Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night (Unlimited Blade Works Version)

Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure

The internet is a pervasive force in everyday life. One of the things the internet is good for is finding reviews of stuff. In particular, I find movie and video game reviews to be helpful because people whose tastes are similar to mine generally view games and films in a similar way that I would. Not a long while ago I asked a friend what he thought of the film Sucker Punch and he said he didn’t really like it, and I knew I probably wouldn’t like it much, either. Our subjective tastes significantly overlap, and on top of that, there are objective criteria that one can use to assess a game or movie, such as plot coherence, the quality of dialogue, the quality of graphics, and so on.

Figures, however, are a funny thing because their appeal is so personal, at least to me. Take the Black Rock Shooter figures, for instance. On the surface, they seem to match many of the things I like: cute girls, fearsome weapons, and not many clothes. And yet I don’t particularly like them very much. Or take Miku Hatsune, whose character design I don’t particularly care for either. Certainly her design looks very similar to many characters that I do like and yet I don’t have much affection for her. Or take Yuri from Angel Beats. She’s cute, has a short skirt, and packs a big gun. Okay, I heard Angel Beats got a mixed reception but I haven’t even seen it and don’t plan to, so that doesn’t affect me at all. Why didn’t I buy the figure? Beats me. I’m thinking maybe I should check whether she’s in stock anywhere.

Basically what it comes down to is that every collector is going to decide for him or herself whether a figure is a worthwhile purchase, and that decision is going to be influenced by very nuanced and very personal factors. It’s a decision that really can only be made by the individual.

I’m guessing that a large majority of people reading this post have no idea where I’m coming from with this intro. That’s okay. I wish I were among you, to be honest. But enough of that, we have a figure to look at. This is my opinion of Rin Tohsaka.

Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review

Rin Tohsaka comes from Good Smile Company and is sculpted in 1/7 scale, standing about 29.5 centimeters tall including her base and hair. This rendition of her is derived from her appearance in Unlimited Blade Works, the movie adaptation of part of the visual novel’s plotline. Like the other figures in Good Smile Company’s series, Rin comes with several accessories, chiefly weapons and alternate hands. She also has a detailed base which is meant to look like a pile of dirt. Three swords are provided to replicate the Unlimited Blade Works setting created by Archer; no gears are provided, though. The swords stick into slots in Rin’s base, though they fall out a bit easily.

Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review

A unique aspect of GSC’s Fate/stay night series is that I can compress my assessment of my figures to one word. With Saber Lily, the word “elegant” is foremost in my mind. With Saber Alter, I think of “power.” And with Rin, I think “regal,” both in her appearance and her bearing. Her outfit is not exceptionally distinctive – thighhighs and miniskirts are de rigeur for anime schoolgirls – but her dress and her pose and her distant gaze impart an aloof, resolute, and royal quality to her look.

Incidentally, I can’t think of any one word to describe GSC’s jumping Saber figure, and perhaps that’s why I never bought it. Unless “jumping” counts, and that is not the most flattering descriptor.

Rin's face profile

Rin’s outfit has sparked some controversy, most of which I’ve tried to ignore, though curiosity often gets the best of me. You’d think I’d know better by now. Criticism has been leveled against the sheen of her shirt and socks, both of which feature very glossy finishes. I like it, myself, being that I have this thing for cute girls in shiny clothes. Rin’s shirt is loose where it needs to be and impossibly tight where it needs to be, snug against the contours of her lithe body. Her stockings are a more straightforward affair, though they look as if they are made of latex, which is rather cool.

Rin Tohsaka's butt

A scandalously brief skirt wraps around Rin’s hips. Flared out just above her socks, it is somehow molded to the form of her buttocks, which seems utterly unrealistic but looks absolutely fantastic. Indeed, Rin’s rump is glorious, and while this figure has numerous good points, her shapely backside is one of the best.

Rin's hair

While her outfit accentuates the exquisite sexiness of her body, her flowing hair accentuates the power and grace of her pose. Extraordinarily detailed, her tresses writhe in midair like tentacles. From certain angles, they can be a bit distracting as their sheer implausibility overwhelms their grandeur, but there is no denying that her hair is amazing.

Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review

Another interesting thing about her hair is that Rin is usually drawn with black hair, and many of her earlier figures color it that way. This version of Rin, however, is brunette, and some of the preview pictures shown on hobby websites made it look like milk chocolate rather than a darker hue. Her hair looks reasonably dark under normal room lighting but looks quite a bit brighter under photographic lights. The lighter tone bothered me at first but now that I see her, I think it looks great; it allows for a varied amount of shading in her hair, and that really gives it an additional layer of depth.

Rin's face

Rin’s canonical character design is very pretty, but figure makers sometimes struggle to get her head and face right. For example, Alter’s upcoming casual clothes version looks nice, but people point out how prominent her ears are, and the old Kaiyodo figure just looks unfortunate. Good Smile Company has done a fantastic job making their newest Rin look beauiful. Her head retains its characteristic heart shape, and while her ears are still obvious, the tilt and angle of her head make them less conspicuous.

Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review

Her eyes shine defiant, and her expression evinces commitment and strength. I think that’s one of my favorite aspects of this figure: Rin is beautiful without calling attention to her beauty, as the most obvious traits I notice are her determination and gravity.

