When tried and true products start going up in pricing, it generally starts inviting competition into the market. Doesn't matter what the product is. So it's no surprise that such a trend exists in the scale figure market, and the premium 1/12 figure market is the new promised land, offering that price/quality ratio that most collectors seek out.
Verycool Toys is one of these companies. Like TBLeague, Verycool has a "proprietary" body (though not as proprietary as the seamless stuff) on which they offer 1/6 and 1/12 creations, though in the case of Verycool, it's always been original concepts. Being curious about the figures, I preordered the 1/12 Palm Treasure series Villa, who has a 1/6 counterpart.
Pricing is going to vary depending on which vendor you elect to use, but for this sort of thing I generally stick to Giantoy, who had Villa for $81 USD shipped, which, sadly, is relatively low end these days. The contents aren't too bad, though it doesn't really look like much as the put a few of her parts already on the body for shipping:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 1 x Outfit (including Scarf, Belt and Kneepads)
- 2 x Open Palm Hands
- 2 x Trigger Hands
- 1 x Backpack
- 1 x M4 Carbine
- 1 x Laser Scope
- 1 x Spare Magazine
- 4 x Pouches
This is probably the first figure I've ever purchased, however, that doesn't come with closed fists.
Overall, a very good look. Tailoring work is quite good, with great stitching work and a proper fit on the underlying body. Sadly, the suit is stitched in place, which means no seamless body swaps or anything. Fabric for all soft items appears to be some sort of black/grey camo patterned nylon with various pouches sewn in for good measure, as well as a hood with a posing wire in the opening. Belts feature functional buckles, which is a good news/bad news situation if you have sausage fingers like mine.
The facial sculpt is a reduced version of the 1/6 head. It's not bad, and bears the same general facial features, though the paint work isn't as in depth. Rooting is pretty typical both in terms of material selection and quality of the actual work. Much like the larger head, it's not entirely sure who this is modelled after, but you can tell they were aiming for a realistic sculpt.
Size wise, these figures are labeled as 1/12, so it s a tad bigger than your typical Figuarts or Figma release, and pretty much in line with the TBLeague 1/12 scale releases. This marks the first time I've seen consistency in any of these reported "1/12" scale figures.
Articulation of the body is pretty good, and can do pretty much everything that the larger hard bodies can, including the use of double jointed elbows and knees. This body also features the double ball joint ended ankle extenders, which not only adds to the height but also allows for an exceptional amount of ankle movement, which translates in some great foot position options for poses. Unfortunately, as this is the iteration of the body with a rubber covered torso, the range of motion there is somewhat hindered by the material, plus the fact that you really don't get to enjoy said torso as it's actually covered up. This rubber also affects the range of neck motion, which is why she's not able to complete the full Widow pose.
Kitting her out isn't so much hard as it is annoying. Chances are, you're going to have to undo the chest harness on the backpack and to get it back on you'll probably need to use tweezers to get the belt into the buckle. The pouches aren't clip on but rather you need to feed a belt through a hole, which at this size is again, a major pain. I actually only put on two pouches, as the other two appear to be meant for the side of the chest harness that is currently glued in place, and would require me to disassemble and reassemble that belt. I have absolutely no idea what the spare clip is for, as the one in the M4 Carbine does not come out, and I can't find a fabric pouch or anything to hold it. While there is no direction given, at least the stuff looks good on the figure, and doesn't affect articulation in any way. Moulding details on the various hard plastic piece is also acceptable and details are generally crisp.
Paint wise, it's pretty minimal. There's the stuff on her face, her hands, and there is some gray paint applications on her M4 Carbine and her boots. It's not the greatest paint work I've seen, but it's at least an above average NECA quality. There just isn't enough actual work for me to call it anything else.
Build quality wise, I think its fair to say that there are still a few QC bugs to work out. The actual tailoring and uniform work are quite nice. Small stitches are used, seam gaps are minimal. The weave density of the nylon is nice and high, so even close up it doesn't look out place. The scarf itself is also quite nice, with some detailing on the ends such that it doesn't just seem like a fold piece of paper or something. As mentioned above, belts and buckles are all functional.
The hands fit into the sockets well, and the joints generally function as designed, though I find that the trigger hands need more of a curved index figure to better grip the gun. I think there's also an issue with my right arm bicep joint, as it's relatively loose. It will still hold a pose, but there's some fiddling to do before the arm will stay in your desired static position.
All in all, a well above average action figure, and while not military standard, is probably one of the most conservatively dressed and proportioned fantasy military women you'll find out there. Underlying body articulation and great tailoring certainly help enhance the experience, but small design qualms and QC issues somewhat sour the experience. The experience was still better than any Mezco female figure I've handled.
I think my future purchases of these will depend on what the figure is kitted with, and perhaps, ease of swapping with another body, though that too will depend on the actual outfit. As far as figures featuring a full body suit like this, honestly the only thing I wish were better would be the neck articulation, but the ability to do wonders while posing the legs really helps to offset that.
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