Yamato USA: Harley Quinn

Taking a break from articulated collection and right into another statue! A Harley Quinn, no less! So this is a company that is foreign to me, but this piece is stunning. To be honest, I thought it was an Arkham Knight Harley, but it's not marketed as one. I still think it is. Regardless, let's take a look at the box!

The writing on the front of the box of Harley's name is paying homage to her classic look... but this is far from classic. Seriously, this looks like the Arkham Knight costume, although it doesn't flat out state it.

The first we are going to take a look at is the figure itself, how it is sculpted, and how it delivers as a Harley Quinn statue, posing, ambiance, presence and all. The posture, first off, is definitely the sexy Harley Quinn that we have grown accustomed to. Sitting on a stool with one leg bent under her, it is very provocative, but with that bat on her shoulder, she is still letting someone know that she isn't just some kink to be taken advantage of.

The work on her dress/costume is great as well. The difference in her blouse, to her frilly dress/corset/skirt, to her stockings and shoes are all define quite well. Her hair may not be as dynamic, it doesn't really have to be. She's sitting in a somewhat neutral pose so there is no need to make it extravagant.

The coloring is great! There is plenty to appreciate with the shades of reds and black, and it's awesome how the two dominant colors are all different depending on where it is. Clearly, the bat is a different red from her right stocking, her hair is a different shade of red than her lips, etc, etc. The skin tone and the white blouse all have shading and they are the only REAL bright colors; a good juxtapose to her dark clothing.

The face is a little different and it took me a little bit to get used to it. It's Harley Quinn, but she seems a little... mature looking. It's definitely not her face in the Akrham Knight game. She had a rounder face, this one is slim and a bit older. It's pretty, no doubt. Funny how she looks like an old friend of mine... and I liked that friend!

This statue gets two weapons that you can swap out. The bat is obviously the one I like the most compared to her plain (but well done) hammer/mallet. It's a bit bland and it disappears a little too much when placed onto this already dark Harley. The bat at least is a brighter tone so it offers a contrast that I can appreciate more. 

It's a good looking statue, that much is obvious. 

So here she is next to another well-executed statue from last year, the Harley Quinn SS statue that came with the Bluray release. 

And here she is next to the imports, the Bishoujo New 52 Harley and her Bishoujo Classic Harley.

I won't say that I highly recommend this, but I can say that it's a nice addition. For any die-hard Harley fan, if you are not drowning in Harleen's presence in the form her figure renditions everywhere, this might be a good catch for you. I always thought her Arkham Knight costume was a good amalgam of her Arkham Asylum and Arkham City outfit. 

ARTFX+Statue(Kotobukiya): Marvel NOW Spider-Gwen

Another statue that has been part of my to review pile for some time, the Kotobukiya "ARTFX+Statue", Spider-Gwen. Man, that title alone is enough of a cluster. Anyways, it's a Spider-Gwen statue that I thought was cool, simple, and worthy to be in my collection. So let's check her out.

This is my first ARTFX statue in my collection so the box is a new sight. It's pretty cool looking.

You get the Spider-Gwen symbol on one side with some comic book artwork surrounding it, and other the other side, the main art and pose for the Spider-Gwen statue.

The other side of the box is a showcase of the figure itself with its masked and unmasked face.

What you see is what you get in here. Not much options in terms of 'variations' but you don't really need that much. I'll talk about what would have made the die-hard fan of Spider-Gwen happy in a little bit but for now let's look at the stand.

It's a pretty cool looking stand. Nicely painted and clean. The whole thing is metal too and it serves a purpose other than adding weight and price. The bottom of Gwen's feet have magnets on them, so that means there's no awkward peg holes for it.

The statue itself is well done. Talking about the choice of pose, it's definitely Spider-Y with a little hint of fan service. Okay, not a little, but hey, it serves a purpose and it goes in line with the character's personality and daily gestures. Looks like she is getting ready to shoot a web too with that left hand almost positioned for that traditional: thwip pose!

Her sculpt is also well done. With how skin tight her costume is, it hugs her assets well enough. THat leg too! No complaint in this department.

The paint is consistent and it matches the character well! The base compliments the figure in general, and like I said, no imperfections from what I can see and definitely stays true to the characters color palettes.

There is of course the interchangeable variant face that we get with Gwen Stacy's face is revealed. I'm honestly not a big fan of it. It's not bad, it's just not as pretty or how I picture Gwen to be. Besides, I like her masked version so much more than this one. Maybe a version where we can pull her hood down and have a full head would be a nice touch. But I probably would have chosen the masked version regardless anyways.

One thing I'd like to add is that her masked version is a bit loose on the shoulders. Easy to come off if I wiggle it enough. But it's not that big of an issue as long as she stays dormant. It's a statue, not an action figure; besides, I don't play with my action figures anymore.

Pop, Legends, Bishoujo, Rock Candy

And here are my other Spider-Gwen related figures. It's not my intent to make a mini army of Gwen, but I have to say that I like her designs and most figures of her entice me!

All in all, I truly like this! Not going to be winning statue of the year or anything like that, but it's a welcome addition for sure. 

Anime EVA Evangelion Q: Asuka Langley Shikinami

It's been some time since I gained an Asuka figure in my collection... well not really. Seems like a long time! But my newest addition is nothing short of awesomeness! Something that depicts her plugsuit appearance in the (Not) great rebuild of the series. So let's take a look at her!

No box to review since she did not come with one, or at least she was not sent to me with one. Who knows? It came from out of the country! That just means we can dive into the figure!

