FREEing’s bunnygirl series are multiplying like – well, rabbits – and the newest one is none other than the Ace of Aces herself, noted combat instructor and porn game extra Nanoha Takamachi. They could have picked any version of Nanoha that they wanted and so they chose to use her nineteen-year old form, as she appears in the third anime series Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS. It’s a good decision, at least in my view, since though I have no problem with younger-looking characters – that I own FREEing’s Nymph figure is a reflection of that – this version of the captain has a number of charms that Nymph does not.
I’ve said in the past that I’m not a huge fan of bunnysuits and even less of a fan of animal ears, and so this acquisition is perhaps out of character for me. In truth, the main element that appeals to me is Nanoha’s size – like all of FREEing’s bunny figures, she’s 1/4 scale. She measures about 38 centimeters tall at the top of her head, and a towering 43 centimeters in overall height; she’s easily twice the size of most 1/8 scale figures. However, there are other aspects of this figure that I like – indeed, I like quite a few things about Nanoha, and there’s more than enough such details to overcome my predisposition.
Let’s start with the bunny suit. As said, I dislike animal ears but as Nanoha’s are artificial – unlike, say, as on Charlotte Yeager, where her ears are quite clearly not an article of clothing – I can easily overcome my disapprobation. I’d like this figure better without them – they are part of her head and thus not removable – but having stared at this figure on my desk for the last day, they don’t bother me at all now.
The rest of her costume receives my full approval. Nanoha is wearing a high-cut, glossy blue leotard which looks absolutely marvelous on her. Its shiny finish catches the eye and provides an effective contrast to the matte look of her hair and skin. I particularly like her suit’s high-cut leg openings – that’s a style that’s sadly gone out of fashion, with the low-rise, low-cut leg look seemingly so popular (referring back to Strike Witches again, pretty much every character there wears low-leg panties). Indeed, it’s another reason that I bought Nanoha and it’s one of the aspects of FREEing’s bunny figures that I like so much.
Nanoha’s long, long legs are sheathed in fishnet pantyhose; real fishnets, rather than painted-on legwear. They look fantastic and very realistic, without any bulk or bunching-up that one sometimes sees with fabric clothing and scale figures or dolls. They are sleek and fit her very well, emphasizing her lithe form and womanly shape.
Speaking of which, one – or two – of the main attractions of this figure has to be her bust. Nanoha’s physique doesn’t seem to be quite as well-regarded as her colleague Fate Testarossa’s, but nonetheless, Nanoha has a very appealing chest. Seemingly pneumatic and self-supporting, her breasts are large and nicely-shaped, and her costume reveals more of her chest than one might expect. The way that her leotard doesn’t quite fully stick to her skin is quite attractive, and the hint of her nipples underneath is also very nice.
I also like the way her bunnysuit leaves her shoulders bare. Complementing her outfit are a pair of wrist cuffs, some high heels, and a collar with a necktie that is futilely trying to dip into her cleavage.
Nanoha’s head is a busy place, with stuff sprouting all over in every different direction – bunny ears, ribbons, twintails, bangs … it’s going all over the place. Her hair is very nicely sculpted, with no helmet hair flatness, unlike Gift’s earlier 1/4 scale nine-year old Nanoha. The back of Nanoha’s head does remind me a bit of some of those BETA aliens from Muv-Luv Alternative, which isn’t an attractive comparison, but regardless, the sculpting still looks great.
One thing I didn’t expect is that Nanoha has a removable left arm. Normally her left arm is cocked with her hand resting on her thigh, but it can be swapped out so that she can pose like this. I wasn’t sure why the extra arm was supplied but looking at the promo photos, it is provided so that she can interact with FREEing’s upcoming Hayate figure. Personally, it kinda looks to me like Nanoha is copping a feel on Hayate’s butt, which isn’t a bad way at all to display the two girls.
Overall, Nanoha has a very sexy body. She makes for an interesting contrast to FREEing’s figure of Nymph, who has a curiously cylindrical, almost barrel-shaped look. Nanoha, however, is slender and shapely, and while Nymph looks combative and self-conscious (not necessarily a bad thing, mind you) Nanoha looks very friendly, with her arm and hand extended in a welcoming pose. Like Nymph, Nanoha does have a disproportionately large head, which is pretty much par for the course when it comes to anime designs; Nanoha’s head is just a bit more noticeable because she has a more realistic body shape. No sculptor is listed for this figure, oddly, but it reminds me a bit of Takayuki Kondou’s Tamaki figure, as well as some of this previous work. I doubt he sculpted Nanoha, but a lot of the same design philosophy can be seen in both 1/4 scale figures.
Nanoha comes with a curiously small base; indeed, her base is scarcely greater in circumference than her head. Normally I prefer smaller bases, as I can fit more figures onto a shelf if their bases are small, but I’m hoping that Nanoha’s base is solid enough to keep her upright; she seems to already have a slight leftward tilt. Looking at the promo photos, even the sample figure shows that same tilt, so I’m not too worried about her spontaneously falling over, but it’s something I’ll be keeping an eye on down the road.
I really like this version of Nanoha, a lot more than I thought I would. I wouldn’t describe this figure as a crown jewel of my collection, and I’ll grant that Nanoha gets a large tilt due to her impressive size, but even so, I find myself liking many aspects of this figure. She’s sexy, I love her costume – except the ears, to which I am merely indifferent – and the sculpt looks great, particularly in her lithe, feminine form and evident cheery disposition. Nanoha is a great figure by herself and I’m really looking forward to FREEing’s figure of Fate; the two of them should make for a – pardon the pun – striking pair.
Back when I wrote about Gift’s Nanoha, I thought that she seemed a bit undersized for a 1/4 scale figure. However, looking at grown-up Nanoha and younger Nanoha, maybe she isn’t so undersized after all.
You knew this was coming; Nymph may have eluded the squirming, seductive grasp of the tentacle stand (entirely due to my own forgetfulness), but Nanoha will not be so fortuitous. Besides, magical girls and tentacles go together like Spam and rice.
