NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH! Hey look, it’s a cat girl. It was a little while back that I noticed I didn’t have a cat girl in my disturbingly large figure collection. How could I dare call myself an otaku without one of these feline beauties in my clutches? (Granted, fox girls are more my thing but cats are fine too) It was around then that Max Factory unveiled this very lovely figure of Xiao Mei.

A cat girl by Max Factory? How could I pass it up? Spoilers: I didn’t. Let’s take a better look.

Isn’t she nice? Not very often you see a cat girl decked out in Chinese clothing.

Looks great from behind, too! That outfit of hers certainly does hug her body in all the right places.

Xiao Mei’s 1/7 scale, similar to the previous Shining series figures by Max Factory. Unlike most of them, she’s not dressed in a bikini. I’ll leave it up to you as to whether that’s a good thing or not.

Xiao Mei was sculpted by Nanako, who seems responsible for several of the previously mentioned Shining bikini babes. Apparently there was some “sculpting assistance” by the ever amazing Chieri. I wonder exactly what Chieri did? Maybe assistance with the clothes?

Like the Shining bikini babes, Xiao Mei’s got a wicked pair of legs. Say what you will about Tony Taka (HE CAN ONLY DRAW ONE GIRL), he can whip out some pretty nice looking characters. Xiao Mei’s legs brings us to a problem, though…

It might be hard to notice in this image but there are seamlines on the back of her legs. And not just the usual variety, either! Here we have the wicked cousin to traditional seamlines: SANDED seams. What’s a sanded seam, you ask? Well…just take a seamline, yeah? Take some sandpaper. Sand the seam. Voila, sanded seams. If done properly it shouldn’t be too noticeable, but this poor girl’s seams were sanded a bit TOO hard in several spots. So it looks like some parts of her leg are flatter than they should be.

BUT who cares about seams when there’s a booty right there? Xiao Mei’s a slim girl but she, like most anime girls, has meat in just the right places.

Yeah, meat in just the right places.

Scattered about her outfit are little pink ribbons. I guess even catgirls love ribbons.

Her shoes would be very plain were it not for these small pink markings on them.  It’s a nice little touch that most people wouldn’t pay any mind to.

Her outfit is almost entirely white/pink/lavender so it’s a bit hard not to pay attention to those suspiciously placed light green patches on her bosom. I wonder if she’s the type that gets angry if people gawk at her tits despite wearing stuff that practically begs people to check them out. If you stop looking at her rack long enough you’ll notice the effort that went into her clothes.

Xiao Mei’s outfit is relatively simple and it really could’ve worked against her. Luckily Nanako added a lot of folds to her clothes that add a nice touch of realism to them, and make them more interesting to look at. It’s pretty hard to draw folds in clothes. Can’t imagine how tough it is to sculpt them!

One complaint I do have (AND THIS IS JUST NITPICKING) is that her tail just pokes through her outfit. It always bugs me when that happens. I guess it’s not so bad with her since her tail’s so thin…but what about all those characters with HUUUUUGE bushy tails? Or even worse, the ones with wings that just poke out the back of their shirts? How does that work? HOW DOES THAT WORK?

Oh well, who cares. Xiao Mei’s back is probably my favorite part. DEM SHOULDER BLADES. It’s also here that you get a good look at the subtle shading and highlighting that was done. Her paint job is exceptional, as expected of a Max Factory PVC. It’s a bit hard to tell here but the lavender and white parts of her outfit seem to have a pearly finish to them.

There are some flubs here and there. Again, if you look at this picture you can see the pink trimming is a bit off.

Fortunately most of the trimming is done well. Check out the lacy edge of her stockings and that ribbon on her underwear. It’s these little details that really add a lot to Xiao Mei’s looks.

Another fine example of the shading/highlighting is provided by her….big sash…ribbon…thing.

I haven’t played Shining Hearts so I have absolutely no idea what her personality is. She looks very cute and innocent with her NYAA~ pose, but we all know that cats aren’t ones to be easily trusted.

She has a very cute face and pose. I like that they actually gave her teeth. After a while you just get so used to the featureless mouth that so many animu girls have. The only downside to her face is that it’s the same face that all other Tony Taka females have. YOU’VE SEEN ONE YOU’VE SEEN ‘EM ALL.

The Chinese theme continues with her delightful little hair buns. Check out the detail on the hairline of her neck. Very nicely done.

Her base is very simplistic. White slab. Game logo. Not much to say about it.

OVERALL SCORE: 9/10

+ Cute pose and an appealing character design
+ Great details in the sculpt, especially in regards to the folds to the clothes
+ Max Factory quality!

- Obviously sanded seamlines on the back of her legs

Hard to go wrong with this Xiao Mei. She’s got a nice design, a cute pose and great overall quality. The sanded seams are a bit of a downer. If you can overlook that then you’re in for a real treat. Shockingly, Xiao Mei hit the bargain bin for a little while. I doubt you can still find her for dirt cheap prices, but I don’t think she’s gotten rare as of yet (May 2012).

