Up for preorder from today!!

From Nisemonogatari:
1/8th Scale Tsukihi Araragi!

Plus the anime version of Tsukihi-chan!

The version in the pink kimono comes from the cover illustration of the 4th volume of the Blu-ray ‘Tsukihi Phoenix: Part 1′, while the version in the green kimono is directly from the anime! I really don’t know which one to pick!!

Pink: Standard Sales
Green: Good Smile Online Shop Preorders Only

This is how she looks from the top!

Yesterday’s blog may have been a bit revealing of my true character, but today I’ll (probably) focus on doing a proper review, instead of just talking about how sexy she looks! 😛

As with all the previous ‘Monogatari Series’ figures, Tsukihi comes with a lovely stand that is bigger than the figure itself – a lovely red jungle gym! Most of the figures from this series have been based on the DVD and Blu-Ray jacket cover illustrations, and each one has really brought out the atmosphere of the series in such a lovely way! I could look at these figures for ages and never get bored!

This is how she looks from the side!

The positioning of her hips, bending of the legs, posing on the jungle gym, creases in her kimono and even the beautiful ribbon fluttering behind her are just some of the amazing features of this figure!

It’s not like she is in an amazingly flashy pose or wearing the most beautiful outfit ever, but the amount of joy you can get from spinning this figure around and finding more and more amazing parts is what makes her such an exceptional figure to me!

This is what it means to be both sexy and cute!!

If I was given a look like this over the shoulder, I don’t think I’d be able to keep myself thinking straight! For that sake I don’t think there would be any reason to try and continue thinking straight – all you need to do is enjoy it!!

But from a different angle…
She has such an innocent looking expression!!

This photo makes her look a lot more like the middle-school student she’s supposed to be! It’s incredible how much the angle you look from can change the overall feeling of the figure!

Yet another amazing element in the world of figures!! (ﾟДﾟ;）

A low angle really does suit this figure!

It’s definitely a tough choice though… she did look amazingly cute from the higher angles as well! I don’t even own the figure yet and I already can’t decide how I’m going to display her!!

As far as the size goes… well, it’s certainly not a small figure, but there are no areas sticking out further than others, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find a nice place to put her out on display with other figures!

Let me get some close-up shots!

The curves on her body really are fantastic… I already mentioned the panty line in the previous blog, but you can see it here quite nicely once again! ^^

The green version also has different colored sandal straps! It’s a completely coordinated green outfit! (｀・ω・´)b

The masks each have different shapes and paintwork!

The paintwork goes without saying, but the fact that each of the masks was sculpted in a slightly different shape is rather impressive, but it also means much more work! As I’m sure many figure fans will know, if they were all the same shape they could have simply all been made from the same mold… but now a separate one will be needed for each!

But this was based on the cover illustration, and in order to get it as faithful to the original as possible, each of the shapes had to be different! (`・ω・´)

This figure caters to a so many different people…!

I know I’ve already mentioned it a million times, but in my case those hips are absolutely incredible! I could talk about them all day and late into the night! However Otakana who was in charge of this figure says that his best part is definitely the area behind the knees! A couple of staff also said the feet in the slipping sandals were their best part!

It seems the best part of Tsukihi’s figure differs from person to person… but I think that just goes to show how high quality of a figure she really is!

From Nisemonogatari:
1/8th Scale Tsukihi Araragi!

 
She’s up for preorder as of today!

Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

 
As mentioned above, the green version will only be available for preorder from the GOOD SMILE ONLINE SHOP!

– GOOD SMILE ONLINE SHOP –
http://goodsmile.ecq.sc/

Finally a quick notice! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

The Bakemonogatari Premium Item Box Set…

Is also up for preorder!!

Bakemonogatari Premium Item Box Blog:
http://mikatan.goodsmile.info/en/2013/05/27/nendoroid-hitagi-senjougahara-included-in-the-bakemonogatari-premium-item-box/

Bakemonogatari Premium Item Box Contents:
1) “Hitagi Figure” short story by Nisio Isin.
2) Nendoroid Hitagi Senjougahara
3) 3x clear posters illustrated by VOFAN, Akio Watanabe and Hajime Ueda.
4) 3x tin badges illustrated by VOFAN, Akio Watanabe and Hajime Ueda.

The illustrations of the goods have been revealed!

