For the first figure review of the new year, I wanted her to be something big, something special and something I’ve been anticipating for, for a very long time and this something is indeed Takamachi Nanoha Exceed Mode by Alter.
As many are already aware, I received her from Hobby Search yesterday after it was shipped out on Monday. Because of this speedy service via EMS and great timing since it was a day off from work, I had the chance to give her a photoshoot in preparation for this review.

So did Exceed Mode lived up to it’s quality and all it’s hype, hit the jump to find out. ^^

The most obvious and straight forward answer is YES. If you already own Fate T Harlaown Shin Sonic Form, then you would’ve known she is a centre of perfection or masterpiece as many would say. I read she was flawless, very dynamic and many labeled it as the ‘figure of the (last) year’. Well, since I gave her the miss because of space issues I would’ve said what many of you already said but now I can rely everything you said about Fate to Nanoha because Alter perfected her just like they did with Fate.

With such an energetic pose pointing her Raising Heart in front of you, you can see she’s all ready to go in battle mode and bracing to shoot out her destructive beam at you. With a pose like this, you kinda wonder is there any other Nanoha figure with a more dynamic pose that this. Included with 4 Blaster bits, displaying her becomes more EPIC when the Blaster bits are displayed around her and the best bit is, each Blaster bits feels as they have a mind of it’s own because the thrust behind each bit is movable and you can display it as attack mode or stand-by mode. I will explain a bit more when we take a closer look at each Blaster bit. As for the quality of each bit, expect nothing but perfection. :)

Even though she was mass produced, the quality of her exceeded my expectations. I was expecting a great figure with maybe a flaw or 2 but after searching high and low, I can’t find a single flaw that wouldn’t give her a rating of 10/10.
Best Alter figure in my collection to date. If she was released as scheduled last year, she would’ve been my pick for ‘figure of the year’. :D

“Ace of ace” – I like that. ^^

A proper mouth with a tongue. xD

Nothing but perfection when it comes to the Blaster bit. As mentioned earlier, if you take a closer look at the 4 thrust behind the bit, there is a ball joint to make it movable around the bit to a certain extent. Kudos to the person who had this  idea. ^^d

I wish it was pink but I’m not complaining. xD

The shoot was done just outside of the house on the balcony. It was the first time using the balcony as a shooting area and I thought it went well so it won’t be the last time. I had planned to do it inside with a proper background and setup but she was just too big and it wouldn’t work.

Still available at HLJ (listed as backordered) and at Big Bad Toys, she can be yours now if you haven’t done so. Hobby Search usually do restock so check their daily if you want to grab her from there. She will look EPIC  with your Fate Shin Sonic Form alongside and even alone she looks amazing. :)
If you ever considered owning a Nanoha figure or want another one, THIS version is the BEST one. YOU WON’T REGRET IT!!!!! XD

For other great reviews please check out:

• Wawawawasuremono
• Exelica Meteor

The day has arrived to present the last shoot of my 5 shoots in 5 days. As the final shoot, I had a difficult time to decide who to shoot as I wanted to end it on a high note so I decided to choose a figure where everyone can represent a bit about themselves because she is also an ‘otaku herself’. xD
So for my final shoot, I present the energetic, cute and happy maid otaku, Sakura Nankyoku.

Picked her up from the HLJ sale a few months, she was definitely an eye-catcher in the sale list. Despite not having a chance to watch the series, it clearly didn’t stop me in acquiring her because 1) I LUVE maids and 2) the many reviews in the blogsphere world of her was enough to convince me to acquire her if by chance she is ever discounted.

Once again, Alter did another superb job on the figure. A few key points I wanna point out in, what makes her so great is her energetic pose. If you know me, I love energetic or dynamic poses on all figures and the more super hyper active they are, the better. Clearly I can see she’s one of them and since that super happy smile just makes her look more energetic, I feel like running out and giving her a hug. YES, only a hug people. :P
Another point I wanna point out is her maid dress. As many may find it, it’s a simple, plain and boring maid dress but you can’t really expect anything too flashy from maid dresses. What I find in maid dresses is, the more simple they are, the better they look and from what I can see, Alter deliver this part spot on.
The last point I wanna point out is her base. I can see it’s a very simple base with a simple design but the way how I see it is, it completes the figure. Maids are meant to deliver their masters good service and lots and lots of luve and if you think about, a love heart design base clearly makes sense don’t you think? :D

Finally, the only downside I can think off  is her hair. When I look at it from the back, it looks more of a lump than hair. I wish Alter can put just a bit more effort into hair and maybe add a few more curves from the top. Still, considering you not gonna display her from the back, it doesn’t really matter but it’s important to not lose focus on the major details while making sure the minor details are correct and precise. ^^

Simple and sweet. Full of luving. xD

Nice legs. xD

So cute!!!

