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Cool Girl - Midori Washio in Protect Gear (German Gray Version) |
| Series | Cool Girl |
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| Title | Midori Washio in Protect Gear (German Gray Version) | |
| Release Date | September 2005 | |
| Manufacturer | Takara | |
| Suggested Price (JPY) | 12,800 | |
| Scale | 1/6 | |
| Height (cm) | approx. 29.0 cm | |
| No. of Parts | 1 figure + 25 parts + 1 stand + 1 decals | |
| My Rating | Very Good |
Related Items:
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Comment Ever since Takara merged with Tomy, there are no new "Original" Cool Girls being planned or released when this article is written. As of now, Takara is re-releasing their CG product line with an 'Alternative' or 'The Best of' label slapped on it. I do know that their are squandering more money from fans but then I am happy because this gives me a second chance getting hold one of these great figures. The item is originally release in black color and it is now repaint in German Gray. Both release are identical except for the color scheme. |
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Packaging
The package comes in a very large book-box with Velcro closure. It measure approximately 13
by 11 inches and it opens revealing the contents of the package. Additional accessories are
attached to the plastic tray on the left side ala Cy-Girl style.
The following are the list of items.
| Left Tray | Right Tray |
|
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1 water-slide transfer decals provided for armor markings. All items are made of leather, fabric and hard plastic. I do not detect any metal used.
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Outfit
The only reason that I am not buying Takara's Cool Girl is just because they are charging a
premium comparing to the 'affordable' version of Cy-Girl. Again I learn another good lesson
that cheaper is no better. The workmanship and quality revealed on this item totally
out-class any Cy-Girl out there by a few hundred miles. Moreover, Cy-Girls are using rubber
latex as substitute for leather and it melts and flaked after a few years. Takara is using
leather and quality fabric here and this really put my mind at ease.
Beside the use of material, this item feature a very detail outfits even if it is not visible. Unlike the previous release, taking off and putting back the clothing is not hard at all. The first layers of clothing are the armor plating and then follow by the bullet-proof vest with mounting for shoulder armors. When the first 2 layers are carefully taken off, the next layer of clothing will be her leather jacket and pants. The finale will be her Navy Leotard. I have to peel-off in total 4 layers of clothing to get her naked and most of the inner clothing are not really visible. I could kiss (literally speaking) Takara for the attention to detail on this.
Figure
The figure is utilizing the Cool Girl Body version 2.0 Type C (smallest bust), first
released on June 2005. It is highly articulated and she can almost pose in any imaginable
way a human can be.
One small thing that I do not like is the body comes in a darker flesh tone than her face. These color differences are visible especially where her neck and face met. My next gripe is the lack of a left trigger-finger hand as in all previously releases Cool Girl. Although this is a small issue, it robs me the fun to pose her with a double gun ala John Woo style.
Her face is the usual Cool Girl sculpts - being quite bland. Unlike other Cool Girls, I don't think Midori's face sculpt will win her any beauty pageant. Her forehead is too wide and too high. Although she comes with rooted hair but it really does not help her being beautiful. Moreover, her hair is very hard to get it right.
The paint job is superb. No complain here where the face is properly toned skin and I really
like the realistic shade of whitish pink use for her lips.
Accessories
She comes with tons of parts mostly for her 'Protect Gear', the Panzer Corp armor
designed by Mamoru Oshii. This particular model of Protect Gear is as seen used by Koichi,
Midori and Soichiro in 'The Red Spectacles' live-action movie.
There are some options available for the armor where 2 pair of shoulder armor are given. One pair comes with spikes and the other without. This give options to mix and match the combinations. The armor comes clean without markings. A white water-slide transfer decal is provided with numerical numbers and logo denoting her ranking in the Panzer Corps.
Next is the hip-guard armor. An additional piece with slot for the Mauser's holster are provided.
As for the weapons, two signature German infantry weapons are given, namely the Mauser C-96 pistol and MP40/I sub-machine gun. Both weapons come with magazine clip that detailed with the loaded bullet painted in gold. The MP40/I has additional gimmicks like spring action for its loader and an adjustable shoulder strap made in leather.
Conclusion
This might be the most expensive Cool Girl and a little bit overprice but it really have
great collection value. I am loving this.
This item was purchased at Berjaya Time Square.
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Document Date : 2006-09-06 |
Responses to this page:
Great review man! when do u plan on reviewing the takara kerberos saga protect gear?