Yana

Sculpted by Joao Paulo Ferreira

Designed by Piotr Czajka

Illustration by Jungon Kim

Produced by Neko Galaxy Miniatures

Scale 1:10

Price at time of writing 90 Euros

Materiel Pink Resin

nekogalaxyminiatures.bigcartel.com

Packaging and contents

This model was ordered together with another model directly from Neko Galaxy in Poland. As I stated in my Xen review everything arrived in perfect condition and as I ordered the models separately Piotr refunded me one of the postage costs as he dispatched both kits together, a nice touch wanting to save a customer money.

The box is a nice and sturdy white cardboard box with art work on the top and the kit description on one side and on the other a sticker stating this includes the legs to make the complete figure. Inside the box everything was secured in two plastic bags with the resin parts in one bag and the wires in the other. Everything was kept safe and protected in the box by crinkled card strands, I prefer this method as it means all packaging can just be put in the recycling bin when it's finished with.

The contents of the box consists of 13 resin pieces these are the torso with head, the groin, the right leg, the left leg, the right arm, the left arm, the hand with controller, two hip discs, the pistol in holster, the drone body and two drone components. Added to the resin parts we also have 5 metal wires, 4 of these are used on the models arms and one is used to connect Yana to her drone. We also have the usual Neko Galaxy sticker and a lovely art card showing the wonderful box art in all it's glory.

Kit Components

Torso with Head

Being sculpted at 1:10 scale it means the full figure from foot to head will be about 18cm high which allows for a lot of great detail but also prevents overcrowding of detail which can be an issue at smaller scales. The torso has two pour spouts situated at the bottom and a slight mould line up the left and right side of the body. These will be simple to remove and wont damage any of the models details.

Like all the models produced by Neko Galaxy Yana has a very distinct style which I personally love and I feel it lends itself to either a more cartoonish style or a hyper realistic style. The face has to be the focus point of this model as it's dominated by that big beaming smile which is beautifully sculpted with great detail on the tongue and teeth, this face really has a lot of charm to it. Surrounding the face we have some perfectly sculpted hair, I still can't believe the strand detail it's so precise and intricate with the odd strand of hair crossing over others.

For the clothes we have a great looking hat with a nice shape to it and all the texture of a real hat, it even has a little brand badge at the front which is cool. At the back we have a nicely sculpted hood with some great looking folds and a good sense of weight to it. The main part of the torso is depicted wearing a bodysuit, it reminds me of the bodysuits worn in Neon Genesis Evangelion and is covered in beautiful details without looking over complicated. We have a nicely sculpted spine stabiliser at the back and some perfect lines sculpted into the suit, added to this we have what looks like some extra breast support/ protection and this part has been sculpted to be in proportion with the figures body.

Just looking at the torso shows the possibilities of 3D sculpting. Yes this could be done in traditional sculpting but for a subject matter like this one I think 3D sculpting is a great tool to use to get such precision and detail.

Groin and Legs

The groin part has two pour spouts at the top and a slight mould line down the left and right side, the models right leg has a pour spout at the top of the leg and a faint mould line down the front and back and the left leg has a pour spout on the base of the foot and a mould line down the back. The spouts and mould lines on all these parts will clean up easily and my test fitting has shown me everything will slot together easily with no gaps at all.

These three components carry on with the bodysuit and really show great sculpting in capturing this materiel, you really get the feel of it being skin tight especially at the back, but you also get some nice pulls in the fabric at the back of the knee and the joint with the boot on the left leg and in the crease of the bent right leg. This makes everything look so much better than if it had just been sculpted perfectly smooth with no fabric creases at all.

Added to this the parts have a great amount of detail in the form of raised lines and cut out lines, knee pads with some great technical details and cushion pads placed on the lower legs. We also have a nice pair of holster straps sculpted with a nice texture like an elasticated fabric and some hip protectors for extra protection. Honestly it's to hard to describe everything and the photos do a much better job than me as there is just so much .

The last thing I will talk about with the legs is the boots/trainers I guess it depends how you paint them. These basically look like real trainers and have all the detail you would expect, honestly I hate to think how much time the sculptor must have had to spend on these to get them looking this realistic and amazing, I mean even the tongue of the trainer has a different texture on it from the rest of the trainer which seems like a crazy level of detail to go to but I'm happy they did.

