Review: Nendoroid Luka Megurine

Behold! The first post and review of 2014…made with pictures from 2013.
The first review of the year will be of nendoroid Luka Megurine by Goodsmile Company!

Luka Megurine is the third installment in Crypton’s series of character Vocaloids. Unlike Miku and Rin before her, Luka sports a mature appearance and identifiably husky voice. The name Megurine combines Japanese words meaning “around” and “sound” which hints at another first for the character Vocaloid series which is Luka’s ability to sing in English in addition to Japanese.

Nendoroid Luka was one of those figures that I liked, but never planned on owning. There is nothing wrong with Luka, but with the untold number of figures in existence, if I were buy absolutely everything that I liked, I’d be broke. So restricting purchasing to only things I love, I was content with owning the figma, and resigned to admiring nendoroid Luka from afar. Then came Goodsmile Company’s Halloween contest. I love photo contests because they are not only an opportunity to win awesome prizes, but also a way to test yourself and see how your work fares against others. Previously GSC’s contests had come to me at the worst time, or in the worst form. In my first year of figure photography was the contest held for Wonderfestival, but being a newbie, I had few good pictures and no idea what to expect. Then came the recent summer contest which was for scaled figures only. I entered, but to no avail. Finally this contest came along which was for nendoroids only. I was happy to have previously added Kirito and Snow Miku to my collection, and was even more happy to learn that comics were allowed. The result was Pumpkin Carving which ended up winning in the “Funniest” category. Winning was an awesome enough prize, but it also meant that I was to receive my very own nendoroid Luka. Soon enough Luka arrived, and the nendoroid family got a little bigger.

Surely you can tell by the cruddy box shot that this is one of my questionable flash reviews. But I swear that with the exception of the box shot, this one is better than the last, and it better be because there is not an ounce of sunlight in this review *weep*.

Anyway, the box is classic nendoroid fare and is very similar to nendoroid Miku’s with the exception of the border which is hot pink to match Luka’s image color. Luka is nendoroid number ninety-three, and was first released in 2010, but this Luka which the fine folks at GSC LA sent me is from the 2013 rerelease which frees me from having to deal with one of the unfortunate problems of the original. More on that later.

Unpacking Miss Luka, she is quite the darling with pink hair and chubby cheeks.
I am so used to figmas, that opening a nendoroid every now and then is always a pleasant surprise just because they have a different air to them.

Pink, black, and gold usually end up being unbearably gaudy, but since Luka is a performer, it somehow works. The gold also gives her costume a rich classic feel.

Her back is mostly hair. I’d hate having to brush that.

Moving in closer, the sculpting for Luka’s hair is very smooth, and unlike figmas which have single toned hair, nendoroid hair is gently shaded.
The front hair piece removes and reattaches easily.

I love the gold used for her headphones and other accents because it actually looks like gold instead of the sickly brown usually seen on figures with supposedly gold finishing.
The shock of blue is very pretty too.

The headphone band does an excellent job of disguising the place where Luka’s front and back hair pieces meet which helps her head to have a smoother appearance.
The band is also painted very well!

Since it easily gets in the way of moving her arm, the piece of hair hanging over Luka’s shoulder can be posed side to side. The articulation is a simple peg with no joint, so the hair can be removed entirely without damage, but it leaves an apparent hole in Luka’s head which is not ideal.

The microphone part of the headset is attached to her hair and has two little blue dots.

The majority of Luka’s wavy hair spills over her back, and I just love it. Look at those smooth ripples of hair! It’s like a river, but with hair!

Previous Vocaloid costumes were based off of school uniforms, but Luka’s is more like a China dress which is fitting for her age.
The dress combines shiny black with gold and hints of light blue. The gold lines are very neatly painted, and the sculpting for the brass instrument like design on her chest is crisp so that it does not look like an unidentifiable lump.
Another thing that is difficult to miss is Luka’s bountiful bosom. Even as a nendoroid, she’s miles ahead of Rin and Miku!

Even though her outfit draws inspiration from something different, Luka manages to retain signature Vocaloid motifs which helps her to not look out of place alongside her counterparts. This includes the flared sleeve on her left arm and zig zag belt around her waist.
Looking at Luka’s sleeve, I’m really in awe of how well the thin lines are painted!

