Gathering BUBBA Princess Tutu Figure Review.

Once upon a time, an ugly duckling became a swan princess. She rescued the prince, saved the world, and found true love, but discovered that, in the end, being just a duck was the greatest accomplishment of all.

I had my eye on this figure ever since it was a garage kit last year; not only was it Princess Tutu, one of the most amazing and underrated anime series that I have ever seen, but it was sculpted by BUBBA, who is famous for his Bunny Haruhi figure. Also, the sculpt is absolutely GORGEOUS. So when e2046 announced they were selling pre-painted resin casts of it, I decided to buy one to decorate out my new apartment.

This is the first time I’ve done a figure photoshoot, inspired by my figure photography hero HappySoda. Unfortunately I have a shitty 4 megapixels Coolpix point-and-shoot and zero photography knowledge or experience outside taking cosplay photos with my friends. However, I am quite hax at Photoshop so hopefully that cancels out SOME of my photography fail (sorry). Anyway, I really aimed to capture the ethereal beauty and grace of the Princess Tutu figure, which is probably now the crown jewel of my collection. More photos and full review under the cut!

Probably my favorite photo of the set.

Panty shot! (More like leotard shot.)

I love how her legs are paler than the rest of her torso, which implies she’s wearing dance tights but still showcasing the beauty of her bare legs. But I’m presuming that most of you are not appreciating that subtlety and instead are appreciating DAT ASS.

This is a really awkward angle, especially since the long eyelash is pointing directly at you so her eye looks wonky. Still, I liked her hands and butt in the photo, lol.

I intentionally cut out the stand so it looks like she is en pointe the photo’s border. The back shot is equally beautiful to display as the front, especially with her wing and tails.

The jeweled stand, one of the best I’ve seen for a figure. I love the stitch detailing on her gold ballet soles, because I’m a dork like that.

Dancing on the edge.

Another one of my favorites. Her back view is so gorgeous (in more ways than one, lol.) However, here you can see a small gap at the leg seam; it’s not too noticeable but I do have discerning eyes.

This one was kind of blurry, sorry. It’s hard to take clear, sharp photos without flash and unsteady hands/surfaces. Need to practice some more.

Check out Tutu’s アホ毛 (ahoge)! It means “foolish hair” in Japanese and is that stubborn gravity defying strand of hair prevalent in anime hairstyles. As far as I know, Tutu/Ahiru pretty much outcocks every other character’s ahoge in length, shape, girth, and color, making her the manliest of the foolishly haired. Stand aside, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo.

Speaking of gravity defying, I now dub Kaiba’s gravity defying butt trenchcoats アホコート (ahokooto), or “foolish coat.” I expect this to become a widespread otaku meme. 全速前進DA☆!!! (Full speed ahead!!!)

This is Tutu reaching for Fakir’s hand after coming out of Drosselmeyer’s world. I love how the backdrop gets darker farther away from her hand, but I hate to think of the implications of her reaching for darkness. (Fakir’s not that scary, lol.)

My major gripe is how sloppy the necklace detailing is; the pendant is such an important aspect of Ahiru’s transformation into her human and Princess Tutu personae, so I wished the guys at Gathering hadn’t copped out on it. Bellow you can see BUBBA’s prototype and how minutely detailed and beautiful it was:

It’s kind of like the difference between Soulja Boy and Jay-Z. (Props to any basketball fans who actually get this joke.)

Also, the prototype’s underskirt was originally a frosted purple airbrushed onto clear plastic (I don’t have a photo, but it looked pretty awesome and was a novel interpretation on tulle), but the resin recast is solid white airbrushed light purple. Which doesn’t look bad at all, but when you compare it with the original it’s admittedly a let down. The problem with garage kits is that no two figures will ever be exactly the same, so most of the gorgeous prototypes you see in photos are actually one of a kind. It allows creativity but at the same time puts unrealistic expectations on successive models.

