One of things that I don't buy very often any more are scale PVCs. Once upon a time, these were the only things I would buy, because, well they were the only things around. Then poseable figures came around, and prices on scale PVCs started going crazy because of material changes need to combat leaning and of course, the usual price increasing stuff.
But sometimes, you gotta take the plunge. Enter Capcom Figure Building Chun Li.
There's a lot of talk flying back and forth about this piece, both good and bad, but here's what I can say for sure. It's a 1/6 scale PVC Max Factory piece, sculpted by Takeshi Hamasaki, based on the the art style of Kinu Nishimura, who is the only Capcom artist I can actually name. There was a Garage Kit many years ago (2003) released by Daiki Kogyou, which had a very different character art style but was effectively the same pose and facial expression, but that one was 1/5 scale (rather than 1/6) and resin.
Price point on this figure is about 25,000 Yen, which is about your typical Hot Toys figure, so yes, this hurt the wallet.
Chun Li is sculpted in an elegant one legged standing pose. Now, while familiar with 1/6 scale sizing, that extra bit of height due to her extended leg really throws you off.
Overall, the official specs are that she is 42 cm (16.5 inches) from foot to top of the extended toe. So she a lady with a very dominating presence.
As there aren't any moving parts or in this case, any swappable parts, this is the one pose you get. So, it's all about the details at this point.
So let me first start off with saying that I do like this statue. A lot. I don't have a Nishimura Chun Li in my collection and this fills that void quite nicely. Also, as much as I am into Bishoujo, I also adore depictions of characters which are not afraid to show musculature where it is needed. In the case of Chun Li, incredibly muscled legs are pretty much expected. This statue clearly has that, and the 1/6 scale nature simply makes that aspect that much more awesome, though to be perfectly clear it's not like Chun Li is lacking in the curve department either.
Fabric folds and other clothing related dynamic features are there and are well executed. I also read in the list of the materials used for the statue that there is metal in the leg that connects to the base, which is great as I don't want to see any leaning issues.
Having said all these nice things, I'm also anal retentive about things, so here we go.
As beautiful as the overall look of the statue is, I can't get over the fact they decided to leave her sash blank. Yes, there's artwork which support both with and without her dragon, but at this price point... come on, man!
Through no fault of its own, this is a PVC statue. I simply mention this because as good as this looks, I know it would be that much more awesome if it were Polystone, as the painting requirements are different. The finishes on the parts would also be crisper and the overall look of the statue would be far less glossy. Of course, it would also be heavier, more fragile, and more expensive, so you win some and lose some.
There's been some debate about the accuracy of her face. It's naturally unmistakably Chun Li, so it's more of an issue with accuracy to the Nishimura art style. I'm not super well versed in the stuff, so overall it gets a pass from me as the facial shape seems about right. But, I will say that most of the Nishimura art I am familiar with does have larger eyes. The are other issues though, when it comes to this head. I really don't know what to make of the pursed lips. Is she in the middle of deep breathing? Does it make her look sexy?
Then you couple the overall facial expression with the pink around her eyes being way too strong compared to the rest of her face (it's much more subtle on the prototype pictures) and basically in a strong white light... Chun Li looks either high, or she's drunk.
Perhaps THE MOST aggravating aspect of this statue is the paint work. For the most part, it's pretty spectacular stuff. Even applied, smooth texture. Then there are parts that make you question the price point and the fact this is a Max Factory product, a company that has given me countless Nendoroids and Figma with no significant paint issues.
I've already mentioned the pink around the eyes. There's also the issue of the eyes themselves.
I'm not sure what's the story with the eye decals, but considering I've seen sharper prints uses for the aforementioned Figma/Nendoroids, you'd think that something in between would be equally sharp (Nendoroids have ridiculously large eyes).
From some of the above photos, you'll notice there's some bleeding of the blue onto her white waist sash. Sometimes this is done to blend two jarring colours and allow them to transition better, but based on prototype photos, it's more likely the painter was a bit heavy handed and left some extra for me
Some of the gold paint used for the trim of her Qipao is sloppy, though perhaps the most puzzling part is that it's on the straight away sections, where things should be perfect, that this happened.
Then, there's the panel lining or the brown wash they used to bring out details on here white boots and the buns on her head. They highlight scribed lines on the various parts so it shows up better. I believe the general application methodology is to put a few drops of the stuff and let it flow through cracks and crevices, but it seems to me like the clean up guy didn't do a thorough job at all, as there are sections where the wash is darker than others, and there are other areas where you can tell that's where they added a few drops because you can see
This process also has me wondering why the detailing on the her boots look like someone free handed those in.
So there you have it - a large and in charge Chun Li statue that has some issues, but will ultimately look fabulous on your shelf... presuming you've got the space for her. Whether or not you're willing to spend the full MSRP is one thing, but I've already seen her being put on sale here and there so maybe you'll luck out.
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