Unboxing and Review: FREEing Y-Style Fate/Stay Night 1/8 Saber yukata ver.

FREEing released a 1/8 scale Y-style figure of Saber in a blue yukata on December 2012. I didn't pre-order this figure and didn't have any intention to buy it any time soon, until I saw it being sold at a cheaper price on Rakuten. That's when I decided to get her in mid 2013.

It took me a few months before I finally decided to unbox her. Actually, I only did that towards the end of December 2013, and it was done on a whim. :p

Obligatory pic of the unopened box with the figure inside

This figure was sculpted by Atsushi Yoshino and the materials used for making it were ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) and PVC (polyvinyl chloride). Google them for more info. :v 

Now let's get started with the unboxing.

The box

Obligatory pictures of the sides and back of the box

The box is rather slim. Even with the figure inside, the entire package remains lightweight. I have small hands, but I can easily grip the top of the box with one hand.

But this is not your plain, ordinary figure box. Aside from the decorative façade, the box attempts to show you various sides of the figure. As you can see from the image above, the sides and the back have windows where you can take a peek and check out what's inside.

You can only open the box of this figure from the top, unless you want to destroy the bottom. Once you take out the blister packaging that holds Saber, her base, and her props, you can check out that nifty design inside. If you want, you can probably use that cardboard as a background when taking pictures, too.

Oooh more blue

And you can proceed to ogle her some more.

No "new figure smell" yet at this point

There are some clear tapes holding the blister pack together. After carefully removing them, you can now excitedly proceed to relish that new figure smell.

Mmmm you gotta love that new figure smell, figure collector!

What's inside?

Saber Yukata version comes with a fan, a candy apple, and a ponytailed hair. And of course, it comes with a base. 

It's plain, round, and white

There are two pegs that need to go inside the two holes under her right sandal. It's easy to make her stand on that base. Once you do, you'll easily notice those child-bearing hips, especially when you're taking pictures with a frontal angle like this: 

But we'll discuss those hips later. For now let's move on to the props. First, there's the fan, which, according to the box and other pictures you can find online, must be grasped by her right hand.

And then there's a shiny red candy apple that goes to her left hand:

I haven't tried switching them yet, like what if I make her hide the candy apple behind her back and she's showing off the fan. But then again, I don't think Saber would be hiding her food. She'll show it off and eat it regardless of who's watching even if Gilgamesh might be stalking and watching her from afar as she takes a bite out of that sweet, juicy goodness.

Anyway, it's easy to slip the sticks of the fan and the candy apple into her fists. So far, I haven't encountered any paint transfer issues.

The hair

We often see Saber wearing her hair in a bun, which exposes her nape. If you have a nape fetish, this figure might be good for you:

Dat nape! ... I mean, DAT BUN!

I personally like seeing Saber wearing other hairstyles like her hair down or in a ponytail. Luckily, this figure comes with an extra piece of hair in a ponytail. The ponytail looks appropriate for her outfit, too.

Yay ponytail

It's easy to remove the bun and attach the ponytail. I didn't struggle pulling out the bun, unlike with Wave Beach Queens Fate/Hollow Ataraxia 1/10 Saber, which comes with an extra piece of hair so you can see your beloved Arturia Pendragon wearing a bikini with her hair loose. It's easy to attach the ponytail, too.

How the bun attaches onto the head 

Both the bun and the ponytail have pegs behind them, and they're easy to place into that hole. Just follow the shape and your life will be easy. In other words, don't just carelessly force the peg into that hole.

It kinda looks like a V... or a heart. Or maybe even an L block from Tetris.

And here's Saber with the ponytail: 

Let's pretend Gilgamesh took this picture while she wasn't looking

The hips

FREEing Y-style Saber Yukata version has noticeably wider hips when she's directly facing you. I have nothing against child-bearing hips but on this figure, they make taking pictures with a front, straightforward angle quite difficult because she ends up looking awkward and you can't see the fan or her right hand anymore:

Look, master! No hand!

Although Gilgamesh will probably like the child-bearing hips, which might give him thoughts of Saber saying, "I shall be the mother of your descendants, King of Heroes!" XD

Or perhaps it's the way her right hand is positioned? Anyway, you need to adjust her (or you take a picture from a different angle) a bit to make the angle more flattering.

Saber yukata ver. during her first photoshoot

Saber displayed with other Fate girls in their yukata versions during Otaku Expo 2014

When I lent her for Team Oniichan's display in Otaku Expo 2014, I purposely made her stand sideways so people viewing the display cabinet from the front can at least see the fan. :')

Hips aside, of course, I love this figure. Saber has a pretty face here, and I like the design of her yukata. And the ponytail is a bonus that I couldn't pass up. However, if you must return her to her box and you made her wear the ponytail, you need to revert to the bun.

And that's it for my unboxing and short review of FREEing Y-Style Fate/Stay Night 1/8 Saber yukata version. Let me end this post with a few more pictures of her:

Saber by the Christmas tree 

That's a Gilgamesh file folder.

Rin belongs to my friend, Nami. :p