When the Nendoroid release of
Pokémon Trainer Red was first announced, the figure community exploded. The figure quickly sold out and resurfaced at prices asking for over one hundred dollars, showing just how much demand was out there for
Pokémon figures in this style. And The Pokémon Company and GSC heard that loud and clear, announcing that more
Pokemon Nendoroid were on the way! And not to be outdone by her predecessor, Nendoroid Pokémon Champion Cynthia aims to please!
I’m not sure if it’s because of the collaboration with The Pokémon Company or that GSC’s new factories in Japan are getting settled, but this is the nicest Nendoroid I’ve held in a while! I had no problems with setting Cynthia up, and all of her pieces fit nicely together. However, I didn’t put her stand in all the way out of fear that it might scratch the paint on the back of her head over time—no magnets or specialized stands this time! Also, the black paint on her collar quickly transferred to her hair where it made contact. Since it’s impossible to see the marks when she’s put together I don’t mind it, but if you are a collector who hates paint transfer of any kind, be careful of it here!
Otherwise, Cynthia is well put-together in Nendoroid form. She wasn’t the first Pokémon character that I guessed would get the Nendoroid treatment, but her design translates well! As usual, I’m a fan of the gradient painting on the hair, but I also like the hint of an eyebrow behind her bangs that cover her other eye. Both eyes are fully painted on even though one of them is unseen most of the time, but that kind of attention to detail is why I love this figure line!
Cynthia comes with a small amount of accessories and only one other alternate face, but they’re good fits for her character as the Champion of the Pokémon League! There are bent arms to recreate some of her signature poses, a pointing arm for battles, and a hand that’s specifically meant to hold a Pokéball.
But Cynthia’s main accessory might as well be another figure! Her partner Garchomp has an articulated head, wings and feet, and can easily stand on his own.
Thanks to this, both figures gain a bit more personality! There were no paint flaws on Garchomp that I noticed, and while his wings were a bit stiff, everything snapped together easily during his setup. I’m happy to give up the usual array of accessories if it means getting an awesome one like this.
Overall, I’m completely in love with this Nendoroid and can hardly wait for N from
Pokémon Black and White to get the same treatment! Even if you’re not a figure collector, this is a great figure for any
Pokémon fan!
Cynthia is currently available from the Pokémon Center website. She cost a little bit more that what I normally pay for figures, but with this kind of quality, she was absolutely worth it!
Until next time, happy figure collecting!