Takao Has Docked

Hello everyone and welcome back to Tiro Finale to welcome a new ship to the docks. This time, it is a really big ship, larger than I had ever expected. After all the setbacks, delays and insane prices, it was about time that I finally received shipment on this figure that I first pre-ordered more than a year ago, back in November of 2016. The last time we had a ship dock, it was a pretty exciting moment. So, what could it be this time?

Just as a simple point of reference, here is the box compared to a regular 80 size Amiami box used for the shipment of Nendoroid of Figma figures. It is certainly no exaggeration to say that this is the largest box for a single figure I have ever received and, yes, this includes the RAH Mami. With all the excitement built up. let us take a look at what exactly lies within, shall we?

For those of you who still have yet to catch on, what lies beneath is non-other than the coveted Max Factory Wonderful Hobby Selection Takao: Heavy Armaments Version. Limited to pre-orders via Good Smile's Online Shop and made specifically to order in limited quantities, this is the highest echelon of that Good Smile Company/Max Factory have to offer. And the best part is, the contents of the cardboard box is almost entirely filled with Takao's box with the exception of a small lining of air pillows.

Despite only having a thin layer of shock protection during transit, I had next to no worries regarding the actual box within. As with Atago, the box itself was made of extremely thick and rigid cardboard finished in a two toned matte and glossy finish. And just like Atago, the box for the Heavy Armament Version still remains to be one of the best I have ever seen in the figure industry despite not having a single display window.

The only difference is that this behemoth is even larger than Atago's box. Not marginally but, significantly larger in fact. This is all before you realize that Takao is merely a 1/8 scale figure and, as a figure, she shares near identical proportions with Atago as the two sisters can be posed side by side to create a very special pose. 

Turn the box around and it is largely the same affair as Atago's with product images and the usual regulatory warnings and labels. In fact, the photos of Takao are lifted directly from the promotional images used in their website. 

The top of the box emphasizes the two tone finish of the box both in color and finish. Where Atago's goes for a white and blue color scheme, Takao goes for a bolder blue and dark blue color scheme. The center portions of the box have a shiny glossy finish while the lighter surrounding blue is of a matte finish. Just handling the outer box alone exudes an immense sense of quality and thought put into the final product.

Grabbing the nearest Nendoroid to me, I decided to pit Takao against Galko to provide a sense of scale for the box sizes. Galko's Nendoroid box is a medium sized Nendoroid box and is the most common box you can get (up till No. 800) for the 4,000-5,000 Yen price point. Even then, both the depth and width of Takao's box easily trumps the Nendoroid's.

After having waited more than a year since pre-orders and going through multiple delay spells, I certainly am glad that Takao has finally arrived safe and sound. I had genuinely expected the experience to be similar to that of Atago's but, I certainly welcome this pleasant surprise with Max Factory deciding to up the ante on this one. Next time, we will be taking a look at Atago and Takao side by side as the two sisters are finally reunited in wonderful fashion. Until then, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!