Unboxing: Movic Fate/Zero Color Colle Box

Fate/Zero Color Colle Box is by Movic and the set consists of eight small figures that you can hang on your bag, mobile phone, or anywhere else that you can think of.

What to expect. (Image from AmiAmi)

I obviously bought this to get Gilgamesh, and then I started liking Kirei Kotomine as a character recently, so the more I looked forward to the set. Only six characters are in the box, but there are two Sabers and two Kiritsugus. 

I sold Rider, the two Kiritsugus, and Waver to two friends, and my fiancé got the other Saber. I kept Gilgamesh, Saber, and Kirei. Of course I had to open the box for inspection and see which one's which. But don't worry, the little ones are mint in sealed plastic condition, as you can see below:

I took a picture of Rider and Waver before I let them go

Here's what the box looks like:

It's just a small box--shorter than a figma's box, and there are eight smaller boxes inside. When I opened them one by one, I realized that they're arranged neatly by master-servant. On the left column are the masters, then the servants are on the right column. Kiritsugu and Saber on the top row, Kirei and Gilgamesh on the second, Waver and Rider on the third, and Kiritsugu and Saber again on the last row. I don't know if all box sets of these figures are arranged like that.

The goods that I got to keep

The figures are about more than an inch in size, so they're really small. They can't stand on their own, and they're basically designed to hang from somewhere. If you don't want to hang them up, you can probably make them lean on something.

But they tend to fall over because of their big & seemingly heavy heads

They're cute and they didn't have a strong PVC smell when I got them out of the plastic. They make excellent collectibles if you're a huge fan of Fate/Zero or any of the characters included in the Color Colle 4th Holy Grail War Box.

Here are more pictures of Kirei, Gilgamesh, and Saber:

Kirei's like, "Okay, I'll leave you to frolick with your woman." to Gilgamesh

Kirei: "No, seriously, what am I doing here? What if they start making out in front of me? Take me somewhere else, human!"

And that's it for this short unboxing/review of the Fate/Zero Color Colle Box. :)

Unboxing and Review: Bandai Chogokin Fate/Zero Archer

Bandai Chogokin Archer is an articulated figure of Gilgamesh from Fate/Zero. It's the first ever articulated Gilgamesh figure, so I was so excited about it. He was released on July 27, 2013.

The front of the box

Details of the box
The box is not overwhelmingly big. The size is just right (as big as Chogokin Saber's box), and despite the figure's metal armor, the entire package is surprisingly light. The understated design and color scheme of the box enhances the figure's picture, grabbing your attention from afar and making you look at the King of Heroes. Here's how the box looks like on all sides:

The name of Gilgamesh's original master (Tokiomi Tohsaka) is on the top flap. A larger picture of the command seal is on the right side, while on the left, you can find a larger picture of the figure in his signature proud yet condescending pose. Samples of the figure's faceplate, parts, and details are on the back. Now this is what you'll see when you open the box for the first time:

I usually open figure boxes from the bottom, but just like Chogokin Saber, I opened Chogokin Gilgamesh's box from the top flap. These are the contents of the box:

 

A few layers of plastic blister packaging secure the figure and its parts

What's inside
Lifting the top blister packaging from the bottom reveals the part where the base, extra arms, and the pegs are secured:

Here, I've already removed the top blister packaging plastic to reveal the figure and its major parts:

There are three golden cups, one wine jug, seven extra hands, and the Noble Phantasm, Ea. Paper is covering the extra faceplates.

Close-up of the faceplates

Aside from the paper under the front armor and the easily removable plastic around his waist, there's plastic between his legs to prevent the red cloth (not really a cloth) from getting pressed down and deformed.

It's easy to remove though

Making the King of Heroes stand
The base consists of three major parts, including an acetate-like plastic where the summoning seal is printed. 

It's up to you whether to use or not use the plastic summoning seal. It feels flimsy and the first time I made Gilgamesh stand on it, he kept slipping off and it cannot properly support his weight.

Here's Gilgamesh trying to keep still so he won't fall

Tip: When assembling the base, it pays to read or at least try to understand what the pictures are saying on the instructions. I mistakenly attached this peg on top of the summoning circle and it made Gilgamesh unable to stand properly because the red cloth on his back keeps getting in the way:

Apparently it must be at the bottom of the circle

In the end, I just removed it and decided not to use it anymore. Gilgamesh can stand properly now.

The King's Most Treasured Sword
The way Bandai made Ea is impressive because you can manually rotate the three parts of the sword. The parts are easy to move, yet they stay in place and won't move or change positions by themselves when you move the figure while he's holding Ea.

Ea is also intricately designed with exact markings and the writings:

Though the tip of the handle lacks the fins-like detail, which I've seen in my other Gilgamesh figures with an Ea

Making the King cross his arms
No Gilgamesh articulated figure would be complete without the ability to cross his arms. After all, it's one of his signature poses. Bandai Chogokin Gilgamesh comes with two extra arms (both left and right). 

I'm still unsure whether you should replace both default arms with the two, or let one default arm remain, because when I replaced both arms, the pose looked really awkward since I couldn't bend the hands of the two extra arms. So I settled with using the default left arm and just replacing the right arm with the already bent extra arm.

But it still looks weird :-/

Changing his arms is difficult. I'm always afraid that I'd break a figure, so I was careful not to exert too much force when pulling from or attaching things on my figures. I did the same thing on Gilgamesh, but then I realized that you need a bit more force to pull (or twist while pulling) or attach parts on him. Luckily, Bandai's parts are surprisingly more resilient than Max Factory's figma parts, so snapping should be the least bit of your worries. However, I learned that the hard way, so after attempting to attach his extra hands, my fingers hurt and throbbed.

