Hunting the Elusive

I got the Hatsune Miku VN02 mix 1/8 PVC figure from Max Factory in the mail a few weeks back, and while I already had a plan in mind for shooting it, it took me some time to do the research and measurements, then get the proper material for it. In the end, all that planning didn’t turn out to be needed, as my first experimental trial immediately yielded the results I wanted. The location wasn’t the best in the world, nor the choicest of setups, but I grabbed the chance while I had it and here we are. Unlike a traditional figure review shoot, I didn’t take the whole figure overview shots this time, but the concept itself is rather stylised anyway. I’ll still do my best to give a fair technical review of the figure though. [Gallery]

The 1/8 PVC figure for Hatsune Miku VN02 mix was released by Max Factory at the end of June 2010, for an approximate retail price of 12,160 yen, though various companies had different price ranges depending on the amount of discount they gave.

The figure is now sold out on Hobby Search but still possible to order from amiami for a price of 9800 yen. This is where I got it from, and combined with SAL shipping and the discount on shipping promotion they had on, the overall price wasn’t that bad for a figure of this calibre and size.

I must say the sculptor, Shining Wizard@ sawachika, did a very good job with this interpretation of Iroha/Nagamiso’s character design, originally made for the Moon VN02-remix tune. The details on this are amazing, and quality-wise, it is similar to a custom resin kit or cold cast.

The photos do not show it, but the entire figure is mounted on a translucent green base via the left leg (which is extended). The mounting mechanism is partly leveraging the heels Miku is wearing, as well as a metal pin (a mechanism usually associated with resins).

  

It is a fair bit of weight to put on one limb, and one can hope that figure construction has come such a way as to no longer be subject to the bending problems that we are unfortunately so used to. However, the overall result is a pretty unstable figure, as the base is pretty small itself. I will be taking it apart again (after it dries) and putting it back into the box.

The attachments to the back of the figure can be somewhat fiddly to put on. But then again, most PVC figures are fiddly affairs. The thing is, the attaching rods look like they have hinges so the shields (for lack of a better descriptor) can be moved up and down. Not so. If they are hinges, they are extremely tight. Either way, I didn’t try to force it.

Additionally, I don’t think the shields are supposed to detach from the rods (they come attached), but one of them fell off, and wouldn’t snap back in. I ended up using CA glue (“superglue”) to permanently attach it back.

I am a big fan of the face, which is very faithful to the original Nagamiso “mature” style.

A side effect of using water is the reflection off the upper surface, making abstract shots like this possible.

Some detail shots. I will note that the legs, especially the extended green attachments, remind me of the Evangelion mecha designs. In fact, plug suit?

Also love the gold and black accents, and the rather skull-like headphones.

One of the big points for me are the little details on the suit, including the transparent sleeves.

And even the “shields” are very painstakingly detailed.

The overall quality of this figure is amazing. It is easily one of the best PVC figures I currently own (and that’s saying something). The only lack is the problem of how secure this figure is on its base, but other than that little niggle, it’s a great figure and I am glad to have splashed out for it.

The perfect foil for this figure would be the upcoming Kagamine Rin Nuclear Fusion version, also from Max Factory. It is due late August 2010, and featuring the same sculptor “Shining Wizard” and of course, based on another Nagamiso illustration for Roshinyuukai – Meltdown. If Hatsune Miku VN02 mix is any indication at all, that will be another extremely high quality figure.

Technicals

This is my setup. It’s a very different world to what you see in the figure pictures. The floor was wet but I was sitting/lying/prostrated in the area in front of the porcelain throne for my shots.

The light is provided by the flash behind the umbrella, with the other side illuminated by the reflector.

As you may have guessed, yes, it is a fish tank, and it’s filled with water. Normal water. At first, I thought I might have to buy a large number of bottles of soda water for the bubbles. However, an earlier experiment where I soaked Patchouli in a jar of water led me to observe that:

1) Water by itself doesn’t seem to harm the figure (even after a few hours immersed).

2) Some bubbles get trapped on the figure when water is introduced to the container after the figure.

To increase the turbulence of the water being introduced (and thus the amount of bubbles), I used a shower head to spray the water in (thus the location).

Problems

One problem is bubbles where you do not want them. Because it was meant to be an experiment, I did not clear excessive bubbles from the figure’s face, but conceivably, one could gently use a cotton bud to dislodge the bubbles. Bubbles on the facing side of the glass (which you need to shoot through) can be removed fairly easily by running the flat surface of a comb along the surface. Also, obviously dry the outside of the glass.

Another problem is that PVC figures turn out to be fairly buoyant in water (high school physics, really). Eventually I got VN02 to settle, but lighter figures or figures with more cavities might need to be attached to the bottom surface of the tank prior to the operation.

This however, is connected with a third problem: Shooting needs to  be done at a fairly perpendicular angle to the surface of the glass. Refraction can affect your focus and turn out blurry images if you are using more radical angles. As such, the figure needs to be rotated, rather than the position of the camera. If you fix your figure, you might be in for a bit of pain.

Acknowledgment and comments

I must note that this photographic concept is not in fact original. It is an application of the “bubbly fruit photos” technique which I saw on Jean Fan’s site.

In a full setup, I would have also copied the idea of using a laptop screen with a picture on it for the background, but as you can see the toilet bowl was fairly crammed. Also, a camera and flash is enough electronics to have in a wet bathroom.

I also think using seltzer water or soda water, because of the dissolved carbon content within the liquid, would have made for less consistent bubble sizes throughout the shoot. As noted in the tutorial, as one moves along the time axis, the size of the bubbles increase.

I had additional concerns regarding the acidity of soda water, which could damage the figure. Carbon dioxide + water = carbonic acid, although manufacturers add various salts to regulate this. If using soda water, I recommend washing down the figure with normal water after the shoot to prevent residue formation.

7 comments