Kyun Chara Vignette Tomoe Mami Preview & Unboxing

Hello everyone and welcome to another figure feature on Tiro Finale! Today, we will be taking a look at this week's featured figure, Banpresto's Kyun Chara Vignette Tomoe Mami. Originating as a C Prize from the Madoka Magica Movie Ichiban Kuji, this deformed scale figure will be the center of our focus for today's Preview & Unboxing segment. Some Kyun Chara figures come in boxes while, others come in plastic blisters. As a rule of thumb, those which are packaged in plastic blisters tend to be of a higher quality and prize designation. Hence, these Kyun Chara figures are largely considered as main prizes rather than consolation prizes that they are often assumed to be.

With the large plastic blister covering much of the front, the back is entirely dominated with the usual documentation. Nothing much to see here, not even a set of instructions as the construction of the figure and it's accompanying parts are very straightforward. 

Not immediately apparent from the front is the size and depth of the plastic blister which holds the contents of the package. In fact, this packaging is notably larger than other Kyun Chara figures because of the "Vignette" component. 

If you are confused with the Vignette designation, fret not as I too had not realized about the sub-designation until after I had purchased the figure. The additional (Vignette) designation actually refers to the two background characters present with the figure. In this case, it is Charlotte, the Candy Witch, in both her normal and true form. Hence, the term vignette which is meant to capture an iconic scene.

Despite the figure's release in 2013, it had only been 5 years since Banpresto introduced the Kyun Chara series. Now in 2017, I am glad that the series is still ongoing and strong as they produce one of the higher quality deformed scale figures in the market today.

A quick look at the Kyun Chara Vignette logo before we proceed to open up the packaging. 

With the paper back removed, we are immediately greeted by a simple plastic blister which contains four discrete plastic parts. This blister is responsible for the additional thickness of the packaging. 

Remove it, flip it over and you have the stand together with the background stand featuring two variants of Charlotte. They are of course completely optional and can be mounted into the base the same way you would mount a stand into the base.

The second, larger blister contains Mami and the base. Mami is wrapped in a layer of clear plastic to prevent any unwanted paint transfer against the surface of the plastic blister.

Remove Mami from her plastic confinements and there is an additional layer of clear plastic located on Mami's torso. This is often seen in new figures where the plastic is added during manufacturing processes to prevent paint spillage or transfer between the different segments. 

With the stand and vignette parts mounted, the next step is just to fit Mami in. If you had not already realized, it is indeed Charlotte/Bebe who is depicted on the surface of the white round base. A nice touch to an otherwise simple base which further adds to the whole Vignette designation. 

With a little adjustment, Mami fits perfectly into the base and stand. The stand's "C" holster wraps snugly around Mami's head and provides a good fit. Two additional pegs mount to each of Mami's feet allowing her to stand up even without the aid of the stand. With all of the parts assembled, initial impressions are proving to be good with all the usual Kyun Chara qualities present. For our full impressions of the figure, make sure to stay tuned to the full review later this week on Tiro Finale. Until then, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!