We had Akio Watanabe’s illustration up earlier than the others, but now VOFAN and Hajime Ueda’s illustrations have also been revealed! There illustrations will be used for the clear posters and tin badges that are to be included in the Premium Box with Nendoroid Hitagi Senjougahara!

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

 
 
© 西尾維新／講談社・アニプレックス・シャフト

Let me start off by saying…

This figure is simply amazing!!

This is the unpainted prototype from WonHobby 17…

It’s now been hand-painted by GSC’s production team…

…and she looks fantastic!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

Let me repeat once more…
This figure is simply amazing!!

Obviously GSC always works to the best of their ability to bring everyone the very best quality products… but this figure… this figure is on a completely new level!! She looks exactly like the original illustration, every part of her is sculpted in such a beautiful way and the paintwork is exquisite!

The moment I saw her she left such a strong impression on me!! I hope I can somehow convey that feeling to everyone reading the blog with my photos!! I’ll be doing a 2-day review of her to make sure I cover as much of Tsukihi-chan as possible!

From Nisemonogatari:
1/8th Scale Tsukihi Araragi!

She’s unbelievably cute!!

If this isn’t cute then I don’t know what is!! If anyone dares to say that this isn’t cute, I’ll happily stay up all night and fight for her! (`・ω・´)

I honestly think I’d be happy to get this figure just for her expression…

Just look at her lovely hips!

Plus if you have a close look you might even see a little more!

You can’t directly see her panties or skin as everything is completely covered up, and yet she’s still so sexy!! This is the art of sculpting in action!! She’s not directly letting anyone see anything, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be seen!! I’m fairly certain that recreating this feeling so naturally on a figure was no simple task!

My reviews normally show one or two photos of the entire figure and then focus on smaller areas, but this time the whole figure looks so great that I had to keep taking more and more shots from different angles! (￣ー￣)

She looks great from a low angle too!

She is posed climbing a jungle gym, so this is actually a very appropriate angle! You might not ever get the chance to see a scene like this elsewhere, but Tsukihi-chan will be happy to show you it to you whenever you like!! (There is no way the 3D world will beat the 2D at this rate!!)

I have to say that I really love this photo – you get a good view of the curves of her body, a nice peek at her thigh due to the bent leg, and the jungle gym creates an interesting effect that kind of hides parts of Tsukihi-chan out of sight! Even though you can’t see her expression, she still looks incredible!!

Displayed together with the illustration!

This is the Blu-ray cover illustration for ‘Tsukihi Phoenix: Part 1’! You can see here what a beautiful rendition the figure version really is! I know I’ve focused a bit too much on her sexy side, but whether you like her sexier side or the cuter side – this Tsukihi-chan is sure to impress any fans!

I still can’t believe that this single illustration was transformed into this adorable, sexy, faultless figure!! It’s incredible!! ｡･ﾟ･(ﾉД`)･ﾟ･｡

But I’m sure that many of you may be wondering why she is in a red kimono, when in the anime she was wearing a green kimono! Worry not! (`･ω･´)

An anime-version kimono will also be available!

Oooh!! The green kimono!! (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)=3

Those of you who only watched the anime may find this outfit more familiar! The green version will be a GSC Online Shop exclusive!

Pink: Standard Sales
Green: Good Smile Online Shop Only

It’ll be so hard to pick which one I prefer, but Tsukihi-chan fans can of course grab both of them if they want!!

A very elegant green kimono!

I still can’t get over the fact that even though absolutely everything is covered up, she somehow still manages to look so delicious!! I guess it’s just the overall combination of her body’s curves and the lovely pose! Although I also get the feeling that the position of the creases in her kimono have something to do with it too!

I’m quite sure that in real life the hip-line wouldn’t be so nicely visible when wearing a kimono, but on the figure it looks great and doesn’t feel out of place at all – in fact it looks perfectly natural to me! I suppose that’s one of the many differences between the 2D and the 3D world!

From Nisemonogatari:
1/8th Scale Tsukihi Araragi!

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

 
Tsukihi-chan’s review will continue tomorrow!

