Tomopop Review: Alter's 1/8 armored Clalaclan Philias

6:00 PM on 09.08.2010   |   Call Niero

I know I have reviewed some awesome figures this year, like VN02 Miku, Mercedes, Goddess Elwing and Velvet, but Alter's take on Clalaclan has been by far my most anticipated figure. I know she isn't as popular as many other figures, but she really struck a chord with me. First of all, she is sculpted by Yagyu Toshiyuki, my favorite sculptor. He has a way of recreating fabric that is almost unparalleled in the sculpting world. Second, ruffles. I love love love ruffles, and Clala here probably has the most epic figure ruffles ever. Last, but not least, she was designed by Tony Taka, one of my favorite illustrators. So all in all this was an easy buy for me. However, her muted color scheme could easily have been botched in production, even by Alter, so I was nervous about her arrival.

Hit the jump to see if Clalaclan fulfilled my hopes and dreams!

Because Clalaclan shipped SAL, I expected her box to be small. I was very, very wrong. It's HUGE. I am used to seeing white boxes on figures and getting annoyed because they look so plain, but this is one of the very few times that I feel like the white box works well. Clala is a plain figure (in terms of color!) so the elegant white box suits her well.

Note that while her box says "Clalaclan Phirias" the most accepted translation of her name is Philias. It seems odd to translate all but one of the l/r sound as ls!

The art the figure is based on is on the side of the box. As you can see, some liberties were taken with her outfit. Mainly, the figure is far more ruffle-y than the illustration. I have a thing for ruffles so this is no problem for me! 

Clalaclan can be displayed in quite a few ways. Her shield and weapon are optional, so here she is at her most basic. Even without the weaponry, she is absolutely gorgeous. I was worried that she would look plain because of how much white and silver there was on her outfit, but the contrast of metallic, shimmering and matte paint along with the shading work phenomenally well. 

I think they captured Taka's artwork perfectly on her face. She has a much "stronger" look than most of his characters, who tend to look beautiful but very demure. Clalaclan is still beautiful, but she has a bit of a small smile that just screams, "I could kick your butt if I wanted to."

Her bangs are a bit rough upon close inspection, but from any reasonable distance this is not at all an issue. 

Clalaclan has a beautiful back view. The ruffles are fully sculpted all the way round so her outfit is very interesting from pretty much every angle. Clalaclan is one of those rare figures who looks spectacular no matter how you display her, mostly because every inch of her outfit looks great.

The sculpting on her hair is simply amazing. I love the pale blonde they went for; it is an unusual hair color for figures (at least in my collection!) and matches her pale color scheme. I have heard some complaints about Clala not having well shaded hair, but mine has a lot of subtle shading. Either I got lucky or some people aren't looking hard enough!

Clala is known for her rather.... large chest, but that definitely is not the focus of this figure. She is a bit curvy even in armor, but she is not even a little bit tacky. The armor itself has a soft metallic finish, not so bright that it is overwhelming but shiny enough to look distinctly like metal. The rose is a cute, feminine touch that really stands out against all the smooth lines of her armor. 

Her outfit is mostly shades of white and silver, but several places have vibrant splashes of blue. Her overskirt, or whatever it is, has large stripes of color. This is a much-needed contrast that brings a lot of life to her outfit. The overskirt itself is very fragile. It actually feels like it was made from pure ABS (probably to help it retain its shape) but this makes it very brittle, so be cautious when handling her. 

The ruffles are obviously the main attraction of this outfit, and they are done beautifully. I mean, just one glance at the incredible sculpting is all you need to know that Clala is a truly spectacular figure. The shading is subtle but well done, the paint is perfectly applied, etc etc. I really have no complaints! One word of warning: the ruffles make her extremely heavy. Heavier than any other figure I own, actually!

Clala's winged boots are a kind of adorable touch. I know they are meant to mimic Valkyries in some way, but they just look cute on her. The part with the wings on it is actually a separate piece that can slide up and down for some reason, though I have no clue what the use for that is.

Of course Clala comes with weaponry, and here she is fully equipped! The staff/cross thing comes apart and slides into her hand, but the shield is actually attached to a separate hand. Switching both of these in and out is pretty painless. There are a lot of ways to display her but this is my favorite!

The shield is just wonderfully made. It is simple, yes, but the details really stand out from the average figure. Many parts of Clalaclan could be classified as "simple" like her accessories or color scheme, but Alter has managed to make her a striking figure. While most of this is because of the sculpting, the fantastic finish has a lot to do with it.

Contrary to popular belief, Clalaclan is not cast-off. It is kind of funny that they went to this much trouble to give her fancy panties and garters but didn't give you the option to take her skirt off. I don't really mind either way, but I must say Alter did a splendid job on her undergarments!

Ah, the traditional white plastic slab base. It actually works quite well on Clalaclan because it fits with her elegant motif, but at the same time it presents some problems. Since she is so heavy she need a heavy-duty base with thick pegs (preferably metal) and well ... this base just doesn't deliver. She is wobbly on the base, not disconcertingly so but enough to make me cautious when I walk by the shelf she is on. 

Clalaclan definitely met all of my expectations, and in fact she was even better than I had imagined. She is basically flawless, so of course I highly recommend adding this figure to your collection! She is still available at most locations, and even with her rather hefty price (7850 yen at AmiAmi and 8330 yen at HobbySearch) she is definitely worth it!

Thanks as always to Stephen for taking these pictures! Don't forget to check out the rest in the gallery, including more upskirt and a veritable ton of ruffle pictures!