{"id":14425,"date":"2011-09-14T00:17:34","date_gmt":"2011-09-14T05:17:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=14425"},"modified":"2012-04-16T04:05:57","modified_gmt":"2012-04-16T09:05:57","slug":"vault-review-figma-100-hatsune-miku-append-ver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=14425","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review: Figma #100
Hatsune Miku Append ver."},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>An expensive package arrived at my doorstep last week. You know what that means? Another Japanese import review, yay! This time I\u2019m taking a looking at Figma\u2019s one hundredth figure, Hatsune Miku\u2019s Append version. To celebrate the special occasion, Max Factory even included a bonus accessory. <\/p>\n

The character of Hatsune Miku was originally created as the mascot for the Vocaloid voice synthesizer program.\u00a0 Her mechanized voice was formed from the altered and synthesized voice of actress Saki Fujita, while her appearance was designed by manga artist Kei Gar\u014d.\u00a0 She was given a basic biography of essential information like her birthday, age, height\/weight, and a simple back story explaining that she was \u201cAn android diva in the near-future world where songs are lost.\u201d\u00a0 But beyond that she\u2019s a blank slate, allowing the viewer or listener to impart onto her their ideas of what her personality is like.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The most interesting thing to me about Miku is that she\u2019s not just a singer anymore, but also a model, spokesperson, and all-around virtual idol.\u00a0 Even her lack of a tangible form hasn\u2019t stopped her from appearing with the other Vocaloid characters live in concert with the help of some very advance projection technology.\u00a0 Her devoted fans treat her like a real person, making her one of the most prominent examples of how the lines between the real world and virtual reality continue to blur.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Miku was included as figure #14 in Max Factory\u2019s Figma line way back in 2008.\u00a0 That\u2019s way before I discovered the joy that is Japanese toy market.\u00a0 She had been long sold out, and her second hand value had gone up considerably.\u00a0 So I was happy to learn that Figma would be celebrating their 100th<\/sup> figure by releasing another Miku in the style of her Append extension program.\u00a0 Finally I could add her to my robot girl collection.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Miku\u2019s Append program was designed to add six new voicebanks which would bring more mood and emotion to the voice of her Vocaloid software.\u00a0 Likewise, her look was also evolved for the add-on.\u00a0 Gone was her cute schoolgirl-like appearance, replaced by a much more provocative and ethereal design.<\/p>\n

Figma did a fantastic job of reproducing this new look in plastic.\u00a0 Her sleeves and stockings are smooth, yet have inlaid lines like a Gundam model.\u00a0 The simple sculpt of her leotard is offset by the much more detailed buckle and speaker design of her skirt piece.\u00a0 But her most striking feature has to be her long and fluid hair.\u00a0 The frosted teal paint fades into translucent strands, giving the impression that it\u2019s flowing into nothingness.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Miku comes with enough alternate body parts that you can give her multiple different looks.\u00a0 She has three faces: her classic anime face looking to the left, a more realistic looking face (or what I like to call her \u201csexy face\u201d), and a third face with her eyes closed.\u00a0 All three are also interchangeable with the previous figure, adding to her library of expressions.\u00a0 Continue to page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Miku\u2019s other parts are an alternate lower torso, biceps, and skirt pieces which give her the look of the Append\u2019s cover art.\u00a0 In this version the various buckles and straps around her sleeves and belt are undone, and her \u201cnecktie\u201d is flowing in the breeze and revealing a center slip of skin along her stomach.<\/p>\n

Last but not least are the customary alternate hands.\u00a0 She gets one pair of splayed fingers, one pair of flat palms, one pair of holding hands, and one pair of fists.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Like most Figmas, Miku has fantastic articulation.\u00a0 Her ponytails, head, shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles are all standard Figma joints which work like swivel\/hinges.\u00a0 Her upper torso, inner shoulders, and hips are all ball joints.\u00a0 Her wrists are more traditional swivel\/hinges.\u00a0 Her skirt pieces can hamper some extreme posing with her legs, but her skirts are also removable, so it can easily be remedied.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Miku comes with one additional accessory, a USB cord that can attach to the back of her belt and resembles an electronic tail.\u00a0 Her Figma stand can also attach to this belt piece, or you can use the alternate C-clip if you\u2019d rather she be wearing her tail.<\/p>\n

