Yoko by Gift

Hey, welcome again to another figure review! A couple of days ago I just received this little beauty from Hobby Search, Yoko from Gurren Lagann by Gift. Gotta say, this is probably my favorite version of Yoko to date and I was so anxious to get her out in the wild and take some shots of her. I just got back from FanimeCon and picked up Yoko by Eye Up and the Yoko Movie Ver Revoltech (which I'll be posting up pictures of in the coming weeks ^^), but MAN! this version of Yoko is so striking. She is my first 1/5 scale figure, and I can not believe the quality! I'm a fairly recent fanboy of Yoko, I just finished Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann about a month and a half ago, but my Yoko collection is shaping up pretty nicely. Since collecting PVC figures I have never been so determined to get multiple figures of the same character. Yoko has cast her spell on me and my future looks bleak with poverty because of it O.O

This version by Gift features Yoko crouched down on one knee in mid preparation of pinning up her hair. Yoko has many facets to her character and develops intriguingly over the course of the anime, and Gift's depiction of her captures a very vulnerable Yoko. In her mouth she is holding onto her skull hairpiece, and smiling with her eyes at whom ever gazes upon her. She has an angelic expression on her face and is simply beautiful.

Let's talk detail. Now, I'd say that Yoko's design does not include intricate details or elaborate costume pieces. Its pretty simple: Long red-haired beauty who fires a huge gun with a scarf, bikini top, booty shorts with a studded white belt, pair of simple thigh high nylons (?) and some cool zip up white boots with flames...oh yeah, gloves and chopsticks in her hair too. There's probably no way to screw up on the detail, but Gift completely adds solid quality to each of Yoko's garments. The belt is awesomely rendered and is painted to perfection. There isn't a single paint bleed to any of the studs.
Her boots' zipper is SO AWESOME! I love big zippers, and here the teeth that aren't zipped up are perfectly realized. Her nylons (or whatever they are) hug her thighs so nicely and have highlights of her skin tone to add a transparent effect.

Speaking of detail, check out the great tie of the bikini with beads. From the opposite view both strands of beads curve parallel to the arch of Yoko's back...mmm, super sexy.

Yoko has definitely been blessed by the Gods with huge ta-ta's, and Gift has recreated them wonderfully. Now, here's the section of the review that I will give my one gripe concerning Gift's creation. And, YES, it does have to do with this lovely area. I'm not a fan of seem lines, and if I had the courage to attack each of my figures with obvious seam lines with a sander...then I would def do it. Yoko doesn't suffer from any bad seam lines EXCEPT for the connecting piece of her bikini. Now, in the grand scheme of things...I would even admit that this a HUGE nitpick...but for the sake of reviewing her with 100% honesty I have to highlight this. The piece sticks out like a sore thumb, and looks pretty cheap. I would have liked this piece be part of the mold, and instead it looks like they just glued a glossy piece of painted plastic to finish the job. Examining further, I noticed that it isn't completely flush at both ends of her bikini either. Along with this, I noticed a bit of red paint running from just below the bikini on her left boobie.

I love this angle, the whole silhouette of this figure is stunning. She's breathtaking. I really like the detail of her back and the fluidity of her hair. I think the picture speaks for itself, she's awesome.
Here's a close-up of her pinning her hair up. What I really appreciate about this is that the sculptor makes the act of 'holding her hair up' REALLY believable. Her fingers holding up her hair seem affected by the weight of her hair! I love the subtle detail. :D
Yoko comes with a mirror base. I didn't know she came with this, so it was a really pleasant surprise! Looking at her compared to other figures I have in my collection the first thing I notice is size and quality, and I think the mirrored-base adds a nice subtly to the overall quality to the piece.

Summary:

Yoko is hot, and Gift has given us a really nice presentation of her beauty. This figure is a nice addition to my growing 'Yoko Army', and now my favorite version that's been released. The quality of this figure is purely awesome, this Yoko is solid! The price tag is a bit high, retailing for about $90 or so, but I think you get what you pay for. She's my first 1/5 scale figure, so the size could also play a big factor too. The paint is nearly flawless, I can only plainly see a flaw or two. I also forgot to mention how much I like the glossy finish to areas of Yoko, it gives a nice contrast to her smooth skin tone. The design of this figure is really interesting to look at, and I like her state of vulnerability. She's not in attack mode, she's just being Yoko. This figure definitely looks like a picture still realized in 3D, and I'm so happy I decided to get her. If you are as obsessed with Yoko or Gurren Lagann as I am, I'm sure you don't want to miss an opportunity to snag yourself this awesome figure! If interested, and able to spare $100 or so, you can still order her at Hobby Search or Hobby Link Japan.

If you're interested in more pics of Yoko, click the link to my Flickr page ^.^

Figure: Yoko
Series: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
Manufacturer: Gift
Sculptor: Takayuki Kondo (G-Dome)
Scale: 1/5 Pre-Painted PVC
Release Date: April 2009