Strike Witches hot Prussian babe is brought into 3D by Kotobukiya in this 1/8th scaled figure. I pre-ordered this figure on a whim a few months back because I have a thing for ears and tails on girls. It was a rather rash decision as I was pretty apprehensive about Kotobukiya’s quality, especially since my standards were spoiled by the likes of Good Smile Company and ALTER.
I stated before that I’ll do figure shoots outdoors but my outdoor escapade with Sanya proved to be a tough one this time. It was tough working with the sand, sun and sea. Probably would not do anything at the beach in the future. So the first few pictures are indoor shoots.
The greatest disappointment of this figure would be the base which deeply resembles a blue Mikey Mouse with a third ear. The reason why Kotobukiya decided to use a blue stand was probably to portray her flying in blue skies, which was what the box showed.
I’ll probably figure out another way to display her without her stand in the future.
She comes with her multipod rocket weapon. You are supposed to dismantle it and carefully place it into the position that she’s supposed to hold. It looks quite plasticky but it probably that green paint job that gives it that feel. I find it perfectly alright.
She comes with two types of propellers, a rotating one and a static one. They are supposed to be attached to the base of her Striker Unit by plugging out the tip and inserting the propellers through the stub.
The area which I find most appealing about the figure would have to be the skirt area where the tail comes out. Some pretty high points for sexiness form factor down there. However, I feel that the sculpting could have been more articulated in the crotch area, especially since her pose is inviting you to look at that area. Compared to Narika, and most figures where you can see underneath their skirts, Sanya’s crotch area feels very squarish instead of curvy.
Her attire is pretty too, very nice detailing on the tie and collar.
The facial expression is very appealing, I like it a lot and I generally like faces with opened mouths. The hair sculpt could have been so much better though. Looking at GSC, Max Factory and ALTER’s hair sculpts, Kotobukiya still has a long way to go. It feels very rough and unpolished from the side.
Moving along to the outdoor shots.
The 2 different types of propellers, the static one feels rather ‘extra’ since Sanya’s dynamic pose favours the rotating one.
This picture will look 10x less cool and 10x more weird if I used the static propeller.
The blue base spoils the picture.
Lovely and Dynamic, I love making figures wet.
The Striker Unit, is very very well sculpted though. I love the detailings and decals. It does have that Soviet MIG feel to it.
In conclusion, this figure, isn’t the best you can get in that price range. Megahouse Mirim is in the same price range and the quality is far exceeding Sanya. However, I can never get a figure like Mirim because of issues pertaining to tastes. Kotobukiya needs to step up their game if they want to compete with the likes of ALTER, GSC and Megahouse.
That being said, I like this figure a lot (partially due to my weakness to Sanya and Erica from Strike Witches). Even though the base irks me, and the hair sculpt could have been better, her facial expression and tail area is just too pretty for me. They should have just given the static base which they featured in the post-production pictures.
Visit my figure.fm post for my favourite batch of outdoor shots.
MIGs on their way.
IIRC she was from Russia too. ^^;
I agree so much with the bad hair job. That is quite a major turn-off. If Koto fixed that, she would have looked much better
I like the multipod rocket weapon. As for the figure, the position look funny and personally I don’t really like it. The base however remind me of Fate stay night and bible black. I would say your photography skills redeem the figure greatly. LOL
Nice figure.
But I don’t like much the pose of the figure itself.
Cool was, if there be her radar or something like that too.
Less is more, the figure already has too much crummy extras =\
While I agree that Kotobukiya is up to the level of the top tier manufacturers, it does seem like they’re improving. But I guess their competition keeps on improving as well.
In general, Kotobukiya products should have a lower price tag but meh.
The desert background matches the Soviet theme of the figure perfectly.
Desert? >_
Sand Sun Sea = Beach!
She has a cute and dynamic pose but man, that hair does look bad. Clumpy and big seams.
My Nagi and Hinagiku figures by Kotobukiya also have ugly hair seams but my Kyou from 2005 has excellent hair. They’re not really consistent :-/
Love this figure, but I am partial to all of the Strike Witches figures. I have to agree with you on the quality, but the tail and pose is just too good to pass up.
Nice photos.
I want that rocket! Pewpewpew *~*
… that’s quite the camel toe she’s got.
The weapons look pretty slick. I dig the cat tail. :3
And yeah the blue base is a bit naff… reminds me of Kotobukiya colored bases.
…
pew pew pew. :3
Yupyup, weapon + kitty tail. yumyum.
Your pictures are great.
I like this figure to half … I like the “Neko” and therefore the top of this figure, but the legs “robot” repel me.
I must confess that I am not a fan of the anime … ^^
I was contemplating on displaying her without her striker unit, much like this – http://www.flickr.com/photos/kodomut/3989922595/ , but ended up having no space in my room to hide it ^^
I really want that rocket pack~
Hmm yeah the hair is a tad shonky… but otherwise she looks quite lovely! ^^
Hmmm… you wouldn’t mind mimicking Tdai-san by using that semen-kinda liquid? (http://tyodai.blog47.fc2.com/)
Lovely.
This is a really cute figure. I love the most from Strike Witches, and I’m glad this figure turned out this well. Agreed about the face and the base. It’s not necessarily the shape of the base, but I really hate transparent bases.
Also, great photos. ^ ^
I think transparent is ok, just not NEON BLUE ^^!
I wonder what Alter Yoshika Miyafuji base will look like? Btw, are u getting Alter Yoshika Miyafuji?
She’s been on my preorder list for a while now and I don’t plan to cancel her but considering she’s delayed till November (I read) was not welcoming news. -_-
Love the rotating propellers. One of the best bits about her.
I missed out on Yoshika’s preorder period. Wanted to get her in the past but I am lacking funds for the end of the year already. This month is going to be a bomb with all the nendoroids and figma ^^