Today’s Main Feature…!

Hello everyone!! Kahotan here! (@gsc_kahotan)

Today I’m going to be taking a look at the 1/8th scale…
Hatsune Miku V4X!

The cute electronic diva is back in a brand new outfit!

The Hatsune Miku voice synthesizer software was upgraded into an easier to use version that allows for even more varied, beautiful singing options and released as Hatsune Miku V4X! This figure is based on the main package illustration for the upgraded Miku-san!!

Her futuristic outfit makes use of both translucent parts and metallic paint to bring out different textures all over the design!

▲The lower layer of the dress frill is translucent with the one above having a metallic appearance! Such amazing detail!!

You can also easily see the difference in thickness of the material between the skirt and her much thinner top, and both have been sculpted carefully including all the creases and wrinkles to give them that realistic fabric appearance.

The top also matches with the shape of her body nicely to show off her lovely curves! (｡･ω･)ﾉﾞ

▲ Her chest may be on the reserved side in terms of size, but the details of the sculpt gets full points!

The gentle, floating appearance of her thin hair is so detailed as it winds around her, and the twist in her hips and shoulders has also been captured beautifully!

Be sure to take a closer look at the careful sculpt of her body including those gorgeous thighs once she joins your collection!!

This it the promotional poster for Miku!

According to her planner Hamako, the idea was to create an effect similar to that on a fashion magazine! As Miku-san is standing in such a model pose it suits very nicely!!

I was also asked by her to compare the 1/8th scale figure Hatsune Miku rereleased back in 2011 as a fun little comparison… so here we go

▲Her initial release was 2008, so there are around 9 years between the two!

While there are a lot of changes in style, the charm to her design has never faded!

* As a side note, Hatsune Miku is a final product while Hatsune Miku V4X is a prototype, so the actual size of the final product will differ!

The original Hatsune Miku also made use of metallic, glossy paint to bring out that futuristic appearance!♪

In comparison, this time around Miku has a more mature appearance! She’s all grown up! ♥

▲ There is something about her that makes her look so elegant! A gentle, calm kind of charming. (*´ｪ`*)

Also take a look at her lovely long legs!

The paintwork to show the stretch in her stockings is perfect!!

Areas such as behind the knee have a much darker look, while the thighs and calves have a more see-through appearance! It really captures that well-fitting appearance nicely through the paintwork! The metallic paintwork on her heels are also stunning! (/ω＼)

The illustration has Miku’s hair looking relatively flat by design, and the figure has been tuned to capture a similar feeling!

The sculpting is a part of it, but the subtle changes in color with darker colors on the inside to create a shadow that help to bring out that appearance on a 3D plane! ε=(｡・д・｡)

Not to mention the tips of her hair have that crystalline appearance through the use of semi-transparent parts! They look so beautiful!! ♪

Be sure to add the 1/8th scale electronic diva to your collection!
Hatsune Miku V4X!

She’ll be up for preorder from tomorrow!

Check out the Good Smile Company website tomorrow for more information!

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Preorder Deadline Notice!

The following products have preorders closing on the 9th March 2017 at 12:00JST! Don’t miss out!

⇒ Full English Preorder Deadline Schedule

There are quite a few items with GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP Exclusive bonuses as well, so be sure to consider that when preordering!

Nendoroid Utaha Kasumigaoka

Bonus: Acrylic “Koisuru Metronome” Nendoroid Base Keychain

Nendoroid Co-de: Kashu Kiyomitsu -Hanamaru- Uchiban Co-de

Bonus: Nendoroid Plus Rubber Strap: Kashu Kiyomitsu -Hanamaru- Uchiban Co-de Ver.

Nendoroid Co-de: Yamatonokami Yasusada -Hanamaru- Uchiban Co-de

Bonus: Nendoroid Plus Rubber Strap: Yamatonokami Yasusada -Hanamaru- Uchiban Co-de Ver.

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illustration by iXima © Crypton Future Media, INC.
©2017 丸戸史明・深崎暮人・KADOKAWA ファンタジア文庫刊／冴えない♭な製作委員会
©2016 アニメ『刀剣乱舞-花丸-』製作委員会

Today’s Main Feature!

Hello everyone!! Kahotan here! (@gsc_kahotan)

Without further ado, today I’m going to be taking a look at the
1/7th Scale Snow Miku!!❄

The winter songstress speeding through the snow!

A figure made as a part of the Good Smile Company 15th Anniversary, Snow Miku is available for preorder soon! It’s really hard to capture the dynamic posing of the figure with just one photo, so I’m going to start off with a quick animated GIF to see her from all sorts of different angles! (●´Д｀●)ﾉ

She looks ready to jump to life!!

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Let’s stop here for a second and have a quick reminder about who exactly Snow Miku is! (｡･ω･)ﾉﾞ

Who is Snow Miku?
Snow Miku is a character designed to enliven the Winter of Hokkaido. She was originally created due to a snow sculpture of Hatsune Miku made at the 2010 Sapporo Snow Festival, and has been a part of the ‘SNOW MIKU’ festival in Hokkaido every year since. The 2017 theme for Snow Miku is ‘Stars and Constellations of the Winter Hokkaido’.

