Bonus Video Time!!
Last month I purchased the Limited Edition Petit Charaland figures from Megahouse, and I thought I’d use the opportunity to explain how to assemble these figures properly, as well as compare them a little. Excuse the phone video quality ;_;. It’s all I have for now lol.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, aka PGSM or Live Action Sailor Moon is a well known adaption of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon that aired on Japanese television from October 2003 until September 2004.
PGSM is usually loved for its quirky cheesiness, and all of the things that similar 90’s Japanese Live Action series brought to the table. Despite being based on the manga and anime versions of the series the Live Action also brings its own plot points and character transformations, most notably a condition with Sailor Venus and Sailor Senshi transformation of Luna. Don’t let the silliness fool you though! PGSM has its fair share of tear jerking moments as well.
Despite popularity, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon never saw release in North America or under any official English translation internationally in either dub or subtitles, and as of today there appears to be no plans for one despite the hopes of fans.
This is the cardboard ad that was displayed in the gashapon machines when these figures were for sale. The paper slips are below (click to see large files).
As these are gashapon these were mostly purchased in gashapon machines and were purchased inside the round plastic containers with their pieces individually bagged in a wrapper. Each container would have included 1 full figure and 1 paper slip.
These figures are not popular and are the cheapest set of all of the Sailor Moon gashapon on the second hand market for various reasons. I feel the advertising material for these figures is completely misleading in regards to the visual aesthetics of these figures and tries making up for where they lack.
Sailor Moon comes in 13 easy to assemble pieces (possibly 12, her bangs appear to be removable, but they appeared to be super glued). Like most Sailor Moon gashapon the pieces are rarely tight, but JUST under sized so that you can’t really pick them up and play with them because they fall apart. This is mostly an issue along the body, so there are issues at the waist and neck, but I find her boots to be the most difficult.
Please note that I received Sailor Moon new in package, and her head was completely assembled. I believe it might have been factory glued so I do not recommend removing the face plate from her hair as it does make it a lot looser.
Sailor Mercury consists of 11 pieces (after Sailor Moon I didn’t want to pull her head apart just in case it had trouble going back) that fit similar to Sailor Moon. The pieces slide together easy enough, but when picked up they also tend to fall apart. As her body doesn’t separate at the waist like the rest of the figures she does hold a TINY bit better. Her legs do have a habit of shifting and causing issues with the pose though (as you’ll see in photos).
Sailor Mars consists of 12 pieces. Fit is the same as Sailor Moon. She tends to let go at the waist when being transported. Her base, although it holds her up just fine, will come loose when she is being moved. Her head also seems a little tight fitting. It is possible to push it down all of the way, but it’s easy to accidentally leave her with a small gap.
Sailor Jupiter consists of 13 parts (Her pony tail is glued on). As with the others she has issues with her pieces being a little loose and falling apart during transportation, especially her boots when the base is attached. During display there are no issues.
Sailor Venus is a total of 11 pieces. She has similar issues to the standing figures with detachment at the waist when being transported, but as she is sitting she also has the same issue as Mercury in which her legs shift and she no longer sits on her base properly. She will stay on the base, but her hand will float in the air. Besides that she fits together very well.
The sculpt of this series of figures is working to replicate a realistic style since it is based on real people rather than anime or manga designs. They excel in the costuming, but completely fall flat on the hair. In the television series the girls wear wigs when they transform into Sailor Senshi, but in their civilian form they have natural black/brown hair. Instead of designing the figures to appear to have natural hair as the wigs SHOULD appear in the series, they were sculpted as is and appear to be wigs on the figures as well. This detracts from the figures entirely, as you can see in the pictures below, because when you see their face plates alone they actually appear very nice.
There are lots of folds, the hair is supremely detailed, and, my favorite part about them, they’re unusually thick because of their much more realistic proportions compared to their anime counterparts. They have human proportions instead of anime proportions.
Because the hair is what detracts from the entire figure, but the rest seems ok I’ve given them a score of 7/10. For over all appearance based on sculpt I’d rate them a 5, but I feel unfair scoring them low based on 1 piece that looks off… even if it’s in such an important area as the face.
The prettiest part of Sailor Moons sculpt is in her folds and accessories. The folds look wonderful, full, and nearly realistic, while there are wonderful details in areas like her face and accessories (see earrings, choker, and brooch). Her worst feature is most definitely her hair. It looks like it sits on top of her head, instead of being part of her head., and her twin tails fall awkwardly down her front.
Sailor Moons pose could also use some work. While at first it appears to be her standard Oshiokiyo pose (and it is), her hands are much too high and in her face to make the figure aesthetically pleasing on a shelf. She has to be placed on a lower shelf to see her face properly or at a strange angle. As she should be as realistic as possible for the series she is most likely posed this way because that’s how the actress posed, but it just doesn’t translate nicely.
There are some seam lines, but nothing majorly noticeable.
It may be a bias opinion, but Sailor Mercury has one of the better over all sculpts and poses of this set. Her sitting pose is comfortable, classy, and actually kind of cute with her expression. Sitting Mercury on her base is a difficult task though. Her legs have to be pushed in just so for her hand to sit perfectly on her seat. This doesn’t really take away from the overall display of the figure. It’s hardly noticeable when displayed.
Mercury’s best features are in her hair and boots in regards to detail. She is one of two figures in this set that make the hair work. Her flaws are in her face. She has baggy eyes that make her look exhausted. This would be less of an issue if the plastic wasn’t so shiny, but it highlights this feature, exaggerating it.
Sailor Mars deserves the same praise for the sculpt of her body as the rest, but there are some concerns with her that either aren’t as evident with the others or don’t exist. The “wig effect” doesn’t appear the same way on Mars as it does on Sailor Moon and other figures. Her hair appears flat and almost dirty looking because the long strands are thin and semi-transparent.
My second issue is with her feet. They’re large compared to the rest of the figure, and while real feet CAN be large the actress appears to have rather small to average feet. It’s a minor issue, but in comparison with the others it is noticeable as she wears heals rather than boots. This also appears to continue up the leg, making me wonder if they just used one of the girls wearing boots as a template and shaved off the fabric folds and boot tops?