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

 
 

© 西尾維新／講談社・アニプレックス・シャフト

A visit to Max Factory’s studios! (・ω・)ノ

It’s been about a year since we moved offices to the Skytree, but in all that time I’ve never had much of a chance to enter Max Factory’s work studios! (I’m pretty sure that all I’d manage to accomplish by coming in here is being a nuisance… ^^;)

But today is my first time!! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

Mamamasu-kun’s office has been changed into a little studio, so I asked if I could come in and take a look! I used to sit very close to him before he moved into this studio… it’s become a little more lonely since he moved away… but now I think it’ll be easier to come in and steal prototypes for the blog! ヽ(゜∀゜)ノ

From Fire Emblem: Awakening:
1/7th Scale Tharja

“Hee, hee, hee!”

Those of you who have played the game are likely hearing Tharja’s memorable laugh play through their head right now! Σ(ﾟ∀ﾟ )

She is a 1/7th scale figure making her rather large, but because she is posed leaning over she doesn’t take up too much space – so it shouldn’t be too hard to find display space for her! She has a really sexy, mature charm that Tharja fans are sure to fall in love with!

This is how she looks from the back!

Those long, slim legs are really something!! 。・゜・(ノ∀`)・゜・。

Tharja’s whole body is covered by black tights, it’s amazing how the texture of the tights comes out so vividly just through the paintwork!! It genuinely looks like she is wearing tights!!! The color becomes thinner around her thighs and darker around the knees as if the material is really stretching!

You really need to have a close look at things like this to really appreciate how much work goes into these figures! (`・ω・´)

Look at that lovely downcast look!

Tharja is somewhat addicted to the Avatar, and you can see her tsundere personality coming out in this pose very nicely! It’s quite hard to see from this photo, but she even has a light eye-shadow beneath her eyes! Her tender looking lips are also well worth noting – they actually have a bit of a duck face look, which adds a bit of cute appeal to her as well!! （*´∀｀）

What is this strange warm feeling…?
Tharja must have cast one of her hexes on me!!

The pile of books is so detailed!

Each book has beautiful golden corners and you can even make out the separate pages in the books! Even when zoomed in like this they still look great! I love it when I get this excited about even the smaller parts of a figure – it shows just how amazing they are!

I’m sure that many of you aren’t paying too much attention to the books though… one’s eyes do tend to wander a little bit further upward don’t they?
I can’t help feeling a little bit jealous at that volume… (=゜ω゜=）

Her lovely, lean tummy!

Even though she is wearing black tights you can still tell she has soft, lady-like skin! You can also make out her rigid pelvis which contrasts against the soft skin beautifully! You’d be surprised how much of the human body’s beauty relies on this stomach area! (`・ω・´)

The sculptwork on her cape is fantastic!

Look close…. look very close!! The weight, the texture and the folds of the material are all so perfect! It looks more realistic than a real cape looks!!

It’s hard to imagine that this all came about about from a sculptor’s mind! Of course there are designs that the figure is based on, but to think it would come out looking so real is simply outstanding! We need to somehow preserve the skills of the sculptors for future generations!! ( `ω´)

My favorite shot for today! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

Normally my best shots end up as low angle shots, but today’s is a simple straight angle! The overall balance of the figure, the way her wrists are twisted and the fact that you can only just see her one eye peeking over the top all make this angle the best for me! (`・ω・´)

Max Factory puts so much effort into the smaller parts!

The skull is a similar dark red color to the inside of her cape. Fancy! (=゜ω゜=）

The books as well as the skull are planned to not be held in place by tabs or anything, so you can freely place them wherever you like! I always like being able to place the little extra items like these absolutely anywhere!

From Fire Emblem: Awakening:
1/7th Scale Tharja

 
She’ll be up for preorder from tomorrow!!
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゛

 
 
© 2012 Nintendo/INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS Licensed by Nintendo

The 2013 Scale Figure Photo Contest…

… is currently accepting entries!!

All the staff who are involved with the contest are waiting with bated breath to see everyone’s lovely entries!! (((゜Д゜)))

There are some people who have already submitted their entries which has already got me super excited for what’s to come! A big thank you to those who have already entered! Today’s blog will be taking a look at exactly how you can enter the competition yourself!

Here’s a quick outline of the contest! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

That pretty much summarizes the contest!

It did end up as a rather long summary though… ^^;

Basically, everyone is free to enter, and everyone is free to vote!!
Let me explain these each in a little more detail…

Here is my photo!!

