When Ignis the White was first revealed back on February 14th of this year it really did feel like Valentine’s Day had come a day early. I was instantly smitten by the figure, the likes of which had previously existed only in my wettest of dreams - we had seen several figure incarnations of the Jingai Makyou heroine already, but none that dared challenge the monumental intricacy of her “undying flame” incarnation. Would the craftsmanship of Orchid Seed rise to the occasion and prove equal to the task of replicating this truly epic sculpt? Read on for the opinion of one humble fan…
Original Design: Niθ (blog)
Sculptor: Ishiyama Satoshi, Hiroman
Source: Jingai Makyou (eroge)
Scale: 1/7 (29 cm tall)
Materials: PVC
Release Date: October 28th, 2007
Production: Orchid Seed
Price: 11,700 JPY (tax included)
Current Availability: Play Asia (Hobby Japan limited black ver.)
Ignis is the fiery heroine of Nitro+’s summer 2005 smash hit eroge Jingai Makyou. While it’s now been more than two years since I played the game and a lot of detailed recollection has faded, the scene at the end when she returns from the dead like an avenging angel in a wedding dress to kick asses and take names accompanied by this BGM is unforgettable. Despite the game’s shortcomings in the plot department Ignis stands out as one of the most iconic 2D heroines of the decade, and the version of her depicted here shows her in her ultimate form.
source image from Jingai Makyou
When beginning to assess this figure I have to start by commenting on the sculpt. This is the most epic sculpt of a bishoujo figure that has been mass produced this year, and perhaps in the past few years, requiring the combined efforts of two experts (Ishiyama Satoshi on the main body and Hiroman on the dress) to realize, and it is essentially a flawless victory. One could comment on the telltale Ishiyama traits in the face (slightly pinched nose and thin-lipped mouth), but they’re a known quantity I don’t think detracts from the overall scheme. They read the Niθ illustration like a book and produced what is sculpturally a perfect representation of Ignis in all her glory, and from that perspective this is one for the history books.
Before moving on to assess Orchid’s production a note should be made regarding the castoff process, which is truly an engineering marvel. The entire dress is held together by the bunch of flowers at the base of her back, which pins the two side plates together. Remove the pin and lift the two sides of the dress vertically and they come right off, pulling pegs out of slots that are holding the front and back together, which in turn fall away naturally. It’s an amazing feat of design, and another superlative element of the sculpt (though putting the whole thing back together again is admittedly a bit of a chore).
In terms of mass production the kit is more of a mixed bag. I have to hand it to Orchid Seed for starters for having the balls to attempt her PVC reproduction; the fact that they were able to manipulate the medium in such a gravity defying way and keep the whole thing from falling down around them is a testament to their proficiency with the raw materials involved.
I also have no quarrel with their rendering of the dress. There’s a bit of shoddy trim work visible on the many buckles and circular discs that intersect the straps on the front and back of her torso, but it doesn’t detract from the overall impression.
The biggest issue with the kit when it comes to production is the face. The Ishiyama face sculpt was mentioned earlier, but I don’t really think it’s the culprit; the sallow color of the PVC chosen for the skin, accompanied by a lack of shading, overly pronounced paint on the mouth, framed by the solid nearly neon shade of red they chose for her hair, all works together to convey an air of cheapness in the face production that is truly unfortunate.
This is all the more vexing because none of these issues are new. We saw the same problems in the last Ishiyama-sculpted Orchid kit we reviewed, as in those prior - an inability to capture the subtleties necessary for a truly knockout face, mostly due to the crap color of PVC chosen for the skin. All signs point to Chichinoe 2 suffering from the same vulnerability, and it’s almost to the point now where I feel like lodging a formal complaint. Could it be that hard to simply replace the PVC stock with something more like that used by the competition?
