Himekuri Moda Bianca

More from the Yoshizaki Mine collection with the delightfully frothy, frilly, chantilly baby Himekuri image girl Moda Bianca. One of three colour variants and my personal favourite, the white cloth version is cute and creamy and just that little bit more loli-licious in the paler attire. Kaiyodo have done a fabulous job and I tend to enjoy pieces that are complete without a base, Himekuri being a fine example. In her seated position her skirt folds into luxurious pool, which she raises in a coquettish manner belying the innocence of her expression. But then, so does the costume itself, with collars and garters topped off with lacy neko mini and with what would appear to be puffed rubber stocking tops, sleeves and brassiere she is nothing short of a fetishistic fondant fancy.

Ogiue Chika

Genshiken has an incredible power, striking home like a bolt of lightening into the behavioural habits and hearts of otaku everywhere.
(Personally, I see myself in the present, somewhere between the hardcore lonewolf Maradame and the harderned compulsive fashionista Saki).
This 1/8 scale rendition of the objectionable Ogiue Chika from Alter is, to me utterly gorgeous. I saw the preorders with interest but then read the review on Heisei Democracy, which made me rush out and secure one for myself for it is simply remarkable.
This is not only a model that offers variability in the costume parts but is so adaptable that it is almost two models in one. In the fully clothed version, Ogiue is swaddled in an oversized Kujikibi Unbalance cosplay uniform. While she looks perfectly styled to the role, her scowl and dourer demeanour makes plain her distaste of the performance.
It is, however, the other form of this model that I adore, the Ogiue as she is pictured here in here high school swimming costume. Her arms raised across her belly, fingertips touching in expectance of the ordeal ahead producing a defensive yet deeply defiant pose. The finishing is an example of Alter’s second to none work and comes equipped with the divine addition of a pair of steel spectacle frames to perch on her nose. Moe!!!!!Wonders do I seek as a figure maniac and this is one of the greatest works I have encountered in all my experience. Undoubtedly this unconventional but unquestionably beautiful girl is set to be a firm favourite for years to come.

Kokonoe Rin

Lo…Lolicon! >_<;; It’s true! My sukebe rein extends across the otaku kingdom with my latest guilty pleasure Kokonoe Rin from the infamous Kodomo no Jikan. So what did I love about the Kodomo no Jikan OVA? Quite apart from the abundant cuteness and high production quality, the suggestive implications that I am so keenly aware of in shows (Manabi Straight & Ichigo Marshmallow to name a few) are not finely laced into each scene but are as brazen as its heroine Kokonoe Rin. It is, I suppose, this boldness that not only delivers lolicon service in a manner that implies self-awaress but that is, indeed, self-proclaiming. I found this intensely refreshing and moe. For some, it might be a serious appetite killer, who knows, perhaps some voyeurs find acknowledgement from their quarry rather unpalatable? So back to the Max Factory rendition, I bought Kokonoe some months ago, before the OVA was released and was irrevocably charmed by the piece as soon as I picked her up in her box. Ultimate in her pigtailed prowess, she’s alive with details, a plaster on her knee, the smiley on her satchel, the frilly socks aaaaah ~_~;; Kawaii!!! The gimmick of this model you ask? Oh I would not say that it’s the hidden kuma panties beneath her shorts, for that would not be adequate for the lolita queen. No this is something that emerges only from dangerous scrutiny. If you align your sight directly with the path of Kokonoe’s own gaze, not only do you see how much her t-shirt reveals but at the same instant yourself looking. Catching this girl’s eye makes for a wicked double exposure. Such irresistible, forbidden cuteness! Kya!!! All wrapped up in wrong! Truly, the this is a crowning piece befitting the Queen of Lolitas!

Meer Campbell

Today's entry is more saccharine in it's sentimentality than Valentine chocolate and is dedicated to Mega House's dear Meer Campbell of Gundam Seed (vintage 2005). A pretty pink tonic for a bad day, she prances gaily in the midst of performing some aria on the edge of my desk, where she has been for the past week.
She was kind of a rescue piece and is actually missing a big chunk of her outfit and has the scars to show it snaking across one of her hips.

