So.. knock on wood, while EMS is out of service, the Japanese Small Air Parcel service is actually doing pretty good. So, goodies have been showing up slowly but surely, including this pretty little thing that just arrived yesterday.
If you're into anime, you're aware of The Major - Motoko Kusanagi, lead character of the Ghost In the Shell series. The latest outing, SAC 2045, was released on Netflix I think in 2020... but people apparently didn't like it that much. Motoko herself has undergone a design change (pretty typical between series) and now she's featuring some lower riding pants, a more athletic figure, and what I think is live action movie inspired hair. She's sporting darker coloured attire as compared to the original SAC. Finally, she's also finally gotten a holster for her sidearm.
Content wise, it's not a particularly impressive package, but neither was the SAC:
- 1 X Main Figure
- 3X Face Plates (Neutral, Eyes Right, Shouting)
- 1 X Sidearm
- 1 X Machine Gun - 1 X Unjacketed Upper Torso
- 8 X Gripping/Posing Hands (One Dedicated for Holding Each Weapon, Right Hand only)
- 1 X Figma Stand
Gone is the alternate hair piece of the original SAC release, replaced with the new upper torso. I'm going to guess that the new series features her with no jacket on enough that it's a true look for her. Installation is pretty straight forward - just remember to keep those upper arm spacers somewhere safe.
She looks sharp, no doubt about it. The glossy purples and black work out quite well, and replicate the look of leather quite well. Facial shape, hair, and the eyes are quite true to screen captures I've seen. There are some missing colours from official promotional art work (for example, on her boots) but from what I can tell, they've simplified the overall colour scheme for the on screen model.
Articulation is quite robust, especially for a female Figma, though it's not going to beat what you get from a Figuarts. Both upper torsos effectively the same level of articulation, though the jacketless one offers slightly better range of motion due to the lack of bulk. The jacketed torso compensates for its bulk somewhat by having expandable shoulders.
A side note - the right shoulder joint on mine was ridiculously tight, perhaps due to tolerance issues from the new expandable shoulder bracket. After a bit of effort I was able to extract the joint and sand it down a bit, but I noticed some stress marks from my posing.
Otherwise, you get toes, ankles, single jointed knees, hips, waist, mid torso, standard shoulders with some butterfly capabilities, bicep swivel, single jointed elbows with forearm pivot capabilities, wrists, neck swivel/tilt.
Paint wise, the figure is beautiful. Truly a visually stunning application of paint, with the jacketed torso being the prettier of the two. Everything is exceptionally well applied, with only the most minor of masking issues observed. No overspray or lumpy paint finishes. All this results in a figure that photographs exceptionally well.
Build quality wise, there was the issue I experienced with the right shoulder joint of the jacketed torso. Otherwise, she's good as the come. Smooth plastic part finishes. Joint strength is sufficient to hold poses. There are no issues with regards to limb length or other typical QC issues.
Presuming you don't get my luck with QC, this release is a visually stunning figure that is really a no brainer for any Ghost in the Shell fan. Adding to the fun is that this is the first Figma GITS series where they actually are making a Batou (a damn good looking one at that... but I'm generally a female figure only kind of guy) so that not only lets you increase the hoard size, but also, actually add a very important character in the mythos to your shelf. If you're into badass female figures, Motoko is really a no brainer.
I'm hoping that Amiami will help me out and source me a better jacketed torso, but at least if things don't work out, I'm ready for that.
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