So just before Anime North 2024, I came across a guy selling a lot of his stash, which included some Queen's Blade figures. The OG book based fighting game with illustrations of ladies in various states of undress. I mention it on and off, mostly because there's no real consistent supply of merch - it's either old and requires hunting, or it's modern and I'm waiting for a fire sale. Well, I happened to wait lo wait long enough, as the RNG gods gave me a good number of them to work with.
There's no real logic to the way the next few relevant posts are grouped other than the fact I pulled them out of the bag and away we went.
When it comes to the OG series, I know that several companies gave it a try but for me, the gold standard is always the Megahouse line up. It's quite literally the product line that put the company on my radar and even up to this day I know that if I get a Megahouse product, it's going to be solid.
I actually always wanted an Alleyne, but circumstances didn't let me get it back in the day. But hey, I can't get too annoyed with things like that - when it comes to toys I either get it or I don't... putting too much effort into finding things makes collecting a drag.
So this is a Core, or Standard Edition release, basically your basic entry.. They get fancier with Special Editions and Limited Editions. The Combat Instructor (her moniker) comes in her standard colours and her weapon, which I guess is best described as a staff of sorts. I believe that the poses used for the Megahouse line all come from official art work, but the sculpting itself may not necessarily completely match.
One of the things that really ages a statue is if they did a half ass job on he face. Fortunately, that didn't seem like the case with this series. Close up of the face shows some nice sculpting, and the hair featuring some decent work, though you get that seam at the bangs that is pretty common thing.
Detailing on the cape is nice, with some fabric folds that give it a more dynamic appearance as it drapes across the shoulders.
The Beret and Cape can come off, which gives you an alternative display method that shows off her shoulders more, though you can argue that the view from the back hasn't exactly been improved.
Close ups on the some of the more intricate parts of the outfit show some good production values as it pertains to sanding and general appearance. There are no obvious seamlines, and by saying this I'm giving credit to the ones on the gloves being intentionally put there.
To the surprise of effectively nobody, this is a cast off statue, with the usual level of nudity that involves the entire torso. There is sculpted underwear, and I think that they all have that with the exception of my number one Queen's Blade love, Echidna, who I believe basically goes around commando. The articles of clothing are effectively moulded pieces of softer plastic, but due to time and perhaps some packing before the paint fully dried, you can make up paint rubbing on the shoulder blades and other areas. Musculature is acceptable - the only swole character I'm aware of is Risty, who is the resident barbarian, so the other ladies are your typical easy on the eyes curvy type. You can probably also make out some seam lines along the legs that could have used a bit more sanding, which isn't great but was generally better than what other companies of the time put out.
With regards to the Annelotte, this is one of those statues I didn't even know existed - a Swimsuit version. I guess to clarify, it wasn't I didn't know these sort of things existed, but rather I wasn't aware that Megahouse did this sort of thing with their line. But sure enough, here she is, complete with that fancy Limited label in the corner.
According to the details on the back, if I had bought both this and the P1 coloured version, I could send in vouchers to get a limited edition print of Annelotte.
Without her trademark armour, Annelotte is given a swimsuit with minimal coverage so there's no mistaking that this statue is about the curves. Very common "at the beach" pose, hair swaying in the wind.
Completing this set is a broken sword (not entirely sure why it's broken, but that's an artist question) and a simple base with a brick pattern on it.
Annelotte's face has always been kind of... crushed looking. Definitely one of the most plain looking ones in the series, if not THE most plain looking. The way the hair frames the face doesn't help matters either. Having said that, here's a close up of her face and everything seems in order.
Detailing on the hair isn't as complex as with other character, especially when it's all in one giant braid. I do like Red with the Pearl finish. Looks very silky smooth. The gap between the front and back half of the hair is very prominent, perhaps the most prominent in the entire line and very unfortunate for a head that doesn't feature replaceable parts.
I believe as an exclusive for the P2 colours, the state also comes with a pair of Yellow glasses that makes her face slightly more interesting to look at.
As mentioned, it's really about the curves on this statue. Like with all others in the line, this version of Annelotte features some very appealing curves, with out the need need to cast off, which eliminates the potential for paint transfer. Some folds and bulges are present, along with some decent musculature. You can probably make out the slightly weak sanding job and the relatively crude swimsuit strap paint work.
With regard to cast off, this figure features a more traditional swap out torso instead of removable clothing. This is certainly preferred as it eliminates the potential for paint rubbing, but undoubtedly costs more to product. Sadly, despite this move, the cast off torso still has a bikini bottom, which still leaves the featureless Echidna being the only one with a completely naked main trunk. The uncovered torso is posed exactly the same and truth be told, if you can't imagine what she'd look like topless you're probably in the wrong hobby.
This first in a series of Queen's Blade related stuff, which I'll get to as I dig through my pile.
While there has been a resurgence of the IP due to the recent mobile game, in general the property was dormant for quite a few years, so it's a bit perplexing to me why finding these at fire sale prices is such a hard thing to accomplish. Having said all that, the nudity is nice (though not quite thorough enough) but more importantly despite the advanced age of these, they still generally hold up to modern standards, so they won't look out of place in a collection of waifu.
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