So it's no surprise that I tend to keep an eye out for Fate Figma because in general, if you miss that preorder window there's a very good chance you'll never find it again at MSRP. Of course, that means actually preordering it at a store, or in some instances, because you want that preorder bonus, through Goodsmile itself. But because I have to use the US store, well things tend to be a bit on the slooooowww side.
Sure enough, a few months after the figure hit Japan and from what I can tell, SE Asia, I finally received mine the mail. I'm finally holding in my hand my Bride Saber 2.0 figure.
Bride Saber is a variation of the Nero Claudius character, otherwise known as Red Saber.. She sort of looks like everyone's favourite Artoria Pendragon, but has a vastly different personality. Now, I didn't play the Fate/Extra CCC game, but at some point she ends up getting an alternate outfit known as the Bridal Gown of Restraint (or Bondage Bridal Gown) which changes up her look as well as fighting style. The variation was popular enough that its been featured in several games since that time, including the current Fate/Grand Order mobile game.
Speaking of games, from what I can tell the first version of this character was to buy the PSP game itself, where it came as a bundle. That cost roughly 11,000 Yen. Coincidentally, this figure ALSO costs 11,000 Yen.
From what I can remember, the contents of this figure slightly expand upon the offerings of the previous one:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 4 x Faceplates (Neutral, Worried, Gritted Teeth, and Eyes Closed (PO Bonus))
- 8 x Gripping/Posing Hands
- 1 x Single Rose Hand
- 1 x Aestus Estus
- 1 x Bouquet
- 1 x Base/Stand
Here she is, right out of the box. So if you've never seen Bride Saber before, yes, it's a very non traditional wedding dress, with zippers, clasps, and locks all over the thing. The skirt section always looks like it's been chewed by a cat, or more accurately until she reaches her 3rd Ascension form. It's quite the busy looking outfit.
Regardless of all that, it retains her trademark Ass Window, though I have to admit that the scale statues and even her base version Figma, seem to do it a better.
But how does it compare to the 1.0? This is probably the most important question on collectors minds.
The 2.0 is on the left, and the 1.0 is on the right. The 2.0 aims to capture the overall look and proportions of the character a bit more accurately. So, she's lost some height, which is canonically correct as Nero is described as being a short girl, which is also what i observed on her base version. In addition to stature change, her head is now bigger (giving her more of a "kid" look) while allowing for a larger, more expressive face. To the disappointment of some collectors, it seems that curves are no longer as pronounced. The translucent parts are now two tone rather than just frosted white. General detailing overall has been improved, The trim on her skirt is now red as opposed to the brown, and this I'm not exactly sure why.
Being built on the Figma 2.0 body, it's no surprise that the newer figure has significantly better articulation compared to the original figure.
Back to the new version, here's all the face plates. All are expressive in their own way, though none are truly cursed like I usually like'em. Because I like to flex, clearly my favourite is the pre order bonus!
Buy in all seriousness, the one with the gritted teeth is probably the most adorable out of the default faces, mostly because it reminds me of my kid when she's angry with me.
In terms of articulation, as previously mentioned, significantly improved over the previous edition. New to this figure are things you'd expect like thigh twist and improved shoulder joints for that improve range of motion.
The biggest bulk on the figure, namely the skirt, actually has greater range of motion now due to the addition of several joints allowing for better positioning. However, ultimately the bulk is still there so there's still some significant restriction on what the legs can do, though it's nowhere as bad as with figures that feature the actual Cone of Shame. Overall, you're going to have better luck replicating one of her many statue poses, as opposed to an actual battle scene.
Something I've not seen (or noticed) on any other Figma is this - a slight ab crunch/back arch joint. You don't get a complete 180 degree range out of this, but I've found that it's helpful for trying to balance the figure without the stand. Rough estimates are about 20 degrees each way, so you can get those relevant poses more accurate/dramatic. Something else I've notice on this figure that I believe is absent on other Figma is that in addition to the standard Figma 2.0 shoulder joints, Bride Saber actually has Butterfly style joints in the shoudler, which further increase the range of motion.
From a Paint Application perspective, Bride Saber was doomed to be messier as compared to most other figures. After doing quite a few models, I understand why people hate applying white paint - you need a large number of layers to ensure proper coverage, and unfortunate the layers kind of add up and can cause loss of underlying mould detailing. Another thing I've noticed on this figure is that there's a larger than typical number of masked paint apps as many details that normally might be a separately moulded piece that is glued on is now just painted.
Overall, the paint work is cleaner than what I would ever be able to do personally, but compared to other figures the finish isn't as crisp. This is very much the result of the larger than normal number of hand brushed on paint apps, which, as good as you might be, are always going to be cruder looking than anything that is airbrushed on. Further complicating the situation is the likely fact that they're painting over the already thick white paint. The sheer amount of paint masking probably didn't help matters either.
With regards to Build Quality, I didn't find any issues pertaining to tolerance issues, or problems with joints doing what they should. Those are traditionally strong points of companies like Goodsmile. What I DID notice is that the finish and assembly of some of the body parts were a bit on the crude side, with perhaps the most obvious example being the torso pieces that I did a close up of above. I mean, at least the parts aren't lop sided or anything, but it does seem much cruder than what you'd normally get from a Figma. Glued seams aren't particularly clean. Finer details don't seem to be particularly sharp. Slap layers of paint on top of bad finishes, and they'll stick out even further due to the exaggerated nature of surface height differences. While it's the worst on the torso, you can sort of see it throughout the body. Her sword, Aestus Estus, which features unpainted white plastic and smoother overall finish, came out looking like one would expect.
As a Figma goes, Bride Saber 2.0 isn't bad per se, it just has some really strange QC flubbs that kind of take the luster out of this glow up. But there's no denying that the new body proportions and engineering make this one the superior choice when it comes to character accuracy, something that I personally value highly.
But that may not be enough to sway the undecided or owners of the previous version to upgrade, as there's something to be said about a taller, curvier, more elegant looking design, and from a basic functionality perspective, the glow up isn't as impressive as with Rider Medusa 2.0. I don't think it's as simple as declaring the new one the superior being, and that I can see impacting sales on a Figma with a fairly high price point.
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