Excellent Model Series: Ichigo Kurosaki

Product Information/Specifications

Introduction

Ichigo Kurosaki is one of the two figures that started Mega House's Excellent Model Series for Bleach.  I pre-ordered this & the Rukia Kuchiki & Kon figures online for a SUPER CHEAP price!  I believe this figure was sold out after it was just released.  No doubt the popularity of the anime series help boast sales on this figure.

Some of the pictures aren't clear & good.  If I have time, I'll redo the bad ones & repost them.

The Review

Ichigo Kurosaki out of the box

The box was quite heavy when I picked it up.  I thought the thick cardboard was the cause until I pulled Ichigo out.  He was heavy.  There is some assembly to be done with the soul slayer & the sheath.  You need to slide the soul slayer into his right hand & seal it with the end part of the handle.  You need to place the sheath on his back as well.  And of course, you need to put him on the included display base.

Ichigo from different sides

You are probably sick of seeing this pose since it's used a lot with other anime & game characters.  It's pretty common & is starting to lose some of its impact.  Nevertheless, it's a good natural pose until it gets overused in the future.

Nothing to really comment on Ichigo's clothes, since it's solid black.  The folds & creases on his legs are not bad.  But his soul slayer equipment is worth mentioning.  The strap to hold the sheath is painted well.  Nicely crafted & good choice on the gray paint.  Next, the sheath.  Molded nicely, but quite plain.  But it's meant to be like that.  But the soul slayer, which measures at 24cm long from the blade tip to the end of the handle, gets the most attention.

From the previous pics, the blade of the soul slayer is actually a dull gray with some chrome.  However, it shines with two tones for some reason under light.  Great workmanship there.  As for the handle, the paint job is pretty clean.  No bleeding from the red wrappings.  The engraving on the guard is so-so.  The panel line work is uneven at times.  But, the work on the soul slayer is good.

Orange power!

I like the letters on the display base.  Mega House took the time to imprint the Bleach logo & Ichigo's name.  Plus, it matches his orange hair.

An angry young man

Ichigo's face doesn't look the same as the anime.  It might resemble more closely to the manga, but I'm not sure since I never read it.   The paint job isn't too bad except the black lines for his eyes.  Not too solid on some areas.  But I do like how his eyes give that angry look on his face.  Also, his nose isn't just a simple peck.  It gives him that strong male look.

Overall Conclusion

I rarely buy male figures due to the lack of fashion style & simple details on their faces.  However, this Ichigo Kurosaki figure was impressive.  Although the clothing is simple & the pose is very common, it was a cool figure.  The soul slayer pretty much took the credit of the figure's workmanship.  The excellent paint job & details really gave it it's shine.  Overall, there was very little minor problems with this figure.  Never put it back in its box once. 

I rate the Ichigo Kurosaki figure a 9.5/10.  Although it was simple, it really is an excellent product worthy of Mega House's Excellent Model lineup.  It's very a cool figure to display.  The lost points were due to the minor painting details.

If you plan to get this Ichigo figure, you will have a tough time finding it in stores.  Although he's carrying the old soul slayer, that shouldn't make you turn away from this figure.  You might have to be prepared to pay a premium price for it.  Do note that there is an bootleg version of him floating around the market.  The details on that figure is very noticeable as the quality is very poor.

Photos were taken using Sony DSC-F828 digital still camera.

Last updated on February 12, 2008