Following the recent Mobile Suit Gundam television series Bandai continues to pouring Witch From Mercury themed content in its wake. Subject to this review is a figure of our new protagonist Suletta Mercury. The figure appeared in late 2022 as a prize item available in certain entertainment venues. The box has the JAIA claw machine in one corner but I don't know if the figure will actually be made available through that particular method. I picked mine up for ¥1500 on the secondary market which puts it on the affordable end of the character figure range.
The box has a couple of interesting things about it. Besides its attractive colour scheme it is also quite small, only 18 centimeters tall. I was curious if this would also translate to a new figure size, since prize figure boxes tend to be fair bit taller in general. Also of note is the return of the Banpresto brand logo. I thought this had been replaced fully by Bandai Spirits at this point. The addition of both a blue Bandai-logo and the new hideous Bandai Namco-bubble completes the logotype overload. Shut up and open this thing already!
Inside, the set-up is quite familiar. The figure comes in a multi-compartment bag and is protected from damage in a wraparound cardboard shell which also gives the box itself a secondary skin. I immediately saw that the figure was of the typical prize item stature, around 20 centimeters or so with a large circular base, so no scale shrinkage here. Notice the long translucent piece intended to give the figure some extra support for long durations on display. I won't be using it in this review as I like to keep any unnecessary peg-related issues to a minimum as I have had figures of this size getting stuck inside the base and snapping before. The figure itself is dead simple to assemble, just two halves sitting on a shaped peg. The left foot attaches to the main base and even has a little extra support for the heel.
Look at that carefree expression and pose; Suletta clearly hasn't had to mass-assemble Mobility Joint or Ensemble figures. Prize figures such as this one are generally sturdy, clean in colours and well worth considering for the budget-minded collector. Made from a combination of various plastic types you will generally not suffer bent or warped components or botched paint jobs like on certain recent Shokugan figures which just continues to puzzle me with their many issues. Granted, a prize figure with zero articulation or accessories has those advantages but the paint apps really are on point. I miss the days when prepainted Gundam Shokugan were common and really sharp looking.
Going in for a closer look. Check out the crisp detail in all the insignia and face. No need to fiddle with legions of wraparound stickers. The only thing I think looks out of place is the ponytail which looks more like some kind of Danish sausage...
There will be a follow-up to this review with an interesting comparison to its contemporary variant distributed through Japan's Ichiban Kuji lottery. Meanwhile I am still working on both the Converge Selection 03 and Mobility Joint 03 reviews. A couple of items are traveling the world postal system and there is a backlog of nasty stickers to manage glaring at me from their corner of the desk...
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