SNOW MIKU Official Site: http://snowmiku.com/

GSC has released lots of Nendoroids in the past, but this is the first time we have released a scale figure of Snow Miku!!

You can find the Nendoroid and figma versions of the 2017 Snow Miku below! They will be available for order later in February!!

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Anyway, let’s get back to the scale figure!

This stylish version of Snow Miku sliding down a snowy slope on her own twin-tailed hair was illustrated by MONQ! Here is the original illustration!

The illustration and figure have a very cool and composed look, but at the same time the expression has a kind of innocent beauty that really makes her stand out!! (‘-‘*)(,_,*)(‘-‘*)(,_,*)

When we take a closer look at the figure, you’ll notice that not only does it capture the bold, dynamic pose and amazing size of the twin-tails, but it also captures the charm and ladylike curves of Miku herself for fans to enjoy!

This Miku is just filled with so much hidden potential – the closer you look the more amazing the attention to detail becomes! Personally I adore the way her legs have been sculpted! The curves of her thighs, knees and calves are simply beautiful!! (੭ु ›ω‹ )੭ु⁾⁾♡

The sculpt is one thing, but the metallic paintwork on the skirt and color differences along the pleats of her skirt also bring out such lovely detail to her outfit!

The dynamic pose of the figure also leads to lots of little openings in her outfit where you can get a peek of bare skin! ★

The areas that can’t be directly seen from the front of the figure are of course faithfully detailed, so be sure to spin her around and enjoy her from all sorts of different angles! (∩・∀・)∩

▲ The strands on the end of her scarf are sculpted with a sense of movement!

▲ If you look close you can get a peek between her skirt and top here! (/ω＼)

But perhaps the part I want to write the most about is Miku’s face! ♥

It’s just so adorable!!

Those lovely sharp eyes capture such a strong will in them, and the short eyebrows have such  strength put into and the slight gloss on her lips… there is something so determined and confident about her!! At the same time the slight blush on her cheeks also keeps the cute and ladylike side to her for the best of both worlds!

Looking at her hair from the side captures the milky, transparent appearance very nicely! You also get a good feeling for the impressive size!

▲ I’m not sure if ‘milky’ is the best description here, but I think you know what I mean!

The base features a design similar to the background from the original illustration, with various snowflake patterns and more! ε=(｡・д・｡)

▲ It also has a bit of a smoky appearance which suits the cold, ice-like appearance of the figure!

Be sure to add the snowy electronic diva to your collection!
The 1/7th Scale Snow Miku!!❄

She’ll be up for preorder from tomorrow! ♡

Keep your eyes on the Good Smile Company Website for more details!

Plus those who want to see more of the figure before tomorrow, we are going to be running a live broadcast to take a closer look at the figure later today from 20:00JST (Click here to see your timezone)! The head planner of the figure will be there to point out all the finer details, so be sure to join us if you have the time!

Broadcast Page: http://live.nicovideo.jp/gate/lv288502475

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Plus, don’t forget this item which is currently up for preorder! ☆

figma Snow Miku: Fluffy Coat ver.

Be sure to get your preorders in! ♥

While this product will be available at some events and special stores, it is generally going to be exclusive to the GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP, so make sure you don’t miss out on the order period! Orders close on the 21st February 2017 (Tue) at 12:00JST!

⇒ PRODUCT DETAILS

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

illustration by MONQ © Crypton Future Media， INC. www.piapro.net
© Crypton Future Media, INC. www.piapro.net
© Wonder Festival Project Office All Right Reserved. 海洋堂

Hello everyone!! Kahotan here! (@gsc_kahotan)

This weekend is both the Ankou Festival as well as the Final SUPER GT Race! Are you taking part in any of them?! Quite a lot of the staff if out preparing for the events leaving the offices rather empty today!  :(‘Θ’ 」 ∠):_

Anyway, today I will be continuing yesterday’s blog with a closer look at…
Racing Miku 2016 Ver. !

The songstress of the race circuit as a 1/8th scale figure together with Weight-chans! ♥

A beautiful figure of Racing Miku based on one of the original illustrations by Mai Yoneyama! Plus the cute little ‘Weight-chan’ characters based on the weight stickers added to SUPER GT cars when they have a handicap are also included all coming together to create an adorable scene and an amazing figure! ☆

⇒ PRODUCT DETAILS

Of course all the details on areas that were never even visible on the original illustration have been carefully thought out and sculpted onto the figure, allowing fans to enjoy the lovely work from any angle they please!

Racing Miku-san is not only sitting, but also placed in a bent-forward pose which really brings out the shape of her hips and bottom when looking from the back! Just look at those beautiful curves!! (/ω・)

I personally love how she looks from the side!

