DSC_0203
To the surprise of.... well, probably nobody, during my travels I came across another piece of Road Swag to add to my collection. But, not just any Road Swag... this is a piece that honestly, I'm surprised didn't turn up sooner. Sort of. It wasn't like I hadn't been trying, just circumstances always seemed to make it such that a successful transaction was just beyond my grasp. Well, finally broke that streak of losing.
Presenting S.H. Figuarts Sailor Chibi Moon.
In my mind, I would describe Sailor Moon as not only the first major Magical Girl anime I ever watched parts of in English back in the 90s, but in the grand scheme of things, it would be the Dragon Ball Z of anime geared towards girls. Immensely popular, with a cast that kept growing as the series went on and on. I know more about Sailor Moon than most of the other properties that I've purchased from, but like with Dragon Ball, for me to try to explain it would be quite the disservice.. I'm just gonna stick to Transformers for my lore discussions, thank you. All you need to know is that a bunch of high school girls transform and beat the crap out of a monster-of-the-week.
Much like Dragon Ball, Bandai eventually released a series of Figuarts based on the characters from both the Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon S lines, with the latter giving the Sailor Scouts their Super forms, along with an actual effect, making those a better deal, as it were. If I were going to get a set of the girls, I'd naturally gun for those. I really haven't been able to find any of those for relatively cheap.. or any of the regular line either, for that matter. Further complicating matters is that like with Sentai, it seems that the ball was dropped somewhere and not everyone got a Super figure. I think I'm using too much brain power thinking about this.
Anyway, I finally found a reasonably priced Sailor Moon Figuarts, which just happened to be Sailor Chibi Moon.
In the unlikely event you, my dear reader, have never watched any of Sailor Moon, the story starts getting complicated with the appearance of Chibi Moon here. So, based on my memory and internet research, Sailor Chibi Moon is better known as Chibiusa in her civilian form (Rini in the 90s dub I watched). the daughter of Usagi and Endymion (Serena and Darien). She sent back into the past to prevent the forces of evil from corrupting her in the future. In the past, she basically discovers who her parents are, that they have the ability to Henshin into super heroes, and eventually gains the ability to change into one herself, calling herself Sailor Chibi Moon.
Yeah, told you.. I'd be butchering any explanations.
Chibi Moon is probably the most visually diverse of the group, being full on anime in terms of her colouring (predominately pink). She is also living her own gimmick (Chibi refers to short and cute) being a kid pretty much throughout the entire series (except for the dark future arcs, but that's another story for a different figure). Much like a child, she's initially portrayed as a brat, always getting on her mothers nerves, fighting for the affection of her father, but she does eventually mature.. somewhat. But that wouldn't for another series or two, I believe. But enough about that - let's move on to the figure.
Seeing how this is my first Sailor Moon Figuarts, I don't know how she scales in terms of accessories, but I think they gave her a little something extra to compensate for the smaller size. Oh, Pro-Tip... keep an eye on EVERYTHING when you're changing parts and what not, because these things are tiny and they fall to the ground, well good luck finding it.
There's the figure itself, four total expressions (neutral, happy, attacking, determined) which I think is one more than normal, an addition hair piece featuring her Wing Hairclips, her Pink Moon Rod weapon, a variety of hands including some moulded in the various gang signs that the Sailor Scouts are known for, and, dare I say it.. an actually freaking stand. And due to the weight imbalance of her giant head, you're probably going to be using the heart shaped base quite a bit.
For those keeping score at home, Dragon Ball, a series known for its flying characters, gigantic Ki blasts, and insane battle scenes, has figures that don't come with a stand. Magical girl anime.. yes, lets throw in a stand. You can probably see that Bandai wanted to make sure the Sailor Moon line sold, and wasn't worried about the Dragon Ball line in the slightest.
Lets talk appearance. There is no doubt that this is Chibi Moon. Everything including her hair and outfit, her silhouette, and the shape of her face and expressions - pretty much ripped right out of the anime and made into 3D. The face plates really are what sells this figure (as with most figures, really) as the sculptors captured her expressions quite accurately and with the right pose, just oozes personality. One face plate that I would expected to see with Chibi Moon is a winking one, which sadly is not present.
The nitpicky part of me has to mention that the face does seem a tiny bit off, being sharper around the jaw and chin whereas it seems more rounded in the anime (the 90s one anyway), but it's nothing I'd lose sleep over. Bandai even went to duplicated those two curly hairs that Chibi Moon has near her bangs. Detailing of the sculpt itself is pretty solid, and includes things like ruffles on the skirt and her Choker and Pendant. Sculpting on the hair is a bit on the rough side, and is noticeable crude compare to the Figma on my shelves and, to be honest, even the Figuarts that I have. It's pretty much Kobobukiya levels here... it's not the end of the world, but it certainly is underwhelming. Tolerances on the face plate are a bit on the "meh" side, with the head and face not meshing properly, leaving a visible gap.
