DSC_7229
Now, we're back to something I actually know something about.
Robo-babes and anime/video games have gone hand in hand for Lord only knows how long. While many of these properties seem to be timeless, there is one property with robo-babes that kind of sizzled out of existence once its 15 minutes were up - the Xenosaga series on PS2.
Developed by Monolith, who would go on to develop the Xenoblade series on Nintendo first rose to notoriety when they worked at SquareSoft on a little game called Xenogears. If you've never played the game, the entry is best known for introducing an battle system that rewarded you for taking defensive action rather than going on full out assaults, and due to budget cuts, a second half of the game told by the lead characters sitting in rocking chairs.
Xenosaga was a space opera that spanned across three games and got pretty trippy when you started getting details about the true nature of some of the characters. I finished all 3 games, and with the exception of the glitches on Xenosaga, had a pretty good time. However, I remember reading that the reception of Xenosaga 2 was kind of meh due to the battle system, and as a result the third game really didn't sell well at all.. which is why it is kind of pricey on the aftermarket these days.
Me? I stuck around because of KOS-MOS.
Introduced as an android that is a weapon for fighting the Gnosis, the character of KOS-MOS evolved into something that has probably never been revisited in any other game I've played or heard about. If you've never played it and have patience to work your way through three games (or what is probably a really, really long wikipedia entry), I think you'll like what you find out.
Sadly, as far as I know, KOS-MOS kind of disappeared from the public eye (at least in my case) with the exception of an entry in the Project X-Zone series and more recently, an optional Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
But for our purposes, lets' talk character design.
To me, KOS-MOS has a very endearing design. Starting off as a typical battle android, by the end of series (and her 4th upgrade) KOS-MOS is a dual chain gun wielding, laser blade swinging BADASS. Her outfit is part lingerie and part Phantasy Star, and to top it off she has this incredible mane of translucent blue hair.
Naturally, when Good Smile made a Figma of her, they pulled out all the stops. When KOS-MOS was released, she had the whopping price tag of 4,571 yen, which was pretty much double the going price of a typical Figma.
*sigh* those were the days.
Having said that , as mentioned, they certainly pulled out the stops, as I think that overall everything a KOS-MOS fan would want in this set is pretty much there.
Based on her v.4 appearance, Figma KOS-MOS has access pretty much most of her iconic equipment she's used in the game. This includes her laser pistol, R-Blade, Dragon Tooth sword, twin chain guns, as well as her Fatima's Glass eye piece. Complementing these weapons are hands to wield them, muzzle flash effects for the chain guns, two face plates (one standard mode, one "awakened" mode), and of course a chest piece to recreate the infamous ultimate attack move of KOS-MOS, D-Teneritas.
Oh, and stands.. again, worth mentioning.. stupid Figuarts.
IMHO, the only things that could have made this set even better are the inclusion of slash effects for the R.Blade and Dragon Tooth, and actual functional stands instead of stupid plastic sticks for use with the chain gun.
Speaking of which, I lost one of these sticks, so be careful. On the plus side, I managed to find the belt to that Figuarts Black Widow I have.
KOS-MOS is based on the 1.0 body, and as such isn't as articulated as more modern figures. She does, however, feature joints in her hair for more dynamic posing.
QC on this figure is both breathtakingly good and at the same time bad, though understandably bad. On the whole, QC is very solid as one would expect from a Figma. However, KOS-MOS has many, many small details that bless their hearts, GSC decided to recreate on the Figma that were present on the 1/8 scale PVC (which I own) and her character model in general. However, due to the incredibly tiny details needed, some of the more fine details don't look that great up close.
The only other Xenosaga character released by GSC would be T-ELOS, her evil counterpart and reason for upgrade from v3 to v4. I'm hoping to add her to my collection soon. Sadly, there never was a Shion released (her handler from Vector Industries) nor was Chaos, the other character that is most associated with KOS-MOS.
Not a bad set at all. There are, of course, larger more complicated sets for sale featuring KOS-MOS. Maybe one day I'll find one and add it to the pile.