Her missing garment, it's true, adds dynamic flair to the model when present a skirt that delightfully defies the laws of physics and detracts from the somewhat conspicuos join under her ample solid bust. Then again, in absence it calls all the more attention to the fine curvature of her form and exposes a hint of stomach tone beneath the skintight finery.

She was of course, unboxed and second hand when I found her but bythe virtue of her exerberant pose and lovely pins, I couldn't resist taking her home with me. With the ornate freshness of an orchid in bloom, she is a figure I am really happy to own, incomplete, or whatever.

Sometimes imperfection makes something more of itself than you ever could have expected. It reminds me to boot that I really should get to know the lady and the show better.

Rin Toukusa Swimsuit 1/6 (Alter)

Rin Toukusa, as crafted by Alter makes for the beach with a confident stride and the elegant reserve of a 50s starlet. She totally has a dynamite bikini body and her long legs are contrasted by the smooth fullness of her curved belly, which is for me, the high point of this striking 1/6 scale piece.

It never once occurred to me to branch into the Fate/stay model market, having not once given the series any more than a cursory glance but that was before I received Rin as a rather extravagant gift. The Fate/Stay girls are privy to an extensive wardrobe, appearing in battle costumes, beachwear and oh yes, maid outfits… I am now, naturally, a hapless convert.

Taking her place as my dressing table centrepiece for the past few months, red hot Rin makes every day summer (which is a damn good thing considering the nature of the British weather).

Sanji - Portraits of Pirates

Love cook! My very first high grade baby and the one who started it all – from the Mega House Portraits of Pirates – Sanji of One Piece.

This gourmet cad, the beautiful curly browed buccaneer serves himself as an irresistible platter of cool arrogance and flirtatious fire with the flair of excellence in both fighting and cooking. Ah ah! MOEEEE!!!

I do so admire a fine pair of stems and Sanji is all the more delectable in this pose that accentuates his leg length. I love this model, it has, despite progressions in the model production world not waned in my heart and he flourishes marvellously amongst the full blooms of chrysanthemums.
Mega House have keenly applied a golden rule of culinary success to this production; that often, to do justice to the finest ingredients they are best utilised and served with simplicity. Buon Appetito!

Kazami Mizuho Space Suit (Custom painted)

Wide eyed in her shiny space suit, Yamato’s Kazami Mizuho-Sensei the displays undulating curves of her nice body in a delightfully inquisitive pose.
From the press releases, reviews and photos I was charmed into placing an order for this fabled resin beauty. As an Onegai model fanatic, I figured what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, the answer in this case was A LOT.
The casting was ugly, unsatisfactorily heavy and unrefined but worst of all, Mizuho’s fine form had be tarnished with the most inelegant, slapdash paint job (on an expensive model) that I had ever had the misfortune to see and the insult to acquire. The transfers were positioned incorrectly on her eyes and had been applied to bare unpainted resin. Needless to say this was a big disappointment and thus she was relegated to a shelf out of site until the day she met with an accident in which she suffered a broken leg and ankle.
Not to be beaten, the incident impelled me to right at least some of the wrongs, for she was no longer a piece with any potential for resale and if we were going to live together, she needed a serious makeover.
I have no record of her old look but here she has the completely new eyes – a design in which I aimed to combine the look of the original Yamato press photos with character illustrations for the anime. For me the eyes can make or break the beauty of figure, having particular significance as a key visual drawing point. Indeed, an integral aspect of Mizuho’s character design is expressed via those glossy violet orbs; it’s what makes her so moe behind the spectacles.
The alterations I rendered are by no means perfect but it has managed to open a connection to this model that had previously been closed to me. Now she speaks more of that irresistible charm and innocence, her eyes no longer jar but draw me into the sweet innocence of her alien naivety.
Sensei is now very special to me and I can appreciate her for every slick line as she crawls across my bookshelves and bed sheets.

