them!

But that aside, today we’ll be taking a look at Aichi-kun’s rival…
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From Cardfight!! Vanguard:
Nendoroid Toshiki Kai!

From the anime series ‘Cardfight!! Vanguard’ comes a Nendoroid of the solitary Vanguard fighter, Toshiki Kai! He comes with a number of hand parts, including hands holding Vanguard cards and hands wearing Vanguard Fight Gloves, allowing you to display him in the middle of a cardfight against another character!

I know many girls have been waiting for Kai-kun!!

Ever since Aichi-kun’s prototype was first revealed, there have been so many requests from fellow girl figure fans to release Kai-kun as well!

If you missed it, A review of Aichi-kun can be found here:

– Nendoroid Aichi Sendou –
http://mikatan.goodsmile.info/en/2012/11/13/nendoroid-aichi-sendou/
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This is how he looks from the back!

Both Aichi and Kai-kun’s hairstyles look like they were very difficult to sculpt! But Kai-kun’s pointy hair has come out looking great, and even looks swept off to the side! Wonderful! (`・ω・´)
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A sinister expression!

What an amazing expression!! (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)=3

It gives him a bit more of a childish look compared to the standard expression, but those eyes really gives off a threatening feeling! He looks confident that nothing will ever defeat him!!!

He also comes with a bent arm, Vanguard Cards and ‘Vanguard Fight Glove’ hand parts, which are all perfect for displaying him in a cardfight with another character!
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Impatiently drawing another card! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

It really is such an sinister expression!! He looks so evil!!

The sharp cornered eyes, low eyebrows and kind of cat-like mouth all come together to make such a really stunning expression!
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A shouting face for Vanguard Fights!

This expression has him shouting out to recreate the tense atmosphere of Vanguard Fights! It also has a bit of an upward glance, which suits him nicely!

By the way, all of Kai-kuns hand parts are included both with and without the Vanguard Gloves! You can pick whatever suits the scene better!
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“Draconic Overlord the End!”

This is the Draconic Overlord’s final form, and for such a small figure the detail and degree of accuracy is incredible! It’s designed to be Nendoroid Petite size, and just look at all the separately painted areas… plus the gold paint has a nice shiny look to it! His neck and other areas are also articulated for some extra posing options – it’s incredibly high quality for a Petite-sized figure!

Aichi’s expressions are currently off on a trip to China, so I put Kai-kun’s sinister expression on him instead. It actually suits him quite well!
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The Ultimate Cardfight!!

A Vanguard Fight between the two Vanguard Nendoroids!! I hope everyone will display the two of them together, as they really do look amazing when posed with each other!

Unfortunately I can’t show you the complete effect without Aichi’s expressions, but I’ll leave that for you to enjoy yourself!
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Vanguard Cards are also included!

Nendoroid Kai will let you can get your hands on the “Wyvern Strike, Gyunturu” and “Demonic Dragon Mage, Makoraga” cards!

Not only do you get the company of Aichi-kun and Kai-kun, you also get cards you can use in the real Vanguard card game!
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From Cardfight!! Vanguard:
Nendoroid Toshiki Kai!

He’ll be up for preorder from the 7th March!! (`･ω･´)
Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 5, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Sakura Miku

March is here! Spring is here!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

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All the girls are hanging up their coats from Winter and starting to wear more Spring-colored clothes! Watching the change makes me feel all happy inside!

And speaking of Spring… this lovely pink Nendoroid will be sent off to everyone soon!

Yay! The release made it in time not only for Spring, but also in time for the 9th March, Miku day! A big thank you to Tsukki from the manufacturing team who made that possible!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ
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Nendoroid Sakura Miku!

Nendoroid Miku is back again as ‘Sakura Miku’ , wearing an adorable pink outfit created with the image of cherry blossoms. The design is based on an illustration by Putidevil, which has been converted into Nendoroid form with careful attention to the meticulous use of color in the illustration!

She comes with her standard expression, a crying face as well as an innocent expression munching on a rice cake. She also comes with an alternate head part which allows you to change the accessories in her hair into cherries to suit the season even more! Enjoy your Spring with Sakura Miku by your side!

This is a release sample, and it has come out looking adorable!

I must say that I’m more than satisfied with the final product! I actually went through to China with Tsukki and took a look at the Sakura Miku production line. The posts were placed on the GSC newcomers blog and are only available in Japanese, but you’re welcome to have a look!

