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Figure Unboxing and Review: Saber Lily (Alphamax)

Sunday, December 3, 2017 / No Comments

I am not a huge fan of the Fate series though I have been watching the shows. However, when I saw that my friend purchased a Saber Lily figure, I knew that I had to review it! Do note that this isn't the most popular Saber Lily figures out in the market though I feel that it could pass as one of the better ones.

Packaging

Lily's box shows her front view and with a large round window that showcases the whole figure easily. While I find this figure quite pretty, one of the shortcomings would be that this figure is sitting down which makes her height so much shorter than the other figures. Her base is also much larger despite her shorter height.

The sides of her box has windows although they do not show very much due to their position.

The back of her box also shows her front and back views, which are also show on both of the side panels. I wish that they had more variations on what the angles which they depict this figure at. Currently, it seems that they just keep featuring the same two images over and over again all around the box.

The top of the box (image below) features a star and some small windows as part of the design. This pattern makes it look like a summoning circle, which might be exactly what they are going for.

The blister is sturdy and you can see that it comes with little accessories, which is basically just the figure, base and her sword, Excalibur.

Base

The star symbol on the base is reminiscent of the pattern you see on the top of the box. This base is basically covered when you place Lily on the base so be sure to appreciate it well before placing the figure on it.

Do note that there are no pegs to put Lily on it due to her sitting pose, which keeps her stable on the base. But that also means that she might slide off the base when moving her around so do be careful.

Figure

Before going into the figure itself I would like to first like to talk about Excalibur. There's all these different colors (blue and brown) and the gold helps to bring out all the different aspects of the the sword. The different streaks of gold that's sculpted and painted on to the figure adds a splash of color as well as some extra textures.

One nice thing about Saber Lily is that she has a different hairstyle from the usual Saber. In this figure, you can see that the hair parts are really sculpted very intricately, with all the individual pieces.

From the back, you can also see that the ribbon has a lot of creases which make it look soft. How the material loops around also helps to add a feel of dimension. Also, the dark color against her blond hair also helps it pop.

It is also obvious that the shoulder blades are well sculpted, which is an additional positive point for this figure which has a the back exposed. Adequate creases are in hter outfit, creating the beautiful swirl effect of her dress around the base.

The creases are even more apparent when you look at the white piece under her dress. The gradient from white to darker brown is also a very huge gap between itself and the pure white piece underneath. The loose outfit around her upper arms gives a different effect compared to the tightness around her waist.

In addition, the small black ribbon at the top of the loose arm covers are really cute as well!

Sorry for the bad lighting in this image.

However, I would like to use this image to highlight the blue tint in Saber's gloves, neck collar and stockings. These help to add a new shade of white to the figure, making it look like there are subtle differences in color despite the main color being white.

Lily's outfit also has a lot of black lines running through it and I think that it is amazing that Alphamax made sure that there are no paint spills onto the white outfit. Given the age of this figure (got it via preowned), it is amazing that Alphamax had such high standards back then already.

~ Reina-rin

Figure Unboxing and Review: Nia Teppelin (Myethos)

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Nia Teppelin is probably one of the main few characters in Gurren Lagann and I say probably because I haven't watched it. Despite so, I know that many of you know that I would just buy her because she's in a wedding dress and I have a soft spot for figures in this theme.

In fact I bought her from Amiami during my trip there this July and she was approximately 9,000 yen. But of course, that is a story for another time. For now, let's focus on reviewing this lovely figure!

Packaging

Nia's box is one of the better ones, not only because it is pretty but also because it is extremely sturdy. The whole box is made of cardboard and that really helps it to keep the figure safe during transport since the figure itself is quite heavy.

I like how there are windows for the box, allowing us to be able to appreciate the figure before actually unboxing her, as well as cardboard lining the windows as well. These serve as part of the design as well as making the window less flimsy.

The other sides of the box matches the design in the front but has a lot more roses to bring out a feminine and elegant feel to the figure itself.

I appreciate how the bottom of the box showcases some designs as well. There are many figures lately that just ignore the whole bottom of the box, choosing to leave it void of designs and just paste copyrights and warnings there. Though some may find this unnecessary, I find it nice that Myethos would take this extra step.

The top of the box features the roof of the building this scene is probably constructed in. If I haven't mentioned that I love this pink shade Myethos used, I'm highlighting this point now.

The inside of the box is really pretty also and we see roses printed on the bottom and falling petals at the side. The only downside is that the glue at the front window is really obvious. However, you will never see it in your display even if you choose to display Nia still in the box so this isn't a crucial point to note.

Base

Base is a simple red circle on this black round disc. The material for the red felt is similar to that of a red carpet, making it seem like a scene out of a real chapel. However, this base is really compact after placing her on it (image below).

I hoped that Myethos could have made it wider or added some twist to it such as Nia going up a flight of stairs, etc. However I am not familiar enough with the source material to know if this would take away any aspect of the figure.

Figure

As usual, let's start with a 360 of the figure.

From this series of pictures, it is already very obvious that the wedding dress which she is wearing is really very detailed and despite being simple (no wind billowing the dress out), all the creases make the wedding dress sufficiently dynamic.

The slightly melancholic atmosphere Nia's expression gives is also one of the aspects commonly praised by fans of the series.

Now, let's look at the following few aspects which I really like about this figure.

Firstly, the bouquet. As you can see, there isn't much shading for the flowers but there are two different shades (pink and red) as well as leaves.This makes the bouquet look simple and yet elegant, while not too distracting from the otherwise mainly white figure.

