Packaging - ***1/2
The packaging design is excellent in terms of removing the figure and accessories without damage.  She comes right out without twisty ties, and the accessories are held by tiny pieces of easily removed tape.  The inside cover comes with information about the times this figure would have been active, as well as background on equipment used.  For those who are MIB fans, the background is nothing special -- just a white backing against which the figure can easily be seen.

Sculpting - ****
Svetlana clearly beats any of the other female figures I've seen, including the Cy-Girls.  No matter how much I like Blaze (and I agree with the 4 star review posted here) she just doesn't look like she is anyone I could ever take seriously -- more like a Charlie's Angel than a Dark Angel, if you get my drift.

Svetlana, on the other hand, looks like a very real person, someone who could indeed be sitting behind a concrete embankment waiting to pick off a German officer.  Perhaps she could have a smudge of dirt on her face, but that's easily added (as opposed to the impossibility of removing the way too much eye makeup from the Cy-Girls).

Svetlana is built like a real woman in the chest area as well -- she doesn't sport silicon looking jobs (once again, Cy-Girls) and she has molded but unpainted nipples, if that means anything to you.

This version of Svetlana has the rooted hair which I prefer on female figures (and which works really well here in this short haircut).  There is also a version available which is otherwise identical and sports molded hair.

Articulation - ****
I was beginning to think the standard of articulation was BBI with their excellent new figures, but Svetlana is much better.  Indeed, she's the best articulated figure I've ever seen, male or female.

A good example is to note the pose in which I try to fold both Svetlana's and Blaze's arms as they sit in a fairly typical female seating position.  Not only could I not get Blaze to sit properly (I ended up having to prop her behind up with her jacket) but I could never get her arms to actually touch her chest. (If Svetlana looks bigger in this picture than Blaze it's just due to perspective and her army fatigues -- she's actually the same size as the Cy-girls overall).

Svetlana handled this easily, as she did nearly any other position it's possible for a (normal) human to achieve. She's got Dragon's new Eve 2.0 body and it's a real winner.

The only caveat I have with her is the joints seem rather loose.  It's not that they won't hold a pose, it's just a little unnerving to so easily move her into a position without hardly any resistance.

Accessories - ***1/2
Svetlana comes with ammo pouches, binoculars, canteen, and her weapon, the M91/30 sniper rifle with telescopic sight.   That's what she would have carried (oh, perhaps she might have scored a knife somewhere as well) and they are all well made of hard plastic.

Outfit - ****
Svetlana wears standard issue fatigue pants, a brown shirt, and a cameo suit jacket with hood that are well constructed and authentic looking.  She also is wearing underwear -- t-shirt and panties, and this is another of my peeves with the Cy-Girls.  Do any of them ever wear underwear?  (Okay, so perhaps Kat would forgo panties with her shorts and see-through tights, although my wife insists no woman would, but Blaze would certainly wear some under her jumpsuit, even if it is skintight (there's not a woman out there who wouldn't).

The only problem with the outfit is getting her pants off (I know that sounds rude, but I wanted to see her leg and waist construction.  Honest).  She has the wide hips of a true woman, but her pants are very narrow at the top.  Because the outfits have true snaps (no velcro here) it's about as hard to get those pants over the hips as anything I've tried.  But it is possible, with patience. 

Value - ***
This was tough.  With the excellent Cy-Girls going for around $23, it was hard for me to figure out where to place the $39 Svetlana.  In the end I decided her superior articulation and ability to place her in poses no other figure could hold makes it worth the money.

If posing isn't particularly important to you I'd knock off at least one star here.

Overall - ****
I thought Blaze was the best female figure available but Svetlana beats her by a long shot.  As someone who could have very well lived during the historic times she represents, Dragon made a good choice for a female solider.  She really should get five stars -- she's that good.

Where to Buy - 
I was only able to find this Svetlana, with the rooted hair, at Good Stuff to Go.The other version, with molded hair, is available at most of the usual suspects.

About the Rater:
Mike Kelley is an old man who believes the joy of being a grandfather is not feeling sheepish spending time at Toys R Us.  He runs the website www.kelleytown.com, where five minutes of fun each day can be had reading movie reviews, original toons and information about digital photography.  He blames his current state of finances on Michael Crawford's web site, which got him hooked on the Simpson figures.  He's a writer who's currently working on this
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