– Mikatan’s China Business Trip Diary –
http://ameblo.jp/blog-shinsotsu2012/entry-11445736949.html
http://ameblo.jp/blog-shinsotsu2012/entry-11446387474.html
http://ameblo.jp/blog-shinsotsu2012/entry-11446394302.html
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This is how the packaging looks!

There aren’t a huge number of small parts, but there are three different expressions, two different head parts, cushions and a cherry blossom pedestal… so many big parts!

For those wondering why there are two different heads – In the front you can see the one has sakura headphones, while the other uses Miku’s standard headphones, and on the back the difference is between Miku’s standard hair accessories and cherry hair accessories. It’s quite hard to tell the two apart, but the hair for the sakura headphones has a hollowed out area in her side hair.
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This is how she looks from the back!

The cherries at her hips are very cute!

The beautiful clear twintails also have lovely pink and white cherry blossom prints on them! I know it was not an easy task to do that clear gradient together with such detailed paintwork, but I couldn’t be happier with how beautifully they’ve come out!
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Switch to the cherry hair accessories!

This requires a complete switch of head parts, but these hair accessories give a very different feel to her! She looks more cute and innocent now!!
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A crying expression!

Cherry bloom and fade so quickly, you can’t help but shed a tear sometimes! You can also further pose her holding this little blossom… it creates such a beautiful pose!

Left and right bent arms and legs are included, allowing for all sorts of different pose combinations!
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A chibi expression and sakura pedestal!

This unbelievably cute expression is included to recreate a very specific pose which I’ll show just after this!

The pedestal she is sitting on is made to look like one big cherry blossom, and sits on top of the standard base like this. You can also pose her entirely without the standard base (propped up with her twintails), but its very easy for her to fall over in that case.
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Sitting on cushions eating sakura mochi!

I’m sure many of you will have noticed already, but this is a complete rendition of Putidevil’s original illustration! This pose combined with the chibi face is so perfect!

An adorable Sakura Miku-san sitting on three three bright green cushions while munching on some sakura mochi… If this isn’t cute, then I don’t know what is!
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Bonus! Sakura Miku Charm!

The very first figure of Sakura Miku was actually released as this charm and given to all those who entered Mikupa 2011! Even as a small charm the paintwork was so very intricate and it even used stamp paintwork! Far too much effort was put into something so small! 😛

I remember when Gakkun from the manufacturing team and Fuumin from the 3D team were working so hard to get the very best quality possible! She’s been on display at my desk for some time now, so the colors have faded a bit… but she still looks incredible to me!!
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Bonus! The cushions can be separated!

As you can see from the photo, here I have just one cushion instead of the three! You can even pile up more than three cushions if you manage to get your hands on more than one Sakura Miku!

Plus if the legs fit, you can place some other characters on the cushion too! But if the head is too heavy, you might need to place the cushion on the standard base to keep them from falling over!
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These were the selected catch phrases!

“A cherry-blossom colored, palm-sized idol action figure!”
“The small songstress floating down on a gentle spring breeze ♪”

You might remember back on the 5th November 2012 we held a competition to decide the packaging catch phrases! Thanks to everyone who sent in ideas!

– Send in Your Catch Phrase Ideas for Nendoroid Sakura Miku’s Packaging! –
http://mikatan.goodsmile.info/en/2012/11/05/send-in-your-catch-phrase-ideas-for-nendoroid-sakura-mikus-packaging/

Apparently there were over 1500 entires!! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

It was rather hard to decide on a winner, but together with Crypton we decided on phrases sent in by “Kiyomi” and “Negi to Rock”! Thanks and congratulations to both of them! We’ll be sending a little gift through to you both as thanks – you should find a mail from me in your inbox!! （´∀｀）
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Nendoroid Sakura Miku!

She’ll be sent out from GSC tomorrow! (`･ω･´)
This product was made-to-order, so you won’t be able to find her in stores, but she is planned to be on sale at the GSC Tetsu Cafe. More details will be posted on the cafe website, so keep an eye on it if you’re interested!

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 4, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Chariot with Mary (Tank) Set: TV ANIMATION Ver.

Today we begin with a quiz!!

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What are these guys trying to pose as?!

