The Nishimura Style Drawing Doll was born from Kenji Nishimura's idea of the ideal drawing doll. To him, the ideal drawing doll would appear natural in any pose, allowing for a clearer understanding and easier illustration of the human body.
While the doll features realistic sculpting and a wide range of articulation, the range of motion beyond the human body has been intentionally limited, allowing anyone who uses it achieve a natural pose easily.
Kenji Nishimura
Graphic designer
Art academy part-time lecturer
Carefully planned the doll's range of articulation, and designed the Nishimura Style Drawing Doll with the goal of creating a doll that is able to sit with a traditional Japanese sitting pose (seiza). Instructor at a vocational school teaching Fusion, the 3D CAD software he studied in order to create figures.
Kenji Nishimura
Graphic designer
Art academy part-time lecturer
Carefully planned the doll's range of articulation, and designed the Nishimura Style Drawing Doll with the goal of creating a doll that is able to sit with a traditional Japanese sitting pose (seiza). Instructor at a vocational school teaching Fusion, the 3D CAD software he studied in order to create figures.
Knees
The knees feature a double-jointed gear structure. In order to accurately reproduce the movement of the knees during flexion and extension, the doll has been designed with optimal gear ratios. Thigh and shin parts bend and shift naturally in accordance with knee movement and bending.span (Patent pending)
Shoulders
Just like the knees, the shoulder and trapezius muscles are also equipped with gear parts. When raised and lowered, the trapezius muscles and shoulder blades work together to recreate the complex movement of the human shoulder.
Thighs
The thighs are made of soft material, allowing for the faithful recreation of the flattening of the back of the thighs during movement while maintaining articulation.
Hands
The hand part joints have been designed to mimic human ones as much as possible, making a close recreation of human hand movement possible.
Posterior
The posterior area is spring-loaded, allowing for a constantly natural shape. The shape alters accordingly with leg movements as well.
Accessories
An articulated support stand is included for aiding with dynamic action poses. Items such as a chair, smartphone and various hand parts are also included for recreating everyday situations.
Akiman
Akiman
I've used many drawing mannequins over the years, but they always felt lacking in some decisive way—often with proportions like overly long legs. In contrast, the Nishimura Style Drawing Doll has a realistic overall balance, and the moment I handled it, I could immediately tell it was different.
I was particularly impressed by the way the legs naturally angle inward. It allows for poses such as contrapposto, crossed legs, traditional Japanese sitting pose (seiza), or even sitting cross-legged, all without strain. These are movements that would be nearly impossible with rigid mannequins made of harder materials.
The size is also well considered. Unlike larger mannequins, perspective distortion is less likely to become exaggerated in photographs. Given today’s illustration workflow, where photo reference is often essential, I felt this doll is exceptionally well suited to the modern drawing environment.
profile
Akiman is a highly acclaimed illustrator and designer known for his work in character and mecha design across a wide range of media. He has maintained a close creative relationship with Max Factory, beginning with Overman King Gainer and continuing through numerous collaborations. His major works include "Street Fighter II", "Turn A Gundam", "Code Geass", and "Gundam Reconguista in G", among others.
https://x.com/akiman7
Good Smile Company Online Store Preorder Period
26th February 2026 (Thu) to 8th April 2026 (Wed) 23:59 JST
Preorder on the Good Smile Company Online StoreProduct Details
- Product Name
- Nishimura Style Drawing Doll Olive Gray/Flesh
- Specifications
- Painted plastic non-scale articulated figure with stand included. Approximately 205mm in height.
- Contents
- Main body, interchangeable hand parts (10 pieces), articulated support stand, chair, smartphone, carrying case
- Price
- ¥9,900 (After Tax)
- Release Date
- 2026/9
- Prototype
- Kenji Nishimura
- Manufacturer
- Max Factory
- Distributed by
- Good Smile Company
AF_KURO
AF_KURO
When I saw the actual prototype at DESIGN FESTA, I was blown away by the concept and the meticulous engineering. Without missing a beat, I turned to Max Factory and said, “Any chance we could somehow turn this into a product…?” — and they actually made it happen!
Thank you so much! And more than anything, congratulations!
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AF_KURO is an artist and designer whose work is deeply influenced by industrial design, science fiction, and automotive and motorcycle culture. Active across character design, mechanical design, and illustration, their distinctive style blends hard-edged machinery with expressive character aesthetics.
https://x.com/llcabR18As an independent creator, AF_KURO is the mind behind the original illustration project "SHOJO-HATSUDOKI", a high-octane series built around the theme of internal combustion engines × cyborgs × street racers. Figures based on the series are currently being released by Max Factory.