We've been expecting her coming for a while, and now here she is -- Mikatan has posted a preview of the 1/8 scale Sakura Kyouko, completing Good Smile Company's Madoka team (save for ultimate Madoka, of course). Even though Kyouko was not a part of the illustration upon which the other figures were based off of, she seems to fit in really well with the rest of the cast. Fans of Kyouko will find plenty to love here: her crimson ponytail, her signature fang, and of course, her big-ass spear. If you don't think your shelves can handle Kyouko's mighty spear, fear not -- an alternate set of arms will be included to put her into a cheerful stride, complete with taiyaki in her left hand.

Now that we've had a good look at the last of Good Smile Company's regular Madoka scaled figures, what do you guys think of them as a whole? Personally, I have mixed feelings; I like them because they're Madoka characters, I like them for their quality, I love how accurately they capture the anime's art style, yet I find myself slightly bothered at how...vanilla they turned out, which is rather uncharacterisic of Good Smile Company, who has a history of ambitiousness and creativity with their releases. Though the figures are undoubtedly cute, they hardly channel the essense of the characters in the anime. The happy-go-lucky expressions don't convey the dark tone of the anime (heck, I don't think I've ever seen Kyouko smile while wearing her magical girl outfit).

Of course, that's just me, and not everyone would like to see a forlorn expression on a figure's face or battle scuffs on a figure's clothes. Do you think GSC made the right call with their Madoka figures?

[UPDATE: Pre-orders are open now; ¥7,429 and a September release!]

[Pre-order at HobbyLink Japan | Otacute | Hobby Search | AmiAmi | CD Japan | J-List]