Sheryl Nome (Final Concert Dress)

I got the whole prize set from Angolz.

Sheryl Nome (Final Concert Dress) here is from the Banpresto produced prize items for Macross Frontier. Ichiban KUJI Premium Macross Frontier is/was sold in convenience stores across Japan as a lottery. Customers buy a 800 YEN ticket you pull from a blind box with a letter on it telling you which item you have won. It's completely random on what your end up with for your hard earned YEN. Available in the set of Premium goods are...

• A. Klan Klang (Melatrandi Pilot) 25cm tall
• B. Sheryl Nome (Finale Concert Dress) 22cm tall
• C. Ranka Lee (Kira Pose) 20cm tall
• D. Nyan Nyan Bowl
• E. Sport Towel Set (Monster Girl, VF-25, Kabuki Alto)
• F. Super Deformed Character Figure Set (Ranka, Sheryl, Klan, Alto)
• G. Super Deformed Mecha Set (VF-25F Alto Battroid, VF-25S Ozma Armored Gerwalk, VF-27 Brera Battroid, Klan Queadluun-Ray, Raramia Queadluun Ray)

This is prize item B and along with Klan and Ranka is the most popular and difficult to get of all the prize items...

Sheryl Nome is Macross Frontier's Lynn Minmay mixed with a a bit of Sharon Apple for good measure. She's the pop-star made Superstar in the series; confident, beautiful, sensual and talented she is also the “third wheel” in the classic love triangle that the Macross franchise is known for (it's a theme they repeat thru all of the Macross spin-offs). You see she and Ranka both are after the affections and attention of our main character, Alto Saotome.

Sheryl's concert scenes are pretty spectacular and with laser holography she changes her costumes in the blink of an eye. So Sheryl is the perfect character for the fixed pose statue category as theres at least a dozen outfits to do her up in before defaulting to maid and swimsuit costumes.

Well in true Macross fashion; the big, final battle revolves around the songs of both Ranka and Sheryl and this is Sheryl in her final concert dress.

Banpresto choose wisely though and went for a great outfit and capturing a pivotal moment in the Macross Frontier. I bought her thinking about my collection in a year and how good this will look next to my Alto Messiah and the upcoming Macross Quarter. I'm glad I did as she is most certainly an Otaku favorite and already difficult to get your hands on.

The package for this prize item is a Shadowbox with windows on the front and sides. Photos of the statue decorate the back while Triangles decorate the inside behind the figure in the box.

The box sports a hefty die-cut handle so you can carry your newly obtained Sheryl on the train during rush hour with ease. That's just sooo Japanese.

Assembly is straightforward. Sheryl does come in three pieces; her top half, her skirt and her bottom half are all wrapped in cellophane. Remove the cellophane reattach the parts and attach her to the supplied base (an S for the S.M.S. logo) and your done.

Like I've said with the other two gals from this lineup - Technically you could have pulled a 800 YEN ticket with the letter B on your first try. Which means you could go home with this piece for the equivalent of $8.00 to $10.00 US which, in my opinion, is a steal.

Paint and sculpt detail is top-notch, easily on par with an $80 to $100 release. Everything is flawless on this release with painted detail for Sheryl's bodice, skin and hair are done in all flat colors and the microphone and skirt in glossy. The skirt and microphone also have gold sparkles mixed into the top coat giving the “Galactic Fairy” her signature shine and sparkle.

Unlike other releases you can “cast-off” Sheryl's skirt.

I don't know if the "cast-off" was intentional or not but at least she has pretty panties. You dirty pervs (wait... I took that picture... !)

So each of the ladies in this trio have a base that makes up 1/3 of the S.M.S. logo.

So when you arrange them correctly they not only make the S.M.S. logo they look beautifully arranged.` A very nicely thought out touch.

So the reality that your getting this for $8.00 to $10.00 is pretty slim, especially considering how popular the Galactic Fairy is. But keep in mind you could of...

Average after-market price on this piece is $100 and even at that price is a steal so grab one while you can my fellow Macross Frontier fans. Well sculpted, beautifully detailed and solid contribute to an item that feels far more expensive than it was. Because this was an extraordinarily limited run prices are bound to triple as time goes on and you will kick yourself later for not scooping one up while you could.

I got Sheryl as part of the full set thru Angolz but sadly she sold out almost as soon as she arrived in their store... I told you the Otaku love her. :)