In celebration of their 100th<\/sup> Figma, Max Factory also included a bonus accessory with a certain number of Miku figures: Figma sized headphones.\u00a0 There are three colors: black, gray, and dark brown.\u00a0 Only one headphone was packed per figure, and they are all blind bagged so you don\u2019t know what color you\u2019d be getting.\u00a0 It really surprised me how nice these are.\u00a0 Both ear pieces are separate from the band and can swivel or be pulled down a bit to accommodate almost any five or six inch character.\u00a0 Not too bad for a bonus item!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

You can pick this figure up for about $30, plus shipping.\u00a0 And like most of the figures I order from Japan, I\u2019m pretty happy with the end product.\u00a0 She has a very captivating look to her design that I actually prefer to her more anime-inspired cute look.\u00a0 I also like her more realistic face, which tends to blend in better with the other robo-girls on my shelf.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An expensive package arrived at my doorstep last week. You know what that means? Another Japanese import review, yay! This time I\u2019m taking a looking at Figma\u2019s one hundredth figure, Hatsune Miku\u2019s Append version. To celebrate the special occasion, Max Factory even included a bonus accessory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":14426,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[34,10],"tags":[1168,1170,104,1169,847,1171],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/amikTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-3KF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15915,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=15915","url_meta":{"origin":14425,"position":0},"title":"Vault Review: Cheerful Japan Miku Hatsune (Figma #114)","date":"December 16, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"By the time I learned just how great Figma figures were, it was too late for me to purchase the original Miku Hatsune without paying insanely high prices.\u00a0 That\u2019s why I jumped at the chance when Max Factory rereleased her in their Cheerful Japan line. To help raise money and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/cmik9.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25843,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=25843","url_meta":{"origin":14425,"position":1},"title":"Vault Review: Figma #200 Hatsune Miku 2.0","date":"November 19, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/miku8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11584,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=11584","url_meta":{"origin":14425,"position":2},"title":"Wonder Festival Winter 2011 *UPDATE* New Pics Added","date":"February 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the weekend IAT\u2019s very own Robert Baldwin (a.k.a. Dorkey, on our forums) was kind enough to brave the cold weather and long lines to bring us coverage of the newest and coolest toys that will be coming out of Japan this year. So check out part 1 of our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Event Coverage"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16310,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=16310","url_meta":{"origin":14425,"position":3},"title":"Vault Review: Composite Fei Yen\/Hatsune Miku","date":"January 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019ve always been more than a little tempted by the robotic figures from the Virtual On video game series.\u00a0 With the addition of a Miku Hatsune design to the line, I decided to check out the rather lengthily named Composite Ver. Ka VR-014\/HD Fei-Yen HD and have it for today's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/01\/vmik11.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13792,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=13792","url_meta":{"origin":14425,"position":4},"title":"Wonder Festival Summer 2011 – UPDATE!","date":"August 2, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"While most of us were focused on SDCC last weekend, the Japanese toy industry was celebrating their own show-and-tell shindig at Summer Wonder Festival 2011.\u00a0 Our man in Japan, Robert Baldwin, was there to capture the latest and greatest from Kaiyodo, The Good Smile Co., and the other manufacturers who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Event Coverage"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11602,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=11602","url_meta":{"origin":14425,"position":5},"title":"Wonder Festival Winter 2011 Questions & Answers","date":"February 10, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Just before Winter Wonder Festival 2011, we put out an open call for questions to ask the various companies that attended the show. Our own Robert Baldwin caught up with many of the company representatives and got a few interesting answers and some big news concerning the future of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Event Coverage"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14425"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14425"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14425\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18074,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14425\/revisions\/18074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}