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Snail Shell Studios is slowly becoming a favourite in the 1/12 collecting world, especially if you're not a conservative collector. I mean, yeah the tech is pretty solid (or everyone is still still trying to penny pinch) but ultimately, you get a Snail Shell release because visually, you KNOW the character design is going too look nothing like it on your shelf. Which is great, ya know? What's the point of developing a highly modular jointed body if you're not going to see just what kind of weird things you can do with it?
So, perhaps the most anticipated Snail Shell release this year are two figure (sold separately, RIP my wallet) are the House of Sand Sisters, Saori and Shikura. Sure the prototype photos showed some neat things, but lets be honest, these two appealed to many collectors because of the big, round PLOT.
Saori is the younger of the two and is the one armed with a spear. Shikura is, by default, the older sister, and prefers to get in our face by pounding you with her giant gauntlets like Yozakuna from Senran Kagura. Other than this, I know absolutely nothing about these two characters.
Both figures are roughly the same price, with Saori being a few USD more, likely due to the larger number of parts compared to Shikura. Both feature two additional face plates with the now standard rotating eye system (except for Shikura embarrassed face). Saori requires additional hands due to the fixed nature of them where as Shikura has an alternate pair of hands with articulated fingers. The tip of Saori's spear opens up and the prongs can be flipped upside down.
Both feature an earth themed base, but Saori's is meant to be used with the various flame effects that come with the set, whereas Shikura's comes apart so it can be space out, I'm guessing so it replicate ground impact better and space out the various broken earth pieces that can be attached with a stand. Both sets come with a single fireball because nothing says Earth and Sand powers like some pyro.
Both sisters are very similarly dressed, though there are some very obvious cosmetic differences. The bust on these figures is a newly developed silicone piece that I'm pretty sure will be makin its way to many of the more revealing characters. Bravo to Snail Shell for not going subtle with sizes on its maiden voyage, and excellent skin tone matching.
Shikura is a touch shorter than Saori, though I guess that's why the gods gifted her with a bigger chest. The lower bodies are actually pretty much the same, so the difference is made up due to torso size differences, as well as a slightly shorter neck.
The three face plates for Saori seems to suggest that she is the stereotypical quiet and demure personality. Compared to Shikura, who appears to be more outspoken. General designs are appealing and don't feel like half baked copy and pastes, and both sisters actually look different thanks to some slight aesthetic differences and cut of the eyes. Detailing of the hair is quite well done, featuring adequate amounts of detailing and flow to the hair.
So the articulation of the two figures is quite similar. Range of motion for the arms is limited due to the bulk of the ample chest. The long sculpted hair affects the range of motion of the head - the long ponytail on Saori does have a single point of articulation. As the chest and upper abdomen are one piece on Shikura, she loses some mobility just under the chest piece, which sadly means her twerks don't look as good. As a tradeoff, I suppose, the skirt on Shikura is designed such that it allows her more access to her legs (and is much more flattering). It also helps that the skirt on Shikura is actually much softer whereas Saori has little to no give.
So, per instructions, one can remove the skirt to better enjoy the maximum range of motion from these newly designed hips. Well, I did just that and I have to say that... it's exactly the same as before. I mean, I've seen the hips on other Snail Shell figures. I think even going back to Milk T Girl they were the same design, if not older. I mean sure, you do get MORE range of motion but that was inevitable, but it isn't exactly mind blowing. What is, however, is the sheer disappointment of what's under the hood. Ladies with that sort of cleavage, unless they were surgically altered, typically have a nice set of curves at the hips to go along with it.
I don't really have the vocabulary to describe how brutally average the hips and thighs on these two look, which also affects the quality of the glutes... or if you don't understand that, it means neither of the ladies has an ass.
Paint Applications are generally sharp and solid. The leggings on Saori feature some blending but otherwise, all other applications are single colours. Masking is quite good, with some instances of bleeding. Panel lines on Saori's wrists are also generally well done. Blush on the various face plates are nice and subtle. Decal work is sharp in terms of printing and application.
Build Quality, on the other hand, is a slightly different story. Shikura is pretty much as you'd expect. Things fit well, joints do their job, no issues with poor finishes or any other QC issues. The articulated fingers are a bit clunky, but they do their job without falling apart. Saori, on the other hand, has a few issues. For starters, the hands that are meant to hold the spear, well, basically fail at doing that one job. None of the hands actually secure the spear particularly well.
The bigger issue, however, is in the design of the forearm area. So, the forearm comes out of the sleeve. No big deal, happens very frequently on figures. What also happens, usually, is that the forearm is either jointed or is help in place with friction so if too much force is applied when, say, you're putting on a hand, it'll just pop out and you can just push it back in place. Well, in this instance, Snail Shell decided to GLUE the thing in place while having it connect to the sleeve with a tiny tab, so no only will excessive force cause the glue to no longer hold, but putting back in place is a pain in the ass as well.
So overall, these two are pretty typical Snail Shell releases - not perfect, but pretty good. The silicone chests are nice, providing a nice full upper body, and would have been nice if the thighs followed suit. But, seeing how Saori has some really disappointing flaws, I think that of the two, Shikura is the better release, offering that same curvy figure experience but with less hassle of having to worry about things breaking. Yeah you get fewer parts, but unless you're dead set on having a spear wielder, you'll save yourself a lot of headache.
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