Overall this is a kit that is practically perfect in every way. Aside from a few production foibles in the face Ignis the White lives up to the anticipation I had for her, and ranks easily among the top five bishoujo kits of the year from any objective standpoint; a technical marvel that could only be improved by some tweaks in the paint department. Sadly those deficiencies keep me from rating the kit with the truly epic status it deserves - it’s a hallmark of Orchid Seed’s lineup, but not of PVC manufacture as a whole.
Overall Score: 9.5/10
+ epic sculpt accurately captures the essence of Ignis the White
+ ingenious castoff system allows for painless dress removal
+ looks phenomenal both cast on and off, like buying two different figures
o color palette is adequate, but not outstanding or particularly subtle
o some questionable trim work on buckles and discs
- Orchid continues to fail on PVC selection for skin
- tragically cheap-looking face as a result
This is a kit I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to any figure collector if you can come by her, though with the limitations of the paint job I wouldn’t advise paying much more than retail if at all possible. If anyone knows a place where she can be had for a reasonable price I’d be happy if you would post it to comments.
I love this Ignis figure, best out of all 5 in my opinion. I’m still waiting on this one. Don’t know how long I’ll be waiting either, so it’s a terrible wait NOW to see how gorgeous this figure is.
Fantastic review, and I wholeheartedly agree about the face. It’s so lacking when you compare it to Max Factory’s incarnation. I hope that Chichinoe 2 doesn’t suffer this same fate, because the pre-production sculpt looked phenomenal.
Still, your review has me sold. I was on the fence on this one because of the price tag, but I can see it’s more than worth it.
awesome sh*t!!
whoever manage to get the black special edition w/ flamehaze hair is damn lucky.
P-A is offering the blonde hair ver., but it defeats the originality of ignis ;_;
Haha all those Ignis ^^
Great review, very complete! Can’t wait to receive mine :D
That blue ribbon is so gorgeous, never heard about it before. What a good surprise ^^
I am impressed by this overall but sadly I can’t afford it, and I’m still waiting for the revelation that I have a previously unknown yet rich and generous relative to buy it for me.
Oh man, thats a pretty nice figurine! Too bad HobbySearch and HLJ sold them out. Tried google it and found HobbyFan, the closest online available retailer. Anyone have experience buying from that store? Btw, the figure from HobbyFan is going to be out on end of next month :\
I can’t recommend purchasing from HobbyFan, as they deal in inferior quality pirate kits alongside regular PVCs and it’s sometimes hard to tell which is which. I’d recommend only purchasing from shops that you trust to have obtained their merchandise legally, and in a way that compensates the original creators and copyright holders.
Just my two cents; I know it’s sometimes hard or impossible to find these things anywhere else. :/
One of these days I’ll shit out an entire e-novel about my misgivings on the entire visual novel medium, but I’m happy so long as we get characters as well-designed as this one.
I would kill to see her in a 2D fighter or a 3D action RPG…
Wow—–that is one amazing figure. I have to say her butt is suprisingly good looking. Really the face isn’t such a big dealbreaker for me, I love the dimples on the nipples….really an impressive figure.
Great review.
I have order from HobbyFan and I have had abnoramally bad luck with them- out of the 8-9 times I have gotten stuff from them- every single time there was an issue. So, that in of itself I don’t order from them anymore. But my experience with them is extrmemely jaded. Now the inferior quality pirate kits?? Are you talking about the resin recasts Shingo? Or are you actually saying the regualr PVC’s are pirate kits? I have only gotten one PVC from HobbyFan and it was legit as best as I can tell.
But either way I am just curious about HobbyFan.
Anyway- I have changed to ordering my resin recasts from another source (that won’t be listed unless asked, I don’t think Shingo wants them advertised since they are entirely about resin recasts) and my PVC’s from either Play-Asia or Toyslogic or somewhere else if I can’t get them at either of those sources.
Thanks again to Shingo for a great review.
At first I thought HLJ didn’t have enough stock for me because when I checked my order status, it was indicated as ‘future release’, even though the figure was released 2 days ago.
