ThreeA WWR Supreme NOM

I doubt that when any 3A fan thinks of a female version of the NOM Commanders, anyone would conceptualise anything even close to what turned out to be the final design of the Supreme NOM... Personally, I thought she needed a gas mask with thick hoses, a weathered trench coat, box canisters instead of diving gas cylinders (no dick pendulums please), and the mask would be removable and reveals a stylised Candy's face beneath (since the originals were Kim and Wood's face sculpts)!!!

Still, when dropped, I bought the Whitemother, not because of her role as the Supreme NOM, and definitely not because I buy anything ThreeA (yea... rite), but because I saw the value in the bodysuit that was designed. Most would agree that the hands are well sculpted, and the ballerina feet were, though impractical, rather refreshing. A figure is only good for their hands, feet and suit is really an epic failure, but hey, I could use some of these parts to bash something out, with the replacement TQ Vanilla!

Supreme NOM Whitemother is a 3AA exclusive, and she came in a box with a blurry photograph of her ballerina legs as the box art: as forgettable as the figure herself.

So there, after stripping down the hoses, bondage queen straps and diving cylinders, you will be left with a pretty nice looking female body wrapped in a clean white bodysuit. Unplug the head, and you should notice that there is a white turtle neck vest underneath the bodysuit. Initially, I tried to unzip the suit, but realised that for some reason, the folks at the Hatchery threaded across the zip right underneath the zipper to prevent people from unzipping the figure! So, whipped out my penknife to remove the blockade, popped out both hands at the wrist ball, removed the suit waist up, removed the turtle neck vest, and voila! What remains is a simple head swap and buckle on the waist belt with pouches, and we're done.

Many people complained about her granny boobies when preview pics were shown prior to sales, but I attribute that to the vest underneath that seemed to 'thicken' the boobs, which were accentuated by the bondage straps around them. I hope you agree that with the turtle neck vest removed, and a head swap, the resultant figure is pretty decent looking. There's this Ultraviolet vibe on her, a white ninja assassin who, sadly, can't hold her blades. But she's so quick that the placement of her open palm on the blade handle is all anyone alive had ever seen (nice cover up).

When pre-sale pics were shown, I noticed that the front zipper stretched from the neck all the way to in-between of the legs, and even seemed to make a turn right under and continued up her butt behind. I thought it was an interesting detail, but alas, the real product isn't so, as there are stitches across the zipper right under the... sweet valley...? Damn, need more phrases to replace the 6-letter word starting with "vag-". Anyway, I still like how the zip can go all the way down, leaving behind a sensuous slit of a neck line that bungee dives down under.

I've already mentioned that the ballerina feet looks cool but totally impractical, for they can't really support the figure well. I though that by removing all the clutter of the cylinders, straps and hoses, the balance of the figure would improve, but alas, it takes much patience to get the figure to stand, and I do blame it on the loose ankle ball joints that the figure came with. 3A did forsee this problem and compensated with a typical 1/6 figure stand. Personally I prefer posing her next to someone / something that can provide some extra support inconspicuously...

Let's not forget the vest, which can be used somewhere, somehow too. For me I thought the TQ Princess managed to pull it off quite well, with the tube dress going over it. Less revealing can be sexy too.

So that about sums up what happened to the Whitemother of mine. I hope to come up with uses for the cylinders, gas mask and hoses, but hey, there are probably customisers out there who can make better use of them than myself, who can only bash. The good thing about 1/6 is really that almost all their parts / accessories can be swapped, especially among products from the same company. Sometimes, a simple swap can make a figure look really different.

Above, my 3A ladies so far. White and black behind, colours in front. Seems Cherry Bomb is about to get shipped, so I'll be needing some space in the front row...!

Read More

ThreeA WWR N.O.M. Disciples

The Nom de plumes are probably some of the most iconic original creations that ThreeA has come up with. For their 4th anniversary this year, two new de plumes, were released: the 4th, which pays tribute to the original Nom de plume through his outfit, and the 27th, clad in black.

The box art features Wood's painting for both pieces, with the letters N.O.M. printed in blocks. Inside the package are larger versions of the artwork in the form of folded posters, which is great.

For the 27th, the asymmetrical top with the long and short sleeves, akin to all the de plumes, is continued. It does seemed kinda silly that a guy with a helmet glued on his head to be wearing a hood over the whole get up. Personally I just lay it down across the back and don't give it too much thought. The longer sleeve tapers to its wider end and splits into two flaps where the hand emerges. This hand is the one that can hold his pistol.

