Kotobukiya Bishoujo Sniper Wolf Review

I'm not into Bishoujos from the Kotobukiya line since they look too anime-ish for my taste. In the past, my one and only review for a Kotobukiya Bishoujo figure was that of Tekken's Jun Kazama. But last year i was surprised with a teaser for this character and the hype engine's wheels began to turn: 

I'm a big fan of the Metal Gear line: Play Arts Kai, Hot Toys, Gecco, et.al (and no, i'm not too big on the McFarlane version a decade or so back). You name it! One needed only to backtrack here to check out all the Metal Gear characters i've accumulated and reviewed over the years. We've been aching to get a good version of Sniper Wolf since Play Arts Kai started churning out Metal Gear Solid figures and though we failed on that account, i believe we just got the next best thing.

The Kotobukiya Bishoujo Sniper Wolf is a very fine interpretation of the far-famed Femme Fatale from Metal Gear Solid. Though pretty inaccurate and anime-ish, the re-imagined sculpt of Shunya Yamashita is worthy of this Fox-Hound Sniper. I love how they put a twist, albeit a bit sexualized, to her design. Provocative, sensual and deadly, what more can you ask for?

Referring to that old Jun Kazama review, i did not know there are Bishoujo's that needs minor assembly... or posing... eh whatever! She comes with her Sniper Rifle, Cargo box with a wolf-hound puppy detail and ammo case...and a very, very suggestive pose when you haven't arranged her display yet... 

I love how they stayed faithful to her original design: her trademark long blond hair, blue eyes, her zipped down combat fatigue, Fox-Hound patch, choker, a face to die for (though anime retouched for certain) and what-not... and oh yeah, a nice set of "Fulton Balloons" as coined by my friend Glenn. hehe...nice one... (EDIT: ROBERT TONY coined it not Glenn).

Her uniform is missing some weathering effect or details but it is to be expected in an anime-inspired figure. I wish someone would try adding some texture on her body and face...don't look at me though, i ain't got the skills for that...

I love her accessories. Simple and cutesy but they work for me. Since she's around the 1/7 or 1/8 scale, that Sniper Rifle can be equipped on a Play Arts Kai figure.
Her wolf-hound puppy is really, really cute and creative as well. Props to Mr.Yamashita for thinking of that detail. That ammo case though was plain boring and was rightfully relegated as a footstool of sorts.

I also compared her scale to that of the modern Kais and yeah she will fit in with the display of your Metal Gear Solid PAK figures. Thank you Uzi for pointing that out to me earlier. At least we get another Fox-Hound member to display alongside Liquid, Tretij and Meryl. 

I have other display ideas for Sniper Wolf as well but i'm sticking with this one, beside my favorite character right now, Geralt of Rivia. Knowing Geralt's appeal to the ladies i'm sure Sniper Wolf will also appreciate it. hehe. wink wink

Looking ahead, the Bishoujo Sniper Wolf may just be a sign of things to come for the Kotobukiya Bishoujo line. It's not hard to imagine MGS5 Quiet making her appearance soon. Well, the MGS series got a ton of memorable female characters anyway so fire away: The Boss, Meryl, Eva, Olga, Naomi, ... Heck! knowing Kotobukiya, a gender-swapped Solid Snake, Big Boss and Raiden are also huge possibilities.

Coming from an MGS fan and a collector who recently started collecting static figures of video game characters, Sniper Wolf is just impossible to pass up and she's definitely going to be one of my favorites for a long time to come. She's the forerunner of a potential line for Bishoujo figures, she's a memorable character from a universally acclaimed game franchise, her interpretation looks fresh while remaining faithful to the original design and her overall sculpt is just gorgeous. 

I believe she deserves this rating, a FIRST for this blog: 

5/5 Fist Bites