Attaching Another Figure's Head Into A Nendoroid's Body

There are times when I just have to take a few Nendoroids out of their boxes, swap heads or faceplates, and have a mini (no pun intended) photoshoot with them. Sometimes, I use non-Nendoroid heads.

click to enlarge or check it out here!

But before you get excited over a Nendoroid Rintarou Okabe, let me reveal to you that I simply used the body of Good Smile Company Nendoroid Steins;Gate Kurisu Makise white coat version and the head of Banpresto Ichibankuji Kyun-Chara Fate/Zero Lancer. Though honestly, I think we'd all be happier if they actually made a Nendoroid of Okabe, right?

I had fun doing this shoot because the back of Lancer's head could somewhat pass as Okabe's. The head of a Ichbankuji Kyun-Chara figure can easily be pulled out of the body, and you can easily see a hole. The neck is permanently attached to the body, leaving a hole where you can  can easily attach a Nendoroid joint into the head to make it fit into a Nendoroid's body. I used the neck joint of a bootleg Nendoroid for this one. (yep, you can buy a really cheap bootleg so you can exploit the parts if you don't like the idea of taking your genuine figures apart).

You need to be careful when attaching the joint so it won't snap or break. However, since the joint is made for Nendoroids, don't expect the round part to be concealed inside the head of an Ichibankuji Kyun-Chara figure as you can see here: 

Seriously, it's an eyesore and somewhat disturbing

Nevertheless, you can attempt to conceal the visible joint by trying different angles.

Taken using a higher angle

There are times when you can tilt the head, too, and that may somehow conceal the visible joint. Again, it will depend on how you're taking the picture. Sometimes, it takes a few or more clicks before you can get it right, but you'll get the hang of it. :)

Doing this is fun if there's no available figure of a character yet, and you desperately want to shoot them with a character that already has a figure. The first time I did this was for a Saber and Gilgamesh figure shoot where I used Banpresto Ichibankuji Kyun-Chara Gilgamesh's head and GSC Nendoroid Bakuman Akito Takagi's body:

Saber doesn't seem too happy about what I did though

And here's Banpresto Ichibankuji Kyun-Chara Fate/Zero Kariya Matou's head on GSC Nendoroid Gakupo's body:

This is what your master does during his free time, Berserker.

Then here's Lancer's head on Gakupo's body, too:

Nice eggplant, Diarmuid.

Unboxing: Max Factory Fate/Zero 1/8 Saber Zero Refined Ver.

I bought this Max Factory Fate/Zero 1/8 Saber Refined version on June 15, 2013 during the Toy Convention, but I was only able to open it this afternoon. Max Factory 1/8 Saber  is the second release of a 2007 figure that looks like this:

This is the first release of the Max Factory's 1/8 Saber Zero ver. (source: MyFigureCollection)

The first version has a tougher facial expression, which I believe is quite appropriate for Saber, but when compared to the refined version, I liked the latter more. Everything about the first one has been refined in this second one. I also liked the soft yet still somewhat tough look of the refined version.

Now let's check out her box.

That's an 18-inch Rilakkuma plush toy

The design of the box of Max Factory 1/8 Saber Zero Refined version has been "refined", too. :p Apart from looking at the figures themselves, you can easily tell them apart by the packaging: the refined version's box is white, and the first release's box is black.

From left to right: left side of the box, the back, and the right side of the box

Some figure collectors like to open a figure's box from underneath, and I do that sometimes, too, but for this box, you can only open it from above. Three clear tapes held the flap in its place, but I just cut them. I always use scissors instead of peeling the tapes off because I'm afraid that it might ruin the box or cause scratches. Just be careful not to scratch the box with the scissors.

Max Factory Saber Zero refined version doesn't come with many parts. You get a base, Excalibur, Saber herself, and an extra hand that is meant for holding Excalibur.

What's in the box?

Close-up of Saber

The not-so-ordinary base. It looks like a chunk of road. :p

The extra hand for holding Excalibur

She's very easy to handle and it's easy to pull off her default hand and replace it with the extra one if you want her to hold Excalibur. It's easy to make her hold her noble phantasm, too.

Excalibur is already being held by the extra hand here

It's also easy to attach her feet onto the base.

Max Factory 1/8 Saber Zero Refined Ver. displayed among some of my other Fate figures

Her scale is 1:8, just like Good Smile Company Saber & Saber Motored Cuirassier and MegaHouse MMS Collection Fate/Zero Lancer, so she doesn't look too small or too tall when standing beside them. If you check out the picture below, I'd say her height just right when standing next to Lancer, just like how it was in the series.

Now to some of you, Max Factory 1/8 Saber Zero Refined Ver. might be a little boring when compared to other Saber figures with dynamic poses (i.e. Good Smile Company 1/8 Fate/Stay Night Saber Triumphant Excalibur) because of the pose and facial expression, but I still fell in-love with this figure because of the gracefulness of her face and posture. She was also offered to me at an irresistible price, and with a little bit more sales talk, I gave in. :p I'd still say that she makes a fine addition to my humble Saber Arturia shrine and I'm glad I already bought her on the same day that I found her, considering that this figure comes from one of my most favorite series, Fate/Zero.