Out of all the figures I’ve looked at over the past several months, Snow Miku: Strawberry White Kimono Ver. (Snow Miku 2013) by Good Smile Company was the one that I wanted the most. However, I had basically given up hope of getting her anytime soon seeing as I missed the pre-order window and expected her price to be really high since so many people wanted (and still want) her. So when I saw her in stock on Nippon Yasan last week for 5990 yen, needless to say I was extremely excited. I even paid for Fedex shipping so she would arrive in two days. Now that she has arrived, I can confidently say that she was so much better than expected!

I wasn’t the only one who was excited either; Sakura Miku and Miku 2.0 came out to help unbox Snow Miku 2013. Looks like Miku 2.0 was really happy to have another Miku join the nendoroid family!

She even went and got the knife to help open up the box. However, that knife was a tad bit big for her to use. Luckily she had Sakura Miku there to help her out.

In no time they got the box open and the bubble wrap off! They were teeming with excitement to say the least; and so was I. Now that the box is out of the packaging, onto a little information on Snow Miku 2013.

Similar to the previous year’s Snow Miku, a costume design contest was held by Good Smile Company and Piapro where viewers during a NicoNico Live Broadcast could decide on the design for Snow Miku 2013. The theme for the costume was sweets. I didn’t really see the theme incorporated in the design until I read Mikatan’s preview:

The shape and color of the headdress looks just like a smooth ‘daifuku’, which is the dessert that the illustration was based on!

Out of the top four, this was the design was chosen by viewers.

Snow Miku 2013 went for sale online from February 10th – February 18th 2013 and retailed for 4000 yen (around $40 USD), not including shipping. She shipped out to buyers in late July. I bought mine off Nippon Yasan at a bit of a mark up, 5990 yen, since I didn’t order her during the original pre-order window. Worth every penny.

Now let’s take a better look at the box. Personally I think this is the nicest figure box that I have seen. It’s a very simple and clean design and the white and red colors reflect the figure’s name: Snow Miku: Strawberry White Kimono ver.

I don’t normally show the inside design since it’s usually that standard piece of cardboard with the words nendoroid repeated a gazillion times, but the inside looks so nice! I’m in love with this box!

Now let’s take a look at what you’re all here to see; the actual contents of the box!

Similar to Miku 2.0, there are actually two blister packs that are stacked on top of each other since there are quite a few pieces.

However, unlike Miku 2.0’s box, Snow Miku 2013’s box is a good deal thicker and wider than other nendoroid boxes as you can see. I believe all nendoroids after the 300th mark, with the exception of Snow Miku 2013, follow Miku 2.0’s box design, which is a tiny bit wider than the previous boxes for nendoroids.

Upon unstacking the blister packs, you can see exactly why they needed two.

The first pack contains Snow Miku 2013 with:

Three expressions

Three different pairs of arm pieces

An extra set of hands

A sitting pose

A snow bunny

An umbrella and…

A TOOTHPICK!!! Yes….. that massive thing on the bottom right is supposed to be a toothpick…. I had no idea what the heck it was when I first opened the box. It looked like a massive stake for killing vampires. They could have used that for advertising; Hatsune Miku Vampire Hunter!

Alright, alright, I’ve had my fun. Let’s move onto the next group of pieces. You get an additional hair piece (her trademark twin tails), a dish that you can display her on, and of course a stand.

The stand is a bit different than the regular square stands that come with nendoroids. Instead of there being an arm joint that sticks into the back of the nendoroid, the small arm actually sits between her legs to support her.

Here she is with the stand. I generally find the standard square stands with the arm joints rather ugly and try to avoid using them when I take photos if I can, so it’s really nice to see that the arm here isn’t noticeable.

That being said, you don’t actually need the stand in the first place. She is able to stand perfectly fine without it since her base is rather wide thanks to kimono.

Miku’s poses can be somewhat limited by the kimono; her legs can’t really move that much and the hood limits the movement of her head. Both of these aren’t really an issue though since her legs are mostly covered and the hood can easily be taken off.

I would suggest being very careful with the hood as the two pieces that form it are held together using small plastic sticks on one piece that push into holes on the other piece. My experience with toys when I was younger has taught me that these small plastic sticks can snap quite easily if you’re not careful.

I really like how they painted strawberry seeds on the inside of the hood for that little extra touch.

This is how Miku looks with the hood removed! Here’s a different angle below so you can see her hair tied up better! She looks great from whatever angle you view her!

Let’s move onto the best part of the review now; a photo shoot of some of the many poses you can create with Snow Miku: Strawberry White Kimono ver!

I don’t know if anyone else had this problem, but the stoppers in the arm sockets of the sitting pose were insanely difficult to get out; and I’m not exactly weak. My arms nearly fell off trying to pull them out; it’s like someone jammed them in as hard as they could in an effort to troll whoever got this particular figure.

Continuing on…

One more thing before I wrap up. Miku also comes with a clear plastic strip with a snowflake pattern that can go around her head.

Here’s a better look at what I’m talking about.

If you do decide to use it, my suggestion would be to use it with the hood only. I don’t think it looks very good without the hood.

To Buy or Not To Buy? That is the Question

First off, my standard spiel: the number one thing you should consider before buying a figure is how much you like the character! I’m a sucker for anything Miku (anything Miku related I will most likely buy it), so this was a must buy for me. Personally, I like this Snow Miku design the most out of all the ones that have been released, so that was even more of a reason to buy her. You can check out what all of the other Snow Miku nendoroids look like here.

When you compare her to other nendoroids you get more bang for your buck since she comes with more pieces that your average nendoroid. I had no problems with her apart from getting those stoppers out of the arm sockets, which I assume is a rare case in the first place. I would definitely suggest picking her up whether you’re a Miku fan or not; though if you do decide to buy her I would do it soon since she’ll probably get more expensive the longer you wait.

That’s it for today. Hopefully you found this review helpful! If you own a Snow Miku 2013 Nendoroid feel free to share your thoughts on her in the comment section below! Also, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask; I’ll be glad to answer them!

Currently, she’s sold out on all the sites I regularly check. If you really want her, you’ll probably have to check back daily on the MyFigureCollection page for her, and on sites like Nippon Yasan or Mandarake; that’s the best advice I can offer at the moment.

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