Thursday 9 January 2014

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Petite Macross Heroines

All 7 Macross "Heroines" together

I love the Macross franchise to death, but why does most of the merchandise for it have to be so darn expensive? Between high-end transforming Valkyries from Bandai/Yamato/Arcadia and statues from various places, getting a decent collection together can be a tough thing to do unless you have some serious money to back it up with. While Revoltech produced some affordable Valks (even going as far as to attempt transforming ones), the Macross girls were still relatively untouched save for a few statues/figurines. Enter Good Smile Company towards the end of last year, following up their full-sized Nendoroid Ranka and Sheryl with a complete range of Nendoroid Petite Macross Heroines!

The case box as it arrived

Folded out for store displayThe 4 sides of the individual box

While these figures were released in a blind-boxed trading figure format, most retailers are selling them by the case so nabbing the whole set in one fell swoop is no hassle whatsoever. Even better is the fact that there's seven figures in the set, and eight figures to the case - meaning you're only left with one double. Before getting it I predicted the double would be Minmay, Sheryl or Ranka and I was right - it turned out to be Lynn Minmay. Which turned out to be just about the best choice ever, as you'll read momentarily.

The figures come packed in a gorgeous cardboard case, which can then be folded out into the display box format you see for trading figures of this kind. The individual boxes aren't much to look at, but considering how eager I was to rip these open I didn't think it a matter of importance.

LYNN MINMAY (from The Super Dimension Fortress Macross)

The original Macross girl, Lynn Minmay, up close

A pose from the front......and from the back!

Starting chronologically by series release date (not timeline), we begin with original Macross idol as she appears in the spectacular Macross: Do You Remember Love? movie. Wearing her concert dress from that iconic number in film's final battle, the blue haired pop sensation features moveable arms (as do the rest of the Petites) and a loose fitting neckerchief. 

Minmay's one accessory is a microphone which fits snugly into her right hand, although caution taking it out of the packaging as it really is tiny. I lost the microphone on my first Minmay seconds after opening it, so it was just as well she was the double included in the case.

SHARON APPLE (from Macross Plus)

Macross Plus' artificial idol - Sharon Apple

Projecting from the frontVisualised from behind

Taking the name "Macross Heroines" a bit lightly is our next entry - virtual pop idol Sharon Apple is actually the villain of her show! Based on her short-haired appearance from the OVAs/film, Sharon is notable among her fellow Petites for her paler skin. Her red dress is mostly plain apart from the Zentradi writing adorning the right-hand side, and despite arm movement the figure is fixed in a "fixing up my earings" pose.

Based on personal preference I would have preferred the long-haired version of Sharon, but given that this series was going for a non-threatening almost nice Sharon Apple this is probably the best alternative.

MYLENE JENIUS (from Macross 7)

Bomber! Mylene Jenius takes the stage!

The Macross 7 bassist plays to her crowdBackstage pass

Next we travel out to space on the Macross 7 with Fire Bomber bassist Mylene Jenius from Macross 7. Despite being far from my favourite character in the set, Mylene is without a doubt the best in terms of sculpting and detail. Fixed in a carefree bass-playing pose, her onstage outfit (which thinking about it, she rarely took off) is fully realised complete with shoulder pads and moveable neck collar. Included as an accessory is her unique bass guitar, which can be placed over the shoulder (after removing the head) and pegged into the side of the body). Her sticking-out spikes of hair are a separate piece, packaged apart from the figure to I assume avoid breakage.

The only downside with Mylene is that she is an absolute PAIN to get on the stand. Fixing Nendoroid Petites to their stands is annoying enough as it is, but it becomes even more awkward when fixing bass guitars to bodies, making sure the collar is on straight and reattaching the head. I managed to eventually sort it with some force, but the stand arms don't feel particularly strong so just be warned.

SARA NOME (from Macross Zero)

The mystic shaman from Macross Zero - Sara Nome!

This heroine may not sing as much as the others...But she looks just as good!

Next we return to planet Earth as we travel back in time with prequel series Macross Zero and Mayan Island's priestess Sara Nome. While she may not be quite as musical as her fellow heroines, Sara is just as important. She comes packaged with her shaman staff, which can be gripped in the left hand and held behind the figure. Due to the hand being behind the oversized Nendoroid-style head, you won't really be able to get any more angles out of the staff other than the one provided.

Interestingly, Sara is the only Petite that attaches to the stand at the hair. All of the others have small dents in their backs instead.

SHERYL NOME (from Macross Frontier)

The Galactic Fairy! It's Sheryl Nome!

She's a Universal Bunny!That'll cause a Pink Monsoon!

Finally we come to the 2059 and the most recent entry in the franchise to have been released - 2008's Macross Frontier. This is the only series to have received two entries in the collection, due to the fact it was the only show to have included two female pop idols (because if that wasn't the reason, where's my Misa Hayase GSC?). With Sheryl having received a full-sized Nendoroid in concert clothing a few months earlier, GSC thankfully decided to give a bit of variety and used the school uniform designs from the "Lion" single cover (my favourite Macross Frontier song) and Nyankuri Music Clip Collection video.

Proving that just because you're chibi-fied doesn't mean you can't still be sexy, the Galactic Fairy features flowing pink hair/blue ribbon and her iconic single earring.

RANKA LEE (from Macross Frontier)

The Superdimensional Cinderella! Ranka Lee takes the spotlight!

~KIRA!~Dollars? How much fake?

Joining Sheryl in her "Lion" uniform is the Superdimensional Cinderella Ranka Lee, who also received a full-sized Nendoroid in her more memorable garments a few months back. There's not really a whole lot to say about this figure other than how great it looks, as what you see is pretty much what you get. It's also considerably nicer than the stylized limited edition movie Ranka that was released to coincide with the second Frontier movie.

ISHTAR (from Macross II: Lovers Again)

Ishar from Macross II? What a surprise!

I don't have any clever quips for this character......so let's just say she looks great!

Leaving the secret until the very end, the collection's secret character feels both obvious and a complete surprise given Macross II's infamous status as the non-canon black sheep of the franchise. But truly making sure that every series has representation in the set, Marduk Emulation Ishtar appears wearing Hibiki's sweater rather than her usual scantily-clad appearance. Ishtar is yet another accessory-less figure, but there isn't a whole lot she could have come with in the first place. Despite being a relatively unpopular character, it's great to see her joining the rest of the girls properly and hopefully a sign that more merchandise for the forgotten entry will continue to roll out in the future.

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While I still pine for poseable Macross figures (particularly Minmay, Sheryl and Ranka), the Nendoroid Petite Heroines collection is a fantastic way to gather up all these memorable characters in one swift buy. Despite their small size, each and every one of them is beautifully detailed and look fantastic alone or altogether as an epic Macross does Band Aid display. If you're a Macross collector looking for both a cheap alternative to some of the more high-end stuff and a single buy that's going to give you everything you want/need, this is not a set to be missed.

Any chance of a Macross Heroes set any time GSC?

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