[onesixthwarrior]

First let me say, I'm not going to duplicate what's already been said and photographed. The other hobbyists have done this better than I could, anyway. What I would like to do is just give some impressions of what the figure is like to play with.

Here's my new pale version, all unpackaged:

As you'll see, the skin tone of her head is a close match to her body. Not only that, it looks to be a bit more finished than the one in the earlier photos. What you might not notice is that her hands don't match the skin tone of the body- they're too light. Not a biggie, I have hands that match better.

What I think many will find to be a deal breaker though, are her feet. Phicen simply made them out of soft, easily deformable rubber. I doubt anyone from Phicen is reading this, but they seriously need to address this. It's going to cost them customers, plain and simple. Here's the situation:

Again, for me this isn't such a big deal. I've accumulated quite an assortment of 1.6th female footwear over the years. Here she is, standing tall after finding a pair she likes that will support her:

So if you're still with me after the above caveats, what is she like to pose? Like no other figure I own! The steel armature is a real transformation: no clicks, no ratchets, no jerking; the figure's joints simply move as you want them in smooth silence. It makes other figures seem unrefined.

The steel skeleton is not indestructible, and Phicen have gone to quite an effort to make this clear. They've included the instructions that show how each joint of the figure is to be moved, as well as a sheet that shows improper use. If you're not familiar with Phicens, a few moments with this sheet is well worth it.

Phicen also state in these instructions, "...this figure is not intended to simulate sex." Just thought I would pass that along...

As I said earlier, I'm not out to test the limits of her range of motion, just to have fun taking photos...

For the most part, I have been able to enjoy Phicens, but I have always had to cringe when I move their hips. The feel of the plastic skeleton flexing as it tries to turn against the rubber skin has always been a weak point for me. I was very happy to see the new lady doesn't suffer from this issue at all:

As beautiful as they are nude, Phicens can look good dressed as well. The trick is to find the right clothing. Here she is getting dressed in a Dolls Figure outfit after the photo shoot:

And yes, those are steel wrist pins!

Generally I don't make recommendations whether to buy a figure, but I can tell you I'm very happy with this one. Phicen have once again made a big step forward. Yes, they should certainly deal with the foot issue, and get the hands to match better. Thee aren't deal breakers for me, but "your mileage may vary..." I'm really happy I got this latest lady!

 

[Stryker2011]

Nice review. Great photos; I'm not seeing the usual skin bunching on some of the more extreme poses, is that the case?

 

[kdw63120]

Good Introduction~~~and suggestion opcorn

 

[onesixthwarrior]

Stryker, I'm not going to say there isn't any skin bunching- there is- but it's far more controlled with this figure. The most noticeable area is the shoulders, but even here it's a lot less than on earlier versions, and then only towards the end of the range of motion of the joint.

 

[doodlehobby]

I was also going to do a review of this as well. But don't have the time at the moment.

I find another drawback is its 'scrawniness'. I feel it's too 'thin' of a body. Also the big bust heads don't match well to it as there is a much more noticeable gap in the neck joint. The pale version skin is also a different tone to other pale skin tones I find.

The feet are definitely too 'wibbly-wobbly' (skip the timey-wimey part) as the Doctor might want to put it.

But the biggest pro for this has got to be the joints. It is definitely much more easier to manipulate and pose than the v4 bodies I have. One body already has a loose swivel that will not hold.

I also managed to pop the head apart (I actually had the neck piece dislodge into the head). Now I need some glue to stick it back together again. The head sculpt is 'different' and will not fit other wigs if you do manage to pry it apart (like I did).

I also will try using Elmer's Glue All to put the scalp back together again and see if it will hold. At least with using this glue, I can dunk into water and pry it apart again if needed (say for reroot jobs) since glue is water soluable.

 

[onesixthwarrior]

Very good points, Doodlehobby.

To be fair, what's scrawny for one person is fine for another.

You are aware these heads are designed to come a part, right? The idea is to avoid using heat on a soft skinned body when removing the head. They often include some sticky clay to hold them together.

It's not unusual for a neck pin to become lodged in a head. This happens with many different brands in the hobby. Usually it's just a matter of heating the head and pulling the pin out with pliers. In the case of Phicens, you simply take the head a part. This is pretty much routine.

 

[doodlehobby]

Actually the stainless steel heads do not have clay in them nor do they come with one. I don't think Phicen intended this head to come apart. I don't know what they used to meld the head together. Because once pried open, there is no sign of glue or clay or anything suggesting any adhesive was used. It was also not that easy to pry open the head on its own.

I used hot running tap water and then used a lot of force to pry open the head on the stainless steel head sculpt. I used so much force that I thought I was going to actually break it. It has ridges/bumps in the inner groove of the face sculpt. It's not 'smooth' like the other head sculpt. I'll take shots and post them alongside a v4 Phicen large bust head sculpt. They are slightly different. But I haven't really spent time analyzing it in depth. I'll do that later.

