Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Review: Aya Shameimaru ~version 2~ -Clear version-
| Figure Information | |
| Manufacturer: | Griffon Enterprises |
| Origin Series: | Touhou Project |
| Scale: | 1/8 |
| Height: | Approximately 18 cm tall |
| Original Price: | 6800 Yen |
| Packaging: |
Aya comes with a balanced box size, it's pretty easy to carry around and the design is just pleasant for the eyes, having autumn leaves all over and a bit of additional details which I do not know what to call, it also does show off a tease on the lower right and the window is an octagon; a very nice way to deviate from the usual box window we see in most japanese figures. It also states Clear ver. below the name and the "~ver 2~" text. Do note that she is from last year's wonder festival summer's exclusive offering from griffon and is limited to 300 pieces.
| Details: |
Going on to the figure, I seriously think she's worth the exclusivity as the clear approach really works well with her. A notable part of her hair, lower half of her clothes and her skirt have been given the clear treatment while at the same time retaining highlights such as the gold paint on her clothes' detail which definitely makes details pop out.
While I was shooting and examining the figure, there was hardly anything I could complain about when it comes to the paint apps for the details; there's still some minor hardly noticeable sloppy work here and there but those with clear materials clearly have little to none sloppiness; it certainly does give off a more worth feeling for it being an exclusive repaint and all.
One thing, however, does not change for Griffon even for their exclusives... And it's always gonna be that BIG and BORING black mass of a base with a silver name plate. I guess it's a standard for griffon but they do deviate from it every once in a blue moon, but hey, at least it's not a retardedly wide black mass of a base like that of a certain "meat", right? (no offense to those who love their bases though XD)
| Pose/Photogenic Appeal: |
I must say I love the figure's pose, it's simple but it does work pretty well along with Aya's lovely expression. There are quite some options for displaying Aya; her camera is removable but I didn't bother since it looks weird without it and hey, it's also kind of a trademark already along with her fan, which is also optional. Her fan is also clad in clear plastic which improves the look of it tenfold from the original paint's fan IMO.
One more option for her is swapping out her cap with another one that has some additional "blings" with it which are also cast in clear goodness. For me, this display option makes her "complete" in a sense as it looks cuter for some reason and also showing you the full effect of the so called "Clear" version.
Manipulation of lights help in bringing out that "clear" factor and it really does work magnificently with Aya's chosen clear parts, giving the figure a more lively feel.
Her pose supports many angles which made me enjoy the figure while shooting it although I must note that the eye decals that griffon used on her (and also other Touhou figures) are quite a bit sensitive to light as there were times that I had to adjust a lot because her eye decals are reflecting my desk lamp's light quite powerfully. But yeah, a very photogenic figure with a lot of options, what else can I ask for? (except for that base change, of course :p)
| Final Thoughts: |
I am totally in awe, I only have 2 Griffon touhou figures right now and one of them is just so-so, and seeing this exclusive piece, it really does leave a good impression. The exclusivity is pretty much worth it though I might be biased since I like clear stuff, but it definitely does wonders at the very least. A very enjoyable figure shoot for a very great figure, sculpt and paint wise. I highly suggest getting this to those who love Aya and to those who doesn't have even one figure of her yet, it is really THAT good for me.
And before I end the review, I'll have you all know that this figure isn't mine, and that this review wouldn't be possible without my good friend, Kyonko, who asked me to shoot this for him (and I proceeded with reviewing it anyway). This is definitely not the last figure from him that I'll review, so stay tuned for that. :p
I give the Tengu a breaking 4.5 out of 5
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Nobody will ever love griffon's bases! >:C
ReplyDeletelooool but there's a hello kitty base! :))
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