Last, her face. The sculpt on this one isn’t so pretty. I hate to break form, but I spent a lot of editing time laughing at how you could probably put her face on a little old lady figure and she’d look like a grandma getting angry at small children for being too loud. While the expression is suitable for the character, the execution of it is not. I’m not sure if it is a sculpt problem, or a realism on this scale problem.
In regards to her pose it’s not very dynamic, but it does appear to be that she is going for a hair flip full of attitude… which, is completely in character for Rei
Jupiter is by far the best sculpt in this series. Her hair works, her proportions work, and her face doesn’t look horrifying with her hair. The fabric falling flat against her leg is a nice touch as well. The only real issues with her sculpt is in the round thing on the belt she wears on her waist. It should be a ball containing 2 roses. Instead they opted to just awkwardly place a ball on her waist. The details in her skirt and boots kind of make up for it a tiny bit, but it would have been nice to see them sculpt a rose instead.
Her left hand seems a little out of place and unsure of what it should be doing. Is she teasing the viewer? Taunting a Monster of the Day? Or is it just… there? It appears it should be a removable piece, but it’s factory glued into this position. The advertising shows it facing in towards the leg (I’ll fix mine later).
The “wig hair” on Venus, although second to Sailor Moon’s, is one of the worst in the set. Her bangs, although accurate, reach out over her eyebrows. The bangs don’t just look big, but they make her face look off and manly. The hair-do looks fine on the actress, but it just doesn’t translate well to figure.
Venus’ pose feels less casual than the others, and her facial expression tight. She isn’t smiling, but her head is tilted slightly. It’s not clear if she’s suppose to fit with the group, or appear slightly out of place as would be in character.
In regards to her other details she’s actually quite beautiful. Her accessories, and flowing hair down her back are beautifully done, especially the braided piece. It’s a shame the rest of their heads are so odd… or perhaps I’m just too use to anime figures?
Sailor Moon’s paint job isn’t horrible, but it has a few areas that don’t match or appear lazy. The back of the neck doesn’t match the rest of her skin tone. It appears they painted all of this space either red or blue (or both) and then they painted the skin in later, despite it appearing to have already been moulded in the proper skin tone.
The arrow pointing to her collar is actually pointing to the copyright information, but lets pretend that it’s pointing to her stripes. These aren’t painting on, despite being sculpted.
Both pictures above are of the paint on the transitioning area of Sailor Moons back and collar. No one ever seems to know what to do with this area. It’s either messy (as seen above), or clean cut, but still awkward because it’s thick, instead of portraying the thin piece of fabric that it should be.
This series is pretty much incredible with the painting in all of the details you can see. As soon as the area is hidden by something quality drops. Mercurys transformation device is flawless.
It could be worse but there is some white overlapping what should be blue skirt. There’s also an issue with the sculpting vs paint on the left side that makes it appear as though there’s a chunk missing instead of it being a fold/pleat in her skirt.
See back of the neck and skirt where the bow should be. They tried matching skin tone again and failed. Well, maybe not failed. It appears they have a generic skin tone that doesn’t match their figures.
Mercury’s hair is an interesting metallic blue. It’s unclear as to why they went with metallic as opposed to light blue. It works given her hair is an icy blue in the series, although I feel it should be a lot more ridiculous.
In general her face is alright. For regular display it appears fine, but on mine you can tell the (her) left eye is dropped, and the eye lid paint is too far left. This isn’t as noticeable during display. In fact, I never noticed it until I was editing photos. Details in her bow gem and tiara are as neatly painted as they can be for their size. It’s actually quite impressive how smooth that gems gold detailing is.
Mars is adorned with very beautiful accessories in PGSM. The brooch on her skirt is delicately painted and beautiful. It really brings what this figure needs.
The rest of Mars seems painted cleanly, although mine appears to have issues with her right shoulder padding. There’s a small paint mark on her arm. This shouldn’t be an issue with all of them.
The paint on Jupiter’s face is actually my favourite. It’s clean, happy, and energetic. They appear to have lacked patience on her hair baubles though.
The paint job on her body is decent. There are no major flaws, and the only problem/inaccuracy I can see is that the loops around the pink beads on her waist should be gold. Considering the detail put into the other figures accessories it’s surprising they didn’t paint these details in. They do appear to have been a little messy with her bow gem as well.
The last detail they seem to have missed is her shoelaces. They could have easily been painted, but were just skipped. They should be white.
Although the glossy/metallic hair on Venus and Mercury seem a little strange it REALLY stands out on Venus. Between the sculpting, colour, and gloss, as well as the way the light hits the glossing it looks spectacular. The bow and heart are well done as well.
Venus’ belt looks nice until you look closer. There appears to be some details they got lazy with. There glove toppers are also a bit messy.
Her face is horrible. Between her eyebrows and length of her hair, it doesn’t matter how the eyes and lips are painted, it looks weird. Her eyes appear to be looking in slightly different directions and appear of much less quality than others in the set. Compared to Jupiter’s face this is horrible.
There are no bootlegs for any of these figurines as of September 2013. If there are bootlegs available I will update this section as soon as I know about them with information on how to identify them.
It’s always important that the copyright information match the below picture though:
I recommend these figures to people who like PGSM, collect the series merchandise in general, and aren’t uptight about quality. These COULD be top notch figures, but fall just short of reaching their potential.
Expect to be amazed when you receive them, but not so much after assembly. They look great, but their hair and face style creates a lot of awkward within this set, and actually ruins what could be really good looking. I do not recommend these as “must haves” in every collection.
In 2011 a rather random announcement that seemed to go along with the revival of Sailor Moon came out of Hong Kong. Mass Transit Railway (MTR) announced a limited edition set of transit tickets, a holder, and keychain would be released for three consecutive weeks starting October 2, 2011. The tickets were actually valid for 1 train ride until November 2011, but the set I purchased was unopened and appear to be unused (I’m not sure if they done anything to consider them used).
