nanite | 28 Dec 2005 2:01 p.m. PST |
I’ve been eagerly awaiting these figures for a while, with questions running through my head: are they high-quality? Will they look as good as they do on the website? Are they worth the high cost? Don’t let the anime influenced production art stop you, in person, the figures are more akin to Rackham in that they’re very well proportioned, not the usual exaggerated miniature features. The legs look too long on some minis in photos, but in hand, they’re perfect. After receiving the Yu-Jing starter box, and the HMG Orc Trooper blister from the Warstore, I was instantly impressed with the bright packaging, and care taken to protect each figure. Small pieces are bagged, and in the starter-set, figures with more than one piece got their own ziplock baggie. Some of the figures are multi-part, though the high level of detail is going to make customizing difficult. In size, Infinity is around Reaper’s heroic 28mm scale, though I’m not sure they will fit well with other ranges due the styling (and aforementioned anatomy). Detail on each mini is crisp, and very high quality. Details I thought were painted on in pictures are actually molded in. I was especially impressed that the individual fingers of the Shaolin Monk’s left hand are sculpted apart. There is very little if any flash, though there are mold lines in annoying places. Not bad mold lines, but for instance, there’s one right across the Monk’s face. Nothing that careful sanding won’t fix, but it’s bothersome to have a mold line in such a sensitive area. The heads are better looking in person then in pictures, the faces of the Yu-Jing are distinctly Asian, and each carries a great deal of expression. I was also impressed that figures wearing armor or power suits actually look like humans wearing bulky armor. They are proportionally larger, without looking like a space marine. Very impressive. A few nitpicks on styling though, and I think this is a throwback to anime influence, though certainly not unusual in minis: The women seem to all have huge breasts, even the female Yu-Jing Zhanshi. So much time was spent getting the anatomy right, that this seems out of place. Worse, the women in power armor are wearing heels. I find this really annoying. The men wearing the same armor are not. For the ORC trooper, I think it really throws off the pose, and makes the figue look like frankenhooker (see this image for example: coolminiornot.com/105210). This is personal taste though, so YMMV. The cost is high, the boxed set and one blistered figure averaged over $6.50 USD plus shipping. It’s not astronomical, and I think the price is worth it though. To sum up: PROS: High Quality. Unique design. CONS: Unique Design. Cost Bottom Line: Distinctive figures, and worried wallet. |
Lolbat | 28 Dec 2005 2:17 p.m. PST |
>> Worse, the women in power armor are wearing heels. I find this really annoying. Yup. Looks very dim. Really ruins the figure |
Inmate 928829 | 28 Dec 2005 3:36 p.m. PST |
[Worse, the women in power armor are wearing heels. I find this really annoying.] Don't watch Bubblegum Crisis, then. :) |
altfritz | 28 Dec 2005 3:44 p.m. PST |
I'll add my voice to the "High Heeled Armour is Dumb!" chorus! Ick! |
altfritz | 28 Dec 2005 3:46 p.m. PST |
Just checked out those pics on Cool mini or Not! Nanite, you are right! From the back the figure is revealed to be pretty crappy with those gawd awful heels! |
Allen57 | 28 Dec 2005 5:11 p.m. PST |
All I want are the drones. Al |
The Gonk | 28 Dec 2005 6:17 p.m. PST |
Bah! If you want realism, go argue rivet diameters in the WW2 forums. I think the heels are hawt! |
Goldwyrm | 28 Dec 2005 7:38 p.m. PST |
Sci-fi Anime figures with heels don't bother me that much. It could look really wrong with a bad paint job. The linked picture was a good paint job so the heels don't really stand out to my eye. The drones would look hot even in primer. The current pricing however is a bit out of my range. |
Space Monkey | 28 Dec 2005 7:59 p.m. PST |
yeah, the drones are about all I'm willing to spring for too
and I don't think the high heels issue is a matter of realism so much as sexism
same thing with the exaggerated breasts
somehow a lot of folks like that
but probably would howl if there was a line of 'negroid' figures that had enormous lips. It's a demeaning caricature either way
|
AJCarrington | 28 Dec 2005 11:50 p.m. PST |
