Figure Wishlist: With Fans! 1/4 Kusanagi Motoko

 

Hello everyone and welcome back to Tiro Finale for another of installment of the Figure Wishlist! By now, you may have already heard of one of Good Smile Company's more ambitious figure releases in a while, the 1/4 scale polystone Kusanagi Motoko figure. Because if you have not, get ready for what is probably one of the more ambitious figures to come out of Good Smile Company's distribution line.

Manufactured by the relatively new, With Fans!, this Kusanagi Motoko figure stands at a whopping 1/4 scale with the entire figure being roughly 275 mm tall (including the stand). That is when you take into account that the Major is not even standing up. Good Smile themselves are no stranger to figures of this scale with Freeing's B-Style/Bunny series having a similar 1/4 scale dating back to 2008. What makes this particular figure of the statue so unique, is the materials used.

Unlike the traditional PVC, With Fans! have opted to go with a mixture of polystone & polyurethane. Similar in nature to resin seen in many Western-made statues, polystone is a dense plastic compound with a ceramic-like finish to it. Where PVC is soft and flexible, polystone is hard and brittle. With its hefty weight and unique surface, polystone and resin figures often feel like stone sculptures. Hence the term statues that are often used to describe them.

 

Materials aside, Motoko's design herself is based heavily upon the iconic character illustration from the original 1995 Ghost in the Shell movie. Among Ghost in the Shell fans, this is probably the most iconic illustration of the Major capturing the limbo between her human and augmented self. The plan for the figure itself has been announced by Good Smile quite a while back and with production photos finally available, things are looking to be very promising indeed.

 

But the big question still remains, who exactly are With Fans? As far as figure manufacturing goes, With Fans! is fairly new to the figure world only 12 figures on its portfolio since its inception in 2019. Made as a collective collaboration between Bandai Namco Arts and Good Smile Company, With Fans! utilizes the artisans of Good Smile Company to bring many fan favorite concepts to life. Ghost in the Shell marks just the third series this young figure making company has drawn characters from with the first two being, Love Live! Sunshine and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.

Slated for release in March 2022, the figure is currently open for pre-order until the 10th of June 2021. Normally I would have ordered this figure in a heartbeat but, wait till you read about the biggest catch of this all, the price. You see, Good Smile Company is asking for a whopping 107,800 Yen! Moreover, international collectors are only able to make the pre-order via Good Smile's Online Shop. Online retailers such as AmiAmi do offer the figure for pre-order but, only domestically. Aware of its cost, Good Smile even provides a certificate of authenticity with each one!

As of writing, I am still considering whether or not I should get this major statue. No pun intended. If I were to get it, this would undoubtedly be the most expensive figure in the collection. Financial issues aside, there is also the matter of logistics as Japan still does not offer EMS to many countries around the world. Time is ticking and I am still carefully deliberating my options. What do you think, should I get it? I would love to hear your opinions in the comments section below. Until then, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!