Pink coloured panstu’s are always the prettiest ;)

Maid and Waitress, they are the same thing right?

As you can see, this shoot was my real first crack at the white background. White backgrounds are generally hard to do but if it’s setup well, it will work wonders. While I am not at that point yet, I thought my first go at it worked out well but I know I’ve got a long way to go.
Maybe a 3rd lamp might help considering my lamps aren’t that big to begin with? What do you guys and gals think?

For more reviews on this lovely, cute and energetic otaku, please check out:

• Flying Pussyfoot
• WAWAWAwasuremono

And there you have it, 5 ‘completed’ shoots in 5 days. ^^
As many might have already noticed, a few earlier shoots was already pre-prepared but writing them up was not. Each shoot was written up on the day it was suppose to be posted so as you can see, after an exhausting day at work, I still managed to write up a detailed review.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the 5 shoots in 5 days. While I did enjoy writing each one up, I was getting tired day after day as I went on but still, it’s something not many can do or willing to do but at least, I was able to achieve something on my blog. :)

As we start reaching the end of the 5 shoots in 5 days, it’s time to present the 4th and 2nd last shoot. Here we have here is the master sharpshooter from the overly popular series Tengen Toppa Guren Lagann. I say overly popular because there is not a single person in the anime or otaku sphere who does not know about the series. I will put my 2cent for it. xD

Based on design from the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Gurren-hen anime movie, I’m sure all of you may already know, she is the one and only Yoko I have ever wanted from all the Yoko’s released and/or announced out there so far. The reason why I chose her was the design which included the face, the pose and the all important bit which makes this Yoko standout from the rest, the customizable gun. Now that I acquired her, unpacked her out, set her up and piece the gun up, I have no regrets whatsoever I have acquired one of the best Yoko out there and the gun is so cool that I’m willing to say, ‘it looks sick’ xD

Not only is the gun customizable where it can be turned into a machine gun in less than 50 seconds, it also comes with a optional winking facial expression, neck warmer and three different barrettes. You will get a chance to have a look at all 3 barrettes very soon. My preferred facial expression is the winking one because, I will be honest, it reminds me of Mikuru “himitsu” pose. Clearly as you can see, the Mikuru fanboy inside me is big even when I’m talking about Yoko. lol

So did Kotobukiya deliver another average effort? Surprisingly no, as I thought they went on par with GSC, Max Factory and Alter on this one. They really went above and beyond to make her look as perfect as possible and for the first time, I can honesty say, she looks flawless coming from the Kotobukiya range. Every detail looks just right and I can’t think of anything else I can ask for from Kotobukiya. In saying that, it makes me wonder WHY Kotobukiya can’t deliver each and every figure of this high quality every time. I believe they can go the distant when it comes to quality and their rendition of Yoko proves that.

Nice sexy back. xD

Lovely. xD

Cute!!!!

Which 3 of the barrettes do you like? I prefer the bad-ass left one xD

Nice shorts. Does the belly button look right to you Guy? xD

The next following section below, we take a closer look at the customizable gun. In total, it comes with 10 parts to piece together.

Straight from the box, this is what you get.

Even on the inside, the details are not to be missed.

Instant death awaits for anyone getting hit.

The machine gun should not include the sniper scope attached to the top. I forgot to remove it when I took the picture but you get the idea.

Still available at HLJ, she’s a real, real beauty if you don’t already have her. I understand many already acquired the Alter version and while I don’t mind you having her, what’s wrong in having an extra Yoko or more Yoko fanboys and girls? ;)

For another great review (or you just need more convincing) please visit:

• How a Girl Figures
• YuKi-To Yoko shoot (on DC)
• Happy Soda

Please let me know if you want your review added here incase I missed you.

Coming to the halfway mark of my 5 shoots in 5 days, it’s time to deliver the 3rd shoot. Presenting the cute, suited up lolicon Yukari Morita from Rocket Girls who is ready to head off into space for another mission from the Solomon Space Agency. Well actually, she’s almost ready because as you can see, she’s still trying to zip up her space suit. It’s gonna be a tight fit but she knows she will manage. xD

Picked her up from the HLJ sale many months ago when she was discounted to less than half price. As already mentioned in my HLJ sale post, I have been eying on her for a very long time ever since I finished the series many years ago. As the price held me back for a very long time and missing out in getting her for a bargain price at Hobby Search, I knew it was now or never ever again during the sale.

