Zona Artis

Finally she’s here at my doorstep, one of my most anticipated figures of year 2010, and also one of the Good Smile figures that triggered the most uproar by enthusiastic fans due to quality control issues after Hayakawa Yuzuko and Canaan. Is the debated problem online everywhere that serious? I found the answer and will share my thoughts of this figure in this review. Frankly speaking, I can still rate this figure at least 4 stars, maybe a maximum of 4.5 stars – it’s as good as most GSC figures, but definitely not the best.

I bought her for a regular 9300yen release price, with free express shipping. People might accuse me of being a moron since there are several Japanese retailers offering massive discounts on her, some up to half or more. However, concerning complaints of broken pony tails on arrival by some collectors, I decided not to take the risk and buy from international retailers, and risking international shipping even if it is FedEX or EMS instead of SAL.

Opening the box, you get a few parts to assemble – the main figure, 6 PVC chains, hollow plastic base (surprise! I thought it was the bulky heavy base, but plastic is more solid, at least), Rock Cannon with removable parts, & optional front hair piece with blue flame, and, 2 postcards, a letter (seems like an apology letter from GSC) as well as a sticker piece, with 6 star stickers. As usual, I prefer her eyes with flame. Her cannon sits on top of a “rock” connected to the base so no worries on the figure leaning. Ironically, I forgot to paste the star sticker before taking photos. =.=

Before I go In detail, including the “tragedy” that struck this figure, here’s an overall evaluation of this figure:

Pros: Impressive sculpt, details (well, except the missing star =.=) and dynamic pose, excellent paint job on most areas (no bleeding, uneven painting, or scratches), unique base (Original version is still better though), A lot of securing pegs in assembly for stability, base to foot connection peg is steel.

Cons: Missing star on top left of the front section of her jacket no thanks to QC problems (compensated with stickers provided), fragile pony tail/hair strands require extra handling care, base seems uneven, assembly process is a pain in the ass

Additional points/note: Colour scheme is slightly different from original Huke’s illustration –greenish grey belt instead of white (not a QC problem, nor any defect in paint job); mild yellowish hue on the white stripes of her boots: whether it is a paintjob issue is debatable.

Ok, here’s a short brief on what happened to this figure – her release, surprisingly did not encounter any delays but unfortunately Quality Control (QC) problem caused a star on her top left side of jacket to be missing – a crucial symbol of BRS. I suppose decals are placed before GSC sprays a layer of gloss coat over her jacket in manufacturing processes. Apparently there are no other options other than sending out free stickers to customers (impossible to paint on a gloss-coated surface). Her purchase suffered quite some cancellations, and she is now being offered at a huge discount in Japan sites.

To make things worse, some collectors received their BRS with a broken ponytail, and after sending a complaint to Japan sites and being compensated with a replacement free, another selected few received the 2^nd BRS figure also broken at the same part. Just read related post in figure.fm, or the comments section of this figure in myfigurecollection.net. However, this issue is happening mostly in international shipping (even EMS). The fragile hair is not a defect, but it is due to the sculpt itself. GSC should have made the 2 pony tails separate parts for self assembly like Alter’s Fate True Sonic form. The hair strand material is different from the previous Original and Black Blade version – they are more soft and flexible, to avoid breakage in case you bump into it accidentally.

And, there came another 2 complaints I noted above: yellowish hue on her boots and greenish grey belt instead of white as seen in the original version. Personally, I think that is too much nitpicking and also misunderstanding. Firstly, her belt is indeed greenish grey in the OVA – refer the image below. So, my point it, whether it is consistent with original scheme is not an issue, there is a reason why this figure is called the animation version.

The yellowish hue, in my opinion, is intentional – because, it is not only found in a selected few figures, but all BRS animation version figures as far as I know. If you compare the yellowish hue to the yellowish sections of the base, the tone is similar. This leads me to think Good Smile is trying to make a dusty effect on her boots as a result of running on some rocks. Other than these controversial paint issues which are not defects at all, I’d say this figure has a perfect paintjob – except the missing star. More close-in shots…

The base is quite a surprise for being hollow plastic like BRS black blade, but the base seems a bit uneven when put on a flat surface, not a big issue. Assembly is the main issue here – it took me almost half an hour. =.=; You have to “plant” in the cannon first on the rock, then the figure, and connect BRS’s grip, and secure peg on the cannon, by splitting the cannon handle section in half. Rather genius figure engineering and design here in terms of assembly- it’s very stable and secure.

Then, you “plant” the chains into the base, and the one passing from BRS’s right arm and left hair strand will be secured by pegs on the hair and the cannon. Searching for the holes on the base where you plant in the chains is also a pain. >.<>

Up next I'll have my figma doing a combo assault with her... Inspired from some Gundam Mobile Armor... LOL

So, in the end, is she a must buy or not? If you are a BRS fan, but cancelled her purchase, think twice. Hoping for a re-release? Frankly, that will not happen. BRS animation now has over-stocks due to order cancellations and as long they are not sold out there will be no re-releases or the current “defective” one ends up in a cheap garage sale section and suffer more sales losses. She is the first BRS figure I ordered, but the last one I received LOL. Yes, between May and December I bought the Original version, Black Blade version, the figma and the nendoroid! Now I have the complete set of 5. No doubt, the problems of this figure left much to be desired, but, it is still your typical high quality figure from Good Smile. Get her!