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Astro Toy - Figma Yoshika Miyafuji


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einhorn303



Joined: 20 Nov 2006
Posts: 1180
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:20 am Reply with quote
That blushing face is actually her breast-groping expression (they don't call her "oppai hunter" for nothing).
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neocloud9



Joined: 06 Oct 2008
Posts: 1178
Location: Atlanta, GA
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:12 am Reply with quote
Quote:
I swear to God, if I hear the word onii-chan back there, I'm turning this car around and nobody gets to go to Mandarake!


This made me laugh far more than is probably reasonable. Laughing
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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 10:36 am Reply with quote
I ordered my figure from Hobby Japan and when I went back to check on the price, it had sold out... in less than 2 hours.
Shocked

I couldn't resist owning it and if Max Factory produces the entire line of girls, I'm getting them all. I've no real reason to explain why I love this series, but I just do.

That being said, if you're a collector and are wanting Strike Witches figures, get the Alter figures now. You won't regret it. Both Sanya and Yoshika are stunning (Sanya especially, despite the fact she's my favorite).

They're a bit pricier, of course, but any SW fan needs these in their collection.

Good review and I agree with quite a bit of it. I'm also a little disappointed on the flimsiness of this particular character, but once it's set, it's not like I'll be playing with it.

*Eeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrooooooowwwwwwwwww badda badda badda badda badda badda "Take that, you Nueroi bastard!"

*ahem* Sorry about that.

As for the "butt shot", can't say I agree with this one since I generally turn the figures so the face, not the ass, is the most prominent on display.
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 835
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 11:48 am Reply with quote
I agree - the Alter figures are amazing! I will be preordering Charlotte as soon as I can from HLJ. The Kotobukiya ones are very well done, too (at least the Lynette I have is!) although I don't like the bases as much.

I also love Strike Witches! It's adorable and funny and fanservice-y to the max! The production values are high and I love the English dub.

I'm starting to wonder why high quality figures are rarely (if ever) reviewed here ...
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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:52 pm Reply with quote
jenthehen wrote:
...although I don't like the bases as much.

The bases are why I haven't bought them. They come off as figma-like and that's just way too odd.

I'm hoping that Alter does all the girls, rather than just split them up between companies. If this is the case, it's not a problem, as I'll just custom design my own bases.
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Penguin_Factory



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 732
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:35 pm Reply with quote
What's up with the girls not wearing trousers or skirts anyway? I always heard it was supposed to be so they can get the propeller pants on faster, is that true?
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Shenl742



Joined: 11 Feb 2010
Posts: 1525
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 1:58 pm Reply with quote
Penguin_Factory wrote:
What's up with the girls not wearing trousers or skirts anyway? I always heard it was supposed to be so they can get the propeller pants on faster, is that true?


Never actually watched it, but I think the flying things need to be in direct contact with the characters skin in order to work, so they have to be pantsless 24/7...

...of course if you look at this very figure, you can see that the devices don't even come up that high on their legs, so there's really no reason for them to not wear tasteully high-cut shorts rather than just panties.

So really, the very reason to justify the whole fanservice angle the whole show is built upon makes no real sense and is kind of sad.

And as someone who actually works on military airplanes, I'd like to point out that flying at high-altitudes and at high-speeds is extremely cold (and also produces high-wind friction), so having any exposed skin at all is probably not a good idea, but I'm sure the show has some magical BS reason to justify why the characters don't go out in full-portective covering
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Que_Tal



Joined: 17 Jul 2010
Posts: 80
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:00 pm Reply with quote
nice article, nice figure, nice writing, nice pics.
good reading.

i enjoyed it.
killed my boredom on this sunday morning.

keep up the good work, mr. cabrera.
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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 2:51 pm Reply with quote
Penguin_Factory wrote:
What's up with the girls not wearing trousers or skirts anyway? I always heard it was supposed to be so they can get the propeller pants on faster, is that true?

No, it's not true. In fact, a couple of the girls wear leg stockings, which removes the belief skin contact is necessary (in addition, not all girls are witches, such as nurses, who are also pant-less).

Why they're not wearing pants is never explained in the series.
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Zac
ANN Executive Editor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 7912
Location: Anime News Network Technodrome
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 3:39 pm Reply with quote
jenthehen wrote:

I'm starting to wonder why high quality figures are rarely (if ever) reviewed here ...


Here's your answer: budget.

This column has a set budget; we have to buy these toys for review. We're not getting freebies, and the audience for the column has to justify the budget. Japanese toys have a pretty definable price range - you can get figmas and revoltech and Good Smile products for around $40-$70 (shipping is a factor), and two of those or two things priced similar to that are about what we can normally justify buying.

