The temperature in my area’s been getting cooler than normal this time of year. Maybe Miku’s been working her magic to end summer early. Introducing Snow Miku: Magical Snow Ver., the Wonfest Winter 2014 exclusive!
I don’t really collect Nendos like I do Figmas, but occasionally one’ll come along that I just have to get. In this case, it’s the iconic Snow Miku. When I first saw her earlier this year, I just fell in love with her design. Just the her expressions, the wizard hat, the cape, the snowflakes in her eyes, everything just looked great. She arrived early August, but I’ve been busy with work, my friend’s gonna be getting married at the end of the week, summer anime…and School Idol Festival. Better late than never, right?
When I opened my care-package from Goodsmile, I was very surprised at the size of the box for Snow Miku. It is huge, but considering how many accessories she has, it makes sense. I was impressed at how pretty the outer cardboard box was, emblazoned with the Snow Miku 2014 design. Take off that, then you get to the real box, which is designed to look like some magical tome. Opening the front cover reveals a short history of Snow Miku and a clear viewing window to see your new figure.
I really like the colors of Miku’s outfit. It’s a nice mix of white, ice blue, and purple. The yellow tie really catches your attention and the collar of her cloak has a nice gold trim to it. Her eyes are a nice deep blue with snowflake designs. Her ice blue hair is also features scattered silver snowflakes, with really good highlighting and shading. Miku’s twin-tails are tied up with long purple ribbons. One of the best parts of her costume is her hat. It’s a classic wizard hat with a nice clear blue orb at it’s tip and a bow in the front with a clear snowflake overtop. In terms of paint application, I legit think this is the closest thing to flawless I’ve seen on a mass produced figma. I couldn’t find any real problems, and I like to nitpick everything.
For articulation, what can I say? It’s a nendo. Standard articulation: arms are pegged, legs have Nendo joints, twin-tails have Nendo joiints for dynamic hair, etc. Additional articulation point is the located on the tip of her hat, using a standard ball joint.
Now for the accessories! Snow Miku Magical Snow Ver. comes with:
- 3 Faceplates: Standard open-mouth smile, open-mouth wonder look, Serious/Focused face?
- Wizard Hat: Held in place with magnets, which gives it some weight. Slightly articulated
- Ice Wand: Nice blue orb on the top w/ Snowflake design. Bottom hand-guard can be removed to slide handle into the Nendo’s hand
- 2 Capes: One dynamic blowing, one idle
- Bunny Familiar: Has a scarf and a clear stand that pegs into the back of its head. The head can be removed and placed on a special bunny hugging arm.
- Alternate lower body: Skirt piece w/ complete lower body for sitting poses.
- Stack of Books
- Wand waving effect part
- 4 Alternate arms
- Book Holding hand
- Clear Plastic Magic Circle. You slide it into special clips that attach to Nendo stand. One issue is that clips are fairly tight, so you will mar/scratch/generally mess up the area where the clips attach to the circle.
- Snow Miku 2014 Book Display: A display/storage device designed to look like a leather-bound book. The front has the same design as the figure’s outer packaging in a nice gold leaf. The back has Miku’s Bunny Familiar.Opening the front cover reveals an area where you can peg in the display stand. This can be removed to reveal a felt-lined storage area.
This is a great looking Nendo and I’m really glad I pre-ordered it when I did. I don’t get many, but nendos are a nice change of pace and Snow Miku really does look fantastic. She originally retailed at about $50, not including shipping when I pre-ordered. I would highly recommend her if you can find her at a decent price.
That’s it for now!
