Review
Fräulein Revoltech
Pocco
Name: Pocco
Line: Fraulein Revoltech
Manufacturer: Kaiyodo
Released: 2008
Scale: 6 in. (figure is 5.85 inches tall)
Accessories: 2 alternate sets of hands (3 sets total), Sword, a spiffy Stand
Sponsor Listings: Amazon-$15.99
Let's find-out who "Pocco" is exactly. There's this totally awesome artist by the name of Shunya Yamashita who released "Sweet Dreams", one of his many art-books which collect his incredible drawings of, you guessed it, hot anime chicks, and Pocco is the character gracing its cover. Yamashita doesn't draw women like stick-figures, he gives them more realistic proportions, resulting in a collection of full-bodied babes that will leave you gawking ever wider with every turn of the page. Aside from the obvious reason, I fell in love with his art because of the medieval/cyber/steampunkish elements he mixes in there. Yeah, a lot of the drawings are straight-up pin-ups with little more than the subject and her disappearing panties, but the characters wearing more clothes are far more interesting. Here's a gallery with samples of his work. (And don't forget to come back for the rest of the toy-review!)
I also appreciate that the folks at Kaiyodo decided "Hey, this guy has cool drawings, let's make figures out of them!" That's a customizer's mentality, taking an awesome design and making an awesome figure of it. Kaiyodo also created a line of Pokemon figures with incredible sculpts, as part of a trading-figure game which has apparently died as far as I know. Such a shame. I only mention this because Pokemon are awesome.
Oh, my goodness, I've never seen figures as shapely and articulated to almost the same magnitude, as these Fraulein series of Revoltech figures (and as the more perverted fans know, the Queen's Blade series takes the hotness-cake...hot-cake?). Maybe if the Duncan McLeod (Highlander) figure had more articulation (and bared a little more leg) it would take the top spot, but for now it's these I'm-assuming-at-least-19-year-old female characters who take the prize. I tend to dislike scrawny female figures (*cough4Hcough*), but Pocco's outfit gives her enough bulk to not look like yet another anorexic anime chick. (also, ignore my uncouth temperament, I would totally accept review samples from Mattel if they fired them this way! ;D )
Something nifty, browsing through some Revoltech galleries, I don't see any instances of re-use or bodyparts, except for the famous Revoltech joints of course. That means each figure is created as accurate to the reference material as it possibly can without needing to worry about creating parts that will mesh with all the other figures to cut costs. Though even with the unique bodies, you can still easily swap the parts around!
And now for the sculpt: It's awesome! Sharp lines, accurate details, intricate designs, and a shapely silhouette complete the package. At rest, it's entirely possible to mistake this figure for a statue. Posed, it still retains most that illusion, with the hips being the only ugly spot (a large gap forms under the butt, exposing the R-joint, when lifting the legs forward).
The wings can flap horizontally (hinged) and are actually kinda fragile, made with stiffer plastic than the rest of the figure, just like the sword (so they'll always stay straight). Paper-Shredding Wes already broke the wings on his figure and mine want to snap-off if I don't flap them carefully, but like a hot goth chick, they're still pretty despite all the damage. Seriously, those wings are sharp enough to draw blood.
Compared to the drawing, this Pocco figure is missing only a few details. A long purple scarf at the left wrist is replaced by a simple wrap, which is understandable because the long stiff scarf would look awkward in some poses, much like the ribbon on the right arm (which also pops-off a lot). The trailing strands from the sword's hilt are gone and so are the objects dangling near the right leg (what are they even attached to?). You should also know that the kitten-like animal isn't included. Mercifully. That thing is creepy! All other details are exact.
Sculpt Score: 10 / 10
Holy crap. Even with all the small details, every bit of this figure is painted almost perfectly. They eyes are especially impressive, so bright and sharp because they're not hand-painted, reducing human-error. There's a problem with the method used though (tampography?), it leaves a tiny-but-noticeable grid-pattern of dots on the green-colored irises. Take a look at the tattoos on your wrestling figures for an example of this dot-grid. I think having consitently-almost-perfect eyes on all these figures is worth having this small blemish.
The skin isn't painted but it's shaded and seems to have been sprayed with a soft matte top-coat, creating a soft surface and eliminating any "platicky glare". Everything else is completely painted but the hair and white areas are the only other parts aside form the skin that are subtly-shaded. The mechanical wings have a harsh black oily wash which suits them just fine.
