Tomopop Review: Kotobukiya's 1/8-scale Melty

4:00 PM on 12.13.2011   |   Kristina Pino

Every now and then, a figure comes out that makes you feel as happily surprised as the figure looks itself. Kotobukiya's Melty of Shining Hearts fame is one of those figures that I remember looking at back when she was just a sample gallery post from Akiba Hobby and couldn't help but smile.

Follow me through the jump to see just what she is so happy about, and whether you should be that happy if you order(ed) her for your own collection!

Figure Name: Melty [1/8-scale]
Figure Maker: Kotobukiya
Retail Value: ¥6,800
Available at: AmiAmi | Hobby Search | HobbyLink Japan

Here we go, box time! I actually really like the packaging that Melty came in. The box is very cute, featuring heart-shaped windows and varied artwork to look at. Seeing one of the pictures of her posing with her hat on properly makes me wish a figure like that existed too, actually!

Once we take her out of the tray and free her from the plastic, she's assembled and ready to go. I couldn't really find ice cream, but I had a few desserts to offer her and she seems happy enough with them.

Looking at her up front and back here, you can start to take in all the lovely details on her frilly, gothy dress, her hat and the happy little Sorbet plopped on her head. She's also got awesome hair.

Her base is simple: it's just a white round base with a little tiered molding. It does the job and, it isn't just a pointless round base at the same time.

I absolutely love how dynamic she looks from all angles. Looking at her from this side, she's got a big floppy bow on her hat and a heart hanging from a string behind it. With this image you also get a look at the detail of her hair and the side of her skirt, there.

The other side of the hat is less interesting, but I really love the way her hands are daintily tugging on the sides. More on that right below:

This is meant to be an image of her right hand more than anything else, but I couldn't bear to make it a disembodied picture. Her thumb is hooked under the brim of the hat there and the rest of her hand is poised to keep it in place. Her other hand is similarly posed, and you could check it out in the gallery.

Moving down a bit, let's check out that corset top thing she's got on. It's simple and to the point, nicely detailed where it needs to be without being excessive and delightfully clean.

The skirt itself has some frills underneath and, what you could catch in focus above is the nice design with ribbons around her gloves and more frills under the hat's brim, too. Everything about this figure is just adorable!

Let's check out the hair before we move down to the socks. It's got some great molding as we've come to expect from Kotobukiya, making her hair nice and wavy without botching it up much at all. There are some very minor paint blotches on this particular one, but that didn't "break" the figure for me.

The socks here match the rest of the outfit perfectly. This is the view from behind, where you catch some white ruffles which match the hat and the ribbon shoestrings matching the ribbon on the gloves. They're attached by frilly pink to her panties, which...well, are about as plain and white as any plain white panties could be:

Panty shot! You also get a better look at the front of the socks, where the clips are little hearts that attach the tops of the socks to the garter/corset.

Finally, we arrive at the bottom. She's wearing these platform sandal sort of shoes with the straps that go around her legs like ribbons. This is also a better look at the base, so you have a better idea of the way it's shaped.

We've talked lots about her outfit and body details, but not so much about her face, yeah? Here's a look at our happy little Melty, nice and distracted by the cakes and sweets I've put in front of her so I don't get attacked by some sort of ice cream spell. Her bangs are cute and don't obstruct anything else on her face, which is a major plus for me.

The last bit we haven't gotten to, of course is Sorbet. I had to leave the cutest for last, after all! He's just so happy there, waving his popsicle around. For being a small little thing on top of the character's head, no details went unnoticed or untended to here, either. Everything is perfectly clean.

I can say with confidence that this figure is very, very close to flawless, if not that. I don't really give the title of perfection easily, but I have absolutely no complaints about Melty! She's a gorgeous rendition of the cute little tsundere from head to toe. There's something to look at from every angle and she doesn't take up too much real estate on your shelf. She's got an appealing color palette and what's more, that toothy smile is just so addicting (and contagious)!

Do I recommend purchasing this figure? Absolutely; without a doubt. Melty is easily one of the best the year has to offer. Lucky for you folks, she's still out there and easy to get. Thanks as always to Kotobukiya for providing us with these beautiful figures, and be sure to leave your props and feedback in the comments section below!