The tickets feature Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus paired off, while Sailor Moon gets her own card. The backs are exactly the same, with information about how the card should be used, and that the card may be kept as a souvenir.
Here’s a bigger edit of the card for readability.
The pamphlet above is actually the ticket holder. This is the front of the book, as well as the side panel. The art and logo are from season 1 and probably redraws of old artwork by Marco Albiero as part of the original Italian revival.
Back of the ticket holder including copyright information, and the TOEI sticker. Funny enough, the sticker is white and red, and not actually metallic like the stickers we’re use to seeing.
The inside spread. Left side features the slots and layout for the cards (the white lines match the panel lines on the cards). The right side features some text and another Sailor Moon piece. I’m not sure what the text says (anyone care to translate?).
There are slots for the cards to fit in, but just a general idea of where they should go.
The key chain is what most people really wanted from this promotion. It was one of the first things we seen outside of Italy with new artwork on it, and everyone seemed pretty happy with the quality. Ironically enough, this exact image is printed in sticker format by GE Animation in North America and I have it in the center of my laptop back.
The card and plastic cover are an ok packaging. It’s not very secure, and the card is cut creatively so that the top doesn’t quite fit the plastic all the way around… but it has held just fine for 2.5 years, so I guess it works!
Back of the card, including the TOEI sticker… which, for some reason is white and red, instead of metallic silver or gold.
The actual key chain is super nice. It seems high quality, though I’m not brave enough to actually use it, but I imagine it has lasted well for those who have used it.
Overall I recommend this set to anyone who is interested in it. It’s displayable with the card holder, usable with the key chain, or just a nice keepsake. The price tag I’d recommend is around $30-$40 USD, though $40 is certainly my cap. It just doesn’t have what Sailor Moon fans are looking for in order to sell higher, and it’s not really a desirable piece in the fandom (in fact, I think many have forgotten about it).
All in all, I’m glad to have purchased it.
Japanese release date: December 2013
Manufacturer: Bandai
Line: Sailor Moon Mini Cushion
MyFigureCollection
These plushies were one of the first of the 20th Anniversary celebrations! They’re vastly different than the plush of the 90’s, but without doubt still managed to be some of the cutest plushies out there.
I do not currently own any advertising for this product.
These plush come loose individually, as well as in a box set. While the individual plush averaged about $10 each, the box set, in places that were selling it for suggested retail, sold for about $40, so slightly discounted. There are no differences between the BOXED plush, and the LOOSE plush though.
The plush are made so that they sit. The bottoms are stuffed with beans, the bottoms sewn so that they’re flat, and the legs so that they stick out on the front. For the most part they sit just fine, but I’ve found my Jupiter and Venus have issues balancing. This could be because of Jupiter’s stuffed hair, and Venus’ hair bow.
The plushies seem relatively strong and high quality. I wouldn’t expect many pieces to fall off of these because of old glue or wear. Most things appear to be stitched on. The only pieces that appear to be glued are the earrings, which are also a fabric or paper.
Everything is done extremely clean on these plushies, from the embroidery in their eyes, to how each piece has been stitched on as part of the plush. It seems most of these are put together as a PLUSH, instead of a body with clothing on it like some of the earlier pieces from the 90’s (some important pieces had been glued on).
The gems on their bows are just plastic rhinestones, but are a nice touch compared to the normal fabric or paper materials. The stripes, which in the past were normally stitched on, are printed and solid. Unfortunately the tiara gem gets ignored and appears to be printed into the fabric tiara. The same goes for Sailor Moons hair bun pieces, which appear to be some sort of thick card stock.
The tags for this set are probably among my favourite for any plush series I’ve owned yet. Each tag has the character on the front, and a profile in Japanese on the inside. It also has the TOEI tag on the back, instead of on the tush tag. Copyright information and warnings can also be found printed on the inside left flap, and back. They’re attacked to the top of each Senshi’s head.
The tush tags are located on the back butts of the plushies (hence, tush). On the top they’re printed with the corresponding Senshi’s symbol, and on the bottom is their plushie number (392 – 398), the month/year they were released (Lies! They were delayed and released in Dec, not Nov as scheduled), and where they were made (China).
These plushies are very nice. They’re cute, well made, reasonably priced at 800 – 1200 yen average retail, and are small enough to keep on a shelf, or display case. The fabrics feature lots of wonderful textures that do not hinder their appearances, and displayed these plush look ADORABLE.
Recommended for Plushie, and general collectors. If plush don’t normally tickle your fancy they will just be plush. There’s nothing to make them particularly special compared to most plushies beyond being a part of the Sailor Moon anniversary. Compared to the typical plushies Sailor Moon received from Banpresto claw machines in the past though, these are a huge step up in quality.
Feel free to comment with any questions you might have!
Japanese release date: October 2013
International release date: None
Website: http://www.creerbeaute.co.jp/
The Miracle Romance Nail Collection is a modern day spin-off of the 90’s Crystal Star Henshin wands which first appear in the Sailor Moon R arc. While the wands in the anime and manga served solely for transformation purposes, the toys were turned into nail polishes. It is theorized by fans that the reason the Sailor Senshi’s nails are painted during their anime transformation, only to be covered by their gloves, was to sell merchandise. Further proof in this can be found when the Outer Sailor Senshi are introduced. Their transformations include lip stick instead of nail polish, and the toy versions of their wands are lip glosses instead of nail polish.
The images above show the animated versions of the wands, the toys made in the 90’s (the wands with actual handles), and the nail polishes released in 2013 (short polishes in the box).
Initial fan reactions to these nail polishes were positive… until they seen the price tags. These retailed for 5000 yen, or about $50 USD from the P-Bandai site. Of course, to turn a profit, stores that purchased and resold these from P-Bandai listed them anywhere from $65 USD to $140 USD, making them not really worth the effort, and dropping desire for these from most international fans.
On top of that, many retailers refused to mail these to North American countries as their alcohol content was too high for certain regulations. Many fans had their parcels shipped back to the store they came from once they hit customs. I shipped mine EMS, and since customs did not search the package I did not have any issues shipping it. Alternatively, I am in Canada and I am not sure if my regulations are the same as the ones in the US.
