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Figure Review

Review: 1/7 Selvaria Bles (Swimsuit ver.)

Let me tell you about my favourite video game. Once upon a time there was a game called Valkyria Chronicles, a strategic RPG from Sega that featured a unique mix of turn-based and real-time action, an appealing storybook aesthetic, an amazing WWII-meets-medieval art design, and a riveting story that took me on a variety of missions, from small skirmishes, to fighting in the trenches, to avoiding night-time patrols, to fending off some of the most oversized pieces of war machinery you’ll ever see. Part of me want sequels to the game, yet another part of me is grateful for that fact that none exist — I mean, imagine if the franchise ended up on the PSP! Gee, what a nightmare that would be!

My favourite character is definitely Selvaria, one of the antagonists of the story. In many ways she is akin to the Ayanami Rei from Evangelion — they both have blue hair, red eyes and pale skin. In fact, Selvaria was supposed to have virtually the same haircut as Rei before it was decided that she had to have long hair to show off the hair physics in some of the scenes. The similarity between these characters extend even down to their personalities, as they are both “empty vessel” characters who are devoted to an exploitative figure because they are the only people they have. For Rei it was Gendo, and for Selvaria it was Maximillian, the power-hungry Imperial prince with way too many toys at his disposal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6JQl2xjBVw

The art design in Valkyria Chronicles is outstanding, and like the rest of the main characters, Selvaria has a really cool outfit — a sleek black military outfit that brings out her womanly curves and her no-nonsense sensibility simultaneously. Alter has made a figure with her in that outfit, and sadly I missed the boat for it. Luckily for me, Alter decided to take another stab at the character, I wasn’t about to pass it up.

I know quite a few people who have been excited about this figure, and I’m sure they have their own explanations on why Selvaria appeals to them, but to me, the reason is that she’s maximum woman. Virtually all of the feminine characteristics have been cranked up to 11, and while this might have been a disaster, character designer Raita has the know-how to make it work, and by extension, Alter was also able make such an exaggerated image so appealing.

Back in sociology 101, I watched a video which suggested that much of the gender-specific fashions and practices found worldwide revolve around the idea of emphasizing the differences between the sexes, from breast implants, to wearing high heels, right down to neck rings and foot-binding. It was a convincing argument, and the character design of Selvaria really goes a long way to reinforce that.

Starting from the bottom, Selvaria’s got a pair of dainty feet (for a woman her size, at least) wrapped by high heels and attached to a pair of long legs. Ever vigilant, Selvaria’s packing a large pistol and a dagger on her right leg, the holster digging ever-so-slightly into her thigh.

Above the legs rests Selvaria’s mighty child-bearing hips, which are barely contained by the belt and bikini bottom combination. In case the dagger and pistol doesn’t drive the message home, Selvaria’s also got a full-sized sword slung from her hips, presumably reserved for drunken subordinates who are foolish enough to get fresh with the commander. I’m a big fan of the belt’s ornate and exotic look, and the handguard on the sword is pretty stunning. the belt and the sword are the only parts retained from her original outfit, and I’m glad for that fact, as they are definitely the highlights.

Now we arrive my favourite part of the figure — Selvaria’s torso. The first thing you’ll notice is her bounteous pair of breasts. Each one rivals the size of her head, and I just love the way her bikini top bites into them, creating some serious side-boob and under-boob. I do wish they went with Raita’s original swimsuit design for Selvaria, as it frames her chest in an more appealing manner even if it shows less skin, but there’s nothing wrong with what we got. Another detail I enjoy is the way the strings on her bikini are suspended like slingshots, while the fabric does a spectacularly poor job at concealing the shape of her pointy nipples…yum. Did I mention Selvaria is 1/7 scale and 24 cm tall? That’s nothing to scoff at.

Selvaria’s breasts aren’t the only thing commanding attention on her torso, though — she’s also got a killer midriff. Her back is arched like a drawn bow, revealing the outlines of her ribcage below her chest — a rare bit of detail on a figure. A fleshy yet tone midriff lies below, and together with the natural (if oversized) contours of her breasts, they create a potently erotic feel.

Because I tweaked the colours on these photos during post-processing, I should mention that Selvaria’s skin is consistent with the source material, meaning it’s very pale. Personally I prefer tanned skin on characters, but in Selvaria’s case, he pale skin contrasts very well against her black and gold swimsuit.

By contrast of her voluptuous torso, Selvaria’s arms and shoulders are remarkably slender. The small binding on her left arm to which a tiny knife is attached to is a far cry from the chunky sheath and holster on her right leg. The delicate appearance of her arms reinforce the feminine nature of her design.

Finally, her Selvaria’s head sits atop of a long, swan-like neck — yet another feminine characteristic touched upon by the design, much like her hip-length head of light blue hair. The hair is made of a flexible and rubbery material, so it won’t break off without some serious effort. The glossy finish looks a lot like Alter’s Aigis (which I still have to write about…), but it unlike Aigis, the glossy finish works a lot better here, since Selvaria’s hair is actually supposed to have that almost-glowing effect.

