Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo collection 1/7th scale X-Force Psylocke ninja 8-inch Statue Review II

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The great thing about having a product in hand is that you can zoom in and take close-up pictures, sometimes not forthcoming in teaser preview / prototype pictures. Close-up shots allow you to examine the product more closely and appreciate the fine details (or lack thereof) that went into the making of the product. Here are the close-up photos of the recently released Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo Psylocke X-Force ninja outfit statue.

According to wikipedia, Bishōjo (美少女, literally "beautiful young girl", also spelled bishoujo) is a Japanese term used to refer to young and pretty girls, usually below university age. Bishōjo characters are seen in almost all genres of anime and manga, especially in dating sims and visual novels (also known as bishōjo games), and harem anime and manga. Since one of the main draws of these series is typically the art and the attractive female characters, the term is occasionally perceived negatively, as a "genre" which is solely dependent on the marketability of cute characters rather than content or plot.

Master artist Shunya Yamashita has illustrated X-Force Psylocke as an anime bishoujo character and scultor Busujimax (Takaboku Busujima) has translated Yamashita's 2-D rendering into a 3-D masterpiece. Not only has the Japanese taken British woman Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock and turned her into a Japanese anime character, they also made her much younger. The fact that she is also a ninja shows how much the Japanese culture has crossed into the American media. How many caucasians have been transformed into sword wielding, shuriken throwing ninja warriors? Besides Psylocke, there's Bruce Wayne Batman (posted HERE), Snake Eyes and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ;p check out my posts HERE of Snake Eyes and the turtles HERE and HERE.

Scroll down to see the rest of the close-up views of Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo collection 1/7th scale Psylocke X-Force ninja outfit statue

I like how Kotobukiya managed to show off the white belt decorated with the red and black X-Force symbol, and the tied off sash waves with unseen wind along with Psylocke's trademark purple hair!

Psylocke never looked better in her X-Force outfit consisting of a sleek black skin-tight costume, thigh high boots, long fingerless gloves, and unique straps around her upper arms and legs.

She comes with a sword which is removable but it cannot be sheathed because the sheath (which is secured to her belt) has no slits for the sword to be stored.

Psylocke rests on one hand while the other holds her katana at the ready. The deadly telepathic mutant crouches low with one leg in full extension, ready to leap into battle!

What can I say? I really like this statue. The only other Kotobukiya Bishoujo statue I have is the DC Comics Wonder Woman 9-inch statue which is also beautifully made.

Related posts:
March 27, 2012 – Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo collection 1/7th scale Wonder Woman 9-inch statue Reviews HERE and HERE
June 2, 2013 – Kotobukiya Batman Arkham City Collectors Edition 14 cm (5.5") Statue posted HERE

Review 1: Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo collection 1/7th scale X-Force Psylocke 8-inch Statue

Once a British woman with minor mutant powers, Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock's mind was transferred into the body of a ninja giving her additional martial arts prowess. A long-time member of the X-Men, Psylocke more recently joined up with the brutal mutant hit squad X-Force, comprised of mutants willing to do anything to get the job done and protect the world. Psylocke fits right in, using her awesome powers and debuting a cool monochrome costume. Based on a new illustration by master artist Shunya Yamashita, Psylocke has never looked better with her X-Force outfit and adorable Bishoujo styled face!

This is the latest Kotobukiya! The Marvel Bishoujo collection: a brand new version of the mysterious and beautiful telepathic mutant ninja, PSYLOCKE X-FORCE NINJA OUTFIT version. Having previewed this femme fatale earlier HERE, I just had to get my hands on this female ninja figure ;p

I've always been a big fan of the X-Men. Read a lot of X-Men comics growing up and seeing them rendered in eye-popping 3-D is just the icing on the cake :) From the original five (Xavier recruited Cyclops, Iceman, Angel, Beast, and Marvel Girl, calling them "X-Men" because they possess special powers due to their possession of the "X-Gene," a gene which normal humans lack and which gives mutants their abilities), the X-Men have grown to become a much bigger group of individuals / mutants that have taken the world by storm (pun intended), having been featured in movies and lots and lots of other medium as well (comics, games, toys, statues etc). Check out my post on the X-Men HERE and HERE. Scroll down to see the rest of the in-hand pictures of Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo Psylocke X-Force ninja outfit statue.