These have appeared in magazines, and I believe in various fliers advertising P-Bandai items, but fans really done the job for these. There really isn’t much to say about the advertising on these. They were included in an invite only event in Japan for the initial unveiling of the Miracle Romance line. Attendees got to see each of the announced products in person (compact, nail polish, nail stickers (which were announced later that week), and the eyeliners), as well as try some of them in areas where there were ladies applying the nail polish, and stickers.
For the most part though, they were relatively silent.
This slip cover was a WONDERFUL surprise. It’s so pretty and delicate.
The slip cover pulls off to reveal a lovely case that shows off each of the bottles, and a lovely Senshi and Miracle Romance inspired design on 2 opposing corners. The roses and bows are very reminiscent of both the Crystal Star compact packaging, as well as the eyeliners, but I love how they change colour and represent each of the girls.
The back of the slip cover includes ingredient listings and all of the usual warnings, as well as the TOEI sticker, 20th Anniversary Sailor Moon logo, and Miracle Romance logo.
One of the lovely touches with this packaging is that the polishes don’t slide out of the box. The window panel lifts up.
WARNING: When pulling out the nail polish do so gently to avoid hurting the package. Lift from the lower midsection of the bottles, and when the bottoms lift out, slide out the lids. The lids are hidden under the openings in the tray.
One would assume that nail polish doesn’t really have much to assemble. Well… you’d be wrong. Technically you probably shouldn’t pull these apart, but I’m assuming that you can in the case that you run the nail polish out and manage to find a refill that fits.
If you can find a bottle that matches these then you’ll have no problem using these and being able to replace them. I suppose you could also refill the bottle after cleaning it out. To remove the bottle just lift up on the bottle while holding the plastic piece. It will feel loose, but won’t slide out all that easily. DON’T DO THIS unless you HAVE too. You risk breaking the plastic if you pull it out wrong.
The star also comes off as a ring. It’s small, and not particularly wearable on probably most North American adult fingers, but it’s plastic, cheap, and meant for the lid anyway, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
The bottles are super cute and detailed, maybe even slightly more than the actual artwork. I have no complaints with the bottles. They’re small, but size appropriate for what they are. The gold paint is nice and clean. The lids match most of the nail paint colours (the lids are SLIGHTLY bolder than the in-bottle paint).
There are some seam lines on the plastic casings which are kind of ugly. For the product they’re relatively ignorable, but for the price tag and a P-Bandai/CreerBeaute product they should have tried much harder.
The backs are plain.
The bottom of the containers have a sticker (detailed shot below) most likely detailing ingredients in each piece, as well as copyright. There is also a small sticker on the back of the glass bottles as well.
The actual polish itself is much runnier than any typical North American nail polish I’ve ever purchased. While the colours appear bold after drying on the paper towel, I assume that it would be difficult to get a solid layer when painting on nails where it is easier for the liquid to run. When shaking the bottles to mix the polish before sampling I did not hear a mixing ball inside, so I recommend shaking them really well before use.
Another fine collectors piece from P-Bandai and the Miracle Romance line. These are most definitely display pieces as the polish appears low quality, and the bottles don’t even contain a mixing ball. Too add to that, the bottles are tiny, and not particularly readily available if one of them becomes your favourite shade (assuming they haven’t used a pre-existing shade they sell cheaper in Japan).
This is a maybe piece. If you are hell bent on collecting all of the Miracle Romance line then I say go for it! If not, and your iffy about the purchase, your collection will do just fine without it. If you’re still not convinced, whether you like the polish or not, these pieces look lovely on display.
Japanese release date: December 14, 2013
International release date: February 2014
Website: http://sailormoon.tamashii.jp/
Sailor Mars, also known as Rei Hino, is the unexpected best friend of Sailor Moon, and a sort of center for the group outside of Usagi. Throughout the entire series Usagi and Rei bicker to the point of making the viewer wonder why they’re even friends to begin with? Their friendship starts with a strong hit to the face with an Ofuda as Rei mistakingly believes Usagi is some sort of evil entity.
Their true friendship is proven when Rei is trusted with the Crescent Moon Wand as they mock fight for leadership in order to trick the enemy. There are also various scenes and episodes where Rei is attacked or dies where, while Usagi is clearly distraught over other characters as well, she runs to Rei.
Rei is a Miko at Hikawa Shrine, owned by her Grandfather, and her specialty is in the paranormal and with fire. She is often found meditating and consulting spirits for the missing piece of the puzzle.
Oddly enough Sailor Mars has been given a strange colour theme on her box. Purple, green and yellow. Fans have seemingly accepted the purple as alright (although many question why not red?), but the green corner has everyone confused. On both Moon and Mercury’s boxes this corner was yellow.
Personally, I think it’s ugly, but I bought the figure for the figure, not the box.
For Sailor Mars her TOEI sticker is usually located above the 20th anniversary logo. For the international release it might be located beside or above the International logo.
Despite pictures, everything came sealed. My Mars was opened for pictures previous to my review *gasp* So the base should be wrapped in a plastic bag.
Of course, like Mercury and Moon, Mars has a casing for the faces and hands. This casing unfortunately doesn’t include the hand that holds her Ofuda though.
As with Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars did not get much advertisement. Photos were posted on the Tamashii site, and an AmiAmi review got her lots of wonderful photographs, but there were no advertisements or commercials. She did (and probably will) see lots of events from a display case though!
Sailor Mars comes with 21 pieces, so far the least of the 3 Senshi released. Her special parts include a hand piece that fits both arms for Fire Soul, as well as an Ofuda and hand to hold it.
Mars joints seem to hold together well. She also has 2 jointed hair pieces for effect that seem to roll smothly. Despite no issues with mine, I’ve read some complaints about loose leg joints, as well as a case of the leg snapping off at the knee upon opening and posing the figure. These should not be common issues, but contacting Bandai Japan for replacement parts would be a good first step, instead of purchasing an entirely new figure.
Mars comes with 4 different face plates that ultimately suit the character, but don’t offer much variety as 3/4 faces are angry attack faces. I guess they watched all of the episodes where she was frustrated with Usagi while picking expressions.