At first I was taken back by how pronounced Selvaria’s nose is from the side view, but I’m not so sure now. I still can’t say I’m a fan, but Raita is known for large pointy noses, which looks fine on paper, but a little odd in three dimensions. From the front, Selvaria’s nose is hardly visible, yet from the side her nose seems gigantic. I’m not sure if there was anything that the sculptor could’ve done about it, since it’s just a matter of art style. I do like her expression, which seems to capture the moment she snaps out of an absent-minded daydream. It’s a very natural and relaxed expression, which really suits a swimsuit figure.

Of course, there’s also Selvaria’s base, which is a bit of an interesting piece. For whatever reason, the commander has decided to spend her day off at some beachside rubble. It might’ve been nice beach house at one point, but judging by the rust and shape on the water pipes, it has seen far better days. What’s also interesting is that Selvaria is resting her sizable bum against the corner a wall, which looks very uncomfortable for her and very hot to me. There are some pretty visible seam lines near the bottom of the base, which is odd considering that it’s an Alter figure, but asides from that it’s a very nice and unique base.

 

Final Say

Selvaria is a whole lot of woman. High heels, long legs, large breasts, slender arms, long neck, long hair — she’s got it all. The end result is a character who looks a little unnatural, even alien, yet it’s for this exact reason that I like her. Anime and manga art is rarely about realism, but rather it’s the pursuit of idealized elements, and in true Raita fashion, Alter’s Selvaria rides pushes the limits of those ideals. I love how her gigantic breasts are able cast noticeable shadows, I love the details on her midriff, and I love her impossibly long silhouette. I imagine for some people, the culmination of all of Selvaria’s exaggerated characteristics might be too much, and to those people I say: sucks to be you!

Besides that, there’s really not much to say. It’s an Alter figure, so you pretty much get what you see, which puts into question the entire point of this review…oh well, hope you enjoyed my essay on plastic tits!

On the photos: whew, getting back into the groove has proven to a little difficult, but I’m glad to be back to my old shenanigans after…nine months?! Fuck me. Anyways, I did away with the old light box and went with a work lamp + paper towel setup. I do like the seamless pure black effect produced by the fabric back drop and black glass, but I wish the hard backlight effect was more pronounced. Still, I’m moderately happy with how these photos turned out — now comes the hard part of having to figure out how to actually make something creative.

20 replies on “Review: 1/7 Selvaria Bles (Swimsuit ver.)”

I actually did leave him on there for a couple of days before I yanked him off. I should really pick up Woody for some horrifying 3P action!

Man, I missed you, good to see an old review fellow back in action.

Ah Selvaria, the more I look at this figure the more I like her.
The weapons appear a bit overdressed for the beach, but better prepared than sorry XD

So Alter can make a nice pair of big boobs as well, they are really nice in shape and size.
I agree that the bikini of the illustration with the extra support would have also been a nice alternative.
A good extra detail are the single sculpted bikini strings, its a good level of detailism.

From the angle of picture 8 I like her face expression the most, the slanted red eyes are great.
The base looks like a tank drove through the bathing house at a beach, reminds me of myself playing with military models *lol*

Old?! *gasp* I’m offended!

Yeah, I also really dig Selvaria’s chest. The usual anime approach (perfect spheres) to tits is nice and all, but it’s good to have something like this. I would say it’s “realistic”, but they’re a bit too huge for that. Still, it’s good to see breasts actually submitting to the laws of physics for once. XD

Sigh… I too wish Valkyria Chronicles had gotten a sequel or a prequel depicting the adventures of Welkin’s father.

Ehhh, Selvaria is not Rei, Selvaria has personality, Selvaria scares the hell out of me in the game, Selvaria is cool. She does get manipulated all Gendo style by Maximilian but then again who can say no to that voice of his.

Interesting bits about the feminine traits, it’s probably one of those subconsciousness things that is never at the forefront of my mind but I kinda can vaguely see.

The hair is really nice, I like the blue glowy effect, which I kinda wish Alter had included in their other Selvaria figure where it would make more sense with it having her brandishing her spear and shield.

Still nice figure, I wish it was less elongated but sexy Selvaria posing alluringly in a swim suit is very nice.

Of course Selvaria isn’t Rei — the only person who is Rei is Rei! That aside, the two character definitely share a lot of things in common. Rei is a lot more quiet than Selvaria, but when shit hits the fan, Rei’s able to make the sacrifice play just like Selvaria. I think you give Rei too little credit — beneath the mute exterior, there’s a lot of determination underneath. I bet if Rei is given a platoon and an objective, she’s be pretty intimidating as well — I doubt she’s the type to pull any punches. Also, having a gigantic bio-titan helps too.

See, this is what 4 years of humanities and social sciences enables you to do: complicated answers to simple questions. The alternative explanation to Selvaria’s appeal would be SHE’S GOT TITAYS

k i have the other selvaria by alter and the change in skin tone is just weird. my walls have more color (still HAWT tho)

It’s kinda ironic that this figure feels more like Selvaria than the version with her in her full uniform. I had thought it’s because of the expression, but now that you mention it, the skin tone for that figure differs from the source material a LOT. Kinda odd that Alter decided to do that with their first Selvaria figure, but I’m glad they did got it right this time.

