During the COVID lockdown, I, like who knows how many people, was bored out of my mind. I ended up buying random things, including this upcoming piece, the Act Mode Symphogear GX: Tsubassa Kazanari figure from Good Smile Company.
So, what makes this line different from Figma? Well, "Act Mode" is a made up name that describes the contents of these sets, specifically it is an action figure and a model kit. Generally speaking, the base figure itself is a finished product, and there will be other parts that require the owner to complete. This theoretically reduces labour costs and shipping costs, though in reality we will never know.
So other than the windowless box, the interior presentation is the same as a Figma - specifically you have your items in trays on various levels. Content wise, here's what we're looking at:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 3 x Face Plates (Neutral, Shouting, Eyes Closed)
- 4 x Hands (Open Palm, Gripping)
- 1 x Katana
- 1 x Short Sword
- 1x Dagger
- 1 x Double Bladed Sword
- 1 x Giant Blade
- 4 x Leg Fins (Small, Large)
- 1 x Base/Stand
The modelling content for this set consists of the transparent base/stand only. Other sets are a bit more robust, such as gun pods and extra armoured bits that require the owner to get their hands dirty and get things put together.
Overall, the contents of the set are about what one would expect from a Japanese action figure, though there is a very strange lack of posing hands. You either have an open palm or you have a closed fist for holding the weapon. Most Figma come with 6 -8 hands. Being a sword user, you'd think that the figure would at least come with a pair of angled closed fists for a more natural looking figure during any cocked wrist moments.
Here she is, unpacked. If you've ever put together humanoid model kits, you'll notice that the silhouette is generally different than any of the Figma or Figuarts that you're familiar with. Joints are more obvious as compared to your typical Figma. The figure is also slightly taller than your typical Figma, but actually has less weight to it, which would also partially explain the relatively lower price. I'm just happy that I didn't have to put this one together because then I'd have to actually paint and it would look horrible.
Articulation is pretty much on par with Figma, better than most as it features a functional waist joint, but it doesn't have the pull down hip mechanism. Like always with these types of figures, some poses look natural, some, not so much. While the points of articulation are present, Tsubasa has the unfortunate weakness of most armoured anime heroines - the bulk of their gear just gets in the way of actually moving limbs into position. The requirements of the hair also don't help, though there is some articulation on the long braid at the top, as well as the piece on the back of her head. If I had to summarize, it would be that the upper body generally isn't bad, but the lower body suffers some unfortunate limitations, especially in regards to side splits.
Paint Quality is the typical Good Smile Company level of competence, though admittedly this is a relatively simple paint job. It is clean and crisp, which ultimately is all you can ask for. The real difficult task here is ensuring that the parts are properly masked to prevent any sort of paint overspray. There's also some pieces with very small teal, typically used as panel lining.
Build Quality is also a good, solid quality level. There's really nothing bad to report here, as everything holds together nicely, parts are smoothly finished, and the joints have no problems holding poses. The joints are too weak to handle the largest sword, mind you, and I didn't notice a sword specific support in my package, so I guess you'll have to be creative in terms of utilizing it for your purposes. The hands on this figure are meant to open up in order for you to put the handle of a weapon into it. I believe they used the base plastic for the inner hand, so opening and closing the fingers does not cause any cracking or other unfortunate side effects.
An interesting character, visually. The figure itself more or less behaves like a Figma, which was what I was expecting. I guess the trade off for the comparatively lower price are fewer optional parts (i.e. the hands). lighter weight materials, and of course, the part where you have to do your own labour and complete the model kit part of things. For this figure, it seems almost petty that they make you put together your own stand, but I suspect that for all of the Act Mode series you probably have to put together your own stand. The difference is that this is probably a very basic character and doesn't have any model kit worthy parts.
It was an interesting experiment and while I don't hate it or anything, I don't see myself getting too many of these as those will inevitably require actual work. So far, it appears to be original characters and Symphogear stuff, so I should be safe for now. One day though.. I might have to dust off all that painting gear again.
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