[Cronic / クロニック] Christmas 2008

As 2008 wound to a close, Cronic [クロニック] surprised fans with a lucky bag release at the winter Hobby Complex. I believe the deal was that for 10,000 yen, you would receive one fight-size figure (Zyuraiasu, Maverasu or Tripasu) and two small-size figures (Dorome, Dorogami, Ankoron or Nougaki). I’ve never seen one of these bags opened- and I wasn’t even really aware they were released- so I was both intrigued and confused when I saw a “Cronic Xmas Lucky Bag 2008” up for sale.

Ankoron [アンコロン] was one of my small-size figures. Nice finish on this one; something like vintage lacquerware. Cronic was never really known for paint washes, so it’s interesting to see him execute this effect.

Nougaki [ノウガキ] was my second small-size figure. I really like this one. When you hold it up to the light, it looks like it was probably painted over the clear green version from the prior San Diego Comic Convention. The color fade from bronze to silver on the paint wash is unusual to see; I wonder how you would execute something like that.

Finally, Tripasu [トライパス] rounded out the bag as my fight-size figure. Yeah. Ankoron, Nougaki and Tripasu. I’ll bet the prior owner wasn’t exactly fighting people off when he opened this one. Still, I’ve never owned a Tripasu before and the arrangement of warm color tones sets it apart from other versions. A dusky cinnabar red and metallic aquamarine are weird, weird choices that work surprisingly well together. Paint application is precise and there is a lot of detail to admire on this figure. I’ve always had a mental prejudice against the 2007-08 Cronic figures due to a perceived reliance on various combinations of metallic paint colors. But I like this Tripasu a lot, so perhaps it is time to rethink my position. 2008 marked the end, more or less, of normal production Cronic figures. To me, that adds a special bit of nostalgia to this set of lucky bag figures, although they are a beautiful set on their own.