Saturday, November 2, 2013

Figma: Asuka Langley Shikinami

As I have stated in my , Asuka in Figma form will be mine sooner or later! Well, sooner became a possibility and here she is now! This post will be a bit long since I will not only be viewing Asuka but a few other things I have had in mind for a bit.



So let's talk about the box first and how she looks fantastic in it(yes, she is blushing because we are talking about her). A standard box for Figma, but the Eva series being a bit bigger with the exclusive accessory that comes with these figures. The transparent 'window' allows the buyer to actually see the figure and some of the accessories that comes with it. The back side demonstrates some of the things Asuka can do with her articulation and her accessories. Of course the color concurs with the whole NERV honeycomb signature. The sides adding a figure pose to really accentuate the details and the capability. I will keep saying these in a lot of my toy reviews so bear with me when I say it all the time but some of the figures I do tend to buy have leniency for 'keep the value' collectors. Or in simpler terms, keeping them in the box. Suffice to say though, these figures and their accessories aren't given justice by just staying in the box.




Speaking of accessories, Figma believes in providing organization tools for the collector as we have seen before. The ziploc bag and the alternate hands holder(that's a pun) comes in really handy to keep all of these(sometimes dwarf like) gadgets in place! She comes with a decent amount with the hand variations, the face alternates, then the pilot seat friendly hair. Let's not forget the puppet doll and the phone holding hand, Asuka has a lot to offer on the plate in terms of pose ability. The standard Figma base reinforces those said poses with the rather firm and articulated 'arm'. If I have known about what Figma's stands offers, I probably would've searched vehemently for any loose ones that are sold online since they are rather comfortable and provide what I look for in figure stands. Again, probably not strong enough to hold Marvel Legends, but again, only Toy Biz made exclusive stands for their heavy and well armed figures. I digressed.

Moving on to the actual figure itself, Asuka holds the same integrity as does in her Figma adaptation. The slick form of the mold that stays true to the pilot's stature, the vibrant and accurate painting capturing her test plutsuit, and then of course the trademark auburn hair of Asuka is in full display. Another plus points on Figma!



And while it was completely redundant, I wanted to add in another angle and pose shot of her back and front. Loving the detail on this figure! The ridges on the suit, the green 'lights'(?), as well as her belly button, the straps, all of which are sculpted in and not painted! Her 'bluetooth' hanging on to her neck and the larger Eva pilot hair clips(?) are all scene accurate to the movie! I won't sit here and say that it's my favorite suit because it's not, but it was refreshing.



The next thing to mention is her articulation, which again adheres to what Mari had to offer. While still highly articulated and impressive for pose and what nots, it does have a bit of a hindrance here and there. Just to point out, it's on her legs. Asuka can't kick very high, but it's not a real big deal since we've only Really seen Asuka kick once in the anime/movie.



And even then, she wasn't wearing her plug suit. Anyways .



Creepy doll/puppet anyone? And on a random note, that doll isn't 'held', it's actually one of her alternate hands so to speak. While I would consider this frivolous, it does hold some significance to the character.



Moving on to the more 'essential' accessory of Asuka is her Eva Unit pilot seat. Again, exclusive to the Evangelion toy lines of Figma, this is the exact same thing as Mari's in terms of detail, joystick articulation, molding, and fun factor. As if the figure and her ability to stand, to be posed, and displayed wasn't enough, this accessory adds more Evangelion spirit to the figure. Of course the owner just has to imagine that the Eva Unit is transparent and we are looking at the pilots through their ominous form, with that in mind, one can really reanimate the anime's fighting scenes with a bit more of a tangible representation(literally). It is VERY helpful that the joysticks and the seat itself is articulated which adds more options for pose and of course adds flavor to the display capability. As we have seen with Mari, Asuka doesn't fall short. What Mari does, Asuka can do better(well, I'm biased).



Though this never truly happened in the anime. This test plug suit was short lived and only got to sit down on the pilot seat of the 'new' Eva.



Still though, her going all crazy and berserk like the hot head that she is with her test suit is always a good thought to practice. That and I have yet to see the third edition of the movie since I'm waiting for U.S. to have an official copy.



Okay, it's time to calm down with all of that craziness. Though Asuka calm in her pilot seat is never something I can get used to.



Okay . Time for some comparison then.



If anyone is as enamored with these figures and the character as much as I am, one would really notice that there are a few figure adaptations of her. Fact is, which one would give you more reward for the price paid? Cheaper is better? Go for the more expensive version? Bigger? Smaller? I'm not going to sit here and be fervent that one is better than the other. Honestly in this short piece I will write about the Figma and the Revoltech, I will state which one is my preference, but for everyone else, it could be different. So with that said!



Right off the get go one would be able to tell that the version of Asuka is taller. From the picture above, she also has more leg movement than the Figma version. These two things should be more of an incentive to choose Revoltech, right? Not necessarily in my case. While I had the Revoltech figure first and was quite content with it, the Figma version just added more flavor to the Asuka shelf for me. While yes, it has a smaller build, far less movement in the legs, from the second picture above, certain pose seems more natural with Figma. The limbs don't fall off as easily and the stands are a bit more friendly in my opinion. The amount of accessories on both are just about even, with the Revoltech having a few more hands(I think). While both have a set of articulated hair, only the Figma has the non articulated version, and that is because the winning point for me is that Figma HAS the Eva unit pilot seat that Revoltech doesn't. Naturally that would be the incentive. This piece probably isn't detailed enough to prove the point that for me, Figma fares better. But againjust those few points alone should get someone to think about it.



In conclusion, I love this figure. I am very pleased that I have her in my Auska/Anime shelf. I didn't bother with a picture of the said shelf since there will be some changes throughout the months. Anyways, Figma lovers will know what to expect from this toy. Asuka lovers will not be disappointed. If for some strange reason you are, well, take solace in the notion that one has an Eva Unit pilot seat at your disposal!
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