GeN gets Gertrud Barkhorn AGP figure

 

GeN's waifu finally arrives today~! This is the Strike Witches figure of Gertrud Barkhorn by Armor Girls Project. I got it from ebay for a fair price. I was cautious when buying this because I might end up buying a cheap knock off version instead. The moment I laid my eyes on it, I instantnly tell that this is legit. So anyway, let's get down into the details off this figure of Trudy.

 

The contents of the package. 

This figure set contains: The figure itself, comes with three changeable facial expressions, hair+dog ears and tail, the Striker Unit, two neutral propellers, two thighs that works with the Striker Unit, ten extra hands including has to hold the guns to a pair of hands that's made to connect with other Strike Witch Figures, and two MG42s. It also contains a opaque base stand inscribed in katakana, Gertrud Barkhorn. With the base has a poseable stand with four hinges.

 

A shot of Gertrud fitted with her Strike Unit and familiar ears and tail.

This figure is similar to Figmas when it comes to changing between parts. You have to take off her forelocks to change with the one with dog ears. There was a trick to inserting her tail, it had to be applied upside down and be pressed until it firmly locks in. Her hands are connected to to a ball joint that's fixed with her forearms. Sometimes I feel that if I'm not careful, I may end up breaking the joints. the lower half of her body is removable. It's like that because it lets you change her legs to the pair of thighs that goes with the Striker Units. The Striker units isn't flexible at all so you have to rely on the ball joints at the hip to make limited poses. Her back can only bend around 40 degrees backwards. This is as much as you can bend her if you want to make poses of her flying. If you over flex her back, the lower half of her body detach, this got me frustrated then made me more careful posing it. The pair of MG42s' magazines can be removed. If you want Trudy to swing around the machine gun like a club, you can have either the magazine on or off. The belt that's attached tot he MG42 is actually a brown ribbon so that you can easily place the gun around her shoulder.

 

Trudy under a cloudy day, natural lighting.

Overall. This is a pretty decent purchase. Having a physical representation of my waifu that i can make her do awesome action poses. The expressions could have been better, I would preferred of her smiling instead of a neutral face. This figure is slightly smaller than a regular Figma but I think it is a fine product that you can proudly place on your shelf of anime figures.

Here are some other pics I took with my waifu, Trudy:

Dual weilding MG42s, son! That's hype!

 Gertrud swinging her machine gun. 

You can see her propellers spinning, which is really

a clear, specially opaqued discs to make it look like it's spinning.

 A Strike Witch and Black Rock Shooter showdown!

 Kirino Kousaka with a machine gun. 

 Just like in the anime, Gertrud always found

 telling off a fellow Strike Witch member.

 

 

 All three figures posing next to each other.

I think Trudy is shy around Kyousuke Kousaka

 I think Trudy is shy around Kamen Rider V3 as well.

Witch, incoming!!!

GeN ordered online the AGP Gertrud Barkhorn figure. Pretty much one of my waifus in figure form. I can finally have one of my waifus and sleep with it every----- *ahem* Makes me wonder why my other waifus doesnt have an available pose able figure version of themselves. Anyway, about the figure, i'm not too sure on the quality of the figure. I'm more concerned about the facial expressions. From the preview pics i saw, her neutral face looks very derpy, so i'm likely gonna use the other two expressions instead.  I'l make a detailed review of the figure once it arrives on my doorstep.

Gertrud Barkhorn. The waifu that doesn't wear pants.

What current waifus think about this purchase:

Iori Minase:
Hmph! Just like an otaku, buying perverted merchandise.
 

Rise Kujikawa:

I'll ask my manager if I can get an action figure version of myself. I might go for a 'cast off' feature ~<3

Kyouko Toshino:
Ooh! Ooh! Ask if he can make a cast off figure of Chinatsu-chan~! *nosebleeds*




Gertrud Barkhorn:
I wonder if my sister would like a Marseille figure...

Strike Witches series review

GeN feels like an asshole. Why? 'Cause he actually likes Strike Witches and initially thought it was going to be shit. I've watched the first two seasons and the movie that was released last year. This is what I've concluded after watching all of these: I want a Strike Witches season 3. All my money for a season 3. It's really weird saying that since the main visual core of the anime is aerial combat and alot of body exposure. Right off the bat, you'll notice the immediate design choice for the main heroines: They dont wear pants. So the viewers can see the ecchi of this anime by looking at teenagers' underwear. I think it's because it helps you see who is a witch by seeing animal ears and tail and if they were wearing pants, it would obstruct the tail as it comes out. But if you accept that the girls and their clothing choice, this series is actually quite entertaining to watch.