Be careful when handling the figure as the soft matte finish on the skin tends to rub-off and leave a glossier streak. Another problem is that paint from the sash tends to rub onto the skin around it after a while; Ironically, it can be wiped away with a little more rubbing with a damp Q-tip (I know they're called "cotton-swabs', leave me alone!).
Paint Score: 9 / 10
Revoltech joints are clicking double-swivel hinges, with bumps instead of a mushroom-head on the rods, to make switching body-parts between figures a breeze (pics are here to show what my words fail to describe or make sound dirty). Every Revoltech figure owes its respectable articulation to these seamless joints which tend to disappear into the figure's sculpt. Oh yeah, and now you all know what that thing is in the "Articulation" image!
All the R-joints can be removed with minimal effort and used for other figures and projects, a dream for customizers! But like with everything else in [my] life, there's a problem; The arms are constantly popping-off at the shoulders. I'm not sure if it's just a defect with my particular figures (I bought 2 different Frauleins) or a problem across the board, my guess is the holes the pegs go into are simply too wide. You can fix this by squirting a little hot glue in there, still an inconvenience though. There's nothing wrong with the R-joints themselves, just the holes they slip into. The problem is less severe with the rest of the figure, only the R-joint in the torso is as annoying.
The legs don't have as much range as I'd like because the hips favor a sexier sculpt instead of more poseability. That sash is flexible and removable, no need to worry about it. Elbows and knees are swivels that turn like the common hinges we're used to and have great range thanks to how the elbow/knee areas have been sculpted to accommodate the joints. The neck could use some improvement, the head can't tilt up or down much.
The joints aren't painted by the way, they're either cast in the proper color or whatever color Kaiyodo feels like making them if they're hidden, like the joints at the ankles and in the torso. Speaking of which I'd rather the torso-joint be a standard ball-socket like the SOTA E-Honda Street Fighter figure, would be more convenient when posing.
Articulation Score: 7 / 10
Most toys are inherently fun, to a child anyway. These Revoltech figures aren't toys though, they can't hold-up to any sort of play-session in the hands of a kid. Pieces will shatter, bits will fly everywhere, many an accessory will be swallowed, never to be seen again until around poop-time. It's never fun when you can't even hold a figure without damaging the paint or losing an limb. These figures are for display only, no matter what those cryptic symbols and diagrams on the package mention about it being an "action figure". LIES! It's all LIES!
Included with the figure are 3 sets of hands, each useful in its own way (a fist-set would've been nice though). The R-joints at the wrists have stumps of different lengths, but I don't feel any difference when plugging either stump into either hole.
And the sword is cooooool! It has the "34" stamped on it and even has "battle-damage" all along the blade.
Thanks to the stand, there are lots of dynamic poses Pocco can achieve, but looking pretty on your shelf is about all this figure can do.
Fun Score: 7 / 10
The quality of a Revoltech figure is reflected in its price, with the suggested retail price being around $20.00 US. These being imported figures, you may also have to suffer steep shipping charges if living outside of Japan. And being hot poseable anime chicks, you'll also have to deal with price mark-ups. Thankfully, not ALL Revoltech figures are unreasonably expensive, just the popular or rare or totally awesome ones, har har.
So how did I get my hands on this figure for roughly $7.00 US total? By perusing the booths at the San Diego Comic-Con, baby! Lots of cheap and neat stuff that gets even cheaper as the con comes to an end because retailers just want to get rid of all their crap. Pocco isn't an in-demand figure either, so that also helped lower the price.
Three sets of hands, a sweet sword, a useful stand, and a very pretty 6-inch figure is definitely worth what I paid, and even the MSRP is reasonable, moreso when compared to the bland 6-inch scale figures other popular toy-companies are releasing.
Oops, I forgot about the floppy articulation and limbs that dislocate on their own... seven bucks is about right.
Value Score: 7 / 10
85 / 100 - This is a Great Toy
Back! Back, I say! Keep your filthy nerd-raging paws off of me! Revolteh figures don't totally suck, alright? They're beautiful figures with a hefty price-tag that simply aren't worth buying if you think you're gonna get an awesome action figure, because you're not. Yeah, the package says "Action Figure" in front, but this fig is more like a delicate paper-flower which crumbles at the slightest touch.
-DrNightmare
This could be the figure given away in this month's Review Commentator Contest. Join the discussion by leaving a comment on this review for a chance to win!
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