Tomopop Review: Max Factory's 1/8 VN02 Mix Miku Hatsune

12:00 PM on 07.10.2010   |   Call Niero

Like Black Rock Shooter, VN02 Mix Miku (VN Miku for short) has a rather convoluted origin. She is based on an illustration by Nagimiso for a remix of the popular Miku Hatsune song "Moon," which was done for the Project Diva game. The remix was dubbed the VN02 Mix version, thus where this figure got her name from. "Moon" is definitely one of my favorite Miku songs because she actually is the moon in the song, looking down on earth. And while I prefer the original over the remix, I am glad it was made because it led to the production of this figure!

VN Miku was one of the most expensive 1/8 PVC figures ever with a retail price of 12800yen , or about $145. With a pricetag like that, many people could not afford her, and those who could were left wondering for many months if she was worth the outrageous price. I thankfully managed to snag her for significantly cheaper at 8330 yen because of AmiAmi's extra 15% off in June. Even then, she came to about $115 with shipping, a pretty steep price for a 1/8 scale figure. So hit the jump to see if she was worth it! 

VN Miku has a big box, but it is certainly not the biggest I have seen. Exelica still has that honor! And her box actually needs to be as big it is, unlike some figures (*cough*BRS*cough*) and there really isn't any "extra" space. The box itself is very nicely designed, the green and black are very vibrant. One of my favorite PVC boxes so far!

You can see here that she pretty much fills the entire box. Her mecha parts, which I think are wings, are placed pretty close to her body, as is the base. It is really her hair that takes up so much space! VN Miku came in a lot of plastic sheets, but of course, I tore her out of the box before we shot the review. There were sheets over her arms, her hair-- pretty much every inch of her was wrapped up. It was also 105 degrees when she got to my house, so taking the plastic off without harming her presented a bit of a challenge as a lot of the figure had become soft and bendy in the heat.

VN Miku is without a doubt one of the most beautiful figures I have the pleasure of owning. However, one big issue seems to plague her that needs to be addressed, and that is her size. Miku is much smaller than I was expecting, and I think based on comments I have seen that other people feel the same way. Even though her measurements were given as 10.5" I was really expecting a 13"+ figure. However, Miku is not true to scale. She is more of a 1/9 scale figure than 1/8 when you compare her body to other figures. Her head makes her seem like she is 1/10, but it just happens to be normally proportioned, unlike many other figures.

I do not have a problem with her smaller size, as I have more than enough big figures and I actually find myself appreciating the details on smaller figures more. The bigger the scale, the less detail, as figures like the 1/4 FREEing Haruhi Bunnies show. I view VN Miku a lot like Chua Churam, where the massive amount of details make up for the smaller size. However, in the interest of full disclosure, Stephen does have a bit of a problem with her size and wishes she was bigger. 

VN Miku's face is nothing short of gorgeous. I love the more mature and elegant look they gave her. Some people didn't like this grown up Miku because it is not true to character, but I feel that this is a silly complaint because 1) it is an adult version, and she would have a more mature personality and 2) Miku is not even a real "character" in the sense that most of her personality has been constructed by fans. Interpretations of her can be far more "out there" than for a regular anime/manga/game character because she really has very little base personality or features to refer to. 

VN Miku has no bad angles. In fact, they are all so good looking that it is hard to choose how to display her. From the front you get a full view of her gorgeous face, from the side you can see her swooshing twintails, and from the back you really have the best view of her outfit/boots. I have chosen to display her frontward at a bit of an angle so you can see her face and the line of her body, but there is no right or wrong way to display this figure.

Here is a straight-on side angle, and you can see how great she looks even when you cannot see her face. The awesome swoosh of her hair is much more apparent, as you cannot really see how high up it arches from the front or back. The "flow" of her pose is also much more apparent from the side, where you can really tell that she is in flight. 

There are so many amazing details on this figure to talk about, but her hair is probably the best place to start. Her massive twintails take up a lot of space, both height and width wise. Her twintails thankfully do not suffer from the "detailless blob" syndrome that Max Factory's previous Miku had, and there is enough detail sculpted in them to keep them from looking shapeless. The bright neon green that is in the front part of her hair slowly turns to lime green and then at the ends they are practically clear, giving it a very nice faded effect. I actually feel that the best part of her hair is her bangs, which are an almost juicy shade of green and happen to be amazingly sculpted. 

Her headphones are still there, although the design is very different. They almost resemble a headset more than headphones. She has also acquired a strange golden collar that has an almost steampunk feel. The whole contraption around her neck mixes steampunk and cyberpunk surprisingly well, though it is definitely heavier on the cyberpunk side. 

While Miku's outfit seems to have gone some radical changes, the core pieces are still there. She has thigh-high boots, a short skirt that is a different, darker color than her top, headphones, strange contraptions around her twintails, bare shoulders and flared sleeves, and even her tie is intact. The green, almost organic looking thing on the front of her outfit ends in a downward triangle, exactly like the tie on her regular outfit does. I love that she looks so different yet still feels very much like the Miku we all know and love.