There are plenty of things to appreciate with this figure. The sculpt on its own is something to admire since it really plays homage to the anime character it depicts. The lithe frame of Asuka is very well recognized and the way she is standing: sexy, but offensive, hinting at something, but ready to kill you at a moment's notice is definitely the Asuka I know. The way she holds that spear too!

And speaking of sculpting, one of Asuka's finest areas is her hair. The way that shows dynamic, the shading, and the recognizable auburn styled hair of Asuka... truly satisfying to see and it is definitely a nice contrast to the whole dark red and gray color scheme.

Her "Q" plugsuit sheds away the dominant and vibrant red her original plugsuit had; she still wore it (or a variation of it anyway) in the 3rd movie, but this gray, red, and white suit is her main "Q" suit. Color wise, this figure does the trick. It isn't her most popular and I would like to say her fan-favorite suit, but it is a nice variation. I am not complaining.

And of course, fans of the new version of the classic 90s anime will recognize the eye patch Asuka.

And while NERV is dead in the 3rd installment (well, sort of), this base DOES pay homage to the past. And it also boldly states which movie this statue is inspired by.

And just cause, we can admire this pose just a few more angles, shall we?

For some reason, I didn't take a picture of my Asuka shrine! But these are the statues I have of her! I don't have one for her Eva 2.0 test plugsuit, and I'm not really planning on getting one.

Before I give my final words, unfortunately, the only quality issue I have is that white... spot on her.. backside... LEAVE IT TO THE IMAGINATION! But other than that, it's a fairly decent price figure! The pose is awesome. The idea is well executed. And most of all, the character is well recognized in this form. So a must have if you are an Asuka fan. It can also be a fan since there are other statues of this suit out there. Do I like it? Of course!

Bowen Designs: Spider-Woman

Well, this is it! The real review of the Bowen Statue of Spider-Woman! This is one of my holy grails considering how alluring she is! Now, time to really dig into the details! But first, let's just look at the box real quick(again! I'll just use the draft's pictures since, well, it hasn't really changed and I already packed that HUGE box away).

I wanted to do a size comparison with the box and some other means. Like a comparison with a Marvel Legends? A Bishoujo box? But I never did. Trust ME! This box, like the figure, is colossal! Let's move on to the figure/statue itself.

This statue is elegant and sexy. Classic and nostalgic. Bold and true. This is Jessica Drew with all the elements that makes her Spider-Woman: agile, provocative, classy, but still seductive. For some reason, this really feels like the first and the best Spider-Woman in all her canonical self and the implied kinky side of her that isn't so boldly explored(for obvious reasons!).

Just to get it out of the way: I get why she is staring up; it fits the idea of the picture, however, it prevents some good angles. Sometimes, seeing a person looking up isn't really sexy. But for me to say that is just a really minor and petty complaint. As I already said, this posture is very sexy but still a bit conserved. She's not overt in the way she is 'showing' off, but she isn't exactly neutral. And the sexiness isn't your typical 'anime' or 'crouching down show my ass'(which I love), but it is womanly... but it is also so innocent in some way.

The dynamic, though only really in her hair, is still fluent. It looks convincing enough. The wind brushing against her hair definitely fits how she is sitting on top of that gargoyle just enjoying the breeze of the city skies.

The posture shows just how 'daring' she is. Sexy, daring, and just really dramatic despite how little dynamic is in this sculpt.

Speaking of sculpting, I've already talked a whole lot of about Jessica's sculpting. It's well done, that is for sure, but another sculpting that is done with a lot of care is the gargoyle that she is sitting on top of. It's detailed, but it really doesn't take itself too seriously; meaning that it wasn't intended to be the main focus, but it does compliment Spider-Woman in every way. Spider-Woman is robust, she pops, and she lets herself be known. The gargoyle is simply just a means, something to help her accomplish that. She is beauty while he is the beast. She is curvy, round, malleable, and the gargoyle is stiff, rigid, and stationary. The combination of the two really mixes well, but he doesn't take too much. Again, it compliments Spider-Woman.

Speaking of complimenting: the colors are fantastic! Spider-Woman received a nice metallic red and yellow paint! True to her colors and it makes her vibrant. The sleek and form fitting tights never looked so damn sexy on her! Her hair may not get the most attention, but with the dynamics and the contrast to the rest of her paint job, it's definitely more than good enough. Her web wings are also sculpted and painted accurately to offset from the rest of her costume. The gargoyle, while already loved by its own magnificent sculpt, also received some love through its colors. Dull grey, black, and stone wash, the mute and darker tone is a good comparison to the bright and eye candy Spider-Woman sitting on top of it.

Just letting the pic do some talking here.

And just to compare her size(which can give someone a good picture of how big her box is), here she is next to her Bishoujo(SDCC 2014 exclusive) version. As you can see the difference in style here since the Bishoujo is more anime in every way while the Bowen is definitely more comic book accurate. You can also see the height difference; most of it is the gargoyle, but yeah! The Bishoujo(especially this one) is not cheap by any means, but Bowen Spider-Woman makes it look like a comparison between a Hot Toy and a Figma.

And here is my NEW Spider-Woman shrine! Yes, these are all my Spider-Woman figures out of their respective boxes and containers (I know, I have yet to fully reveal "The New" Game Room).

I've never made it a secret that I was going to eventually get an expensive Spider-Woman product. With the comic book accurate depiction, the sexy and mature sculpt, and just the overall look of this statue, I knew that one day she is going to be the one expensive piece in my Spider-Woman collection. I love this statue and if I do get around reviewing everything this year, SHE will be a top contender for 2017's catch! Welps, hope my return to the collection posts did my hiatus justice! More to come in all areas of my collection!