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Figurine unboxing and review: Sentinel Brave-Act Shingeki no Kyojin Levi (Cleaning Ver.)

Well... This character hardly needs any introduction. I'll still do a quick introduction though, courtesy of the Shingeki no Kyojin Wiki. Levi, or Heichou as I like to call him, is a leading soldier of the Survey Corps,  the military branch most actively involved in Titan combat. He is abrasive and unapproachable, with a dark brand of humor and is downright insulting. A difficult person to be with, but despite the shortcomings is not a bad person. Although widely lauded as humanity's greatest solider, people who know him call him a clean freak... Which brings me back to the figure.

 
Character: Levi
Series: Shingeki no Kyojin
Manufacturer: Sentinel Co., Ltd
Scale: 1/8
Sculptor: Yuuki Ishiyama
Release date: January 2014

I couldn't decide between the original and cleaning version at first so it was a great relief when I found out the cleaning version also includes his battle gear. Man, I was almost ready to order both! Also you can tell the box looks a little battered. It arrived in perfect condition, but I fell while holding it and it got a little squashed T_T In fact, it arrived two weeks ago, but it took awhile for me to clear my desk to take his photos. I'm no professional figurine reviewer but I don't want to take pictures of him on the floor after all!

The plastic holders are made of cheap plastic, not as sturdy as those of some other figurines I own. Although the one on the left nestles behind the deeper plastic box there is no 'click' for it to remain there on its own and dropped out when I removed them from the box. However the clear plastic stayed on and that's more important as it ensures the parts don't move.


More views of Levi in his cleaning gear. He is certainly petite, with an ant waist more frequently found in female figures. I like how his full his thighs are, which hints that he is more lean muscle than bishonen. So far so good, I really like how individual his clothing looks. His jacket lifts up slightly as if there is a breeze and the straps press down on his thighs as though they are buckled very tightly. The wrinkles on his clothes add to the overall appeal. I also like the natural-looking knots on his cleaning cloths and the dusters look really life-like. By the way, it looks fine on my screen but I apologise if the photos appear a little dark since there is no direct sunlight whatsoever in my house. From here on I'll be assembling his battle gear. This is the additional box of parts.




These small round knobs are actually plugs for the user to attach the 3DMG to. They weren't easy to remove at all and my nails were hurting after all the tugging T_T Also notice how the Wings of Freedom insignia isn't simply painted on but protrudes out slightly.


Separately packed are some rubber tubes and an instruction manual. It's in Japanese, but I don't need to read it to understand as the photos are all very clear. +1 point to Sentinel!


As you can see the cleaning rag around his neck can be removed to reveal his signature cravat, which I affectionately call "the tissue paper thing". I also removed the hands, head and base because I didn't want to break anything by accident during my tug-of-war with the plugs as mentioned above. Levi balances quite well even without a base (nor hands and a head, oops).


The 3DMG is actually very separate. The spare swords can be removed individually, even though they are only tiny little stubs. Even the main device can be separated into three. As such, the 3DMG requires a lot of careful assembling, more than that of any other figurine I own.




The 3DMG finally attached to him, using the small holes I unplugged earlier. Here you can see that the rubber tubes are used as the iron wire for the device. There was a lot of struggling this part, as his arms are quite inflexible and it took awhile to nudge everything in place as the rubber tubes slipped out pretty easily.


The rubber tubes are stiff as they are new so they float quite some, although luckily the effect is diminished from the front.


Not shown previously, his cape (again with the slightly protruding Wings of Freedom insignia) is also provided as is another head without his cleaning headgear. I really like his look of disdain, the sculptor definitely got it down pat. His hair strands are as individual as they can get, no helmet hair here, more points for the sculptor! The slightly muscled neck is a very nice touch. It reminds you that despite his slender built he is a lean, mean Titan-killing machine.






Tadah! The way he is standing and how his head is angled makes me think that he is perched on a high area, so I took my photos from a low angle. However, if you're next to him, he'll probably appear a lot shorter and less intimidating... Hehe. I forgot to take a shot without his cape OTL





Some close-ups. His cape is magnificent, from the way it billows about him to the very realistic wrinkles its movement is causing. His boots are one of my favourite parts of his outfit. The painting is well done and the creasing emphasises how well-worn and weathered they are. Having seen many leather figurine shoes look like hard shiny plastic (well technically they are), this buttery soft leather effect is very welcome indeed. The base is also noteworthy for its rubble and mossy details, instead of being a plain plastic circle. It's something that gets my goat as I feel that if you've already put in so much effort into the figure, why let the base spoil it by looking cheap? Overall this figurine is definitely a very lovely addition to my collection. Despite the packaging being only okay the figurine is very sturdy and of good quality. There was no issue with badly fitting parts even though there are so many of them, and no problems with paint transfer. This is my first figure from Sentinel and now I'm sure it won't be my last ^_^

Speaking of SnK figurines, I spotted some gashapon machines in Taiwan last year and tried my luck with the SnK one. I got Eren!




If you do not recognise the art, it is done in the popular Chimi-Chara style, created by Yu-pon. SnK is not the first series to have been Chimi-Chara-ed, and I certainly hope it isn't the last! Aren't they adorable? Unfortunately I was not able to purchase more as I ran out of coins :( I would have loved the Kyojin version! Well that's it from me today, hopefully you liked this post geared towards figurines as I have more to share! Lots of love!

Written by Nana



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