Focus on the many option parts included for Figma Hatsune Miku Append Ver. and then the articulation design in this posting. ^^
All of Figma Hatsune Miku Append Ver.'s accessories.
Six special body parts to realize Miku's "Awakening" pose will be discussed in the next posting.
Two option face parts included, featuring one with a mature look for Miku, and another one with closed eyes, which technically is meant for the "Awakening" pose as well.
Typical Figma design to swap between the face parts.
Miku with the option face parts.
Just three pairs of option hand units included for Miku.
(Left) A pair of closed fists.
(Right) A pair of standard-looking spread palms.
A pair of open fists that can be used to hold certain accessories, despite none included for the figure. ^^;
The default pair of more expressive spread palms.
In terms of their sculpt work, all the hand units are standard designs, but the accurate paint work of the middle finger extending from the gloves make them look pretty special. ^^
The small black wrapper shown in Part 1 contains a set of light gray headphones. ^^
The headphones are part of Good Smile Company's special campaign for the release of Figma No. 100 Hatsune Miku Append Ver. Starting with this Figma set, each subsequent release included a pair of headphones randomly selected from three colors: light gray (what I got ^^), dark gray and black. The next Figma set closest to Miku in terms of release date that I got was BRS2035 (December 2011 release) and she didn't feature any headphones, so I suppose the campaign was concluded sometime before her. ^^;
With a single color for the entire part, the details are just average for the headphones.
Made of soft plastic, the headband can be stretched to fit onto the heads of Figma figures easily.
Impressively, this bonus part features a bit of its own articulation and gimmick. ^^ The earphones can be swivelled around each connecting end of the headband (left image), and they can be slightly extended as well. ^^
Miku wearing the bonus headphones. ^^
The light color of the headphones seems close enough to the overall subtle color scheme of the figure. ^^
Other Figma figures, like Haruhi School Summer Fuku Ver. can wear the headphones as well.
Unfortunately, but predictably so, the bonus part is not suitable for figures with large heads, like Miyuki Summer Fuku Ver.. ^^;
The headband's wide stretch is pretty impressive though. ^^
Not shown in the first two images at the beginning of this posting is a clear clip that can be connected to the Figma stand to hold the figure. Identical to the part included for Mari Illustrious Makinami, the application is identical as well, since Miku also lacks the peg slot for the Figma stand to be used directly on her, as shown in the previous posting. ^^
As Miku's own option parts like her option faces and hand units are pretty standard features of Figma figures in general - even the parts for her "Awakening" pose serve the single part-swapping gimmick to get that special form, the bonus headphones seem really special to me. I used to think that it's just a single-piece part made of soft plastic thrown in as a random gift. ^^; Its simple gimmicks gave me a bit of pleasant surprise when I find out about them accidently. ^^ Its intended purpose of being a generic accessory for other Figma figures to use is pretty interesting as well. ^^
A look at Miku's articulation design next.
Standard range of vertical tilt for the head.
Horizontal bend is not a problem at all for the head.
The head can swivel from side to side for a slight degree as well, thanks to the way the neck joint is connected to the rear head part.
Standard Figma joints for Miku's massive pigtails allow the latter to be hinged upward for a wide degree. ^^
This articulation point is necessary to realize her "Awakening" pose.
Using the straight pegs of the joints, the pigtails can swing back and forth very easily as well.
The straight pegs of the joints also allow the pigtails to swivel around them.
Unlike the previously reviewed R. Dorothy Wayneright, there's no waist joint for Miku. However, the same type of joint implemented beneath her chest, which is a standard Figma design anyway, still allows a flexible range of side-to-side and backward/forward bends.
More dynamic looking poses for the body can be created by combining the two types of bend mentioned above.
With the absence of any appendages on top of the shoulder area, Miku is capable of bending her arm upward for a wide degree. ^^
The base of her upper arm limits the arm's lift, but there's a way to get around this "hurdle". ^^
The shoulder joint's straight peg allows the upper arm to swivel around that joint.
With the upper arm swivelled around so that the protruding base faces downward, the arm can now be bent upward for an even wider range. ^^
Since the base of the shoulder joint is also of ball-type, the arms can be tilted forward/backward.
A clearer look at the ball-hinge combinational shoulder joint.
Standard articulation range for the elbow.
Much like the pigtails and upper arm, the elbow joint's straight peg allows the forearm to swivel around on the upper arm.
Normal combination of swivel and hinge joints for the wrist.
Despite not having a waist joint, the base of the hips is on a ball-type joint, allowing the entire lower body to swing from side to side. ^^
The hips themselves are of the standard ball-type joint design. Their sideways expansion is limited by the waist attachment. ^^;
The waist attachment is actually a single piece connected to a pair of clear ball-type joints on both sides of the waist.
Without the waist attachment, Miku is well capable of performing a sideways split pose. ^^
The legs' ability to be adjusted forward and backward is limited by not just the waist part, but the hip joints themselves. The limitation is actually generic to all standard Figma figures.
Separated thigh swivel for the legs. ^^
Standard slightly-over-90-degree bending range for the knees.
Normal forward-backward bends for the ankle joint.
Using its peg joint, the ankle can swivel from side to side as well.
All in all, Miku has a pretty standard articulation design for a Figma figure. ^^ It's almost surprising to see that there's no special articulation feature or new joint design implemented on this figure, despite it being a landmark release. ^^; In comparison, release no. 79 Mari Illustrious Makinami seemed to hold a more unique status when it comes to articulation design with her special double hinge neck joint. Then again, Miku's standard articulation design is more than enough to support all of her action poses, so having no unique feature is definitely not a weakness for the figure. ^^
Some action poses from Figma Miku, as well as her "Awakening" pose coming up next. ^^
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