Figure Unboxing and Review: Celestia Ludenberck (Danganronpa) 1/7 Scale by Emontoys

Figure Unboxing and Review: Celestia Ludenberck (Danganronpa) 1/7 Scale by Emontoys

Wednesday, August 29, 2018 / No Comments

Welcome back to another scale figure review! This time we have with us...

A1/7 scale of Celestia Ludenberck from Danganronpa, and she is manufactured by Emontoys/Myethos. I love the figures by Myethos, and I have actually reviewed one before which is Nia Teppelin (Wedding dress version). However, Nia isn't the main focus of today's review so let's quickly get back to unboxing Celestia!

Packaging

I have to say that Myethos rarely disappoints me with their packaging, especially their boxes as they can almost always accurately bring out the essence of the character with their boxes alone. This time, they have also pulled off the job well.

The whole box is dark with golden accents that adds to the mysterious and gothic atmosphere of both the figure and the character, as a Super High School Level Gambler. The crest of Hope's Peak Academy is featured in gold at the top of the box, alongside the series title.

   

   

The front, back and sides of the box also have unique designs on them and the entirety of the box is actually made out of thicker cardboard than those usually used by some Japanese companies such as Freeing and Aquamarine.  

This is the background sheet that comes in the box itself. While it isn't rare to see background sheets that fit the color of the figure, which is black in this case, it is lovely to see that this sheet sports a design that ties in with the character.

I do wish that they used a matte black for this sheet instead of the usual reflective material, so it would be more suitable for using in a glass display with lights installed. Nevertheless, you could reinforce this sheet with either cardboard or foam and display it together with Celestia (or other figures) if you'd like.

The blister packaging for Celestia is quite unlike the normal blister as well. She comes with two main layers: the figure and the base, and a third blister (leftmost) is used to secure the whole package. By doing this, one, it keeps the middle layer (Celestia) in place as well as provide a groove deep enough to place the base behind her, and two, it helps move Celestia forward in the blister packaging and allow buyers to view her better in the dark interior of her box.

Assembly
This is rather simple as the whole figure itself comes without any need for assembly. As with the instructions below, you would simply have to fit the roulette base together and attach Celestia on top of it.

This figure comes with a strong magnet that is able to hold this 1/7 figure rather stably on the base. Other than the usual instructions about not using devices near the magnet, or putting the magnet in areas with high temperatures, it is also mentioned that the magnet may de-colorize Celestia in the future.

To counteract this, a plastic piece is given to attach to the area where Celestia comes in contact with, so you should definitely use it. I will go more into detail about this in the next section :)

Base

The base for this figure comes in two pieces (image above) which you have to assemble together (image below). The assembly process is simply fitting one onto the other and I don't think there needs to be much instruction for this.

The circle plastic sheet that I mentioned in the previous "assembly" section comes together with the golden stand on the base. 

     

While the concept of leaving a plastic piece on an assembled figure is rather new (we usually have a fun and hard time trying to remove all the plastic pieces during assembly!), make sure that you leave this particular plastic piece as it is.

Taking a closer look at the base itself, we see that the wooden parts are really nicely shaded with lighter and darker areas for a beautiful feeling of depth to it. The golden pointers are also sculpted with a nice symmetry and attached onto the figure with no glue leakage at all.

The red, black and green colors are all vibrant and there are no paint spillage issues with my copy.

The only downside about the base to me would be the extremely plain and unassuming bottom of the base. As Celestia is best viewed at either eye-level or slightly above eye-level, most collectors would put her at a height which may make the bottom of this base visible. 

To make up for this, I have actually adjusted my detolf and rearranged my figures so the bottom of her base would be relatively hidden from sight.

The Figure
First, we'll begin with a 360 of the figure as usual so you can get a feel of how the figure and all the details look from varying angles. Do note that not all of these angles are supposed to be her "posing angle", and due to the nature of her pose, she may look awkward in some of them.

