Ranka Lee (Galia 4 Dress)

I got the whole prize set from Angolz.

Ranka here is from the Banpresto produced prize items for Macross Frontier. Ichiban KUJI Premium Macross Frontier is 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 C and apparently in Japan is the most sought after and difficult to get of the Ladies of Macross Frontier...

Ranka Lee is Macross Frontier's Lynn Minmay. A young lady with dreams of singing her songs for people leads her down the road of rising Pop-star. Much like Minmay's songs took away the Zentradi will to fight; Ranka's seem to passify the newest alien menace, the Vajra.

In Episode 12 (“Fastest Delivery) Sheryl arrives on Galia 4 to give a concert to the 33rd Navel/Marine Zentradi Fleet (which features Zentradi that are the spitting image of classic characters from the original series.) but falls ill. This leads some of the rowdier Zentradi to start a revolt and take Sheryl's entourage hostage, which includes Ranka's crush and our main character Alto Saotome.

So what's a young lady to do? Why, she puts on her best dress and puts on a show! The S.M.S. Slap funky disco speakers to a VF-25 and fly Ranka in to save the day with an impromptu concert! And it works like a charm.

And this is the moment Banpresto choose to capture for there statue of Ranka in their fantastic line of prize items and I think it was a good choice. Let me just say this up front, I am more a Sheryl kind of guy myself. I don't mind having a nice statue of Ranka for the Macross display but I won't be buying and reviewing multiple versions of Ranka in different swimsuits, waitress or maid outfits. Sheryl on the other hand... but I digress.

With that said this is a stunningly beautiful piece and a great embodiment of the characters signature cuteness.

The package for this prize item is a Shadowbox with windows on the front and sides. Photos of the statue decorate the back while hand drawn stars and her signature decorates the yellow background behind the figure on display in the box.

The box sports a hefty die-cut handle so you can carry your newly obtained Ranka on the train during rush hour with ease. Now that's classy.

Assembly is easy. Just attach Ranka and her pet Vajra – Ai-Kun 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 C 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 Ranka's dress and skin done in all flat colors and the microphone in glossy.

Like the other releases there are no cast off parts (and if your looking for that in a Ranka figure you need some help... .)

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 Ranka has an almost cult like status in good ol' Japan.

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. 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 Ranka as part of the full set thru Angolz but as of this article she was still available individually.