I edited this picture as darkly as possible to show the paint choices. 5 of her hands appear to have a pink base to them, while the other 6 are pearl white. Some of these are attack hands, so it’s possible they thought it would suit her fire attacks? Her body matches the pearl white hands, but it’s not particularly noticeable in the photos whether I’m using a pink hand or a pearl white hand.
The peg for her hand is similar to Sailor Mercury’s so it’s possible their hands will be compatible with each other.
After Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury there really isn’t much to be said about the sculpting. Like the last two Sailor Mars’ head leans forward just a little too much, but posing her and playing with her position allows you to find good spots where her head doesn’t look awkward.
Because of the flexibility in how the feet may be posed her joints aren’t hidden slightly in the legs, but are mostly exposed. In regards to the usual Figuarts/jointed figure design there isn’t really much they can do to hide this piece, especially on a character with bare legs and ankles. But for Mars in particular it stands out as distracting.
Unfortunately for Sailor Mars, posing her is difficult. Because Sailor Mars has long hair it is extremely difficult to pose her using the base and arm she comes with. Her hair gets in the way of the arm, and the only way to use it properly is to turn her head sideways (seen above) or lift her hair, which in turn makes her look down. To make it all the more difficult she is nearly impossible to pose standing without her base because her hair is so heavy.
Her hair is very detailed, and there are two pieces on ball joints that move. If positioned correctly they are great assets for a good pose.
The usual bad spot on these figures is the brooch. Sailor Mars is perfect! It’s super clean, the bow looks nice, the collar looks lovely, so does her choker, arms, and skirt.
The skirt isn’t all around that bad either. Where the skirt meets the white piece around the waist it’s not quite smooth, but it’s about as clean as it will get at such a small scale.
This is where my concern begins for the paint. There are 3 smudge marks on her back, as well as a mark on the collar that I am unsure about. I’ve contacted Bandai, but I haven’t heard back from them yet.
The paint on her feet feel a little messy. Visually I think the camera picks up more issues than you can see with the naked eye, but it does appear
The base for Sailor Mars resembles Sailor Mercury’s, and does not have the flexibility of Sailor Moons base arm. The claw also appears to be the same as Sailor Mercury’s.
As mentioned previously, the base is really annoying to use with Sailor Mars as her hair gets in the way of the arm and claw. Most likely you’ll have to turn her head left or right to make it work. This can be REALLY annoying when you have a display in mind, and it makes it impossible to use.
I have managed to pose Mars, and prop her up on the base with the arm instead of clamping it around her waist.
As Sailor Venus will have very similar hair, I expect this to be an issue with her as well.
I feel like from a distance and on display Sailor Mars is perfect, but playing with her might be an issue. You’ll always see more criticism than praise, but I feel like I’ve read a lot of complaints or issues ranging from the box, to actual figure defects. Issues like defective parts and paint spots will never really disappear completely as no company in their right mind will QC proof every single figure.
For the set I highly recommend Sailor Mars, but I also recommend cracking open the box and checking her for defects. The chances of getting a defected piece should be very small. Most of the complaints I’ve heard have been on MFC, but not on Tumblr, or from friends who collect. So in a place that complaints would generally be posted.
Purchase her on Entertainment Earth
Japanese Release Date: October 25, 2013
International Release Date: November 2013
Website: http://sailormoon.tamashii.jp/
Sailor Mercury is a fan favourite in Japan. While her crime fighting partner Sailor Moon is known to be rather useless in her studies, and motivation, Ami Mizuno is the exact opposite. She strives to do the best she can in school and receives top grades. She is kind, calm, and patient, and the only time you’ll see her break a sweat outside of a Monster of the Day attack is when Usagi falls asleep during the Senshi study group.
Ami starts the series off at 14 years old, and appears first in episode 8 as a new transfer student at Usagi’s school. Her identity is revealed as Sailor Mercury after Luna and Usagi suspect her of being a MotD, only to discover that she is actually the victim. Her Senshi symbol appears, and Sailor Mercury blasts her way into the series as a very valuable friend.
Sailor Mercury is known for using water and ice based attacks, as well as a visor and mini pocket computer that help calculate and identify enemies, as well as potential hazards.
S.H.Figuarts Mercury is a little different than Sailor Moon. While her box is virtually laid out the same there are some things we can expect on all of the boxes without confusion.
First, the TOEI sticker is located above the 20th Anniversary logo between Sailor Mercury’s legs on the Japanese Edition. On the international release it is located to the left of the international printed logo. Second, the international Sailor Moon logo is on every single box. Third, as this figure does not come with any “first edition bonuses” there is no sticker on the window of the box.
No real issues were found with Sailor Mercury’s packaging. Despite lots of Sailor Moon boxes being sent out after being factory opened and resealed presumably for a loose instruction sheet, Sailor Mercury’s came sealed with no second sealing sticker. Some of the instructions on the extra sheet with Sailor Moon appear to have been added to the only sheet with Sailor Mercury.
Sailor Mercury’s faces and hands are packaged in a wonderful little compartment that is removable and comparable to Sailor Moons. Only this one includes her hands in it as well.
Her other accessories also have nicely moulded storage in the blister tray.
In regards to advertisement for Sailor Mercury she did not get the “Moon treatment”. There were not really any special large displays, commercials, or paper advertisements. She mostly just displayed at various events from the prototype stage to completion. Now she also displays with Moon, and the other Senshi as they go through the same process.
Of course, she also received various promotional photographs on the Tamashii site, as well as in her AmiAmi blog review.
Sailor Mercury comes with 25 pieces, including everything that is removable, the actual body, and the base pieces. While Mercury is a little stiff upon initial opening, she is easy to pose, her bangs, and face plate are easier to remove, and her hands hold better.
To the left is Sailor Mercurys arm and to the left is Sailor Moons. Their hands are not compatible because the pegs which hold them on are different. After several reviews and complaints about how Sailor Moons hands did not hold very well it appears they adjusted the pegs to have a small ball on the end of it.