VN Miku has gone up a few cup sizes, though she still retains her willowy physique. She is slim, but has just the right amount of curves to look quite womanly. I like that they did not make her overly busty so that she stays not-tacky even with that skintight outfit. VN Miku is really a piece of art-- this is not to say that other figures are not art, but Miku certainly has more of an artsy edge than most, and having a ton of fanservice would really dilute that. 

VN Miku's odd wing-like contraptions come separated, and slide in to slots on her back with relative ease. They are very delicate and could easily snap, so be careful when handling them. The detail work here is amazing, as every little line is inked and the pink details really pop against the black and green. The white paint here is highly pearlescent and shimmers pink-gold under the light, a lovely and surprising touch. 

Her clear sleeves cover up long black gloves, a new addition to this diva's ensemble. They give her a sleek, classy feel, especially with the glossy finish. Her hands are delicately sculpted and add to the movement of the figure. Her recognizable sleeve "output panel" is still there, outlined in bright pink, although there is no information readout. The clear material near the end is a bit foggy upon close inspection, but this is a flaw so minor I would hesitate to even classify it as such. 

The back of VN Miku's dress has an odd spine-like formation that is the same vivid green color as her hair. Like her "tie" it is almost organic looking, more like a growing object than a machine. VN Miku shows a nice mix of mecha-musume and humanoid form, her body is not overwhelmed by the mecha parts but she is definitely not entirely human (or has at least some radical modifications). This is reflected in the angle of her back, a delicate curve that is only possible to accomplish if you are a contortionist. On VN Miku, it looks somehow natural, flowing and organic. Her entire pose is like this, it borders on not-quite-possible but manages to remain inside the lines enough to look beautiful, not outrageous. 

The garters extending between her dress and boots are a nice, grown-up touch to what was originally a rather childish outfit. They definitely add a bit of sex appeal to a character who was known for moe, not curves. Her skirt has also undergone some changes, and is now skintight and almost latex in appearance. It definitely adds some edge, especially combined with the intricacies of her hair and wings. The sleek outfit contrasts very well with the elaborate base and mecha parts, so she does not seem to have too much going on. 

Speaking of sex appeal, from behind, VN Miku is surprisingly sexy. This is not something I thought I would ever say about the character, but the curve of her back and hips combined with her tight dress and boots that mimic thigh-high stockings really add a lot of sex appeal in a very non-tacky way. The fact that you can see a quick glimpse of her black panties certainly doesn't hurt either.

VN Miku's boots end in delicate pointed heels. Perhaps not the best for running around in, but when you're flying who cares what your footwear is like? The paint, which I have not really mentioned yet, is perfect here, as it is in almost every area. There are some very minor imperfections, which you have to expect in a mass-produced figure, but VN Miku rivals even Mercedes when it comes to precise, beautiful painting. There are no bumps, scratches, overlapping spots, blemishes, missed areas, or anything "bad" you could think of on a paint job. The line work on her wings is a tad bit messy near the tips, but other than that VN Miku is pretty much perfection. 

She slides into the base at two points, and is thankfully perched quite steadily. A metal bar slides into her foot, and one of the armor-like parts of her boots rests in a notch on the base. Because her wings and hair make her so top-heavy she is a bit wobbly, but I doubt leaning will be an issue, nor will she randomly fall off. While we are on the topic of her armor-protrusions, what exactly are they? I mean, aside from being a very useful way to stabilize her, they do not seem to have a viable purpose. Then again they are most likely just part of the design because they look cool!

I am not quite sure what VN Miku's base is supposed to be, but the effect is stunning and unique. The green parts look almost like flames, and the center like some odd engine she is using to boost herself up. The pink in the "engine" part really pops against the green, as do most of the smaller pink details on her outfit. Probably the only thing I would change about this figure given the opportunity is the amount of hot pink-- I think just a bit more could have been used, especially on her wings and dress.

So is VN02 Mix Miku Hatsune worth her retail price? I have to say yes wholeheartedly. Even if you cannot get her at a reduced price, she is well worth the "bumped up" cost. All of the stores that mark down prices are sold out of this beauty, but she is still available at HLJ for a little under her retail cost. I honestly cannot recommend this figure enough! She is definitely going to be in everyone's top figure lists for 2010, so if you want her I suggest grabbing her now before prices skyrocket. 

Thanks as always to Stephen Donaldson for taking these pictures, especially because this shoot was hellish. Because of the heat? Nope, it was a breezy 85 degrees when we took these shots, which is considered cool for a NYC summer. You see, we thought it would be an awesome idea to go to Times Square for the shoot. At 10 at night. The Times Square I am used to is calm and empty, but I am always there at 3 in the morning in fall or spring. 10 on a summer night is literally hell. You can see in some of the gallery images how many people were surrounding us! We went to the glowing red steps, managed to get a spot up at the back to get the lights in the background, and someone tried to step on her. People always talk about how rude New Yorkers are, but I have lived here for a good chunk of my life and let me tell you, it isn't the locals who are rude. We have done many shoots in the city, and the people around us are always polite. Curious, but very polite. Only the tourists are inconsiderate. 

In any case, be sure to check out the gallery for a ton more pictures of this stunning figure!