For my first scale figure review, we'll take a closer look at Velvet, a character from the game Odin Sphere. By the time I started collecting, this statue was already out in the market for quite some time which made it hard to acquire. Luckily, Yamato US still had this statue in stock and I immediately bought it.
Lets start by looking at the star shaped base. The surface of the base is made to mimic marble and it really does look like it when you're not scrutinizing it. A vine-like carving goes around the sides of the base which gives a Victorian feel to it.
The details are all real "carvings" and not painted on, so you can actually feel the detail. Here is a closer look. I really hoped that the originally designed base was made into production - the prototype base was all painted in gold, but that didn't happen. Despite that, this by far is the most elegant and ornate base in my collection.
Next we have the chain with red crystal shards at both ends. The chain is made of plastic so it's light weight. I am not sure how Yamato manufactured the chain, I would imagine that it might be very tedious to link the chain together if done manually. The red crystal shards are translucent and it does give of a certain luster if the light hits it a certain angle.
Let's now look at the upper section of the statue. The first photo at the very start of the post really shows how beautifully made the face is. Here you can see another angle of Velvet's angelic facial features. The eyes are purple and has a shiny finish to make the eyes look more realistic.
The next image shows the upper chest area where we have a small red ribbon. Similar to the eyes, the lips also have a shiny realistic look.
This is the design found at the edge the large red hood that she wears. You will notice that the stars are embossed to add texture. This little detail makes it look a bit like real embroidery.
Moving lower, we've got some sleeves. The sleeves are detailed to match the character design. I am not sure what this ruffled up look is called but it's there (are these bell sleeves?)
The next two photos show off her hands where the chain goes. Velvet's hands are beautifully made and they really look very feminine and elegant. Here is the left hand.
The statue comes with clear bracelets that are used to secure the chain in place, but I didn't think it was really needed. I just roll the chain around the wrists. Here is the right hand.
Velvet's midsection...you can see the muscle definition, very nice abs. I also wanted to highlight the skirt in this image, that skirt can be removed. You'll have to separate her body from under the breast line to remove the skirt. The skirt is slightly flexible which helps while removing it.
Under the skirt, you'll see a lot of fine details. Starting with the garter which holds up Velvet's stockings. Those folds in the garter just make it look great.
And the paint job on the lingerie is amazingly realistic. It is challenging to take a photo of the lingerie and still make it SFW but I think this photo does the trick. You can see that it's not just simple paint, because the lacy details are accentuated by embossing the lines of the lingerie. Amazing job on this detail.
Despite these great details under the skirt and its perfectly sculpted lower body, I still prefer displaying Velvet with the skirt on. It just seemed unbalanced aesthetically without the skirt and too risque. Here is an angle from the right. As you can see, you can't see the face from this angle...instead we've got the huge red hood. You will also see that the chain goes straight down, contrary to the product shots from Yamato where it defies gravity.
Next are a few outdoor photos that show Velvet's angle from the front and the rear left where she's looking.
To wrap things up, this is simply one of the best PVC statues out there. The sum of all these fine details truly makes this statue great. I did not find any flaws as far as the paint job is concerned, so that's a huge plus. This is a non-scale statue but it looks like 1/7th scale statue. If you're a collector of PVC statues, this one is highly recommended.
On a side note, I would like to thank Ms. Gwen, she brought home the statue for me from the US and that saved me shipping expenses. I would not have gotten the statue without her help. I would also like to thank Ekai for hosting the venue for the outdoor shoot location. The shoot was done with John (they brought their own goodies to shoot). Click on their names to have a look at their shots. And most importantly, thank you to my wife for letting me join the shoot.
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