While it’s unfortunate that the hands can’t be used interchangeably, it’s better to have this improvement so that the figure is easier to pose and display.
A lot of people seem to think that the visor is part of a faceplate, or a separate piece from everything else. It is actually a piece connected to a separate bang piece and does not disconnect from them.
(As a note for Sailor Venus, it’s assumed her mask will be made the same way).
As far as parts go I feel Bandai made a great choice in what they included with Sailor Mercury, but I think most fans will agree that an attack piece similar to Sailor Moons “Moon Tiara Action” hand would have been great with Mercury. Most fans were hoping for a hand set that included a bubble for Sabao Spray (Mercury Bubbles Blast).
The sculpt is nice and clean, and I think it’s a safe bet that Sailor Moon is being used as a base for the rest of the Sailor Senshi. The only real issue on mine is a bit of extra plastic on the front bow. The rest appears smooth and fine.
There are some small seam lines in the back bow, and on her sides, but they’re mostly not noticeable.
Sailor Mercury is SUPER easy to pose. She doesn’t have the added weight of long hair, so it’s really just a matter of balancing her limbs and body. I took plenty of shots both with and without the stand, and it never took me more than a couple minutes to balance her without her base to hold her up.
The face plates are fine in regards to paint, but I do want to point out the tiara gem on the last plate. It doesn’t seem to have enough paint, and appears slightly green from the gold showing through the blue.
One of the major issues I had with Moon was that her boots were VERY poorly painted. This issue has been resolved with Mercury. While it could still use some improvement, the issues on her boots are very small when looking at the full figure.
The collar lines are painted VERY cleanly on both the front and back of her fuku. Even the puffs on the elbows of her gloves are painted nicely. The only real paint problems with her is the small dab of dark blue from her bow gem that’s on her actual bow. There also appears to be some slight transfer from the elbow pad to her joint in the bottom picture, but nothing terribly noticeable, or not fixable.
This is where my real disappointment with the Figuarts line begins. Upon opening sailor Mercury I thought she would come with a base that was exactly like sailor Moons. While the flat display piece is exactly the same, although with customized decals for the different Senshi names and symbols, the arms are completely different.
Sailor Moons arm comes in 6 different pieces that then attach to the base. This allows for a wide variety of display options and flexibility. Sailor Mercury’s arm is only 2 pieces, the claw, and the arm. The arm only goes up and down, and because of the hole placement on the base it is virtually impossible to display Sailor Mercury directly in front of the base.
Another issue is with the claw. The claw is too large for Sailor Mercury’s waist, and despite no limitations on how far the arm can go in or out, it still leaves Sailor Mercury with too much space for her to be held properly.
In fact, I dislike the arm on this base SO much so that I am looking to replace it. Feel free to contact me or post links if you know where an arm more like Sailor Moons can be purchased.
Despite issues with her base I feel Sailor Mercury is a step up from Sailor Moon in regards to improvements. They learned from the issues with Moon and and that’s great to see.
As Sailor Mercury is my favourite character getting this one was exciting. I wasn’t disappointed. She’s top quality, and I look forward to playing with her!
Purchase her on Entertainment Earth
This review has also been posted on MFC under the username Paulichu on January 3, 2014.
Japanese release date: August 10, 2013
International release date: October 1, 2013
Website: http://sailormoon.tamashii.jp/
S.H.Figuarts Sailor Moon comes to us as a result of the 20th anniversary revival. An event that really began and established that it could be successful first in Italy in 2010/2011, it has brought us everything from refreshed and new artwork from Italian artist Marco Albiero, to toys, figurines, clothing, and more not just in Italy, but globally.
What was the first exposure to anime for a lot of my generation is still marketable and successful 20 years later to the point where a new musical and anime have been created to celebrate it.
While I knew of the S.H.Figuarts line before Sailor Moon she is my first and I do not know much about the other figures, although I am fairly familiar with the style. Please bare with me.
Index
Packaging & Advertising
Parts, Assembly, & Fit
Sculpting & Posing
Painting
Base
Identifying Bootlegs
Overall
Sailor Moons box is bright, colourful, bold, and manages to incorporate her associated colours without being tacky. It feels much more involved than the S.H.Figuarts boxes I’m use to seeing in my local comic shops. The dithered shading on Sailor Moon also seems to match the comic book style Bandai has been reaching for in their other 20th Anniversary merchandise.
Between Sailor Moons legs is the new Japanese 20th Anniversary logo. To the right is the usual Toei sticker. The international release box will differ here. The Toei sticker will be slightly different (assuming this signifies international release) and will be placed half an inch or so higher on the box. Below it will be the international logo which is simply a stylized “Sailor Moon” font in yellow with a white glow. I mention this because earlier during box release there were several photos depicting both Japanese and International releases and speculation was that the International box could have been a bootleg. This is not true.
The sticker on the window of the box signifies in English and Japanese that the box you have is First Edition with the extra faces. Second press will either have an alternate sticker or no sticker at all. More than likely they just won’t have a sticker.
The back of the box is spectacular in all of its space art glory. The vectored stars and design behind “Moon Tiara Magic” Sailor Moon really make the back of this box POP! and it’s a beautiful tie-in with the marketing theme that Bandai has used since they began whipping out advertisement for this figure.
Despite the tight packaging of everything, when I received my box there was a slight rattling in it, and I was afraid my base had come lose, or that there was a problem. Turns out I wasn’t the only one with this issue. Many have noticed that their boxes had been cut open and then resealed.
After opening my box my best guess is that they forgot to package the instruction slips, as those were left loose in the very back of the box, whereas normally, with other figures I’ve received, they’ve been bagged and taped to the base or another part of the inside that is hidden from sight.
Packaging on the extra parts was especially good on the faces. They were in their own plastic compartment (that I accidentally threw across the room while trying to get the hands out lol!) that could be great for storage during use.
Lets just be honest, Luna looks happy and comfortable.
