Bandai Capcom Girls HG
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| This is the first Gashapon set I got. I
always really wanted a Morrigan figure but could only find Resin kits
that didn't look anything like her. Then one day I stumbled across this
HG (High Grade) "Capcom Girls" set made by Bandai that had other cool
figures to boot. I can't remember where I bought them and don't seem to
have the link anymore. The quality is really good and they even stand
up
properly thanks to the well designed foot holders. I've had them for
over two years now and no signs of any warping or deformation. I should
also mention that the Jill Valentine figure is not as blurry as in that
picture. |
| This is the second Gashapon set I
bought generally referred to as the Bandai HGIF Sailor Moon World Set
Number 1. The HGIF sets have a reputation for quality and this is no
exception. The detail is really good and again no signs of
distortion with age. In my opinion, the best figure in the set is the
the Black Lady (bottom right), but this picture doesn't do her
justice. :-) My one complaint is that the foot holders are pretty ugly (just visible on Sailor Jupiter's leg) and don't really work that well. The standing figures occasionally seem to fall over if they aren't balanced just right. There is also the followup #2 set but they're lesser known characters and are supposedly not as good quality according to some review I read. There is also a more recent #3 set that looks quite impressive but I've not seen any owner feedback yet. I bought my set from Goblin Toys in Japan, probably about a year and a half ago. Unfortunately though I believe they are currently sold out of all three sets. I would recommend this store though, they shipped fast and even gave me a free gift. :-D I have see set #2 doing the rounds on ebay of late and set #1 now seems to be a bit of a collectors item with prices to match. |
Bandai Azumanga Daioh
HGIF #2
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The foot holders are better than the sailor moon set in that they are clear plastic but some of the figures are really quite unstable. I don't really think the Tomo-chan figure looks as much like that character as it should though. Chiyo-chan fans though should note that her pigtails are removable! :-D
I don't know of any online stores where you can buy this set, I purchased mine on Ebay and the price including getting it shipped to New Zealand was under NZ$30. I think I was quite lucky getting it at that price though, it seems to be a rather rare set these days. That said, it has been doing the rounds lately on Ebay.
In comparison with the first set I have from the same series, the level of detail is much higher in this set, Bandai has put a lot more effort into getting the colours right here in my opinion.
The other great thing about this set is that the stands work really well while not being too intrusive like the white ones in the original set. Once again, I bought this set from Goblin Toys in Japan. Great service as always.
Yujin SR Vampire
Saviour #3
Unfortunately my photos are a little blurry but the level of detail on these figures is second to none, especially the "Morrigan in leather/PVC" figure which is covered with little rivets and buckles. Zaberi's guitar is also very well done. Another big plus is that they are very, very stable and don't fall over unless you put them on really uneven surfaces. The plastic they are made of varies from piece to piece with some being soft and flexible to fit snugly and achieve the right look and others being hard and brittle to add strength and detail or just for applying shiny paint. The only negative thing I can really say about this set is that some pieces do not seem to perfectly join together but this cannot really be seen on the built figures unless you look closely with a critical eye.
On a side note, Oribas' hair does protect her modesy better than it appears in that picture, I wanted to get a good shot of her face but it seems the right spot for doing that also coincides with a somewhat pervy angle... Of course this is nothing compared to the average resin kit. ;-)
The figures themselves are really well made and are surprisingly big, they are actually the biggest gashapon I have with the stading figures being the height of a typical CD case. They all seem to be built from a rigid but still slightly pliable plastic. Stability is great, even the standing figures have these little rear clips to hold the figure in place (just visible in the left-most figure in the first picture) and they feel rock solid. All these more stable sets make me wonder how the Azumanga Daioh set went so wrong in that deparment.
As I said before, I think the letter two figures are what makes this set great. The loose little red flowers and petals were just a great touch that make all the difference and the way the flowing clothing has been done is easily some of the nicest design work I've seen on figures like these. I'd even go as far as to say the only figures I've seen with comparable attention to detail are resin kits 3-4 times the size or some of Yujin's SR-DX plastic figures about twice the size. To those wondering, both figures are fully naked from the front although the clothes and hair block enough that it's not tastelessly blatant. In case you are wondering if you're seeing things, the last figure does have her leg in different positions in the two last photos. She actually comes with two leg attachments, one that lies flat under her clothing and one that can dangle over an edge. The hair on that figure is also very impressive. As can be seen from the pictures, it has a lower piece and an upper piece with her hands fitting in between. The effect of the two layers of hair is very impressive, I wish more figures, big and small did this sort of thing.
I stumbled across this set on ebay. It seems somewhat rare and I haven't seen another available but I guess it's not really a mainstream set anyway.
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Because of this flaw I cannot recommend this set but if this does not bother you, it is certainly is a very detailed and otherwise good looking set. I cannot help but feel though that it is not up to the usual standard of more recent Bandai HGIF sets.
I found this set on ebay for quite a reasonable price. It does appear to be a lot harder to find now due to the popularity of .Hack merchandise but I do still occasionally see it around and there's at least one set (including the other colour variants) available on ebay as I type this.