We're following on the previous review with brisk steps towards the fourth character to come out of the Witch of Mercury television series. I do believe that the Nika figure was released in tandem with the Chuatuary Panlunch figure in October 2023. The two are now abundantly available on the secondary market. At the time of writing Mandarake usually has most of the series in stock for around ¥1200 per figure.
The Nika figure has a design very similar to the previous items and the box is very compact taking little space. It is a very handy size container to store a figure you are not display, although you typically have to remove the head again since the figures are normally a bit taller than the boxes they come in. This is very different to the often enormous boxes used by their contemporary MegaHouse figures.
The Witch of Mercury figures typically come with a thin outer boxes supported by a sturdy cardboard insert, the design of the insert differs from figure to figure. While the Panlunch figure had two separate inserts the Nanaura figure has a single folded insert for example. Inside you will find the figure and its base in a compartmentalized plastic bag. The sturdy pegs keep the figure in place, avoiding bent legs and the flexibility of the material makes the figure quite sturdy and durable. I mentioned this before but I really do like the design and material Bandai went with for the figures in this series. I secretly wish for a follow-up series of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED figures in 2024 now that the Freedom anniversary is taking place...
Where the Chuatuary Panlunch character design is excessive and unorthodox the design of Nika Nanaura is the complete opposite. The character is almost remarkably bland but personally I find it rather adorable, even though it mostly resembles a Postal Worker in summer uniform with comfy shoes for running in a lot of stairs. My figure seems to lean forward a little, I am not sure if this is intended or if it is a slight defect.
Unlike the Universal Century Newtype figures that have been released in parallel with this set, the Witch of Mercury figures have so far been fairly well to scale. The colour matching between the different figures' uniforms is also on point, although the overall dress codes in this school is really lax, bordering on abysmal. :)
The main drawback of all the Witch and Newtype characters that were released in this era is the choice of base. While large circular bases are common for figures of this kind I have never been a fan of them. It makes character interaction in a display very difficult when everyone is carrying their own social distancing kit with them. I would much have preferred oval or rectangular bases not much bigger than their footprints. if you wish to make your own bases you either have to create something which supports the pegs under the feet or cut them off effectively ruining the figures in the process. Other than that, I find these figures very entertaining. I have the last three WoM characters on order already, and the fact that they are all guys is even more interesting.
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