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S.H. Figuarts Sailor Moon - Crystal Star Compact Edition


While browsing at my local One Piece Card Shop, I saw that they had the latest SHF Sailor Moon release. When it initially went up for preorder, I assumed it would be just like the other Sailor figures, with some different accessories. Then I saw a review on YouTube a few weeks ago and realized it had some new engineering. So I picked it up.









Sailor Moon’s look is well known to most anime fans. Blonde hair with two long ponytails on each side, white blouse with a blue sailor collar and pink bow at the front, another one at the back. a short blue skirt, long white gloves with pink trim, and knee-high pink boots. And of course, those large anime girl eyes. The figure sports that classic look, nicely painted and sculpted. Her long ponytails end in curls, with sculpted twists throughout. The boots are higher on this figure than the older Sailor Moon figures, so it helps to hide the knee joints better. The bangs at the front curl forward in an almost heart shape. The yellow hair is bright yellow, the blues and pinks are a deep enough shade that they stand out amid the white of her torso. She’s tall, lean, and an anime fan’s dream.







Her accessories include five pairs of hands, including fists, open palm, relaxed palm, one to hold her wand, and several different ones, including finger pointing and peace signs. Also included is her cat Luna, a base and stand with her name on it, her wand that’s pink, gold and red, and four different face plates (closed mouth smiling, open mouth smiling, angry, and winking). Something that I immediately noticed was that the pegs at the back of the face plates are more flat and square shaped, whereas the older figure’s had round pegs, so you won’t be able to use the faces from the older releases. Her black cat Luna is standing upright with a curled tail and an articulated head.







The articulation is where the figure really differs from past releases. In addition to the regular joints the older figures have, this one includes an extra upper bicep swivel, a swivel at the elbows, a softer plastic skirt, a waist joint that is able to twist fully around, and bigger feet with extra cuts to give them extra range, as well as a toe hinge. This allows her to kick her legs further, to twist and crunch her body more, and for the arms to have extra range. All of these improvements help to make her much more posable than previous releases. Considering other properties in the S.H. Figuarts line have been getting upgraded engineering, it's nice to see Sailor Moon finally getting it, too.












This new version of Sailor Moon is a nice upgrade from past releases. While the look is mostly the same, the engineering is where she trumps the older versions. I'm wondering if the other Sailor Scouts will be getting re-releases with the added joints? Either way, at least the star of the show gets to shine brightly. If you're a Sailor Moon fan, this figure is absolutely worth getting.












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