A curious thing is that like Saber Alter, Rin’s left pupil is not centered in her iris. This can make her look cross-eyed close up and at certain angles. This isn’t very obvious during normal viewing, as you can’t even really make out her pupils from more than a foot away, but it looks odd in up-close pictures.

Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review

Wasp-waisted and long-legged, Rin’s sculpt is gorgeous, diverging significantly from the typical female anime design. She has a slender but womanly body, with very pronounced curves. Her breasts are not particularly large but factor prominently into her sex appeal. Her legs do as well; their exaggerated length and the exposed bit of flesh between skirt and stocking hit all the right notes for that particular fetish, and her strongly arched back is highly erotic without being overtly sexual.

Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review

Rin comes with an extra left and right hand, and replacing them is as simple as tugging out her current hand and slotting in the new one. Her right hand holds either a pendant or a dagger, and her left hand is either empty or holds several magical gems. You’ll have to pardon me for forgetting the significance of her knife or pendant as it’s been a while since I’ve seen the anime and I have absolutely no desire to revisit it due to my intense loathing for the main protagonist. I’m told that the anime is a very poor way to become acquainted with Fate/stay night, and yet I can’t bring myself to play the game because if I do, I know I will do nothing but attempt to get Shirou killed in the most painful and hilarious manner possible.

Rin vs. Saber Alter

Rin Tohsaka is an absolutely stunning figure. She’s come a long, long way and has endured criticism and courted controversy, from her awful initial painted prototype to concerns over her outfit’s paintjob to questions about her fidelity to the source art. She was definitely worth the wait, however, as she is gorgeous, beautiful, and certainly one of my favorite figures in my collection. Good Smile Company has received a good bit of negative publicity in recent times – and rightfully so – but credit should be given where credit is due. Rin is a great figure and the other figures in their Fate/stay night lineup are also amazing. Hopefully they’ll continue to make more, as there are still several characters that would make good candidates and their work is too good to stop now.

More of Rin's butt
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review

For another review of Rin, check out foo-bar-baz.

Rin Tohsaka and Saber Alter

I know Rin is a powerful magic user, but I kinda think broadswords beat zappy if you let them get in this close.

Rin Tohsaka entwined in tentacles

As does the girthy, slithery seduction of the mighty tentacle stand! Ahhhhh!

Rin and Saber Lily
Rin's knife
Rin's pendant
Rin's magical jewels
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
Good Smile Company Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night Figure Review
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69 Responses to Rin Tohsaka from Fate/stay night (Unlimited Blade Works Version)

  1. here-and-faraway says:

    “I’m told that the anime is a very poor way to become acquainted with Fate/stay night, and yet I can’t bring myself to play the game because if I do, I know I will do nothing but attempt to get Shirou killed in the most painful and hilarious manner possible.” LOL. I really enjoy your writing. And fantastic photography. I know others have pointed it out before, but those sets you have are really amazing. Thank you so much for posting!

    • Tier says:

      Thanks XD I like to inject a little personality into my work to keep things distinctive. I’m really glad to have an outlet for creative expression; when I was a kid, I thought I wanted to be an artist or a writer and sometimes I still think about that, but I wound up doing engineering instead. It was probably better for my career prospects but not quite as fulfilling, creatively speaking.

    • Emi says:

      In all honesty, this is HOW I played Fate XD

      Then again I really did want full complete (and I got it too >___> ). I just decided to get all the bad ends first 😉

  2. Devastator001 says:

    Hmm might consider getting her once my local store gets her was on the fence alot esp since the early protoype’s face was quite off from this. 😀

    • Tier says:

      A good plan, she definitely has some differences from the prototypes, especially in the face from the early one and in the outfit glossiness in the later shots, but she’s a great, great figure.

  3. azn0will says:

    How big of a difference is a 1/7 scale and a 1/4 scale figure? It’s really hard to tell when looking at pictures.

    @Tier Btw did you get my email?

    • zzzzzy says:

      It’s a quite big difference. If the character’s actual length would be 170 cm: an upright standing 1/7 figure would be 24cm, while an 1/4 scale would result in being 42 cm.
      1/4 are very large figures, while the common 1/8 are small ones.

      =)

    • Tier says:

      Indeed I did, sorry for the late response. I am really, really bad at answering e-mail promptly.

      It’s a huge difference, as zzzzzy says. I’ve got several 1/4 scale figures on my desk and I’d guess they are about three or four times the total size of a typical 1/7 scale figure.

  4. Fabienne says:

    I find it entertaining when a figure I don’t really like is flamed, when it is a figure I slightly like its a different case, sometimes there is some truth in the critique, but in many cases its just bitching because of personal taste.

    In the first colored prototype pics http://myfigurecollection.net/image/jiejie1287758327.jpeg Rin looked a bit different, but I like what they did with this Rin Tohsaka figure.
    She looks very elegant and beautiful, I would say she is a great figure based on a Type Moon character. Rin has always been a favorite character of mine in the FSN Anime.

    The way she i posed looks fantastic Im weak torwards twintails but these flowing twintails are really full of win ^^
    Also the outfit is just awesome, I love how the skirt tightly covers her butt, the latex socks are another sexy part of her. But The proud appearance which this figure radiates isn’t lowered by these sexy accents.

