Taito Hamakaze Kyuujitsu Version Review

Ahhh, Hamakaze. How I do adore you. A little context, tracing from my unboxing. I mentioned I usually don't pick up prize figures and I wouldn't normally. But Hamakaze has a disgusting lack of figurines and I am very upset. So, aside from good old fan-fanservice, I decided I needed my fix. And this brings us here!

• Manufacturer: Taito
• Series: Kantai Collection, Kyuujitsu Version
• Price: NA (~1,200 - 1,500 Yen)
• Release Date: 07/2016
• Scale: Non-scale (~160 mm)
• Material: PVC

Very neat in her appearance and very graceful in her presentation. Overall, you wouldn't normally complain about this figurine. I think it's well detailed and coloured considering it's a prize figure. The pose they went for is also something I wouldn't call conventional and as such, makes her a little more special than others.

A little zoom on the face and you can already start to see some flaws. The most obvious thing would be the facial structure but most might point out the lack of detail in the hair. While they did keep her trademark hair style, the lack of shading and smoothness of the hair partings does indeed impart some sense of amateurism into the build. The flower on the head adds some zeal to the image though and very much suits her.

Her eyes look great with though her mouth seems to be fixated at such an odd expression. It looks to be a strike between listlessness and wonderment. Or, in otaku terms, a kuudere and a tsundere. They would have come across better if they simply picked one but who am I to complain about best girl?

Let's now focus on what she's carrying!

Firstly, as it is a festival, you can't forget corn or cotton candy. I'd like to think I bought that for her but someone will surely shoot me down through their own selfish reasoning. While the cotton candy lacks an sort of shading to make it pop, the burn markings on the corn adds an authentic touch. You'd think they'd cancel each other out but really, they could have added some light pink shadings.

The two characters she's holding up are Tanikaze (left) and Isokaze (right).

Now, this is a yo-yo water balloon. It's quite common, as far as I understand, to bring those to festivals. I give them points in trying to make the string (handle?) appear like it has been stopped in fluid motion but I can tell otherwise. The paint job is also mediocre at best but thankfully, with such a small item, it's hard to notice from a distance.

Time for some yukata shots! Remember how I said her hair lacked some detail? I can't say the same for her yukata. I like the creases they added between the yukata and the obi sash. Even the obi sash folds, while a little simple, stands to look normal enough. From a distance, it looks like an actual, tied yukata.

You can see the joint where the obi sash connects but I'm going to ignore that because it's honestly just a minor blemish in an otherwise nicely designed yukata. I mean, she even has a dragonfly printed on it!

Now, along with more shots for the yukata, let's zoom in on her lower half. Her legs, unfortunately, are disjointed from her top half. I say that because if you look up her yukata (don't judge me), you can see where the segments are glued together as opposed to nice, silky white underwear. It was a slight disappointment, in more ways than one.

The opening in her yukata is a nice tease for her slender legs and the way her feet point inwards adds to the dainty, lady-like figure of our queen. I don't even need to start on the crease around her nether region due to the tightness of the dress. Pay attention folks! This is what I like to call subtle but effective fan-service. My Mikasa figurine has the same sort of thing going for her but on all sides and much more prominent due to the quality of the build.

Her toes don't seem to stand out primarily due to the blend of coloration of her feet. Again, no shading. It's really not something I should be nitpicking but it's popping up so often that I can't ignore it. Aside from that, that little heel lift is again a nice touch to her pose. Who knew one little thing could paint such a big story?

Her base. Quite basic (no pun intended) with some brick texturing to represent the cobble-stoned walkways that usually fit the atmosphere of a festival. The three holes serve as the connection point for the pegs in Hamakaze's feet which help mount her securely to the base. She fits snugly in them and it perfectly stable even when moving her around.

Now, finally, enjoy my favourite viewpoint of Hamakaze!

It's better in person. Trust me. What a view!

And that's that! That's my Yukata Hamakaze. A cheap figurine boasting relatively good quality. I can't say I'm disappointed. Standing tall and proud next to the other behemoths about 20 times what I paid for her. But worry not! Once her Nendoroid and scale releases, you can be sure that I'll get them. Until then!