DSC_6771
I recently picked up a Figuarts Zero Sailor Moon - Sailor Moon statue during a work trip for $30 CAD. This piece had a MSRP of 8,800 Yen back in 2014, which to me seems insanely high, but I know the prices did jump dramatically after 2012 as materials used to prevent the lean that crippled most statues aren't cheap.
Figuarts Zero are the fixed pose statues that are manufactured by Bandai of Japan, no doubt to compete with the FigFIX line of Figma. Unlike their line, however, Figuarts Zero are totally all over the place when it comes to size, and don't feature interchangeable parts with their articulated counterparts. This one in particular (and I'm guess, the rest of the OG Sailor Moon line as well) was coproduced by Bandai and Volks, makers of the Shin Sonic Form Fate I brought back from Vancouver a few months back.
The set comes with the statue on a crescent moon base, as well as the Cutey Moon Rod, weapon of choice when Sailor Moon is performing her signature move "Moon Princess Halitation". Naturally, Sailor Moon is sculpted in this pose, which is cause of much discussion controversy. It pretty much comes down to her arms looking wonky compared to the anime cel. Comparing the source material to the statue, I feel it's not the bend in the arm, but rather it's the position of the hands themselves, especially her Rod holding hand. There's also an issue with the twin tails, namely that they fall to her side rather than appear to be elevated as she's twirling and performing this move.
Sculpting is quite good, as they got the overall proportions of the character, both in terms of head/face size, but also, limb length and build. This larger format (as compared to the Figarts) allows for more detailing in the hair, bows, actual dangling earrings, and her Cutey Moon Rod. The hair in particular is quite well done, especially the twirly parts at the end of her twin tails.
Paint work is generally alright, with most areas given an nice even paint application, such as the flesh tones and her outfit on the whole, as well as the Tiara and earrings, though mine did have slightly weaker than desired paint work on her left forearm. Paint work on the Cutey Moon Rod itself is excellent. Adding to the crispness of the finished product is that I imagine that her outfit came in several pieces, which allows for spraying separately and avoiding of unsightly masking issues. Some light shading is provided on the bust and waist line of Sailor Moon to make those sections stand out better. The paint applied on the moon of her choker and the brooch on her bow are alright, but the paint apps on the white strip and crescent moon of her boots are terrible. Decal work is quite good, mainly consisting of her eyes and the stripes on her neckerchief.
Paint application on the hair itself is hit and miss, and I'm going to chock this up to the parts being painted by several different people, resulting in uneven textures, which is further aggravated due to the use of translucent plastic for her hair.
Building quality and QC are good. There are no assembly gaps to report, and the details of the statue in general shine through even with the paint applied. Surfaces are smooth, with some minor issues spotted on the hair in areas that are difficult to apply sandpaper to. But overall, there is nothing to interrupt your appreciation of the visual this statue provides.
So overall, a pretty good statue, definitely better than your run of the mill Kotobukiya piece or Prize Figure. With the aftermarket prices of these statues stupidly high (at least $100 USD, if not more, per statue), this isn't a line that I'm itching to finish and will happily wait until the right opportunity arises.
Until next time, Sailor Moon says "SEE YA!".
DSC_6771
I recently picked up a Figuarts Zero Sailor Moon - Sailor Moon statue during a work trip for $30 CAD. This piece had a MSRP of 8,800 Yen back in 2014, which to me seems insanely high, but I know the prices did jump dramatically after 2012 as materials used to prevent the lean that crippled most statues aren't cheap.
Figuarts Zero are the fixed pose statues that are manufactured by Bandai of Japan, no doubt to compete with the FigFIX line of Figma. Unlike their line, however, Figuarts Zero are totally all over the place when it comes to size, and don't feature interchangeable parts with their articulated counterparts. This one in particular (and I'm guess, the rest of the OG Sailor Moon line as well) was coproduced by Bandai and Volks, makers of the Shin Sonic Form Fate I brought back from Vancouver a few months back.
The set comes with the statue on a crescent moon base, as well as the Cutey Moon Rod, weapon of choice when Sailor Moon is performing her signature move "Moon Princess Halitation". Naturally, Sailor Moon is sculpted in this pose, which is cause of much discussion controversy. It pretty much comes down to her arms looking wonky compared to the anime cel. Comparing the source material to the statue, I feel it's not the bend in the arm, but rather it's the position of the hands themselves, especially her Rod holding hand. There's also an issue with the twin tails, namely that they fall to her side rather than appear to be elevated as she's twirling and performing this move.
Sculpting is quite good, as they got the overall proportions of the character, both in terms of head/face size, but also, limb length and build. This larger format (as compared to the Figarts) allows for more detailing in the hair, bows, actual dangling earrings, and her Cutey Moon Rod. The hair in particular is quite well done, especially the twirly parts at the end of her twin tails.
Paint work is generally alright, with most areas given an nice even paint application, such as the flesh tones and her outfit on the whole, as well as the Tiara and earrings, though mine did have slightly weaker than desired paint work on her left forearm. Paint work on the Cutey Moon Rod itself is excellent. Adding to the crispness of the finished product is that I imagine that her outfit came in several pieces, which allows for spraying separately and avoiding of unsightly masking issues. Some light shading is provided on the bust and waist line of Sailor Moon to make those sections stand out better. The paint applied on the moon of her choker and the brooch on her bow are alright, but the paint apps on the white strip and crescent moon of her boots are terrible. Decal work is quite good, mainly consisting of her eyes and the stripes on her neckerchief.
Paint application on the hair itself is hit and miss, and I'm going to chock this up to the parts being painted by several different people, resulting in uneven textures, which is further aggravated due to the use of translucent plastic for her hair.
Building quality and QC are good. There are no assembly gaps to report, and the details of the statue in general shine through even with the paint applied. Surfaces are smooth, with some minor issues spotted on the hair in areas that are difficult to apply sandpaper to. But overall, there is nothing to interrupt your appreciation of the visual this statue provides.
So overall, a pretty good statue, definitely better than your run of the mill Kotobukiya piece or Prize Figure. With the aftermarket prices of these statues stupidly high (at least $100 USD, if not more, per statue), this isn't a line that I'm itching to finish and will happily wait until the right opportunity arises.
Until next time, Sailor Moon says "SEE YA!".