Rei Ayanami Figurine

Product Information/Specifications

Introduction

I got this Rei Ayanami figurine from my local EB Games store when they were selling Anime imports at the time.  Surprisingly enough, this isn't the Diamond version.  There was no label or sticker saying it was imported by Diamond Comics.  It had the Japanese distributor instead.  This was the first figurine I ever brought before my collecting craze started.

There are three versions of this Rei figurine available.  There are normal, clear, & re-paint.  I have the normal version.

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

The Review

Rei Ayanami out of the package

The Rei Ayanami figurine is an interchangeable static figurine with a nice amount of accessories.  It comes with two extra set of arms, a can drink, a beaker, bandage, chopsticks, glasses, a bowl of ramen, spear, medicine, two extra heads, & a base.  You need the base in order for Rei to stand.  Some of the extra accessories are pretty much for display & can't be put on her such as the bandage, beaker, bowl of ramen, & drink.  Nevertheless, it comes with a good amount of accessories.

Rei Ayanami from different sides

Aside from changing her head & arms, there isn't much to do with Rei.  The pose is static, but quite nice for some reason.  Probably because it captures her strong silent character & image well.

Changing her arms are easy.  It pulls & places quite snuggly.  The heads are a problem though.  The system used here is pegs.  The head requires some force to put in & out.  In fact, when I pull her head out, it makes a popping sound.  The hole is too tight.  Currently, I have the peg on one of Rei's head starting to break.  I'm not sure if it's from over changing the parts.

As you can see from the side pics, Rei is falling backwards.  I'm not sure if it was mistreatment of placing her in sunlight & heated areas or the weight on her upper body is heavy.  I had her fall off my shelf several times before I decided to place her somewhere else.  Funny thing is that she falls forward, not backwards.

The white paint is a nice semi-gloss & makes Rei's plugsuit stand out nicely without it being an eyesore.  The black panel lines are a problem though.  Observe the lines in the pics above.  Some of the black is too heavy, such as the areas around her knees.  Also, it's quite uneven at most areas like her arms.  This is quite a lot of bleeding than I expected.

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These are two of three heads that is included with the Rei figurine.  The other one that isn't pictured is Rei with her eyes closed.  Let's talk about the paint job first.

There is quite amount of flesh colour paint on Rei's blue hair.  Although it isn't bad, it's noticeable if you look at her closely.  From a distance though, it's fine.  The eyes are painted, not etched.  The inside of her eyes are done quite well & the shape is very nice.  It has that anime feel to it.  The black eye linings are pretty thick & is noticeable up-close.  The thick paint creates some bleeding to the flesh & not the inside of the eye.  Personally, I think that's good since it doesn't wreck the detail of her eyes.  I'm quite picky with eyes on figures.

Overall Conclusion

The Rei Ayanami Figurine is a welcome addition for any Eva or Rei fans out there.  The figurine captures her character well, even though her pose is static.  The accessories are nice, giving you the freedom to play around with them to make a scenery.  Although it has that bending problem, I would recommend this figurine.  Currently, I have Rei back into her blister card after have numerous falling attempts.  I have changed her parts a lot at times in the past when I had her on the shelf.

Rei Ayanami gets an 8/10 from me.  The figurine really has Rei's image all over & the details of her faces are great.  Problems with this figurine though is the paint job on the black panel lines & that bending problem.

Because there are three versions of this figurine out there, you don't need to get all three of them unless you are a diehard collector.  I've seen all versions & I think it boils down to personal preference.  There's no difference in terms of accessory changes or bonus.  The re-paint version just has slightly bright colours than the normal version.  The normal version, as you can see here, is a bit duller since it's semi-gloss.  The re-paint is metallic/pearl.  The clear version is much harder to get since it came out in limited numbers.  All the parts & accessories are clear.  I think the eyes don't have any details, but the molding of Rei's plugsuit isn't bad.  In my opinion, I would go for the normal version because it's the original, rarer, & the semi-gloss colours don't make it look like a cheap toy.

In terms of which version to get between Diamond & the Japanese one, I have no idea.  I haven't seen the Diamond version before, so I don't know what the quality is.  If you are using your budget wisely, get the Diamond version.  If you want originality, get the Japanese one.  I think the Diamond version will be much easier to find.  However, I think Diamond only has the re-paint version, even though they don't state that it is.

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

Last updated on February 19, 2008