I'm still bouncing back and forth between backlog and new stuff. I'm nearing the end of my August haul, and decided that this was a good time to finally get around to opening this up - the Figma 382b: Dead or Alive 5 Last Round Kasumi -C2 Black ver.
So, for whatever reason, despite this being totally in my wheelhouse, I never preordered Kasumi. This one I ended up picking up for $50 CAD while roaming around Edmonton, and is basically complete with the exception of the stand. Contents are as follows:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 1 x Alternate Hair Piece
- 1 x Alternate Waist
- 2 x Faceplates (Smiling, Surprised)
- 9 x Posing/Gripping Hands
- 1 x Hilt
- 1 x Tanto
- 1 x Tassle
- 1 x Base/Stand
There's a bit of a story behind this figure. Years ago, maybe back in '08 or so, Good Smile Company released a 1/6 Kasumi PVC that basically is pretty famous by this point, featuring her bent at the waist and pulling up her legging. Well, they made a Figma of that particular version of Kasumi in all her anime cartoon charm. Of course, parts were included so you can recreate that famous statue, which is what the extra waist, hair, and face are for.
Here she is, unpacked with Tanto parts installed. From my understanding, the only difference between this version and the normal version is the outfit colour. Not sure why they never did a Blue version, as there was a statue, and I'm thinking maybe it has to do with the hair style. This is pretty typical battle attire for Kasumi, though admittedly the DoA series is basically known for having some pretty neat alt costumes... though I don't think it's as numerous as it used to be. I guess I just always thought that the all the straps would be gold, and not just the trim.
I would say that overall the transition to figure worm went pretty well, with my biggest gripes being the size of the head and the shoulders Fantastic set of curves going from head to toe, which includes an expandable bust for that extra bit of gravity related oomph for when she's leaning over (and I guess it also lets her crunch a bit more at the abs).
Sculpting on the hair is nicely done, and the faces are generally well done as well, being the relatively simple sculpts that they are (especially now that I know they're supposed to be more like kittens than actual people). Of the two, however, the open mouth face plate is definitely the weaker of two thanks to that terrible, terrible paint application.
The Figma body isn't really known for it's articulation and in most cases it doesn't really matter. Unfortunately, this is one of those cases where it DOES matter. For the pedestrian stuff, sure, the standard array of joints and articulation is sufficient, as this figure comes with the pull down hips and the aforementioned pull out breasts. The bent over form is aided by the dedicated waist. So from this perspective, things are cool.
However, if you're trying to get Kasumi into accurate fighting poses, well, kiss that idea goodbye. There just isn't enough articulation in this body, most notably the hips, waist, and ab area, though the clunky shoulders aren't much of a help either. I mean, this is a character that kicks HIGH, and the figure just can't do that. There's also a strange lack of proper hands, particularly the typical two fingered Ninpo hand that pretty much every ninja figure on the planet seems to have except for this one.
Paint Applications are pretty standard for a Figma, and is all generally quite crisp. It's unfortunately how crude the paintwork for the wrap on the hilt and the tassels are, or more accurately it isn't so much they're bad, I guess, as opposed to I was expecting maybe something a bit more glossy. The relatively crude sculpting doesn't help either. I've mentioned the paint work on the open mouth plate is just dreadful. Decal work and gold highlights are nicely done.
Build wise, the body and other relevant parts worked out nicely, and I don't really have anything negative to say about the overall design, but for whatever reason the hands that hold the Tanto just don't really secure the thing in place. The grip isn't even sized correctly, so the weapon can fall out of her grip quite easily. Furthermore, the tassel that fits into the hilt of the Tanto doesn't like to stay in either. So overall, anything that has to do with the weapon is just pretty much screwed.
Kasumi is one of the DoA franchise ladies for a reason - appealing design that is generally classy and not over the top, I love the design, though I'd be lying if I didn't say I preferred Tina or Lei Fang more. This is certainly a decent figure, but at best I would put it at "Above Average" as there are some some strange QC or design flaws that I can't say I see very often. I'm both surprised and not surprised that they never made any more of the characters, mostly because I'm thinking that they don't really have any reference art. At the same time, I'd be disappointed that none of the figures could kick high.
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