Saturday, August 9, 2014

Review: Nendoroid Mikudayo

Figure Information
Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Figure Number: 299
Origin Series: "Vocaloid 2"
Scale: Non-scale
Height: Approximately 10cm tall
Original Price: 2,857 Yen

Packaging:


Being nendoroid #299, Mikudayo is the last of the nendoroid species that got the customized box types (well there still are a few these days but exclusive) before Good Smile Company decided to renew and make the box design generic. Accompanying this novelty and creepy piece is a rather catchy and funny box design that gives a cartoon-y sun rays type patterned in red and yellow while being accompanies by very light blue labeling. The moment I first saw the box, I really got amused since it compliments Mikudayo pretty well and seriously, just a look at the product shots in the sides and at the back makes me rofl because I really find Mikudayo cute, creepy and humorous. 



While I don't usually do this, there's another funny part on Mikudayo's box, it's on the flaps, there's this hilarious looking dayo with a speech bubble with the word "Mikudayo" in it.


Details:


Probably the best thing to always point out if a Mikudayo figure is good IF the soulless eyes of the supposed mascot version of nendoroid Miku are captured well... As for the nendoroid rendition, the soullessness remains intact but as opposed to the 1/8 version, this looks like a toned down version of the soulless eyes as the chosen color combination does make it look less creepy and actually look cuter when accompanied by the evil smile which is I must say, a perfect rendition since nendos are really supposed to be cute to begin with.


Unlike the 1/8 scaled version, her hair material is more of your average Miku plastic hair but to be different, her default twin tails are actually made of very soft plastic and the twin tails themselves are way shorter than your average Miku nendoroid twin tails.


Her body details are the same as your normal Miku nendoroid though one big difference is that the body is made "fatter" in a sense and that most of the paint are finished in juicy metallic paint.


Accessories:


As for accessories, Mikudayo comes with your standard modern nendo base, a pair of solid pvc twin tails and the one true accessory which comes in the form of an alternate left hand that's holding a lollipop. While I have no major gripes with the accessory count, I really wish they made the lollipop removable and provided a pair of gripping hands instead of just having a fixed left hand holding it but again, it's a minor nitpick.

Articulation Points:


Mikudayo's frame is a bit special such that it's like a love child of your regular nendoroid bodies and the super poseable bodies; I'll head more into this at the arm articulation discussion so for now, I'm starting with her hair. The hair is still connected via a stick peg so you can fully rotate the hair on its connection point but unlike the original nendo Miku's tail that was hinged, Dayo's tails are ball jointed but I couldn't really test it since the ball won't budge in the soft plastic versions (and I prefer using them).


Despite having a rather oversized head, Mikudayo can indeed enjoy a decent range of looking upwards and downwards as well as sideways.


Now, her unique points go to the shoulder joints, they're technically like you figuarts shoulders which are ball joints with hinges in them so this allows Mikudayo's arms to be raised to a perfect 90 degrees sideways and rotate until her arms collide with her gigantic head. Additionally, Dayo has some bicep swivels which you can fully rotate on and lastly, you basic wrist swivel for her hands.


Lastly, the hips uses the standard nendoroid joints which are basically hinge that connects two parts via stick pegs which you can use to fully rotate a part; this allows Dayo good enough movement as well as thigh swivels. Messing around with the joint also allows Dayo to do a sideways split.


Poseability:


Nendoroid Mikudayo is fun little figure, with a full on light, she can be a cute and funny mascot that can do things a normal nendoroid can't such as doing some chopping and "kicking" poses as well as other fun stuff you can think of.



While having an ability to look cute and funny; Mikudayo is still known as one creepy looking mascot and the nendoroid can indeed look creepy with the help of some light manipulations even in the most simplistic poses you can think of such as standing.


I really find her nendoroid rendition to be the best out of the 3 renditions of the mascot as the funny factor is high such that if you pose her around with the right stuff, you can produce very amusing shots that indeed make her poseability a fun little experience.


While the lollipop was supposed to have Dayo do poses that it's giving away some free lollipops. I really like to use it as her "weapon" of choice and given her neat little shoulder joints, Mikudayo is indeed capable of doing really epic slashing/swinging poses which totally makes the figure a winner for me. Below are some of those shots wherein Dayo now becomes a "lethal hero" which protects us from some nasty evils.




And since I've been having fun with a bunch of Bandai's effect parts in this review (you've seen the tamashii effect impact put to good use and the SRC slash effect above), here's one final shot with Mikudayo delivering a powerful "DAYO KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!"


Final Thoughts:

Overall, a very fun figure and I find her really more enjoyable than her 1/8 counterpart, while only having a very limited accessory count, her face and frame alone makes up for this as all you need is a push of mixed imagination/creative and fun. Definitely an enjoyable nendoroid release and a perfect ender before the line began with series 300+; nendoroid Mikudayo's price point is also a very friendly one so if you like figure that were made for fun and you collect japanese figures, then definitely, consider putting Mikudayo up to your list and she's definitely gonna be worth it.

Nendo Dayo was actually an impulse buy last Christmas from Onegai Onii-chan and I definitely don't regret buying her!

I give the Dayo a powerful 4.5 out of 5.

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