Angol Mois

From the second invasion of Mega House Keroro Gunsou figures descend the Mystic Heroines featuring the unearthly delights of the harbinger of doom Angol Mois. Mois-dono is presented in all her groundbreaking glory, complete with earth destroying staff and puffy panties.
Precarious but perfectly rounded, Mois-dono’s costume is impressively and skilfully rendered in 3D, right down to the hoop that links from her cloak and encircles her chest. It’s with releases like this that Mega House demonstrate the sophistication of their work.
Her look is coordinated with the blooms of the uchuu no bara (space roses) making the most extravagant dressing table centrepiece for the most discerning pekoponian girl.
(Okay, so they are apparently ornamental cabbages – at least - that’s what the florist said…)

Bome Collection Bunny Girl

Kaiyodo’s Bome Collection Vol. 7 – the incognito Bunny Girl (chaperoning this weekend’s baking extravaganza the Ultimate Carrot Cake)!
I got into Bome way back when I was following the first flight of Takashi Murakami’s otaku pop art project - the Superflat movement. Bome’s contribution was a Miss KO2 so named as her presence - a 7ft scale maid - packed one hell of a punch.
And then, thick and fast the Bome collection was on the shelves, hugely popular with random and variable releases clunking out like some giant gashapon machine.
I enjoy the old school aspect of his work, the intense otaku glaze that guilds his projects. I do not regard him to be a great sculptor as such, for me it is a combination of cultural interest as opposed to pure design lust that energises my figure mania. He can be very hit and miss but is capable from time to time of realising some utterly charming stuff.
I have a fondness for bunnies, as a great many otaku do I believe. Historically their iconic presence has permeated the great works of Gainax and returned in full glory in Suzumiya Haruhi. Bome’s Bunny Girl (circa October 2005) is nicely composed and makes a sweet embellishment to any otaku estate (or culinary delight, if that is your preference).

The cake, btw, was pretty damn good, if pushing the borders of syruped moistness too much for my taste. The combination of toasted pecan nuts and carrot cake spell gourmet goodness... but I don't think I'd be hired at the Antique Bakery ;_; ... Ara, what was this blog about again???

Myourenji Sae

Maids! Moeeee ~_~ --- <3 !!! The combination of stockings and the averted gaze of her flushed face on the brink of spilt milk tears made her simply irresistible to me. Sae, produced by Tora no Ana as part of the Fine Scenery collection, is adorably wrong, finished with frilly panties and pool of shiny milk at her feet.
As lovely as she is, the bonus option of brassiere removal is not to be advised in this case. I don’t care how cold she is, if you are going to defy gravity, you should damn well do better than this! She’s delicately constructed and pretty fragile but a charming member of the maid collection.

Dororo Heichou

Nin! Dororo Heichou de gozaru! As a Yoshizaki Mine fan it's only natural that I love Keroro Gunsou and dear forgotten Dororo is a character with whom I truly empathise (^_^);; Yes, I even have a trauma switch!

Here he adopts pose that communicates his skilful, balanced side (in the vague hope that it might inspire some of that in me). He’s currently stationed next to my external drive (lovingly named Wammy’s House).

Fiddly to assembly but the option parts and articulation make these charming models from Kaiyodo only as limited as your imagination \(^o^)/

Asahina Mikuru Bunny 1/6

Released at the end of 2006 Mikuru was the first of a series of 1/6 scale Suzumiya Haruhi no Yutsuu figures from Atelier-Sai, I bought this girl fresh from finishing the show while the embers of her longsuffering moe still glowed. I just had to get myself a bit of bunny.
This figure delivers what it should - a combination of shyness and irrepressible sexiness.
I don’t often buy pieces at this scale, for simple reasons of availability and the potential for fine detail but she’s pretty charming nonetheless.
Her support and base are somewhat inelegant but the robust body wrapped in shiny red helps to lovingly conceal this fact.
Though she may be nothing outstanding in the Haruhi saturated figure market, she’s certainly a kawaii classic worth keeping.

