Taito Prize Figure: Tatsumi Kanji and Shirogane Naoto

It's persona time again, this time with Taito's Persona 4 Arena prize figures!  It's a fact that I like a good prize figure and I love some Persona 4 Kanji and Naoto merch, so naturally I had to pick these up.  I preordered the pair for 30 some dollars and then completely forgot about them until they showed up at my house a couple of months ago.  It's finally time to open these up and see what we have going on:

First up is a quick look at the boxes.  Not too shabby, simple Persona 4 Arena design with photos figures on the outside parts. Also, for whatever reason, the Atlus sticker is on the bottom of these boxes, so that makes it difficult for purchasing online on ebay or something like that.

First up Kanji!  I love this guy, he is one of my top ten all time favorite characters, and this figure would be a knockout of him if it didn't have so many tiny problems!  Now he is a nice figure, he fills up the space on the base, he has a nice action pose, and the painting on his clothes is ideal.

 My major issues with this one have to do with his hair and his chair.  The hair seams are far to noticeable and the paint is blotched on the front! noooo....  I'm happy to report in other comments and reviews they didn't have this blotch problem, but it's pretty bad on mine.  As far as the chair goes, it is well done and a neat addition, but when in his hands it looks more like he is resting it on his head than being threatening with it.  I'm not sure if this is a warping issue or if I just got a bad draw on him.  Otherwise, man I really dig this figure, the flowing coat especially. 

I'm happy to report that the chair can fit in a variety of ways, so it's been fun to play around with that.  I gotta say... I know yellow is the color of Persona 4 through and through but I'm not feeling the base on these.  They are a little too large and a little too plastic looking for my taste.  Again, for a 15 dollar figure, he is still considered a good figure (not the best, but not the worst either) in my book.

Up next is the detective, who looks surprisingly well done.  The oddest parts however have to do with paintwork.  The stripes on the hat, the lines/buttons on the coat, the handgun; they all have a bit of a fuzzy feel to them.  A little sloppy.  Truly odd considering how dead on the pants are compared to the rest of the outfit.  Still no major complaints, Naoto is a lovely addition to have with Kanji. (I wasn't even planning on getting this one; it was a choice on a whim!)

 I dig the shoes and the outstretched hand in the back, they are nice details for a prize figure.

All in all that's the scoop!  I'm pleased pretty much with these (wish Kanji had better hair, but it's ok)  I suggest if anyone out there wants to pick these up, don't spend more than 20 bucks on either of them.  It's nice that prize figures fill the role of providing fans with the less popular characters, but these are prize figures through and through.  I've had really amazing luck with some prize figures and way less quality with others.  Look online for more images of these two that are not promotional shots before making a choice.  For now I need to find a spot on my shelf for these two.  I'm out!

Nendoroid: Teddie (Kuma)

It's been a while since my last post, but I'm getting back into it!  I'm returning and going to be posting every Sunday instead of the old Friday/Saturday schedule.  For now it's time to go through a back log of older goodies until I receive my next recent purchase.

Today I have a few shots of Nendoroid Teddie! or Kuma! Depending on how you know him.  I honestly don't remember how much I paid for this one, but considering how fast he went on sale I'm sure he is still available.  Also SO many reviews for this one went up, so I won't be too detailed description wise today. 

 The box is perfectly part of the Persona 4 theme with the Teddie blue and the Persona 4 yellow.  if you are looking to buy one of these make sure it has the atlus sticker on the front of the box.

 Here they are!  The really nice part of this Nendo, is the fact that you basically get two figures in one box.  I really wanted a Teddie to go along with my D-arts persona figures, so the Nendo was worth getting for the way cute human Teddie included with him.

 The options with the face plates make it hard to choose how to display this little Kuma in a good way. His scared and tough expressions are just too darn cute!  The parts fit well into each other and can be combined in amusing ways.  He is a versatile little Nendo. 

 Combination complete!  This is such a nice addition for people who know the scene from the game/anime!  I heard a lot of people were interested in this figure simply for this display option.

All in all this was a great purchase, even from someone who doesn't go out of the way to collect Nendo figures.  As a Persona fan I am very pleased.  This is a highly recommended figure!

Figuarts Zero: Boa Hancock & Salome

My new computer is up so it's time for another review, the ever dangerous/lovely Boa Hancock and her trustworthy snake Salome:

 

It took a while for me to get my hands on this one, but she is a really pretty figure in a real pretty box.  I like what they did using Salome's pattern to relate to the chracters and still give the box a feminine feel.

Here are the basics of the basics to this figure: her head on pose (alone) and her ever loving huge base.  as usual it come with the kuja pirates jolly roger, the dead or alive, quote, and Boa Hancock & Salome on it.

 really this is the only Boa Hancock figure I need, since they really captured her stunning physic and face! It really is one of the nicest female figures I own.

 Unfortunately her paint doesn't match up very well on some parts of her dress pattern.  I haven't seen this issue on other ones, but it is something to look out for (if you can).

 Not only is her profile perfect, but her legs are beuatiful.  I'm a sucker for those indigo pumps!

 This is however the way I choose to display the pair, and really who wouldn't want too? Salome is just so imposing in this figure and her hand just gracefully touching his face makes a great composition for the display.

The sculpting and the paintwork on Salome is solid.  I'm really pleased with it considering I really like him

One of the problems people have with this figure are the seams on Salome.  They are nessecary so I can ignore them, but it's another consideration to make.

That's all for this one, if this figure has anyone interested she is still on a lot of sites like amazon, and anime island.