Paint work is somewhat of a mixed bag. I appreciate the fact that rather than using matte paints all over, the pink paints on her outfit are all pearl infused, and the tiara is painted with a metallic gold. Her Pink Moon Rod also features some metallic and pearl based paints. Furthermore, what is nicely done is the addition of some white streaks in the hair to simulate that 2D anime shading. Decal work on the eyes is spot on and sharp. Paint masking can be on the rough side though, and the paint work on the Rod just looks sloppy. surprisingly, the paint masking for all the other fine details are, well fine. It also seems to me that her bare skin areas (thighs, arms, face) could have used a coat of flesh colour as the finish of the base plastic really stands out.
Articulation is somewhat limited, which in some ways is understandable, and others just poor design choices. I'm guessing due to the smaller body, the overall number of articulation points is lower than that of a full size Figuarts. You get ankles, knees with some rotation, hips with extension capabilities for increased range of motion, mid torso, shoulders with some collapse, elbows with rotation, limited wrist articulation, head, and limited articulation for her hair. Most notable amongst the missing points of articulation are the neck and waist. I get the neck, probably due to the small size, but I don't get the lack of a waist. As mentioned, the hip extension does technically allow for more range of motion of the legs, allowing for a proper sitting position, but her skirt gets in the way and Chibi Moon always leans backwards when she's sitting down. Special note on the wrists - they're kind of fragile, though fortunately it's more of an FYI as opposed to a precautionary tale. You see, unlike the more recent Figuarts/Figma, Chibi Moon's wrist are just simple pegs with a ball joint on the end of it. There's no additional bending joint on the wrists, hence my mentioning they are limited in motion. Press to hard, and you might snap it off, rendering the figure effectively crippled until you can get a new arm.. if you can at all. Furthermore, because the forearms and peg are one piece of plastic, you get the deal with the fun of QC. My right arm is fine, but my left arm has a ball joint which is JUST too small, and as a result any attached hands have a rather easy time of falling off, resulting in my angry, curse laden searches of the floor. The sheer bulk of the bow on her dress also limits the range of motion you can get out of her arms as well.
In conclusion, not the strongest product I've seen from the Figuarts line, but still nowhere near the low quality to price ratio that figures like the PAK line offer. Flaws and all, there is no mistaking that this is a very good representation of Sailor Chibi Moon, and I'm sure if I ever get my hands on the rest of the Sailor Scouts, those will also follow suit in being the defacto action figures for this property.. just hopefully with fewer QC issues.
Finding this merch at good prices, however, is tough, probably tougher than finding Dragon Ball stuff as everyone generally just keeps getting the upgraded form like they do with Iron Man figures. It's just that there's nothing for the Sailor Moon crowd to upgrade to.
Until next time, Sailor Moon says.... SEE YA!
DSC_0203
To the surprise of.... well, probably nobody, during my travels I came across another piece of Road Swag to add to my collection. But, not just any Road Swag... this is a piece that honestly, I'm surprised didn't turn up sooner. Sort of. It wasn't like I hadn't been trying, just circumstances always seemed to make it such that a successful transaction was just beyond my grasp. Well, finally broke that streak of losing.
Presenting S.H. Figuarts Sailor Chibi Moon.
In my mind, I would describe Sailor Moon as not only the first major Magical Girl anime I ever watched parts of in English back in the 90s, but in the grand scheme of things, it would be the Dragon Ball Z of anime geared towards girls. Immensely popular, with a cast that kept growing as the series went on and on. I know more about Sailor Moon than most of the other properties that I've purchased from, but like with Dragon Ball, for me to try to explain it would be quite the disservice.. I'm just gonna stick to Transformers for my lore discussions, thank you. All you need to know is that a bunch of high school girls transform and beat the crap out of a monster-of-the-week.
Much like Dragon Ball, Bandai eventually released a series of Figuarts based on the characters from both the Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon S lines, with the latter giving the Sailor Scouts their Super forms, along with an actual effect, making those a better deal, as it were. If I were going to get a set of the girls, I'd naturally gun for those. I really haven't been able to find any of those for relatively cheap.. or any of the regular line either, for that matter. Further complicating matters is that like with Sentai, it seems that the ball was dropped somewhere and not everyone got a Super figure. I think I'm using too much brain power thinking about this.
Anyway, I finally found a reasonably priced Sailor Moon Figuarts, which just happened to be Sailor Chibi Moon.
In the unlikely event you, my dear reader, have never watched any of Sailor Moon, the story starts getting complicated with the appearance of Chibi Moon here. So, based on my memory and internet research, Sailor Chibi Moon is better known as Chibiusa in her civilian form (Rini in the 90s dub I watched). the daughter of Usagi and Endymion (Serena and Darien). She sent back into the past to prevent the forces of evil from corrupting her in the future. In the past, she basically discovers who her parents are, that they have the ability to Henshin into super heroes, and eventually gains the ability to change into one herself, calling herself Sailor Chibi Moon.
Yeah, told you.. I'd be butchering any explanations.
Chibi Moon is probably the most visually diverse of the group, being full on anime in terms of her colouring (predominately pink). She is also living her own gimmick (Chibi refers to short and cute) being a kid pretty much throughout the entire series (except for the dark future arcs, but that's another story for a different figure). Much like a child, she's initially portrayed as a brat, always getting on her mothers nerves, fighting for the affection of her father, but she does eventually mature.. somewhat. But that wouldn't for another series or two, I believe. But enough about that - let's move on to the figure.
