Occasionally you run into a product where it only occurs to you how awesome the thing is after you ponder why anybody would make something like it in the first place. On the surface, bathroom dioramas only appeal to two key demographics: children and perverts. I mean, who else would even think about something like this when it comes to figures? However, finding myself past that (mildly jaded) conclusion, there's something just incredibly zany about a bathroom set.

Milestone's 1/12 scale has two bathroom plastic model sets available for pre-order. The first features a toilet and things you would expect to see in a bathroom stall while the second features two urinals and a sink. While it's not specified, I believe that the sets only come with what's pictured meaning that the toilet only gets one dividing wall besides not even having a door. If such is the case, then Milestone is cutting costs at the price of very basic authenticity.

While I find the set oddly appealing, there are some visible flaws. For starters, stall partitions rarely go down to the floor; usually the divider has a large enough gap for a person to crawl under in case the lock jams (better known as the most unpleasant game of limbo ever). The urinals are literally placed too close for comfort. There would be some definite physical contact if both were in use. I naturally wonder if the placement is a cost-saving measure (allowing for a smaller kit) or whether it's a Japanese thing.

Otherwise, both sets are remarkably neat in an odd sort of way. While the urinal set offers more capacity, the toilet set just seems cooler. For detail, it even has a toilet paper dispenser on the wall. The toilet has a large additional piece protruding from the side which I'm going to guess is a variation on the lever used to flush it. The item on the ground is listed as being a trash can.

Before you think that these sets are intrinsically perverted, I feel obliged to point out that many great fight scenes have, in fact, taken place in bathrooms. Examples include the Bride vs Elle in Kill Bill vol. 2, Nathan Drake against that big thug in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, and Batman vs Red Hood in Batman: Under the Red Hood. Additionally, you have fights that took place around toilets such as when Rorschach was attacked in his jail cell in Watchmen and (as in so many bathroom fights) the toilet became a weapon. So rather than displaying a character sitting on the toilet you could pose one figure shoving the other's head into it.

Does anybody here need to use the bathroom replica? If so, there's a bit of a wait since these kits are slated to release in March. Hope you can hold it for that long!

[ Pre-order 1/12 Toilet at AmiAmi | HobbyLink Japan ]

[ Pre-order 1/12 Urinals at AmiAmi | HobbyLink Japan ]