Character: Ivan Karelin
Series: Tiger and Bunny
Release Date: March 2013
Run: Prize Figure
My Figure Collection: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/101396
I know it has been awhile since we’ve seen Ivan around the “Midst of Nowhere”, but believe me he hasn’t been forgotten. As a matter of fact he should be popping up again soon. This time however, we are going to take a look at Ivan’s DX figure by Banpresto. I have suspected for a while now that Megahouse may have cancelled their G.E.M. rendition of the character which makes me kind of sad. That being said I am glad that Banpresto kept to their guns on this one, and finished out the Tiger And Bunny DX line.
The DX figures have definitely had their ups, and downs. Lets take a look at Ivan and see just how well he fared.
Ivan’s face looks really good. His eyes are stylized perfectly, and applied very well. His eyebrows are painted a slightly darker shade than his hair. I think that is a good thing though, if they were a fairer blonde then they might be hard to see. Not only is the paint spot on, but the sculpt is pretty decent as well. They did a wonderful job with the detailing around his nose and lips. It might just be me but I think he looks a little sad in this picture. Maybe it is the angle, because I don’t get that feeling when looking at the figure at all…
Even his profile looks nice. A lot of anime characters have very simple facial designs, often lacking lips. Specifically an upper lip, so it always impresses me when I get a figure with a fantastic profile. This is something that GSC made me painfully aware of, now I make it a point to check this angle on every non-SD figure I review.
The sculpt of his hair is awesome too! I have to admit I am a big fan of Ivan’s swoopy bangs, and Banpresto did not disappoint. The only thing that they could have improved on would have been shading. His hair is all one flat shade.
The back of Ivan’s head looks just as nice. There is a lot of detail sculpted into Ivan’s hair. They did a good job showing the layers of his hair. The way that it fluffs outward has been recreated decently.
I kind of wish that sculptors of prize figures were credited more often. This one did a pretty darn good job, and I have no idea who it is. Another part of Ivan that I am fairly fond of is his neck. You can clearly see his neck, and chest muscles. The definition here is much appreciated.
Ivan’s signature Japan jacket was done very well, and honestly puts the Figuart to shame. The pearly purple and white paint are applied very well. There aren’t any places where the colours go outside the lines. Thankfully this time there are no unsightly red outlines. The two volcano patches on either side of his jacket are clear and nice looking. His gold zipper is also done very well. They also did a great job on the wrinkles in the fabric, especially on his sleeves. Also around his pocketed hand.
His right arm is bent slightly angled back. The fingers of his right hand curl around a shuriken. He seriously looks like he means business. Again the paint, and sculpt look good. This time we even get an exposed hand. The sculpt of his fingers looks really good. The shuriken is made from a rubbery pliable material. I was a bit worried about it when I first saw it. The tiny weapon looked fragile. After realizing that it was bendable though, I was a bit relieved. It doesn’t look very sharp, but it looks pretty good.
The back of his jacket depicts an image of a kimono clad woman at a footbridge. I imagine that these designs are all applied with decals. The writing and finer details are all very sharp.
Ivan’s left arm is bent at his side, with his hand tucked into his jacket pocket. The paint on the sleeve is done really well as are the folds in the fabric. They did botch up the red stripe on his pocket though….
The black tank top that Ivan wears under his jacket is riddled with wrinkles where it clings to his torso.
Ivan’s green cargo pants are sculpted perfectly. Not only are they all wrinkly, but the oversized pockets look great. The stained outline around the sartorial seamlines is done much better this time around. Still a bit sloppy, but much better than the aforementioned Figuart.
The back of Ivan’s pants also a decent amount of wrinkles, especially down around his bent knees and calves. Here he also has a couple more supersized pockets that turned out pretty cool.
I love Ivan’s boots. It seems like no matter which figure of him I get to review he always has great boots. The sculpt is good, the paint is decent, and the laces look great. They even have pretty good tred on the bottom.
He comes with a simple black base in the shape of a circle. It may not look like much, but it is sturdy. Ivan doesn’t really have foot pegs. They are more like wide chunk pegs. I don’t think they will be breaking anytime soon.
Overall I am really happy with the way this figure turned out. I love his sculpt, and his paint. The thing that I really like about him though is his pose. It looks like he is being stealthy, and sneaking up on some villainous creep. Pretty awesome if you ask me!
Pros:
Great Sculpt!
Awesome Pose!
Cons:
Lack of Shading.
Overall Enjoyment: 9/10
Somewhere In The Midst Of Nowhere 