From the top we have Shuu-chan from planning, Tori Bird from manufacturing and Oonoshi from the web team! While they were trying to get this pose right, a rather unfortunate splitting sound was heard from Oonoshi’s jeans. ^^;
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From TV ANIMATION BLACK ROCK SHOOTER:
Nendoroid Chariot with Mary (Tank) Set:
TV ANIMATION Ver.!

From the anime series that aired during Fuji TV’s noitaminA block, ‘Black Rock Shooter’ comes a Nendoroid of Chariot, the character specially designed for the TV series! The set also includes a Nendoroid-sized version of Mary, the spider-like tank that Chariot used to torture Black Rock Shooter. Chariot can also ride Mary, allowing you to recreate all sorts of scenes from the anime!

A double set with some impressive volume! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

But the main thing I want to point out isn’t the size, it’s the incredible quality of detail!! The sculptors have truly done an amazing job, and I also have to commend huke-san for his amazing original design as well!
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This is how she looks from the back!

Both Chariot and Mary are so very detailed! (As a side note, this is actually the first time I knew the tank’s name was Mary… what a cute name! :P)

I also love the ‘angular’ sculpting of Chariot’s hair! It has a very anime-esque feeling to it, but also seems like a rather unique design compared to previous Nendoroids!
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A look from a high angle! Mary is huge!

Mary must be about 50% bigger than Chariot herself. The balance of the chibi Nendoroid look and the detail is excellent, they’re both so well done!!
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Mary is also very posable!

The arrows here show areas that clench into each other allowing the legs to be moved up and down! The base of each leg can also be moved backward and forward giving you lots of control over the legs!

Additionally, the front and back are linked with a ball-joint to allow them to be posed at different angles to each other, so you really have a lot of freedom when trying to pose Mary!
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Her sword and shield are included!

Ah! The shield is Mary-chan’s wheel!! Who ever thought a wheel would make such an amazing looking shield! Obviously she also comes with special hand parts allowing her to hold both the sword and shield!
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A disdainful expression and macaroons!

Macaroons, yay!! *:.｡.:*・ﾟ(n’∀’）n’ﾟ・*:.｡.:*・ﾟﾟ・!!

Special arms to display her holding the macaroons like this are also included, recreating the scene where she is throwing them at Shooter-chan!! I love yandere characters so this expression and pose are absolutely priceless to me!!
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She can also ride on Mary!

But hang on… why does Mary look so violent all of a sudden?!

Even Mary comes with both a standard and angry expression!!
Plus they’ll be compatible with other Nendo Petite expressions!

For a two-figure set, it really is filled with a lot of wonderful goodies!! Just imagine some of the things you can do if the expressions are compatible with other Nendo Petite expressions!
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Chariot’s thighs and knees are also fitted with joints!

This allows you to pose her sitting down in Mary like this!

The BRS Nendoroids have a history of being more articulated than other Nendoroids, which is definitely one of my best things about them – it’s so much fun being able to move them around and make some amazing scenes!
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From TV ANIMATION BLACK ROCK SHOOTER:
Nendoroid Chariot with Mary (Tank) Set:
TV ANIMATION Ver.!

She’ll be up for preorder from tomorrow!! (`･ω･´)
Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!
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Bonus Photo!

She looks so depressed… (=ﾟωﾟ=）

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

February 27, 2013 by Kahotan

[Final] Painting a Nendoroid Expression Part 10: Adding a Matte and Blush

The grand finale of the expression series!

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
This is the expression as it stands!

I started painting this expression back on the 7th November… it’s been almost three months and I’ve finally managed to get this far! It’s been a long journey!

At this point I’ve completed all the painting, I just need some finishing touches which I’ll do today! This includes getting rid of the shine on the face with a matte and adding in a little blush!!

Each time I ‘saved’ my expression using lacquer paint I did so using the ‘gloss’ spray you see on the right hand side here – the smooth surface it creates is much easier to paint on.

But now the face looks too shiny, so I’m going to apply the matte on the left to make the face look less shiny and more like skin again!

– Saving with Lacquer Paint (Gloss) –
http://mikatan.goodsmile.info/en/2012/11/15/painting-a-nendoroid-expression-part-4-preparing-to-apply-color/
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Spraying on the matte finish!

This works exactly the same way as the ‘saving’ did in the past – a quick spray, then some time to dry, then another quick spray… and so on!

