{"id":18984,"date":"2012-06-06T01:45:25","date_gmt":"2012-06-06T06:45:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18984"},"modified":"2012-06-06T21:07:45","modified_gmt":"2012-06-07T02:07:45","slug":"vault-review-figmas-charming-drossel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=18984","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review: Figma\u2019s
Charming Drossel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>This review is a bit oddly commemorative.\u00a0 The original Figma Drossel was my first review for IAT waaaay back in 2009.\u00a0 She was also the first Japanese import I\u2019d ever purchased.\u00a0 So I\u2019m feeling a roundabout nostalgia for Figma\u2019s newest Drossel figure.<\/p>\n

I have a bias when it comes to the first Drossel figure.\u00a0 Being my introduction to the Japanese collector market, I was amazed at her articulation and detail.\u00a0 The more imports I bought, the more I realized these were common aspects.\u00a0 But I still hold her at the top of my list as one of my favorite figures.\u00a0 So you might imagine how surprised I was to discover that the new Charming Drossel improved upon the original in almost every way.<\/p>\n

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

Charming Drossel comes from the second installment in the Fireball series, Fireball Charming, which is actually a prequel to the first.\u00a0 I thought this was a pretty interesting direction for the series since Fireball left off on a cliffhanger.\u00a0 Not only that, but they were drastically changing the design of the main character herself.\u00a0 The schoolgirl-esque body and double ponytail look was replaced by an odd humanoid figure with blatant mechanical bits, a long head fin, and no feet.\u00a0 Interesting choices to say the least.<\/p>\n

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

After finally watching a subbed version of Charming, and playing with the figure for a bit, I have to say that I like her prequel look the best.\u00a0 Charming\u2019s is so much more streamlined and elegant.\u00a0 She really makes the original Drossel look clunky.\u00a0 A main reason for this is that most of her white body parts are cylindrical-like shapes.\u00a0 Her head fin also helps by being articulated, giving it the ability to conform to the shape of her body.<\/p>\n

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

One aspect that makes the Charming figure noticeably nicer over the original is the shade of white used by Good Smile.\u00a0 It\u2019s difficult to capture on film, but Charming\u2019s white is much crisper.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost like she\u2019s a high def version of the other\u2019s color.\u00a0 Also, I\u2019m not exactly sure how they did it, but Charming\u2019s eyes have much more depth to them. \u00a0This gives her blank face much more emotional inflection.<\/p>\n

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

Even if you don\u2019t like her design, the one area where you have to give Charming her props is articulation.\u00a0 Although most of her joints are the same swivel\/hinges that you see on her neck, and that are common on most Figmas, almost all of them have been covered up by the black mechanical designs of her skeletal structure.\u00a0 Her elbows, knees, and even the joint in the middle of her head fin appear to be double hinges, but they\u2019re actually all held together with these swivel\/hinge joints.\u00a0 To increase her range of movement even more, her hips are ball joints, while her shoulders and waist are double ball joints.\u00a0 All of this liberal articulation gives Charming Drossel an incredible amount of life and personality.\u00a0 Continue to page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Something else I love about this figure is all of the accessories she comes with.\u00a0 Aside from her five sets of alternate hands, she comes with two heel-like wheel attachments so that she can stand up without an actual stand.\u00a0 I’m glad they added this feature, but the wheels aren’t as stable as the similar invisible heels on the Aegis figure.<\/p>\n

Charming also comes with three different \u201chair styles\u201d.\u00a0 The first is her long fin with the double hinged joint in the middle.\u00a0 This piece is also hinged at her head and also does a really good job of conveying emotion.<\/p>\n

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

The second alternate head piece resembles hair that has been styled up and comes off much more fancy looking with all the intricately printed designs.\u00a0 This bit is actually a combination of two separate hair pieces that connect and two new ear attachments.\u00a0 Charming also comes with a pair of glasses that were designed to plug into the whole contraption.<\/p>\n

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

Her last headpiece is a combination of \u201chair\u201d and a ceremonial astrology mask.\u00a0 The mask part is hinged and can be lowered over Drossel\u2019s face.\u00a0 It\u2019s got a vague bird-like beak shape and has some really amazing tampo work on the face with various black and blue designs intersecting.\u00a0 Coming off the back of the headpiece are six translucent blue feathers, all of which are articulated by tiny ball joints.<\/p>\n

