Time for something random again, how about a character figure review? This one caught my eye earlier this autumn and the low price sealed the deal. What we have here is a claw machine prize item developed under Bandai's Banpresto brand, which I thought was dead and buried by now and replaced by Bandai Spirits? Besides the JAIA (Japan Amusement Industry Association) logo we can also spot the updated blue Bandai logotype on the box but no Bandai Namco blemish, I can't keep up with the machinations of this company.
I have not come across the Glitter & Glamours brand before but a quick search will net you a random assortment of various anime characters with extremely cartoonish looks to them. I believe this is the first time a Mobile Suit Gundam character has been released in this series. The figure premiered in Japan in September and there was suddenly a healthy supply of them at Mandarake in most of their stores selling for around ¥1500 which was too much of a steal for me not to investigate further.
If you are familiar with other claw machine figures from Banpresto, SEGA or Ichiban-Kuji you will have a good idea of what to expect. These figures are typically large, fairly simplistic in their design and usually consist of a few pieces. This figure is around 25 centimeters tall and so not very suitable for posing with Gashapon.
This figure features no articulation or option parts. You simply attach the upper part to the lower through a shaped peg and then attach the feet to pegs on the base. These large figures normally do not come with other clear support pieces like you would see on smaller more bendy Gashapon figures. A huge plus here for the compact base, prize figures most of the time feature very large circular bases that give them enormous footprints and limits posing next to other figures as well.
Overall impression of the figure is that the design is very clean and stylish and just oozes of flair. The character likeness is not nearly as impressive. In fact, if you compare the figure to what is shown on the box cover it doesn't match up very well. The main problem here is obviously the enormous eyes which are way too large and set too close to each other. I wouldn't rule out inconsistencies between individual figures so there may be copies out there which look a bit more intelligent than this particular one. :)
On a completely unrelated note: When I dug out the old Universal Unit RX-105 figure for the display its various stickers came falling off like leaves on an autumn tree. It hasn't aged with grace...
Bandai also offers another figure of Gigi - with eyes that don't look like traffic lights - through their MegaHouse Gundam Girls Generation brand. That figure was released in early 2022 but you will have to spend an arm and a leg to get it, expect prizes starting around ¥8500-¥10000 and increasing with time as the figure becomes difficult to find. However if you are looking for a decent representation of Gigi Andalucia I still can't recommend this budget option.
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