Good to see you guys back in action!
I have to admit, I had issues with a few things in this figure/design when she came in like the nose and hair but she’s grown on me after sitting on my desk for a month. Every time my eyes wander from my screen its BOOBIES and thats not a bad thing. It’s interesting to see her original design had short hair, I’m glad they made it long though. Also, seeing the limited ed of her with the white swimsuit, ugh. The dark brown/black works much much better for the contrast to her skin colour. Great review!

Wellll, I can’t blame you — Raita’s art style is bit of an acquired taste, and that’s why I’m not as harsh on the lack of ribs on Native’s Misae-nee figure as Ash. I’m glad to hear that BOOBIES conquer all obstacles, though! By the way, do you and Zai have any other figures that bugs the other?

Hmm, well, I guess it sucks to be me! I love Selvaria’s character and Valkyria Chronicles as a whole – the theme was pretty cool, WWII meets medieval style kinda deal. But I think the huge breasts on this iteration of Selvaria really killed it for me. I honestly don’t recall them being so huge in the game? I just find the over exaggeration a turn off, I preferred the more militaristic Selvaria.

I was hoping Alter would come out with an Edy, Suzie or Rosie figure – that would definitely compliment my Selvaria and Alicia figures.

Oh God, you don’t like this Selvaria figure? You poor, poor thing — my condolences are with you . =P

Jokes aside, you’re right about her not having such large breasts in the game. Raita loves to exaggerate the boobies, and I’ve noticed that the game models tend to tone down on the original art a lot (you should see the sketch of Alicia in her swimsuit — HUUUGE). However, since my history with Raita has been more on the NSFW side, I was willing to overlook his “creative liberties”. Have you read Raita’s Mahou Shoujo series of H-doujins? They’re great stuff, and when I look at this figure, I can’t help but to imagine how awesome it would be if she somehow ended up in the omake pages of one of those books. Not that it’d ever happen.

Don’t get me wrong — militaristic Selvaria is awesome. She was such a badass in that boss fight in which she rained hell on you with her big-ass machine gun from the top of the castle walls. Putting her in a swimsuit like this kinda gives her a bimbo vibe, which really isn’t all that appropriate. Still, my pervy side gets the better of me — at least this time!

Can’t say I’ve seen those H-doujins, hell I can’t say I’ve ever seen any h-doujins for that matter. Aside from random scanned images I’ve come across on the Internet anyway…

Bib boobs or not, I’m still glad to see figures from VC, hoping for more in the future of other characters that aren’t resin kits (and preferably without insanely huge boobs). LOL

Absolutely agree about her being maximum woman. She’s all soft and her expression even gives off a little bit of vulnerability in that facial expression at some angles but she still gives off that badarse feel that scared the shit out of me in the game and I love Alter for capturing all that.

Glad they decided to grow her hair out cause goddamn.. yeah, she looks way too much like Ayanami in those pictures.. and I ain’t no Ayanami fan.

The black backdrop works sets off her pale skin really well! I didn’t manage to capture how pale she actually is in the photos I took. Also love the way the light reflects of her hair.. mmm, I’m a bit in love with her hair.

Ah yes, the hint of vulnerability — that’s the icing on the cake of my favorite characters. Be it Saber, Selvaria, Haruhi or Asuka, their imperfections are what makes them perfect to me. I wonder what that says about me as a person, but these weaknesses do wonders in making these characters human. Godly strength is an admirable trait, but it’s even more exquisite when carried on the back of a human heart.

It’s weird. I was one of those who thought Selvaria’s body was horribly mutated or something. Aaaaaand then I go and order Native’s 1/7 Misae PVC, which happens to be another Raita design. But her body looks really appealing to me! In this case I think it’s a matter of the sculptor. I feel Misae’s sculptor did a better job translating Raita’s distinct proportions to a 3D product. Not that Selvaria’s sculptor is bad. He’s done some fantastic stuff.

Crazy body aside, Selvaria still looks really good. The flowing hair, creamy white skin, that swimsuit that can barely contain her body, etc. Alter did a superb job.

I’ve never played Valkyria Chronicles myself, though I do plan on getting it. My friend has the game and showed it to me. It looks right up my alley.

It’s funny that you mention the body sculpt of Misae, because she’s missing the signature ribcage in Raita’s drawings. I understood why it was omitted, but I’m still a little disappointed. But yeah, Misae is definitely more RAITA than this. I can’t really point out where Selveria’s sculptor screwed up on the body (if at all), but I have a pretty good idea why Misae feels more right. Those dainty shoulders, the uncomfortable arched pose, and those giant bare thighs — they really bright out the ero side of Raita’s art, and as much as I like his work in VC, Raita’s is still a porn man, and an ero-figure compliments his profile perfectly.

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