This image was pretty much THE FACE of S.H.Figuarts Sailor Moon advertising. It is/was everywhere. In magazines, flyers, posters, giant wall hangings, displays and basically where ever they could plaster it. Online though, a massive dumping of photos were released through the Tamashii website, Sailor Moon Channel, and the AmiAmi blog. There was even a video advertisement released online and on television.
Upon initial opening and playing with Sailor Moon she is very stiff, but after pieces are removed and reinserted a couple times pieces loosen up enough to use without worry. I am a little concerned about how much she might loosen up after a lot of use and posing, but I’m confident it’ll take a lot of wear to bring her to the point where her joints don’t hold position very well.
Sailor Moon comes with a total of 27 pieces. It is recommended that when initially opening this figure that extra care be taken in removing her bangs in order to change her face plate. It is a common complaint that her bangs are difficult to remove at first, and, although the pieces seem built well enough, it would be a shame to break it right out of the box.
Many people have used items like butter knifes to remove the bangs from Sailor Moons face. I recommend wearing gloves to avoid skin oil transfer and tugging on the hair piece while holding her head. Using a tool to remove it risks cutting into the plastic and damaging her forever, and it would be best to avoid it if possible.
During photographs and her time sitting posed I never had any issues with Sailor Moons hands. It was while I was changing poses or attaching new pieces that I had issues. Her left hand kept falling off while being posed (although admittedly usually I bumped her a little) but this was not an issue with the right hand at all. Apart from that her face plates held wonderfully.
^ Example of the back for compatibility with other figures.
AmiAmi.com’s blog has provided some excellent photos of the extra items and attachments:
Face 1 and 3 are the First Edition Exclusive faces. If you haven’t picked them up yet you better hurry! They’re selling out fast.
Something not depicted well here, but a little better in the collective parts shots above is that the “Moon Tiara Action” piece is actually another hand piece so it’s super easy to attach. AmiAmi’s photos actually show really well that the Ginzuishou (crystal) on the Crescent Moon Wand is actually transparent.
Luna is very basic… and that might be an understatement. She is also very unbalanced and somewhat difficult to stand Her head moves and her tail seems to have some pose-ability, but considering it doesn’t really do much or make much sense. Turning her head forwards makes her look down, and her tail shouldn’t really move unless for balance as it won’t make much sense.
(Please excuse the dust D=) When I originally noticed that the skirt was in 2 pieces I was extremely unsure whether I would like this figure or not, and it nearly made me cancel my order. After receiving her, posing and photographing her though it hardly notice it. In fact I nearly forgot about it.
Pieces like her front bow and brooch are beautiful, clean and accurate. Unlike some Sailor Moon figures the bow is not over the top with folds and movement, or too big (or small). They’ve made it flat, and very basic which very positively contributes to the clean look of this figure.
Some of the skirt ends seem a little untidy. Upon visual inspection it appears fine, but photographs bring forward small areas that probably could have been repaired in the mould. The issues on the skirt will probably only be issues with macro shots, but could easily be edited clean.
There are some mould seam lines and injection points that don’t seam to be cleaned or hidden very well (see behind Sailor Moon’s ear). Seam lines along her forearms are noticeable, and while avoiding a seam line entirely is not usually easily achieved I feel like these get rather intrusive. I have figures from 20 years ago that have less noticeable lines. Needless to say I’m not impressed with that, but it’s not Earth shattering in regards to a poseable figure.
Now that I’ve played with this figure quite a bit I can feel the joints that are looser than others and know her limitations. While Sailor Moon can sit down just fine, I find that in her standing positions, WITHOUT her base, there are points where her knee joints will not hold. She loses support and slips backwards. Considering the weight of her body and hair this shouldn’t be at all surprising, but the good news is that she DOES have some pose-ability without her base.
With her base she’s pretty much able to do what ever you expect within a poseable figures limits (She done the most ridiculous things yesterday lol). In regards to Sailor Moon figures released as of today, September 2013, she is THE figure for pose-ability and function. There really is nothing else for this series with this much flexibility, despite merchandise dating from the very early 90’s until mid 2000’s.
I took these photos to prove she could be posed without her base… and on an uneven surface at that! She’s standing on a blanket, and the floor beneath her is a metal sheet with holes punched in it. I’ve placed 2 pieces of paper over it to keep it looking solid white, but that’s not much for strength. It DOES take effort though. Her hair pulls her back a lot. In fact, it might be the biggest draw back for this figure. Her hair is constantly in the way.
Straight out of the box there was some slight transfer from her skirt to her gloves (and a small spot on her joint?).
Sorry about the poor picture, but the focus should be on her (our) left odango. I’m still unsure of whether this existed previously, or if it’s oil and dirt transfer from my fingers. Needless to say after I noticed it I tried and failed to clean it off, and wore plastic gloves for the rest of the review.
The stripes on her collar are SO nicely painted. They’re near perfect.
I also want to point out the joints for her arms. The only issue I have with them is their colour. They should have made them red, but I assume their concern was matching the plastic and paint colours, or that paint would wear away too fast. The skin tone is very distracting though.
I’m bringing this picture back to point out the brooch and her skirt again. The paint around the waist of her skirt appears a little messy. It’s nothing incredibly horrible though as it’s on the underside of the poof that belts around her waist. For the brooch I am 100% impressed. It’s SO tiny and SO detailed. They really done a great job.
Same goes with the painting on the accessories. There are 2 Crescent Moon Wands and both of them are spectacular.
There are some issues around the glove toppers. They’re a little messy.
The boots I am completely disappointed with. I originally took these pictures because I was impressed with the moons. I never even considered the white until I had the pictures and was editing them and thinking about what I wanted to say. The red paint is beautiful, but the white details are HORRIBLY painted. Even the gold in the moons are a little messy with red upon inspection of the close ups.
I have found that on display this isn’t as noticeable. There are a lot of Sailor Moon figures with this problem, but I honestly thought that after the beautiful paint on the collar that they would put the same effort into the boots.
I actually learned with this base that there are pieces that pop out of this base to give us more options for display. It took FAR longer than I’m willing to admit lol.
The base is small, and pretty, although I wish they had done something a little more related to the series. Despite that, I think the matching set will look nice when the others are released. Shows with Moon and Mercury show Mercury with her version of the base which is exactly the same only blue. They’ll look beautiful and very rainbow displayed together.