Tip: Check out the instructions that come with the figure. It's folded and packed in a small plastic bag. If you can't understand Japanese or read Nihongo, looking at the pictures should suffice.

More thoughts
When pre-orders for Bandai Chogokin Archer started this year, it was a drop-everything-and-get-him moment for me. And then I played the waiting game. He's the main reason why I decided to get Bandai Chogokin Saber earlier this year. Although Saber had a derpy face, I still bought her so he'd have a partner.

Kinda like Barbie and Ken

And because Chogokin Saber had derpy faceplates, I was worried about how Gilgamesh would look like, too. When pictures came out, I was disappointed to see that his body looked too thin, the faceplates made him look like he's a teenage boy, and overall, there was just something off about the figure. Nevertheless, I still got him because well, it's Gilgamesh and I want to have all his figures. :p

Fortunately, when the actual product was released, I think the figure didn't look anything like the prototypes shown on the pictures. It looked better. He did not have a derpy face, the body-to-head ratio was symmetrical. The shiny metal armor added a more commanding presence to the figure, so if I placed him in the middle of my entire collection of figures, he'd stand and instantly get the attention he deserves.

No Gilgamesh fangirl-slash-figure collector's shrine will ever be complete without this shining, shimmering, splendid action figure. Bandai Chogokin Archer is currently the most expensive Gilgamesh figure in my mini shrine for the character, but it was truly worth paying for. I love the articulation, making him my second most favorite male articulated figure in my collection, next to Max Factory figma Kiritsugu Emiya.

But then again, I only have two male articulated figures, not counting the Nendoroids

Because of outstanding articulation, you can make him almost anything but sit down. 

More sample pictures of Bandai Chogokin Archer

And that's it for my long unboxing and review of Bandai Chogokin Archer. :)

Unboxing and Review: Good Smile Company Fate/Stay Night 1/7 Saber Triumphant Excalibur

Ever since I started collecting Fate figures, Saber Triumphant Excalibur has been my Holy Grail of Saber figures, and I finally got her last month. She's a 1:7 scale figure, and she's currently the second largest figure in my Saber shrine (the largest is the Alter 1/6 Saber Maid Ver. R).

A look at all sides of the box

The size and bulkiness make the box seem heavy, but it's actually not. You can easily lift and carry it without straining your arms (and your back :p). As for the design, I like the shiny and reflective surface of the box, the color scheme, and the intricately decorated façade. I think the box's design provided an elegant appeal to the entire package that holds the King of Knights.

Now let's open it:

But then I probably like shiny things, too

Once you take the blister pack that protects and holds the figure, you'll see the shiny interior cardboard with the Fate/Stay Night logo. You can consider using that as a background if you're taking pictures of the figure.

The blister pack is being held together by pieces of clear tape on the sides and four wires. My first scale figure by Good Smile Company is Fate/Zero 1/8 Saber & Saber Motored Cuirassier and it also had wires holding the blister pack together. I had a difficult time removing them because they were securely twisted to ensure that they won't be easily undone, and the figure and its parts can stay perfectly in place. Saber & Saber Motored Cuirassier had two wires, but Saber Triumphant Excalibur had four.

My first reaction upon seeing the wires: "Oh no, not again."

Took me 5 minutes to undo everything without using any special tools

Once you manage to remove all four wires, carefully pull the two blister packs apart from each other and relish that "new figure smell".

Mmm smells like PVC

But seriously, she didn't have a strong new figure smell, so you won't have to worry about suddenly getting a headache or being dizzy or maybe even high if you're that sensitive.

The base is impressive. The broken tiles give it a more rugged and grungy appeal. Touching the base and turning it over would reveal a surface that is not entirely flat, providing more realism to it, like someone had taken an oblong chunk off a tiled floor.

Of course, there's a Fate/Stay Night logo

Five things are being held by the blister pack: the figure, two Excaliburs, the peg, and the base.

What's in the box

It's your choice which sword to use. The actual Excalibur might look plain and not so appealing when held by the dynamic-looking figure, so you might want to use the invisible Excalibur, which provides more elegance and dynamism to the entire figure.

Although I used the actual Excalibur lol

There is a hole under Saber's left foot and on the stand where the metal peg must be inserted.

Le peg

If you're not sure which side goes where or how to insert the peg, do check out the instructions that come with the figure. It's folded and protected by plastic. The pictures are detailed and easily understandable in case you cannot read or understand Nihongo or Japanese.

Instructions

The short side goes into the foot

The longer one goes to the stand

Saber Triumphant Excalibur is well-made that she can balance properly despite the thin peg on her foot. The peg is durable and won't bend and break easily, and the figure itself won't wobble or shake. Once I got her to stand, I was impressed by the peg's design and the way it can steadily hold such a dynamic figure.

The King of Knights stands!

The last I did was to make her hold Excalibur. You can simply insert the handle into her fists, or remove the end first.

Yep, that can come off

If you want to remove the sword from Saber's hands, it's advisable to remove that end before pulling the sword out. I made a mistake not removing the end first, so when I pulled out the sword, that gold thing popped out and I spent a minute searching for it, wondering where it could have landed.

Here are more pictures of Saber Triumphant Excalibur:

Everything about Good Smile Company's Fate/Stay Night 1/7 Saber Triumphant Excalibur figure is elegantly fierce and dynamic, making her a suitable addition to a Saber shrine. If you're thinking of buying one scaled figure of Saber, then perhaps this should be it. Though inanimate, the figure's dynamic pose, Saber's natural elegance, and her regal yet fierce facial expression bring Saber Triumphant Excalibur to life and ready to gracefully strike.