~ G.K. Sil Kamina

Warning: This post features content not suitable for readers under the age of 18. Seriously. There’s some nudity. Continue at your own risk.

Princess Mordina is different from what I usually get.  I’m more of a fan of male figures and more…grown up females and have very few “loli” characters in my collection.  Mordina is a double whammy of unusual since she’s also an obviously explicit figure, which are ones I usually tend to avoid (there are a few exceptions, of course).  She’s designed by famed character designer Oyari Ashito, known for Littlewitch Romanesque, Quartett! and Eiyuu Senki.

After ripping Mordina out of her cake hat box thing you see what a beautiful figure she is. Native is actually a part of figure god Max Factory so my expectations for Mordina were very high. Two of my newest PVCs were Max Factory sculpts and they were damn near flawless. So what about Mordina? How did she turn out? Is she just as good as her non-pornographic counterparts?

Nope.

Don’t get me wrong, she’s still good. VERY good.  From a distance she looks flawless! When you get close, though, problems arise.  First is that her hand doesn’t touch the ground, as you can see in this picture.  Second is that her hair’s plagued with minor flaws, which we’ll get to in a moment.  For now let’s just look at how delicious that hair is.

LOOK AT IT!  Also check out how crazy thin her legs are.  Wow.

So thin. Also, bonus booty shot for you loli lovers out there.

From this angle she seems to be bashfully glancing over the shoulder.  She knows you’re watching.  Pervert.

Her hair is absolutely beautiful…from a distance.  She’s one of the few figures to have actual white hair.  Most “white haired” figures end up having silver or light gray hair, which drives me NUTS.  (If you really want to nitpick you could consider her hair platinum blonde instead of creamy white.  I GUESS.)  The hair was a huge deciding factor for me getting her.  Just look at how much there is and how it drapes over her shoulders and just…just…how CREAMY it is.

Native did a really good job shading it, too.  Mordina’s paint job as a whole is very well done, as it should be given her really limited color scheme and questionable amount of clothes.  My only gripe would be the minimal pink blushing on her cheeks, which was much more vibrant on her protoype.

Get close to her hair and you’ll start to see some rather ugly problems.  Here’s a seamline.

The hair tips are blunt and have a bit of flash (excess plastic).  There are small bits of flash hidden all over her locks.  There are also smaller seams and even what look to be injection scars.

Yup, seams.

Mordina sans frilly skirt.

Here’s a disappointing problem!  There’s a gap where the lower half of her body connects to the upper half.  Despite my best efforts I haven’t been able to close the gap or make it any smaller. D:  Luckily it’s largely hidden by her frilly skirt.

Behold, a dainty princess hand.  Kudos for Native for painting her fingernails.

Can’t say this is the best hand sculpt that I’ve seen.  There’s a disappointing lack of detail on the palm of her hand, not to mention something just…looks off about the hand’s proportions.

Buttons on the stockings.  Cute.

Mordina’s mass of hair hides a surprisingly nice body sculpt.  What a shame! This makes me wish she came with either a “short hair” or “hair tied up” option so her back wasn’t constantly hidden.

…but is it just me or does her torso seem a bit too long?

Sorry if the headless princess pics are creeping you out.

The thing that surprised me most about Mordina is the realistic handling of her “barely-there” breasts.  Take a look at how one is a bit squished thanks to her arm pressing up against it.  Some people may be upset over the coloring of the nipples.  They are very subtly painted with light pink.  At first glance I thought they were unpainted, which is unheard of for a Native product!

She’s got a sweet face, though some may be turned off by her…blank expression.  For someone who’s in the process of getting self-freaky she sure doesn’t seem to be enjoying herself.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand here’s the main reason I almost passed on this figure.  She’s beautiful, but I didn’t really know how to feel about owning a figure that shows a petite girl masturbating.  It still makes me a little uncomfortable and I wish she came with something to cover that up.  On the other hand, I knew what I was getting into by purchasing a Native product.  Native makes high quality sexual figures.  Expect lots of exposed private parts when dealing with this company.

Mordina’s got a nice pair of legs and some REALLY nice white pumps.  My only complaint regarding her legs is that her thighs are really thin…BUT she is a thin girl so it’s to be expected.  I think the poor thing could use a roast duck or whatever it is those royal types eat.

Mordina’s lovely princess shoes can be removed.  Doing so reveals…

…these horrifying nubs.  *shiver* You get her leg chains on by sliding them over her feet and reattaching her shoes.

Here is Mordina’s princess…bondage(?)…gear stuff.  Be sure not to put the chains near the crown as they will attach to the magnet inside it.  The skirt is made of very soft rubber and features two pegs in the back that hold it closed.

