Super Sonico Hot Days Version "Review"

Hello, everyone! This time we are back with a new Super Sonico figure "review". I say "review" in quotation marks because this is more of a Public Service Announcement (PSA) regarding a critical manufacturing error that FuRyu made on this Sonico prize figure. Earlier in my preview and unboxing, I briefly mentioned to the issue at hand being a melted figure. So, how exactly does this happen and what is affected? Read on to find out!

• Manufacturer: FuRyu
• Series: Super Sonico, Hot Days (Kyou wa Atsui Desu) Version, Seikatsu Micchaku Shuzai Special Figure
• Price: NA (~1,200 - 1,800 Yen)
• Release Date: 09/2014
• Scale: Non-scale
• Material: PVC

Front View

Starting from the front, everything appears to be in order with nothing physically evident to be disfigured or out of order. Except for two visible defects, everything else looks to be fine. Further down the review, we will be taking a closer look at these defects and what exactly occurs.

Rear View

Towards the back, there are no discernible problems whatsoever and indeed that is the case.

Right View

Left View

Close Up

Close up, the facial details and expressions are unmistakably that of Sonico's with her large red eyes and pink hair. 

Sonico's signature headphones are a must-have although, they look to be a bit too large this time.

Fortunately, the melting did not affect Sonico's hair as it appeared to be made of the same PVC type used in FuRyu's usual prize figures. As such, Sonico's wildly flowing hair remains in shape while still retaining a great degree of flexibility.

While I would often point out aggressive color gradation as a downside, the sheer sculpt of Sonico's hair really makes up for it.

She may only be holding on to a portable fan blower but, it certainly looks like the most powerful fan to generate a gust such as that!

Accompanying the overall figures are several accessories that Sonico such as her guitar charm necklace and the portable fan.

Sonico's guitar charm necklace is fairly well reproduced but, falls victim to the melting problems. If you observe closely, the seam between the necklace and Sonico's neck are clearly splitting and the stars have started to become malformed. 

The fan that Sonico carries in her right arm is a removable accessory.

The fit itself is not too snug so, caution is needed when moving Sonico to prevent the fan from falling and subsequently becoming lost. Not that you should get this figure in the first place though.

Aside from that, I do believe the fan is dangerously close to Sonico's face. 

While the top half was serviceable, the nasty bits start with Sonico's lower half.

For starters, there is this nasty stain on her left leg! Because the figure had never been opened prior to this, I can only guess that the stain was a result of the leg melting. The distribution of the stain clearly suggests that to be the case. Fortunately, the right leg is fine.

Sonico's stockings are another big issue. Aside from the fact that her calves look unnaturally slim, the glue which holds the two parts of her leg together has weakened as a result of the melting. You see, the stockings are actually another individual part glued onto Sonico's legs. Now that the glue has given out, they threaten to dislodge rather easily.

The same issue is true for the left leg with the glue used for the stockings having lost most of its adhesive strength.

I do not usually do panty shots but, this shot just goes to illustrate just how bad the melting problem is!

Then there is the issue of the material strength which has severely affected Sonico's legs, the worse part affected by the melting. At present, her legs have the consistency of clay and I fear bending it anymore will result in permanent deformities!

The right may not be so bad but, over on the left hand side evidence of deformity is clearly present. Observe the odd angle at which Sonico's lower leg is bent making it appear almost concave. Compared to the straighter right leg, this leg has clearly bent out of shape.

Sonico's dark blue skirt is only slightly affected with the surface becoming a lot stickier. As a result, the skirt has become a serious dust magnet.

Another major flaw lies further up at Sonico's chest.

This gaping large hole is a result of the PVC shrinking after melting. This unsightly gap was certainly not there when the figure was first unveiled.

Undeniably, the question must be asked, how and why did Sonico melt? Was it because I had left it in someplace particularly hot or did I receive a batch with manufacturing defects?

Unfortunately, it is neither. As it turns out, FuRyu decided to go with a different composition of PVC for this particular Sonico figure. When exposed to slight higher temperatures, this PVC composition had the unwanted effect of, well, melting.

This is a problem faced by many current owners of this Sonico figure who, like me, had to find out the hard way. Admittedly, I purchased mine after release but failed to learn about the melting issue until only after I had started reviewing her and doing more research. 

The second question is, why would FuRyu decide to go with a PVC composition which was so prone to melting? While I do not know for certain, I can only guess they chose it for its flexibility. 

As Sonico would be sitting down, I gather FuRyu wanted to pick a material which would allow for a more natural sitting pose? One can only guess.

One thing is for certain though, FuRyu did not repeat their mistake with another sitting Sonico figure, their Super Sonico Chatting Time Version. Get that one instead.

At the end of the day, I cannot in anyway recommend this Sonico figure at all. Instead, I must strongly urge you to not buy this! From a design and detail standpoint, there is little to fault with this Sonico figure. But the fatal flaw of it melting is more than enough for me to place a big STOP sign and preventing future customers from making the same mistake that I did. 

Well, that has been all for today's "review". I hope you have found it informative or, at the very least, learn not to buy it. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask them in the comments section below! Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!