[SCM-Appendix] Virgo Shaka - Review, Photoshoot

Well one thing that can be said for sure about this appendix is that it was the most expected of all four. That is not particularily a surprise. Let's see what improvements this brought to one of the mightiest Gold Saints.

Release Date: March 2007

Box Contents:

• 1 face with open eyes (with detachable front uncovered hair)
  
• 1 face with closed eyes (with detachable front flattened hair to fit the helmet)
  
• 1 new helmet
• 1 hairstyle to be fitted with the helmet
• 1 hairstyle to be left uncovered
• 1 neck extention
• 1 torso + neck
• 1 chest cloth part (in 2 parts front and back)
  
• 2 shoulder cloth parts (left and right)
• 1 back cover part for the shoulder parts attachments
• 1 rosary, detachable in 3 parts
• 1 clasped hands piece (for Virgo Object)
• 1 pair of cheek parts (for Virgo Object)
• 1 pair of Wings (for Virgo Object)
• Appendix Support (in 2 parts)

Review: Well having ordered the Saint Cloth Myth at the same time as the Appendixes, I con confirm that the improvement on the looks of Shaka is staggering. Since I've only recently had it, I can't imagine what it must be for those who've owned the SCM since it first came out.

To start with, the face is the improvement. Both with closed and opened eyes, it now looks like the Character of the OVAs and the Original Anime. I particularily like the serene expression with the eyes open which is reminiscent to me of the scene in the garden under the twin sals. The hair shape and color are also a tremendous improvement. On the original one, I've always thought, based on photos, that the hair what actually made of a hard solid plastic and not the maleable plastic it is actually made of. The colour was what gave this impression, it was too glossy and to yolk-like, not like the straw blonde color of the Virgo gold saint.

Note that the shoulder parts are adaptable on the SCM. Personally I have left them on the appendix for display as I find no noticeable difference between the two. The helmet is also a huge improvement, it is now much smaller and fitted to the face, not like the previous one which reminds me of a motorbike full-face helmet... Perhaps the front ornaments are still a little on the long side but that's merely to have something to say about it.

A plus for those who buy their Cloth Myths in pair in order to display both the Cloth worn and as Object form is the extra parts to render the object in a more faithful manner. Comparative photos will be there soon when I do the review of the Saint cloth myth but for now, it suffice to say that the addition of the wings and the "cheek" parts are a great help. The glossy hands are also a good change from the original more dull hands. Still, I only got one copy of the SCM so those parts are currently still in the box ;)

One or two mitigated points are, the rosary which cannot really be reused with the myth, as it's almost impossible to cover the part that attaches to the support. It's not really an issue for me though. However, I note that the neck extention is a little bit too tall which gives almost a giraffe-like aspect to the SCM with the new head on. It is possible to fir it without the extention but then the head ends up too far into the shoulders. One solution that people have put forward was to exchange the necks of the appendix and the SCM as it looks just fine on the appendix. I've not done that myself since I can live with this little fault.

Saint Myth Code: "THE STRONGEST SOLDIER THAT GOLD SAINT FOLLOWS ATHENA" "DISMANTLING EXCHANGE BECOMES A SELF RESPONSIBILITY"
This tells us nothing new.

Photoshoot: Simple photos once again. It's not like you can give them all sorts of positions ;) Hope you enjoy them :)