The princess decked out in her royal gear.  I can’t help but wonder why she’s chained up.  Was she being a bad girl?  Or is she just that much of a horndog?  Her face doesn’t indicate any feelings of pleasure.  If anything it, along with the chains, make me think that she’s being forced to diddle against her will.  What do you think?

Mordina comes with optional bunny gear for those not interested in princesses.  It’s with these that I came across two major issues:

- There’s nothing to connect the bunny ears to her head, so they fall at the slightest touch!

- The magnet in the tail was put in upside down. It was put in upside down.  That means that whenever I tried to stick the tail on her booty it wouldn’t go on.  MAGNETS!  I actually had to take a knife, cut into the bottom of the tail, flip the magnet over, and reattach the chunk I cut out.  It was simple work but it’s not something I should’ve had to do in the first place.  I’m VERY disappointed in Native’s quality control.

Oh well…at least Bunnydina’s cute.

Here’s Mordina’s base…which is essentially a miniature version of another Native figure’s base. Guess they had a lot of leftover fabric? Mordina doesn’t really need her base but it’s nice to have.

OVERALL SCORE: 7/10

+ Beautiful character design. Love that flowing, cream colored hair
+ Nice body sculpt. At least if you like those types of bodies
+ Great painting and accessories

- Gap where the lower half of the body connects to the upper half
- Hair can cause paint scuffs on skin
- Major defect! Where’s the quality control?

She’s beautiful from a distance but beware if you decide to get her! I’ve seen small issues on most pictures of other people’s Mordinas, and the defect mine had isn’t something that can be overlooked. To think she’d still have so many problems even after being delayed for three months! But if you like what you see, there’s no reason not to get her. She’s a great addition to a collection (quality issues aside). Good luck finding her for a decent price.

~ G.K. Sil Kamina

Some of the really bad old reviews will flat out be deleted. Most, however, will be moved to their shiny new home in THE JUNKYARD.

Here are some upcoming re-reviews for you to look forward to:

- HIKARU and her pal NAGI by Alter. What was I thinking with that bad lighting?!
- Flat chested beauties HAZUKI, FLONNE, and AL AZIF. (Made by Alter, Kotobukiya and Max Factory)
- Unappreciated beauties like SOHO REINA and this casual BELLDANDY, by GDH and Kotobukiya.

Also planning on redoing the Queen’s Blade and Shuraki reviews, but not until I get some sort of light box. I’m not going to do naughty review pictures in public! Goodness. Though I’ve got some great NSFW gems, such as…

These two. Look forward to ‘em!

- G.K. Sil Kamina

I got a box! I got a box! Nothing’s more exciting than acquiring a heavily anticipated package in the mail.

Today’s item is Native’s 1/7 Princess Mordina PVC. THIS POST IS NOT SAFE FOR WORK.

You can see how excited I was by the ravaged appearance of this box. Within this box was yet another box which held Mordina’s…box. Lots of boxes. Too many boxes. But check out Mordina’s box:

This is the first time I’ve gotten such a…different box with a figure. Mordina’s package is designed to look like one of those old fashioned hat boxes. Or is it a cake box? Hell if I know.

Native is very famous for their box designs. For example, their bondage suit version of Nana came in a bondage themed box complete with a padlock. You know, one that could only be opened by her bondage master. Namely, you and your kinky self. Another Native product, Trunk Girl, came in…well…a box made to look like a trunk. Creative! Naked Creative, even.

…”Naked Creative” is a reference to Native’s name, which actually is supposed to be Naked Creative. The more you know.

Mordina comes with a shitload of accessories and goodies, including these two things. One is a card featuring her original artwork by Oyari Ashito, the character designer for games Little Witch Romanesque and Eiyuu Senki. The other is a sheet of sheer stickers to be placed under her crown to prevent paint staining.

Here’s the prize herself. Mordina is different from what I usually buy. Aside from a few notable exceptions, I largely avoid explicit/pornographic figures. Looking at this pic you maybe wondering “What’s so explicit about this one? She’s just topless.”

Well…she ain’t just topless. Take note of that hand going between her legs. What’s that hand doing, you say? Let’s just say she’s “tickling” herself.

I was initially going to pass on her due to 1) her sexual nature and 2) LOLI, but in the end her pretty character design won me over. Here’s Mordina decked out in her…princess gear? Do princesses usually wear balls and chains?

Her cream colored hair was a huge deciding factor for me. It’s got some flaws, but from a distance is LOVELY.

Mordina also comes with an alternate bunny outfit, but I prefer her with her princess stuff. Not to mention her bunny gear had some problematic defects, but we’ll get to that when I do a full review of her someday in the future.

- G.K. Sil Kamina

Nami’s never ranked too high on my “Favorite One Piece Girls” list. I just never really saw her sex appeal. If anything, I was more horrified by her body than enticed by it. Her tits keep growing! At the start of OP she’s only an A-cup. With each passing story arc her cup size grows. Now her funbags are bigger than her head. Am I the only one bothered by that?