DSC_7229
Now, we're back to something I actually know something about.
Robo-babes and anime/video games have gone hand in hand for Lord only knows how long. While many of these properties seem to be timeless, there is one property with robo-babes that kind of sizzled out of existence once its 15 minutes were up - the Xenosaga series on PS2.
Developed by Monolith, who would go on to develop the Xenoblade series on Nintendo first rose to notoriety when they worked at SquareSoft on a little game called Xenogears. If you've never played the game, the entry is best known for introducing an battle system that rewarded you for taking defensive action rather than going on full out assaults, and due to budget cuts, a second half of the game told by the lead characters sitting in rocking chairs.
Xenosaga was a space opera that spanned across three games and got pretty trippy when you started getting details about the true nature of some of the characters. I finished all 3 games, and with the exception of the glitches on Xenosaga, had a pretty good time. However, I remember reading that the reception of Xenosaga 2 was kind of meh due to the battle system, and as a result the third game really didn't sell well at all.. which is why it is kind of pricey on the aftermarket these days.
Me? I stuck around because of KOS-MOS.
Introduced as an android that is a weapon for fighting the Gnosis, the character of KOS-MOS evolved into something that has probably never been revisited in any other game I've played or heard about. If you've never played it and have patience to work your way through three games (or what is probably a really, really long wikipedia entry), I think you'll like what you find out.
Sadly, as far as I know, KOS-MOS kind of disappeared from the public eye (at least in my case) with the exception of an entry in the Project X-Zone series and more recently, an optional Blade in Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
But for our purposes, lets' talk character design.
To me, KOS-MOS has a very endearing design. Starting off as a typical battle android, by the end of series (and her 4th upgrade) KOS-MOS is a dual chain gun wielding, laser blade swinging BADASS. Her outfit is part lingerie and part Phantasy Star, and to top it off she has this incredible mane of translucent blue hair.
Naturally, when Good Smile made a Figma of her, they pulled out all the stops. When KOS-MOS was released, she had the whopping price tag of 4,571 yen, which was pretty much double the going price of a typical Figma.
*sigh* those were the days.
Having said that , as mentioned, they certainly pulled out the stops, as I think that overall everything a KOS-MOS fan would want in this set is pretty much there.
Based on her v.4 appearance, Figma KOS-MOS has access pretty much most of her iconic equipment she's used in the game. This includes her laser pistol, R-Blade, Dragon Tooth sword, twin chain guns, as well as her Fatima's Glass eye piece. Complementing these weapons are hands to wield them, muzzle flash effects for the chain guns, two face plates (one standard mode, one "awakened" mode), and of course a chest piece to recreate the infamous ultimate attack move of KOS-MOS, D-Teneritas.
Oh, and stands.. again, worth mentioning.. stupid Figuarts.
IMHO, the only things that could have made this set even better are the inclusion of slash effects for the R.Blade and Dragon Tooth, and actual functional stands instead of stupid plastic sticks for use with the chain gun.
Speaking of which, I lost one of these sticks, so be careful. On the plus side, I managed to find the belt to that Figuarts Black Widow I have.
KOS-MOS is based on the 1.0 body, and as such isn't as articulated as more modern figures. She does, however, feature joints in her hair for more dynamic posing.
QC on this figure is both breathtakingly good and at the same time bad, though understandably bad. On the whole, QC is very solid as one would expect from a Figma. However, KOS-MOS has many, many small details that bless their hearts, GSC decided to recreate on the Figma that were present on the 1/8 scale PVC (which I own) and her character model in general. However, due to the incredibly tiny details needed, some of the more fine details don't look that great up close.
The only other Xenosaga character released by GSC would be T-ELOS, her evil counterpart and reason for upgrade from v3 to v4. I'm hoping to add her to my collection soon. Sadly, there never was a Shion released (her handler from Vector Industries) nor was Chaos, the other character that is most associated with KOS-MOS.
Not a bad set at all. There are, of course, larger more complicated sets for sale featuring KOS-MOS. Maybe one day I'll find one and add it to the pile.