    Can you put the swords of the base into her hands as well? would be cool
    I hope it doesn’t bore you when I’ll say that your pictures look great again, good job 🙂
    I love your white brick wall, you’ve udsed as a backgtround in some pictures.

    This seems to be a lovely figure of Rin, maybe I’ll pick her when there will be a re-release.
    I think I was one of the few figure collecters who made no preorder for her XD

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, that can be pretty funny, though I seldom see that. I think it’s actually more likely that I figure I like is going to get flamed by someone else … in fact, I have a figure in the review queue that is just like that. In fact, it’s another Fate/stay night figure. It’s gonna be interesting to see what kind of reception she gets.

      There’s so much I like about this figure that I don’t think I even got to all of it in the review. Like her feet; her feet are a bit bigger than one might expect and I like that. I know that probably sounds pretty weird.

      I didn’t think to fit her swords in her hand but it turns out one of them fits. The two swords with narrow blades have pommels that are too large but the broader sword fits right in her hand. I think I’ll try to take a couple pictures of that and insert them into the review later this week.

      Haha, yeah, it seems like just about everybody ordered her. Then it seemed like a bunch of people wanted to cancel her. Hopefully you can pick her up later if you want her, she’s an extraordinary figure.

  5. Aka says:

    MMMmmmm Rin. The archetypal zettai ryouiki, the reference to which all S-type zettai ryouiki is produced.

    I’m a bit torn on the shininess, it has appeal, it looks quite good, but I don’t think that it should be shiny. Her clothes are not shiny materials. Also, I still wish her hair was the proper colour, while i have yet to receive my Rin (Canada Post strike, is this your fault?!) looking at others reviews, do wish it to be darker. I don’t mind a brunette, I don’t mind at all, but for her character she’s always had very dark hair, I don’t think it’s necessarily been black, but it’s been a very dark brunette.

    I’d forgotten about the Rin controversies, specifically the very softened face in the original colour prototype. I now remember complaining and wishing it was more like the original unpainted prototype or something along those lines. Much harder angles.

    I think my biggest complaint about Rin however is your favourite trait. Her sumptuous rear. Never a fan of asses that look bigger than the proportions should allow, so I feel Rin’s got a bit of a big butt. Mind you, I’d never tell her this, I’d be beaten harshly I’m sure. On a related note, part of me wished she had sexier underwear. Though the white contrasts nicely with the black skirt, I guess I just wished for some more detail in her white pantsu.

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, the shininess doesn’t look all that realistic. I think it looks great but I’ll concede that unless her shirt is made of latex or some kind of really shiny nylon, it shouldn’t be that glossy.

      She’s definitely got a big ol’ butt. I really like her exaggerated proportions, it’s not something I often see for a character like Rin, whose figures usually don’t stray much from her most typical appearance, but I can see how it looks odd from a realism standpoint.

      I definitely agree about her underpants, I was a bit disappointed to see she’s wearing white panties. Granted, they’re cut quite high (which I like very much) and they’re not very visible for the most part, but I think a high-class girl like this ought to have been wearing something racier.

  6. Mike says:

    With Saber Lily, the word “elegant” is foremost in my mind. With Saber Alter, I think of “power.”

    You linked Saber Alter twice.

  7. drakanity says:

    All you needed in the intro was YEAAAAHHHH MAAAAVVVSSSS!!! That is all.

    As a Mavs hater, I couldn’t believe I openly cheered and got nervous for them when it was close, but that’s how much I hated the heat. So glad they won. And indeed, Barea was a stud.

    As far as the figure, I really liked it before it got painted, but somehow it wasn’t to my liking after. The mouth is just a random sad face :(. However, aside from that, it looks great. The stained glass and wall is nice. Is that an angel statue in the background?

    • Tier says:

      Haha, I should’ve made mention of that somewhere. I very much enjoyed these Finals and the aftermath. The funny thing is, now that the Heat have lost, I don’t really feel a lot of dislike for them. If they were to win next year, I’d be okay with that. It’s like the object lesson of being humiliated on basketball’s greatest stage was enough. Barea definitely played big, and I bet he made himself a ton of money these last couple of weeks. He’s got a pretty good life … championship, sexy girlfriend, a bundle of cash waiting for him whenever free agency starts, and the option to sign in Dallas or New York or wherever he might want to play.

      Yep, that’s an angel statue back there, the same one I used for Dizzy. I didn’t actually have many great ideas for Rin, since her base kinda restricts what I can do with her as far as pictures go. I’m glad the pictures turned out okay, because I had no idea how well this was going to work out.

  8. zzzzzy says:

    OMG! I dont know if it’s the figure, the camera, or your skills… But those are some insanely good photos!!! Probably your best photoshoot!! or at least one of your top ones!

    Good job!

    • Tier says:

      Thanks! I was really reluctant to do this shoot, actually, because I didn’t have any great ideas for shooting Rin. The first picture – which is my favorite – was actually a complete accident; I always take a few quick shots to get the power settings on my lights worked out, and the first shot was one of those. After I was done, I realized I didn’t take any other pictures with the same angle and composition, so I was happy I could save that one.

