Figure Names: G.E.M. Series Kenshin Himura (Regular Version, Limited Version)
Figure Maker: MegaHouse
Retail Price: ¥6,800 each
Available at: Hobby Link Japan | AmiAmi | Hobby Search | Play-Asia

I'll start with the box for both of them, since they are essentially the same and I'm mixing up the review a bit. It's very simple, and the box covers up some of the accessories and parts that come in the tray. There are full views of both boxes in the gallery if you want to see, but it's just decorated with pictures of either figure all around.

I'm also going to get the bases out of the way up front, too. The regular edition comes with a square black base, which has a red design on it. The limited edition comes with a red base and a black design on it. They both look great, although it was much easier to photograph the red base outside.

Alrighty, time to take those boys out! Here's Kenshin, as the Hitokiri Battousai, meaning he's still got the one slash on his face. There are three hair styles that came with each figure. The first is this one, where it's tied up higher. The second it's tied lower at his neck (below), and third it's the short hair. All three have nice highlight details painted on.

Kenshin is posed for battle with his sword out mid-opening slice.

You may notice throughout the review, and I believe this was also mentioned in a community blog, that the hakama are very lightly dusted with the color of his gi in either figure. The one with red shows a bit more than the blue, but they're both there.

The red shading is more apparent here. You also get a view of the only paint defect I found on the figure, being a slight bit of smudging of the red paint onto his under-gi right at the bottom, there. As you can see in this picture, the figure has a pearly matte finish that looks almost a bit watery and I like the effect.

Here is a view of the hilt of his katana. The molding is well done, making it look fabric-bound and natural. His hand has got a nice grip there right under the finger guard as well.

Alternatively, here's what the draw looks like with his short hair on and alternate face (has both cuts). Out of the three hair styles, I must say I like the high-tie best, though all three look good. As for the faces, I like both, but he just looks more familiar with both cuts. Everything about these figures is a matter of preference, or basically which stage of his journey you want to put him in.

The mold and paint in general is pretty stiff for my tastes, but the figure still manages that movement I always look for. There is some detail on his chest there, but not too much to deviate from the rest of the figure. I'm glad about that, because I don't really view Kenshin as this hunky bishounen character. I would have been disappointed to see extra molding on his body on such a simplistically attractive figure.

Here you've got a view of his feet, which are in the typical tabi and sandals. Again, nice detailing here and no paint smudging. It looks good on the base, which is probably weird of me to note. It's not the colors or anything; what I mean is, it does look like he's standing on his own there, but really he's pegged in. MegaHouse also did a great job making the sandal look like a separate piece from his foot.

Earlier I gave you a view of mostly his gi with a bit of the hakama, but it wasn't so much in focus on where it's tied up on front. Here you have a better view of the material tied on and around his hips, as well as the gi hanging in there on the sides where the hakama is cut. This is another picture that you can really see the light shading there, which I think is a great touch.

One last bit of detail that I just could not overlook, and it may not be that apparent via this image, but his fundoshi is molded along with his butt and painted on under the hakama. Now that is dedication! His legs are also sculpted the entire way, so they cut no corners here, even though most folks aren't going to be looking up their Battousai's hakama. I'm noticing a lot of companies follow through with details like this lately, so it's always fun for me to take a peek.

That's pretty much it for my review. I love this figure, especially as someone who can look at this and see how realistic the stance and placement are throughout. His left arm looks like it's jerking back the sheath while he delivers a blow, clothing flowing with his movement and feet slid apart. His hair is swaying to one side and, although the sword starts to sag a little after a while, it more or less stays level as it should. I have little in the way of complaints and would recommend either version (come on, they're the same price, and both are readily available) to anyone who is a fan of the character or series, or generally into iai or other sword arts. It's just that cool of a figure.

You get a lot of options with both and with only one minor paint defect that is only visible when you really zoom in on it, Kenshin is well worth the scratch. While I took many pictures of both figures, most of my detail shots were of the limited version, but will appear the same on both with the exception of the colors, including the tabi socks which are red in the regular edition and black in the limited edition. Check out the gallery for the rest of the pictures!