Such a simple looking figure but there are so many small details to enjoy! Let's take a look at some of them in greater detail~ 

From a general angle, I can say that I love the white parts contrasting against her all-black attire. White, black, red and gold are the few colors that Celestia is usually paired with and I just enjoy how all four colors are sufficiently represented in this figure.

Putting her on the base brings more attention to that single green part on her base, which contrasts against the red on the roulette and her red shoes so beautifully. It's definitely a great addition to pull the attention back to the base itself!

Celestial's voluminous hair is sculpted perfectly, hanging down on either side of her with intricate sculpting and light shading to accentuate all the different layers of her hair. 

The white headdress on her head has well-defined ruffles and ribbons matches her clothes well. However, it could do with a little more shading to add more dimension to the pristine white piece.

However, the details aren't only present on the ruffles and frills of this figure though. The lace and ribbons holds a great deal of care and precise sculpting as well. This is especially so for the criss-cross strings going up her sleeve and the patterns all around lace on the hem of the uppermost layer of her skirt.

Other than the attention to small details, Emontoys also managed to keep the figure's sculpt flow as a whole. Although her skirts are creasing in different directions, it fits her pose and help to give you an idea of how soft each layer is and how they would splay out when she sits in this position.

Although the base color of her outfit is black, I love how they didn't keep her as a flat matte black, or attempt to shade with a darker black. Instead, Emontoys tried to bring out the dimension on the outfit with a clever idea of using brown to highlight the thinner layers!

The slight peek at the ruffles lining Celestia's blouse between her blazer and skirt also helps to tie the whole ensemble together. Not only does it give us a good idea of her fashion sense, it also helps her to stay appropriately dressed while in a shorter, stylish blazer. Still, it seems that they do not like to shade their ruffled fabrics at all, which is an area that I do feel that they could have done better.

Before we move on to her glorious red shoes, let's take a look at her other accessories first. She has black nail polish on, which is painted with a glossy finish to replicate realism. Her polished silver ring is another accessory that I am glad that they did not forget to add in, however, it appears rather clunky and matte, which does not bring across the sleek elegance that the ring had in canon.

One of the accessories that I really like would be the playing cards. It has a stylish black and red checkered pattern on the back and a Joker card on the top of the stack, featuring Monokuma. I just love how Danganronpa figures typically feature Monokuma in them, reminding us that the antagonist will never die!

And last but not the least, we are at the last part of this figure to review: her stockings and shoes.

As with most people who like girls in these types of clothes, isn't it nice how her stockings are only thigh-high and allows for a slight peek at her zettai ryouiki in this sitting position, as it would be covered by her long skirt otherwise?

The painting on her stockings employs the same effect as her skirt, where the slight tint of beige peeking through the stretched material adds dimension to the area as it essentially creates an impression of highlighting and shading.

Besides, her shoes are just like a fashion statement! They are bright red,  a color that stands out so well against her monochrome colored attire, and the design of the shoes are just so classy that you'll never go wrong with them!

I have always had a weak spot for shoes with zips and buckles so this pair of shoes are just right up my alley.

Besides, who could ever resist this beautiful glossy finish?

Base ★★★★☆

Posing ★★★☆☆

Sculpting ★★★★☆

Painting ★★★★☆

Worth-it ★★★★☆

Overall ★★★★☆

Nana's Winter'18 Wonfes Picks

Nana's Winter'18 Wonfes Picks

Monday, August 27, 2018 / No Comments

Hi everyone! Nana here~

Older readers might recognise me as sharing lots of figure unboxings when I first joined Milkcan; although I don't do that much now, I still religiously follow figure news! C3AFA Tokyo might be the latest event but Wonfes is definitely still the largest in terms of figure announcements! Without further ado, here's my top picks!

1. Shuten Douji (QuesQ)

I tend to nitpick when it comes to female characters. It's no secret that the female characters market is saturated with swimsuit designs, which is why I love FGO's character design so much, even though they can be rather controversial when it comes to anatomy. Named after the sake-loving mythical demon, I really enjoy Shuten Douji's devil-may-care sort of attitude, and the figure really brings across the idea that she can and will drunkenly decapitate you. Though not the top of my priority list, she's definitely one I will consider, although it really depends on whether QuesQ can bring across the quality!

