Review: Good Smile Company’s Tenshi

With it’s enjoyable mix of drama and comedy and  engaging characters, Angel Beats! quickly became one of the breakout hits of last year in the anime community. With such popularity it was only a matter of time before we saw some scale figures emerge and today we’ll be looking at one of the best yet from Good Smile Company, depicting the titular Angel, Kanade Tachibana aka ‘Tenshi’.

First impressions are very positive. Tenshi comes in a slightly larger box than your standard 1/8  figure in order to accommodate the large wing pieces that are such a striking part of her design. Good Smile have capitalised on the opportunity however to include a window across the entire front of the box, allowing you to see the figure with ease and making displaying her in the box a much more attractive option if you prefer. Elsewhere, the packaging is standard but solid, enlightened by some unusual use of the colour purple. It’s nothing too off-the-wall but it does it’s primary job well – protecting the figure and looking smart on the shelf.  Tenshi’s wings, although they appear to come attached to the figure, are actually provided as separate clip on pieces, thus allowing her to be displayed both with and without them. This is a neat little touch that’s useful if you want to save space or just prefer the character to have a slightly more down to earth look.

Out of the box, it’s immediately apparent that GSC have done a great job with the  pose and sculpt on this figure.  Tenshi herself looks serene and undisrupted, hands clasped in front of her chest, but there’s also some wonderful movement going on, especially in her billowing skirt, which has some great detail in the folds and ripples. Her pose looks as if she’s meant to be gently descending from the sky, hence the uplifted skirt and feet slightly off of the base.

Speaking of the base, it’s a pretty regular specimen. The most notable thing here are the footrests which lift the figure above the normal base level, creating the illusion of hovering. It’s a neat effect that somewhat makes up for the plainness of the rest of the base, with only the show logo added to your standard plastic disc. I’ve heard various opinions on clear plastic bases – I don’t like them personally but your mileage may vary. At the very least it’s unobtrusive.

As demonstrated in this rather grim photo, Tenshi’s head actually pops off!  Fortunately, this isn’t due to bad design but instead is designed to allow her wings to be attacked to her back without needing to compromise on the elaborate hair sculpt.

As we can see, each wing pops in via a pair of friction pegs. Although the holes look rather unsightly here, they’re actually covered almost completely by her hair when the head is attached, so there’s no trouble to be had displaying her without the wings. On my copy I had some trouble fitting the wings, with the pegs being slightly too large for the fitting holes, and consequently the wings are a little loose. This is almost certainly an issue that will vary from individual figure to figure however, so it’s simply luck of the draw. One thing that won’t vary however, is the build of the wings – they’re very fragile and feel like they could shatter easily, so care must be taken when attaching them.

I have to say that I vastly prefer Tenshi with her wings attached. They add a lovely otherworldly aspect to the figure and also widen her profile a bit, making the figure look a little more substantial. rather than just go all white, GSC have instead painted them a lovely subtle mix of white, blues and grays trailing off to transparent ‘tips’ that invoke an icy look. It’s a great effect, although let down marginally by the slightly cheap plastic used which can sometimes give it a  mirrored sheen.  You can also see that the wings are not entirely flat, but rather that they curve inward around Tenshi, creating a sort of cocoon. This makes them look much more like real wings, with the added benefit of saving space .

From behind we can see the way the wings slot neatly into the gaps in the hairpiece, which also does a great job of concealing the point of attachment. This is probably the least flattering angle for the wings however as it clearly shows of the slightly more basic moulding of the feathers on the outside part of the wing. Fortunately in a conventional display few will see her from this angle.

Detailing and paintwork is top notch from every angle.  Even under extreme closeup like this, fine detail such as her necktie or the lines on her socks is immaculate. There’s no messy paintlines and no sculpting defects, and GSC must be given praise for such a great paintjob. I’ve seen worse on figures costing twice as much. Again, I’ve got to praise the fantastic work on the fabric. You can see in the closeup of the skirt here how the creases and ripples have been molded in, which really sells the effect and brings life to the figure.

Overall then, I can safely say I’m very happy with how Tenshi came out. She’s not perfect, but no figure is and you really have to be rather nitpicky to turn up any flaws in her overall presentation. Quality, fit and finish stand up alongside the best, and her unique pose and style would make her a worthwhile addition to any collection.

Ratings
Packaging
Nothing too unusual but it does the job well
Pose
A quiet, serene look, elevated base is a nice touch
Sculpt
Fantastic, with particularly good work on the ruffled clothing
Paint
Not a line out of place, top quality stuff
Overall
An understated yet extremely finely crafted piece