DSC_4311
Continuing on with my pickups from Vancouver comes a rather strange one. Not strange as in bad looking (lets face it - I talked about the the Funko x Playmobil Michaelangelo.. not gonna be able to beat that), but rather very, very random. Again, one of those right place, right time sort of things. Presenting the Alter 1/8 Celty Sturluson from Durarara!! I happened upon this piece, used, for $20 CAD, in Langley BC, about a half an hour away from Vancouver. It just so happened that I was passing through the area on a Saturday morning to go to a place that was hour away, and was able to get the details to work out flawlessly.
I've never seen an episode of Durarara!!, and know the character best from the usual place - cosplayers wearing skin tight black biker gear and a yellow helmet with cat ears. According to Wikipedia, Celty is known as the The Black Rider or The Headless Rider, is an Irish fairy called a Dullahan, who came to Japan looking for her stolen head. I'm not entirely sure what it is she actually does, but it seems Dullahans are Reapers of sorts, guiding the dead to the afterlife. As she has no head, Celty typically keeps her helmet on, and if taken off, there is a wisp of shadowy matter that is in place of her head - she apparently can control this shadowy matter in general.
Released originally in 2012, with a reissue in 2015, this particular statue is the only one I've personally seen, though there is another one that is slightly less modest looking. Not entirely sure what the state of rareness is for this piece, but I'm pretty sure I got a good deal.
Like with KOS-MOS, Celty come packed in a transparent plastic box with colour print, with a paper insert and clear plastic tray for the various parts. Parts wise, there's the tuft of smoke as an alternate head, her Scythe, her PDA, and a translucent orange base with black printing on it. Celty is posed is a rather relaxed posture, with one hand holding her PDA, and the other, slightly behind her back, is meant to grip her Scythe. The helmet/head can be pivoted, giving Celty exactly one point of articulation, which apparently is kind of a thing - its too bad that it wasn't a ball joint, as that would have opened even more display options.
Alter has never let me down when it comes to quality of final product, and they certainly didn't do that here. I think she's a bit more curvaceous in the anime, but it's not like she's a teenage boy either - overall, it seems that the sculptor nailed down the overall look and feel of the character model. Her Scythe is a good size, and has a substantial blade size, something that can't be said about the other scale statue I was able to research.
Now, compared to other anime statues, Celty is a much, much simpler design, which is both a pro and a con. Certainly much easier for animators to bring life to, but it can present challenges to manufacturers of things like action figures and statues, as there are fewer things to hide flaws and blemishes behind. Alter came through beautifully. Celty's jumpsuit has some wonderful fabric detailing in the form of folds, as well as some very good mechanical detailing in the zipper, which is undone just enough for a hint of skin. Helmet came out nicely as well, seeming properly proportioned, with a clear plastic visor showcasing the absolutely nothing where her head should be. Not really much to talk about with regards to the PDA other than, well, it looks like a PDA. Scythe blade, as mentioned above, is a good size, and I do enjoy seeing the various nicks and ripples on the cutting side of the blade. The tuft of shadow that is her secondary head is done well enough.. no real comments other than it looks like a blob.
Paint application and finish of parts are the final parts of the equation. When you have a body that is predominately one colour and is wrapped in a smooth skin tight outfit, even the slightest imperfection in finish of the statue will stick out more than a bearded man in the women's change room at a gym. The finish on Celty is flawless - no rough edges, no poor sanding, no assembly gaps. All this perfection is further enhanced by the excellent application of a semi-gloss black paint with some grey for contrast that looks damn good under flash photography - understandably, the paint on her zipper isn't as bullet proof, but we're talking microscope level of detailing before anyone actually notices. The work on the helmet is of an equal high caliber, with the use of an even glossier paint to replicate the hard plastic of her helmet. Decal work is also as expected - tack sharp and properly aligned. What little skin is exposed was also quite well implemented, with a predominately matte finish to again, differentiate the lustre of skin versus leather or the finish of her helmet.
So overall, another quality statue by Alter with high production values and some customization potential. If you had to find fault in one thing, it would be that perhaps Alter played it a bit safe with the pose and/or the amount of skin shown. For me though, this simple, but stylish look will do just fine. Celty will proudly go on display with the other statues that I own, and look damn good doing it.