2. Berserker / Cu Chulainn Alter (FREEing)

More from FGO, this is probably my favourite version of Cu Chulainn, the shadow side. I love the overall design, with the flamboyant outfit and chest (torso?) markings! The figure has him standing atop a bunch of skulls, which only adds to its likability and brings across his dangerous aura. Since his CG has him in the midst of a fiery field, I'm looking forward to see the colours as well. Here's hoping FREEing brings across the gorgeous deep reds.

3. P5 Protagonist / Amamiya Ren Uniform Ver. (Soyokusha)

Persona 5 continues its prominent figurine run with even more figures announced! In fact, I've lost count of how many figures the protagonist has now. If only they would give Ryuji a scale figure too... That being said, I like this one for his pose and props! Although I'm hesitant about Soyokusha since I do not particularly like the way they do eyes, not to mention this is the first time I've seen a male character from them.

4. Roronoa Zoro "Sanzen Sekai'!!!! Ver. (Megahouse)

Megahouse's huge moneymaker, the POP series. I have figures from this series since 2012 (Eustace Kidd), and in fact have a full collection of the Straw Hats (although I should perhaps work on adding Jinbe and the Straw Hat Grand Fleet now?). On the other hand, a Zoro in-action is too hard to pass up!

5. Nendoroids (Good Smile Company)

Small and adorable, Nendoroids are the way for me to collect entire series as they are the most affordable and usually the easiest to obtain. After wishing and waiting for years, I finally finally will get to collect KnB and JoJo Nendoroids! I've already picked up two Jotaros, so these are definitely gonna follow up on my must-buy list.

Although it's been a long time since I've shared my love for figurines here, I hope I'll get to share these with you next year!

Written by Nana

Today's Menu at the Emiya Household

Today's Menu at the Emiya Household

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Hi everyone! It's Nana here!

I'm sure most of you know about the Fate series. It's daunting to start on since it's so complex, but today I'll be sharing with you one of its offerings that doesn't require you to cross-reference a whole bunch of wikia articles!

It's an anime adaption of a manga parody that revolves around food! The whole show revolves around Shirou cooking for everyone else, mainly the Fate/Stay Night cast.

My favourite is the great Celtic hero Lancer and he is extra adorable here. I really like his excitable character and that snaggletooth!

Each episode introduces new characters and new food, and is thorough enough that I feel like I can attempt several of these recipes. Most recipes are generally quite simple too. One of my favourites is the one in episode two, foil-baked salmon!

I'm quite fond of the art as it's very soft and pastel. Combined with the domestic atmosphere and lack of Holy Grail Wars, the whole anime feels very fluffy and heartwarming. Normally, I would focus on the manga, but I like the colouring of the anime so I'm watching it as and when even though releases aren't frequent nor regular.

Will I be trying out the recipes one day? If I do, I'll share it! Til next time!

Written by Nana

My Top Picks from Wonder Festival 2018 (Summer)

My Top Picks from Wonder Festival 2018 (Summer)

Saturday, August 25, 2018 / No Comments

This year's summer edition of Wonder Festival was a surprise for me, in more ways than one. I completely forgot when it was going to be held and I didnt even have the time to check out the previews from the different figure manufacturers. Unfortunately - or fortunately for my wallet - I felt like I wasn't missing out on much, come the actual event. Perhaps it was a matter of taste but the figures and other collectibles that were showcased didn't appeal to me. 

Although the scale of Wonder Festival continues to grow every year, I sensed that the manufacturers were looking forward to the Winter edition in around six months instead. That being said, I couldn't deny that the quality of the figures previewed trumped previous editions, as it should be. I'm blown away by the increasing attention to detail the manufacturers have, such as the creases on a jacket or painstakingly painting minute accessories like zippers or patterns on a skirt. Here are a few scale figures that I found particularly appealing, although I'm sure that there are many more that I missed out. All photos are taken from Nekomagic's coverage of the event.

