Polyvinyl Crush

I can neither think of an anecdote about Little Busters! to tell you nor can I think of anything clever at the moment to use as a segue, but are you really here to read my ramblings or are you here to look at an awesome figure?  Today we’re taking a look at EnterBrain’s 1/8th scale Rin Natsume PVC from Little Busters!

Rin’s Secret Hobby Song~ .

EnterBrain Rin: Background

EnterBrain’s 1/8th scale Rin Natsume PVC figure was released back in February of this year and retailed for about $80 USD (before shipping and import).  In a feat that likely speaks to the demand placed on EnterBrain’s Rin, she has already been discontinued and appears to be sold out both domestically and overseas.

Rin here was originally a GK by French Doll before being massed produced by EnterBrain.  Some of their other works are equally impressive and have been made into figures.  I guess this is where EnterBrain is getting some of their good ideas.
.

Mission:Love sniper

Ever get a figure that makes you regret buying a previous incarnation of the character?  EnterBrain’s Rin did that to me.  I’m not sure if the Little Busters! phenomenon has run its course yet or not, but if it has then EnterBrain let Rin at least go out on a strong note.

The pose is just absolutely striking, and not because you get a perfect panty shot.  Well, not just because of that.  From what I know of Rin the pose seems to suit her character perfectly -  an attitude that’s unconcerned with outward appearances.  So I think it works well on that level.

But on another level, I love the pose because it flies in the face of convention and dares to try something new, saying “So what if you can see her panties?  That’s kinda the point.” I think this is where the GK origins of the figure come into play big time, as I don’t think an industry sculptor would have been as bold.

To be fair, a pose like this wouldn’t work with every character and it definitely needs someone with Rin’s demeanor to pull it off, but French Doll gets massive points in my mind for knowing when and how to use it.

OK, I think I’ve talked about poses and panties long enough now.  On top of those aspects, Rin displays some absolutely rich coloring and paint detailing.  The most striking example of this is likely her hair, with the deep shades of brown working well to contrast the relatively solid colors in Rin’s uniform.  Skin tones on Rin are warm and break up the color in her legs.

At first glance Rin looks a little light on mold detailing, but I argue that there’s plenty where there needs to be when you consider the sculptor probably didn’t want to overwhelm the pose and also consider the character design itself.  The folds in her uniform portray the thickness of her uniform top quite well, and we also get good details in her shoes, hair bangs, and of course her panties.

Rin’s face is über cute and seems to be recreated very accurately.  I think her eyes are shaped perfectly, but they are a little less red than both the design and the Kotobukiya release. I actually like the eye color in EnterBrain’s better as it compliments the figure’s overall color scheme, but I was just pointing out a difference.

Speaking of Kotobukiya’s Rin, here are a couple comparison shots.  Overall I think EnterBrain Rin just mops the floor with Kotobukiya Rin: better hair, better skin, better face, better colors, and a unique pose.  The optional furry face and cast-off skirt are the only things that Kotobukiya does better, but I think we can all agree that EnterBrain Rin doesn’t really need a cast-off skirt. 

About the only thing I really dislike about EnterBrain Rin is that damn cat she’s holding.  Not for the cat itself, I like the cat.  What I hate is getting the cat in Rin’s embrace.  See, Rin’s whole left arm pops off (at a really odd angle no less) and you have to balance the cat in her chest as you try to get the arm back in.  Except that it has to be just right or else it won’t fit, and you end up rubbing her arm against her leg, causing some damage.  I eventually got the cat in, but had such a time with it that I didn’t want to take it out for the shoot.
.

Final Thoughts

See what I mean about regrets?  I mean, I’m glad I got Kotobukiya Rin: she’s nice in her own right and I got a lot of joy from her.  Still, had I known about EnterBrain before hand, I likely would have passed on Kotobukiya’s offering.  It’s times like these I really begin to see the merits of the “one figure per character” argument.

But then I remember Extravaganza Haruhi, and all those silly thoughts go away.

here’s to hopping French Dolls knocks out figures for the rest of the cast,
Rico-sama
.

Rin Natsume’s Full Gallery

Related posts:
1. Little Busters! PVC: Kotobukiya Rin NatsumeI haven’t played Little Busters! so I don’t know the...
2. Gurren Lagann PVC: EnterBrain YokoI knew before getting into Gurren Lagann that the hype...
3. Kotobukiya 1/8 Yuiko Kurugaya PVC: Little Busters!It’s Friday, and you know what that means?  It means...
4. Evangelion: Rei Ayanami 1/7th PVC by EnterbrainNew merchandise for Neon Genesis Evangelion has been coming out...
5. Kotobukiya 1/8 Lucy Maria Misora PVC: To Heart 2I hadn’t originally planned to do this figure today –...