REVIEW: Sakura Kinomoto 1/7 scaled figure by PLUM

Hello!~

Today's review is on one of my favorite scaled figures at the moment: PLUM's Sakura Kinomoto in her 2nd OP outfit! This iconic outfit is worn by Sakura in the 2nd season opening for Card Captor Sakura (episodes 36-46)!

Here is CLAMP's illustration that the figure is based off of:

Prior to PLUM's version, there was a garage kit by Ebata. The base had flowers.

Compare this to PLUM's version:

You can see that PLUM created their own base and got rid of the flowers. The sculpt and face are also a lot cleaner looking as well.

Information
Release date: May 22, 2015
Retail Price: ¥12,000
Height: 7.41 inches
Materials: ABS, PVC
Scale: 1/7

With this in mind, let's get started!

Box Design

The design is very cute, reflecting the original illustration that this figure is based off of. The figure was held in a blister package.

Figure

This is what Sakura looks like from the front, fully assembled! She is very detailed and I think PLUM did a very good job at replicating the illustration. The paint job is absolutely flawless! I can't stop staring at her *-*

The only possible turn-off I have with this figure - and this is me nitpicking - is her hair. It's a little chunky, particularly compared to the garage kit and especially to the illustration, but a lot of figures end up this way. It doesn't distract from the overall figure, and again I'm being picky, but I had to point it out since Kotobukiya's Sakura hair is perfect in terms of replicating the illustration.

She looks like she's picking her nose from this angle LOL

360 view!

Close-up of the base

The clouds have two holes and inserts. It's a little difficult to put together since Sakura's dress is in the way (I'm amused that her dress bends like this though). You have to sort of force them together, but be careful not to break the base or her dress since they're fragile.

The base the figure and clouds sit on is very pretty. I'm happy PLUM didn't make it plain white like a lot of figure companies tend to do. I think the elegant design suits the figure very well.

Box Design: 5/5
Figure: 4/5
Base Design: 4/5

Overall, I think this figure is worth the money- perhaps not the initial retail price, but definitely in the ¥7k range. I think PLUM did a great job with the sculpt and paint job (mine had no flaws). Sakura's eyes are gorgeous and I think her face replicates the original illustration very well. This was one of my most anticipated figures this year and I think the hype lived up. Prior to release, someone posted several photos that made her seem "prize figure" quality, but that just proves that lighting is very important! A good camera doesn't hurt either.

A lot of people compare this to Kotobukiya's ARTFX-J Sakura figure. Both have their pros and cons, really! I love PLUM's face on this figure but love Kotobukiya's hair sculpt. It's very hard to judge considering they are both different outfits as well and some may be biased towards one outfit (or company), so please remember that these reviews are just my personal opinion and yours may be very different than mine!

Thank you for reading~