I continued to disregard Nami until the time skip happened and she was redesigned. It’s amazing what a different hairstyle and some pearl earrings can do for a person. NOW I can see her sex appeal. SHE’S SMOKING HOT, HOLY COW.

Nami is (as of 2012) one of the newest additions to MegaHouse’s absurdly popular “Portrait of Pirates” line. This particular Nami is from the latest set of POPs called Sailing Away, which is based on the post-timeskip character designs for One Piece. Like every other POP figure in the last few years, Nami sold out on most Japanese retailer sites in less than a minute. I had to resort to using an American retailer to get my Nami.

One of the things I liked the most about Nami was that it toned down Oda’s…”style” of drawing female bodies. (whether it’s style or just an inability to draw the female body, I’ll leave up to you) If you want a better example of a typical Oda-styled body, just check out my review of POP Nefeltari Vivi. His typical female characters tend to have

- Impossibly thin torsos
- No ribcages
- Long, thin legs
- Extremely large balloon tits

I do love Oda’s artwork, and his males characters tend to have absurdly exaggerated bodies as well. Though the males are more ‘cartoony exaggerated’. The females are…sexually exaggerated. I dunno, it’s just something that’s always bugged me.

Proportion gripes aside, Nami did turn out very well. The sculptor, Ajiken, is quickly working his(?) way up my favorite sculptors list. He’s responsible for several other POP figures including the lovely Boa Hancock and Shirahoshi.

Standing tall. Standing proud. That’s probably not going to last long given the size of her chest. You’re gonna get back pain sooner or later, dearie. Let’s not even get started on just how badly you’re going to sag when you get old. Oh no.

MegaHouse has long been my favorite figure manufacturer. They don’t merely go with what’s popular or make a crapload of eroge schoolgirls. For every few popular character figures they pump out, they make a mind-bogglingly obscure one. Too bad they don’t do it AS often as they used to. Their quality went from being so-so to almost on par with GoodSmile Company or Alter. Their colors are vibrant, their poses diverse! There’s just something to a MegaHouse product. I love it.

MegaHouse puts a lot of love into their POP line. When you buy a POP (or a Queen’s Blade) product you are getting the cream of MH’s crop. No, MH is not GoodSmile Company. There are going to be errors on the figure somewhere. Usually those errors are going to be small, and the figure is still going to be damn good in the end.

Nami’s no exception. While she’s not perfect, she still looks fantastic. Just look at that ass. Just look. Fantastic.

MegaHouse went all out despite her simple design in both the sculpt and the painting. Let’s take a closer look!

One of the details I like the best is that her nails are given a pearly finish. It looks much nicer than the usual flat pink paint that finger/toenails usually get. Another nice touch is the clear plastic used for the orb on Nami’s ‘eternal pose’ bracelet, though it does have a noticeable seam on it.

It actually took me quite some time to realize Nami’s wearing pearl earrings. It’s a nice little detail that adds more to her womanly charm.

It’s interesting how the little details add so much to a simple design. At first glance it looks like there’s not much to Nami. She’s just some chick who apparently forgot to put on a shirt, right? That’s when you notice her bracelets, her pearl earrings, those painted nails, her golden bracelet and eternal pose, etc. Most notable is the blue tattoo on her upper arm. One Piece fans will know its significance.

One thing I’ve never figured out is exactly what THAT is. Seriously, what is it? Don’t get me wrong, I like it. It’s neat. It adds a bit of pizazz to some otherwise boring low-rise jeans, but WHAT IS IT?

For some unknown reason MegaHouse decided to make the tips of Nami’s hair semi-transparent. It’s a nice touch but it seems a little unnecessary with this particular character. This is one time I would’ve preferred solid painting over ‘cool hair effects’.

A lot of things have improved over the years with the POP line but nothing has improved more than…the feet, of all things. Just compare that to the deformed monstrosities poor Vivi was stuck with.

Just look at that sweet face of hers. It’s a shame she’s a bit of a bitch sometimes, but I guess you have to be to survive in the One Piece world. Luffy won’t always be there to save you.

Seriously, how bigger can those things get? My Nami has some unfortunate painting errors. You can see a few green splotches on the white part of her….bra? Bikini top? There’s also a strange smudge on one of her breasts. Shading gone wrong, perhaps?

Speaking of shading, just check out the nice shading on her torso. Nami’s got a really good flesh tone which is further enhanced by the soft peach shading on her skin. I sounded kinda creepy just then, huh?

If I did have a complaint about her, it’s that her pose seems to be…trying a bit too hard from some angles. Just check out her arm here. It just looks so stiff, and it almost stopped me from pre-ordering her initially. Good thing I changed my mind.

Nami’s pose has both her chest and rear pushed out for maximum effect. Her butt is literally so rockin’ her pants can barely contain it. It’s amazing how such a thin girl can have so much butt meat. Gracious me. Maybe Nami should invest in pants that don’t leave half her crack visible for the world to see?