Continued in Next Post

Arms and Controller Hand



The left arm has a pour spout on the wrist and a mould line down the back, the right arm has a pour spout at the top and also on the wrist with a mould line down the front and back and the game controller right hand has a pour spout on the wrist and a faint mould line around the controller.
Both arms have the locating holes for the four metal wires located at the elbow joints, the wires go from this point to the spinal stabiliser and look great when attached. The arms carry on with the high level of detail seen throughout the rest of the kit and the anatomy of the stretching arm really shows of the sculpting ability showing the muscles taught as Yana reaches up. The arms really are great but the main focal point of the arms has to be the right hand holding the controller, growing up in the 80's and 90's a game controller always brings back fond memories and I love that it's the way Yana controls her drone. For a tiny piece we get some nice details with the screen and the two micro joy sticks the different buttons located all over it and the overall shape is spot on, it really looks like you could just pick it up and use it. One thing I hadn't noticed until I photographed this piece was that two of Yana' fingers have a mechanised cover over them that connects into the bodysuit with a perfectly sculpted wire, a really nice little touch and another example of the crazy level of details.

Holster and Hip Disks



The holster has a pour spout at the tip which at first I thought was the barrel and a faint mould line running around the whole piece, and the hip disks have pour spouts on the rear and also a faint mould line running around both pieces.
The gun is a nice addition to add even more detail to the legs and when put in place on the straps it looks perfect. The holster has a little detail but mostly is plain which is fine as it gives a nice surface to paint some texture such as leather. The gun on the other hand has plenty of detail the sights and the rail are visible and are sculpted precisely, the gun also has a really interesting bolt like lever at the back reminiscent of a Mauser pistol. Over all it makes me think of Deckard's gun in Blade Runner, not sure why but I just get that feel from it.
The hip disks once again are full of detail and a great looking piece of design work. When added to the legs they are another great piece of ornamentation and just add extra interest to a model already packed with detail.

Drone



The drone has a single pour spout on the top and some faint mould lines to be removed, the vents each have two pour spouts and faint mould lines on the top surface, these will all be easy to remove.
The drone is a great addition to a already amazing model and when the vents are added looks perfectly viable as a flying companion for yana. I'm struggling what to say here as there is hardly a part of this that isn't covered in details, you have tiny rivets along with vents some bolts thrown in for good measure, extra panel lines and raised panels with fins at the top oh and some crazy looking eye/camera at the front which gives me ideas of osl painting. If anyone is missing painting tanks or planes I think you would have a field day with this drone, it's like they took all the best parts of a jet plane and put it into this single drone. A part of me thinks I might enjoy painting the drone most of all and I know when it's connected to Yana via it's cable it will look amazing floating above her.

Final Thoughts

When i first saw this model and noticed the version with the legs was going to be limited I ordered it right away as I just knew if I missed out I would regret it and I can honestly say I have no regrets at all. I love collecting busts and have done a fair few reviews of some of them already and often I do find myself wishing they had been full figures so for me it was great that this came with the option of bust or full figure, it would be great if this caught on and was offered on more busts, I think especially as so many busts are actually half figures now instead of the traditional bust.
One thing I loved was in my communications with Piotr I found out this was based on his fiance Yana, which added an extra layer of charm to the model, I mean how many people get a model sculpted for them. This personal feel to Neko Galaxy and the high level of customer service is why I will be buying more kits from them and recommend them happily to anyone.
For me this model really has a lot of painting potential with it being a full figure. All of a sudden you have to think about basing it and where is Yana going to be. I love this added element as the base can be reflected in how you paint Yana and her drone, I'm tempted to go for a very worn and battered look with some weathering effects on both Yana and her drone, who says she has to look pristine after all. As well as all the possibilities we also get high end design and construction, I have grown to love 3D sculpting because of the technical side, the ability to make a model that fits perfectly without gaps and where the keys actually match up perfectly. But I also respect the 3D sculptors who can take this technical side and pair it with character and originality, for me the best 3D sculpts are ones you can tell had love and attention poured over them in their creation.
At 90 Euros Yana is going to be a more expensive purchase but for her size and quality she is more than worth the price tag and she really will stand out in any display cabinet as a centre piece to be proud of. I would honestly not think twice about recommending this model to anyone and with it being limited in quantity if you are thinking about it I wouldn't wait to long as I'm sure once it's gone some people will be left regretting not getting a copy.

Gary