This angle gives a nice look at both her soft, silky looking hair as well as the gently extended hand and bent up knee! Plus if you look at the parasol you can see that the effects of the light have been very carefully considered with the paintwork – the outside is a much lighter white than the inside is more of a gray color and the ‘4’ can be seen slightly through the thin material of the parasol! ε=(｡・д・｡)

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Today we’re going to have a chat with the planner for the figure, Hamako! (@gsc_hama）

(・∀・) Go ahead! Ask me anything!

Will you be going to the final SUPER GT race tomorrow?

(・∀・) Of course! We will even have this figure on display at the race! Be sure to stop by and take a look if you’re attending!

It is always so different to see a figure in person compared to the photos! I hope lots of people come by to take a look!!

Let’s take a closer look at Hamako’s recommended points! ♪

– 1: Expression –

(・∀・) The first thing you have to take note of is this adorable face! She looks so carefree and innocent making such an cute expression!!

Ah! I know exactly what you mean! She does look so very cute!! This time around Racing Miku is definitely more on the ‘cute’ side of the cute-cool spectrum! It makes me wish I was there to protect her from any harm!

(・∀・) One thing I really want to point out is the design of her eyes! Note all the little triangles!

Now that you mention it… the eyes are very detailed! There is even a tiny little pink triangle in the middle!

(・∀・) The unique texture and detail of the eyes illustrated by Mai Yoneyama has been very faithfully preserved on the figure!

I think it may be one of the most detailed eyes I’ve ever seen on a scale figure! I could stare into her eyes for ages!

– 2: Sculpt –

(・∀・) The creases made on her ankles and toes due to her pose…

(・∀・) … and those made from the curves of her body have all been faithfully sculpted onto the figure! This allows you to kind of picture the shape of her body right through the outfit! You can also see the detail put into the tires used for her base to make them look rather realistic!

The tires have the actual name of tire manufacturers written on them, and also have these letter and arrows… what are they for?

(・∀・) These numbers are markings that give details about the tires such as the spinning direction, connecting point and firmness! They are written on the tires with chalk! 

It even looks like chalk on the figure!! (灬ºωº灬)

(・∀・) Yep. That’s because it is chalk.

Huh?!

(・∀・) The painter for the figure Iwabitsu-sensei drew them on with chalk for the prototype! If you touch it it might rub off so be careful!

O-OK! I’ll be careful!!

(・∀・) The final mass-produced version won’t be actual chalk, but we will do everything we can to make it look just as realistic as possible!!

– 3: Interpretation –

(・∀・) One aspect of the figure that constantly came up in the development stages was preserving the highlights of the hair. It was quite difficult to sculpt and paint the strip-shaped highlights in a way that not only looked good when transformed into a 3D figure but also kept the same feeling as the original illustration. We worked with various different renditions with the production team before eventually settling on this one!

The colors of the tips of the hair look amazing on the illustration, but when you try and convert that into a figure you need to think in a whole new dimension as to where the colors change! (°Д°；≡°Д°；)

(・∀・) Trying to convert the illustration exactly as is into a figure would leave some parts simply not adding up when looked at as a whole. To put it simply, 2D illustrations can make use of techniques that ‘lie’ to trick the eyes, but when changed into a 3D figure we had to work around those lies to make it look natural! But that’s exactly what made it such an interesting project!

Take a look at the colors of her twin-tails from various different angles for yourself!

(・∀・）Also, parts of the red highlight in her hair and twintails make use of semi-translucent parts! To retain the vivid appearance they are only very slightly see-through, so it might be a little hard to tell from the photos, but it looks really pretty based on how the light hits the figure!

Ah! I see now! They are very transparent towards the ends of the hair!

– 4: A Complete Scene –

(・∀・) This Racing Miku figure is rather different compared to most of the previous Racing Miku figures as she isn’t posed looking ahead, but instead at the can in her hands and Weight-chan! The figure isn’t just Racing Miku, but a whole little scene for fans to look upon making it a rather unique addition to any collection! 

That’s what makes the figure so special to me! It all comes together so nicely to create something more than just a figure – it brings out its own little universe and a story to come along with it! It’s a little hard to put into words, but the way the figure all comes together is definitely one of my favorite points! ♪

(・∀・) I hope fans will enjoy the Racing Miku world with this figure complete with her special base! 

Thanks for all of your comments and explanations Hamako! It was nice to have an interview blog for the first time in awhile! ♪

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The cute innocent smile of Miku together with Weight-chans!! ♥

Racing Miku 2016 Ver.!

She is currently up for preorder! ♡

⇒ PRODUCT DETAILS
⇒  GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP

We have also prepared a little video where you can see Miku from various different angles! Be sure to take a look! (｡･ω･)ﾉﾞ

◆ GOODSMILE RACING Official Supporters Blog
◇ GSR English PR Twitter – @GSR_PR_Blog
◆ GSR English Blog: http://global.goodsmileracing.com/

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

© 米山舞/ Crypton Future Media, INC. www.piapro.net directed by コヤマシゲト