When this kit first appeared at Wonder Festival 2006 Summer it was one of the highlights of the show; the aggressive, dynamic pose totally blew the other Witchblade figures out of the water that had appeared to that point. I was pleasantly surprised to later learn that Toranoana would be releasing her in PVC form, though somewhat apprehensive – would the roulette wheel that has been Tora’s past production quality rake in the chips, or deposit a metal slug to the brain? The former was overwhelmingly the case, though the kit is not without a few flaws; read on for the nitty-gritty, and a comparison with Masanes gone before.

Wave announced today the addition of two PVC figures to their recently formed Dreamtech lineup: a 1/8 scale “neko-nyan dance” version Choko from Chokotto Sister and a 1/6 scale bikini version Tama-nee from To Heart 2, both due out in September. The Tama-nee sculpt is by Maeda Toshiki of Works Sapporo, with Choko sculpting duty by Arakawa Hiroshi (Amiami search). Not the most exceptional sculpting talent, though not the worst either; the seemingly removable dress on Choko and the hair sculpt and recumbent pose on Tama-nee seem to be the charm points of the respective kits, certainly enough for fans of the characters to justify purchase but perhaps not for the casual consumer. Here’s hoping that Dreamtech moves more toward the example of their July release Lucy Maria Misora in the future. (no more)

Fans of Beatmania II DX will be happy to hear that Konami today tentatively launched a series of 1/8 scale PVC figures based on the Bemani characters. I say “tentatively” because the production of the first in the series (Iroha Umegiri) is contingent on Konami receiving 2,500 preorders for the item by June 17th; certainly a safe way to do business, but one bound to frustrate those of us unable to preorder via Konami’s exclusive site; the lack of a production model or resin sample of the kit does little to inspire confidence either, though the lone design illustration does have some promise. Something tells me Konami won’t reach 2,500 orders without throwing a bit more in the fans’ direction first… (no more)

The 46th Shizuoka Hobby Show opened to industry and members of the press yesterday, and while as usual the dealers participating were mostly from the more rarefied hobby industries, according to Hobby Channel’s coverage Kotobukiya was there as well. It seems they brought with them the only bishoujo figure news of the event, and what a scoop it is: a Blanc Neige PVC kit from Shining Tears that seems to be rather distinctly nekkid. This is doubly odd not only due to its all-ages source but to Kotobukiya’s lack of precedent in the cast off department… We’ll be keeping an eye on this one to see if it develops into a full-blown free love flower child PVC revolution of harmony, peace, understanding, and removable plastic clothing. (no more)