And thanks for the info. I am completely new to this and never owned anything prior to the Phicens (only worked with EA, MH and Barbie dolls). So this is completely new territory for me.

Please bare with me as I try to get more accustomed to this. Thanks again for the info on the heads.

 

[Warrior49]

OSW thank you very much for the review. You certainly got the figure very fast. I can tell that at this moment, only the dealers from Asia carry them. Anyway, these figures look great in all the pictures I've seen on the Internet. Their posing capabilities are awesome, as you stated. Regarding the soft feet, on the Phicen web page there's a section where you can send them comments. I mentioned the feet issue and I even got an answer from them. I thinks that Phicen will keep improving, they mention they will issue new bodies. Being these the first ones, I thinks they'll keep improving as they have been doing over the past years.

I guess I'll get one of these since part of collecting is owning what has come out over time.

Thanks again, OSW.

 

[onesixthwarrior]

Thanks for the information about the Phicen website, Warrior. It's reassuring they answered your comment. I'm also glad they will continue to improve these bodies- I think they're a milestone in figure design. I agree with your comment about collecting- I have 1 each of the pale and tan versions of the first Phicens made under the Tiger Brothers brand - it's fun to see them next to these latest bodies, and show how far seamless bodies have developed.

 

[doodlehobby]

onesixthwarrior, do you notice a dark greyish colour when you bend the elbows all the way? It's not the paint blush, but I can see the metal behind the skin on mine. Wonder if the skin is too thin making it show more predominantly?

I'll have to check the tan one and see if that has the same issue.

 

[onesixthwarrior]

Yes, the skeleton does tend to show through when the elbow is bent all the way. I think this is normal; at least all of my earlier ones (with plastic skeletons) do this as well. It's part of the design, I think. The skin needs to have a certain amount of stretch in the extremes of motion to relieve stress on the joint.

 

[Torsis]

Thanks for the rewiew. One question: is the skin the same material like the V4 version? I planed to paint the skin.

 

[pzrwest]

Ouch that picture of her doing a split must have hurt

 

[onesixthwarrior]

Torsis, yes, the skin material seems to be the same as that used on the v.4 body. Are you going to paint the entire body or just "blush" it?

pzrwest, actually, the splits are not a big deal for this limber lady! My other Phicens would never attempt this, though. Seriously, this body can pose like this without any stress on the hip portion of the skeleton. Moving the hips like this on any previous Phicen has always been a nerve wracking process for me.

 

[edwick]

Torsis, yes, the skin material seems to be the same as that used on the v.4 body. Are you going to paint the entire body or just "blush" it?

If Torsis' past work is any indication, it'll be a full-body paint. Check out his Star Wars sculpts for Really Amazing Things You Can Do With a Phicen Body.

pzrwest, actually, the splits are not a big deal for this limber lady! My other Phicens would never attempt this, though.

Sideways splits are not too difficult on the older bodies if you can get over the fear of manipulating the hips (and believe me, I totally understand that this is a really big fear to get over). I don't think you can do the front-to-back split this figure is doing on the older Phicen figures (even the 4.0s) because the legs tend to start doing really weird things at the extremes. Never tried, to be honest, but from the times I've nearly bent one in half, I don't think it'd look half as good as these new bodies do.

 

[spidey624]

I'm enjoying mine


Sorry for the lack of decent props and background





The possibility and durability of this design is off the charts IMO
granted the skin tone isn't this dark in person

 

[Warrior49]

Spidey, thanks a lot for the pictures. After reading this whole thread, I'm ordering one!

 

[onesixthwarrior]

Edwick, thanks for the additional info. My main problem with the earlier Phicens' hips is getting them back to a straight standing position after I move them sideways. The force required seems to cause the axle or pin of the hip joint to flex.

You're going to really enjoy these steel skeleton ones!

Spidey, great poses! I really like the head sculpt of your tan one- thanks for posting these photos! I find that there is a lot of subtle contouring on this body, that is brought out with the right kind of side-lighting. Some people may have dismissed it as simply a "skinny" body based on earlier photos with flat lighting.

 

[spidey624]

Edwick, thanks for the additional info. My main problem with the earlier Phicens' hips is getting them back to a straight standing position after I move them sideways. The force required seems to cause the axle or pin of the hip joint to flex.

You're going to really enjoy these steel skeleton ones!

Spidey, great poses! I really like the head sculpt of your tan one- thanks for posting these photos! I find that there is a lot of subtle contouring on this body, that is brought out with the right kind of side-lighting. Some people may have dismissed it as simply a "skinny" body based on earlier photos with flat lighting.

It's all in the positioning IMO this frame could come off as a thinner frame but the texture in the skin makes up for it IMO. The tone and armature of the frame really makes up for it, at least to me.

Just simple change in gesturing gives the figure depth

 

[onesixthwarrior]

Okay, you've convinced me, I'm going to have to get a tan one now!