Figma Review - Dead Master

Black Rock Shooter is about two school girls who meet on the first day of junior high school, Mato Kuroi and Yomi Takanashi, a friendship soon blossoms however when Mato makes a new friend, Yuu, Yomi begins to get jealous. Running along side the real world is Black Rock Shooters world, where she silently battles Black Gold Saw and the scythe wielding Dead Master.

Dead Master for the most part is a silent character who is set on fighting Black Rock Shooter, she wields a Dead Scythe and has two skull buddies who battle alongside her.

Packaging:

Dead Master comes in a standard Figma box.

On the front is a window for viewing the figure, on one side is the Figma logo, on the other is a picture of the figure, on the back there is relevant information, all in Japanese, and pictures of the figure in various poses with their various accessories. Instructions for swapping face pieces and other items are usually printed on either inside of the box tabs or on a piece of paper slipped inside the packaging. Also take note that all figures you purchase have the correct authentication printed or stickered on the box.

Inside the box the figure is held between two pieces of moulded plastic, with spaces for their accessories. The extra hands and the base of the Figma stand are stored in plastic bags underneath the figure in the plastic moulding. Figures are usually wrapped with plastic in certain areas to protect the paint. Boxes also come with inserts which act as backdrops in the box and can be taken out and used for backdrops while displaying figures. Dead Master's backdrop is yellow and white checkers with a picture of a skull on it. Dead Master also comes with a special cut-out to use with the Di: Stage.

Figma’s also are supplied with a small zip-lock bag to store all the accessories in, the name of the figure can be written on this bag so that figure accessories can be stored neatly. Figma’s also come with a neat little device for storing the extra hands in.

Packaging = 7/10

Stand:

Dead Master comes with the standard Figma stand. Made of clear plastic it has three points of articulation which move forwards and back on hinge joints, one joint is at the bottom where it plugs into the base, one in the middle and one where it plugs into the Figma. The articulation of the stand allows the Figma to be posed in a variety of dynamic poses, and because it is clear it does not interfere with the aesthetic of taking dynamic and exciting photos.

Dead Master also comes with two extra stands one for each of her skulls, each stand has a simple round base and a pole which plugs into it, the skulls then plug into the top of the stands. A very nice touch by Max Factory.

Stand = 8/10

Sculpt:

Dead Master's overall design is demonic, she is wicked looking demon with horns, wings, and claws. It was her demon-esq look which first attracted me too Dead Master and the Black Rock Shooter Figmas.

Starting from the top, her horns are made of the semi-translucent plastic and are nicely molded and catch the light nicely, her hair is very well designed with the front two pieces being made of soft PVC which curls around the front of her face and sits nicely and can be moved around without restricting her neck and arm movement. Her dress is a very simple design and once again in true Figma fashion it has some nice fabric ripples and folds giving it a life-like feeling. Due to the design of the back of her dress and the placement of her wings Max Factory have moved the hole for her stand to plug into to lower down on her dress, which leaves her with a nice looking back. Her wings are also made of semi-translucent plastic like her horns.

Instead of the usual Figma hands Dead Master has some nice claws, which are all very well molded looking nice and bony. Her pants are nice and flick out nicely bellow the knee, and she has some lovely high heeled shoes.

Overall her sculpt is very nice, an interesting and well executed design, and I just love her demon features.

Sculpt = 9/10

Paint:

Dead Master has a colour scheme of black and white, with some hints of green thrown in. For the most part Dead Master is block painted but with some nice details here and there, her white bows are nice pearl white and her claws have a nice shiny sheen to them, also she has some very nice and subtle painting in her hair, just like Black Rock Shooter, a nice black with some hints of green showing through giving her hair some nice depth. Also the semi-translucent plastic used for her horns and wings also gives her some nice depth.

Dead Master's accessories are extremely well painted, her faces look great with lovely eyes. Her scythe is very well painted with lots of detail and layer to it, it looks very realistic with all its scratches and scuffs, some nice wear and tear detailing done on it, and the same goes for her two skulls, they are very nicely detailed.

Paint = 9/10

Articulation:

Dead Master use’s the standard Figma joint system. Figma joints are hinge joints with pegs on either end allowing both forward and back movement and rotation.

At the head she has a Figma joint which sits at the top of her neck allowing the figure to look side to side, down and up.  To change the faces on Figma’s the front piece of hair is removed and then the faces can be taken of and swapped.

The shoulder consists of a double joint, a ball joint which sits inside the upper body, this is attached to a ball shaped Figma joint which acts as the shoulder, and this allows full range of motion to the shoulder. Further down a Figma joint is used as the elbow and bends in and then out straight and there is some slight rotation for the lower arm to turn in and out. At the wrist the various hands plug into a small hole at the end of the arm. Each hand also has a hinge joint, which not only allows the hand to rotate but also to move up and down which gives the figure realistic wrist movement.

A waist joint is located under her chest. Waist joints are ball and socket joints, a ball joint will be attached to the upper body and which plug into a socket in the main torso, this gives the body twisting movement and bending forwards and back. At the hips a three jointed ball and socket joint is used. One ball plugs into a socket at the bottom of the torso acting as the hip joint; this allows the hips to turn side to side, lean forward or back, then on each of the other two ball joints the legs plug on. Each leg has an inner socket which the ball joint plugs into, this piece allows full range of motion from the ball joint and also allows the thigh to turn in and out as it pegs inside the main leg piece.

A Figma joint is then used as the knee allowing the knee to bend backwards and then out to straight, and there is some slight rotation for the lower leg to turn in and out. The ankle also is a Figma joint allowing the foot to point and flex turn in and out.

Pose: 

Dead Master is therefore highly posable and can be posed in a variety of ways. With the use of the accessories supplied, her scythe and skulls, she can be displayed in a number of poses, sending her skulls off into battle, mid swing with her scythe, and licking her finger teasingly. However there are a few areas in which articulation is restricted due to the design of her dress she is unable to sit down, although she can kneel so this is not a major problem.

Articulation & Pose = 8/10


Enjoyment:

I will break down enjoyment into two categories: Accessories and Play Value.

Accessories:

Dead Master comes with two facial expressions; her plain expressions and her teasing tongue out expression. Dead Master also comes with an assortment of hands; a pair of open hands, a pair of fists, a pair of relaxed hands, and two pairs of hands for holding items.

Dead Master also comes with her Dead Scythe which she wields in battle and also her two skulls which nicely have hinged jaws so that they have added expression, a nice touch my Max Factory.

Play Value:

I will break down play value into two categories: Compatibility, with other figures and accessories, and general play.

Compatibility:

Dead Master is very compatible with other Figma accessories. She is able to hold most Figma items, she can use weapons and drink sake and cause all sorts of mischief.

Next up is a height comparison, as you can see she is on the shorter side of the Figma height scale, and is only a little taller than Black Rock Shooter.

General Play:

In general Dead Master is a very awesome figure, I love her so much, from her demon hands to her horns, she is pretty, wicked, and bad-ass with her Dead Scythe. She has good articulation and is fairly easy to pose, and she looks great next to Black Rock Shooter. I definitely recommend her to fans of the Black Rock Shooter franchise or to people like me who just love demon-esq figures.

Enjoyment = 9/10

Over all Dead Master scores 8.3/10