Medicchu Kaga Review

With Akagi's review done and dusted, we now move onto to another Medicchu from the Kancolle series who is very similar to Akagi but, not quite. We are talking about non-other than, the hard on the outside but, soft on the inside, Kaga. Incredibly passionate about Akagi and with an even more insatiable appetite to boot, we will be taking a closer look at Kaga decked out in white and blue. Before that, let us gloss over some basic information about the figure itself before jumping straight into the review.

• Manufacturer: Phat Company, Good Smile Company
• Series: Kantai Collection
• Price: 2,500 Yen (before tax)
• Release Date: 10/2015
• Scale: Non-scale
• Material: PVC

Front View

Released close to a year after Akagi and retailing for 500 Yen more, Kaga is indeed very similar to Akagi both in terms of design and scale. For instance, they both wield long bows with a quiver of arrows hung around their backs. Meanwhile, their outfits too are very similar with the exception of color scheme (Akagi red and Kaga blue) as well as the flight deck mounted on their arms (Akagi right and Kaga left). 

Rear View

Other notable differences include Kaga's hairstyle which is a ponytail tied by the side. Because of this, we are able to get an unobstructed view of Kaga from the rear, more specifically how her quiver mounts to her back. Notice how Kaga's hairband is painted blue too!

Close up, Kaga's facial expression is perhaps what differs the most from Akagi. Where Akagi look mature and friendly, Kaga looks cold, calm and calculative just like her outer personality. Despite having "hand-drawn" Medicchu eyes, I still think the look translates very well all the whilst retaining Kaga's serious demeanor. Perhaps it may not work as effectively as Akagi's expression but, a good effort nonteheless. 

While I hate to constantly pull up references to Akagi, Kaga's outfit too is reproduced extremely well. There are no noticeable errors with the painting with spectacular detailing on the flight decks mounted on Kaga's waist and left arm. Because Kaga has short hair, we are also able to appreciate the leather straps from the quiver which wrap around her body.

You might have noticed Kaga's outstretched finger on her left hand that is wrapped around the long bow. That is because an arrow is supposed to wrest on it with the other half being held up by her right hand. The intention of this was to emulate the pose as seen in-game on Kaga's card. Problem is, the arrow is prone to falling off and, if you are not careful, go missing. As is the case for this particular Medicchu Kaga. Hence, potential owners would want to take note of that.

Kaga's ship parts are relatively simple with a ship deck mounted on her waist and her left arm. As mentioned earlier, the flight decks are superbly detailed despite, likely, being applied decals. Such attention to detail is what we have come to expect from a Medicchu figure and it always pays to not be disappointed.

If you have noticed, Kaga's quiver/ship parts are exactly identical to that of Akagi too in terms of design. The only differing factor would be the main color of the quiver. Kaga's quiver is painted in a metallic blue finish which mirrors Akagi's metallic red finish. As expected, the metallic finish adds for a nice touch of variety to the otherwise simple blue and white color scheme.

I wonder where Akagi is...

As a whole, Kaga is, for the most part, almost identical to Akagi yet costing 500 Yen more. Now the similarities in design is no way Phat!'s fault as Akagi and Kaga do indeed have very similar designs save color scheme, hair style and facial details. But, there is the question of the additional 500 Yen on Kaga's retail price which is 25% over that of Akagi's retail price. Of course, if you are a fan of the pair, you would probably decide to get the pair in a heart beat. In a realistic situation where fans often have favorites though, the decision may not always be so clear cut. 

At the end of the day, Kaga is by no means a poor figurine. In fact, it is the exact opposite sporting good details, painting and all round quality. Even at her 2,500 Yen asking price, I have no hesitation recommending Kaga especially since she still is one of the cheaper Medicchu figures.

With that, comes an end to our Kaga review as well as marking the final review of the week. I hope this review has been useful for you and if you have any questions, feel free to ask me in the comments section below. Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a great day ahead!