Luckily, I received an email from them to say it’s being shipped via ems today. :D
As for Hobbyfan and other recast online shops, I agree to a certain degree. Sometimes for us outside Japan, recasts are the only way to obtain wonderfest/special event only kits at non-exorbitant evilbay prices, especially for resin products.
As for rewarding the original creators/manufacturers, I do purchase original PVC figures all the time. But when it comes to resin, I will pay standard retail prices for originals. However, lots of kits are limited release/events only. And I will never pay evilbay jackup prices for them. Anyway, there’s no telling if the evilbay seller is selling an original kit until one pays up and receive the kit. And i’ve bought several obvious fakes off evilbay over the years. That’s why when I purchase off hobbyfan or e2046, at least I know full well they are recasts up front and pay a ‘recast’ price. And most of the time, these recast quality are almost on par with the originals when it comes detailing, smoothness of surfaces, and good joints for the more popular kits. (ebcraft/Cobra-Kai Kiyori, Lineage Dark Elf, etc). Anyway, for resin kits, the final product depends greatly on the scale of the modeller, not the kit itself.
In my opinion, if the manufacturers are stupid enough to limit their own profits by producing only 50 kits to be sold only in a one day event in Japan when there’s actual demand for 50,000 kits internationally, don’t go blame the consumer for their own business stupidity. Go hire a better business manager. :)
Thanks for the reply guys, I found out Kidnemo is also selling it, they should be more reliable than Hobbyfan, right? Besides I got my Mabinogi Nao from them, distributed by AAAnime…
>>lostdog
*cough cough*
>>Work_Ethic
I was referring to the resin recasts; I’m not sure whether they have the production capability to bootleg PVCs, though I wouldn’t put it past them.
>>blacklotus
I sympathize with your position and would probably do the same thing if I wasn’t living in Japan. That said, I can’t help but wish that Hobbyfan and similar outfits would try to negotiate with the companies and creators involved instead of just ripping them off. :(
If it were a simple matter of increasing production I’m sure circles would be more than happy to produce kits in higher volume, but the complicated maze of licensing agreements that must be navigated to legitimately sell the kits at events in the first place is a severely limiting factor. It’s an unpleasant state of affairs (and one that utterly ignores the market outside of Japan), but one we ultimately have to live with; this is why I’m happy every time a PVC version of a rare kit is announced, as it gives us all the opportunity to support the artists behind it.
Well, for that price she better be good. I’m still keeping my preorder on ice though, I’m still not convinced I absolutely want this figure.
Amazon had it at intermittently at somewhere around 10500 some time ago, but who knows when or it’ll be back.
>>Shingo
So happy…
>>DJnerate
Grab it fast. She’s one hot pvc figure.
I myself wasn’t keen on her in her normal black butterfly dress. But this bride costume ver. is a definite buy for me. The castoffability is an added bonus. :D
>>shingo
While I cannot say if hobbyfan sells bootleg pvc figures since I don’t buy pvc figures from them, I do know that bootleg pvc figures exist. e.g. fate/stay night saber, ikkitosen figures and doa kasumi.
In Singapore, you have to be careful when buying from hobby shops. Besides the higher prices compared to webshops, they also sell bootlegs as originals, whether knowingly or not.
That’s why I stopped buying locally and shopped exclusively online from licenced webshops located in Japan.
I have no problem buying bootlegs provided the shops do not pass them off as originals.
As for licensing deals, from my 2 year studies in global govt and business practices course in my Uni, somehow Japan is even more tied up with red tape and silly business restrictions than Germany and France, even now in the 21st century.
I do love Japanese culture, especially their traditions like woodblock printings, tea ceremony, bonsai/flower arrangement which cultivates good traits in humans to learn patience and love art/nature.
Japan is a powerhouse when it comes to science, research and mathematics.
Their literature is both beautiful and tragic, even surpassing the Greek tragedies in some ways.