Seeing how this is my first Sailor Moon Figuarts, I don't know how she scales in terms of accessories, but I think they gave her a little something extra to compensate for the smaller size. Oh, Pro-Tip... keep an eye on EVERYTHING when you're changing parts and what not, because these things are tiny and they fall to the ground, well good luck finding it.
There's the figure itself, four total expressions (neutral, happy, attacking, determined) which I think is one more than normal, an addition hair piece featuring her Wing Hairclips, her Pink Moon Rod weapon, a variety of hands including some moulded in the various gang signs that the Sailor Scouts are known for, and, dare I say it.. an actually freaking stand. And due to the weight imbalance of her giant head, you're probably going to be using the heart shaped base quite a bit.
For those keeping score at home, Dragon Ball, a series known for its flying characters, gigantic Ki blasts, and insane battle scenes, has figures that don't come with a stand. Magical girl anime.. yes, lets throw in a stand. You can probably see that Bandai wanted to make sure the Sailor Moon line sold, and wasn't worried about the Dragon Ball line in the slightest.
Lets talk appearance. There is no doubt that this is Chibi Moon. Everything including her hair and outfit, her silhouette, and the shape of her face and expressions - pretty much ripped right out of the anime and made into 3D. The face plates really are what sells this figure (as with most figures, really) as the sculptors captured her expressions quite accurately and with the right pose, just oozes personality. One face plate that I would expected to see with Chibi Moon is a winking one, which sadly is not present.
The nitpicky part of me has to mention that the face does seem a tiny bit off, being sharper around the jaw and chin whereas it seems more rounded in the anime (the 90s one anyway), but it's nothing I'd lose sleep over. Bandai even went to duplicated those two curly hairs that Chibi Moon has near her bangs. Detailing of the sculpt itself is pretty solid, and includes things like ruffles on the skirt and her Choker and Pendant. Sculpting on the hair is a bit on the rough side, and is noticeable crude compare to the Figma on my shelves and, to be honest, even the Figuarts that I have. It's pretty much Kobobukiya levels here... it's not the end of the world, but it certainly is underwhelming. Tolerances on the face plate are a bit on the "meh" side, with the head and face not meshing properly, leaving a visible gap.
Paint work is somewhat of a mixed bag. I appreciate the fact that rather than using matte paints all over, the pink paints on her outfit are all pearl infused, and the tiara is painted with a metallic gold. Her Pink Moon Rod also features some metallic and pearl based paints. Furthermore, what is nicely done is the addition of some white streaks in the hair to simulate that 2D anime shading. Decal work on the eyes is spot on and sharp. Paint masking can be on the rough side though, and the paint work on the Rod just looks sloppy. surprisingly, the paint masking for all the other fine details are, well fine. It also seems to me that her bare skin areas (thighs, arms, face) could have used a coat of flesh colour as the finish of the base plastic really stands out.
Articulation is somewhat limited, which in some ways is understandable, and others just poor design choices. I'm guessing due to the smaller body, the overall number of articulation points is lower than that of a full size Figuarts. You get ankles, knees with some rotation, hips with extension capabilities for increased range of motion, mid torso, shoulders with some collapse, elbows with rotation, limited wrist articulation, head, and limited articulation for her hair. Most notable amongst the missing points of articulation are the neck and waist. I get the neck, probably due to the small size, but I don't get the lack of a waist. As mentioned, the hip extension does technically allow for more range of motion of the legs, allowing for a proper sitting position, but her skirt gets in the way and Chibi Moon always leans backwards when she's sitting down. Special note on the wrists - they're kind of fragile, though fortunately it's more of an FYI as opposed to a precautionary tale. You see, unlike the more recent Figuarts/Figma, Chibi Moon's wrist are just simple pegs with a ball joint on the end of it. There's no additional bending joint on the wrists, hence my mentioning they are limited in motion. Press to hard, and you might snap it off, rendering the figure effectively crippled until you can get a new arm.. if you can at all. Furthermore, because the forearms and peg are one piece of plastic, you get the deal with the fun of QC. My right arm is fine, but my left arm has a ball joint which is JUST too small, and as a result any attached hands have a rather easy time of falling off, resulting in my angry, curse laden searches of the floor. The sheer bulk of the bow on her dress also limits the range of motion you can get out of her arms as well.
In conclusion, not the strongest product I've seen from the Figuarts line, but still nowhere near the low quality to price ratio that figures like the PAK line offer. Flaws and all, there is no mistaking that this is a very good representation of Sailor Chibi Moon, and I'm sure if I ever get my hands on the rest of the Sailor Scouts, those will also follow suit in being the defacto action figures for this property.. just hopefully with fewer QC issues.
Finding this merch at good prices, however, is tough, probably tougher than finding Dragon Ball stuff as everyone generally just keeps getting the upgraded form like they do with Iron Man figures. It's just that there's nothing for the Sailor Moon crowd to upgrade to.
Until next time, Sailor Moon says.... SEE YA!