Well, May was a busy month, and I fell behind on stuff... stupid Tears of the Kingdom. But, hey, I can't complain about a game unless I actually play it, right?
So I'm slowly catching up on backlog, and as usual its by interest level rather than age. Starting off the barrage is something that actually just came in a few days ago, the Big Firebird Build release of Science Cat Lady Team - Sunflower.
It's been a while since I've gotten anything from Big Firebird. Their initial release, Nicee, was a breath of fresh air, and conceptually their figures all seem to be great. But. when you get them, generally speaking QC is not their friend, though I will admit their Mooka wasn't too bad. But the Magic Henshin Girls set was just outright awful. One of the last projects of theirs that I took interest in was this particular figure, and if you've read my stuff it's pretty easy to figure out why.
The property itself, Science Cat Lady Team, is, I believe, an original concept out of China. I will admit that it appears that artists there are catching up to their Japanese and Korean counterparts when it comes to character design. Just look at Genshin Impact for a great example.
Being Big Firebird's first foray into the action figure segment, so couple that with my reservations about their earlier efforts, and you can see why I was hesitant to preorder, especially not knowing the full price. Turns out it wasn't as horrible as I anticipated, so I decided to give it a go.
Contents are:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 4 x Face Plates (Smiling, Happy, Laughing, Ahegao)
- 10 x Posing/Gripping Hands
- 1 x Alternate Bangs
- 1 x Sword/Guitar
- 1 x Base/Stand
So to start things off, the final product certainly took a few deviations from the source art. which is unfortunate given that they literally had one job, and one job only. Right now, it's visually alright, but I definitely understand it could have been much more. It does seem, however, at least they got her curves right though sadly the chest is hard plastic unlike the combo that Nicee/Mooka got. All in all, I'm putting my money on budget restraints and general impracticality, especially the stuff on the legs, unless they gave the figure a fabric body suit.
In addition to being a Catgirl figure, this release also has a hybrid body, meaning seamless body components along with typical jointed parts. When the figure was first announced, Big Firebird seemed to be the only one doing this. Of course, the figure was announced over two years ago now and since that time clearly other companies have had a chance to catch up, as evidenced by the fact I have Whiskey Sour along with at least one other figure featuring such technology on order.
No entirely sure what scale Sunflower is, but she's about 7.25 inches tall. Here she is compared to other figures you might have lying around your collection.
The face plates turned out much better than I had envisioned. I guess part of the problem is that many of the Chinese based figures I'd gotten up to this point weren't really driven by any true art direction... or the guy sculpting the faces really sucked. The 1/12 figures are alright, but if you want to see real generic faces, just take a look at all the random 1/6 releases. Anyway, the point is that clearly these aren't generic faces.
Now, how well they turned out is up for debate.
For me, it's the Ahegao face that is a winner, but not just for the obvious reason you're thinking of. Yeah, of course the expression is just adorable, but first off that's a very important point = at least she HAS an expression on this face, as the others are pretty much the same. The other part of it is there's actually a bit more detailing on this face. It's not much, but that extra decal or whatever it is helps to distinguish it from the rest.
I guess while we're on this subject, as I mentioned 3 of 4 faces are pretty much the same., but ultimately NONE of them really seem appropriate for a battle scene. So, that's why my Sunflower goes into battle looking like she's in ecstasy.
Another feature that Big Firebird has picked up is the fact that the eyeballs can be positioned, a feature that is making its way through the industry it seems, with even Hot Toys seemingly making it a standard feature now.
Folks, we've finally entered THE FUTURE.
Capping off this section, I'd just like to add that the sculpting on the hair is actually pretty good. Not super detailed, but sufficient is present. Also, that the hair is arranged in a way that isn't just static.
Let's talk articulation. So the seamless component makes up the bulk of her trunk - everything between her breasts and thighs - the black leotard section on her torso is actually a soft, pliable material that can keep up with the contortion of the body. So, yeah, it works, and it works well. With regards to that part of the body, well you can pose the figure is pretty much any way you can think of.
No, there's nothing to see under the crotch strap.
When it comes to the articulation of the rest of the body, it's alright but not mind blowing. Elbows are single jointed and knees are double jointed.. Shoulders are, sadly, standard so you're losing a lot of range of motion due to that static shoulder position. This, coupled with the lack of a true bicep swivel, means you're pretty much looking at slightly better than a Marvel Legends in term of the ability to hold and wield and accessories, which in this case means Sunflower's sword/guitar. Legs are more on par with what I expect at this level of figure, as the high levels of hip motion are supported by competent knees and ankles., though as always for the fancier stuff you're gonna want to use a stand.
Furthermore, it is unfortunate that the head/neck lack the necessary joints and range of motion to make the most out of the posable eyes.
Other points of articulation which aren't as obvious are the tail, which I guess has a wire or something inside of it, along with the ears and the ponytail.
Paint work is acceptable. Taking all things into consideration, I'd say you're probably getting Storm Collectibles quality of paint apps. I know that doesn't sound terribly good, but compared to the absolute garbage we got with the Magic Henshin Girls, trust me, this is like a total turn around. There are of course some pretty obvious rough spots, but considering the relatively high complexity of painting this figure, I'm willing to let that slide. Overall, if you're not walking in expecting Japanese figure quality, you should be OK.
Build Quality is again, better than I had expected.
There are of course a few engineering decisions that boggle the mind, but lets start with the good. The seamless body parts are nicely made, albeit with a bit more seam than I'd like. Unlike Whiskey Sour, , there's no loose thigh connections. The tail functions as expected, as do most of the leg joints.
Also, I'm glad they went with a soft rubbery material for the two pieces sticking out at the waist, and that from a design perspective, they did the smart thing and made the hilt and the end of the hilt removable to make it easier to arm the lass. Having said that, joints on the upper body aren't great on my figure. The ones at the wrist and pony tail like to come apart in the middle, and need to be reconnected. The joint at the base of the head on my figure is incredibly loose and the head can easily move out of position if you've accidentally jostled the figure.
You also need to be careful of paint rubbing on the hands when putting the hilt into the fist.
So ultimately, what does this all mean? Well, with improving QC and all that usual stuff, I think these partial seamless bodies are the way to go in the future, especially if you collect the things that I do, though obviously if it makes more sense for a fully seamless, that should always be the priority option. Having said that, there are concerns over longevity of the material, and that of course remains to be seen.
If you're looking for a Cyborg Catgirl in your collection and want to show off her curves, then clearly this is a pretty good product for you. The price being asked for isn't terrible when compared with other hybrid body options, and the sculpting is pretty good. I wish they had implemented better upper body articulation and included a battle ready face, but such is life. Production values aren't bad either, but know that you're still dealing with a mid level product. Overall, it's still a better package than you'd get dressing up you own 1/12 Phicen.
Now as far as a Big Firebird product goes, well there's the disappointment over the fact visually this figure could have been that much better. But from a quality perspective, it certainly shows an improvement and has made me feel better about partaking in any product not based on Nicee.. Whether or not this is the product that will turn things around for them is hard to tell - I'm pretty sure the entire collector base isn't exactly as open as I am with regards to the obvious tantalizing nature of this figure, with many justifying Nicee because she transforms.
If this is in fact the start of a comeback, my feeling is that going forward, adherence to the source art will be critical to their success.
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