Nendoroid Belle (Beauty and the Beast) - Unboxing and Review

It's still lazy days as the new year slowly crawls into its second week. Hobby/art projects lay ignored as the inertia build up over the holiday period refuses to release its hold on me. This languid pace is deceptive though as I know it won't be long before time starts to pass me by. Soon I'll be staring 2019 in the face and wondering why barely a dent was made on an ever increasing stash of miniatures and model kits. So it's ironic I'm starting 2018 with a review of a new kit but it's special in that it was a gift to the missus from my son and me. I present to you Nendoroid Belle from Good Smile Company.

Good Smile Company's Nendoroid Series #755: Belle (from Disney's Beauty and the Beast)

Front angled view of the still-in-the-box Nendoroid Belle

Back angled view of the still-in-the-box Nendoroid Belle

Photos at the back of the box show off Belle's many possible poses

Belle is figure #755 in the series but as I write this the latest Nendoroid comes in at #802  

Box-art for Nendoroid Belle was well thought out and looked nice

This is no ordinary anime figure. Made from ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) and PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), figurines from the Nendoroid series come with interchangeable parts which allow them to be posed in different ways with alternative expressions. Design-wise Nendoroids resemble chibi-style characters i.e. a super deformed art style that pairs a large head with a smaller body. In Belle's case, there are three primary points of articulation - her head/neck and both arms. And when combined with her various parts, there are a lot of cute poses you could do with Belle.

Encased in firm plastic packaging, Belle and her accessories were adequately protected from damage

Getting the Beast in colored 2D form wasn't ideal but certainly better than nothing

Instructions for assembly are included but aren't really needed

Belle with her interchangeable parts and accessories

One thing that leapt out of the box at me was how truly gorgeous Belle's colours were, especially her hair. Of course as miniature painters we can generally always find a way to improve on a paint job. Specifically, Belle's gown would've looked much better with some tonal variation to its yellow hues. But I wasn't the least bit tempted to repaint Nendoroid Belle as I found her colours to be excellent straight out of the box. Moreover as a collector item she is best preserved in her original colours.    

Staring off to the distance, Belles dreams of a night of ballroom dancing

Belle's hair is gorgeously coloured with subtle variations in the brown hues to denote volume

Chip (left) and Mrs. Potts (right) are the only characters to accompany Belle in 3D form

Purplish hues on Mrs. Potts and Chip contrast well against Belle's yellow gown

Getting Belle into her different poses and facial expressions was easy and intuitive. Although she came with a set of instructions, it wasn't really needed at all. I did notice a spare neck joint was provided so ostensibly that joint will break if rough handled. While the parts feel strong with enough flexibility in them to withstand repeated handling, it wouldn't hurt to treat the parts with care as you assemble and disassemble them to fix Belle in her myriad of poses.   

Nendoroid Belle comes with two different facial expressions

Belle's arms, head and parts of her dress can be detached

What would a Belle figurine be without that famous ballroom scene. Unfortunately that would require a Nendoroid Beast figurine and one doesn't exist to the best of my knowledge. There is, however, a 2D colored printout of Beast on a clear sheet included as an accessory. While not exactly an ideal way of recreating that iconic ballroom scene, the clear sheet version of Beast did do enough for some pretty nice camera shots to be taken. Three dimensional characters that Good Smile Company did include together with Belle were Mrs. Potts and Chip. Both cute and good choices! 

Tale as old as time ...

... song as old as rhyme ...

... Beauty and the Beast

Sugary sweet as Belle should be

And wait there's more! Two wonderful little accessories provide Belle with even more posing possibilities. These are her vanity hand mirror as well as the enchanted rose and its 'glass' container. Shown below are just some of my favourite shots although the interchangeability and articulation of her head and arms means there are many ways you could go about posing her with the accessories.

Now who could Belle be looking at through her little vanity mirror ...

... well, it's Belle's beau the Beast of course

The Enchanted Rose is encased in a clear plastic part which looks good enough to pass off as glass  

Belle can also be posed to hold on to the Enchanted Rose

Also included in the set was a plastic base for displaying Belle. I can see how this base would be extremely useful if the Nendoroid figure had small deformed legs and couldn't stand on its own (as most seemingly are). Belle is unique in that her ballroom gown becomes a base by itself and she can stand perfectly well without any aid from the said plastic base.

While the stand is sturdy and of good quality, I never did find a use for it when posing Belle

Packaging artwork does double duty and can be used as the background during photography

A Disney princess isn't complete unless she is next to a castle

Belle is my wife's favourite Disney Princess. So it was a no-brainer to get this figurine the moment I laid eyes on it. Would I get another Nendoroid seeing how much the missus loved this one? Yes! I already have one in mind (of a super-heroine character) but I can't reveal it as yet because most online sites have stopped taking pre-orders for this particular future release. Remember Lady Inertia? Well, she's bearing down on me even as I finish this post. Must .. get ... hold ... of ... a brush ... and ... some paints. Must ... hey whaddya know, the latest episode of Big Bang Theory is on TV now.