The joints are strong. I haven’t had any issues posing her due to limitations with the arm. The base COULD be a bit wider though. It does create some problems for iconic poses with wider stances.
This figure is the start of a beautiful future for Sailor Moon, and I think she’s a must have for serious collectors who are unsure about adding her. She’s not perfect, and some of the imperfections ARE disappointing, but most definitely aren’t detracting from my display, and I feel like she’s a great start. For $42 retail value, and her International release upcoming on October 1st I highly recommend snatching her up before she sells out. DO your research though! Since the Japanese release she HAS stayed in stock on some less popular sites and it has been possible to find her on sale. International release might just drop her price and make her easier to find.
Website:CreerBeaute
Store:P-Bandai
MFC: Link
Release Dates: October 25, 2013; November 20, 2013, December 24, 2013
Purchased from: BiginJap.com
Paid: $56 USD
When: Purchased June 2013, Received December 2013
This post was updated on November 1, 2020.
The Crystal Star Compact is used by Usagi in season 2 (R Arc) of Sailor Moon to help her transform in combination with the Silver Crystal. Traditionally in the Sailor Moon fandom merchandise of this item has sold for high prices. Being that most merchandise of this item consists of RPG toys from the 90’s, finding one in good shape and a box is difficult.
In regards to this particular Crystal Star Compact, ordering it has proven to be JUST as difficult. The compact is a P-Bandai exclusive item, but due to the popularity of the item various websites grabbed orders from P-Bandai, marked up the price, and sold it in their own shop. As demand was high it proved difficult to get on the P-Bandai website during the ordering period, and a lot of people missed out even if they had proxy services to order.
Prices have ranged from a decent 3790 yen on the P-Bandai website before taxes, to outrageous $250 USD price tags on Ebay, and scammers have been making a pretty penny offering “Pre-orders” that don’t exist and take buyers out of their time-period to dispute the stolen money.
As this item is sold out EVERYWHERE I recommend taking extra precaution if you come across a seller online. Do your research before getting scammed.
EDIT: Since this items initial release it has had several releases online, and in-store where P-Bandai cosmetics are sold (In Japan). It should be much easier to get it than when it was initially released.
If I remember correctly there was no warning when this compact appeared. The first of three listings appeared on the P-Bandai website, and all hell broke loose. It crashed the site and prompted P-Bandai to make 3 extra release dates, and a pre-order option at the Sailor Moon La Reconquista merchandise table. All of which sold out before most people could even realize they were up.
P-Bandai, during this time, set up a page for the compact which consisted mostly of this image http://myfigurecollection.net/picture/720949 (linked for large size) advertising what it was, the packaging, and a comparison between the bulky 90’s toy, and the sleek, smaller compact we have today.
(Header image from P-Bandai listings)
This box is flawless and fits the more adult theme of the Miracle Romance line. The pink has a soft pearl finish, and metallic foil is used for Luna and Serenity. There are lots of beautiful florals, gems, and popular motifs from Sailor Moon across all sides of the box. No side is boring. Even the back and bottom has small details that add to the aesthetic.
There is really no assembly for this piece, but there is a button on the front of the compact for opening it and locking it shut. It holds well, and the hinge on the back of the compact is tight, so the top doesn’t just fly up. There is very little chance that if you use this compact as a regular make-up item that the lid will just pop open often, unless you wear down the hinge enough to loosen it.
The powder is covered by a plastic slip that represents the Silver Crystal and bows on the inside of Sailor Moons anime compact. It fits in nicely between the powder and the puff that sits on top of it. As a collectors item I DO NOT recommend throwing this piece out. It will be important to collectors.
Everything about this compact depends on the lid. If the star is messed up then P-Bandai can go home with their money. Fortunately they seem dead on. I can’t complain about it at all. As a Sailor Moon fan, collector, and reviewer I have zero complaints about how the lid of the compact was designed. As a make-up compact vs a brooch that Sailor Moon would have worn on her dress it is a little bulky, but this compact is filled with make-up, instead of a mirror and stone.
While taking photographs I handled my compact as carefully as possible, and both dusted it with a camera brush, and wiped it down for finger prints with a microfiber cloth. There were no visible flaws in the moulding.
The bottom is actually quite irrelevant. In fact, the plainer the better, because the focus was on the lid and the inside.
I believe the 382 is a batch number of some sort for the make-up? I’ve seen comments from people with the same numbers, so it does not signify that you have ### out of ###. The compact was exclusive, but not seemingly limited by Bandai.
The boarder around the mirror is quite detailed and pretty. It should match the one around the 90’s compact.
BEWARE of the paint on the lids of these compacts. It is known to scratch and it’s impossible to fix. The mirroring effect is created with a special process in plant. Spray paints will not do the trick.
That said, the paint on mine is flawless. There are no scratches, no imperfections. No transfer at all.
Lets be honest. How many of us bought this or want it because of the powder?
The make-up is kind of additional for most collectors, but is also a major selling point of the new compact for Bandai. It’s important to collectors because it proves that P-Bandai wants to cater to the adult fandom.
Edit: I have since purchased a second compact to test and it is just a transparent, shimmery powder. In Japan I have seen some decent reviews for the P-Bandai line, but for North American users I would warn that Asian make-up trends are much lighter than ours. This product is not highly pigmented, but it was manufactured that way on purpose.
No bootlegs for this item as of December 18, 2013. If bootlegs have been spotted please send me a PM or comment and I’ll update this section with information on how to spot the bootlegs and help you avoid getting ripped off!
This is totally of bias opinion, but I LOVE this compact. It is easily the best purchase I’ve made for my Sailor Moon collection, at less than $60. There isn’t currently another Sailor Moon Crystal Star Compact readily available that I could buy for cheaper than this, and at this level of quality.
Overall I think this is an A+ must have item for any Sailor Moon collector. If you collect RPG items you will love it!
This review was originally posted on MFC under my username Paulichu on December 18, 2013.
Sailor Moon Collection 
