Monica's Axe - Gaming Goodies - The Armchair Empire

Series: Fantasy Figure Gallery

Available from: Yamato Toys USA

Artist: Boris Vallejo
Sculptor: Toby (of Heavy Gauge)

Pros:
- Great color scheme and sculpt make it look almost ceramic

- Seamless sculpt

- Can be displayed off the base

Cons:
- Looks like a Alexander the Great (from the anime, "Reign") with boobs

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Monica's Axe

from Yamato Toys

Monica's Axe is unsettling to me for a couple of reasons.

The first would be that although she's crouched in the remains of some kind of giant ant or bone-plated spider, the only evidence that she defeated this beast is the dripping green ooze from the end of her axe. She's clad in highly unlikely battle

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armor, with most of her skin exposed but there isn't even the tiniest bit of splatter on her. Truly the definition of badass if ever there was one.

The second is that Monica bears a resemblance to Alexander the Great as seen in the anime Reign: The Conqueror. The angularity of the facial sculpt and abs seem to be at odds of the source material in

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this case, which showcases rippling abs but a much rounder and softer face. The eyes are quite different as well. They still have a piercing quality to them but I like the source material's glowing eyes better. At any rate, my mind made a connection between Monica and Alexander the Great, which I can't unsee, even though Alexander didn't have boobs or hips like Monica's.

The faithfulness between the source material, the painting from Boris Vallejo, is otherwise relatively good even if the Vallejo source seems to indicate Monica has three toes instead of the five found with this plastic version.

After freeing Monica from her box and multiple slips of plastic baggies and protectors, there's some assembly required. The arms of the beast need to inserted in the base. It took me quite a bit of effort to get the arms inserted because the holes are slightly smaller than the arm plugs. It makes for a very snug and secure fit. The "snug" factor is also present with Monica's axe, which separates so that it can be put into place. There's some gentle (but firm) twisting back and forth in order to get the handle to slide where it's suppose to but once completed it stays put.

Monica plugs into the base with her right foot and her left leg provides another contact point. Simply stated, it's easy to display her on something other than the supplied base because it's a very stable figure.

The dark colors of the base help bring out the detail and color of Monica. The gold accessories and armaments, and soft, slightly tanned, skin tone compliment one another. The billowing hair mimics the source material, and the lines and color are great. The matte finish of the figure is in perfect contrast to the glossy base.

Like Golden Lover, there are no visible seams to be found on Monica. Thanks to Yamato's faux-resin PVC plastic -- I'm thinking it must be some kind of mold injection process -- they have again managed to create a piece that looks much more breakable than it is. I'm sure the sharp armbands could be snapped off if you handled the figure too much or dropped it, but it's not a major concern.

I wish Yamato had included a large print of the original artwork just for the sake of comparison or as some kind of backdrop.

Monica's Axe ships for about $120.00US and for fans of Boris Vallejo or just powerfully built fantasy women this is a hit.

- Aaron Simmer

(February 24, 2010)