DSC_3110

Well, you know what the say about the best made plans...

 

I'm back in the Captains chair of the USS Home Computer after two weeks on the West Coast of Canada, specifically Vancouver, BC. To the surprise of nobody, at least nobody that knows me, I returned with many new friends for Nat, most of which I literally purchased within 2 hours of landing in Vancouver. Now, my original intent was that with the powers of jetlag on my side, that I'd wake up at an ungodly time despite trying to sleep late, so I'd have to time at least do the photography for many of the purchases I would eventually end up with. Well.. I got the sleeping part down pat, but not so much the free time part. So welcome to the first, and only, photo session taken at the Sunset Inn and Suites.

 

It's a shame too, because the ample room means I could have really gotten some nice stuff when it comes to shadows and all that. Still, I suppose one figure is better than none, and she's a doozy.

 

Presenting the 1/8 scale Darkstalkers Felicia statue by Organic, released AALLLLLL the way back in 2007.

 

Now for you youngin's, you may not have heard of Darkstalkers, or at most, may have heard bits and pieces of the information, thanks to one lovely Succubus by the name of Morrigan, who still features prominently in the Marvel Vs. Capcom series. Or would be, if Marvel Vs. Capcom Infinite hadn't killed the buzz due to the lacklustre roster of no X-Men.

 

Darkstalkers was one of the series that debuted in the 1990s, made of course by Capcom. Characters in the game were stylized representations of various monsters, with the game featuring incredible hand drawn artwork which was incredibly animated. So well animated, in fact, I remember reading somewhere the reason there has been no Darkstalkers entry into the 3D world is because the memory requirements to do the game justice were mindboggling. There are a few fighting game mechanics that Darkstalkers pioneered that are in effect even to this day, with the most famous of which is the Magic Chain, where you can link attacks by going up in strength and generally never repeating the same attack (there are exceptions, of course, but this is a system that works for all characters and not just one or two). Felicia is the resident Catgirl, who works as a Vegas showgirl in order to make it back and support an orphanage (I think it's the one that raised her). The last time I remember seeing here was Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, so I guess that's relatively recent

 

Anyway, back in 2007, Organic Japan released a 1/6 scale Felicia statue as part of their Vampire Savior line (Vampire Savior being the Japanese equivalent to Darkstalkers) - not sure if the company is still around, or if it got absorbed in to Yamato. I never picked up it as I was never much of a Felicia fan, though apparently the price has gone up to something that is obscene. Well, the good news is mine cost $30, but I've come to realize that she doesn't have her base, though mind you it was a simple white disk, it's still somewhat painful to realize that even buying something like this, I manage to get an incomplete one by accident. But what's done is done, I suppose.

 

While she doesn't look that big due to her posture, the sheer amount of material used to make her certainly makes Felicia a formidable weapon in combat - she's quite hefty. Being a statue, there's not much to talk about when it comes to articulation, so lets just into the small details.

 

Felicia is sculpted sitting on the ground with her right hand up in the air and winking at you. The finish on the statue is admittedly crude. There are rough finishes everywhere on the plastic. and there isn't an actual true smooth surface, and some spots of assembly aren't the greatest. Part of that is quality control. Another part of it is the age of the statue itself.. they just didn't care that much back in the day. Due to her pose, she literally has no ass - her entire bottom side is one flat surface - which incidentally, is why I'm saying that the missing base would be just any flat surface, as there have been statues in the past with moulded ass grooves on the base to allow for proper positioning. Paint work is more hit than miss, but the misses.. well, it's glaringly obvious. But, if you take a step back and look at the entire statue, you'll something that makes this piece stand out - character and personality. Like the saying goes, the whole is more than just the sum of its parts

 

Felicia has a very playful personality, and that is not only reflected in her pose, but also the expression on her face. Some other statues have her eyes more catlke, but that's an artistic thing in my opinion, as I don't remember any source specifically indicating that. Yes, as stated above, the actual paint work could be neater. Another aspect that I feel this statues gets right over the others that have been released is accuracy to the actual character. In Marvel vs. Capcom 3, like with Morrigan, her character model is a bit more slim and trim. In the original Darkstalkers trilogy (and Capcom Fighting Evolution/Marvel vs. Capcom 2, I guess, as it resuses sprites from the aforementioned games), Felicia is a scantily clad, curvaceous catgirl with a giant plume of blue hair and hilariously oversized cartoon paws. Having reviewed the list of other suspects (there aren't that many Felicia statues, so it didn't take too long) it is my opinion that all of them are based on her Vampire Savior/Darkstalkers look, and that of them all, THIS is the one piece that got it actually right. I guess again, it can be argued that each artist is going for a slightly different look based on the pose and action of the figure, but as far as looking like THE Felicia, this, folks, is it.

 

Finally, and this is probably the most important thing for me, is the detailing. Yes, the fabric detailing and ripples on the various flowing parts is nice, but it pales in comparison to the impressive display of musculature, both on her curves (of course), but also on all her other parts as well - Felicia is one ripped catgirl. Muscles on her calves, ankles, shoulders and ab area are very impressive, but hands down for me it's all about the stupid amount of detail the sculptors put into her back... just look at the thing. Felicia beats out the 1/6 Max Factory Cammy I bought back in the spring, which had some pretty good stuff under Cammy's skin tight outfit, which was no slouch to begin with. About the only thing that I can fault with the statue overall (other than legacy quality issues stated above) it is that for all their effort in detailing muscles and other things that bring the statue to life, they really didn't do a whole lot on her fur covered parts.. maybe some raised textures or something?

 

So, while not perfect, especially if aesthetic perfection is what you seek, this Felicia statue has what it takes to be THE definitive Felicia piece in your collection.. provided you can find it. I just happened to luck out and literally be in the right place at the right time, all 3,300 km away. Felicia fans, I urge you to keep trying and if you happened to come across a listing for this statue at a price that doesn't make your stomach queasy, do your best to see if you can hash out a deal - it's worth the effort.

Done