Anyway, no pics I'm afraid because my only camera is the crappy thing installed on my PS Vita, but I've just been to Saturday's HyperJapan and picked up a bunch of stuff! Yay!
I picked up 3 Eva figures, the figures in question being...
1: Revoltech Fraulein Asuka Langley Soryhu.
Whilst I was considering getting the Figma off Amazon, they had this little beauty for only £25, so I thought "heck, why not?". I'm not disappointed.
She has a really, really nice finish. The plugsuit is the smooth glossy finish that looks just perfect, and I particularly love the airbrushing work on the hair. One thing I noticed was how much effort had been put into keeping a relatively unbroken feminine form-her shoulders and hips, for example, are done with cut joints and well-hidden Revoltech joints, avoiding obvious joints that would break up her body shape (although her ankes are plain and simple Revoltech joints, which I can forgive as ankle joints are always bitches to do well). Unfortunately her legs are rather unposable due to this, and moving her legs or her arms too far reveals unsightly gaps. They are also easy to pull off, although they are just as easy to put back on.
However, there is something I absolutely love about this figure. It has a certain very dainty and pretty feel to it, reminding me more of a doll than an action figure. She can get some really cute poses and look very natural in them-I like to have her relaxing with her feet in the air, hugging her doll.
Rather bizarrely she comes with a pallet rifle, which doesn't make a great deal of sense. However, it works fine with Revoltech Evangelion figures (more on that later) so no complaints. I would have liked a few different faces (or rather heads) and more hands, but she's quite a cheap figure so it's no biggie. Her doll is very well done, with a good sculpt and a great paintjob. It even has a jointed neck!
The only thing I will say is an outright failure is the stand. It looks absolutely lovely, being a neat little square plinth with her name on it with a very subdued rod with a clasp on the end, attached by Revoltech joints. The clasp fits around her waist perfectly, however the rod is way too long and thus she can't use it without floating off the ground. Worse still, because of her immobile ginger mop you can't put the clasp around her head or neck, which is a shame as it's the perfect height and would offer a good amount of support. I find that Tamashii Stages work much better with her, so when I need to give her a supporting stand I use those.
Overall, I'm really glad I bought her. She's adorable, reasonably poseable and well made. Considering she was made around 2007 she has really stood the test of time.
2: Revoltech Fraulein Rei Ayanami (Bandage Version).
I decided I couldn't have an Asuka without a Rei, and whilst they didn't have the standard version they did have the bandaged version, so I picked her up.
A fairly similar story to Asuka really. Exactly the same articulation (with the exception of one wrist due to the plaster cast on her arm) and equally good build quality. She has the same doll-like feel to her that Asuka has, although I must admit that the bandages make her look quite creepy.
She comes with a purple Lance of Longinus (once again compatible with Revoltech Evangelions and, at a stretch, Robot Damashii Evas) which comes in 2 parts. It feels nicely made, but due to its sheer length and thinness it is probably quite fragile. Handle with care. She also comes with 2 heads; a "normal" version and an "eyes closed" version (presumably or when she's taking a nap).
One nice thing about her is that due to her short bob cut, the stand can support her by the neck and is therefore not totally useless. Hooray!
Once again, a good purchase. Would have preferred the standard version, but a good purchase nonetheless.
I don't know if I'll get the Figma versions of them. Possibly, as both Figmas are in different attire to my Frauleins.
3: Revoltech Evangelion Evolution Unit 08 Alpha.
Well, this one is a mixed bag.
On the one hand, the articulation and build quality is great. Any pose you want, she can pull off. Not quite as good as the RD, but close. Also the joints are wonderfully tight, whereas my RD Unit 00 had slightly loose ball joints which required superglue. I really like the headsculpt and the use of translucent plastic for the eyes.
The accessories are great too. She comes with her re-entry shield, a sniper rifle (I don't know if it's a variant of the positron rifle), the grapple gun for Unit 02, which you can give to 08 if you want, the matching shoulder pylon for 02, and a tonne of hands. Also, the hands are capable of holding the pallet rifle and Lance of Longinus that came with Rei and Asuka. Yay!
The stand is odd. It's a sturdy plastic frame with a bent rod and 2 Revoltech joints, although it can be reduced depending on how you want to pose her. It also has a peg on the base if you want to support her without any actual stand. I like it, but I would have preferred a Figma/Tamashii Stage style base.
My only gripe with the figure is the paint. It is honestly the worst paint I have seen in a high-end action figure. It looks nice, and I actually quite like the glossy finish, and it's nicely applied, but the fpr some reason it's slightly tacky. As a result, this figure gets dirty really quickly. You can clean it off, but the gloss will rub off, leaving it very, very slightly more matte. The dirt is super noticeable thanks to the bright pink. It's also potentially more prone to chipping. I'm considering spraying the figure with matte varnish to protect it, maybe applying gloss back over the top afterwards. It's a shame, because this is a great figure, but this paint is absolutely dreadful. If anyone has any solutions as to how to protect the poor girl from further woes, please do tell me. I have been able to scrub off the dirt witha toothbrush, but it does dull the shine a little (which arguably helps the figure a little)
All in all, great figure, horrible paint. I'd say pick it up if you can, but be mindful of the paint. If you're the type who displays figures in spotless glass cases then it shuldn't be a problem, but if you like to play with your figures then be very careful with her-maybe give her a varnish spray. Fortunately she more or less disassembles into her component parts, so spraying her should be a doddle.
I also got a Black Gold Saw Figma, but she isn't an Eva figure so I shan't go into detail other than she's great.
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