  9. duqs says:

    Awesome figure review as usual. Had to cancel (or i think i did) my order from amiami because I have to save up for something else.

    This is probably one of those figures where you have so little to complain about. From the hair to the base, everything seems perfect already. Best thing bout this figure is her hip/waist area and the way her hair riders the wind.

    Out of curiosity, where do you display your figures? You have both Dizzy and Rin (whose wings and hair look as if they would come off if you flick it strong enough), and I am curious as to where you place these seemingly fragile figures XD

    My only complaint in this figure is how shiny her top looks. ^^

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, there’s not much I’d want to change. Well, I’d have her wearing a thong, but that’s probably the only change I’d want.

      I put them up on shelves, I have quite a few shelves. Most of them are out of the way of my clumsiness, though I’ve definitely damaged a few of my figures due to being a klutz.

  10. Luth says:

    First of all, nice pictures! Somehow my favorites are the ones with the blue-ish light in the background. I hope at least one makes it on your site banner thingy, it would fit well. I actually like the shiny outfit. I know that it isn’t really realistic or anything but it appeals to the ‘me like shiney’ side.

    That being said, I was never a huge fan of Rin. We ended up getting this figure as well but it’s more my other half’s thing. I do have to admit shes one of our best sculpted figures, very sexy, and I should like her a lot buuut somehow I’m not wowed. I guess like you mentioned in the beginning, its very much a personal thing and I’m a very strange example of that.

    • Tier says:

      I like the blue ones as well, they emphasize her heroic look a bit more, I think. I should’ve taken more, I also had a few more with an orange, sunset-like tint but I didn’t use many of those.

      The fetishes and things that people find attractive in anime characters is something that fascinates me. For example, I mentioned I’m not a huge fan of Miku’s basic design, but I do like her Miku Append look, enough so that I might actually buy the figure. I really dislike animal ears on anime characters and I can’t really explain why; it’s just not something I like. And of course, there’s my thing with tentacles, which I am sure not everybody shares XD

  11. BioToxic says:

    I’m still waiting on my Rin coming through the post. I hadn’t really been keeping track of Rin or what people have been saying about her, so this is the first review I’m seeing. Honestly I can’t wait to get mine now. From your photos she looks perfect to me, I can’t find a single thing I dislike about her. Hopefully I feel the same when I see her in person.

    I’d say Rin has a very distinctive outfit, at least the colour scheme is anyway. Whenever I see a red/black combination I immediately think of Rin and Archer. I like the shine of Rins red top and black socks, it really helps bring out all the finer details such as folds in the fabric and immediately catches your eye. A flatter paint similar to her skirt would have just looked boring I think.

    Honestly I didn’t even realise Rin had black hair. Personally I like this lighter brown much better and the shading from darker to lighter browns makes the hair look more lively. I also like how wild her hair looks. Each strand has been carefully sculpted which makes her feel more kinetic. This is also helped by her pose which appears to have captured her as she’s turning round. The twist of her stomach is really beautiful too.

    Being able to swap out her hands is a nice touch and allows enough variety to display her how you want. I also like how the base comes with 3 different swords, each one looking different from the other. GSC clearly have put a lot of effort into Rin and their other recent FSN figures, and I think they all look fantastic.

    I agree, figure collecting it is largely down to individual preference. I’m sometimes swayed to make purchases based on blog reviews/photographs or sometimes I discover something completely new that I like. I also enjoy reading why someone likes/dislikes particular aspects of a figure (even if I’m not interested in the figure) on blogs like this one and appreciate the effort dedicated to creating a post. However opinions on message boards and “social sites” to me hold little to no weight; in fact I tend to ignore a lot of it. Maybe I’m missing out by doing that, but oh well, shame.

    • Tier says:

      I agree; a matte finish wouldn’t catch the eye nearly as well as the glossier look. Rin is possibly one of the more moe characters in anime culture but here, I kinda think she mas more the look of a Western-style comic superhero, with her tiny waist and long legs and shiny outfit and heroic pose.

      Yeah, I like her hair for the same reason; it looks a lot more dynamic with the variation in color and shading. I think it also gives a nice dark contrast that doesn’t fade in with the color of her skirt and socks.

      I’ve changed the way I approach writing figure reviews in recent times; I like to explain why I like (or don’t like) a figure, rather than saying whether people should buy a figure. I know a lot of people don’t care for the things that I find attractive, so there’s no point in me telling everyone to buy a Kanu Unchou figure if other people don’t care for Kanu Unchou much.

      Yeah, I like reading other people’s opinions on message boards and such, but reactions are often so over the top that it’s hard for me to take them seriously. And I see this everywhere; photography forums, political message boards, and on sports sites. I’ll admit that’s one thing that motivates me to keep up with this site; I think my opinion stands out a bit more on my own site than on a message board or community blog.

  12. The thing I like about not really knowing that much about the source character is that I can judge the figure on how it’s presented – and whether I like it or not. I heard some murmurs about Rin’s controversies, but didn’t pay that much attention to them. Still don’t really know what the hoo-ha was/is about and don’t really care. I think this figure was well sculpted and definitely warrants some shelf space. 🙂

    I was reading through your review and was wondering how come there weren’t any tentacle pictures – but then you delivered at the end. Sneaky!