Isn’t she lovely?! I can never get tired of looking at Ulti-Madoka! ^^

I took my photo with an SLR camera, but you’re welcome to use whatever camera you like! Even cellphone or smartphone cameras are welcome! The most important thing is that you convey your love for the character, the series and the figure!! (`・ω・´)

The one restriction is that photos must be below 5MB in size!

You can confirm the file size by right-clicking and selecting ‘properties’, but if you’re still not sure just send it through anyway! 😛 If you find out it’s too big, then you can easily resize it with free image editing software!

Also note that anything too ecchi or with panties showing might not be selected for voting!

It doesn’t matter if they’re real people or figures! If you’re taking photos of girls then you need to keep their feelings in mind! (・ω・)ノ

Now write your name down and take a second photo!

This is required to confirm the entry really is your work!

It’s proof that you took the photo yourself! You don’t need to worry too much about the quality of this second photo – as long as the name and figure are visible it’s more than enough!

Note that if this verification photo isn’t correctly submitted or doesn’t contain your name then your entry won’t be put up on the site, so ensure it’s correct! You’re welcome to reenter if you feel something went wrong!

So let me keep this simple as I summarize quickly: All you need to do is send in your entries and then vote for your favorite photos! ヽ(゜∀゜)ノ

There are a few rules to keep in mind when sending in your entry, but they are all relatively easy for even me to understand so I don’t think they’ll cause any problems! You can take a read through the rules over on following page:

– Scale Figure Photo Contest –
https://event.goodsmile.info/photocon2013summer/en/

It’s been quite awhile since the last photo contest, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what comes from this one!

It’s actually a lot of fun to look through all the entries and see all the unique ways of taking photos that people come up with… not to mention just looking at all those lovely photos of figures is a load of fun!! （*´∀｀*）

The winners will be announced on the 28th July during the WonFes & WonHobby Live Broadcast!

This is one of the projects that both the staff and the fans get to enjoy, so we’re really looking forward to everyone’s entries!

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

Yay! The first prototype I’ve got in awhile!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

Well… it’s only really been two days since I had the Nendo Petite IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls prototypes, but it feels like it’s been way longer! I think I’ve been spoilt with all products that have been announced recently! （´∀｀）

But anyway! Today I’ll be taking a look a product which is planned and manufactured by Phat! company! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

From Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland:
Totori: 19 Year Old ver.!

She is the forth figure from the Arland series and the third figure from Atelier Meruru! (`･ω･´)

However this time around Totori is being released by Tecmo Koei Games instead of Phat! Company – but the sculptor and planning is all the same team, so she still fits in beautifully with the others!

A diagram of the Arland series!

This was made by Uchitarou-san from Phat! Company!
Thank you Uchitarou-san!! ヽ(゜∀゜)ノ

The figure we’re looking at today is the Totori: 19 Year Old ver. from Atelier Meruru! If you display her with the previously released Rorona and Meruru you’ll have all three characters from the same game displayed together!!

This is how she looks from the back!

She’s quite a few years older than the previously released Totori figure, and thus is both a little taller and has a more mature looking build!

I must say that I had quite a bit of trouble photographing her in this bent-over pose without showing too much! Even though she’s wearing something less revealing than panties… I’ll be sure to protect the secrets of the skirt! (｀ω´*)

Such adorable facial features!（*´∀｀）

It’s no easy task to keep the lovely gentle feeling from Mel-san’s illustrations in figure form, but as you can see it has been achieved beautifully!

The shape of her eyes and the coloring has been very faithfully sculpted! Not to mention the sculptwork of her hair blowing behind her gives the figure an amazing dynamic feeling as well!

The paintwork on her outfit is so intricate!

The subtle gradient from the illustrations has also been faithfully painted onto the figure! Plus just like the previous Totori figure, her skirt is made with a cloudy transparent plastic which gives it such a soft, airy appearance!

It looks lovely!! (*゜∀゜)=3

Take note of the gaps!!

The gaps made between Totori’s outfit and her skin are one of my favorite things about this figure! The gaps together with the pose really make it seem like she’s actually ‘wearing’ clothes… and just look at that lovely bosom! Another really lovely piece of sculptwork is the area around her armpits! It’s like you can see the skin squishing together!! I always seem to write way too much when it comes to sections like these. ^^;

But Totori herself isn’t the only highlight – just look at the detail on the pouch around her shoulder! If you look really close at the side you can actually see the seam of the bag! Σ(゜Д゜;）

Her staff is also gorgeous!!

