Posted: 03.07.2024
REVIEW:
Kiana Kaslana, Void Drifter
Apex ARCTECH 1/8 scale articulated figure
White Comet, Herrscher of Flamescion, Valkyrie Ranger, Void Drifter, Herrscher of Finality, Knight Moonbeam, K-423, Herrscher of the Void, the main protagonist of Honkai Impact 3rd... she's known by many names.
Kiana Kaslana was the frontwoman of Honkai Impact 3rd (HI3) for the past 7 years, only recently getting demoted to 'moon gremlin' and passing the torch to yet another self-insert MC in v7.2.
If you play this game, you are probably also familiar with hit feelings such as: sadness, anger, frustration, worse sadness, and disappointment. Also: seldom happiness. Maybe a bit lighter in the pockets, too. I feel for you.
I've been playing HI3 for over 3 years and hope to one day be released of Hoyo's grasp. In the meantime, let's see if Apex's Void Drifter is any good!
Overview
First posable Kiana!
2024 holds the 7th anniversary for Honkai Impact 3rd. An articulated Kiana Kaslana figure has been long overdue (Winter Princess Nendo doesn't count).
Incredible sculpt
Kiana's heterochromatic look has been replicated with great precision. The sculpt and paint work here are exceptional.
Box & Packaging
H U G E
Seriously, tho. This box is gigantic.
It makes sense, as Kiana is about 7.8" tall, but the sheer depth of the box is wild. It's deep. Sea of Quanta deep, with tons of fun goodies packed inside this massive crate.
Apex went all out with protective materials inside the box. Kiana had plastic and foam bumpers underneath her body to support the weight of her massive hairdo. Individual plastic sleeves over each strand of hair, in between joints, and around parts of her outfit: all to prevent paint transfer while in transit. All small accessories were taped down into their slots and nothing was free-floating in there.
The packaging looks good, feels premium, and does a damn good job at keeping Kiana in one piece. I ordered this figure direct from China and waited over 3 weeks for delivery. With the amount of time this figure spent being handled and thrown about, I'm thankful for Apex's protective measures.
Accessories
What’s in the (supply) box?
That's a lot of plastic.
Weapons, hands, faces, ramen, an acrylic stand, & more!
Hands
Trigger grips
Fists
Open palms
Grips
4 different hand styles for you to choose from and they're all pretty good. Paint is decent enough for hands. They are a bit difficult to get on and off, especially if they haven't been used in a while.
I sanded the holes on each hand with a round metal file. Made a huge difference when swapping hands.
Faceplates
Being the mascot and poster child of HI3, Kiana deservedly gets an assortment of fun faces to choose from.
The eyes on all 4 faces are vibrant and super clean.
I'm just not a fan of the open mouth face. There's just something off about it. It's not Kiana.
Stands
Massive stand energy. This hunkin chunk of clear plastic is ready to hold Kiana upright during the next impact.
And there's a second stand! This small modular stand is for the super long and cumbersome lance. The stand ships still on the sprues, allowing you to change the size to your specification.
The smaller stand is a requirement when using the lance. The weight of this monster requires extra support. Do not attempt to display her and the lance without it.
The stand doubles as a storage container. You do not need the deep base for the stand to be usable.
All of Kiana's option parts can be stored safely inside, although a bit unpleasant to look at.
Weapons
Kiana's signature lance is gigantic, perfectly sculpted, and has a good amount of heft to it.
The lance comes apart at the middle for easy storage.
Void Drifter's signature guns, ARC Serratus. Cheaper to buy these tiny ones than try to get them in game.
The detail and paintwork on these pistols is impressive. These were clearly sculpted by someone passionate about HI3 (or at least passionate about being accurate to source material).
And more!
Kiana's gift. It's been so long since I've played these earlier chapters of HI3, I really don't remember what it is. Looks great, tho!
Fu Hua's feather! Surprisingly sharp sculpt for a piece so small.
Really impressive miniature instant ramen. The Honkai Impact 3rd logo is emblazoned across the lid.
I was not expecting this double layer acrylic stand. I'm not one to typically collect this kind of stuff, but it looks and feels premium and I enjoy having it. It's currently on display next to Kiana herself.
Paint and sculpt
The attention to detail on this figure is off the charts!
If you believe photos speak 1000 words, here's 9000 characters to show you what I mean:
Those elements are sharp! Crisp! Clean!
The subtle shading on Kiana's knees, elbows, and hair, coupled with the vibrant and clean line work on her outfit, the mix of matte and gloss finishes, and the brown sheer underlayer on her back and sides: we have a figure that was clearly crafted with love and care. Kiana has been given the royal treatment. Whoever is responsible for the sculpt and the paint master of this figure deserve a raise.
Articulation
OK, here we go. I have had nothing but positive things to say so far, but Kiana's articulation kinda sucks.
Sometimes you play with a figure. You hold it, pose it, and you can just feel that it was sculpted in an A pose or a T pose. The figure only looks right in neutral poses. Kiana's like that.
Moving her out of neutral poses makes Kiana look unnatural. Rigid. Robotic. Dynamic poses are hard to create.
But it's not all bad. The jacket, skirt, and belt are made of very flexible materials that bend away effortlessly. The jacket sleeves are connected by rings to the shoulder joints and can swivel around freely.
Kiana's elbows and knees have lots of range to them and the strands of her hair are individually jointed! You can pull the strands down to adjust the positioning, and push it back up when you're done to hide the joint. Impressive engineering all around.
The joints themselves all feel great. They're tight, smooth, and hold her poses well. It's just difficult to get her into good poses. Thigh swivels may have helped. Maybe I'm just not used to figures of this size. Nah, can't be me. She's average at best.
Props where props are due: Kiana's elbows are nuts. Insane angles to be had here.
You can drop her hips down a little bit but she has a tendancy to split if you push too far.
Conclusion
Give in to the void?
Void Drifter was added to the game 5 years ago and she's been powercreeped to heck. This is such an interesting choice when deciding on which Kiana to finally make.
But yeah, whatever, I'll take it.
A Kiana's a Kiana. If this is the closest we're gonna get to actual Valkyrie Ranger (or even White Comet)... I'll compromise. Luckily it's one of her better outfits.
Even if she ain't the easiest to pose, Kiana is still a lot of fun to play with. I found myself liking the figure more and more while I was taking these photos. Who would've thought? Playing with the toys makes you like them more.
HI3 may not be as big as Genshin Impact or Honkai Star Rail, but it is a very successful game with a very passionate fanbase. Crazy how little merch there is for this game, specifically with toys and figures.
I'll wait another few years if it means I can get a great HoFi Kiana. Oh, and give me a Senti, too. PLEASE
Kiana looks great just standing about. She looks very natural with minimal posing effort.
Simple poses are king. Forever may they reign.
She doesn't care that you freed her from the cardboard and plastic prison. You will not be spared.
Save yourself from the Honkai! Read another review.