Dragon Shiryu

Ah, Pegasus Fantasy! Mega House, the bastions of bishonen model production returned in June with the shining glory of Dragon Shiryu from 80s anime Saint Seiya!

While again, there is only so much that tends to be done with male character poses, there is a lot of subtlety in the sculpt. His taught stance implies a warrior’s vigour while his eyes coolly exude an aloof confidence (and are rendered according to the vintage era of his design). It is the particular strength of Mega House to communicate iconic aspects of the characters they sculpt, which is why, even a stayed pose can display some intangible energy.

The model might not present the delightful pinnacle of Saint Seiya shiny, however, beauty beats Bandai’s die cast boys (as cool as they may be) and Shiryu is resplendent in armour of blue topaz that aligns marvellously against the matt black archs of his body.

Rei & Asuka Grimrock Mix Edition

2004 saw the release another popular Wonderfest spin on the Eva duo, PVCed by Kaiyodo. These yummy curiosities have pure kook appeal in their swimsuit style plugsuits, Rei is depicted as a cold-eyed kitty with embryo Adam chained in tow, encircling her ankle. Asuka is suitably cast as a monkey (which doubles as reference to the series and recalling her childhood plush toy). Her violent, arrogant nature is finished in this design with a miniature Lilith, skewered on the progressive knife that she holds at her side.
These figures have the design genius that makes me so fond of Grimrock (and makes me wish for a pair of my own Evangelion thigh-highs!)

Sera-chan

Here she is, the girl who started the unrelenting Shunya Yamashita figure frenzy, Sera-chan from Kotobukiya.
I considered, whilst eyeing the latest offerings available from Yamashita, that Sera might become obsolete in my collection - that her pastel charms would fast fade with additions such as the insurmountably sexy OL Mirei-san. When I came to take pictures of her, however, I recalled my fondness for this piece.
Sera-chan’s solid form is coquettishly sculpted, the sinuously sloping body belying her schoolgirl attire and her lips are accented in gloss as she casts her eyes elsewhere (making her somewhat more erotic than the peachy cuteness of original illustration, that personally I prefer).
The failing of this model is the horridness of the base she’s attached to. I understand that needs must to support a bust but it is an ever so icky floorboard arrangement in the most repulsive hue. This I can more or less forgive as she reclines on my sheepskin rug.

Kazami Mizuho (Enter Brain)

Behold the extravagant and rather expensive delights in by far my most needed fix in figure mania – Kazami Mizuho of Onegai Teacher. I never used to be especially keen on the series itself (though time has warmed me to it) but I can never EVER resist of incarnations her curves finely rendered in 3D. She has been the source of bidder’s rage on late night eBay sessions, massive import duties on parcels, some rather unfortunate purchases but do I love her still ever so? Oh my yes. Will I forever be a slave to collecting Sensei? Oh but of course.
This was my first, one of my few babes in polystone, a piece by Miyagawa Takeshi released via the eccentrically named Enter Brain. Mizuho is a delight snacking on “Pochy” in her negligee. My version seems to be an alternate colouration featuring of lavender nightdress and panties that may be a less effective than the standard peach and black combo but I adore her nevertheless.
The high points are the detailing on the nightdress, finished with delicate bows and painted to enticingly hint at the skin beneath the gown. Her expression combines charmingly with the addition of the Pochy sticks and packet that can be added to her pose, giving a picture of a woman who really enjoys her candy ^_^

Nanbu Chitose

Nanbu Chitose produced by Max Factory 2006 emerges from Amaenaideyo as one of my first forays into the model trends of the future! Action feature chic for models in this day and age are all about the clothes and I am not talking about fine couture (for a change), rather the custom capacity for the delivery of fan service. Recreate a thousand and one bathhouse exposes if you dare (as I do) as Chitose has a number of dishevelled looks in her optional parts and is accompanied by a variety of wired sutra beads that you can entwine lovingly around her buxom body.
Her face is a bit overwhelmingly kawaii but the fine rendering of her nice body made her impossible to resist when encountered in the “flesh”. Still haven’t managed to care enough to watch the anime but she sure does look nice in my jewellery box don’t you think? (Though she comes equipped a little circle of floorboards to kneel upon for those not in possession of such lacquered delights).

