Review: Alter’s Ritsu Tainaka

But didn’t we just see a K-ON! figure review I hear you cry? Indeed we did, with a review of Alter’s Yui Hirasawa just a few months past.  This time though, we’ll be looking at her bandmate behind the drumkit, the feisty Ritsu Tainaka, in what might be the most elaborate figure we’ve yet seen.

Ritsu comes in a pretty sizeable box, the reason for which we’ll see in a second. The box follows the standard style all of the Alter K-ON! figures have adopted – a bright, bold colour, in Ritsu’s case orange, accompanied by a big window, some nice photographs on the back, and some cool silhouettes, making a box that’s both functional and stylish.

The reason for the size of the box becomes obvious once you crack it open and extract the contents. Rather than try and get by with a cute pose and maybe a hi-hat or snare drum, Alter have gone all out and packed in a replica of Ritsu’s entire drum kit (a Yamaha Hipgig I’m reliably informed) comprising of bass drum and pedal, snare drum, double toms, crash and ride cymbals, hi-hat and stool.  It’s an impressive commitment to accuracy, which goes a fair distance to justifying the way above average price of the piece, almost double what you’d pay for a standard 1/8 figure.

Ritsu’s base matches the style of all the previous K-ON! figures, being made of lightly frosted clear plastic, with a silhouette of her instrument on the base, complete with a name and instrument name, all written in her associated orange colour. There’s a touch of Engrish here (‘Drum’ rather than ‘Drums’) but overall it’s classy and keeps it simple, just the kind of base I like.

Given that Ritsu is posed in a sitting position, her stool is a vital part of the figure. Even on such a small item, the level of detail is absolutely exceptional. Check out the bolts that connect the various parts of the chair together, or the screw to adjust the height of the seat. The feet of the stool are plastic rather than rubber, but painted with a matte finish to look the part. You can also see that the seat has an impression, complete with clothing indents, for Ritsu to sit in. This ensures she’ll always perch snugly on the stool and lessens the chance of her slipping off. Although it’s not attached in this picture, there’s a clear acrylic disk that can be attached to the bottom of the stool to prevent the rather fragile legs needing to take the weight.

Here’s the lady herself then. Alter have opted for a dynamic pose, full of verve and vivaciousness which perfectly matches the personality of the character. Unlike all their other K-ON! figures Alter have opted to sculpt Ritsu with her blazer open, adding to the sense of scruffy energy she possesses and giving them a chance to do some cool stuff in sculpting her shirt and jacket. The terrific detail one has come to expect from Alter is all present and correct – not the glossy paint on the shoes to simulate leather and the excellent shading on bare skin. You can also see the aforementioned acrylic disk attached to the bottom of the stool, definitely recommended whenever Ritsu is sitting on the chair.

Up close we can see the amazing paintwork, with not a line out of place anywhere. Check out the golden jacket button or the necktie to see what I mean. Ritsu’s expression has been a little divisive – several fellow owners have commented that it can look a little gormless, but I think it’s great, and that the eyes help sell it as a shout of joy rather than a look of blankness. You can also see some of the typically great fabric work from Alter’s sculptors here, with the ripples in the shirt helping convince it’s real fabric, not just static plastic. If there’s one complaint I have here it’s the hair. Ritsu’s hairstyle, combining short hair with a hairband results in big floppy ‘bangs’ hanging down over her face, and there’s no real way to convey this without two very obvious hair attachments, with associated obvious seamlines. It’s a pity (particularly because her hairband ably hides the rest of the normal head seam line) but there’s not really any other way to do it.

From behind we can see more of the texturing work that has been done on her jacket and skirt, as well as her hair, which suffers a little from being one enormous spiky chunk, but that’s mostly unavoidable on characters with mid length hair. Alter have chosen to avoid the easy route of moulding her drumsticks right into her hands – instead they’re separate pieces which slide into a firm grip, as we’ll see in a moment. The fact that her feet do not sit flat on the ground is deliberate.

So far though, we’ve only really been looking at half the figure. The other half is of course that hugely complex drum kit. A full set of assembly instructions are included and though they’re naturally entirely in Japanese, the clear easy to read diagrams make assembling the kit a cinch with a little common sense.

Here’s the completed kit and it’s a pretty gorgeous thing to behold. The entire thing is crafted in plastic, which makes it a little…no, let’s be honest – very fragile. While metal would have been preferable for the frame at least it would have made everything laughably expensive, so I can’t really fault the choice, but the net result is something which can’t help feel a little flimsy. If you’re at all clumsy (and I certainly am) you should take extreme care around it. If you look carefully under the bass drum you can see a small plastic riser which takes the weight of the kit.  It can be removed, and the kit is perfectly capable of standing on its own legs, but given how spindly they are using it is probably a wise idea. Those of you with keen eyes will also note that the hi-hat leans slightly – I’m pretty sure this is just an issue with my example and not something that’s present in every copy.

The detailing and finish on the kit itself is a joy to behold, with every strut, every panel painted and sculpted to perfection. The tom drums have authentically clear skins, and you can see the inside of the drums have also been painted, right down to individual rivets. Every clamp, key and joint is present and correct and no stone has been left unturned in the quest to faithfully reproduce the original. In fact, this kit is probably more detailed than any drawing that appeared in the manga or anime – it’s so accurate it’s better than the original!

When everything is put together the effect is striking.  It’s worth pointing a few things out here – no part of this figure attaches to the base, neither the stool, nor Ritsu’s feet nor the kit. You’re essentially just sitting the various parts on the base like a plate. As mentioned earlier the drumsticks simply slide into her gripping hands to complete the look.

From this side angle we can see how Ritsu’s feet can rest on the pedals and how the base is *just* big enough to accommodate the huge amount of stuff it has to hold.

 For anybody who’s considering picking her up, there are some serious factors to consider.. Firstly, she’s very big for a 1/8 scale figure and equally unwieldy. This isn’t a figure who can be happily hopped from shelf to shelf – she’ll need a dedicated spot, preferably far away from dangerously trailing arms or big drops. There’s also the issue of price – at a list price of 9800 yen she’s already extremely pricey and then there’s the issue of shipping for that extra large box to consider. And finally there’s the trouble of simply finding her – she’s already been issued twice, in May 2011 and again in January of this year, but they sold out like lightning and she’s highly valued on the secondhand circuit.

Despite all these caveats, I can’t help but  wholeheartedly recommend Ritsu to K-ON! fans everywhere. She’s exactly what collectors want to see in a figure, a big, beautiful centrepiece that’s brilliantly crafted, eyecatchingly designed and just on the right side of flashy. And of course, while she’s amazing on her own, you can’t really have a drummer without a band, can you?

Ratings
Packaging
Extensive, but smart and protects its contents well
Pose
Despite being a sitting figure, full of vim and vigour
Sculpt
Both girl and drumkit have been lavished with detail
Paint
Nothing less than perfect
Overall
A showstopper that will be a jewel in any collection