|
|
Series: A-Label, King of
Fighters
Available
from: Yamato Toys
Pros:
- Very good overall likeness
- Stands easily
Cons:
- Base is a little too big in my book
- "Cast-Off Clothing" is a little
loose with the term "cast-off"
- No nipple definition
- Eyes have that 1,000 mile stare
|
|
Newsletter
|
|
Be
notified of site updates. Sign-up for the Newsletter sent out
twice weekly.
Enter
E-Mail Address Below:
|
|
Vanessa (King of Fighters)
from
Yamato Toys
To quote Seanbaby's Twitter feed (from September 26,
2010), "Japan's exactly the country I would have invented in 8th grade." That
is, nothing about Japan makes any sort of sense. There's something wacky about
the place, the artists and
|
|
Advertisement |
|
|
|
|
|
creators it produces. Something so alien to
outsiders that nearly everything is tuned to a different frequency, on the same
wave length as the radiation emitted by Jupiter. That's not to deride the
country or its people; it's just different.
Maybe it's not exhibit "A" but Vanessa, from the King of Fighters series, would
certainly be on the list of exhibits
|
Advertisement
|
|
in a trial to prove Japan's unique frequency.
Though I'm familiar with the character inasmuch as I've played a few King of
Fighter games over the years, I'll cut and paste this description of Vanessa
from Wikipedia:
"[She] was created as a middle-aged female to contrast the multiple teenage
characters" on the King of Fighters roster. Additionally, "Vanessa is a normal
housewife who discreetly serves as a mercenary agent."
Okay, so what image springs into your head? I'll bet it's not this:
So the whole thing is outlandish and there's none
of this "context" included in the box, which is a missed opportunity in my mind,
but I'll wager that it's the hardcore King of Fighters fan that's most
interested in Vanessa, a typical middle-aged housewife...
Putting aside Vanessa's character backstory, the figure itself is a really good
looking collectible.
Overall, the sculpt is razor sharp where it has to be and soft and curvy where
it should be.
Vanessa's head sculpt is good, even if the eyes look a little "dead." That's not
just the fault of the paint job; there's hardly any definition for the facial
features. Considering that matches the source material, it's kind of a wash.
The body sculpt is seamless and made out of my favorite material, PVC plastic,
for the simple reason that if it falls over or I need to pack the figure away it
won't break.
Her clothes are believable, for an action figure. The lines on the (presumably)
leather pants pull and wrinkle in the right places and the boots even have tread
on them. Her shirt, open in the front (didn't you notice?), is made of
relatively stiff plastic that hangs and hugs correctly, according to the
Japanese frequency. On Yamato's website there's mention of the fact that the
shirt is of the "cast off" variety but I don't see how that's possible. Since
this is a statuette, there's no articulation to allow you to manipulate the
shirt off. The only option would be to use an exacto knife to cut a couple of
slits so the shirt can be removed. I haven't explored this possibility for the
simple fact I'm not convinced that would be a wise thing to do. Removing the
shirt would reveal her ample bosom and leave her clad in the most unnecessary
set of suspenders the world has ever seen, but, at least with the review figure,
the nipples have not been painted or given any definition. Maybe this version of
Vanessa is a variant. Maybe it's all explained on the box, which is written
entirely in Japanese, but it just might be that "cast-off" means "tear off"
without the guarantee of properly painted nipples.
Or maybe it's another matter of frequency.
Just leave the shirt on. In my book, cleavage is much more alluring than
toplessness.
Vanessa plugs into a simple black base. There are two pegs that fit into the
left foot. It keeps the figure standing solidly. Without the base, I'm not sure
how Vanessa would remain upright for any length of time because any light breeze
or vibration sends her flopping.
The base is relatively large in comparison to the figure that stands about 12"
tall. It probably could have been reduced in size to allow better display
spacing on a crowded shelf. It manages to set her apart from the other figures,
but if you're like me you have more than a handful of figures on display shelf
space can be hard to come by.
An improvement to the base that was missed is that Yamato Toys could have
included a simple "King of Fighters" logo on the base to offer a clue to
non-fans of the game as to where the figure is sourced from. Or even include a
small sticker so I could do it myself.
This is the part of the review where I talk about price ($112US) and whether or
not the collectible is worth it. Yamato has specifically targeted the King of
Fighters crowd with Vanessa, and I don't think that crowd would be disappointed
with what they get for the price. The paint job could have been better, but the
rest of the figure does such a great job capturing the source material, that I'm
willing to put my stamp of approval on Vanessa.
- Aaron Simmer
(October 25, 2010) |
