Figure Name: Miku Append
Figure Maker: Max Factory
Retail Value: US$83.67/¥6,686
Available at: HobbyLink Japan

As usual, let's grab a look at Miku's box right off the bat. You might notice a distinct lack of Miku here, however, all thanks to undesirable relatives deleting photos from memory cards before one can transfer them properly, leading to a need to retake said photos later. Of course, since in this case the box is the subject rather than its contents, let's take a look! As far as boxes go, the form is standard, but the actual aesthetics are anything but.

This is a very, very classy box, and I'm a huge fan of it. From the jet black coloring to the flowery script done in metallic silver, all of Miku's elegance is equally captured even in something as simple as the package she arrives in. It's really, really nicely done, and if I had reason to actually keep boxes I probably would hold onto this one. It's that nice.

Right out of the box, I was surprised to find how tiny Miku was. Even though I, of course, knew the scale, she just feels tiny. Very frail and thin in your hand, almost delicate. She required a tiny bit of assembly as well, but nothing out of the ordinary. Merely sliding her twintails into place then fitting her onto the base arm, followed by slotting the two accompanying speakers in alongside her. At least, I assume they're speakers!

The arm itself is a rather unique sort of mount, as well. It's screwed in place and weirdly flexible, allowing for Miku to swing on the hinge to almost a horizontal position rather than just holding her in place. This is no figma, of course, and the swing doesn't really allow for any alternative interesting positions. Rather, anything but the basic upright placement looks downright silly, and I'm not quite sure why it's even movable to such a degree in the first place.

The attention to detail fortunately extends to Miku herself, as well, and as tiny as she feels I'm certainly impressed at the level shown in seemingly small areas. One that stood out in particular to me was, of all things, her feet and ankles. The detailing of the Crypton logo is nice and crisp, and I like the nail polish addition as well! I've always been fond of seeing makeup, and other similar additions, to anime characters because it's so often a rarity, so I enjoyed seeing the bit of color added here.

We can move up a bit and see the little complexities in her outfit continue elsewhere, too. There's a fairly intricate pattern designed on her hip, sort of like a circuit that might be a bit of a callback to her virtual origins. Whatever the case, again, I like that her outfit isn't simply a uniform gray.

One thing that always stood out to me with Miku's Append version is the somewhat unfamiliar face design. She definitely doesn't look like the cute, young Miku everyone often thinks about, but has a more adult, stern and serious look to her features. It's unique and definitely takes a bit of getting used to, but Max Factory did a great job with the work overall and it absolutely fits her classier appearance as a whole.

Naturally, the big thing about this figure is Miku's utterly fabulous hair. I've had people who aren't even fans pass by my PC tower where she currently resides, who stopped and gave pause to say "Wow" regarding her hair. It really is lovely, and the sculpt and coloring alike are fantastic. It's got a lovely translucent coloring especially at the tips, and the wonderful flow along with her base in general gives the appearance of Miku descending from above. Definitely one of the best parts of the figure and an aspect that ties it all together marvelously.

All in all, I really couldn't find anything to complain about. The painting is quite well done even on such a small figure, and my only real issue was the odd choice of base. The arm also means it's difficult to move her without quite a lot of shaking, but once she's in place it's quite sturdy and she's good to go. I'd definitely have to recommend her to any Vocaloid fan around!

[Thanks to HobbyLink Japan for providing this review sample!]