Ah, the typical Portrait of Pirates base. Not really too much to say about it. You’ve seen one POP base, you’ve seen them all. I kinda wish it was teal instead of orange…

The base did have one small defect on it. Just look at that scuff! D:

OVERALL SCORE: 8/10

+ Attractive sculpt with some nice little details
+ Vibrant colors. Great flesh tone!
+ Good overall quality

- Some paint defects
- Scuff on base

GRAB HER WHILE YOU CAN! Nami is set for a re-release in Summer 2012. Considering how fast she sold out initially, I would not hesitate to get her re-release if you’re a Nami fan. Unless, ya know, you like paying stupid second-hand market prices.

~ G.K. Sil Kamina

I really really really REALLY wanted to love Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt. It had style. It had great animation. It had a snazzy soundtrack. But do you know what it didn’t have?

Enjoyability.

So apparently the deal with this show is that someone at Gainax watched too much Ren & Stimpy’s Adult Party Cartoon and Powerpuff Girls and thought it’d be a brilliant idea to combine the two. I’ve got no qualms with PPG, but Adult Party Cartoon? That thing was an abomination, and I LOVED Ren & Stimpy as a child. Bodily fluids and overly raunchy humor just are not funny to me. But apparently they’re hilarious to Gainax, since most of Panty & Stocking’s humor consisted of vomit, piss, dookie and semen.

There were a few moments of Panty & Stocking that were good. The Transformers episode was nothing short of brilliant. Scanty and Kneesocks were always a blast to watch. And the fact that the big bad of the show shared the same Japanese seiyuu as One Piece’s Buggy the Clown amused me endlessly. Those weren’t enough to make up for the rest of the show, though.

Not even close. Oh Gainax, what were you thinking?

Maybe I’m just too old for this show. I guess if I was in middle or high school I would’ve loved the shit out of it. :/

Enough about the show. How’s Sentinel’s take on Stocking? I’ve never purchased a Sentinel product before so I didn’t know what to expect. Gotta say…I was pleased with what I first saw. Just check out that stripper pole! The colorful base! Those FANTASTIC legs! MMM! This really is a nice Stocking to look at!

Sentinel surprised me by their use of different types of paint. I was honestly just expected matte-finishing for everything. Nope! Her bands, bracelets and shoes are all done in metallic paint. Her wings, hearts and certain parts of her dress are done with a pearly finish.

Shading is also well done, though I wish they used a light blue to shade her dress instead of gray. :/ Her skin features subtle shading, including a very hard to notice blush on her face.

From a distance she actually looks good. Real good. Her pose gives off a playful sexiness. She knows you want her. You know you want her. So you approach her. Closer, closer…yeah. Shit’s gonna be so GOOD. You reach out to hold her. You look her into her eyes…

And THAT’S when you notice her face. Her face! WHAT HAPPENED?! My friends and I have christened this unfortunate lass “Herp Derp Stocking”. There’s just no other way to describe that face sculpt.

The face shape is weird. The ears are too big. The nose is too long. Her eyes aren’t focused, it’s like she doesn’t know where she’s trying to look! Her bangs aren’t even fucking properly aligned with her head. C’MON!

That’s just…no. Just no. Where’s my paper bag? I need to cover that wreck.

Here, let’s look at something else. Wanna look at her hair? Let’s look at her hair.

Stocking’s hair color seems to change whenever it wants. Usually she’s depicted with very dark blue hair (almost looks dark purple at times) but it’s not unusual to see her with lighter blue hair. Sentinel decided to go with a vibrant color. As for the pink…uh…underhair(?), it’s more of a pastel shade and goes surprisingly well with the brilliant blue.

An interesting factoid about her hair is that it’s made of very soft, bendable plastic. Not really sure why this choice was made. Maybe to lessen her weight? *shrug* An even more questionable choice is the handling of seamlines. Stocking’s got some pretty nasty seams in her hair, such as the one pictured above.

Look! Here’s another one! Would it have killed them to sand these things down at least a little?

The unfortunate choices don’t stop there. Have you noticed something off with Stocking’s wing? That’s right…while from a distance it looks like her wing is a single piece that goes through her hair, up close you learn the horrible truth: Her wing is actually made of TWO pieces, and the first one doesn’t even reach the hair! I’ll cut Sentinel some slack since you’ll only see this flaw if you look at Stocking from certain angles. Still, what a shame!

Look, it’s another flaw! There’s some VERY rough painting on her breast. I can’t tell if it’s from the painter trying a little too hard or from damage that she got in transit. Seriously, what is up with that? And on the boob of all things? What a shame!

Stocking’s not a complete lost cause. There is some good attention to detail, such as her silver bracelets being separate pieces that dangle on her arm. Her fingernails are neatly painted and…hey, wait a minute. Isn’t that the dark blue color Stocking’s hair supposed to be? Hmm.