Box packaging for the Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo Psylocke X-Force ninja outfit statue. Based on the illustration by master artist Shunya Yamashita and sculpted by Busujimax (Takaboku Busujima), Psylocke joins the other Bishoujo statues with her anime styled face.

The deadly telepathic mutant crouches low with one leg in full extension, ready to leap into battle! Psylocke rests on one hand while the other holds her katana at the ready. She's never looked better in her X-Force outfit consisting of a sleek black skin-tight costume, thigh high boots, long fingerless gloves, and unique straps around her upper arms and legs. Click on the pictures for BIGGER and BETTER views!

NEXT: Close-up views of this Kotobukiya Marvel Bishoujo 1/7th scale Psylocke X-Force ninja outfit 8-inch statue

Related posts:
March 27, 2012 – Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo collection 1/7th scale Wonder Woman 9-inch statue Reviews HERE and HERE
June 2, 2013 – Kotobukiya Batman Arkham City Collectors Edition 14 cm (5.5") Statue posted HERE

Playmates 6-inch tall Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures, released 2012

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For 6-inch / 15cm tall action figures, these Playmates Classic Collection Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pack a whole lot of articulation :) Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature a ball-and-socket head, ball-and-hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, double-hinged elbows, ball-and-hinge wrists, individually-hinged fingers, ball-and-hinge thumbs, ball-and-socket torso, ball-joint hips, swivel thighs, double-hinge knees, ball-and-socket ankles, and individually-hinged toes. That's pretty impressive! Each of them come with their own manhole cover with the TMNT logo and their individual names on it. The digits (phalanx) on each hand can move on its own which is quite cool and they can hold their weapons well.

There’s very little paint application on these figures. Almost everything on these figures are molded in their particular color, including the plastron (front shell). Having everything molded in color does give the figure a toyish look, but that’s a perfect match for the cartoonish style of these figures. Fashioned after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 TV series which lasted for 10 seasons until 1996, the characters were light-hearted and fun to watch. Scroll down to see the rest of the pictures of Playmates 6-inch / 15cm tall Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures.

The turtles are also well known for their use of idiomatic expressions characteristic of the surfer lingo of the time, especially by Michelangelo. Words and phrases included "bummer", "dude", "bogus", "radical", "far-out", "tubuloso", "bodacious", and possibly the most recognized, "cowabunga".

Playmates and their team essentially served as associate producers and contributing writers to the miniseries that was first launched to sell-in the toy action figures. Phrases like "Heroes in a Half Shell" and many of the comical catch phrases and battle slogans ("Turtle Power!") came from the writing and conceptualization of this creative team.

I don't know why it took so long to finally see this particular version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). For me, this is the best of them that I've come across because of the amount of articulation and pose-ability you can get out of them.

Love the nunchakus with the metal chains :) Also like how the pair of nunchakus can be stored on his belt on his shell when not in use. Check out my toy blog post HERE for the individual pictures of all four Ninja Turtles.

Click on the pictures for bigger and better views

I arranged the Turtles in a back-to-back all-round defensive circle and posed them with their personal weapons to show off how each of them can be posed with their own weapon of choice.

Donatello with his bo staff, Raphael with his sais, Michelangelo with his nunchakus and Leonardo with his ninjakens, also known as Ninjato

The turtles made living in the sewers sound almost cool. Just order pizzas when you are hungry ;p Life is simpler that way

We all got a kick from watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their antics

Besides the turtles, there were Splinter – The Turtles' sensei and adoptive father, April O'Neil – A former lab assistant to the mad scientist Baxter Stockman, Casey Jones – A vigilante who has become one of the Turtles' closest allies as well as a love interest to April, and Shredder – A villainous ninjutsu master called Oroku Saki who is the leader of the Foot Clan.

Raphael (Raph) – The team's bad boy, wields a pair of sais.