As the figure is a collaboration work between Kotobukiya & Chrono Gate, they really focused in getting the little details right especially the oxygen tank on the back of the spacesuit. I don’t have a vivid image of the suit itself considering it’s been a long time since I watched the series but looking at the illustrations from the box, it’s almost close to perfect. In addition to this, I also wanna give them credit in getting the finer details of the logo clear and precise. Sometimes it’s hard for the makers to get this part right and at the same time, make it stand out but honesty, I thought they over exceed my expectations on this bit.

Other than that, you can’t miss it as a Kotobukiya work. The scuplt and the rest of the details given is a dead set giveaway and while Kotobukiya is gradually improving on their new figures line up, we all know they still have a long way to go to match up with GSC, Max Factory and Alter.

Oh Yeah. xD

Love how they got the logo just perfect. ^^

Another great item included with her is the launching rocket. The rocket can be displayed on it’s own or next to Yukari on top or beside her base. One thing I can say about the rocket is, it’s a exact replicate of the one from the series but in a scale format off course.
Are Japan rockets built in this design?

Here’s a height comparison

Still available at HLJ, she’s a nice addition to have in your collection if your a fan of the series or you just like girls with rockets in general. While the price is considered slightly high, it’s not a figure to stress over about considering there are other great Kotobukiya figures out there.
Still that’s just my opinion considering I’m the lucky one who snatched her for less than half price. xD

Look forward to my 4th shoot tomorrow as we are nearing the end of the 5 shoots in 5 days.

I hope you have been enjoying it so far. :)

]]> http://thedisjointedzone.com/2009/10/29/blasting-off-with-yukari-morita/feed/ 7 http://thedisjointedzone.com/2009/10/28/the-beautiful-feena-fam-earthlight/ http://thedisjointedzone.com/2009/10/28/the-beautiful-feena-fam-earthlight/#comments Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:39:07 +0000 Optic http://thedisjointedzone.com/?p=3754 1/8 scale Feena Fam Earthlight by Max Factory

Next up in my 5 shoots in 5 days, I am proud to present the lovely Feena-chan from the manga and anime series Yoake Mae Yori Ruri Iro Na. One of the beauties of what attracted me to this figure was her swimsuit. I understand many will find [...]

It’s been far too long since my last shoot, 3 months to be exact if you want the number. As figure shoots is not what I primarily focus on my blog anymore, it’s still fun and enjoyable to do whenever I’m in the mood for it or when watching anime and playing games becomes a bit repetitive in my daily routine.

This week, I decided to try something different and not just make it a shoot for the week. Instead I will be bringing out 5 shoots in 5 days so 1 shoot per a day for 5 days. Off course, life is unpredictable at times and while I can’t guarantee a shoot per a day, I will do my best to bring out the 5 shoots by the end of this week  if that was the case.

So lets get started shall we. :)

First shoot to start off the 5 shoots in 5 days is Megahouse Clare from the most popular manga and anime series Claymore. I say popular because it is without a doubt one of the most watched series back in mid 2007 and it’s still ranked as one of my top 10 series of all time. The storyline was just thrilling and in-dept and so was the character development but one thing which kept asking me for more was the constant turn of events and surprises. The surprises was really unpredictable (given the fact I never read the manga). ^^

Moving along to the figure. Originally released towards the end of 2007, Megahouse No. 47 Clare was the first Claymore figure to be announced just after the end of the series. I managed to make my preorder early at Play-asia when they listed her up and thankfully I did because preorder slots closed a few days afterwards from many major online retailers from what I remember.  Clearly she was one of the most ‘wanted’ figures at that time. Off course, many Clare fanboys missed out and due to popular demand, Megahouse re-release her at the start of this year (from what I recall) and certain it was your last chance to get her before she disappeared for good.

While it’s an old figure in my collection, I still consider it as one of the best. Megahouse really got the details right and the glossy armor is a very nice touch to the overall appeal. She also comes along with an interchangeable arm of Elena so many can display her with the power of Elena in her right arm. Elena was so cool, I just can’t help but to display her attached with Elena arm all the time. xD
The only downside about  her I could think off was the grip of both arms holding sword. The arms are very loose in holding the sword and if the sword is not touching the ground, it will slide off easily hence that is why I have her sword placed behind her cape. Heck I prefer it take way anyway. ^^

Love the details of Elena right arm. :D

Bad-ass not Sexy-ass okay. xD

Yes that’s a scratch on the sword :(

She’s not available anymore at major online retailers so best of luck in trying to find her. She’s an old release now but if Claymore is still one of your favourite series of all time then I really recommend you working your ass in trying to find her as she is the best Clare figure out there to date.

Look forward to my next shoot. ^^