Oh, there’s another flaw. Scuff on the bracelet.

Hey! On the plus side her finger actually looks like it’s tugging on her stocking. A lot of time with figures that are made to look like they’re holding/tugging/pulling on clothes, their hands/fingers don’t actually touch the fabric. Kudos for Sentinel for at least getting this detail right.

The strings on her corset should be white but Sentinel got a bit lazy and kept them silver. Even the cheap SEGA Prize figure version of Stocking painted the strings white and she was only a fraction of the cost!

I don’t know if it’s just the one I got, but Stocking has small flaws absolutely everywhere. Not pictured are a few paint smudges on her inner thigh. Or the smudges on her skirt. Or the small nicks on her skirt. Or the seams on her legs and feet. Or the small gap from her leg to her stocking. Or the…well, you get the idea.

Flaws aside…I love those legs. They’re the main reason I got this Stocking.

The feet are surprisingly well done. Unlike most figures where the feet look like they melt directly into the shoe, Stocking’s feet and shoes are clearly separate pieces.

Stocking’s base is nice as well. It’s made to resemble the dance floor seen in the anime’s transformation scene. If I had to nitpick, it’s that the base is actually just a white slab with a sticker slapped on top of it. Handle this base with care. There’s no replacement sticker in the box, so heaven help you if you tear this one.

OVERALL SCORE: 6/10

+ Looks great from a distance
+ Sexy pose. Comes with a stripper pole!

- Absolutely loaded with flaws, ranging from barely noticeable to significant
- WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOUR FACE

While I admit to liking this figure (aside from THAT FACE), she’s got way too many issues for me to recommend paying full price for her. Even the most hardcore of Stocking fanatics may want to wait for her to hit the bargain bin before adding her to their collections.

GKSilKamina

Man, Miku, you sure have become a corporate whore over these last few years.  (Was that Toyota hot dog commercial really necessary?) Nowhere has this become more apparent than with Good Smile Company. They have taken this virtual girl and are currently milking her for all she’s worth. Another month? Another Miku figure! Will it be a PVC this time? How about another Nendoroid? Couple more Figmas? Need more Black Rock Shooter?

GSC seriously needs to take a chill pill. But hey, as long as it makes money, right? GSC’s stuff is really nice, too. Just look at this cute incarnation of the digital goddess.

I can’t tell you how happy I am to see Miku wearing something BESIDES her usual outfit. This figure has her in a shiny orange/white ensemble. As if that wasn’t enough, her hair has been altered as well. While she’s still got her trademark twintails, they’re not as ridiculously long or thick. They’re also a much lighter shade of green. Looks real nice with that orange outfit.

I’m not really sure what Good Smile Racing is all about. I guess it’s like NASCAR, in that a driver is endorsed by different companies. Instead of coming up with an original mascot for their racing arm, GSC has instead taken Miku and slapped her in some new clothes in order to promote their stuff. Every year brings us a NEW VERSION. (Though I still like the 2010 version the best)

Things fall apart for this figure when you look at her from the side. It’s here you notice just how flat her face is and impossible her shoes are. At an initial glance it even looks like she’s suffering from leaning. But worry not! She’s supposed to look this way, as strange as it seems.

She looks like she’s trying to either defy gravity, or do that one pose from Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” video.

GSC is a top of the line company as far as figure makers go. They had been suffering from some quality issues a little while back but they seem to have recovered…for the most part, anyway. Miku here is of exceptional quality. Her colors are vibrant. All details are neatly painted. The shading also helps bring out the contours of her body (not that she really needed it with how skintight that outfit is).

The tips of her hair are a little blunter than I’d like, especially up close. She looks perfectly fine at a distance, though. Also, check out the painting here. The orange parts are super shiny while the white parts have a pearlescent finish to them. Her skin has a nice, healthy color to it.

There’s a fantastic amount of detail in her clothes. Folds, stitches, buttons, that gaping bulge in her…crotch? Hey, wait. Is that supposed to be there? Guess she’s wearing a jockstrap. Gotta protect yourself. Racing is a dangerous sport.

Here are Miku’s boobies reminding you who this review is brought to us by.

Check out those stitches! Oh, and the ass too…I guess.

Stitches not impressive enough? Well how ’bout that tool set? I wonder if she even knows how to use them?

Unlike the other tools, the wrench is a loose piece and can be removed. It’s actually easier to just leave it out than try to put it in the pouch. There are only a few very narrow openings in there to SQUEEEEEEEEEEZE the wrench into.

One major issue with her pointed out by many fans is that her head is angled low, therefore she’s always looking down. This is a bit different from the prototype. While it too had a slightly lowered head, it wasn’t as bad as you see here. I guess for some people this isn’t a problem, as there were many put off by her face. (Is it the teeth?)

