Review: Lucky Star Racing Queens Konata Figure

So here's a little figure I picked up while in Japan from Mandarake in Akihabara. The Lucky Star "Racing Queens" Konata figure, complete with her racetrack attire and branded umbrella.

The figure, part of a set released as raffle items, is 1/8 scale and labelled as premium. It's not that hard to see why, as the figure is very detailed and sports a very pleasing paint job.

Konata comes with a stand (which I prefer to leave in the box) which features the Lucky Star logo painted on to moulded grey plastic. It's okay, but it is a little cheap looking and she will stand just fine without it.

The umbrella caused some trouble during assembly - essentially the hole in her hand is barely large enough to allow it through, subsequently there's a lot of very nerve-wracking twisting and shoving required to get the blasted thing into place, and once you have it in there, it's best to leave it alone.

The detailing on the figure is of decent quality. The paint on the hair and face is pretty much flawless, but there are a few little splashes on the rest of the figure where the paint is ever so slightly out of line. It's certainly nothing you'd notice without very close inspection though.

The main highlights for me are the detailing on her umbrella, which is delicate enough to look real (especially the spokes), the colour scheme and the rather impish look on her face. She lives next to my model of a Porsche Le Mans 959, and adds a great bit of anime style flair to my racing cabinet.

If you're a Lucky Star fan with a soft spot for racing, she's a solid choice. Because of her origins as a raffle prize figure she may be on the pricey side, but she makes a great centrepiece and is worth splashing out on.

- Ross Liversidge

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