Nendoroid Snow Miku Fluffy Coat Version

I've been protcrastinating on reviewing the 2012 version of Snow Miku since I got it, but with 2012 coming to an end soon, I thought it should be time to have a look at it. Despite the lack of snow in sub-tropical Hong Kong, the cold season should somewhat fit the nendoroid's theme... I suppose. ^^;


The Nendoroid Snow Miku Fluffy Coat Version is the 3rd Snow Miku to make appearance, and is basically the 2012 version as there is a new one every year since 2010. Unlike the previous two versions, this Fluffy Coat version has a new set of clothings rather than recoloured version of her normal attire, and is based on a winning entry for the costume design contest.


The accessories laid out except for the standard base and the special base which will be seen later.


Can't remember how long it took, but the replacement parts for the shovel / microphone stand, as well as the ribbon and twin tail joints are received some time after the Snow Miku arrived. They are the main issues that are addressed from the web order lot.


Front view of Snow Miku


And back view




There are some nice details to this figure, such as the decals and markings on the clothes, as well as the blue gem and ribbon on the head (which is a replacement part as the one in the box has a rather cloudy look). The twin tails are translucent with some paint over it, giving it gradation in colour and in transparency.


Microphone with stand. The microphone can be held on the hand as well.


The shovel supposedly shares the same "stem" with the microphone stand, which means one is supposed to swap parts to "transform" it into a different accessory, but thanks to the replacement parts one can simply assemble one to remove this hassle.

A special right hand mitten with a hole is used to hold the shovel or the microphone in place.


One of the facial expressions is the surprised look. It's one of my favourite expressions of the three in the box.


The third expression is a grumpy look.


The mittens and ear warmers canbe swapped out for hands and Miku's original headsets.


An "ice sculpture" of Hatsune Miku also comes with the Snow Miku. The size should be the same as the nendoroid puchis, which are essentially smaller versions of nendoroids that are usually sold as shokugans (trading figures in this case).


Let's sing together! ^^


The snowman has a face! o_o

The snowman with the Hachune Miku's face is from the 2011 version of Snow Miku, aka Playtime Edition.


Why is Snow Miku grumpy? Because another Snow Miku stole the stage!


Playing with ice scultpure!


Dashing away~ The multi-jointed stand and square base is now the new standard for recent nendoroids, but the peg in the stand barely connects with the hole at the back of Snow Miku...


Comparison with 2011 version. I decided not to put the original 2010 version up as it's mostly the same with 2011 version, but with fewer joints and accessories.


And last but not least, Snow Miku with all her main accessories on the special stage, which comes with LED that can light up when 3 AA batteries are connected. The stage floor has a furry feel, which sort of mimics the snow on the ground. A nice display to show off the nendoroid I'd say!


Articulation for nendoroids are usually quite limited, but with this Snow Miku, the collar for her furry coat is quite big and does obstruct with arm movements, so a different one is available with bigger openings for this purpose via part swapping.

As mentioned in my post back in September, this Nendoroid Snow Miku Fluffy Coat Version from the web order lot does suffer some quality issues compared with the first lot from Wonder Festival Winter earlier this year. This partly dampen my enthusiam towards this nendoroid, even after I got the replacement parts.

While my Snow Miku does not have most of the terrible defects as seen from other unfortunate owners who made their complaints on the Internet, mine was not perfect either, with a bit of paint chipped here and there. They are minor enough to overlook them in most cases, but this... Incident does make me anxious whether to order more in the future, such as Sakura Miku and the new Snow Miku for next year - Snow Miku "Ichigo Shiromuku Version" as seen on Mikatan's blog. This Snow Miku does have a nice change in costume design from the other ones, with choice in expressions and accessories a nice thought too, so it's a pity that the whole thing ended up like so.

The costume for the new Snow Miku next year is very different and traditional, with Miku wearing a shiromuku (essentially a white kimono for formal ceremonies), which is the winning entry for this year's design competition. Thinking whether I should order it when it's available for order in a few months' time...