1. (Alter) Kunikida Hanamaru 1/7 scale figure from Love Live! Sunshine!!

Personally, Hanamaru's scale figure is the most attractive one from the Love Live! Sunshine!! franchise so far. I'd say it even trumps the Birthday Project series by Stronger, thanks to the level of detailing and how closely it resembles the art it was based on. You can easily spot the creases on her skirt and pullover and Alter even went through the trouble of using a glossy black paint just for her shoes. I hope that the other 8 members of Aqours receive the same treatment and if Kanan's figure is anything to go by, there's no need for fans and collectors to worry.

2. (Stronger) Nero Claudius (Saber) 1/7 scale figure from Fate/Grand Order

The Roman emperor with exhibitionist tendencies has received more than a few scale figures but nary a single one that features her 3rd ascension outfit from Fate/Grand Order. Coincidentally, I featured another Nero Claudius scale figure from Stronger as one of my top picks from last year's Wonder Festival, specifically the Type-Moon Racing one which I pre-ordered the moment it was available. Unfortunately, I'm hesitant to do the same for this but I'm willing to bet that this will be one of the more popular Fate/Grand Order scales out there, due to how opulent her dress looks. I'm constantly drawn to the gold detailing, be it on the hems of her skirt or on her corset. The only gripe I have would be Nero's expressionless face but I doubt that it's a deal breaker for potential buyers.

3. (Megahouse) Roronoa Zoro 1/7 scale from One Piece

I'm hardly the biggest One Piece fan out there, having stopped watching the anime soon after the Arlong Park arc more than a decade ago. However, the characters remain as memorable and having friends that continue to read the manga week in and week out helps. Zoro was and probably still is every teenage boy's favourite character, I mean who else wields a sword with his mouth? His appearance has changed little throughout the years, swapping swords a couple of times and receiving scars here and there. Megahouse has a winner on its hands with this scale figure, with his sculpted physique threatening to empty the wallets of many a fangirl out there. I'm looking forward to the fully painted prototype in a few months' time and I'm sure more than a few One Piece fans will be as well.

4. (Amakuni) Iowa 1/7 scale from Kantai Collection

I haven't been keeping up with the Kantai Collection franchise due to the lack of any anime being produced for it. Unfortunately, I lack the time to play the browser game as well, choosing to stick with Love Live! School Idol Festival and Fate/Grand Order instead. And as for the arcade version, Singapore won't be receiving it anytime soon so there goes my last option. Fast Battleship Iowa was introduced to the game two years ago and it appears that she's a fan favourite, having multiple figures announced just at this one exhibition alone. It's easy to see why, with an appealing character design and vivacious personality to boot. Amakuni has had a stellar track record with their scale figures so I don't think they'll be flopping anytime soon, especially with this one.

5. (Amakuni) Nitocris (Caster) 1/7 scale figure from Fate/Grand Order

I'm glad to see figure manufacturers expanding their portfolio of Fate/Grand Order characters. It's sorely needed, especially with how many Artoria and Nero scale figures there are out there. The Egyptian pharaoh makes for a particular attractive one, with her gold and purple colour scheme ensuring that she'll stand out no matter how big your figure collection is. One thing I'm interested in would be the base that Amakuni decides on using for the mass production version. I don't think it'll be the easiest figure to assemble and display but then again, I have a serious case of butter fingers so that skews my judgement especially when it comes to Nendoroids. Amakuni has announced several other Fate/Grand Order scale figures as well, featuring less prominent characters like Helena Blavatsky and Medusa's Lancer version. Kudos to them!

Although this year's summer Wonder Festival was hardly a disappointing one, it still lacked that special something. I'm looking forward to the winter Wonder Festival come January next year and I'm sorely hoping that the manufacturers will pull out all the stops there.

Written by ET