T is for 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures by Playmates

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (often shortened to TMNT or Ninja Turtles) are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists. From their home in the storm sewers of New York City, they battle petty criminals, evil overlords and alien invaders, all while remaining isolated from society-at-large. The characters appeared in comic books before their expansion to cartoons, video games, films, toys and other general merchandise. During the peak of its popularity in the late 1980s through early 1990s, the franchise gained considerable worldwide success and fame. (source: wiki)

I had read Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's self-published a single-issue comic intended to parody four of the most popular comics of the early 1980s: Marvel Comics' Daredevil and New Mutants, Dave Sim's Cerebus, and Frank Miller's Ronin. And I LIKED it :) When the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 TV series was aired with much success, the subsequent action figure line followed, and TMNT were soon catapulted into pop culture history. At the height of the frenzy, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Turtles' likenesses could be found on a wide range of children's merchandise, from Pez dispensers to skateboards, breakfast cereal, video games, school supplies, linens, towels, cameras, and even toy shaving kits.

These are the 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures released by Playmates which I came across as loose pieces at a flea market recently. To me, these are the most pose-able Ninja Turtle action figures ever made. I love the articulation and the quality is pretty good. I am a fan of the 1980s cartoon look so these had to be bought. While the animated TV series, which lasted for 10 seasons until 1996, was more light-hearted, the comic book series continued in a much darker and grittier tone. In 1990 a live-action feature film was released, with the turtles and Splinter being portrayed by actors in partially animatronic suits created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. The film became one of the most successful independent films, and spawned two sequels, as well as inspiring a 3D animated film set in the same continuity, which was released in 2007 under the name TMNT.

Scroll down to see pictures of each of the Ninja Turtles - Leonardo (Leo), Michelangelo (Mike or Mikey), Donatello (Don or Donnie) and Raphael (Raph).


Leonardo (Leo) – The courageous leader and devoted student of martial arts. As a figure, Leonardo stands over six inches tall and is half as wide. Same goes for the rest of the Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classic Collection Figures

Leonardo wears a blue mask and wields two, long and razor-sharp ninjakens that slice through nearly anything solid.

He is the oldest of the four.

Leonardo was named after the Italian polymath, painter, engineer, inventor, writer, anatomist, and sculptor, Leonardo da Vinci.

Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature a ball-and-socket head, ball-and-hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, double-hinged elbows, ball-and-hinge wrists, individually-hinged fingers, ball-and-hinge thumbs, ball-and-socket torso, ball-joint hips, swivel thighs, double-hinge knees, ball-and-socket ankles, and individually-hinged toes. Wow. I'm pretty impressed :)

Michelangelo (Mike or Mikey) – Easy-going, fun-loving, jokester, and free-spirited being.

Michelangelo wears an orange mask and wields a pair of nunchakus. He is the youngest of the four Turtles, and often provides the comic relief.

While he loves to relax and eat pizza, this Turtle also has an adventurous and creative side.

He is something of the "surfer" boy, speaking usually in a Southern California accent.

He is named after the Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer, Michelangelo. His name was originally misspelled "Michaelangelo" by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman.

Donatello (Don or Donnie) – The scientist, inventor, engineer, and technological genius.

Donatello wears a purple mask and wields a bo staff.

Donatello is perhaps the least violent turtle, preferring to use his knowledge to solve conflicts.

He is named after the early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence, Donatello.

There’s very little paint on these figures. Almost everything on these figures are molded in their particular color, including the plastron (front shell). Having everything molded in color does give the figure a toyish look, but that’s a perfect match for the cartoonish style of these figures.

Raphael (Raph) – The team's bad boy.

Raphael wears a dark red mask and wields a pair of sais. He has an aggressive nature and seldom hesitates to throw the first punch.

He is often depicted with a Brooklyn accent. His personality can be alternately fierce and sarcastic, and often times delivers deadpan humor.

Still, he is intensely loyal to his brothers and sensei.

He is named after the Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance, Raphael

NEXT: You gotta put the four of them together for group pictures. Otherwise, they cannot be called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.