Polyvinyl Crush

Every once in a while, a figure so nice comes along that leaves you unable to form complete sentences and rely solely on internet slang.  In this case I believe ‘ZOMG!‘ describes both this figure and my reaction to it quite nicely.  Today we’re taking a look at Alter’s 1/8th scale Rei Ayanami PVC from Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone.

Hobby’s Dilemma~
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Alter Rei: Background

Alter’s 1/8th scale Rei Ayanami PVC was released in October of 2008 and, for some crazy reason unknown to me, she is sold out at most domestic retailers but readily available at the import places.  Maybe there was a recent re-release of her or something.  Either way, chances are good you’ll still be able to snag one for yourself if you hurry.

Rei costs about $60 USD (before shipping) which is a steal when you consider her quality.  She comes with a second set of bangs which include her plug-suit head pieces, but I didn’t take any pictures of that because I can’t get her current set of bangs off.
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Fly me to the moon

Before we get too far, let me come out and say that I am extremely biased towards this little gem.  Like I alluded too at the top, there was a short period after actually opening Alter Rei that I was unable to put together a conscious thought to describe her.  I could tell by the official images that she was going to be nice, but when I finally opened Rei she completely took my breath away.  I mean, just look at her.

Even if you’re not an Eva fan, you still have to marvel at this pose: it’s just something else entirely.  All the  layers work to give Rei multiple readings.  For some, it might be hard to get past the “weak girl” motif that look’s like it’s going on, but I think Rei’s detached, non-judgmental eyes completely negates that and gives her a more commanding presence.

If it’s the pose which is the highlight of the Alter’s Rei, it’s the sculpt and paint detailing that make it all possible.  The sculpt is especially refined in that it’s not over burdened with insignificant details and the details which are used are focused most on where they’ll have the greatest impact – the fabric folds under her arms, the way her hair falls to the side, the clutching of her hands, etc.  Sure, the plug-suit design itself is relatively simple, but Alter’s done the best job so far in making that work to their advantage.

At first I wasn’t expecting too much in the way of paint detailing given the mostly white design of the plug-suit.  But, like above, Alter really used the limitations of the design as opportunity to do fantastic things.  There are subtle highlights located at “stress points” like Rei’s knees, elbows, and shoulders.  I don’t know of any fabric that darkens when stretched, so it was probably an arbitrary design decision, but it absolutely works wonders and gives the suit all the extra depth it needs.  Of course, the paint detailing in Rei’s face and hair are superb, but Alter has always been good at that.

All that praise, so is there anything negative about this figure?  Not that I can tell.  If I were stretching it I guess I could call it “unoriginal” as it’s another plug-suit Rei, but even then that would cheapen this amazingly accomplished design feat and everything it succeeds at.  So no, I can’t really find any negatives.  But then I did say I am biased towards it, so maybe that’s the negative? 
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Final Thoughts

Alter’s 1/8th scale Rei Ayanami PVC is the new favorite in my collection; almost peerless.  I was telling a friend the other day that this would be the one to keep if I had to give up the rest of my collection and could only keep one.  All the details from painting and detailing, to sculpting and her pose, are damn near perfect in my book.  Will there ever be a figure that surpasses this Rei?  Sure.  But the bar is raised pretty high now, so that mythical future figure will need to do something extra.  Singing and dancing is probably a good place to start.

There’s more pics in the gallery this time so be sure to check out Rei’s full gallery below.

Who are you?

Who are you?

Who are you?

Rico-sama
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The Full Gallery

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