Luka’s right arm is bare, but sports an 03 tattoo to identify her as third in the character vocal series.

The back of Luka’s outfit is rarely seen because of her hair, so in order to inspect it, her head needs to be removed. It is here that we see the hole in her back which identifies a very helpful change made for the 2013 re-release. The first Luka used one of GSC’s circular nendoroid bases which required her skirt to be balanced on a semi-circular plastic piece. Many early nendoroid bases relied on balance which is very troublesome if you do not want your precious nendoroids to topple over regularly. This base with a flexible arm keeps Luka upright much better!

The front of Luka’s skirt which is split on the side. There is a nice decal near the split.

Like all nendoroids, Luka can be separated at the waist which allows you to remove her skirt and expose what’s underneath.

So if you don’t mind a gap in the waist, Luka is free to frolic out in the open.

Luka’s leg and itty bitty boot are exposed on the side.

One cool thing to note about Luka’s outfit(thanks internet) is how different it looks on each side.
The left side is very conservative

while the right shows more skin.
This was apparently done to coincide with her being bilingual.

As far as pose ability goes, Luka is ok. A wide range of movement is not something I usually expect from nendoroids though, so it does not bother me.

Now let’s see what accessories Luka has.

She comes with three faces:

Neutral, singing, and Double Lariat.

I like the variety shown in Luka’s faces. Her neutral face is cute while the graceful face shows her maturity and is great for swapping with other nendoroids. The third face is a reference to one of Luka’s popular songs, Double Lariat, in which she bears this expression and never stops spinning. The Luka show in the Double Lariat video looks just like a nendoroid, so it’s nice to see GSC taking note of these things and including them with their nendoroids since Vocaloids are all about the fans!

But what was that about face swapping?
That’s right, Luka’s faces are interchangeable with other nendoroids which makes getting a new nendoroid even more fun!
Let’s try her faces on the others!

Who knew Snow Miku could become even more beautiful?!

Um, Kirito?

And don’t even get me started on body swaps.

Next are her body parts.
Including the ones attached, she has two straight left arms, two straight right arms, and three legs.

None of the hands can be removed.

A fifth left arm is bent and comes apart which allows it to be twisted.

Let’s make some poses!

Using the bent leg and arm.
The bent arm lets Luka put her hand on the headset.

Or you can stretch the bent arm across her chest to recreate Luka’s box art pose.

The arms that end in fists are meant for fully imitating the Double Lariat pose.
Spin, Luka! Spin!

Because of the they are designed, nendoroids are inherently what I’d call fiddly. Sometimes pieces are difficult to attach, hair will get in the way, or parts will just fall off, but considering their cuteness and how happy I am with many of my nendoroid photos, I have to say that the fiddliness is well worth it.

Luka has but one accessory, but that does not stop it from being one of the best accessories. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for…

Tako Luka!

Tako Luka is a fan creation based on the resemblance of Luka’s hair to octopus tentacles.
She is called Tako Luka because tako is the Japanese word for octopus.

Tako Luka is one of those things that you either find disturbingly creepy or heart wrenchingly adorable. Luckily I am of the latter group and love little tako.

Tako Luka is nendoroid petite size but obviously shorter because of her lack of a body.
The hair(?) is one of my favorite things about Tako because of how soft it looks. It’s like she’s made of marshmallow! That’s some excellent shading~
The other endearing feature would have to be her face which is just precious.

Like non tako Luka, she has a pair of headphones.

So cute~

And underneath are suction cups to remind you that you’re fawning over a disembodied head with tentacles.

But the fun doesn’t stop there!

Albeit only a little, Tako Luka’s tentacles are pose able!

Her parts can even be swapped with other petites!

I wish I was a real girl!

They said I could wish for anything, so I became an octopus.

Nessa loves octopi!

I’d say Tako Luka is half the fun!

Now let’s have some fun with Luka. Photo shoot time!

No going outside for me, so just what can I do inside?

They make weird face together.

Work hard, and you’ll get it one day, Kirito!

Daaawwwww

Sweet dreams

With Snow Miku’s face.

Christmas song!
Am I a little late?

Graceful Miku.

Final Words
Luka is a fun little nendoroid. I would not call her spectacular, but with Tako Luka and a serene singing face, she makes a fine contribution to any nendoroid collection. And considering how I got my Luka, I’m more than pleased to own her!