Static Arts Aerith in the house! This was on preorder for some time now. Well, glad she's finally here! So without delay, let's see if Square manages to deliver on a long-while wait to get this on my shelf!
Going to be honest, the packaging/box design really fell short of what I'm used to with imports. Yes, the box is just a box but at least most make an effort. Square did the bare minimum in terms of design. Does it keep the figurine safe inside? Yes. It does what other import boxes have done. Still, it leaves plenty to be desired.
The prototype promo pic is quite nice, can't lie. At least they placed that. Though an artwork of the statue would do. But let us move on from the box. Let's get right into the figurine!
Aerith in that red dress definitely dressed to impress! I remember seeing the trailer that featured Aerith and her Wall Market scenario when Cloud saw her wearing the dress for the first time. Said trailer made sure that we noticed her outfit. The layered long 'flower' skirt, the pattern on her bustier, the shoes (feet), and of course, the way they styled her hair! Can't forget Aerith's expression was just something to fall in love with! Perfection!
In plastic form, Square manages to get some of that magic of Aerith's presence while wearing that dress. The details are there, for sure. Starting with the dress, the layers of her 'skirt' really does give the Static Art an organic look. It's consistent from the bottom all the way to the top on Aerith's thigh. The bustier part of her dress is not short-changed for details. Square really tried to replicate the design and the threadwork of this beautiful dress. The ribbon on her lower back is also present and is well done. The wrinkles, the creases, and the way it hugs Aerith's body are also sculpted with a finesse that reminds me of some of #Bishoujo's work with clothing. Not as crisp but still more than passable.
That pose is also something else. Something else like it's really innocent but sexy. The way she's leaning forward in a suggestive manner, her arms behind her implying things for someone like me. I do like how one of her legs is poking through the opening of her dress, adding to the sexy factor higher. Her chest leaned slightly forward, again, implying a few things to Cloud.
The hair has a lot of work put into her hair (we'll look into it more). The ribbons are all about her extensions, and the fact that all that detail goes along with her dress' skirt.
The colors are done quite well, especially on the dress. The shading on the dress, and the layers, are all put together quite well. I do like the gradual change from red to a darker tone red, akin to a red wine. For the bustier, in order to make the designs stick out, they used red wine to contrast against the brighter tone. The contrast of her fair skin, the pieces of jewelry peppered throughout her body, then, of course, the pop-out colors of her shoes really pull it off. I do enjoy how it really comes together and it is as bit accurate to her game counterpart as possible.
I will say that Static Arts, from the two I have owned thus far, doesn't have the same prestige as Bishoujo. Don't get me wrong, Aerith's figurine version isn't exactly ugly, but I feel there is something missing. Still, the paint job is clean. The color of her hair is accurate and it really does play well with the sculpting. So many details. Also, the ribbons and laces on her hair add a great contrast to give the brown hair some flare.
Close-up shots allow one to enjoy the attention to detail. Definitely a high-end import, for sure.
The base isn't really that great but it works. Also, one can get a better idea of what kind o work was placed on the bottom layers of her dress--while the lining leaves a bit for desire, the area where collectors and spectators will see most/all the time gets all that sculpting, shadowing, etc.
Here is Static Arts Aerith Gainsborough (Red Dress) next to Static Arts 2B (Standard Version). 2B should be taller than Aerith if we are going off Wiki info. The way I posed the two definitely doesn't give a good idea of their actual height in regard to each other. But after looking at them for a while side by side, it looks like Aerith is a little taller than she should be. Looks like they're about the same height. Not a big deal for me since they will be on different shelves.
Final verdict? What do I think? Well, I'll start off with the fact that it's far from a perfect statue. Just the box alone gave me a 'cheap' feel. For the price, I feel there are some to gripe about when it comes to the painting job. The stand, while not the most important thing, the fact that it's just plain black adds more to the 'cheaper' feeling. I don't think the price really warrants what we get, but everyone has a different price range and attachment. If this was one of my main 4s, the price would be right. For Aerith? She is definitely high up the list when it comes to her FF hottie place in line--especially with her FFVII-R version--especially with that red dress. Suffice it to say, I can recommend this statue with an asterisk because of the price. I enjoy it and I'm glad it's part of my collection. Guess we'll just see where the Tifa statue stands when I eventually get her, eh? Welp, that's about it.
Until Next Time!
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