A little unrelated, but the stick with the clip holding the expression up for me here was made by Seibu-san from the production team! (Strawberry Snow Miku’s sculptor!) Everyone uses tools like this, but I felt like a part of the sculpting team when I was allowed to use one! 😛
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
The shininess is all gone!

Ooh! It’s starting to actually look like a Nendoroid expression now!!

The bumpy bits from the lacquer layers and thicker paint that caused uneven areas actually also look a bit better now that I’ve put the matte layer on too!

Be careful though… if you put too much on it’ll end up looking a bit white and get a kind of rough texture, so be sure not to put too much on and mess up all the hard work!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
The blush will be added with pastels!

I’ve also got some sandpaper at the ready – you’ll see why in just a second…
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Rubbing two colors together on the sandpaper!

I can mix these two colors together to try and get the perfect blush color! The brush I’m using isn’t the same super thin brush I was using for the painting, but instead a brush with a flat head. This will allow for a cute, gentle blush!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Added in the blush!

I definitely think it’s added a little bit of cuteness!! (*゜∀゜)=3

You just need to lightly apply the brush at the very top of the cheekbones to get this effect – pretty much just like real make-up! It was actually very fun applying the blush! I decided not to erase the darker blush lines, but you can of course choose to have them or not! （´∀｀）
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Miku-san, complete!!

She’s finally done!! At long last!!
It makes me so happy yo see the final product of my work!!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
She looks quite cute from this angle!

Although I think I might just be biased about my own creation. ^^;

She is the Miku I poured all my heart into making, so of course she is super special to me!!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Together with the original Miku-san!

I honestly tried to copy the original Miku as much as possible… but she ended up rather different. The biggest differences were:

・ The eyes should have been 0.7mm further apart.
・ Both eyes needed to be 1mm lower.
・ The eyebrows needed to be thinner.
・ The shadow on the eye needed to be lighter.
・ The line at the bottom of the eye should have been rounder.
・ The base color of the eye should have been lighter.

I think that sums up most of the differences… but there is nothing I can do about these things now! 😛

When Aki took a look at it he was quick to say that the eyes should have been lower… after all my hard work he was so quick to point out the biggest error! Even though I saved the whole way along, it’s so depressing that I can’t go back to any of the places I saved at now… If I wanted to correct the position of the eyes now, I’d literally have to start from scratch!

The expression team is going to take a look and see if they can make any changes to make it look a little bit cuter for me, if anything comes out of that I’ll be sure to show everyone!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Displayed with Strawberry Snow Miku!

If you look from a distance, the gradient on my version is very hard to make out, while the gradient on the Snow Miku and original Miku-san both look beautiful no matter what distance you look from – even the gradient in the pupil is perfect! I guess this just goes to show the skill of a professional!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
After three months, it’s time to bid this seat farewell!

I’ve been using this seat in the production studio whenever I worked on my expression… it’s quite sad that I won’t be using it anymore… although it was a lot of fun trying my hand at creating an expression, so perhaps one day I’ll challenge myself to do it once again!

The one thing I realized was that it takes much longer than you’d think to do all of this work by hand! (`・ω・´)

I honestly started this series expecting to finish this in just three days… I couldn’t have been more wrong! If you take one mistake too far you have to go back to step one, and each and every process takes time and careful preparation to complete.

I think the most difficult point was the outlines of the eye and the eyebrows. I’m sure with enough practice it would become much easier, but for me getting the lines to look right on a completely blank canvas was very difficult. You also need to be so careful to ensure that it looks right from any direction… if you focus too much from just one point of view it’ll end up looking distorted and off balance from another – and if you try and fix that you just end up messing it up from a different angle!!

But with all that said, the reward of completing the expression is amazing!
The face is the main part of any figure or doll, and if you’ve made it yourself it just means so much more!!

My conclusions:

· Expression painters are incredible!!

· Making things is lots of fun!!

Some people who can’t sculpt well at all sometimes have amazing talent with painting or creating expressions. When I tried my hand at sculpting it was a complete failure, but at least my expression came out looking alright – I think I’m much better at the painting side of things.

If you’re interested in things like sculpting and painting, consider taking part in the ‘Sculptors Tryout & Finishers Tryout 2013 Spring’! Unfortunately you do need to speak Japanese to apply!

– Sculptors Tryout & Finishers Tryout 2013 Spring –
http://www.goodsmile.info/post/ja/3624/ (Japanese)
But anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