E2046 has added a few awesome entries to their Gathering series of pre-painted resin recasts. (In case I haven’t repeated it enough times, their Haruhi recast rocks!) It seems that the Gathering series must be selling really well because they just keep coming.

Some of the new items up for preorder include:

• BUBBA’s Yuki Nagato. Both of them.
• Saber Maid
• Rei Ayanami (by Shunya Yamashita)
• Kan’u Uchou Maid

They are also bringing back Haruhi Bunny, this time with the ears painted all black and a checker base that was used in the special red version.

Kan’u looks pretty hawt in that pose.

P.S. Sorry for the lack of updates. I’m busy with something right now. Real-life is tough.

No further info is forthcoming but you can view a video with more shots of it here.

Anyway, HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! May you have lots of fishes.

Here’s a full review of the nice Haruhi recast I bought from e2046 for a even nicer price tag of 120 USD.

First of all, a lot of people probably get allergic reactions from hearing the word “recast”. Yeah, this figure wasn’t assembled using the original BUBBA Haruhi Bunny garage kit sold at WHF and through mail order, but it’s not like those Hong Kong bootleg PVC figures from Ebay either.

Resin recasts are generally pretty good and any defects can be overcome with enough touch-ups. Generally, the skill of the person building the kit makes a much greater impact on the final product. The problem is that mass-produced pre-painted resin figures had never been good and commissioning one from an experienced builder can cost hundreds of smackaroos.

Not long ago last year, e2046 launched a new line of products called “Gathering“. From what I gather (lol), Gathering is the name of a garage kit hobbyist circle in Hong Kong and e2046 partnered with them to produce good quality pre-painted resin for reasonable prices. BUBBA’s popular Haruhi Bunny figure was one of the first product introduced in the Gathering series.

On to the actual figure…

Generally speaking, the figure is AWESOME for viewing. The overall feel of the original is present and its details and finish stand out quite distinctively compared to PVC figures. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that it gives off an unique aura of quality and class, or maybe that’s just the 120-dollar hole in my wallet speaking.

While I love every inch of Haruhi, I have to say that the face is the best part of this particular figure. It is not easy to recreate the same feel of a 2D character in a 3D figure, but this figure certainly does a brilliant job of showing off the grandeur of Haruhi, unlike a certain PVC attempt. The eyes are particularly well done. Eyes are probably the hardest part of painting a resin figure because they can make or break (usually break) the whole feel.

The bunny suit has a pretty nice gloss over it that looks soooo purdy, but can be a pain for photo-taking because it is really reflective and can pick up colours from the surrounding light.

The guitar looks pretty cool, but it is far from the BUBBA original. The surface is not glossy, the strings are not as fine, the part with the number 7 engraved is not reflective and the logo near the top is missing. The tuning pegs are also very, very fragile and I had one fall off after I accidentally knocked the guitar out of Haruhi’s hand. I glued it back with some clear household cement.

The way Haruhi holds the guitar also leaves much to be desired. Not only is it somewhat dangerous in that shaking the figure slightly may cause the guitar to fall out, the fact that the guitar is pivoted round her hand with most of the bulk at the bottom also means that a lot of stress is placed on the portion above. The same portion that contains the fragile tuning pegs. Ops. It is possible to position the guitar such that the turning pegs are not in contact with anything, though. Anyway, this is more of a fault with the original figure design than with e2046.

The greatest flaw is of course the two thick, thick lines running down Haruhi’s stockings. I’m not sure what the original used, but e2046’s version uses some fine net material that comes in rectangular pieces which have to be wrapped around the legs and the excess ends folded into that line you see. The lines in the original are really thin, so the creator probably used a different method or maybe he just has some l33t h4x0r skillz.

I guess the thick lines are a pretty huge turn-off but if it’s any comfort, it doesn’t look bad in reality. I blame my lousy photography. A lot of pre-painted Haruhi on Yahoo Auctions had the same problem and some of them even had lines that were all fluffy. At least e2046’s version achieves consistent thickness on the lines and has a pretty smooth surface.

I like the hair. Also, shiny bunny ears.

All in all a very awesome figure that is very well worth the money despite having its share of flaws. Haruhi-sama approves!

Sadly, e2046 has stopped making any more of this, although it is entirely possible that they may suddenly decide to start taking orders again someday. Meanwhile, you can try the special red version.

I swear this is the last post on Haruhi Bunny. Ever. Probably. Maybe.

P.S. Manabi Straight‘s main character is like a loli Haruhi. Getsumento Heiki Miina is pretty awesome fun.

P.P.S. All photos in this post are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Please do not remove the watermarks.

P.P.P.S. You may have noticed the e2046 logo on the main page. I’m trying out their banner exchange programme.

The cost is 120 USD, which is about the same as the black one. (Currently out of stock and supposedly discontinued.)

Other than the red makeover, the star-shaped stand also features a new checkered design.

You can take a look at my gallery for some close-up shots of my black Haruhi recast from e2046 to get an idea of their product quality.

I still prefer black for now, but I wonder if they plan to make more colour variations…

It’s here! It’s here! The postman just left! MINE MINE MINE!!! Bunny Haruhi!!!
;_; <— tears of joy.

My life is now complete.

It’s a pre-painted recast from e2046 of the most awesome figure of Haruhi-sama ever produced by mortal hands. I was pretty sceptical about this when it was first announced, since pre-painted resin figures tend to suck a lot. I didn’t order it.

The packaging

But apparently e2046’s new “Gathering” series of pre-painted figure are goddamn awesome. After reading a few reviews, I was totally regretting my decision. ORZ

The content

That’s when e2046 announced a second shipment of pre-painted Haruhi. I preordered it without any hesitations. Those meals I skipped were put to good use.

The pieces

The packaging is pretty darn secured. It has enough padding to survive a plane crash (although that would have really delayed the shipping). The pieces are all very nicely done, especially the guitar.

You could almost strum it

Yay.

^_^

;_;

The tail could be better

Hawt legs

And the final verdict?

AWESOME!!!

P.S. I ordered the unassembled kit too…

I’ll never figure out how to put this together

According to the blog サイコロキャラメルの謎, which belongs to the creator of this awesome custom resin figurine, Suzumiya-sama will be on sale during the next World Hobby Festival to be held in Kobe on July 30th (and not the more popular Wonder Festival Summer to be held next month in Tokyo). Details as follows:

• Price: 12,000 yen (~100 USD)
• Availability: 200 pieces
• Type: unpainted and unassembled resin kit
• Limited to one per person

Well, WHF is held in Kobe, just a bit away from Osaka. Alternatively, you can try Yahoo! Auctions Japan in a few days’ time and buy one for an insane amount of money.

Gah, if only it were Wonder Festival. At least I know some people who are in Tokyo and going to be there. But Kobe is just… =_=

There is currently no plans for PVC mass production.