Tomopop Review: Marvel Bishoujo Statue X-23

5:00 PM on 02.16.2012   |   Kristina Pino

Not being too much into X-Men, Kotobukiya's Bishoujo X-23 is one of those figures that kind of just came and went for me. I'm not too familiar with the character except for her vicious tendencies in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, though I admittedly enjoyed the design sans the facial expression. I wasn't alone on the face, either, as you could see in an older post that not everyone was entirely convinced by what looks like a too-serene, almost dopey expression.

What about the final product, though? Do you think it's a hit or miss? Check past the jump to see what my thoughts are.

Figure Name: Marvel Bishoujo Statue X-23
Figure Maker: Kotobukiya
Retail Price: US$59.99
Available at: Koto US

The box this time around has a lovely purple insert for the figure, the original artwork and a little thumbnail of Marvel Bishoujo Storm who is the next mutant in line. Other than that, the box is just what it needs to be, right down to the size (much to my relief).

I ran into my first problem as soon as I took her out of the box. She isn't attached to her base, and while she can balance without it, she looks a little silly since her right heel is meant to be pegged in and thus her toes will always stick up. Some creative propping could always fix this issue, though in my case it would be the only real option given that she didn't fit onto her base for me at all.

Her frame doesn't quite match with the grooves and peg hole on the base, and her heel didn't fit into the hole despite it all. I didn't want to force the figure too much, and you'll probably be able to notice these things a bit more in the course of the review now that I've pointed it out. (See in the image below: her left leg is to the side of the grooves that are meant for it.)

Still, though. It's just a base for a kneeling figure, right? I'm sure plenty of fans could live with that. Just prop her up against someone else's base and it'll look like they're cooperating in some sneaky mission!

On to some of her better qualities, she's got a lovely choker on with a pendant hanging from it, her sports bra-shaped leather top and a very well-sculpted belly. More on the belly below:

You can also note here that she's got pink nail polish on matching her pink lips. And her pink ... elbow? Looks like I got a little bit of a shading goof on mine, unless X-23 is allergic to latex.

Might I also add (on a brighter note), that she looks positively serene (in a great way) from this angle?

Other details I enjoy are mostly in the sculpting department. Her arm skin looks natural, and I like the movement with her hair. Let's check that out a bit more:

I love X-23's amazing hair! She's got the clear PVC thing going with the ends, something that I feel that Koto has perfected at this point. It really complements the overall look very well! I also like that she has voluminous hair, another thing that I've come to expect with most of these figures, but still appreciate every time. If there's one issue I have with the hair, and you can begin to see it in the top image above, is there's a bit of a seaming issue. There's another image in the gallery from directly above if you want to see it.

Let's work our way down a bit.

X-23 has a nice little butt that fits snugly into her pants, with little stretch marks and everything between her cheeks. I like the touch! I also like her gold chain link belt. It's not loose like Mystique's skull belt, though. (Mystique reviewed here)

Before we get back to her face and all that, we still haven't looked at her claws. Let's see those bad boys ...

The claws are made from a slightly bendy material that gives a bit here and there when loading/unloading from packaging and generally moving her around. It's great that they aren't fragile, but in the case of her left hand claws (and the one on her right foot), they also "drag" on the surface of whatever you're trying to move it over. Deal breaker? No, not really. It just means that you'd have to be more careful so the paint doesn't chip off or the ends don't get busted over time.

Here's the last detail shot I'll show before we get into her face. Yeah, I just wanted to put that somewhere. I absolutely love the molding with her left arm here.

Alright, so let's examine the face! We mentioned the pink lipstick, which is cute on her, and from this angle we see her cute little nose. The expression in the original artwork has her looking upwards with a sassy smile on her face. I'm seeing a more passive expression here on the final product, which isn't really a problem yet.

Now, consider this angle. This is where I get kind of a "dopey" vibe. Then again, it might just be me. She's staring into my soul and gazing into my deepest secrets.

Dopey or serene? You decide. I don't think she has much determination going for her, but overall, I love the sweet face and clean detailing throughout the figure itself (from certain angles). 

Mine did come with various flaws, and I'm actually quite interested in hearing about others that purchased the figure and whether they're experiencing any of these same issues. As usual, I hope mine's just a lemon and that you're all more than happy with the figure. Of course, you'll want to err on the side of caution, and this might be a release meant just for X-23's biggest fans.

As always, thanks to Kotobukiya for providing Tomopop with such splendid products. This X-23 is going to be added to the prize pot for February's Megapixel contest, so if you like what you see, be sure to enter for a chance to win!