SQ Tomoe Mami Figure Review

Let's Review: SQ Tomoe Mami

Before we get to the review, let's start of with some basic information about this lovely Mami figurine. Standing 210mm tall (or 8.27 inches for those of you who use the imperial system) including the base, this particular Mami is part of the SQ line of figurines manufactured by Banpresto. Released sometime November in 2012, it was made available as a prize for Japanese arcade game centers such as the all too famous UFO Catchers. Being an arcade prize meant there was no fixed price for this sort of figurines, you might be lucky enough to snag it within your first 500 Yen or suffer the fate of countless "6 plays" to get it. Two years down the road though and you're unlikely to find this in any gaming centers out there today. Nevertheless, there are alternative methods of getting yours hands on one of these which I'll be discussing below. Onto the review then!

Starting with the hair and facial expressions then. At first glance, there's no mistaking Mami's signature "Ojou Ringlets" and blonde hair, both of which I found to be very well done. While I'd prefer the hair to be a shade lighter, it was still a O-K.

Facial expressions wise, this figurine manages to capture Ume Aoki's characteristic style and Mami's more rounded facial features very well. I also love the relaxed smile that Mami gives, it helps give off a more casual feel to it. Perhaps the only gripe I have with the face would be the nose which I find could have been more prominent especially around the bridge. 

Here's a full length look at Mami posing with her weapon of choice, the percussion-locked rifle muskets. I really love this pose very much. The single rifle, flowing skirt and the nicely detailed base just help bring out such a simple pose which just screams Mami. Full points for this one.

Moving on to the back, we can see that the ribbon at the back maintains the flowing aspect featured in the skirt, A simple but, especially nice touch. Unfortunately, these are where some of the bigger flaws in the casting and painting start to become apparent. The manufacturing seam across the forearm is very obvious along with a slight defect at the end of the right sleeve. Besides that, the darker brown trim across the edge of the skirt is rather inconsistent.

Another look at the back reveals that the white horizontal strip running across Mami's outfit too is rather inconsistent. Note the slight chip at the back? Another manufacturing defect. Fortunately, I'm pretty sure this doesn't apply to all the releases.

If you look closely, you'll start to notice that the surface of the left sleeve is rather uneven. Yet another sign of poor casting. Fortunately, the problems pretty much end there as the rest of the figurine is generally well painted.

Let's have a look from a slightly elevated angle,

And, another from a slightly lower angle. Notice the detailing on the musket, spot on detailing there.

Panty shot? Hah! You wish.

Have you noticed Mami's fingernails aren't painted? Usually they're pink but, for this figurine that's omitted.

Yeap, looks good from the back too especially the fluffy bit sticking out from the hat.

 Pity the hairpin is dented inwards slightly.

I framed this shot to help capture the detail of the base but, it also shows the unpleasant seam between Mami's stockings and her thighs. Makes it look as if the stockings are a little to tight for her or maybe Mami needs to go on a diet.

I mentioned earlier this figurine was obtained as a prize. So, how do you get it otherwise? Prior to this, several online shops such as HLJ and Amiami would still sell her for ~2000 Yen. Nowadays though, this Mami figurine is starting to become very rare. A quick search through Akihabara didn't yield much and I only managed to get mine from Mandarake in Shibuya. Your best bet now is to try and find one on Ebay or Amazon. Even then, the price varies quite a bit.

 

All in all then, what would be the verdict on the SQ Tomoe Mami figurine? Well, I absolutely love it that's for sure despite all its flaws.

For those who don't know, the SQ acronym stands for various things. For example, the S can stand for Super, Special or Surprise while the Q can stand for Quest, Queen or Quality. Most notably of all, SQ is generally denoted to represent Special Quality. Those two letters best sum up how I feel about this particular figurine. While it may not be the best quality, it certainly is very special and that's a quality I can appreciate.

Lastly, thank you so much for reading and look forward to the next review! 

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Done with the review? Why not check out my UPDATE on it? You won't regret it.