Well I've finally gotten some breathing room, so it's a good time as any to take care of some of that backlog. We start the process with one of the more interesting pieces that I picked up while in Montreal, the 1/7 Alter X Vice/Beagle Ghost in the Shell S.A.C. 2nd G.I.G. Motoko Kusunagi PVC statue.
As is my practice, I usually spend a week or so prior to going anywhere kind of researching what good buys there are. This is one of those pieces. The asking price was $90 CAD, which for a sealed 2007 statue that is still in demand was pretty good. The fact it was still there after a month was intriguing, but different city, different market I suppose. So I made the drive down to Lasalle, QC to pick it up. What's interesting about this piece wasn't that it was still there, but rather I still have no idea about the origin. I mean, I know it's a Ghost in the Shell piece, but I'm not entirely sure who exactly Vice/Beagle are, why they did a collaboration with Alter (one of my favourite statue makers from that era), and why some boxes say Vice and others say Beagle. Then, toss into the mix the fact there's apparently a bootleg of this statue.
Many questions, effectively no answers.
As with most statues, especially back in the day, Motoko doesn't actually come with a whole lot in the box. It's her, her gun, and her base. Due to the age of the statue, Motoko required a bit of hot water to get her feet back into position to fit the base. Not exactly unheard of for pieces of this era, as there was a much greater use of softer PVC throughout the body. This is also what causes the leaning, though fortunately it's generally easy to fix.
The Major is sculpted in a pretty tame pose, and for better or worse, she's probably one of the modestly produced statues I've seen of her. It's nicely done, especially for the vintage - it just might not deliver the shock value that some collectors like. Her proportions are certainly more believable than some depictions of her, as are her curves, though that could simply be the non skin tight clothing talking.
Again, good or bad depending on your viewpoint. I just like variety.
I THINK the secret to its success (and demand) however, is the fact I think this is the only piece of character good from the .S.A.C. 2nd GIG line that actually LOOKS like her anime counterpart. The body suit is nicely sculpted as is the jacket, but the face and hair are truly exquisite. The colour of the lipstick is subtle, just like her onscreen counterpart. Detailing in the hair is very good, even by modern standards, and this sort of thing is actually why I was quite a fan of the Alter product line up back in day, even if I had no idea what the character actually was.
Paint work and finish are pretty much flawless, with the only issue I can find being an area of rough finish on her right bang. There's also an area towards the lower end of the right bang where you can easily make out where the seam line is.
Her handgun, however... it's OK, I guess. Certainly is functional, though the QC is nowhere on the level of the body. The gun is meant for in hand posing only (and yes, I realize I left the trigger finger out), I think they missed an opportunity to give her a second hand and a piece to stick into her holster.
Well that about does it for here - a very nice piece that will variety to your Motoko shrines. Time to keep at it and get to the next piece.
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