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Captain Toy/Michael's Review of the Week

Review of Ms. Marvel - Kamala Khan
Bishoujo Statue

Kotobukiya
Date Published: 2017-12-01
Written By: Michael Crawford
Overall Average Rating: 3.5 out of 4

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Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan Bishoujo statue by Kotobukiya

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Introduction

Bring up long running statue lines with your nerdy friends, and the talk will turn to Batman Black and White, DC Bombshells, and Cover Girls right away. DC has gotten a lot of large collections, thanks to the on going efforts of DC Direct and DC Collectibles.

But one that crosses boundaries and licenses is sometimes forgotten - Bishoujo statues from Kotobukiya. They started in 2009 with their SDCC Black Widow, and have been going strong ever since. They sent over a couple of their latest releases, and tonight I'm covering the lovely and powerful Ms. Marvel aka Kamala Khan.

Ms. Khan is Trump's worst nightmare - a young, intelligent woman with tremendous integrity, special powers, and who just also happens to be Muslim. She took up the mantle of Ms. Marvel when Carol Danvers became Captain Marvel. Think of it as superhero succession planning.

We all know that a Captain Marvel movie is slated for release in March, 2019, right between the two Infinity Wars movies, starring Brie Larson as Danvers. This could mean she'll show up for the first time in Infinity Wars 1, introduced much like Black Panther or Spider-Man were before doing her own stand alone gig. If they're smart, they'll integrate the Ms. Marvel/Captain Marvel story line in such a way as to make the future introduction of Kamala possible.

Back to this statue - it's just starting to ship, and will run you around $75, depending on the retailer.

Click on the image below for a Life Size version
Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan Bishoujo statue by Kotobukiya

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Packaging - ***
The box is pretty standard stuff, similar to all the previous Bishoujo releases. The large windows allow you to see the statue you're buying, always a big plus, and it's completely collector friendly. The interior plastic trays keep the one piece statue safe as well, and there's relatively little wasted space.

Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan Bishoujo statue by Kotobukiya

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Sculpting - ***1/2
The style and design of her costume matches the comic book look of course, and they've done an excellent job with the small detail work. Edges are sharp and clean, the hair has good detail, and the folds and wrinkles in the multiple layers look realistic and flow appropriately.

These are called a 1/7th scale, and Kamala stands about 7 1/2" tall with the base. As I said, this is a one piece statue, and she is connected to the base by way of a screw up into her left foot. This is a PVC/ABS statue, not polyresin. If you've picked up Kotobukiya's work in any line in the past, you know what I'm talking about.

I've always really liked what they did with the costume design, and the translation here works fairly well. The dynamic look to the hair and tails of the scarf matches with the hand position, and her slightly cocky, confident expression fits with the character. I'm not loving the lower body/leg pose, which appears awkward to me, but I'll cut them some slack - dynamic stances are always tough.

Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan Bishoujo statue by Kotobukiya

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Paint - ***1/2
The paint work here is super clean, and we're talking about a very tough color in the yellow symbol on her dress. Yellow tends to bleed and be inconsistent in coverage, yet it's almost perfect here. The work on the mask and red body suit is good as well, with clean breaks along every edge.

I did ding them a half star though - why, you ask? See that sculpted line through the symbol? Yea, that's supposed to be blue. I'm betting they decided that for this price, getting a perfect, tiny blue line inside the field of yellow was simply a bridge too far. It was probably a smart decision, since a sloppy edge on that line would have hurt the overall look far more than not painting it.

The eyes are shiny and sharp, and appear to be tampos or stickers. It works well, creating a super high quality appearance. Considering the price point, this is an impressive paint job.

Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan Bishoujo statue by Kotobukiya

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Value - ***
The very first regular release Bishoujo statues were around $60 - that's 8 years ago.  You can pick this one up for around $70 at some retailers, a pretty small increase considering the time frame. Compare this to other statues in similar scales - like Batman Black and White - and you'll see a solid value.

Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan Bishoujo statue by Kotobukiya

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing!

Overall - ***1/2
Another great release in the series, and an excellent character for you to add to your shelf. While I'm not completely sold on the pose itself, the detail and paint work are excellent. Ms. Marvel is a great character, and a timely one to boot. Here's to hoping we see her fleshed out in the MCU as well.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2

Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan Bishoujo statue by Kotobukiya

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Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- has her for $70, but it looks like the pre-order is already sold out.

- is at $75, and still has one available.

- Entertainment Earth is also at $75.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
Other Kotobuykiya Bishoujo statues include Jaina Solo, Huntress, Power Girl, Poison Ivy, Harley, the black costume Batgirl, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Phoenix and Rogue.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
Want to chat about this review?  Try out one of these terrific forums where I'll be discussing it!

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Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan Bishoujo statue by Kotobukiya

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This product was provided for the review by the manufacturer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

This page copyright 2000 - 2017, Michael Crawford. All rights reserved.