C’mon, how is that a bad face? She’s cute, especially compared to this.

Here’s a closer shot at her…gun…thing.

The end of the cable isn’t plugged into anything. Would this thing actually work?

Holding up her headphones. It must be hard to hear her music over all the loud cars.

Close-up of the headphones. Nice details.

Nice attention to detail on the top of her stockings. I also like how her legs get squished around the stocking’s band.

I can’t imagine wearing those shoes for more than five minutes. The amount of pressure on the ankle and toes must be excruciating! At least they look cool.

The base is pretty simple. It’s clear black and given a texture to give it the appearance of pavement.

OVERALL SCORE: 8/10

+ Great quality, as expected from GSC
+ Cute design. Great to see Miku in something aside from her default outfit

- Looking downward so needs to be placed on high shelf
- Weird pose when viewed from sides

I know a lot of people hated on this Miku for various reasons (the face, the pose, not looking enough like Miku, etc) but I’m completely in love with it. It’s great to see her wearing something aside from her schoolgirl outfit! This Miku was either really unpopular or overproduced as she’s still easy to find even two years after her release.

- GKSilKamina

Here comes the last chunk of my North Carolina related shenanigans. Didn’t get enough museum action in Part 1? Well, have some more! Instead of toy trains we’ll be looking at artifacts of the Cherokee Indians.

WARNING: IMAGE HEAVY POST

What a pleasant morning! Every morning I spent in Bryson was cold, wet and gray. Head a little further south and the skies would start to clear, leaving only a few lazy clouds drifting through the mountains. It’d even get considerably warmer…BUT that usually didn’t last long. The afternoon I went to Cherokee a storm started rolling in and the temperature dropped fast.

About fifteen minutes from Bryson City is the Cherokee Reservation. Residing here is one of the three Cherokee tribes: the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Unlike its two sister tribes, the members of this particular group were able to remain in their homeland. If you want to learn more be sure to look into the Trail of Tears and William Thomas Holland.

Most of the revenue the reservation gets is provided by two sources: Tourism (hence the absurd number of small gift shops and inns in the area) and the casino. I’ve never really looked into WHY every indian tribe seems to have a casino latched to them, but I won’t deny that it gets them a shitload of money. The Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Tampa is always crowded. ALWAYS. Harrah’s Cherokee Casino was no different, though it did have a nicer parking garage. I guess.

I hope you like inns since 25% of the buildings in the area seem to consist of them. Here’s one of the many themed ones, though this one wasn’t open for business.

Some of the inns don’t quite make sense, though. Why teddy bears? What do they have to do with anything? Maybe there’s something I’m missing.

The further you progress the more inns you see. I imagine this area is very crowded in the autumn.

Nestled between the Oconaluftee Island Park and a sea of gift shops is the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Located further up the street is a village and outdoor theater(which I imagine are similar to Hawaii’s Polynesian Cultural Center), but both were closed at the time of my visit.

Fans of artifacts have plenty to see here. Starting with…this…something. *looksa round* What was it again?

I imagine getting hit with one of these was a very unpleasant experience.

Oh good, a mortar and pestle. Now I can grind my oats.

Smoking pipes. These are much nicer than the little corncob pipe I got at a nearby shop.

Old fashioned drills. Insert a Gurren Lagann joke here.

Lovely crystal arrowheads.

I don’t quite remember what these are, I only know that they were inspired by the nest of a water spider from legend.

Baskets! It must’ve taken a lot of skill to weave them. Just check out the patterns on them.

Also on showcase at the museum are a few traditional games, starting with this bean flipping game. I’m sure it’s much more enthralling than it sounds.

If flipping beans isn’t your thing then perhaps you’d rather play a round of Chunkey, the hoop-and-stick game. Roll out a disc stone and, once it’s stop, hurl spears at it. The spear closest to the stone is the winner. On display in this case are a wide range of disc stones. Different sizes make for different difficulties. Which one  do you think is EASY MODO?

I need to kill five deer just to get one hoe for my crops? What a ripoff.

You know, I could probably live off months on the amount of corn it’d cost to get these two guns.

That’s a really good looking turkey.

The museum does possess some very nice displays.

A series of bronze bells. According to the description near the case these were a very popular trade item back in the day.

Genuine classic fine china. Do you know which silverware is used for what purpose?

I’m sure there’s someone dying to restore that old violin.

Old coins, glasses frame, lice comb and…some really nice thing. I think it was for salt.

- Read Part 1 of the North Carolina Misadventure Here.
- And here’s Part 2!
- And check here for additional locations.

I’ve read people’s comments of this area being pretty bland in comparison to other mountain railways. I reckon if you’ve spent most of your life in a mountainous region that’s true. But for someone like me? This is something completely different and exciting. Let me show you what typical Florida terrain is like…

THIS is what I’m used to. Florida is, for the most part, a land that is flat as a pancake. It’s also frequently sunny, hot as hell, and so humid you can cut the air with a knife.