However, their archaic business laws and restrictions leave much to be desired in a globalised world. Hopefully, they will change that. Else, the next generation will just pass them by.
I must say that it’ll be nice to get the second wave of this this next month! ^^
And Shingo, they have Saber in that game! ^___________^ Must get! ^^
I’ve preordered her in two different stores: HLJ and Kidnemo. This week I’ve cancelled HLJ preorder, their service and prices are better, but when purchasing from them I always pay import duties here in this shit called Brazil (60% of price plus shipping!). Kid Nemo guys are more flexible and agree to declare lower values on their packages. A 60% import dutie over Ignis The White price could be a disaster for myself.
>> Kamugin
Wow! 60% import tax duties in Brazil huh? :o Thanks for enlightening my ignorance. :)
And here, I’m complaining about the 7% goods and services tax in Singapore… :p
btw, congrats to Brazil for the rights to host the 2014 World Cup. It’s about time World Cup Football is played in South America again. 28 years since Mexico 1986 is a long time to wait. :)
>> blacklotus
Not every Brazilian is on football/soccer you know? For me football and World Cup sucks! I would prefer that we have here more equality in wealth distribution, less corruption among our politicians… and much more anime/manga merchandising of course!
Sorry for this disembosom, Shingo, allow me to regain the subject. I see you have all four previous Ignis releases, and so I’ll do when I receive my Ignis The White. Why hadn’t you acquired the red one at Wonderfest? No interest or no will to fight the rabble?
>>Kamugin
Because I am a thrice-cursed idiot, that’s why. I was there, I stood in the goddamn Orchid Seed line, and what did I get with my single purchase opportunity? The resin kit of Feane, which was announced in PVC mere days after the event. AARRRRGHGHGHGHGHHGGHHHHGH
/me weeps
I try not to think about it too much, it does unpleasant things to my blood pressure.
Simply a stunning, amazing figure. And beautiful pictures, Shingo. I’ll probably never own one, but your pictorial is certainly the next best thing. Thank you so much!
>>Moevore
My pleasure! The glut of delayed figures suddenly being released at the end of the month here means I’ll be dining on nothing but PVC fumes for a few weeks, but sometimes these things must be done, for … I don’t know. Democracy, maybe?
You should have used a black backdrop for these pictures. Would’ve looked so much better
>> Kamugin
My apologies for the stereotyping. My fault. :)
Back on topic - Still waiting for my items from hlj.
>> Shingo
You grabbed Feane instead of Ignis huh? Oh well, they do say size matters. :)
I agree with you Shingo. Seems that all the delays are appearing now. Gonna be sniffing pvc fumes for the rest of the month…it’s only 3rd of nov…
I keep coming back to this page because the figure is so appealing. I wish they would just release her already, I’m dying over here. I want my Ignis! =/
just to put my 2 cents in (for the 1st time on HD), Hobbyfan gets like 99% of it’s PVC from AAA Anime Distribution so I really doubt they have or will fake PVCs. Second, if you ask them questions they give honest answers (or at least they have to me). No, I don’t work for them or have any affiliation other than being a customer. Faking PVCs is way, way more involved than recasting Garage Kits what with the inner packaging, boxes, paint details and everything, plus little things like AAA stickers (for US releases) to think of to manage an even slightly believable fake. As someone who figures I would screw up my first attempt at a GK, the idea of paying $30 for a fake instead of $100 for the real thing is not that bad. I don’t like the idea from a fundamental stand point but, when you finish it who’s gonna know, they are way cheaper, and most of all, here in the US it is impossible to find real GKs plain and simple. Oh and back to PVCs - they get them a few days after they show up on AAA’s shipping list, which would be fairly hard to time your fakes to.
Anyway, Ignis the White looks excellent, but I do wonder if the face looks better in person than it does in pictures. Oh, and that line on her leg (the one without the blue ribbon), why does it stand out so much? Assembly point maybe?