 They're not just witches. They're Strikes Witches. UNF!

I could try tell you the entire plot but from what little there is, it would be spoiling. There are more episodes focusing on character development than there is plot progression. The world of Strike Witches is set in an alternate universe in the year 1944. This is in the middle of a war against these beings called Neuroi as joint forces from around the world band against this worldly threat. The humans' main arsenal are gifted females known as 'witches', where each individual witch have their own magical ability. To help these witches combat against any airborne-type Neuroi, they would have to wear leg attachments called Striker Units which regulates their magic to get the witches flying. The focus of the story is Yoshika Miyafuji, a 15 year old girl with a witch magic of healing. Her life turns around as she decides to join the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, a special band of aerial witches called Strike Witches that combats the invading Neuroi.  

 Pantsless - puppy dog ears and tail - aeroplane legged magical girl 

VS giant alien aeroplane that shoots laser beams. VERY YES!

Why I love this show is not only the fan service and the action but for the main characters themselves. I like how they get along as a team as they face through trials in combat while trying to get along with each other. Throughout the series, they start to have the special 'danketsu', similar to the idols in 765 Pro in The Idolm@ster. Some of them give each other harsh lectures and cold shoulders yet later, they suppport and sacrifice for each other. It is too bad that the series didnt have time to flesh out the plot. The mysteries behind the Neuroi were slowly being revealed but even after the movie, didnt disclose any more about them.

The animation between season 1 to season 2 is pretty similar to say the least. Even though both seasons were made from two different development studios, the art and special effects are pretty much alike. I think the actions sequences in the second season are more dynamic with the angles used, depth perception and element placement. Like, you can tell where are the witches are in relation to the Neuroi, which is important since being in an actual aerial fighter plane will make you nauseous and get confused where shit is. I think the actions sequences can improve if they had like a on board camera view from the witch's perspective as they dive bomb enemies, instead of having the camera between the witch's legs. The Neuroi are animated via computer generated models and are modeled after WWII fighterplanes, rockets, bombs, etc, but with more antagonistic look with a black and red color scheme. There are other models of Neuroi that are quite uniquely designed which helps define that the enemy looks more alien in nature. I appreciate the most of the battles occur above the sea since if you try to do this on land, there would be more shots of land getting destroyed which in turn take time off the upclose panty shots and GeN likes them panty shots.  

The audio is mostly forgettable which is quite a shame because it'll help the appeal of this anime. I could not remember any memorable tunes from the anime because the procedural music when a epic moment happens is forgettable and you only pay attention to what's happening visually and I kinda block out the music. Instead, I am more focused on the sound effects and and screams and yells from the voice actors. Speaking of voice actors, I have taken the opportunity to watch the japanese subbed version of season 1 and i've bought the localized dvd version of season 2. I favor the japanese cast more to the english dub. Listening to the japanese cast feels more natural since the characters are designed to be kawaii and stuff. I dont dislike the english voice actors and their roles but some characters i think are miscast. Namely, Francesca Lucchini, her english dub sounds excruciating the moment she opens her mouth. But for the most part, the other characters are casted pretty well. I think the english voice of Mio Sakamoto sometimes kinda off as she is sounding a bit too hoarse and i think her pitch should be more like her age, yet her confident 'HA HA HA' line is very pleasing to hear.

Strike Witches is a well crafted anime series that cater to the fans of even amount of action, character development and fan service. If you can get through the tits and ass visually, you get a decent character driven show with graceful aerial combat in tune for hardcore anime fans. I give this anime a THUMBS UP.


GeN's Rundown:
Thumbs up:
- Panties and teenage breasts
- Likeable characters with character development
- Dog fights against enemies
- Cat fights against each other
- Sound effects that helps immersion of action scenes  

Thumbs down:
- Story lacking of more event changing moments
- Forgetable music
- Francesca's english voice dub (earplugs recommended)

GeN's Aftermath:
Gertrud Barkhorn is now part of GeN's Harem of Waifus, along with Iori Minase, Rise Kujikawa and Kyouko Toshinou. I'm going to check out the manga and maybe the light novels.