While there’s no questioning that Attack on Titan is one of the most successful anime of the past several years, there’s still room for debate about the series’ giant monsters themselves. Sure, the titans stand 60 meters (197 feet) tall and are out to eat all of mankind. At the same time, though, they’re naked, often disheveled, and occasionally of pudgy build. Sometimes they look downright comical, even becoming the inspiration for lighthearted merchandise and cosplay.
So which is it? Are the titans supposed to be terrifying or silly?
After taking a look at this new Attack on Titan model, we’re going to have to put one more mark in the latter column.
Model designer Ryu Oyama released a series of pictures of his recently finished Attack on Titan bust though his Twitter account, and it’d be an eye-catching design even if the animated series wasn’t one of the hottest in the world right now. The amount of detail on the model of Titan Eren is amazing. As one of the series’ fitter giants, we can see the muscles of the rampaging character’s chest, shoulders, and neck all taut with savage tension.
The paintwork on the creature’s blood vessels is subtle enough to miss at first glance, but once you notice them, they unmistakably hammer home its bestial ferocity. The effect comes courtesy of Oyama’s intricate multi-layered five-step painting process.
Even the base of the figure shows an exquisite level of craftsmanship, with the muscles of the titan’s abdomen and lower back blending in to the crumbling stone of the pillar from which it’s emerging.
The bust isn’t available in stores, but Oyama will be offering it at the upcoming Wonder Festival model expo on February 9 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture (the very same event that features a fully functional robot suit). At 10,000 yen (US$97) the figure isn’t cheap, but due to its extremely limited quantity of just 30 units available, and considering how quickly the last limited edition Attack on Titan figure we talked about sold out, you might not want to waste too long deciding whether or not to pull the trigger on this one.
Sources: IT Media, Ryu Oyama Twitter account
Images: Twitter