DIY Photo Studio x Photo Shoots

If you’ve read my About page, then you’d know I originally built a DIY photography studio to take pictures of items I was intending to sell on eBay.

I was quite impressed with the quality of the photographs (no prior experience, didn’t care about lighting conditions etc.) and so decided to take pictures of my figure collection – probably subconsciously inspired by photo blogs such as Danny Choo and Heisei Democracy.

Follow the tutorial yourself here if you would like to make your own.

Click the link to view the rest of the post.

[Review] Shouko-San x Figure

SHOUKO-SAN from Kotobukiya

Shouko-san is another of Shunya Yamashita’s design from Kotobukiya. She is of 1/7 scale and made of PVC. This is an alternative version to the original black hair/pink top original.

It was hard for me to decide between this and the original version. However, I think the grey hair gave this one a little edge – ridiculous on real hair (unless you’re old) yet amazing looking on anime characters. Unsurprisingly, there are others who would say it makes her look like a granny. Damn you people. Damn you.

To assemble the figure, one must grace Shouko-san’s feet with her heeled sandals. It’s like the scene in Cinderella I tell you, except you get an eye full whilst doing so. And without the glass slipper.

No matter which side of the pond you are on regarding the two versions, Shouko-san is without a doubt, hot.

More photos of Shouko-san can be viewed by clicking the link.

[Review] Rudy x Figure

RUDY from Aoshima

Rudy, another of Shunya Yamashita’s design, is available in 1/7 PVC form, produced by Aoshima. She was sculpted by ‘Modeller T’.

In class, I can be found doodling fantasy swords when bored. I have been doing this for years. Needless to say, I am a big fan of swords. I am also a fan of hot girls. Now add them together, and you have a killer combination.

Rudy was one of the first Shunya figure I laid my eyes on (Mirei-san and Shii Arisugawa were the other), and I was quite attracted to it. I think I noticed the sword before her bursting bosoms. She came in two different flavours, the original here and a blue version. I actually wanted to purchase the blue version because it does not have a cast-off feature but it was more expensive.

I’ve since bought the blue version as well as Play-Asia had it on sale for about £10 (roughly US $20) – bargain!

More photos of Rudy can be viewed by clicking the link.

[Review] Rei Ayanami x Figure

REI AYANAMI from Yamato (Creator’s Labo)

Yamato’s Creators’ Labo brings Rei Ayanami to the hobby scene in 1/7 scale PVC form. This figure is based on the design of Shunya Yamashita’s rendition of the popular anime character, and from the sculpting prowess by Yoshizawa Mitsumasa.

However, this PVC version lacks some of the features of Yoshizawa Mitsumasa’s original resin figure – namely, cast-off functionality and bandages around the head. The bandages adds slight dynamic flair to the figure, and it’s a shame it was left out during the transition to PVC.

I’m gonna put my hands up and admit that I’ve only watched a couple of episodes Neon Genesis Evangelion, and have not went back to it since. However, I do intend to try and watch the series as I’ve heard great things about it – apart from a messed up ending, apparently!

Anyway, More photos of Rei Ayanami can be viewed by clicking the link.

[Review] Shion x Figure

SHION from Kotobukiya

Shion is a non-scale bust, brought to you by the folks at Kotobukiya. It is made from cold-cast porcelain, and is the first in a new series of Shunya Yamashita designed busts.

Not surprisingly, this figure received mixed reactions when it was first release. Quite why Kotobukiya decided to release this amazingly beautiful character in bust form remains a mystery to me. However, a non-official resin figure, based on this Shion (but with legs), is available to buy from various sites. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or tools to build one, so I will have to settle with the bust. Boohoo.

Well what can I say about this bust? Chances are, your jaws had already dropped when you first laid your eyes on her – she is a beauty! Whoever sculpted her did a good job of recreating Shunya’s original design.

More photos of Shion can be viewed by clicking the link.

Shunya Feature x Figures

SKY LOUNGE INTRODUCES: The Figures of Shunya Yamashita

It’s been nearly two weeks since I started this blog. Of course, I knew what I wanted, but it took longer than I thought to produce the content. Taking pictures, editing and then blogging about them is a time-consuming task. However, I’ve enjoyed the process so far (at the expense or more important matters!), and hopefully I can keep the spirit going.

I’ve decided to start off my blog with a Shunya Yamashita feature. Shunya figures got me into this hobby, so I thought I’d show my appreciation. I’ll actually be concentrating on the figures based on his work that I’ve collected, rather than a biography/write up on him and his art.

Shunya Yamashita’s website can be found by clicking here, although most of the art can only be found on the boxes of the figures. He’s also had an artbook published, titled ‘The Art of Shunya Yamashita: Sweet Dreams’. Last time I checked, it was still in stock on the Japanese Amazon site.

More…