Kotobukiya Darkstalkers Bishoujo Felicia

I love the Bishoujo series, and love it when Kotobukiya release something that takes me back to the good old arcade days. This time it's with the Darkstalkers Felicia that complements the first Morrigan statue released from that arcade game.

Click the link below to watch my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel! Hope you can give the video a like, and also subscribe to stay tuned for upcoming reviews!

The statue captures the spirit of the concept art beautifully, although a bit more colour to the skin tone would've been even better. But I'm glad the skin tone is a matte finish, unlike the very plasticky finish on the Mai Shiranui statue from King of Fighters.

Of note is also the included transluscent stand that props up against the hair at the rear. Her hair is so voluminous that the weight of the plastic could make the statue lean over time. It's great that Kotobukiya have preempted this damage by including the stand to prop up the hair and prevent that leaning from happening.

As always, the paint app is beautiful from Kotobukiya. The facial details are sharp with no colour bleed, and the shades of pink in the tongue, paw pads and claws really pop against the bright white fur. Even the hair has subtle shading, with darker and lighter areas, as well as softer plastic in some of the strands.

The detailing in the fur is decent, but hard to make out with the bright white paint application. Still, when looking up close, the awesome sculpt does shine through.

Coupled with Morrigan, these two make for an iconic representation of two classic characters from the Darkstalkers game. They certainly complement each other well in the display. Kotobukiya also have released a third, with Lilith also an option if you want to collect all characters. But for me, I'll be sticking with just these two from the game. Not sure if Kotobukiya will ever revisit more characters from Street Fighter, but I'll hold out hope for that.

Kotobukiya Bishoujo Darkstalkers Morrigan

Morrigan looking gorgeous as expected! Her character design is pretty much tailor made for the Bishoujo series, and it's a combination made in heaven!

Hope you can check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel at the link below. Scroll on down for some more photos of this devilish beauty!

The final sculpt captures the concept art perfectly!

She looks great from all angles!

Love the little cheeky tongue sticking out, and the sharp teeth!

And here's the "money shot" personified! 😂😜

Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo Pennywise from It

The Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo series has released some iconic characters in the series, and the latest Pennywise is no exception. It took a while for it to arrive from Big Bad Toy Store, but it's a beautiful addition to the impressive lineup.

Click the link below to watch my review of the Leatherface statue over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can subscribe and stay tuned for more reviews 😃

I think Kotobukiya have definitely stepped up their game on the packaging art, and the latest certainly give pause for collectors to consider keeping or at least displaying the artwork. Unfortunately for me I just do not have the space for that anymore, so this sort of packaging usually ends up in the recycling bin. But for those with the space, I'd highly recommend displaying the boxes, or at least keeping the boxes for posterity.

The details in the sculpting and the paint app really impress upon unboxing. The paint on the head sculpt is super sharp, and I love the bright colours of the eyes that almost seem reflective. A nice touch would've been some glow in the dark effect, but still in natural light the eyes have a scary piercing look to them. The orange hair is a bright contrast to the white, and sets it off beautifully.

The sculpting in the costume is perfectly brought out with many layers of shading and colours in the paint application. I especially love the use of black wash and shadowing to accentuate all the folds in the detailed costume. The areas around the neck, biceps and upper thighs look fantastic.

The two areas that were a little disapointing to me are related. The main issue is the steel wire used for the ballon chord, which is not flexible or malleable. This affects posing of the balloon, especially since it leans so far forward when placed into the hand.

I used some warm water to soften the plastic around the hole since initial insertion is quite difficult. But once it's placed in, the steel wire tends to fall forward, given the balloon an awkward angle. This is made worse by how low the pose of the statue is leaning forward. The prototype photos were taken from a rather low angle, which sort of hid how much the status leans.

By leaning forward, it seems to hide the face sculpt and much of the details of the body too. I would've preferred a pose that was more upright, but still leaning forward slightly to hand the balloon to the unsuspecting child. I'll have to figure out some way to keep the balloon string as upright as I can without snapping anything.

Despite that nitpick, there are so many other positives to the statue. The paint app and sculpting themselves makes this perhaps my new favourite in the series. I love the metallic finish to the base that gives that perfect impression of it walking through blood. The SS Georgie sets it off perfectly as well with the movie.

As a Bishoujo interpretation of the character, I'm not sure Kotobukiya could've done much better in the design (pose aside). It's the perfect balance of creepy and beauty! Here's hoping they announce more of these horror characters in the not-too-distant future!

Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo series has been high quality since its inception, and they just seem to be getting better and better too! I was glad my preorders for Leatherface and Pennywise finally arrived, and they were certainly worth the wait!