Something to remember is that the line is touted as being "anime-inspired" – most of the style choices I've seen fit the genre to very well. They have chosen a target audience and are going after it. For me, I quite like the look and am eagerly awaiting my first set of minis to arrive. Now, to figure out the rules
;) AJC |
wolvermonkey | 29 Dec 2005 12:08 a.m. PST |
Um
couldn't you fill in the heel space with some putty to make it look like all one piece? It's still a great looking mini. |
Cowboy | 29 Dec 2005 1:01 a.m. PST |
I would tend to agree with Wolvermonkey with the idea of filling in the Gaps on the heels to create a solid footbed, as "we accepted" that sort of boot on the female judges in 2000AD for |
Turtle | 29 Dec 2005 1:23 a.m. PST |
I think I'd just snip the heels off, file it flush with the boot, then reposition the miniature so she's leaning forward. It should look like she'd just about to sprint forward. |
Cowboy | 29 Dec 2005 2:04 a.m. PST |
Sorry about that hit the button too soon, but I wanted to say that we have accepted the 2000AD comic female judges with semi high heels and some current Sci-fi drawings use this idea still
|
Space Monkey | 29 Dec 2005 10:54 a.m. PST |
Like the horrid covers on Heavy Metal
half naked women that have huge 'guns'. They have time to put on makeup but always forget their shirts. A little bit goes a long way
maybe it's a sign that I'm not a 12yr old boy anymore
and I prefer woman with intelligence over pure sauce. |
Lion in the Stars | 29 Dec 2005 11:52 a.m. PST |
Yes, but a hot chick with brains is even more fun. Too bad they're a very rare commodity. |
GypsyComet | 29 Dec 2005 2:42 p.m. PST |
>>Yes, but a hot chick with brains is even more fun. Too bad they're a very rare commodity.<< Oh, it's not as rare as you might think. What is rare is the beauty who is willing to admit to the brains (or the brainy one who thinks she can also be attractive), sometimes even to herself. But I digress. |
Space Monkey | 29 Dec 2005 6:04 p.m. PST |
I'm all for beauty
but high-heels, rubber breasts, and big hair don't do much for me
maybe because I'm from Vegas and that stuff is rank-n-file. |
GypsyComet | 30 Dec 2005 12:49 a.m. PST |
I think Robin Williams had the most appropriate line regarding "augmented chests". Having seen the results he refers to, I have to agree. |
nanite | 30 Dec 2005 11:58 a.m. PST |
The heels are filled in, I think the paiter hollowed them out. I know these are sold as Anime influenced, but in person, only the big chests and the heels stand out as being inspired by anime. It wouldn't bother me so much if the rest of the miniatures weren't skewing more towards realism. |
nanite | 05 Jan 2006 3:15 p.m. PST |
Quick update. I took the heels off the ORC trooper, and it was really smooth sailing. I added a more normal boot-soles, adn am fairly pleased with how easy the figure was to convert. |
Chairman Aeon | 07 Jan 2006 1:50 p.m. PST |
"I know these are sold as Anime influenced, but in person, only the big chests and the heels stand out as being inspired by anime." At this point I'm going to question whether you've actually watched more than a handful of anime or your are selectively picking on some aspects [i]you[/i] don't like about anime. The multi-dot imaging rather than a visor on heads, the weather-vane fetish, TAGs in general, penchant for odd weapons, turtle-shell armour, organic curves over sharp angles,
would you like more anime influences on Infinity figures? Iain. |
nanite | 10 Jan 2006 11:47 a.m. PST |
Good point, but I was thinking more of the style of the humans themselves. Anime has a distict way of drawing humans, and apart from those areas, I don't see anime style reflected in the sculpts of the faces or bodies. The legs could be picked out as being anime infulenced, but I find they're really only longer then other miniatures, and not out of proportion within the range. That said, I haven't had every infinity miniature in my hands. |
Lion in the Stars | 11 Jan 2006 1:02 p.m. PST |
Having bought some bandai-etc anime minis, I like the Infinity stuff better (in the pics I've seen. Haven't seen them in the lead yet). It seems to be heavily influenced by Shirow's art (let's face it, Masamune Shirow is one of the biggest gearheads in the style today). The Yu Jing TAG, the PanO ORC suits (ripped straight from Appleseed!), and the PanO covergirl they use
I wonder if they're paying royalties on this stuff. |