What I do love about the recast as opposed to the original are the wings and tails. Seriously, they’re so vibrant and rich in color, and really contrast well with the white of her tutu. e2046 really did a stellar job on them.

Toes at the corner.

And a little surprise at the bottom. My hand makes a cameo.

So those are the photos! Here is a backstage look at the (ghetto) set up I used:

Yes. My bedsheets were the “backdrop”, and I used varying levels of old figure boxes (which I all keep, because I move frequently between home and school and need to store my figures safely away when I’m gone) and old computer games as my “tripod”. Looks like Baldur’s Gate II is on top (which I still have not finished, hmmm. Stupid sexy Persona 3.)

Also, looking back at the photos, I should have ironed my covers, but I don’t have a functioning ironing board right now. I need to invest in one, since I have some costumes that need ironing.

Here are the photos I took when I originally received the figure:

“It’s my duck in a box! My duck in a box yeaaah~♪” (To the tune of “Dick in a Box”.)

I have one other resin figure (Kotobukiya Tifa Lockhart v.2), and they’re packaged much differently than PVC figures since they’re so easily broken. Because they’re much heavier and less flexible, they’re stored in closed boxes with styrofoam packaging to protect them, as opposed to the clear plastic windows of PVC. Still, the styrofoam does not guarantee against breakage, as these next photos will prove:

When I opened the package, I found that one of the tails broke off at the tip, and Tutu’s arm was dislocated. Nothing a little super glue wouldn’t fix, but just a heads up for anyone considering purchasing resin, as they should be treated more like porcelain plates and less like plastic toys.

The five pieces of the wing tails were pretty, but a total bitch to insert. There weren’t any instructions on how to assemble the figure so I winged it. I used dabs of super glue to secure them to her back because they wouldn’t stay in otherwise. Surprisingly, the separate ahoge, which was much thicker and heavier than the wing tails, was a perfect fit in her head and required no glue to stay up. That’s magical anime rainbow fart hair for you.

The base. It’s very beautiful; however, the jewels aren’t glued down very well. As you can see, when I first took it out one of the jewels was missing along the bottom edge. Luckily I found the missing jewel stuck higher above on the base (it’s the extra white one near the top edge), but yes these jewels do fall off easily so be careful handling when the base. Adding a little bag of replacement jewels would be a great addition to the figure, or at least better glue.

Tutu fits into the base’s hole with a metal rod that goes through her leg. I’m not worried about leaning or breaking, since resin is much more durable that PVC and because it’s cold casted, heat will not change its shape (unless you’re trying to melt it into glass or something). With such a delicate pose I’m confident in the support of the figure’s structure. Let’s just hope I’m not a clumsy idiot and drop her or something.

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Specs
Character: Princess Tutu from “Princess Tutu”
Manufacturer: Gathering [original sculpt by BUBBA]
Type: Pre-painted Recast Resin
Scale: H25 cm/0.80 kg (~1/7)
Release: August 2008
Where to Buy: e2046.com

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A few last thoughts: I’m absolutely thrilled with this figure. Sure, there are small faults but I believe that the beautiful sculpt and the excellent paintwork really make into a must have (well, at least for me, being a huge Princess Tutu fan.) It is the most expensive figure I own (~$130) but it’s definitely money earnestly spent. I’m just happy that I had the chance to buy this figure, since normally I would never be able to attain garage kits. e2046’s Gathering line is awesome and I’m already considering buying another one (Volks’ Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, anyone?)

Also, I am wholeheartedly recommending the Princess Tutu anime to everyone. On the surface it looks like some sugary ballet magical girl show, but it’s actually much darker than it appears. The story is brilliant and it totally defies stereotypes. It kind of reminds me of Revolutionary Girl Utena and how that also shook up the magical girl genre as well. (And for all you ladies, there’s lot of gay and Fakir’s voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, a.k.a. Cloud Strife. :3) Here’s a famous Princess Tutu music video that pretty much evokes the true spirit of the series:

And if that still won’t convince you shounen retards, well, Tutu indeed has a nice ass.

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