Wonder Fest Rei & Asuka

Next up is an offering from Kaiyodo of Evangelion from the Yoshizaki Mine machine. The release was specially designed for the 2006 Wonder Festival in Japan (they turn up every now and again on eBay which was how, to my joy, I discovered them).

Far smaller than the average figure, these miniatures possess the saccharine sweetness of the finest petit fours, uncharacteristically genki with bouncy plumpness more akin to the characters of Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight than Eva.

Despite their size they are beautifully detailed and finished offering cheery respite from Anno’s drama of angst. Rei has the cutest little boobies, forming like sweet miniture manjus on her purun pose while Asuka’s hair curves charmingly up to a pair of buttons that replace her contact clips.

Abarai Renji & Kurosaki Ichigo

This dynamic duo from Tite Kubo’s Bleach are part of the Excellent Model series produced by Mega House.
Mega House is one of those rare companies that care to produce high grade male PVC figures. It seems to be the curse of the boy figure to forever be depicted in stoic, unimaginative poses, which has been a source of great pain for a purveyor of fine bishonen such as I (eased only by my adoration of girl figures).
Ichigo (pictured on the right), I encountered once in a comic book store in London 2005 and was so struck with the solidity and beauteous arrogance conveyed by his countenance that I ended up furiously bidding online for him until he was mine. The refinement of the Mega House’s production capability can be traced through the improvements made to later releases but it does not detract from that this is one of the greatest male figures to have hit the pvc market.
Ichigo, however, is without a shadow of a doubt, bested by follow up release Renji, who has the benefit of a more complex design to play with. It’s not just the interplay of the angular intersections of torso and limb, the razor sharp lines of tattoos, blade and hair but that comprise the excellence of this figure but it is in the subtle aspects that I am enchanted. The lines of his hakama that are creped to express a subtle movement in the atmosphere that has altered the line of his clothing.
These models were released at the height of Bleach’s anime rein (before all the ghastly filler) and were fiendish to get hold of originally. The fighters stand tall on bases of ruby and amber serving as the sharp slice that bisects a largely feminine domain.

Minawa

This is a classic piece featuring the meek Minawa-chan of the Gainax series Mahoromatic Motto Utsukushii Mono. I have a weakness for maids and the sweetness and vulnerability of her character is perfectly accentuated in this sculpt by her pose and bare feet.
Released in 2004, the model is produced by Yamato, not a company I buy from generally but Minawa really has a lasting appeal. The casting and paintwork is simple but excellent (yes, with visible panties on her underside) and true to design, her hair features a nice suble airbrushed gradient. I happen to be very fond of the Mahoro maid uniforms and though the colour works better as a counterpart to her Onee-chan, Minawa sits by my monitor as a perfect companion to a pot of morning tea.

A-02 Lilith XX

I make my debut with little Lilith, originally released in March 2006 by Wave. She's part of the XX-Chromosome Evangelion Angel series designed by Yoshizaki Mine of the Capcom/Keroro Gunsou fame. Mine-sensei's work has irresistble allure and I find the purun-purun roundness of his designs lend themselves perfectly to 3D. This figure series has that tasty indulgent quality, much like a good doujinshi, of stretching an original concept to kawaii highs, that say -what the hell, this is heaven!

The XX-series is moe enhanced Eva, served on an embryonic amber platter topped with a good dollop of creamy curve enhancemancement. Delicious!