Drossel\u2019s \u201cAstrology Unit\u201d staff is also included to go along with the mask.\u00a0 The staff has a really intricate design which is supposed to lampoon the Staff of Ra from Raiders of the Lost Ark<\/em>.\u00a0 The lenses are also on a swivel joint if you want to switch them around.<\/p>\n

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

You\u2019d think that would be enough accessories, but Drossel comes with two more.\u00a0 The first is a cape from her long dead \u201cfather\u201d.\u00a0 Although this piece is impressively huge, it does have a couple of issues.\u00a0 There\u2019s no gold thread lining the edges.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t technically a big deal, but it is disappointing when you consider all the other tiny details on the figure.\u00a0 The second issue is that the cape can be shaped by the twist tie-like strips on the side.\u00a0 This is a great option, but the same technique was used on Figma\u2019s Kamen Rider Siren<\/a> with really poor results.\u00a0 I\u2019m just waiting for the twist tie piece to start peeling away from the fabric.<\/p>\n

The second accessory Drossel comes with is the Fl\u00fcgel family\u2019s portable secretary, Reginald.\u00a0 He\u2019s this little Roomba type device that records everything Drossel says, just in case she forgets any of it.\u00a0 Embarrassingly for her, he tends to repeat these things around other people.\u00a0 Nothing a good punt out the window can\u2019t fix\u2026<\/p>\n

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

I\u2019m still a really big fan of the original Drossel, but I think Charming is my new favorite.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t sure about the new design at first, but its sleek look and fantastic ability to convey emotions has really won me over.\u00a0 The amount of accessories and detail on this figure have made her a bit more expensive than the average Figma, not to mention the high cost of the Yen, but I really think she\u2019s a figure worth owning.\u00a0 It\u2019s still early in the year, but she\u2019s definitely a contender for my favorite figure of 2012.<\/p>\n

-Vault<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This review is a bit oddly commemorative.\u00a0 The original Figma Drossel was my first review for IAT waaaay back in 2009.\u00a0 She was also the first Japanese import I\u2019d ever purchased.\u00a0 So I\u2019m feeling a roundabout nostalgia for Figma\u2019s newest Drossel figure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18985,"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":[1548,105,104,1547,1118],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/chdrTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-4Wc","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":307,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=307","url_meta":{"origin":18984,"position":0},"title":"Vault Review: Figma’s Drossel","date":"July 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14425,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=14425","url_meta":{"origin":18984,"position":1},"title":"Vault Review: Figma #100 Hatsune Miku Append ver.","date":"September 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"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. The character of Hatsune\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/amik8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22314,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22314","url_meta":{"origin":18984,"position":2},"title":"Vault Review: Figma Link","date":"January 8, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year.\u00a0 While Noisy gets his new house of boxes organized, I\u2019m back with my regular Tuesday review.\u00a0 So bear with me as I get back into the swing of things with a look at Figma\u2019s Skyward Sword Link. This is actually a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/link7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15946,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=15946","url_meta":{"origin":18984,"position":3},"title":"Vault Review: Figma’s Aegis, Heavy Arms Ver. (EX #008)","date":"December 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"As with the Cheerful Japan Miku, the Good Smile Company took another bold step forward and offered last summer\u2019s Wonder Festival exclusives online for worldwide distribution.\u00a0 The first of the two figures I ordered from them is an alternate version of their Aegis Figma. Max Factory\u2019s first Aegis Figure came\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/aegw10.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23602,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23602","url_meta":{"origin":18984,"position":4},"title":"Vault Review: Figma\u2019s Giant God Warrior","date":"June 5, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"One figure I\u2019ve been looking forward to for a while is the Giant God Warrior from Good Smile Co\u2019s Figma line.\u00a0 Not only is he a visually interesting character, but he\u2019s also the first collaboration between the Figma line and Studio Ghibli! This particular version of the Giant God Warrior\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/ggw7.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5047,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=5047","url_meta":{"origin":18984,"position":5},"title":"Vault Review Figma’s Max Factory Aegis","date":"April 22, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Every once in a while, something odd happens. I\u2019m compelled to buy a toy that I know nothing about. My friends might tell you that it\u2019s not that odd an occurrence, but I promise it is. The reasons vary. First, she\u2019s a robot girl. If you\u2019re familiar with my reviews,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18984"}],"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=18984"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18984\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18998,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18984\/revisions\/18998"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18985"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18984"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18984"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18984"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}