So Anime North was at the end of May, and generally my luck at finding stuff at a price that won't make me cry isn't very good. This year, however, I actually managed to find two things, including one I'd been searching quite a few years for, the 1/8 Queen's Gate: Dead or Alive - Kasumi statue. It was just... sitting there. Haggled it down to an acceptable price point and away I went. Even got the stall to babysit it for about an hour while I did the loop of the Vendor's Hall.
By contrast, the Night Market was overpacked, incredibly hot, and had collectors asking Vendor level pricing.
Like with the rest of the Queen's Gate line, this statue was distributed by Hobby Japan, but was produced by a guest manufacturer, probably the one that supplied the artist for the character. In this case, it was my old friend, Kotobukiya. Box features Greyscale artwork on a white box, appears to be consistent.
I've seen the artwork that inspired this statue and overall I'd say it's about 7/10 for accuracy. It's mostly there, but the proportions are off. Head is a touch undersized and the curves and bulges have been toned down for sure. Kasumi is in her P1 colours, though to be fair its not I know if there's as P2 outfit for this particular statue.
Pretty standard base for the Queen's Blade lineup, albeit a different colour. They hadn't quite worked out the kinks on how to make a lean proof statue, so the set comes with an extra stand to support the one raised leg. An adapter for the arched foot was used instead of making a specific base just for this figure.
Comes with a few things, including her traditional Tanto, which can be kept in its scabbard or placed into the statues right hand.
Maybe I'm just unlucky, but I did find out the hard way that the blade is pretty fragile, and can snap right at the hilt. Did my best to repair the damage though ultimately it's just odd things happened as this was the first time in recent memory I'd had a part break like that.
A very cute face framed by some nicely detailed hair, both with some lovely paint work and colour selection. Some good detailing as it pertains to fabric folds and other similar features, with some dynamically sculpted features. While I would have liked some more outfit ripping bulges, it's acceptable. No musculature but that's more of a source material issue - at least they kept her ankles. Sanding work could be a bit better, as could assembly work, the most notable being the parf where the thigh and the leggings meet. Sculpting and production of fingers appear pretty clean, though the fingers appear to be flesh coloured only. Paint work overall isn't bad , with a few rough spots observed. Good colour selection works to help sell the 2D to 3D conversion of this art.
So it had completely eluded me over the years, but around the time statue was made, Kotobukiya had the Dead or Alive license, and was doing a few things, including the Dead or Alive XBV2 line, that featured Swimwear swapping powers. Basically it was castoff but to an undergarment level rather than full nudity. I mention this because I guess technically, other than Alice, there are other licensed characters than can strip down, albeit not the extent Queen's Blade is known for. I don't know if this is what happens in the books, or if this is a artist decision, but having the option is nice.
I do believe there are other Queen's Gate statues with cast off capabilities, but I'd need to actually catch'em all to confirm.
While Kasumi is not ripped, you do get to see a bit of musculature that is hidden by her top, specifically those on her back and her abdomen. You're also treated to a nice view of questionable assembly at the waist. On a related note, the cast off clothing has that typical loose QC that makes reassembly a bit of a chore.
The sanding work is again, not bad but certainly could use some improvement. You can make out some loss of detail on the bra., and the curves are looking a bit rougher than they should be. Perhaps more of an issue is the paint work, specifically the paint on the underwear, because the actual flesh tone isn't bad. You can easily make out how the white wasn't as evenly applied as on the surface layers, leaving some splotches and areas where an extra coat would have been useful.
Overall, I'm glad I finally tracked her down and while the statue looks a bit messy under the hood, I honestly didn't know it was there and treat that as more of nice bonus rather than a selling feature. If we take the semi nudity out of the equations, this is still a pretty solid Kasumi statue with a very cute aesthetic... and a really fragile weapon.
For Full Gallery, please visit:
Commentaires