Figure Name: Black Tinkerbell
Figure Maker: Yamato USA
Retail Price: US$249.99

As with our last Fantasy Figure review, we'll start by looking at Luis Royo's source art first.

Now, I like Royo's art. That being said, I am not the biggest fan of this piece. The body looks great, but if you ask me, the figure's face looks a little ... derpy. Yeah, I said it, and I'm sure Royo fans will be pissed, but it's simply how I feel. In positive news, however, Yamato USA has compensated for that in their version of the character, and I think it's an improvement for the better.

This figure has an epic box. It's covered in vivid illustrations, front and back, and it's honestly pretty beautiful. By the way, did you know we are giving one of these away in our Halloween photo contest? If you like her, you might want to go check that out.

So, out of the box, here's what you've got. The piece has a nice weight (remember, it's polyresin, not PVC) and comes packed firmly in several styrofoam layers so all the pieces stay intact. I definitely felt as if the piece was delicate when handling it, especially when it came to the wings and scepter. Resin requires a very different kind of care than PVC, so be aware of that if you choose to collect it.

Here is the sign that comes with the figure, which is a wooden wedge with a gold plate that features the number of the figure you get. It's pretty fancy!

This figure is absolutely beautiful, no bones about it. The body is sculpted to perfection, with curves in all the right places. In the end, I couldn't decide on one way to shoot her, so I shot her a bunch of different ways. And every one was fun. 

As shown in Yamato's original production photos, the wings are transparent, but you'll only see this in certain types of light, so this would be a great item to display near a window or on a shelf where light cascades in onto it. The wings are so finely detailed they actually feature tiny veins, which is a really great touch (see gallery).

You can expect it to look great from all angles, too -- the mark of a great product, for sure. It is difficult to display figures in a way where you can walk all around them sometimes, but trust us when we say it is worth it for a piece like this.

Woo, that bottom is looking lovely. But what about the face?

Seems to me like Yamato tweaked the face design a tad, but that is okay with me, because it looks like this. This expression has the exact same tone as the original art, but it seems as if the face has been slightly lengthened. It looks a little more mature too, which I like a lot.

The expression also looks different depending on the angle. Straight on like the first shot, you see a sensuous creature, possibly contemplating something wicked. From above like this, she almost looks contemplative, maybe even a touch regretful. There aren't a lot of figures that vary in disposition when you look at them from different angles, so Yamato really did a number with this one.

See what I mean about the angles? No matter where you go, this is really a joy to look at. 

[Photo by George Rey Photography]

Tomopop wholly recommends Black Tinkerbell for collectors. While somewhat delicate and obviously pricier than PVC, she also sports a level of detail that makes it worth the extra cash. The attention to sculpt and paint is impeccable, and obviously she's an eye-catcher, beyond all that boring quality stuff!

Convinced? You have a few options, in that case. Head over to Yamato USA, where Black Tinkerbell is in stock for order, or you can head on over to our Halloween contest post and try to win her by submitting a Halloween-themed toy photo. The PVC version of the figure will retail for $119.99 and be out later this year, so you can always hold off if you prefer that to the resin version. Also, if you're a fan of Yamato's work, you can follow them on Twitter to keep up with their new releases.

[Thanks to Yamato USA for the review sample]