    You have some ungodly speed in putting up these reviews, as I’ve said, I only just received my package a couple of days ago. Then again, not like I’d be putting up a review of her anytime soon with the rate I’m going. LOL

    • Tier says:

      True indeed; I don’t know much about many of the characters whose figures I buy, and I’ve forgotten a lot of what Rin is like. I vaguely remember she’s a tsundere type, which ought to predispose me to not like her, but I can hardly hate on anyone with that kind of backside.

      I work fast! I actually didn’t get this one up as fast as I hoped to since I had to build the wall that’s in the background of a lot of these shots, but now that the NBA season is over I’ll probably have more time to work on shoots.

  13. Mike says:

    Tier, what camera do you use? Just curious.

  14. Tian says:

    Great review! I have some mixed feelings about the figure. When I first saw it, I thought it was incredible. As time went on I became less satisfied with the face (although the original face is even worse) and I’m not big on the glossy paint job. I guess that kind of ties in with your intro – I usually like glossy finishes but it just turns me off on this figure. The body hugging shirt is still great, though.

    As for Fate/Stay Night, I think it’s enough to read up on the various storylines on the internet. That’s pretty much what the “game” is anyway, and I wouldn’t bother wasting my time with the anime. Shirou is a godawful protagonist and the story too often gets lost in the writers’ desire to create a harem show. For what it’s worth, though, I still really like Rin.

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, it’s a pretty personal thing. It’s definitely okay to have an opinion of a figure, but some of the claims and accusations and recriminations I heard were way, way out in left field.

      I really, really could not stand Shirou. In one of the early episodes I was screaming inside for Rider to kill him already. God I can’t believe such an exalted franchise has such an unlikable lead guy. Fortunately I hear he doesn’t show up in Fate/zero, which I’ll give a chance when it airs this year.

  15. Chag says:

    I have a brilliant idea for all the haters: instead of complaining about how Rin’s clothes are glossy, how about complaining how real clothes AREN’T glossy? Because I sure as hell would be happy if all shirts and stockings look as if they’ve been dipped in oil — oil is one of my many fetishes, after all.

    Jokes aside, the sculpt on her really is something else. I like how her physique absolutely refuses to be tamed by clothing. I like how the contours of her asscrack and the underside of her breasts are completely visible THROUGH her clothes. Man, the more I look at her, the more attractive she looks, and your photography is chiefly responsible for that. Looks like it’s time to pay e-hentai another visit!

    • Tier says:

      As would I! We need more anime characters who dress in latex and leather and PVC and other shiny things.

      Making her clothes hug her body the way they do was a very inspired sculpting decision. I rag on GSC a bit for the star thing and for making too many BRS figures but man, if they could make more figures of characters that look this good, I’d drive their bandwagon myself.

  16. Giles says:

    Absolutely splendid review of GSC’s Rin! I avoid all things Fate/Stay Night like the plague, but this…this got me bad! BEST. Rin. Ever. Especially her a$$, though that’s been said for the umpteenth time already, so I’m just gonna leave it at that.
    The earliest prototypes had her face all wrong, but it’s good to see GSC managed to rectify it in the end. And oddly, I’m not put-off at all on the glossiness of her shirt (the stockings SHOULD be shiny, and the skirt doesn’t seem to be).
    Until she arrives here, I’ll just ogle your awesome pics in the meantime. Hahaha. I’m very pleased you decided to do a shoot of her.

    • Tier says:

      Thanks! Hehe, yeah, it’s probably the most mainstream eroge out there, and while I’ve heard good things about it, I’m never gonna be able to get past what a tiresome douchebag Shirou is. The show (and I’m guessing the game) would’ve been a billion times better if he’d have just shut up and let Saber wreck heads.

      Absolute epic ass, ass so fat you can see it from the front. Would that more anime figures had an ass like this.

  17. Halbred says:

    I’m back, baby!

    Brain surgery kept me from posting here or at my new figure site. Rin here, despite being flatter than I usually go for, has some appeal for me. I think it’s the pose–dynamic, and the paint job–nice ‘n’ colorful. Her hair is kind of awesome, too. Looks like I’ve got a few figure reviews to read through. I totally understand when you say that figure purchasing is very personal, and indeed my tastes have changed over the years from buying the BOME Kasumi (my first!) to my latest, the Bishoujo Wonder Woman. Because these things are so damn expensive, I really wring my hands over previews and early reviews, but at the same time, I can’t wait too long because they go out of print so quickly (especially up here)!

    • Tier says:

      Holy crap … I hope you’re feeling better. And uhh, I hope your guts are being recolonized, I can’t even imagine what that feels like.

      Not only is figure buying very personal, some times I don’t even understand why I like some figures. For example, there’s this Sora Kasugano figure up for preorder that I’m thinking of getting, and I’m not even sure why I like the figure. I don’t care a ton for the character – my negative first impression of her was why I didn’t watch her anime – and the figure is wearing a lot more clothes than the figures I usually buy. But there’s something about her look that I think is attractive, and I think I’d enjoy building a set to photograph her in.

  18. phossil says:

    Wow, really awesome pictures and the quality of the figure is superb!

