First Review: Tomoyo Sakagami 1/7 DreamTech Wave

Okay, so here goes my first figure review. I don't know how much detail I'll go into as I'm usually lost for words and the photos should mostly speak for themselves. I'll aim to talk about anything the photos may fail to pick up on and I'll also try to give some brief descriptions on what's good and bad concerning the various aspects to the figures I review. Paint job, sculpt, box, base, etc. I'll probably include a score based system for each area and an overall score out of 10 for my reviews as well. Now that that is out of the way I guess I better start.

I'm going to be reviewing the Tomoyo Sakagami DreamTech 1/7 Scale figure produced by Wave. I should also say that she's from the anime Clannad. (which everyone should watch) I'll review this systematically starting from the outside of the box right down to the figure itself.

The Box

I guess to start off, I'll say that this figure is one of those that are much more impressive in real life than what the photos might show. I guess most figures would be as well but, I found this figure to be a significant example in regards to this.

At first glance, I found the box to be fairly ordinary however as I continue to write this review I find that the box is definitely starting to grow on me. The best parts I'd have to say is the front window and the soft colours in the pictures used. The window is large and makes it easy to view the figure inside unlike some other boxes I could mention. I guess you could say I'm partial to figure boxes with large windows.

 I should warn you that some of this paragraph may feel irrelevant to the figure.

Probably the most disappointing thing about information regarding anime figures circling the web is that I find there is all to often a lack of pictures of the actual box which I find can be instrumental in determining the legitimacy of the figure when the bootleg figure itself is of fairly comparable quality. One thing I like to know before buying a figure is knowing whether or not it has a sticker of authenticity. That's usually the best way of determining if it's the real deal. I haven't actually found any stickers on this box but, not all figures come with authenticity stickers (some bootlegs go so far as to even have fake stickers of authenticity) and judging by the overall quality this one seems to be pretty legit.

  The other thing that stands out about this box is the colouring in the pictures used. Unlike other similar boxes with lighter colours they definitely went for a much more softer look which is quite relaxing actually compared to say, Alter Tsumugi 1/8 with her bright pink almost neon like colours. I found this particularly pleasing for a change.

  By going the plain and simple approach and utilising the soft colours of blue skies and white clouds the designers managed to make an aesthetically pleasing box which gives off a very calm atmosphere and relaxed feeling to the viewer.

 The bottom isn't much to look at but, just in case you were wondering, here it is.

Like I said earlier, this box definitely grew on me and by now since I've finished writing this I'd have to say that I'd give this box a pretty high 8 out of 10.

When starting this I didn't realise how long writing reviews takes so I'll be uploading the rest of the review soon!

Review Continued.....

The Packaging

Okay, now time to open it up. Here's a few photos of her in the blister pack.

The blister pack itself is about as standard as they come. There's two pieces for the front and back that clip in together keeping the figure safely in place. Then inside there's plastic sheets including a plastic cover for the arm/leg? (I can't remember, it fits on both) that cover the area in which the figure sits. I guess this is to help prevent paint transfer or any other damage that would result from the figure rubbing up against the blister pack too much. The final part to this is that the blister pack has a small 'window' part molded around the area where her face lies so you properly view it from the outside. In the end, there's nothing particularly wrong with the packaging but, at the same time there is nothing special to write home about.

Does anyone else forget where all those plastic sheets go?

The Figure

At last, I finally get to talk about the figure itself. There's way too many photos to put in this post so I've posted a slide show so that you can view them all. If you want to view them in a larger format just click on the slide show and that'll take you to my Picasa Album. I'll select a few photos to show in full here. Before the figure I'll briefly review the base.

The Base

The base for this figure is very simple, as in, it's small, round and completely white. While I have to say the base really isn't all that inspiring it does however manage to complement the figure well. The figure itself isn't one that is designed to overtly stand out, like it's box the figure takes a very much conservative stance (comparatively speaking) which I believe the base manages to match very well. It has the usual pegs for the holes in the feet of the figure and a small piece of writing on the underside of the base which reads '© Visual Art's/Key/(to complicated to type Japanese writing) MADE IN CHINA'

Overall while nothing flashy, I'd say the base more than meets the requirements laid upon it. It's hard to give this one a score because while it isn't particularly interesting which is usually grounds to lower the score it does manage to fit with the overall feel of the figure. I've decided to leave the judging purely at my words this time around and perhaps let you make your own decision.

Now The Figure

Okay, now I really will talk about the figure. Like I said before the designers certainly weren't looking to be flashy this time around and opted for a softer look which I found quite refreshing.

To start off, overall there's nothing to complain about. The figure itself is fairly well sculpted, has smooth edges and the paint job is well done leaving no unsightly marks anywhere.

The Face

The face is well done and Tomoyo's blue eyes stand out nicely. Overall the detail is very good with the typical Key Trademark marks on her cheeks (that may not show up in the photos) right down to her teeth being visible inside that tiny mouth of hers. There's nothing bad to say when it comes to the quality of the face. The only possible downside to it is that I feel as though her face on this figure doesn't quite capture the original essence found in her former 2D self. That being said though, I still find the figures face to be rather cute and really can't complain about any of the subtle differences between the figure and the way she is drawn.

Late (Posted: July 20th)

Well it seems I never really finished this review did I? Sorry about that. I'll finish it off quickly by saying that overall I really like this figure, the sculpting is refined, not so much detail as Saber Lily but, none the less pleasing to the eye. The paint job has been well done and overall there's no flaw to point out. If you're a fan of Tomoyo then I'd definitely recommend picking it up and even if you're not it is my opinion that this would make a fine addition to any figure collection.