Monday, June 30, 2008

Appleseed Ex Machina: Deunan Knute

IMHO, one of the best 1/6 anime character ever produced. "Appleseed" is created by Masamune Shirow in the manga series that was published in 1985 (that's how futuristic his concept was). It was made into an animated film in 1998 (forgettable) and again in 2004 (animation was amazing!). Set in 2131 AD, "Appleseed" stars Deunan Knute, a young, legendary female soldier and a survivor of the Third World War, which brought Earth to the brink of destruction. Deunan is brought to Olympus and reunited with her former lover and comrade Briareos, who is now a cyborg. She is recruited into ESWAT (Extra-Special Weapons And Tactics) and they both rescue Olympus from certain destruction.

In 2007, the sequel "Appleseed Ex Machina" was released and this one really blew me away with its animation. John Woo was the producer and thus, scenes of flying pigeons are inevitable as it is part of his signature but in this movie, the flying pigeons are robots that send out signals which activate a virus that causes people to go crazy and violent (like the rage virus in "28 days later"). Later, when Deunan, Briareos, Tereus, and a Poseidon task force confront HALCON which controls the virus, they are met by drones in a scene reminiscent of  "The Matrix".

Hot Toys released this Movie Masterpiece figure in conjunction with the movie and it is truly a Masterpiece!! The usual slipcase cover with metallic card stock but printed with a beautiful image from the movie.


Box cover with actual product shot



Deunan Knute in tray

Basic Deunan Knute without accessories

One of the most beautiful anime headsculpt ever

Her armour suit (made from flexible rubber, just like wetsuits worn for scuba diving, surfing, windsurfing, kitesurfing and triathlon)





Olympus Police ESWAT badge worn on her left sleeve





Her weapons, accessories and three additional hands

Deunan Knute suited up

Deunan with her targeting scope

Her sword


Another angle of her targeting scope

Her Hecate P-08 pistol

The sheath for her sword 

Fully armed

Hecate STG 1002 rifle


Don't bet on her surrendering or giving up her weapons




Her Hecate P-08 pistol holstered on her right thigh




What can I say? I love this figure!!!

Next up: Deunan's former lover and comrade, Briareos Hechatonchires
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8 comments:

  1. UnknownJuly 4, 2010 at 3:13 PM

    i have this figure with me, i find out the rubber suit is a bit difficult to pose, and the hand joint is a bit small and loose.How about your figure?

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  2. alex teoJuly 5, 2010 at 10:23 PM

    hi zirron, this was one of the first rubber suit figures released by Hot Toys and they were still experimenting with the materials so extreme poses might be a problem as these figures were meant as collectibles and not meant to execute extreme poses as stretching the rubber might cause it to become worn and even tear over time. the new dx batman has much better articulation even in his rubber suit as hot toys have improved on the type of material used in making the costume.

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  3. esme bellesNovember 27, 2012 at 2:36 PM

    I'm couple years late on commenting. But the apple seed body armor is still THE most fav body armor in anime I have ever seen, looks futuristic but also like something that could very well be made in this day and age. Too bad military body armour is so thick and bulky lookijg, we had this would make us look badass. Kickin' ass in style baby!

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  4. alex teoNovember 27, 2012 at 2:45 PM

    It's never too late to comment as all posts are linked and I get notified when someone posts a comment :) I just did an update of this awesome figure recently too. You can check it out at the link if you like ;p CHEERS http://toyhaven.blogspot.sg/2012/11/hot-toys-mms-appleseed-ex-machina-16_3.html

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  5. Trisha LeonardoJuly 19, 2013 at 10:00 PM

    I can't believe how great this figure is! I just have discovered this 1/6 addiction recently, and while I try to save some coins to get my first figure, I can peek in this wonderful blog!

    Regards from Argentina :)!

    Patricia

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  6. alex teoJuly 19, 2013 at 10:36 PM

    Hi Patricia of Argentina

    Thanks for the wonderful comments :)
    I had recently posted pictures of Appleseed again under better lighting - you can check it out at http://toyhaven.blogspot.sg/2012/11/hot-toys-mms-appleseed-ex-machina-16_3.html

    Hope you enjoy what you see on my toy blog

    CHEERS
    Alex

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  7. AnonymousMay 29, 2014 at 4:14 PM

    Fantastic figure, I would like to seek your comments on whether the rubber material will start to fall off over time? Knowing that this is an old generation of Hot toys stuffs, the material used may not withstand till now. Kind of worried that I will buy one MISB off the internet to discover that the rubber tears off after posing. Thanks!

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  8. alex teoMay 29, 2014 at 9:41 PM

    I am happy to report that the one I have is still good :) rubber suit is still nice and has not hardened or cracked after all these years. Quite happy with it since I put the pair on display the day they were released.

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