DSC_7668
With every purchase, my Sailor Moon gang becomes more and more complete... or as complete as Bandai will allow it to get. Today, we look at one of the more expensive figures due to.. reasons. I honestly don't know... it's not like she was a Web Store exclusive like Uranus and Neptune. But anyway, today we look at the S.H. Figuarts Sailor Saturn figure.
Sailor Saturn is the last Sailor Senshi to be revealed, and is a member of the Outer Senshi, whose members include Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and the lone outstanding character of the group, Pluto. Whereas at least I recall that Pluto was the guardian of Chibi-Moon and was instrumental to her returning to the past on her search for the Sailor Senshi, I honestly don't recall much about Sailor Saturn. Her civilian identity is one Hotaru Tomoe, and her backstory is pretty crazy with Phoenix like forces, rebirths, and what not. From what I remember, she was a relatively quiet character, and was quite frightening when wielding the full powers of Saturn and her signature weapon, the Silence Glaive.
She's also the only character in the series that I can recall having actual normal looking hair, albeit an Uma Thurman in Kill Bill cut.
So, seeing how I've given up on the backstory part of things, lets look at the actual figure. The set comes with a decent amount of pieces - there's the figure, four total face plates (neutral, slight smile, eyes closed, attacking), four pairs of additional hands, including two posing hands and two for holding her weapon, the Silence Glaive, and a usual Sailor Moon Figuarts base. From an overall proportion perspective, she's effectively her own height in that there are no other characters of her size. The standard body has been scaled accordingly, including the size of her hands though I'm not entirely sure her head followed suit. Like always, the figure does a good job of portray Saturn and her general appearance, though proportionally its probably not perfectly accurate.
Articulation wise, Saturn offers nothing more (or less) than the standard Sailor Senshi figure. Ankles, single jointed knees, hips with pull down for additional range of motion, mid torso, shoulders with some chest compress and bicep swivels, single jointed elbows, wrists, and head. One difference you'll note is that while all the hardware is there, technically Saturn is a more rigid than her counterparts, as the shoulders on her tunic interfere with overhand poses. Otherwise, it's the skirt that's the usual culprit with regards to impeding of range of motion, and of course the tiny feet making standing her (and the rest of the Senshi) a test of patience.
As we're back to the OG ladies, one again the figure is predominately flat finished flesh tones with pearl finish everything else, including the hands themselves. All the paint apps are withing the usual acceptable parameters. Relatively neat and clean, with fine details and masking a bit on the weak side (kind of a let down after looking at the truly well painted Crystal release). For what it's worth, the "messy" parts on this figure are much, much cleaner than any of the other OG Senshi, including the masking work on her skirt. Paint apps themselves appear to be smooth and consistent across the board. Furthermore, decals are again sharply printed and applied straight, so no complaints here.
Build quality is predictably consistent. No issues with joints or connections, all limbs are the appropriate length, and finishes are within standard of "it looks pretty good, just don't go looking for problems". No assembly gaps or QC related issues with regards to construction, though some of the finer details didn't come out as crisply as I'd like, most notable being the relatively crude finish on the top of her head.
So in conclusion, as expected, another solid entry into the Sailor Moon lineup, with whatever issues you have with one of them being generally prevalent throughout. She's definitely not my favourite of the ladies - that honour goes to Jupiter, as from a design perspective she's pretty boring (with the exception of her weapon), but she is one of the most powerful characters due to her mastery over the forces of death, ruin, nothingness, and rebirth. As always, whether or not she makes it into your line up will depend on how you feel - as I mentioned earlier, Saturn, along with Pluto, aren't cheap - in fact, they're probably the most expensive of the Senshi with regards to aftermarket pricing, so be forewarned. The results of my search even in local Hong Kong and Japanese stores have come to the same conclusion.
With only Mercury, Mars, and Pluto to go, I'm guessing that this is probably going to be it from a Sailor Moon perspective for a while.. but again, I ALWAYS say that and something happens. Only time will tell.