  19. zzzzzy says:

    Do you have any good Ecchi animes to reccomend?
    After ordered the Junko figure, I decided to watch the “Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou” anime, which I enjoyed. I also liked Hyakka Ryoran, which I watched after seeing (and ordered) the Matabei and Hanzo figures.
    Queens Blade was alright. Fate Stay Night was ok.

    I also recently got the Fate figure, so I made an attempt to watch the Lyrical Girl Nanoha anime, but couldn’t make it through the 3rd episode… And Ikkitousen wasn’t that good.

    Thanks!

    • Tier says:

      Uhh, gee, lessee. I liked Sora no Otoshimono, particularly the first season. It’s got a great deal of fanservice and it’s pretty funny. I didn’t like the second season quite as much as the first, though. I also liked Kampfer a lot, though I haven’t finished it yet since I need to buy the DVDs, as the Japanese TV broadcast had some really annoying censoring. It’s curious how there are no Kampfer figures; one would think that show was tailor-made for merchandising. I kinda like Sengoku Otome; it’s enjoyable to watch, though it’s really brainless.

      Gee, now that I think about it, I think I watch a lot more hentai than regular anime these days.

      • zzzzzy says:

        Thanks for the tips!
        Added them to my “to watch” list.

        It’d be good if they made a “good anime – with hentai in it” since hentais does usually not have a very good story.. (at least for me).

        • Tier says:

          Yeah, it’d be cool to have a story-driven hentai once in a while. Though I like my porn. Some people are kinda uncomfortable with porn but me, I like my porn very much.

          I was kinda thinking while watching the movie that Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha would be an absolutely fantastic hentai series. Most hentai shows don’t have more than four or so episodes but I’d definitely be down with 24 episodes of StrikerS hentai.

  20. This Rin figure has one heck of a backside. *whistles* The hair is also absolutely amazing! A lot of people seem to hate on glossy fabric. I remember a while back quite a few people complained about Good Smile’s Shinku (Rozen Maiden) having glossy clothing. In a way I can understand, as I believe Shinku’s dress is supposed to be made out of velvet. The figure makes it look more like she’s wearing satin instead. She still looked great!

    Except for a few exceptions, I follow a “One figure per character” rule. I picked up Clayz’s 1/6 Rin Tohsaka years ago. She’s an old release and I do like her, but a lot of the newer Tohsaka’s really blow her out of the water in both sculpt and overall quality.

    • Tier says:

      I used to have the same rule; I discarded it pretty quickly though. I think Saber was the first exception I made; Clayz’s 1/6 scale Saber and Alter’s 1/6 scale swimsuit Saber were among the first figures I bought. I didn’t even know Clayz made a Rin figure though seeing it now brings back memories of when I began collecting figures; I hadn’t even heard of Fate/stay night back then, but I really wanted a Saber figure and Clayz’s seemed to be the best one available, so I paid way too much money for it. The one I really wanted was Good Smile Company’s 1/8 scale one, which really does not hold up well compared to current figures.

  21. Wolfheinrich says:

    Very good write up as always, I know I can leave it in your hands to do a proper review of her, now I can just link my page to yours instead ;3 UBW Rin is definitely one of the best Rin figure out there to-date!
    I like how you put Saber Lily and Rin together, both very exquisite figure in their unique kind of way. I haven’t yet opened Rin myself and would probably keep her in the box since I don’t have the space to display her in the figure display area anymore.

    • Tier says:

      I think she’s definitely the best, though that’s just as much because there are curiously few Rin figures out there. For a franchise built on merchandise, there are very few Rin and Rider figures compared to other girls like Saber and Nanoha and the Evangelion girls.

      Ahh, well, that’s unfortunate, she looks amazing on the shelf. Hopefully you’ll find some space to get her out to display her in all her glory.

  22. Phil says:

    I have been out the figure collecting loop for awhile, but ill pick her up. She is one figure that will look great on a desk.

  23. Safehold says:

    Rin Tohsaka’s not honest at all. It’s part of her mystery and charm. It’s present in her use of the family jewel inheritance and it is also present in how she treats her family.

    In FSN the original visual novel, it’s a two hard back novels put together. Because FSN anime tried to combine the plot events of all 3 stories of FSN, they basically did what was done to Utawarerumono. It blew up. While yes, some things get lost from book to movie transition, such as from the Lord of the Rings to the movie trilogies, that’s not the same as completing changing the lore of FSN. No amateur hour where people who couldn’t write 1/10th as good as TypeMoon’s writers did, should be changing ANYTHING about FSN’s plot or characters.

    FSN the anime has almost nothing to do with FSN the visual novel, except for some good scenes that they rendered well. They also did a good joke scene with the abandoned cottage in the woods, because that’s where Shirou, Tohsaka, and Saber had their little menage a trois. Both scenes were pretty funny but the visual novel one couldn’t show most of it so they make it into a joke. Well, a joke if you knew what really happened.

    From the anime, it may look like Tohsaka Rin has a “teasing” appeal. The figure artist captured her regal poise and dedication to duty. That is her real personality, beyond her slightly less than honest behavior. Shirou even comments on her “two faced” girlishness. When first Rin was introduced to Shirou’s homeroom teacher (Palm Top Tiger thing), she was completely opposite how she was the right Rin talked to Shirou. It was downright hilarious in the novel. This girl was something else… Here you had Miss Honors student behaving prim and proper in front of authorities and teachers. But in reality… she’s got a harsh tongue and will be unceasing in her complaints when she finds fault with you.