Something that baffled me is how 3A bothered to provide a relaxed hand to swap out the pistol grip hand, but didn't provide the pistol grip hand for his left side. He does come with two pistols, but can only hold one. Would I have preferred it if there were only one pistol? Maybe. The back of the 27th has three large pouches, with leather straps that were still wet on mine when they were removed from the box (and so were the 4th's).

If you move the arms around, you would notice that the slider joints actually 'clicks' when they are moved forwards and backwards. This is something new when it came to 3A male bodies, at least for me. While they do click, they are somewhat looser than the older models, so I don't think it is an improvement.

The weathering and detailing on the figures are pretty nice, my only complaint was the pistol colour. When Barguest and Fantome were released, you will notice that their pistols were painted with a slight difference: Barguest's being a darker shade of grey. But when it came to 27th and 4th? There is no distinction. I would've preferred 27th's to be darker too... I think this does show to a certain extent the bespoke creations i was rather fond of when it comes 3A is somewhat lost in their mass production.

One thing to shout about really is the boots. Before these pair, boots were typically hard plastic that restricts the movement of the ankle. But now, the boots are soft and even laced. Again, the god for the shrink ray at ThreeA. Another new weapon introduced with these figures are the batons. Sometimes, I feel like it is wrong to label them as weapons, as since the figures are not equipped to hold them properly (no fist hands to swap on), they really are merely accessories.

QC issues. I didn't really find any on 27th, but I was quite disappointed with the wrist balls that were in the 4th. You would think that these duo, being repaints of each other, would have the same wrist ball, but no. The wrist ball on the 4th is different, and significantly looser. It holds his hand alright without any weapons, but put the pistol on the right hand and the hand falls down like a limp d*ck. This really sucks... It is as though the 4th is always conscientious about safety and loves to point his gun down. Push it up and it might hold but any slight movement on mine will almost certainly make the wrist ball turn downwards.

Below: some comparison shots of these duo with their WWR comrades.

On the final note, I think these figures are still amongst the best that ThreeA had to offer in 2012. Surprisingly, the 27th turned out to be much better than the 4th, which I thought was a no brainer duplicate of the original success. All in all, great additions to anyone's WWR human figure line up.

Read More

ThreeA WWRp JEA Caesar

I was very much impressed when previews of the WWR versions of Caesar were shown, and I bought a couple, knowing that they'll probably cost a bomb to ship in the secondary market. Truth be told, I was darn glad I did. Caesar is probably one of the best robot designs from 3A of late, and I dare say, of 2013. The size, proportions, workmanship, were all pretty top notch. So then WWRp was announced, I didn't really hesitate in getting the JEA, especially after seeing from the previews how the shrink ray at 3A was working wonders.

Ashley Wood's art work showcasing the robot is one of the first things to emerge from the brown carton box. I have much to say about how ThreeA runs their business, but when it comes to Wood's painting, I'm still fascinated everytime i see one of those canvas paints / prints. I do hope all boxes come with a Wood's art on it, and not some lame photoshops or blurries of toy photographs...

The proportions of Caesar has been well kept, there isn't anything that is too jarring even though the original release has been halved in size. One noticeable change is that working buckles on the WWR version are changed to single cast pieces that only function as strap loops. I remembered how when I unboxed the WWR Caesar, the monstrosity that was the rifle left quite an impression in me. Scaled down, it is just normal looking. All in all, while the proportions have been maintained, the grandeur of the WWR is lost in the Portable, and understandably so since the guy has been downsized.

The JEA comes with a rifle, and the standard issue knife and pistol to all Caesars. Mounted on his right shoulder is a shield that covers most of his arm. Unlike the flimsy fingers on the WWRp Dropcloth, Caesar's fingers are quite sturdy, and grabs all of his weapons quite firmly. The way the scope is mounted on the rifle, it almost dictates that Caesar carries his weapon on his right arm. Initially I had some issues with the positioning of the rifle butt, as the pistol holster seemed to have taken up the precious real estate underneath Caesar's armpit. Soon I realised that by unvelcro-ing the entire belt and rotating all the pouches clockwise slightly, the problem is solved.

One thing rather unusual about the JEA Caesar, both WWR and WWRp, is that the cloth used for all the pouches and apron are in a weird green colour. I know that it has been shown in the preview images prior to sales, but really, this difference causes Caesar to stand out like a sore thumb when posed next to his JEA comrades... at least to me. I think I might prefer if all the clothed parts were of an earthy tone, with the weird green colour limited to a smaller extent as highlights on his body...

