As with the Cheerful Japan Miku, the Good Smile Company took another bold step forward and offered last summer’s Wonder Festival exclusives online for worldwide distribution.  The first of the two figures I ordered from them is an alternate version of their Aegis Figma.

Max Factory’s first Aegis Figure came out in April of 2010.  That seems like forever ago, especially when you look at how much my review style has changed.  One thing that hasn’t changed is how much I really love that figure.  Her dynamic articulation and expressive personality made her my favorite figure out of all of 2010, and she’s still in my top five favorite toys of all time.

Although they share most of the same parts, Heavy Arms Aegis has some very specific features that allow her to standout as her own figure.  Most obvious of which is her flak jacket.  The original upper torso piece has been replaced by a newly sculpted and highly detailed vest piece.  Adorned with pouches, straps, buckles, armor, and even bullets, this version of Aegis is definitely decked out for battle.  There are even a couple of generator-like devices sticking off her back.

Aegis is also wearing an armored visor that compliments the vest perfectly.  This figure comes with two visors to choose from: one in the up position and one covering her eyes.    I really love the WWII feel of these new pieces, even if she does look like a female steampunk Robo Cop with the visor down.

The rest of Aegis’ body, arms, and legs have the same sculpt as the original figure.  But what really surprised me is just how different the paint applications are between the two.  Heavy Arms Aegis seems to be more vivid all around.  It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but the whites are actually different shades.  The gold highlights on Heavy Arms are brighter and less tarnished, while her gauntlets and joints are a darker gray.  This color difference even extends to Heavy Arms’ hair, which is a deeper blonde.  Sadly, I can’t decide which colors I like best because they both look so good.

Articulation on both figures is basically the same.  She uses swivel/hinge Figma joints for her head, elbows, and knees.  Her shoulders are swivel/hinges connected to a ball joint, while her upper torso and hips are regular ball joints.  Her wrists are swivel/hinge pin joints and she has a swivel joint on her upper thighs.  The only difference between the two figures is the limits that her vest puts on the upper torso joint.  It’s not by much, but it is noticeable when you compare the two.

Aside from her two hair/visor pieces, HA Aegis also comes with three alternate faces and five pairs of hands.  The hands are all the same ones we got with the original figure: fists, holding, flat, splayed, and splayed shooting.  I was a bit disappointed she didn’t come with at least one new gesture, especially since the two splayed are almost the same pose.  Continue to page 2…