I used to think that it would be better if the red and pink flowers alternated, but now the half-half combination has really grown on me.

Another aspect that I like is that they added accessories to her neckline. While that helps to add color to the figure, this is also a point which I dislike because the gold lining looks very flat and unimpressive. I felt that it would be better if Myethos invested more effort to make these accessories more realistic.

Another point I like is the choice of color that they used to shade the dress. Most Nendoroids and other white-based clothes typically use blue for shading but I feel that this pinkish hue which Myethos chose really suits the figure very well.

Something that really stands out about this figure is the intricate designs which they include (but most of them don't really stand out at first glance). For instance, the zig-zag cutting at the hem of Nia's gloves is a really nice touch. In addition, there are also patterns at the ends of the gloves.

The rose patterns at the back of her dress adds a fine touch and is part of the reason why I really like the back view of this figure. The shading at her back and shoulder blades bring out the main parts of the ideal body shape for a wedding dress.

Ignoring the hair seam, I like the row of roses lining her ponytail. In fact, this helps to determine whether you'll like to display her with her veil or not. I'll like to give another shot of Nia without her veil first.

The right translucent material on the right is the veil and you can see some pink parts at the end of it. This is where you slide it onto her head. The full band of roses on the left is what you have been seeing on Nia's ponytail for the previous two images.

To put the veil on, simply slide the band of roses already in place off and put the band attached to the veil on. There is a peg at the side of her head as well as an indent all across the top of her head which you can slide the band into place

The veil should be covering her ponytail. As it isn't PVC, you can arrange it however you like until you achieve the look you are going for. Below are several shots of her with the veil.

Warning: The next image is NSFW.

From the bottom you can see that Nia is also wearing white stockings and garters and there is a gradient, where it is darker at her ankles.

Unfortunately, the bottom of her heels are completely smooth. As Nia balances on her skirt, I guess it is inevitable that Myethos did not find it necessary to invest in sculpting the bottom of her heels realistically.

~ Reina-rin

Figure Unboxing and Review: Nendoroid Matsumae Ohana

Saturday, December 2, 2017 / No Comments

This Nendoroid is one of the classics and have been evading me for the longest time. It didn't rise crazily in price like many of the other Nendoroids I have been looking for have been, but I just always fail to order her whenever she comes into the preowned section.

Fortunately, I managed to grab one from Mandarake when I was in Japan for holiday a couple of months ago. I was prepared for all the plasticizer and stuff since she has been labelled as unopened (and this figure is really old!) but what was unexpected was that her neck joint broke.

As you may know, she is part of the older line and that means they have the joint stuck to the faceplate and you couldn't just poke it out like the newer Nendoroids. This mishap put me back from my posting schedule a few weeks and I damaged one of her body (the body I bought her for =.=) so I guess Ill have to look for another copy of this Nendoroid. Meanwhile, that's enough of my rambling and let's get started with the review already!

People tend to say that the older Nendoroids had more expressive boxes and I'm obliged to agree because this box really suits Ohana and while it has the same feel with the window and Nendoroid number and name in the same place as all the older Nendoroids, the pink flowery background really makes this seem like a box specially made for Ohana.

The back of the box has her in some of the poses you can put the Nendoroid in and showcases some unique parts she comes with, such as the bondage body and gag as well as the tools she uses while on her job in the inn! There really is a whole range of items in this Nendoroid, while does make the purchase worth it.

Right up we have the blister shot to showcase everything she comes with. Three face plates, an extra body (with kneeling parts), the gag, ryokan equipment and last but not least, our bird friend.

Bird friend has a blue to white gradient and can actually stand on his own. Other than that, he just looks usually hyper, which is alright if you are going with the official pose where he is building rapport with Ohana. But alone... well Bird friend just looks slightly insane.

But putting that aside, this is one of the additions in the Nendoroid, so let's take a few shots of him before moving on to the figure itself!

Ohana is a girl who always does her best and seeing her smiling and finally enjoying her job always makes me happy. This Nendoroid makes me remember this feeling again (thank you good smile).

First up is her default smiling faceplate.

We can see that they kept her curly hair as best as they can in Nendoroid form and it actually looks very cute. The flower shaped hairpins which are part of her style and trademark are clipped on as well. She is also in her working attire and we see that although it looks simple, it comes with many details that makes it worth it, such as the folds at her sleeve where it's bunched up and the ribbon at her waist. The red cloth around her hips have adequate creases as well.

The back of the figure also keeps the creases realistic and comes with more ribbons and the sash to keep up the sleeves. I like that they kept all the elements of her working attire on point and detailed even when shrunk to a 10cm figure.

Even the pin at her chest is there too! And it isn't very clear in this photograph but it has all the flower ornaments on the pin in the sculpt as well.

The next part of this Nendoroid which I want to point out is the alternate body as this is one of a kind in the Nendoroid world as well. This features a comedic scene where she was kidnapped in the series and this looks hilarious with the angry face with and without the gag. I feel that the light blush on the Nendoroid's face makes it even funnier.

Apart from all the bindings around her front, the back also has more bindings. These arms are removable and can be used wit the other body part too, but due to the placement of her sleeves, these hands would only work if her arms are held behind her back.

After sliding the arms into place, then you will put the red thread over her wrists to make it look like she's all tied up.

And just like what I mentioned before, even with the gag in place, she still looks pretty hilarious.

Next up are a few images to show Ohana at work with carrying the trays and using the broom. Enjoy!