Sayaka Takai Tropical Type

Product Information/Specifications

Introduction

This was my very first PVC statue-sized figurine I owned, which later started my hobby collecting craze.  I brought this figurine from a small online shop from Japan that is no gone & this is the original release version.  This figurine sold out fast & was in very high demand.  So high that Kotobukiya reissued it about five times if I remember correctly.  The product is now obsolete with no plans in reissuing it again.  This figurine was originally available as a resin model kit & has been out of production for a long time.

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

The Review

Sayaka Takai Tropical Type out of the box

When you take Sayaka out of the box, there is no assembly required aside from putting her on the included display base.   I had some minor problems figuring out which peg goes to which feet since this was my first time owning a PVC figure.

Sayaka from different sides

Looking at the figurine, I was pleased with the workmanship & the detail put into it.  The way the dress & hair flew was impressive from the way Sayaka is posed.  It does make her look like she is walking.  I also like the details put on her dress.

Check out the pattern on her dress!

Kotobukiya didn't get lazy on the pattern on Sayaka's dress.  It was well-done & clean.  As you can see from the dress, there is an area when the dress is joined together.  In fact, the dress is a bit loose around Sayaka's waist & can be moved around slightly.  Also, the vest is a bit loose as well.  But the dress & vast can't be taken apart unless you cut them.

Take notice on the detail of the letters

The tray that Sayaka holds in her left arm is nice.  The engraving job is very clean with very little sloppiness on the letters.  The tray is secured well on her arm & barely moves even though it doesn't touch her fingers which may look weird at times.  I believe the mold of this tray was later used for Akemi Hasegawa & Nana Kimishima in Kotobukiya's product line.  The button on Sayaka's dress was so-so though.

Unlike the tray, the letters on the button is painted.  You can see there are some grooves in the letters to allow the letters to be painted easily.  Although it is so-so, I have to give credit to the production workers for attempting it.  It's not easy to paint letters that small using a small painting tool on a small area.

The clothing & pose of Sayaka is great, but what about her facial expression?  Before I buy any medium to large figures, I'm always concern about the facial expression & how well it is done.  I'm quite picky in this area, especially the eyes.  Even if the figure has an awesome pose & excellent details on the clothing, I want to know about the eyes & face.  If they don't look good, I don't buy it.  Looking at Sayaka's face, I personally think it's quite good.

What a gentle smile!

Sayaka's eyes really has that anime feel to it.  It's like exactly how her eyes would look like from the original artwork of the game.  It's very sharp with no signs of sloppiness of paint running over.  Her smile was painted nicely.  Not too heavy on the paint & drawn quite thin.  The face was simple overall, but yet effective enough to show Sayaka's expression.

Overall Conclusion

I'm very happy that I purchased this Sayaka figurine & made it my first to start off my hobby collection.  As of now, it's still being put out on display & never went back inside the box once.  This figurine is extremely well done & fills the room with its energy.

However, I do have some problems with Sayaka now.  She's now tipping over to her left & can't obtain her upright position.  I'm not sure if it's because I made a mistake on placing her on the base when I purchased her, there is more weight on her left, it was a factory error, or I didn't treat & care for her well.  I'm leaning towards the latter as the source of the problem (see the Treatment & Care section).  I probably left it in an area when there was direct sunlight aiming at her feet.  You can probably see it from the back side pic.  The problem is hardly noticeable from the pics unless you take a good look at it.  I have used modelling epoxy putty to fix the holes on Sayaka's sole that connects to the pegs of the display base a couple of times to fix this problem.  But now, I'm thinking it's the weight problem as she has been display for years now.

On a scale of ten, I would rate Sayaka Takai Tropical Type a nine.  The reason behind this score is its stunning details & the energy it gives in my house.  The lost point is due to Sayaka tipping over & not standing straight.  However, that problem is probably done by my poor treatment & care for her.  Chances are it's actually the weight problem.

Currently, I have never seen Sayaka for sale in any stores for a long time.  The last time I saw one was from eBay for a premium price.  You would be considered lucky if you can find one at retail price; new or used.

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

Last updated on April 11, 2008