Figure Name: Marvel Bishoujo Storm Statue
Figure Maker: Kotobukiya
Retail: US$59.99
Available at: Koto US

As always we'll start with the box, which I absolutely love. It's adorned with Shunya's beautiful artwork of Storm, and has it all over the box for you to see. It also features a small window on the front, side and top of the box so that you can peek in and get a glimpse of Storm herself.

After you get her out of the box you'll find her safe and sound inside the clear plastic prison we know so well. Both the main figure of Storm herself, as well as the other accessories are covered in a soft clear plastic to keep them from rolling about in the box, and helps them stay nice and scratch-free as well.

As you can tell, straight out of the box she was ready to brew up some messy weather for us. Granted out here in the Midwest we need some rain, so it was definitely welcomed that day! Her poised look of determination shows her focus as she works to bring in the weather.

Stepping back, you can see that her outfit is based on the one from around the time she first joined the X-Men, and I couldn't think of one more fitting for the line honestly. It has everything from her latex-looking bikini that's held together with that single golden ring, as well as her headpiece and classic black and gold cape.

One thing that might have been a complaint is the length of her hair, and yes, in the original comic design her hair was much longer at this time. However, while I'm usually someone who wants things to look as close to their original versions as possible, I give it a pass. I actually really like how her hair was done in this figure, and I think if it were as long as it should be, it would look really strange whipping around like it is.

You might have noticed that when you take Storm out of the box she's already attached to her base, which I like. This way you will have such a less chance for her to end up leaning and going whatever which way over time. Everything seems very sturdy with it. I really like the colors used on it as well, as it really looks like she's whipping up a cyclone of sorts.

One of the things that drew me to the figure of Mrs. Ororo Munroe, well besides her being one of my favorite X-Men of all time, was the presence of body she has in the figure. She actually looks like a normal human being. While a lot of figures spend time creating skin and bone characters, Storm actually has natural looking curves and musculature.

Her armpits divot in just as they should if she were holding her arms at that position. Her breasts nicely stretch the fabric of her top, without looking ridiculous or unrealistic, and her skin is pressed in with the tightness of her outfit, just as it should be. You can even get a little glimpse of how her thighs do the same thing with the tightness of her thigh-high boots.

I'm honestly just really impressed with the sculpting of her body as a whole. Her hip bones are visible, just as they would be on a normal person, and although some have complained about the size of her booty, I'm thinking it looks pretty nice how it is.

It's a bit shadowed due to her cape and those clouds she worked up, but you can get a bit of a teasing glimpse at it here. Though what I really wanted to show you were the folds of the cape. They look great, and really look as if her cape is moving with her. The only small flaw I could find to mention is that some of the gold paint is a little more thin in certain places, usually around the turn of a fold. It's really only visible when you're doing odd angled shots like this though, so it's nothing that is distracting when on the shelf.

Ah ha! As the clouds grow more dark and ominous you can see that her hands have changed as well. She now has on the blue set of hands, with the extra glowing accessories, to make it look as if she's using her powers. Another big complaint is how her eyes are white when she uses her powers, but they're clearly not here. Usually that would bother me, but for some reason with the facial expression she was given, I actually really like it the way it was done here.

Taking a closer look at them, you can see just how they fit onto the arms. The hands obviously pop in and out easily, but the glowing bits actually slip on before you put on the hands. After you hold them there, you'll then put the hand in and it will hold it in place nicely. You can also see the nice shades and highlights in her gorgeous white hair in this photo. The individual strands and sculpting of the main base of her hair all look great, and flow well together.

Here you can see a close up of her headpiece which looks just as it should. You can also see that the red paint that was applied to the brooch that holds her cape on looks clean, as does the majority of the rest of the paint. There are a couple of scratches that can be seen both on the cape, and on her forehead in this shot, but I think it must have been how the light hit them. I sure never noticed them while looking at her in person.

Long story short, if you're a Shunya Yamashita fan, a Storm fan, or both; pick this up. I absolutely love it, and it's definitely made me even more excited for when Harley Quinn arrives later this year on the DC side of things. She's beautiful, in every sense of the word. As my first time of being able to see one of the Bishoujo line in person, I'm definitely impressed. I'm pretty much in love with this figure, and I can't recommend it enough for those who like this style.

Be sure to take a peek at the gallery to see all the rest of the shots that I couldn't fit into the review. I had a lot of fun with her on that rainy afternoon! Stay tuned to Tomopop to check out Kristina's review of the limited edition white outfit version later this afternoon!

[A huge thank you to Kotobukiya for providing Tomopop with this review sample!]