Another in the parade of Orchid Seed’s delayed releases finally made her way to open air this week. When we first reported on Seihouin Erika she was due for release in September, and looked quite attractive in her prototype incarnation; eight months later it seems she may not have been worth the wait, alas. Just how does she live up to the aspirations of naked apron aficionados everywhere? Read on for the inconvenient truth:

Original Design: Mikeou
Sculptor: Ranmaru (Amiami search)
Source: Miraroma (eroge)
Scale: 1/7 (21 cm tall)
Materials: PVC
Release Date: December 12th, 2007
Production: Orchid Seed
Price: 5,800 JPY (tax included)
Current Availability: [KNC] [HLJ] [HS] [TL]
Support HD!: [PA]

Character Description

Seihouin Erika is one of the heroines of Marmalade’s 2005 eroge Miraroma (“Miracle Romance Strawberry Scramble”). The tag line from her introduction is “Ho ho ho ho ho! You shall call me Erika-sama!”, and she is apparently a nun from a small European country who has returned to Japan to free the game’s protagonist from a curse.

Seihouin Erika as she appears in the original Miraroma

Sculpt

Fidelity

No matter how hard you squint it’s hard to see the original character anywhere in this sculpt. The chest is too big, the hair too voluminous, the build generally too chunky to evoke the lean, sprightly feel of Mikeou’s design. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the sculptor has erred on a side that I generally prefer, but calling a spade a spade one has to say that this isn’t Seihouin Erika.

Craftsmanship

There are issues with the sculpting fundamentals of this kit as well. Her pose is unstable and looks awkward from some angles, and her proportions aren’t nearly as attractive as they could be (the hips are too thin for her breasts). I also find the balance of the face composition to be off slightly, and her arm… I don’t know what’s up with that.

Production

Cast

This kit is not the shining accomplishment of Orchid’s production department, alas. The cast is flawed by imprecise mold work on the hair that leaves it looking bulky and blunt-edged, but the worst part of is certainly the atrocious seam used to attach her torso to her waist. It’s not so bad with the apron on, but cast off it sticks out like a sore thumb. A mold line on the forward arm is somewhat visible as well.

Paint

The paint job here is simple, almost to the point of being primitive. The range of finishes is limited to matte on the stockings and apron, with low gloss for the skin and hair; detail work is minimal but where present (on the stocking straps and cuff links) is not particularly well executed. Shading across the kit is minimal. If the paint job has one saving grace it is that the nipples were done without succumbing to Rudy or Kimono girl syndrome.

Conclusion

I wasn’t left with a favorable impression of Orchid’s Seihouin Erika. I ordered her back in April based on a set of promising prototype shots, and sadly they were not matched by reality; if you’re looking for an ero figure at a decent price and don’t mind some sculpting and production shoddiness, or if you’re a naked apron fanatic (I feel your pain) this is the figure for you, but otherwise your yen might be better spent elsewhere.

Overall Score: 6.5

+ bonus points for true naked apron castoff

– sculpt has some serious balance, anatomical issues
– poor casting job with unfortunate seams and mold lines

If you’re interested in supporting HD with your purchase of this kit she’s still available at Play Asia; otherwise the cheapest option currently seams to be Hobby Search.