Next up, QC issues. Now, one of the first things I always do when I boxing figures is to give each joint a tug to free the joint and make sure that none of them are jammed or too loose. For Caesar, I did the same, and when I came to the right hip, I noticed that there was some "recoil" action, which usually means there's something wrong with the joint. Turns out, the crotch is designed to be a cylinder, with two posts branching out from it to join to the hips as a ball joint. This particular ball joint of mine was super tight, causing the post to crack at where it connects to the crotch cylinder when the leg was moved at the hips! I hate to email CS, but I had to get a replacement part for the crotch, which they did oblige. At the same time, I managed to fix the crack with tonnes of super glue applied layers over layers over a couple of days...

Another issue that I read online but hasn't experienced it myself was that the butt end of the crotch cylinder protrudes beyond the rear apron through a circular hole cut in it. Because of this detail, the hip rotation of the figure is pretty much restricted to a couple of millimetres... Some claimed to have applied too much force rotating the hip and saw the little hooks securing the apron break off.

One last issue I had was with the weathering. Right on the chest of the robot, there were some noticeable large blotches of bright green, orange and brown... It feels like 3A just got someone off the streets to do their weathering for them with the following instructions: "Take sponge, dab here." If you were to look at some of the WWRp JEAs released earlier, I don't think you can find weathering that are done with such huge grain sizes... They should've been finer and more refined IMO...

So the verdict...? I don't regret buying it, but I'm a little underwhelmed by the overall quality of the product... If you haven't bought it, I won't really recommend it, even if you lack a Caesar to complete your entire WWRp JEA line up... If you have the space and money, buy the WWR version.

This concludes my review of the WWRp JEA Caesar, the 1st ThreeA product to reach me after the arrival of my precious daughter, Evey...!

Read More

KC Design Exclusive 1/6 Bodysuit

From Let's Play 3A Toys, one of a few 3A forums i visit for 3A news and photography (many of which are top notch and better than those on the main boards sometimes), I started to notice this customiser by the username "KC" through a series of creations that showcased her prowess in tailoring for 1/6 female figures. First, there was the cheongsam, which was quite an ideal start for anyone who wants to bash a CNY TQ. Then, there was the orange pumpkin dress, or Penumbra's Halloween costume to pair off with a Zombkin when they go Trick-or-Treating. And, most recently, the 1/6 bodysuit that is featured here.

I felt an impulse to buy the bodysuit, only because I've been looking, to no avail, for a suitable replacement for Yubi, seeing how fragile and prone to wear the material used by 3A for the original 3-pack was. I have previously purchased a long sleeve tee and a hoodie from 3rd party 1/6 accessories manufacturers, but the former didn't quite fit a 3A figure... But in reading how the bodysuit was advertised to be designed for 3A bodies, I decided to get one.

The package arrived in a small brown box with the bodysuit kept in a transparent sleeve within. "KC" is probably the initials of the sender, Kathy Chan (should've guessed such intricate tailoring can only come from a lady!). I stripped down a replacement Princess TQ and slipped the bodysuit on it. As you know, the replacement TQs came with what i named the V2 type body that Lolli had, as reviewed here.

The suit was slightly smaller than the body waist down, but the material used was elastic and hence, wrapped around and took the form of the legs really well. It doesn't impede the figure's articulation either, which is great. This continued waist up with a middle zipper. Unlike the original 3A's suit, the zipper pull used is a short rod, which is much more easier to grip, but definitely more conspicuous. There are some excesses in the length of the sleeves, which is ok since some folds / wrinkles along the arms does make the bodysuit appear more natural. I did think that the collar was somewhat thick with folds right under the neck, but it really is a small issue. Overall, there weren't any loose threads or asymmetrical tailoring; everything was precise and well stitched.

You can see for yourself and judge whether a V2+KC package can match up to the OG Yubi (with V1 body). Honestly, Yubi being Yubi, she does hold a special place in my heart and I personally don't think anything can be a suitable replacement. The bodysuit by KC, however, is probably close enough an alternative for folks who missed out on the OG and don't want to fork out exorbitant prices on the secondary market.

Above, a little TQ "Light and Shadow" bash, if you like... More on the Light TQ here.

I wanted to direct readers to where you can buy this bodysuit, but alas, it seems to have been sold out. I do hope to see more great products from KC in future.

Read More