Welcome to 2022. Already it's been one hell of a year, with uncertainty regarding Ontario's plan for openings, and of course, the passing of one Betty White at the very last moment of 2021 on this side of the world. But, as always, the show must go on, and with that I'm happy to say that I finally finished photographing the last of the TBLeague figures in my most recent shipment, Gethsemoni the Dead Queen.
The second of two characters that the TBLeague X Sideshow alliance brought about, Gethsemoni is a character from Court of the Dead that apparently was created based on what the Mortal Realm considers physical perfection. Gethsemoni has beef with Kier, whom Death favours over her, and there's a bunch of other things. I basically know her as the mostly naked chick wearing a crown made from what I presume is Shaq's hip bone. Retailing for $169 USD, this relatively light price tag packs a decent amount of content:
- 1 x TBLeague Body (S20/21)
- 1 x Headsculpt
- 4 x Feet (Flat, Arched)
- 1 x Outfit (Crown, Top, Bicep Rings, Wrist Ornaments, Waist Guard, Thigh Ring, Anklets, Wrap)
- 6 x Gripping/Posing hands
- 1 x Bone Dagger
- 1 x Base w/Stand
- 2 x Leg Humping Demons
As with Kier, the base is effectively a piplke of rocks with some skeletal remains thrown in for good measure. There's an actual stand this time, which undoubtedly will actually help to keep the figure on the stand. The stand is pretty average in terms of its "Wow" factor, but still manages to be better than the one that Kier came with.
The two little demons she comes with are little fixed posed statues that kind of latch onto her lower leg, though the lack of an actual instruction manual makes this a best guess based on photographs of the prototype. The detailing on these mini pieces is pretty good and add a bit of ambiance to your display, though getting the standing one to actually display properly is somewhat of a chore.
Fully decked out, Gethsemoni reminds me very much of something out of From Dawn Till Dusk. Curvy, wearing effectively a single piece of cloth, wearing a skeletal crown and packing a dagger, you know she's probably not a happy-go-lucky character. There's no instruction manual, as mentioned, so getting the wrap to stay on is really a matter of trial and error, though I will say that it is versatile in terms of being used as covering to protect her modesty.
The crown is actually quite an interesting visually speaking. I mean, it's definitely a neat design, more grandiose than your typical crown, and the fact it is made mostly of bone just makes it that much more intriguing. There are also various ribbons and bells attached to it, which, I learned the hard way, are kind of fragile and don't really travel well without being properly braced. Putting on and taking off the crown can also result in paint scratches if you're not careful.
The head upon which the crown sits is also quite nicely done. While there seems to be several looks for Gethsemoni, all dependent on the artist, one thing is consistent - the distinct cold look of perpetual bitch face. I'd say that while the sculpt for the figure isn't quite as otherworldly as it should be, it's still quite good overall at meeting my criteria. Her hair style is relatively simple, but well detailed. The bangs, as well as the various ear ornaments are executed well.
Of course, a being that takes on Humanity's perceived form of perfection isn't exactly going to be prim and proper, and is likely to be more... enthusiastic about her physical perfection. So, you're likely to see Gethsemoni in her more natural state....
Gethsemoni uses the same style body as Kier. The aesthetic changes are different, with a more natural skin tone (relatively speaking) but more importantly some neat tattoos across the backside, chest, and arms, which sadly are not sealed in and are flaking off my figure. The Dead Queen seems curvier than Kier, but that can be attributed to the design of her chest guard and general lack of any covering, Legs, as always, could use a bit more muscle definition and toning.
Articulation is a very short discussion. If it's the outfit that generally gets in the way of the range of motion, then it is suffice to say that an effectively naked character (once you take off the wrap) has almost no barriers to maximizing posing potential. Ankles are again the moderate standard range of motion. About the only thing worth noting articulation wise is that due to the design of her "necklace", poses where Gethsemoni tilts her head back can look weird, as the entire piece lifts off her collarbone. As a side note, the arched foot parts makes poses with a slightly raised leg look much more elegant. Also, arching her back can and probably will result in a wardrobe malfunction, but I think due to the giant size of the chest guard (and ample coverage), slipping it back into the right position seemed to be easier.
Paint wise, there's the obvious work on the armour, accessories, and the face/head. But some of the most intricate work observed on Gethsemoni are the paint apps used for her hands and feet (though the feet only feature painted nails). Her hands feature several pieces of "jewelery" which are sharply applied onto the hands. Colour matching of the hands/head to the body isn't quite as accurate as Kier, but I suspect Kier was more ground up rather than picking a standard body shade and painting to match, though I think the hands and feet are more off base compared to the face. I wonder if this has to do with the lack of flesh tone paint on those parts.
With regards to Build Quality, it's really just the unfortunate parts of the crown fragility and the ease of which the body markings come off. Otherwise, the usual above average quality of finished product that applied to... well pretty much all of the ones I've looked at are present here. Joints are refreshingly tight (in a good way) and might actually be the best I've handled, quality wise, allowing me to win the random QC game for once.
What can I say? Interest in the subject matter will naturally affect how much you would like a figure like Gethsemoni, but even without that I think that, like with Kier, you can see how with proper planning there's more enjoy about a figure other than how large the breasts are, no matter how front and center they may be. With that, my deep dive into the 1/6 TBLeague figure world comes to an end. It's no surprise that the 1/6 figures offer a much nicer collectible overall, after all there's a wider variety of bodies to choose from and a physically larger figure to pretty up. The larger selection of licensed IPs also means you're more likely to run into something that looks sexy but polished with some personality. I get that some people like collecting figures that use the generic TBLeague heads, but if I'm collecting naked chicks, they need to at least look like they have some personality. An interesting ride, one which I do again at some point in the future as I at the very least have that new Bayonetta on preorder.
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