    There are two stories in FSN. Saber’s route, the Long Lost King or FATE. Unlimited Blade Works is Tohsaka Rin and Archer’s route. Sakura’s route is the third, which ties up the mystery behind the Holy Grail War. Saber’s story is much akin to shonen boy meets girl foolishness, but in a sort of reverse. What makes the story fun and captivating is just how many ways Shirou can end up destroyed and killed. The descriptions are much more gruesome and gory and guru and horrific than anime could be allowed to present to a mainstream audience. And you get a funny as hell “tip” session where The Tiger comes on and you see a bunch of chibi characters telling you what you did wrong. That was great entertainment. I purposefully chose what I thought were wrong decisions just to see that. Irregardless, they like to trick you and make you think the right decision is the wrong one. It has a very powerful effect when you are dealing with a decision concerning a important girl in a vital plot. It becomes almost impossible to choose the “right” choice because both either look right or wrong. And if something obviously looks wrong, it becomes hard to choose it. That’s when one knows that the novel has stoked some emotional fires.

    Tohsaka Rin lives in a Western mansion though her family tradition makes her an interesting counter-part to Shirou’s massive Japanese style house. Rin’s family has the magical talent of creating and investing power in gems. 100,000 US dollars, was the figure she quoted when Shirou told her he would repay her for the jewels she used up as magical power. He should have kept his mouth shut when he didn’t know the price. Rin’s family inheritance, the jewel, was a gem invested with the power of a magus over an entire life time. It was, literally, her inheritance, for magical power has both monetary value as well as mystical properties to the Tohsakas. And a reason why the Tohsakas weren’t as rich as mega corporations. They use up their wealth as fast as they gain it. And she used her inheritance up in one go. Remember on what? It was duty that drove her to do what she did. The war between maguses should not harm the innocent. And for another, more personal reason. So Tohsaka Rin, this harsh two faced schoolgirl, used up all the magical power she had been given, power enough to perform a miracle upon Earth itself, on one single individual. And that’s why something went wrong in her summoning in UBW.

    And it ended up being a vital plot element in Unlimited Blade Works. Which you basically spoiled yourself if you watched the movie before reading the novel. UBW was 100 times more enjoyable in FSN VN. 100 times more understandable too. And 100 times more anger inducing towards the villains.

    People get frustrated easily by the shounen esque but not so shounen esque qualities of FSN anime. That’s understandable, because in the VN, watching Shirou die was basically like watching a horror, comedy, and DBZ all at the same time.

    Rin’s character and regal pose contrasted well with Saber’s loyalty and duty, albeit of a different nature. [Skip these sentences if you don’t want to be spoiled] I still think that the author combined Jean of Arc and King A of C into Sabre, even though the legend background was pretty accurate as far as it went. Kings were more warriors than statesmen back in the long past, like Leonidas.

  24. Safehold says:

    The magical physics of FSN centers around how melee heroes, like Saber, have very high immunity to magic, whether from enemy heroes or enemy mages. This may be why Saber tried to shield against Caster’s magical attacks, because often wise, unless one uses a Special Attack type magic of A+ rank, melee heroes like Saber just won’t be affected much at all. The problem with Archer is that his range attack is made out of physical weapons embued with heroic powers. That’s on a completely different ballpark than Saber’s A+ sword attack special. In fact, Archer has a sword attack that is one rank higher than Saber’s, A++ or S rank even. That, plus the fact that Saber doesn’t have an infinite reservoir of magic, is why Saber had some issues with Archer.

    People should really read FSN VN to get what really went on in the battles. Because what you see in the anime or even the movie, isn’t even 50% of the whole picture.

    • Tier says:

      Thanks very much for filling in the background detail of the Fate/stay night franchise. To be frank, I dunno if I’m gonna get around to playing the game or not; I like the character designs and a lot of the characters but there’s one that I really, really don’t like very much.

      • Safehold says:

        FSN the novel has dramatic components, so there’s always a reason and plot element to how characters, including Shirou, are progressed. Emotions are part of the experience and is necessary to make plot twists meaningful. Because FSN is one complete story split into 3 alternative “tellings”, reading only Fate is just an introduction really into the story and characters. The satisfaction doesn’t come until the 2nd and third stories. The prologue or introduction often builds up cliff hanger suspenses.

        Some Corrections: 3 stories instead of 2. The visual novel had the complete scene, it was the anime that cut it short concerning the cottage.

  25. Safehold says:

    Fate Stay Night did a very excellent job of exploring what makes a hero or anti-hero. What goals do they have? What kind of actions does it require one take to become a hero? How many different types of heroes are there?

    In the process of the battles in FSN VN, I saw several different templates. It was a very interesting and educational experience. A eiyuu, hero, or character in FSN does not get fully developed until you read Fate, UBW, and the last story arc. Assuming FSN is 50 hours, that’s about 10-20 hours for FATE, 10-20 hours for UBW, and 10-30 hours for the last arc. Because I think in relative context, FSN has the largest word count around, unique script size too. So it’s more than 50 hours in length. Either that or I was slow reading it as it was the first Japanese VN I had read.