Now, everything in that price range is of somewhat similar quality, with enough variation to still write about - not sub-$20 cheapness or crane machine junk, but not exactly super high-end either. But we can't justify buying two $150 figures every month in addition to what we pay David to crank these out. So that's why you don't see mega-expensive items in this column. Doesn't make sense budget or business wise, unless David were pulling in like a half million readers, or Japanese companies were willing to send review samples of their super high-end product (note: they are not).

Personally I prefer that the column is - even if it is by necessity - focused on items that the average fan could afford.
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Emerje



Joined: 10 Aug 2002
Posts: 7411
Location: Maine
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 4:05 pm Reply with quote
He gets paid money, not just in figures? How nice. Wink

BTW:



One of many new figma shown at Wonderfest this weekend.

Emerje
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davecabrera
ANN Columnist


Joined: 28 Feb 2010
Posts: 132
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 4:31 pm Reply with quote
I assume that by "high-quality figures" we are talking about static PVCs. I don't personally have anything against PVC figures: I own a couple and I plan to buy this one for myself when it comes out. But as an example, that PVC (as well as most exceptional pieces) costs most of the monthly budget. Furthermore, they don't really make for a decent length article, even when you get reasonably in depth about them.

Even the late, great Heisei Democracy only got about 500 words (and about as many pictures, am I right) out of top-shelf figures.

I spend a lot of time looking for toys that both fall into our price range (due to the plummeting dollar it's gotten even more expensive to buy things than when I started here) and that make for interesting articles. I'd say the major lines are pretty high quality, frankly.

In conclusion, the WF stuff I'm most excited about is the Panty/Stocking everything. And Figma Robocop.

Edit: http://gigazine.net/news/20110206_panty_and_stocking_wf2011_w/
If you haven't seen it, here is "the Panty/Stocking everything".


Last edited by davecabrera on Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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PetrifiedJello



Joined: 11 Mar 2009
Posts: 3782
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 8:12 pm Reply with quote
Emerje wrote:
One of many new figma shown at Wonderfest this weekend

Anime cry of happiness.

Thanks for this. Now, the fun begins into trying to acquire many of them.

*faints at Alter's KOS-MOS. Oh, this one will be mine!!!

@the budget of the column:
I feel you, buddy. I know how bad it's getting now that the "high end" products are now inching toward the $150 mark (ever so slowly).

Of course, maybe one day you'll get a windfall and splurge on a Azone doll which looks strikingly like Fate Testarossa from Nanoha (and looks good to boot).
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 835
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:13 pm Reply with quote
PetrifiedJello wrote:
jenthehen wrote:
...although I don't like the bases as much.

The bases are why I haven't bought them. They come off as figma-like and that's just way too odd.

I'm hoping that Alter does all the girls, rather than just split them up between companies. If this is the case, it's not a problem, as I'll just custom design my own bases.


At first, the Koto base on Lynette really bothered me, but it's held up for MANY months VERY well. Now that I "trust" it (not to dump her on the ground) I can really appreciate what they were going for. They are trying to emulate flying from certain angles - so it looks like the Witch is suspended in air with the magic circle below.
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 835
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:16 pm Reply with quote
Zac wrote:
jenthehen wrote:

I'm starting to wonder why high quality figures are rarely (if ever) reviewed here ...


Here's your answer: budget.

This column has a set budget; we have to buy these toys for review. We're not getting freebies, and the audience for the column has to justify the budget. Japanese toys have a pretty definable price range - you can get figmas and revoltech and Good Smile products for around $40-$70 (shipping is a factor), and two of those or two things priced similar to that are about what we can normally justify buying.

Now, everything in that price range is of somewhat similar quality, with enough variation to still write about - not sub-$20 cheapness or crane machine junk, but not exactly super high-end either. But we can't justify buying two $150 figures every month in addition to what we pay David to crank these out. So that's why you don't see mega-expensive items in this column. Doesn't make sense budget or business wise, unless David were pulling in like a half million readers, or Japanese companies were willing to send review samples of their super high-end product (note: they are not).

Personally I prefer that the column is - even if it is by necessity - focused on items that the average fan could afford.


The high quality Koto and Alter and Max Factory figures I'm thinking of are all usually $50-$80 ... it WOULD help if the exchange rate didn't SUCK right now, though! ;___; Nice figures are only over $100 if there is something super f***ing amazing about them, or if you're ordering it from somewhere stupid.
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