DSC_9681
So my haul from my latest Alberta, Canada trip is slowly making its way into rotation, though truth be told I'm still behind in other stuff so it will be a toss up as to what I photography next.
These two I just happened to have actually with me (the rest were mailed) and figured it was a good time as any. Both are without box and, sadly, both are flawed, though you can solely point the finger at me for one of them.
The first of two status is the Kotobukiya Bishoujo Black Canary. She's got a pretty plain looking pose, but man, I gotta give it to Shunya Yamashita and the crew at Kotobukiya for creating a final piece that oozes personality and sensuality, despite having the pose of someone trying to get the cricks out of their back.
She's not even that curvy by Bishoujo standards.
Now, this is the one that I personally screwed up. I purchased it for cheap (aftermarket can be painful, though I'm working on a few things atm to get another one) but you'll notice that the statue has a killer Smooth Criminal lean.
Now, the dumbass that I am, I figured I could use hot water and fix it. Turns out not only couldn't I do it, but I ended up snapping a support peg, ripping the right leg out of its socket, and damaging the beautiful leggings. I've put her back together and it's not terrible, but deep down I have much shame, hence my efforts to secure another one.
The leaning thing is weird. I mean, ultimately, she LOOKS OK in that if you get the angle right I think this is the way she's supposed to be - like she's toppling over. But from the various prototype photos and sellers photos on eBay, it seems there are at least three variations` of the right foot, including one that has her foot hovering, and one where her right heel actually touches the ground, as it were.
I am incredibly confused.
Back to the strengths. There's of course her expression. That is very much in line with what I know about the character, and the translation from 2D art to 3D sculpture was completed exceptionally well.
The other aspect that is exceptionally well done are the leggings. The right leg is a bit mangled near the hip, but the right is as the creators intended Yeah, there's that giant seam the back of the leg, but much like with the Star Ace Catwoman, the pattern and size of the patter works out perfectly, adding some texture to the well sculpted legs, which also feature some sublte shadowing. The leggings also create an outline around the legs which looks really neat in person.
Otherwise, the typical strengths of the Kotobukiya Bishoujo line are present here, though the hair isn't quite as detailed as I'd like. But fabric folds and general production valves are quite well done.
The other statue may be one that you're familiar with. Back in the PS2 days, Tamsoft released several discount titles that were meant to be fun, some of which ended up becoming quite popular. Onechanbara, with its scantily clad ladies and zombie chopping ways, was one of the popular ones, spawning titles on several consoles, though it seems the PS4 version was the last new entry in the series.
Of course, character goods spawned, with some better than others. This particular one is of Aya, the main protagonist of the series, and is based on her appearance in the first game, though not quite as dated looking as the actual game model itself.
Released in 2007 by Toy's Work (who I don't know if they're around anymore), there was the standard black bikini version and this one, the red bikini version. I prefer her later look, as captured by Alter in 2008, but when you're in Edmonton, you buy what's available in Edmonton.
Quite honestly, I've never actually seen any merch for sale. Not so much I didn't know it existed, but rather I don't recall any offerings.
Unfortunately for me, this statue was missing her feather boa and a necklace. On the other hand, it was $25 CAD and wasn't broken.
So Aya has some very interesting fashion sense, effectively described as bikini cowgirl wielding katanas - the rest of the characters aren't quite as insane, but they've got their charms. Aya also possesses a demon transformation, which naturally isn't a thing here.
Despite being an older statue, it was designed in a way that after 16 years, the only thing to deal with was dirt and not lean. Hat and katana are removable, as is, to my surprise, her bikini top.
The various photos should give you a sense of the quality. While this wasn't top of the line, the quality you see on this statue is actually quite typical of the offerings back in the day, which is why companies like Megahouse and Alter that took the time to actually properly QC their pieces, stood out. The sculpt itself also feels a bit soft and underdetailined, but that could be me comparing a modern piece with the predominately PVC nature pre 2012 statues. Paint work is a bit crude, but again that's by modern standards and was pretty typical back in the day.
