The Pop Up Parade lineup from Good Smile Company has been doing some good work. While I'm not buying them all, it is a neat side line for me that does occasionally bring in characters I'm interested in. Case in point, Morrigan and Lilith from Darkstalkers. While people still remember Morrigan (as she's still pretty prevalent any time there's a cross over game) other characters from the series aren't as remembered, even her soul sister, Lilith
Well I had to support the line so I ordered them both.
Being effectively value items, packaging for this line remains simple but effective. Not much in the art department (actually, there is no art), but you do at least get a nicely packaged statue that comes in packaging made of sturdy materials.
Here the are, out of box. They're slightly larger than 1/10, and if you're not familiar with the line, the aim is to provide a statue that isn't horribly expensive, but has some frills and isn't built like a Prize Figure. You'll notice that there was no assembly required out the box, other than to put it on its stand. Pose isn't the standards simple standing pose, there's some life to them, and this has been one of the more important strengths of the line. Having said all that, you can make out some of the budget restrictions, such as the very basic Base.
Of the two, I think the face for Lilith came out better. I have no idea whos art work the statues are based off, or who sculpted them but I feel due to budget restrictions it's probably like the new Intern or something. There's some decent fine detailing, such as in the hair, musculature, and the texture on the Bat wings, something you won't see on a Prize Figure or any scale, really, in this price point. with the closest thing being the ArtFX stuff, but that actually costs more. What I really enjoy is the fact that none of the bodies look flat - they all look like decently muscled bodies with wearing skin tight clothing, just the way God intended them to look.
Paint Applications are, overall, pretty good good for this price point. If you look either of them, you'll notice not just decent paint coverage, but also the use of glossy and matte paints for the purposes of creating a sense of texture. I'm satisfied with the quality of the masking, with the resulting lines being pretty sharp. Having said all that, the realities of budget make their return. You might notice that the flesth tone is all base plastic colour, and having done a few models I'm pretty sure multiple coats would have been necessary for satisfactory coverage. I can understand that part of it, but I really wish they had given the lips more paint.
Build Quality is.. mixed. I mean, it's made of solid materials and all that, but for whatever reason the Quality Control on sanding is all over the place. Normally I'd expect some artifacts on, say the fingers or the hair. I mean, the hair, particularly on Morrigan, isn't the crispest, but overall it's not bad. But the legs on both figures, for whatever reason, have some seam lines that haven't really noticed on any of the other releases. The legs are also a bit rougher in terms of general sanding compared to the other parts of the body, and I wonder if this was the result of lowered resource allocation or something.
Overall, solid entries into the Pop Up Parade lineup, but strangely two of the weaker ones in terms of overall finish. The look of the face and all that, well, that's likely just the result of source art, and the fact that for me, it's really the Kinu NIshimura art or bust. Having said that, I don't think we should be expecting another version or anything, as they're not exactly in Street Fighter with a recent game entry. So, I guess enjoy this slightly flawed return of some OG Fighting Ladies.
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