DSC_4311
Continuing on with my pickups from Vancouver comes a rather strange one. Not strange as in bad looking (lets face it - I talked about the the Funko x Playmobil Michaelangelo.. not gonna be able to beat that), but rather very, very random. Again, one of those right place, right time sort of things. Presenting the Alter 1/8 Celty Sturluson from Durarara!! I happened upon this piece, used, for $20 CAD, in Langley BC, about a half an hour away from Vancouver. It just so happened that I was passing through the area on a Saturday morning to go to a place that was hour away, and was able to get the details to work out flawlessly.
I've never seen an episode of Durarara!!, and know the character best from the usual place - cosplayers wearing skin tight black biker gear and a yellow helmet with cat ears. According to Wikipedia, Celty is known as the The Black Rider or The Headless Rider, is an Irish fairy called a Dullahan, who came to Japan looking for her stolen head. I'm not entirely sure what it is she actually does, but it seems Dullahans are Reapers of sorts, guiding the dead to the afterlife. As she has no head, Celty typically keeps her helmet on, and if taken off, there is a wisp of shadowy matter that is in place of her head - she apparently can control this shadowy matter in general.
Released originally in 2012, with a reissue in 2015, this particular statue is the only one I've personally seen, though there is another one that is slightly less modest looking. Not entirely sure what the state of rareness is for this piece, but I'm pretty sure I got a good deal.
Like with KOS-MOS, Celty come packed in a transparent plastic box with colour print, with a paper insert and clear plastic tray for the various parts. Parts wise, there's the tuft of smoke as an alternate head, her Scythe, her PDA, and a translucent orange base with black printing on it. Celty is posed is a rather relaxed posture, with one hand holding her PDA, and the other, slightly behind her back, is meant to grip her Scythe. The helmet/head can be pivoted, giving Celty exactly one point of articulation, which apparently is kind of a thing - its too bad that it wasn't a ball joint, as that would have opened even more display options.
Alter has never let me down when it comes to quality of final product, and they certainly didn't do that here. I think she's a bit more curvaceous in the anime, but it's not like she's a teenage boy either - overall, it seems that the sculptor nailed down the overall look and feel of the character model. Her Scythe is a good size, and has a substantial blade size, something that can't be said about the other scale statue I was able to research.
Now, compared to other anime statues, Celty is a much, much simpler design, which is both a pro and a con. Certainly much easier for animators to bring life to, but it can present challenges to manufacturers of things like action figures and statues, as there are fewer things to hide flaws and blemishes behind. Alter came through beautifully. Celty's jumpsuit has some wonderful fabric detailing in the form of folds, as well as some very good mechanical detailing in the zipper, which is undone just enough for a hint of skin. Helmet came out nicely as well, seeming properly proportioned, with a clear plastic visor showcasing the absolutely nothing where her head should be. Not really much to talk about with regards to the PDA other than, well, it looks like a PDA. Scythe blade, as mentioned above, is a good size, and I do enjoy seeing the various nicks and ripples on the cutting side of the blade. The tuft of shadow that is her secondary head is done well enough.. no real comments other than it looks like a blob.
Paint application and finish of parts are the final parts of the equation. When you have a body that is predominately one colour and is wrapped in a smooth skin tight outfit, even the slightest imperfection in finish of the statue will stick out more than a bearded man in the women's change room at a gym. The finish on Celty is flawless - no rough edges, no poor sanding, no assembly gaps. All this perfection is further enhanced by the excellent application of a semi-gloss black paint with some grey for contrast that looks damn good under flash photography - understandably, the paint on her zipper isn't as bullet proof, but we're talking microscope level of detailing before anyone actually notices. The work on the helmet is of an equal high caliber, with the use of an even glossier paint to replicate the hard plastic of her helmet. Decal work is also as expected - tack sharp and properly aligned. What little skin is exposed was also quite well implemented, with a predominately matte finish to again, differentiate the lustre of skin versus leather or the finish of her helmet.
So overall, another quality statue by Alter with high production values and some customization potential. If you had to find fault in one thing, it would be that perhaps Alter played it a bit safe with the pose and/or the amount of skin shown. For me though, this simple, but stylish look will do just fine. Celty will proudly go on display with the other statues that I own, and look damn good doing it.