So, one of the advantages of being not on the bleeding edge of collecting is that it gives me a bit of time to react to updates. A very recent example of this is with 2B from Neir Automata. Before the Figuarts even reached me, a competitor product from BUZZmod released and of course, some side by side pictures and what not. The sampling gave me enough information to seek out a figure, which was a BIT harder than I'd like, but that's what happens when things are limited edition. I managed to scrape through with a slight surcharge, though that surcharge was less than the Import Taxes.
So this is my first BUZZmod product, as they've generally never done anything I was interested in.. My first was supposed to be their Limited Edition Yoko from Gurren Lagaan, but that's going to be a while from now. The set came with a Backdrop that I completely forgot to photograph, or even open if I'm being honest.
I don't understand why the box is so big... sort of. I imagine the box size is the result of having literally one box for the entire line which holds more stuff for other characters I've seen. Maybe.
The BUZZmod was about 2,000 Yen more than the Figuart release. The additions are fair, I'd say, but certainly not an outstanding value. Compared to the Figuart, the BUZZmod offers:
An extra weapons (Greatsword)
Wired soft goods skirt
Dedicated kneeling legs
Backdrop
An extra hand
However, you do lose a faceplate, the hands are all pairs, and you lose the full Base/Stand for the figure itself. Like I said.. it's alright, but it's not going to rock your world.
Right out the box, we are greeted by that familiar 2B character design. The overall look is slightly disrupted due to the soft good skirt. But the trade off is you can pose the figure more, and more importantly, you can actually get the arms down to the side of the body. There's some good fine details on the outfit, which is nice to see as I had no idea what to expect from this product line.
Face wise, it's really variations of two expressions - Neutral and Smiling. Or at least I think it is, as some loose QC turned the unmasked smiling face into one where she's gritting her teeth, trying not to strange you for suggesting that a sandwich be made.
Comparison time. First off, a general look. The BUZZmod is the left most, and while these figures fluctuate in height slightly, and quite frankly nobody actually measures things and scales them properly, but you can see that they're very much in line with one another. It should be noted that of these, the BUZZmod and Snail Shell items are the ones marketed as 1/12.
A more focused comparison now. As mentioned, the BUZZmod is slightly shorter than the Figuarts version. In the picture of the two faces, BUZZmod is at the front. There are some obvious and less obvious cosmetic differences between the two. Starting with the subtle, BUZZmod has a slightly more rosy complexion.
You can also see that the hair is more detailed, the face is slightly slimmer and that the the wrap on her face looks like.. well a wrap, as compared to the other which actually features "stitching" that indicates it's a more of a sewn mask..BUZZmod is slightly more busty with larger windows both front and back. Detailing on the hard plastic parts of the outfit are slightly better on the Figuarts. Of course, there's the aforementioned skirt differences.
But the BIGGEST difference between the two is from the waist down. Simply put, the BUZZmod offering destroys the Figuart. Yes, the BUZZmod doesn't have pull out hips, but I know of many people who would rather have that trade off for a better looking ass, both standing and in posed positions. Strangely though, the BUZZmod is actually more modest when it comes to coverage of her ass crack, though it could be argued this was just Bandai cutting costs on paint. Her overall curves LOOK bigger on the BUZZmod, but in reality this is really just an illusion. I you look at where the leggings are tied on the back of the thighs, you'll notice the BUZZmod is more of the "bursting at the seams" aesthetic and the top of the leggings do bulge out a bit, as compared to the Figuart which is a consistent taper throughout.
The Droid of course needs a stand to "float" but because this is not attached to a giant base, the combination is more likely to get knocked over. Gone is the bright silver of the Figuart and replaced with more what we see in the game - a dull grey. Even the overall look is back to that subdue game look, with a few bolts and minor mechanical details, not that grid pattern from before. Proportionally, I feel this one is a bit more accurate to what I saw on screen, particularly the arms, which feature ball joints on the larger arms for full range of motion. The inner arms still only rotate, though, and fingers aren't articulated (though that wouldn't be realistic in the first place).
Now this is going to be disappoint to hear, but Articulation on the BUZZmod, overal just isn't as good the Figuart, though they did use a few new tricks. Starting with the obvious, the pull down hips aren't present, so that already sets the tone. What I don't understand is why the figure can't spread its legs out more than roughly 45 degrees in each direction. The only advantage the BUZZmod has over the Figuart is the ability to kick backwards due to a lack of ass plate. Most other leg range of motion is about the same, though it's mostly due to a strange hack.
The thigh joint isn't a standard peg that allows for rotation - it's a full on ball joint that allows the rest of the leg to actually pivot a bit. It's likely BUZZmod knew their form-before-function designs lead to some nasty limitations, and this was a compromise. It's not a terrible solution, but it does make standing the figure a bit annoying as that's one more thing you need to balance On the plus side, this does give you slightly more versatility in standing poses.
The soft goods skirt, ironically, wouldn't have affect articulation of legs due to the design limitations. But hey, it's here, so use those wires to flare it upwards and show off the goods.
The replacement bent legs aren't surprising. This figure features single jointed elbows and knees, and their range of motion is about the same as on the Figuart. The angle, however, is a bit dee and due to the design of the shoes and the severe reduction in ankle articulation range, they're useable for slinking poses, but you may have trouble balancing the figure. They're best used for kneeling/W sitting actions, but at least you know there's options.
Waist up, the two figures are very similar. The BUZZmod has effectively no ab crunch/back arch though at chest level it evens out again. Bulk of the shoulders and elbows get in the way of articulation, though the way BUZZmod tries to get around the shoulder issue is to have a double ended joint, which pulls out and allows the arms the cross, but at the same time because they are two dimensional joints the overall posing options are diminished. It should also be noted that the BUZZmod has no bicep articulation.
Paint Application wise, solid work. It's good to see that paint shouldn't be an issue I have to worry about when buying a BUZZmod figure. It's not any better than the Figuarts one, which is fine as that was pretty good to be begin with. Everything looks sharp on the body, though it's interesting the detailing paint apps are physically larger on the BUZZmod, despite it being a slightly smaller figure. Paint on the weapons for both are about the same, with some slight weakness in the same areas, namely the small details on the hilt.
There were certainly discernable differences in Build Quality though, or at least on my copy. The skirt is nicely tailored, isn't some cheap one layer piece of fabric, and has numerous wires for posing. The Tassel on the end of the Katana, secured with a metal link, is a nice touch. In general, things held together nicely and posed well.
Having said all that, I found that joints were a bit tight on this figure... pretty much all of them, though the thighs and waist in particular gave me the most grief. I noticed that while the finish on the body parts was good, the blades of the weapons look like they needed a bit more time in the flash removal process, which generally says to me sanding needs work. Finally, there's my beef with prying fingers open on weapons hands, though the amount of prying wasn't as bad on this figure as with others.
So now, I know what to expect from my next BUZZmod product, hopefully with some of the Build issues ironed out. But, overall the goal was to deliver a better 2B figure than Square Enix, and yeah this product succeeded, and even taking into account my concerns, the overall figure is still incredibly solid.
Now as for which one is better, well that's a toss up. Will you go for a more luxurious figure with a better ass but kind of iffy Articulation, or do you go with one that's got holes in its ass, but will pose easier and doesn't require brute strength to operate? I suspect that fans of the character are going to lean towards the nicer ass, but this is when I remind you that this was a Limited Edition release. I'm not sure if they're all like this, but that's two for two in my case. As the deadline has passed and gone, you're now at the mercy of the aftermarket sellers, and I don't think they're going to be particularly kind.
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