-pseudo of the pseudokings
>>homeless_homo
That’s a great idea. I need to figure out how to rig a black background that will work with my photography setup.
>>the_pseudokings
I don’t doubt that Hobbyfan carries legitimate PVCs, as you say, but that doesn’t change the fact that what they are doing in selling recast resins is both illegal and a slap in the face (if you’ll pardon the overused metaphor) to hard working sculptors and creators who make a living producing the kits.
As I see it this is a no-win situation. The sculptors can’t sell overseas even if they want to, because of restrictive domestic licensing issues. Foreign fans can’t realistically buy the original kits and support the creators even if they want to. Into the breach steps Hobbyfan, who is more than happy to satisfy market demand outside the law - but wouldn’t it be better for all concerned if the law was changed, fans could support creators by buying legitimate products and pirate organizations like Hobbyfan became unnecessary?
That’s what I’d really like to see, and I wouldn’t be against Hobbyfan becoming a part of the solution instead of the problem. They already have the facilities set up; why not work out licensing agreements and coordinate what they do with creators instead of spitting in their faces? They may have tried and been rejected, but for the sake of decency I’d hope they’d try and try and try again until they could twist the arms of license holders and show them that the international market really exists.
I know it’s not likely to happen, but that’s my fantasy.
Anyway, regarding Ignis - I think you’re right, she’s peculiarly unsuited to my lighting setup and it doesn’t flatter her very much. Regarding the line on her leg, that’s not a seam, just a prominent demarcation of where the lace on her stocking ends… I think. I’d have to take her dress off to recheck and I don’t have the time it would take to put her together again tonight. ^^;;
Edit: I know this sounds like I’m coming down hard against the practice of buying recast resin kits, but that’s not my intent. I understand that it’s the only way most of them can be obtained, and I think we’re all guilty of going through gray markets for stuff we can’t get any other way. I’m just holding out hopes that resin kits will follow things like anime fansubs from niche to mainstream as demand for the product grows.
I really understand your point man, I do. I wish it was all legit, and I wish JP model & figure companies would get involved that have international operations and/or distribution to bring GKs to a worldwide audience.
Personally I just know I’d screw up a GK if I ever tried one, but it is so tempting. Perfect example - did you see the Ikki Tousen Lingerie Series of GKs from MOE at the recent shows? AWESOME sculpts, no-brainers for PVC, but will they be? Who knows. And they have fishnets that I know for damn sure even if I could assemble and paint the GK, that I would screw up. So it’s a no-win situation, and it doesn’t make any damn sense.
Why has S-MIST’s 1/4 Scale Mizuho (Shower/Lingerie ver.) never made it to PVC? The whole PVC realm seems so… random. And the GK realm, especially as someone who’s like a 15 hour, $700 (or more) plane ride from JP is just completely out of reach. Except recasts, which is a shame. I bet every chara-hobby fan has a PVC wishlist a mile long that rarely shrinks. …God I want the 1/5 Scale Chun-Li (Porkbun Ver.) by Toushirou to make it to PVC from Daiki.
Anyway, I understand where your comin’ from Shingo man.
-pseudo of the pseudokings
Got mine today! Undressed her… It realy is a great model. The shading on the skin is very nice and the dress so dynamic. I read the review again and agreed in almost all points. The only point I want to stress is that the assembly is a pain. You don’t know how to hold the upper body so you could push it with anough strength. I feared to break some of the straps. There is no real good way to hold the down part of the body too. The dress don’t gives you a good grip. The result is that there is a noticable gap on the belly. You can see that on the pictures 12, 25 or 26. It looks ugly!
I think you can’t assemble the dress to the original state after casting it off. That’s really a pity!
[...] as well. Harsh? Maybe, but if you think that’s bad, just wait till i decide to do a review of Ignis the white… (still waiting for all 3 to be in my possession although i do actually own [...]