DSC_7668
With every purchase, my Sailor Moon gang becomes more and more complete... or as complete as Bandai will allow it to get. Today, we look at one of the more expensive figures due to.. reasons. I honestly don't know... it's not like she was a Web Store exclusive like Uranus and Neptune. But anyway, today we look at the S.H. Figuarts Sailor Saturn figure.
Sailor Saturn is the last Sailor Senshi to be revealed, and is a member of the Outer Senshi, whose members include Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and the lone outstanding character of the group, Pluto. Whereas at least I recall that Pluto was the guardian of Chibi-Moon and was instrumental to her returning to the past on her search for the Sailor Senshi, I honestly don't recall much about Sailor Saturn. Her civilian identity is one Hotaru Tomoe, and her backstory is pretty crazy with Phoenix like forces, rebirths, and what not. From what I remember, she was a relatively quiet character, and was quite frightening when wielding the full powers of Saturn and her signature weapon, the Silence Glaive.
She's also the only character in the series that I can recall having actual normal looking hair, albeit an Uma Thurman in Kill Bill cut.
So, seeing how I've given up on the backstory part of things, lets look at the actual figure. The set comes with a decent amount of pieces - there's the figure, four total face plates (neutral, slight smile, eyes closed, attacking), four pairs of additional hands, including two posing hands and two for holding her weapon, the Silence Glaive, and a usual Sailor Moon Figuarts base. From an overall proportion perspective, she's effectively her own height in that there are no other characters of her size. The standard body has been scaled accordingly, including the size of her hands though I'm not entirely sure her head followed suit. Like always, the figure does a good job of portray Saturn and her general appearance, though proportionally its probably not perfectly accurate.
Articulation wise, Saturn offers nothing more (or less) than the standard Sailor Senshi figure. Ankles, single jointed knees, hips with pull down for additional range of motion, mid torso, shoulders with some chest compress and bicep swivels, single jointed elbows, wrists, and head. One difference you'll note is that while all the hardware is there, technically Saturn is a more rigid than her counterparts, as the shoulders on her tunic interfere with overhand poses. Otherwise, it's the skirt that's the usual culprit with regards to impeding of range of motion, and of course the tiny feet making standing her (and the rest of the Senshi) a test of patience.
As we're back to the OG ladies, one again the figure is predominately flat finished flesh tones with pearl finish everything else, including the hands themselves. All the paint apps are withing the usual acceptable parameters. Relatively neat and clean, with fine details and masking a bit on the weak side (kind of a let down after looking at the truly well painted Crystal release). For what it's worth, the "messy" parts on this figure are much, much cleaner than any of the other OG Senshi, including the masking work on her skirt. Paint apps themselves appear to be smooth and consistent across the board. Furthermore, decals are again sharply printed and applied straight, so no complaints here.
Build quality is predictably consistent. No issues with joints or connections, all limbs are the appropriate length, and finishes are within standard of "it looks pretty good, just don't go looking for problems". No assembly gaps or QC related issues with regards to construction, though some of the finer details didn't come out as crisply as I'd like, most notable being the relatively crude finish on the top of her head.
So in conclusion, as expected, another solid entry into the Sailor Moon lineup, with whatever issues you have with one of them being generally prevalent throughout. She's definitely not my favourite of the ladies - that honour goes to Jupiter, as from a design perspective she's pretty boring (with the exception of her weapon), but she is one of the most powerful characters due to her mastery over the forces of death, ruin, nothingness, and rebirth. As always, whether or not she makes it into your line up will depend on how you feel - as I mentioned earlier, Saturn, along with Pluto, aren't cheap - in fact, they're probably the most expensive of the Senshi with regards to aftermarket pricing, so be forewarned. The results of my search even in local Hong Kong and Japanese stores have come to the same conclusion.
With only Mercury, Mars, and Pluto to go, I'm guessing that this is probably going to be it from a Sailor Moon perspective for a while.. but again, I ALWAYS say that and something happens. Only time will tell.