Here’s a typical Florida tree. (Bet you were expecting a palm tree, weren’t you?) They’re usually covered with a strange substance called “Spanish Moss”. That stuff isn’t something you really want to touch. It tends to be a haven for lice.

To see so many trees…so many Spanish mossless trees…just that alone was enough to make me excited. What a wide variety of TREES. TREES! TREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

The Smokies were cold, wet and gray. It was a little weird to be in an area with…so little sun. After spending so much time in Florida you just kind of expect the sun to be there. I love cold, wet weather myself but my dad (who is a whore for heat and sun) was a sad panda.

It’s a shame I didn’t go during the autumn. My brain would’ve probably exploded from all the fall foliage. D:

The homes here were either run down shacks or big, expensive houses. How odd.

After LOTS AND LOTS OF TREES the area eventually opens up…

…I’m going to guess this is the gorge. Say hello to the Nantahala River. As mentioned before, the name means “Land of the Midday Sun”. There are certain areas here where the sun can only be seen in the middle of the day. The more you know.

For some reason this particular area reminded me of Shadow of the Colossus.

Seriously, where are Wander and Agro?

Rafting and kayaking are available activities for you water enthusiasts. Have fun.

Wow, the sky’s actually clear-ish! Sure didn’t stay that way long.

Hope you enjoyed the pics! But we’re not done yet. PART 3 COMING SOON.

Not that there’s anything wrong with Spring. I’d just rather have falling leaves or snow over blooming flowers, you know? Guess it’s just me. The mountains are still lovely regardless of the time of year you stop by. Let me show you!

WARNING: THIS POST IS VERY IMAGE HEAVY

You know you’re in for a relatively laid back time when you drive into Bryson City, an absurdly small town with a population of about 1300 people. It takes less than five minutes to drive through the whole thing, and largely consists of inns and small shops. If you’re looking for quiet, you’re definitely in the right place.

Main street.

The courthouse…I think.

Nice blossoms. It’s definitely spring.

Another view of main street.

Nice church.

Nice view.

Are you the type that can’t live without fast food? Have no fear! McDonalds, Burger King, Arby’s and Bojangles are all here and more than ready to fill your cravings for sodium and fat. Those trying to get away from national food chains can grab their grub from the local barbeque joints, Italian restaurant or cafe. Want to go super old school?

Shit. Is that a soda fountain? That’s a soda fountain! Wow. Wasn’t expecting to find one of those. D…did I go back in time?

Dryden? I know that guy. Didn’t know he made old fashioned rock candy.

View from the road leading out of town. Scattered about the town were banners representing different flags. Here you can see the flag for glorious Japan.

I saw a surprisingly small number of animals and bugs. The lack of bugs was especially weird. Living in Florida, you’re surrounded by all sorts of insects 24/7. I did eventually come across these painfully beautiful butterflies. Look at them! What kind are they?

I also saw one of…whatever these things are. (Thirty seconds of research has revealed that this is a groundhog. The more you know!)

Head deeper into Bryson and you’ll end up at the train depot. What’s here? More shops! Here you’ll find some great places to pick up a variety of sauces, jams, jellies and honey.

The train depot.

The Great Smoky Mountain Railroad takes you over fifty miles into the heart of the mountains, traveling on tracks previously owned by the defunct Southern Railways. Depending on the time of year you can choose to go on different excursions. As this time of the year is considered the ‘off season’, only the Nantahala Gorge ride was available.

They offer different packages depending on much money you’ve got burning in your wallet. The top class stuff puts you in super swanky old styled cabins, complete with an attendant to serve you. For those with a little less money, you can go into simple passenger cars. For the rest of you? There are some open air cars you can relax in. At this time of year that’d be great…but I can’t imagine sitting in one of those during winter.

We went with the middle class option. As you can see…it’s not much to write home about. Not to mention the seats are tightly packed, so I imagine this being pretty uncomfortable during busy seasons.

For those looking for something to do while waiting for the train, a nearby shop contains a toy train museum featuring a massive collection of Lionel trains dating all the way back to 1918! Learn more from Smoky Mountain Trains’ official website.

This is the only appropriate response to this entire museum.

I’m sorry, how much did you say that was?

I wonder how rare a 1927 Type V Lionel Lines Electric Locomotive – Standard Gauge is, because this one here is a whopping $2000.

Ah, the Lionel Coin Bank. You accursed beast.

Is this an old radio? This thing was almost as tall as me!

AMERICA!

Wow, talk about attention to detail. Car accidents…

…road construction…

…and an undercover cop pulling over a reckless driver! It’s just like real life.

Even the miniature carnival games worked realistically. The weight would rise to different rankings…sadly, it never did hit that tiny bell.

I want them all.

That’s enough of that. Coming up next is the actual train ride through the mountains. PART 2 COMING SOON!