... or insert random philosophical Sci-Fi quote of your own. Same effect.
By now, the fact I've got a thing for Ghost in the Shell shouldn't exactly be a surprise to anyone. Most of the stuff I've looked at has in fact been from the various anime adaptations of Motoko. However, before the anime, there was the manga, which from what I understand, had a more philosophically conflicted and spicier version of Motoko, which included of all things, her involvement in an orgy.
Yeah, they kind of got rid of a lot of stuff for her modern day persona.
A character as popular as The Major has a long history of character goods, which also includes some pieces of her earlier looks. While I'd seen the various smaller Yamato action figures/statues through the years, I never actually got my hands on any of the resin statues. Well that all changed a few days ago when I tracked one down from a collector looking to rehome some old stuff.
Presenting the Alpha Ghost in the Shell: Man Machine Interface 2 - Motoko Aramaki Firewall Suit Resin Statue. It's news to me, but but I believe Motoko once went by the Amaraki surname before combining her psyche with the Puppet Master, the main antagonist of the first series and becoming Kusunagi. The box also says Aramaki, so I'm just going with it.
I have no idea when this statue was released. Best I could find was that the original Garage Kit was released some time in September 2001. Based on how long things take to produce a fully painted kit, this could be anywhere from 2003 - 2006 (no details could be found on the box). Consider the price of the kit was over 18,000 Yen back in 2001, I can only imagine how much a fully painted model would have been.
While the Major is generally no prude when it comes to her fashion choices, she wore some REALLY revealing and skin tight stuff back in the day, which was a reflection of her personality. It's like if every one of her outfits was effectively the Active Camouflage suit that Scar Jo wore in the movie. The Firewall suit is no different, and features some armoured shoulders and knuckles for good measure.
Being about 20 years old, there's absolutely no way this could meet what I would consider as modern standards. Old school painting, sculpting, and sadly, QC is in play here. I mean, it's pretty good for 2001-ish from what I can remember, but at that price point for 2001, well above average would have been expected. As with the OG Lara Croft I just looked at, there really seemed to be a thing about minimizing the number of pieces and hopefully using quality painters to not make spots where different elements collide a visual mess.
This is also my first Alpha piece, so I can't comment on whether or not this is weak by their standards. I REALLY need to unearth my Morrigan resin once of these days to see how well this stacks up against it.
Perhaps more unfortunate is how the original sculpt didn't really do work worthy of The Major on her legs. I mean... look at her upper body...
.... then look at her legs and ass.
I couldn't tell you what was up with her calf/lower legs in general because the way they squish up against the thigh doesn't look even remotely normal. Then, for whatever reason, the poor woman has effectively no hips whatseover, as the outer sides of her upper legs are all flat. This is turn makes her ass look really strange,
All other viewing angles of her legs aren't too bad, featuring some good musculature and general definition
The Major features some very nice curves and musculature, and it's all best taken in when viewing her from the front. The use of a glossier paint for her bod as compared to her head certainly helps to improve viewing pleasure, especially if you get the lighting just right. While not perfect, honestly, I've seen some resin statues from era that are a whole lot worse. Plus, your choices for this particular aesthetic are pretty limited, and this is one of the better ones.
So overall, like with most older pieces, it's more about the nostalgia or a respect for retro designs as opposed to a flawless product.
For Full Gallery, please visit:
Comments