DSC_9681
So my haul from my latest Alberta, Canada trip is slowly making its way into rotation, though truth be told I'm still behind in other stuff so it will be a toss up as to what I photography next.
These two I just happened to have actually with me (the rest were mailed) and figured it was a good time as any. Both are without box and, sadly, both are flawed, though you can solely point the finger at me for one of them.
The first of two status is the Kotobukiya Bishoujo Black Canary. She's got a pretty plain looking pose, but man, I gotta give it to Shunya Yamashita and the crew at Kotobukiya for creating a final piece that oozes personality and sensuality, despite having the pose of someone trying to get the cricks out of their back.
She's not even that curvy by Bishoujo standards.
Now, this is the one that I personally screwed up. I purchased it for cheap (aftermarket can be painful, though I'm working on a few things atm to get another one) but you'll notice that the statue has a killer Smooth Criminal lean.
Now, the dumbass that I am, I figured I could use hot water and fix it. Turns out not only couldn't I do it, but I ended up snapping a support peg, ripping the right leg out of its socket, and damaging the beautiful leggings. I've put her back together and it's not terrible, but deep down I have much shame, hence my efforts to secure another one.
The leaning thing is weird. I mean, ultimately, she LOOKS OK in that if you get the angle right I think this is the way she's supposed to be - like she's toppling over. But from the various prototype photos and sellers photos on eBay, it seems there are at least three variations` of the right foot, including one that has her foot hovering, and one where her right heel actually touches the ground, as it were.
I am incredibly confused.
Back to the strengths. There's of course her expression. That is very much in line with what I know about the character, and the translation from 2D art to 3D sculpture was completed exceptionally well.
The other aspect that is exceptionally well done are the leggings. The right leg is a bit mangled near the hip, but the right is as the creators intended Yeah, there's that giant seam the back of the leg, but much like with the Star Ace Catwoman, the pattern and size of the patter works out perfectly, adding some texture to the well sculpted legs, which also feature some sublte shadowing. The leggings also create an outline around the legs which looks really neat in person.
Otherwise, the typical strengths of the Kotobukiya Bishoujo line are present here, though the hair isn't quite as detailed as I'd like. But fabric folds and general production valves are quite well done.
The other statue may be one that you're familiar with. Back in the PS2 days, Tamsoft released several discount titles that were meant to be fun, some of which ended up becoming quite popular. Onechanbara, with its scantily clad ladies and zombie chopping ways, was one of the popular ones, spawning titles on several consoles, though it seems the PS4 version was the last new entry in the series.
Of course, character goods spawned, with some better than others. This particular one is of Aya, the main protagonist of the series, and is based on her appearance in the first game, though not quite as dated looking as the actual game model itself.
Released in 2007 by Toy's Work (who I don't know if they're around anymore), there was the standard black bikini version and this one, the red bikini version. I prefer her later look, as captured by Alter in 2008, but when you're in Edmonton, you buy what's available in Edmonton.
Quite honestly, I've never actually seen any merch for sale. Not so much I didn't know it existed, but rather I don't recall any offerings.
Unfortunately for me, this statue was missing her feather boa and a necklace. On the other hand, it was $25 CAD and wasn't broken.
So Aya has some very interesting fashion sense, effectively described as bikini cowgirl wielding katanas - the rest of the characters aren't quite as insane, but they've got their charms. Aya also possesses a demon transformation, which naturally isn't a thing here.
Despite being an older statue, it was designed in a way that after 16 years, the only thing to deal with was dirt and not lean. Hat and katana are removable, as is, to my surprise, her bikini top.
The various photos should give you a sense of the quality. While this wasn't top of the line, the quality you see on this statue is actually quite typical of the offerings back in the day, which is why companies like Megahouse and Alter that took the time to actually properly QC their pieces, stood out. The sculpt itself also feels a bit soft and underdetailined, but that could be me comparing a modern piece with the predominately PVC nature pre 2012 statues. Paint work is a bit crude, but again that's by modern standards and was pretty typical back in the day.