The staff Totori uses in battle has shiny gold paintwork!! There are so many different aspects to enjoy on this figure from both the front and back, I’m not sure how I’d want to display her!

Her homunculus, Chimu-chan!

Oooh! Even Chimu-chan’s outfit is super detailed!! The little accessory she wears even makes use of a metallic paint!! Phat! Company’s Atelier series has always paid amazing attention to the smaller details and accessories, but this time around Chimu-chan and an entire chair are included with the main figure!

From Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of Arland:
Totori: 19 Year Old ver.!

 
She’s up for preorder as of today!!
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゛

©GUST CO.,LTD.
©コーエーテクモゲームス All rights reserved.

Initiate the Survival Strategy!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)

Ooh! Shuu-chan is once again an excellent model!! (`･ω･´)

The last time Shuu-chan was in an article, talk of his amazing pose was sent all around the offices! But Shuu-chan doesn’t mind, and was happy to reenact yet another pose!! You can tell from these poses that he really cares for the products he has worked on! (Which is very important when you’re in charge of them!)

Even though you can’t see it in the photo, he is actually standing on tippy-toes to recreate the effect of high heels! 😛

But anyway, today I’ll be reviewing a release sample of this lovely figure! Apologies for everyone for the delay of her release!! (`･ω･´)

From Mawaru Penguin Drum:
Princess of the Crystal!

I know I’m repeating myself, but sorry again for the delays!!

It has taken rather long to release this particular figure, but every day that she was being worked made her a little bit better, making sure that she came out in the highest quality possible!

This is a figure that’s not only for fans of the Princess of the Crystal! It’s also for figure fans who simply like to see a very high level of sculpting and manufacturing expertise!

This is how she looks from the back!

I simply have to mention her huge dress here!! The way it is sculpted gives the fabric a really heavy, thick appearance! Although the figure itself is actually quite heavy too! 😛

The area that needed to be painted is huge, and the color on the opposite side of the dress is different, which apparently meant that a lot of effort was needed in order to ensure the paintwork stayed even and without error. In the end I think it has come out looking wonderful! Just seeing this dress is what really makes the character for me! ヽ(゜∀゜)ノ

Plus just like in the series, the dress can be completely removed!
I’ll be showing that a bit later on in the blog! (￣ー￣)

She’s so beautiful!! (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)=3

The same feeling behind Lily Hoshino’s illustration has been kept in the figure form very nicely! Her eyelashes are so cute!! （*´∀｀*）

Kawapon was the sculptor who painted her face, and I remember him mentioning that it was a very difficult expression to get right – she does have very unique looking eyes. In the end it seems his hard work has paid off through, as the expression looks great!

The underside of her dress!

You can even see the sewing lines on the fluffy edges of her dress! They make for such cute little frills! I really have to commend sculptors when they manage to turn the 2D illustrations into such amazing 3D figures!

Displayed with the dress removed!!

Whenever she walked down the stairs she slowly but surely showed a little more skin… and you can even show that with the figure! Yay! Show more!! щ(゜Д゜щ)

But be careful when removing the dress that none of the paint rubs off on other parts! Take it off slowly and carefully!

She looks great without the dress too!

Just look at that lovely bottom, her just-visible shoulder blades and those boots covering her soft looking thighs! This must be the ideal body that all men and women wish for! It’s beautiful!! 。・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。

You can choose between the voluminous Princess with her dress attached, or go for the sexier version with the dress removed! I’m really not sure which I prefer!

Her triple-laced panties!

I normally am very careful to avoid panty shots on the blog, but this is a bit of an exception… it’s actually hard to really say whether they are exactly panties or not!

I’m guessing it’s safe this time around seen they appeared on the product page anyway! (*´`ω´)

Her corset has a shiny paint coat!

Her gloves and boots also have the same shine… it gives a kind of bondage-look which seems to suit the Princess of the Crystal rather well! You can’t see it in this photo, but the penguin hat she is wearing also has a lovely pearl coating!

The paintwork that has gone into this figure is astounding!!
You really need to see it for yourself!

From Mawaru Penguin Drum:
Princess of the Crystal!

 
She’ll be on sale from the 4th June!!
Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

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

 
 
© イクニチャウダー／ピングループ