Click the link below to watch my review of the Leatherface statue over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can subscribe and stay tuned for more reviews 😃

The box art for this series seems to be getting better too, with some gorgeous photos of the statue along with the usual awesome prototype concept art by Shunya Yamashita.

I've decided to go with the stock head sculpt this time, and not the masked sculpt. The masked version is definitely a nice representation from the movie, but I find it almost too creepy. The unmasked sculpt just pretties up the statue for me, which is appropriate for this Bishoujo series I think.

The sculpting on this Leatherface is top-notch, with great natural folds in the costume. The apron almost seems like a separate floating piece, but does not rotate or adjust in any way. The bloody spatter is nicely done, but I do wish it wasn't so thick on the chainsaw blade. I think the prototype photos show more subtle bloody spatter on the blade which looks better. But overall it still looks great.

The prototype photos never really showed what was under her shirt tails, and the fan service is in full force with a nice view of her voluptuous rump. The wedgie from the undies adds to the fan service expected with this Bishoujo series.

The front view is also nicely done, and gives that unique Bishoujo spin on this iconic butcher outfit. I love the details in the bracelet, pulling your eyes briefly away from her deep cleavage 😍

All in all, the paint app is fantastic, even on the bare skin, with lost of nice shading detail too. The base itself has lots of great sculpted and paint details too. I was surprised at how much more I liked this statue than I was expecting!

I had decided to get this version over the business suit version, because I think this one is more iconic for the character. But no matter which version you get, I think Kotobukiya has done another fantastic job! Here's hoping they announce more in this series soon!

Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo Beetlejuice

I've collected most of the Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo statues, and overall it's been a fantastic series. I was in two minds about this Beetlejuice, but I figured it looked iconic enough to add to the collection. It took a while to arrive from Japan, but it turned up in great condition and looks fantastic along with the rest of the gang.

Click the link below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe and stay tuned for upcoming reviews for Bishoujo Pennywise and Leatherface!

Packaging is the usual nice style for the Bishoujos, with a mix of concept artwork and actual photos of the statue. The cardboard insert actually shows the tombstone that I would've actually preferred for the statue, which states "Here lies Betelgeuse" and has the little gargoyle on top. I'm not quite sure why they didn't use that tombstone.

I'm also not sure where the nail file comes from, unless I am completely forgetting it from the movie? The other statues in the series have had little accessories that are from the movies, so this one seems a little strange to me.

That aside, the rest of the statue is very nice. The face sculpt and skin paint app are the usual high quality in the Bishoujo series. I do like the little sharp teeth she has, and the sculpted hair is nicely layered. Note that the head sculpt sits a little loose in the neck socket, and can be removed. Not sure if that was meant to cater for some sort of swap out feature, but just something to be aware of.

The outfit is nicely sculpted, with the black and white painted nice and sharp with no bleed. The gold buttons and purple inner lining of the suit give it a nice bit of extra colour too. I wish the stony base was painted a little better with more variation - the browns and grays are a little flat which gives it a plasticky look. Still, it's a decent base for her to sit on, so I can't complain too much.

As I mentioned before, the layering and sculpting of the hair is nicely done. But I do wish there was a bit more variation in the paint app, or even some translucency like with the Freddy statue. I guess Freddy is the only one that has that sort of hair material, with all the others being painted. Either way, the overall sculpt looks pretty nice. 

I think the only main character I haven't collected is the Tiffany statue that was released along with Chucky. I just didn't think that version was iconic or recognisable enough. But with Beetlejuice, that's not an issue, and she looks fantastic with the others that I have in the collection.

I'm hoping to get the Pennywise and Leatherface statues soon, and I'm thinking Pennywise may well become my favourite in the series. Hope you can stick around and tune in for those upcoming reviews!

Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo Michael Myers

The Horror Bishoujo series by Kotobukiya has been one of my favourite statue lines. This new addition in Michael Myers from Halloween is perhaps the first that hasn't really wowed me out of the box.

Check out the link below for my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbsup and subscribe too!

Here are some pics of the statue showing off the nice sculpting and paint application. I just wish the pose and head sculpt were a bit more lively. She seems rather too bored with things the way it is :D

The mask in particular is disappointing, where it's just a throw away thing on the floor. It would've been much better if she was holding the mask in the other hand.

 

Together with the others in the series, the collection certainly looks great. I hope they continue the series with more iconic characters from classic horror movies!

Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo Pinhead statue

I have loved the Kotobukiya Horror Bishoujo series so far, and this new Pinhead is another awesome addition! Click through below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel.

