Kitty Pryde Phases Into The Bishoujo Collection

The charming Kitty Pryde Bishoujo from Kotobukiya will phase into your heart.

2013 has been a light year for Kotobukiya’s long-running Marvel Bishoujo collection.  It’s already August, and the only statue in the series to see release this year is X-Woman Kitty Pryde.  But while Kitty may be the sole release in the first half of the year, she’s such a great statue, it’s clear Kotobukiya didn’t miss a beat.

Kitty is sculpted in the current 9″ scale, and fits in perfectly with her fellow X-ladies like X23, Storm and Mystique.  The phasing her is featured in a take on her Astonishing X-Men costume, complete with a removable Lockheed who’s sculpted just as well as the heroine herself.

It should come as no surprise that the detail included in this cute, sexy statue is incredible– the folds and wrinkles in Kitty’s costume are so accurate it looks like real fabric, and each crease and fold helps convey the sense of motion as Kitty is caught in a mid-run pose.  Kitty also includes an excellent “pretty girl” style face, once again designed by Shunya Yamashita, that looks unique and very appropriate for the spritely super hero.  There’s some amazing stuff going on with Kitty’s hair, as well.  The wavy curls ripple and flow to enhance the piece’s sense of movement, and the painted highlights couple perfectly with the semi-translucent tips to form a very realistic and organic look.

Lockheed is a fun piece, and definitely adds to the uniqueness of the Bishoujo statue.  He perches perfectly on Kitty’s left arm, and features some nice, lizard-like skin and a great face, packed with personality.  I love that the dragon can fit so well, without having to be clipped or pegged in place– this means neither he, nor Kitty end up suffering from unsightly pegs or holes in their wonderful sculpts.

When Kitty was first revealed for the Bishoujo Collection, she seemed a little plain, with her stock X-uniform and simple base.  I still wish Kotobukiya had figured out some way to represent the heroine’s mutant phasing power (alternate translucent limbs, or a wall piece with could connect to her outreached elbow… something like that).  But the addition of Lockheed goes a long way in making Kitty both eye catchingly individual and a solid value in this highly detailed and increasingly great series.

Overall, 2013 feels like it’s a clear case of quality over quantity for Kotobukiya– with the amazing Black Canary and X-Force Psylocke coming later this year, we’re being treated to three truly great additions to the Bishoujo lineup, and Kitty Pryde ranks among the absolute gems of this awesome collection.