Look what turned up in the post yesterday:
I know I have come rather late to this statue, and it's one that seems to divide opinion somewhat. Not sure I understand why, either. Shin Tanabe is a spectacular sculptor, and he has actually made the statue better (to my mind) than Julie Bell's original painting. The figure's muscles have been toned down from the over-muscled figure Julie Bell painted, and she has been fleshed out in a few other areas to make her more possible. Unlike many sculptors, Shin Tanabe has not fallen into the trap of over exaggerating the figure's chest - this figure does not look as if she has silicone/helium implants. The face is said to be a bit 'Manga', well, it's as below:
While it's not hugely realistic, it is well modelled and quite attractive. I think the lack of painted shading on the face is what makes people think it's a bit manga. If you look at the actual shape, it's that of a winsome young woman.
For other views of the statue see those below. The top photo has been doctored a bit to sharpen it up - my camera focussed on the garden, not the statue.
Basically, it's a lovely statue, and I like the size at approx. 1:8.
I have a total of 5 Yamato statues now, and as you can see my display space is a little cramped. The 1:6 scale figures really seem rather large:
I definitely prefer it to the Dorian Cleavenger 'Sacrifice' (which is a bit coarsely modelled in the face, even though the figure's body is delightfully curvy) and think it's nicer than 'Ritual'. Not too sure why I'm not so keen on 'Ritual', maybe it's the colouring, the skin seems a bit wishy-washy to me. The skin colour on the 1:4 version is better - but where could something that big go? 'Golden Lover' is not as good as 'A Touch of Ice', which still gives me great pleasure to see every time I walk past. However, with regard to 'Hera', I am not sure I can decide between the two very different and well modelled statues.
One accolade it has won already, my wife actually said 'It's really rather nice'. This is not something that happens often!
Regards,
Richard