    • Gilgamesh says:

      Fate route was actually really short. Like 10 hours on average. UBW route was 15-20 hours. Heavens feel 25-30 hours. Anyways this Rin figure looks awesome. Her legs are what attract me most.

  26. Pingback: Review: Good Smile Company 1/7 Tohsaka Rin (Unlimited Blade Works) « Figyura (フィギュラ)

  27. Pingback: Unlimited Blade Works Rin | Kodomut

  28. Pingback: Rin Tohsaka – Good Smile Company

  29. motaku96 says:

    Wow, the way the light reflects off the swords, I was more fascinated by that then I was with her bum. Really interesting.

  30. Break says:

    yo
    ive read this review now, since im prolly trieng to get her re-issue htos decembre since i didnt get the orginal release
    however, if you would ever consider playign the game- ypu know, there are about 40 scripted ways to die for shirou so you can actually have him die to your hearts content. actually, its good to die since for every of the deaths, you get an enjoyable little “tiger dojo” scene and a stamp, and if you get all you get areward. otehr than that, while hes pretty useless in the “Fate” rotue, shirou gets pretty badass in UBW; and if hs weird “superhero” ideals bother you, he gets rid of that int he “heavens feel” route. and is pretty badass there too, killing berserker and saber alter on his own..

    • Tier says:

      Awesome. That’s the main reason I would play the game. It’s nice that he stops being a douchebag but frankly, I dislike him so much that I think I would rather imagine him getting gutted by Saber Alter and dying alone.

      • Break says:

        well based on your choices, if i remember correctly, there is one scene where you can be killed by normal saber in the fate route, actually. other than that, in the fate-route yoou get killed mainly by ilya, caster and/or kirei; int he UBW rotue you get killed mainly by gil or kirei; also ilya dies in it (rageragerage) sorry im a little bit of a giant fan of ilya. why does nobody make a good figure of her, anyways? its not like she wouldnt have enough good sceens to make into a figure; you could portray her in her winter coat, sittign in the palm of berserker with a bewitchign smile. or you could portray her while sacrificing herself in the heavenly dress with that big crown, at the TRUE END in heavens feel. yet there are only three figures of her, all of them relatively low-quality and with uninterestign poses and bases: one stone-old one of her sittign on berserkes sword, one with her in swimsuit just like that and one in gym clothes. GSC are such fate-maniacs yet nobody there made a ilya yez, except for a gashapon and a nednoroid petit tradign figure! im so furious at that.
        anyways bac t topic, in heavens feel you get mainly kille dby zouken, sakura, dark saber, dark sakura,or true-assassin. (the samurai-liek assassin we see in fate and UBW is a fake, hes not the real assassin-servant.)

        as for shirou becomign awesme, archer is actually the (well, one possible) shirou of the future. all signs point to the idea that archer is what would have become of the shsirou on the ilya-route- unfortunately, the ilya route was canceled due to budget-reasons back when the game was made (even more rage)
        phew that became quite long and obstructed…

        • Tier says:

          Outstanding, it’s great to know Shirou can die in so many ways. Too bad none of the derivative works ever depict those outcomes.

          • Break says:

            i guess they would get kinda short then^^ then again, he always already dies once in the beginning (you know, lancer.) if the<y ever decide on animating hollow ataraxia, you might see him die there–hollow ataraxia#s plot works with timeloops (actually the time is totally messed up there) and shirou gets.. at teh end of the first three timeloops, he gets 1. killed by shadow wolves 2. rendered unmovable with maria#s cloth and kille dby shadow wolves 3. killed by archer, more precisely shot with the black sword hrunting.
            then again, the naimation of hollow ataraxia is unlikely.. and sicne it mixes up the timelines, id owuld be necessary for them to at least animate heavens feel first, too.

        • Safehold says:

          Major plot spoilers aren’t doing internet readers any good.

  31. Boreal says:

    Awesome. Rin is my favourite in FATE STAY NIGHT.
    Could you please tell me how can I buy the background set you used ? Church and sculpture, really great !

    • Tier says:

      I made the background set myself; the church background is a wall built from foam bricks and a small piece of transparent acrylic which is painted with really cheap acrylic paints. I bought the statue that I used in the background of the other pictures from a company called Design Toscano, who make a variety of inexpensive statues.

      • Boreal says:

        That is amazing! I wanna have a try now…thx a lot~

      • Boreal says:

        そういえば、 i should cut out the traces on the foam brick ? or cut the whole brick into small pieces then stack them up….(and … My English is not very well , hope that what i said is not too hard to understand)

        • Tier says:

          Your English is good! It’s certainly better than any foreign language I’ve ever tried to learn. These are the foam bricks that I use; they are already pre-cut into rectangular bricks so I just need to glue them together to construct a wall. They’re kind of difficult to work with, though, because they’re difficult to paint (they are porous, so a lot of the paint soaks right through them) and the only glue I’ve found that works with them is Loctite superglue.

          • Boreal says:

            Thanks, I’m full of confidence now. XD.
            It seems that I can just buy the raw brick foams, so …. maybe i should cut them…. Let me have a try…

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