There's some minor assembly out of the box to attach the main body to the stand. From the front viewing angle, the peg in the dress that goes into a slot on the side of the stand is pretty well hidden. You just need to put that required force to make it sit as flush as it can, and it will look great.

The small peg in the toe that goes into the bottom of the base is also well hidden and adds the final touch for stability of the statue. The base is very nicely detailed and painted, with great highlights in the gold patterning.

The pins in the headsculpt are slightly too large I think, but from regular viewing distances still give a nice interpretation of the concept art. The sculpting in the outfit is also great, with all the right fan-service details in all the usual areas.

Closeup pics really do show off the intricacies o the sculpting. I love the silver belt clips, the red and silver clips over her breasts, and the subtle shading of blues/purples against the black dress. Coupled with a very nice suggestive pose, the statue stands out in amongst the rest of the Bishoujo clan.

The horror series is still going pretty strong, with Michael Myers up next. I have that one on the way too, but that one does seem a little plain compared to the awesome set below. I really hope they announce some more iconic horror characters soon and don't just stop now!

Collection update video and pics - 1/6th scale and statues

It's been pretty slow this year on the 1/6th scale and statue front. But with 3 months left in the year I figured it was time for me to do a collection update on that side of the collection. I do have a few more figures and statues coming toward the end of the year, so I go through that as well.

Click through below to check out the collection update video over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel to see all my upcoming videos :)

I've also had a go at trying out some manual camera settings and trying to take some better photos. The toy photography people post on Instagram and Facebook is pretty amazing these days, so I was inspired to pick up my photography skills.

It's definitely been an exercise in trial and error in playing with the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings. I think I'm starting to get a feel for the ways in which the different settings affect the quality of the photos. I do need to get a bit more creative in posing and angles of shots though!

Check through a selection of the photos I've taken recently. Hopefully I can improve and continue to take better photos over the coming months!

The new Hot Toys Royal Guard looks fantastic. The classic outfit just pops on display!

The original movie Iron Man Mk3 suit is still one of my favs. The mix of red and yellow for this style I think is a great mix of comic origins and movie creativity. It's a shame the figure is scaled too small!

I also love the original Ant-man outfit from the first movie. I think the Civil War costume was terrible though. Luckily they went back to a more classic style for Ant-man and The Wasp, and I think that new suit is a better mix of the old and new. I might still consider picking that up next year, but there's still plenty of time before that releases.

The War Machine Mk1 diecast figure is still a damn beast. It's almost too big, with a head sculpt that seems slightly too small. Still an amazing figure that photographs so well!

The old DX11 Joker is still a pretty nice figure too. The outfit and all it's layers still ranks right up there with the best from Hot Toys.

Here I'm testing out different areas of focus. The macro shots do bring out all the amazing details in these great figures!

I've barely touched the classic Tobey Maguire Spiderman figure over the past few years. It's just been standing in the Detolf cabinet all this time. Despite that, the ankle joints have crumbled, which has been a common problem with this figure. Still, I was able to get it into a stable fairly dynamic pose. Again, it's still a pretty nice looking figure by Hot Toys!

I do have more 1/6th scale figures coming this year, such as Jedi Luke and The Emperor. I also have statues like Orko from Sideshow's Masters of the Universe series and Evil Dead Ash from Kotobukiya's Horror Bishoujo series. Hope you can stay tuned for those reviews coming up soon!

Kotobukiya Kill Bill Bishoujo The Bride

I'm still loving most of the Bishoujo statues that Kotobukiya release, and this new version of The Bride from Kill Bill is no exception! Kill Bill is by far my favourite Tarantino movie, so this statue was a must-have for me.

Click the link below to check out my full review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!

Packaging is the usual Bishoujo style with the great concept art by Shunya Yamashita.

Everything about this shows off how great the Bishoujo series can be. Awesome face sculpt and skin paint app. Love the flawless skin, eyes, and lips. Hair could be better, but overall detailing and paint variation is decent.

The sculpted detail in the suit is also nice, with realistic folds and shadow detailing in the creases. The pose they've selected is iconic for the part, and simple and classy.

Love the detail of the Hattori Hanzo logo on the katana. I just wish the katana was longer like it was in the concept art. It seems just a tad too short. Also be very careful when inserting into the hands, or you will snap it off at the hilt. I had to heat the hands up in some hot water, which made it much easier to insert the hilt.

For me this is another winner by Kotobukiya. Get yours here from BBTS!

The next releases I'm most looking forward to are the new horror Bishoujos such as Ash and Pinhead! As for the Kill Bill series, hopefully they don't just stop at one, and make Gogo Yubari and O'Ren Ishii too!