Unlimited Blade Works Rin Tohsaka by Good Smile Company

Unlimited Blade Works Rin Tohsaka has probably been one of my most anticipated figures from Good Smile Company this year. I’m not a huge fan of Fate/Stay Night, although I do enjoy the character design of Rin and her personality in the anime, she’s just not really an all time favourite character for me. As a result getting a Rin figure has never been a top priority. That was until GSC first revealed their prototype of this very figure (I’ve got images that date back to July ’10). From that point on I knew I would have to get her. Every time a new prototype, promo or convention shot surfaced I’d be reminded of how magnificent she looked and the excitement would build. Now that I’ve finally got her I can safely say she’s one of, if not the, best figures in my collection.

This version of Rin Tohsaka is based on the official poster artwork for the Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works movie. This is effectively the second chapter of the Fate/Stay Night Visual Novel in which Rin becomes the main focus. Beyond that I know very little as I’ve yet to experience the VN and watch this movie. Wouldn’t it be badass if we got an Archer figure to go along with Rin?

Rin comes in a majestically detailed box featuring a red and black checkerboard pattern. GSC have clearly put in effort to make the packaging she comes in as attractive as possible. Through the front panel we can see everything she comes with – three swords, one dagger, two hands, and the figure itself (+base). Not a lot you’d think, but the sheer quality of this figure and amount of interesting viewing angles more than makes up for a lack of accessories.

The sides of the box feature photos of the figure. The cardboard packaging has been printed using a flat finish, whereas the figure photos are made glossy so that she jumps out at you immediately. This is the first figure box I’ve seen in this style and I hope the trend continues as it looks fab.

Looking at the back of the box we can see how Rin looks close up as well as a demo of the different hands she can be displayed with. Again the photos here pop out at you enticing you to purchase her and find out how she looks inside. So what is inside…

There’s very little assembly required, Rin can simply be placed on her stand straight out the box. Rin is 1/7 scale standing about 30cm tall when fully assembled. The base uses a metal rod to support her leg through the left heel and a small plastic peg at the toes to hold her straight. She’s also quite light and well balanced on her base so risk of leaning is minimal. The swords she comes with for display are gently balanced in three groves on her base. The up side to this is the swords can be held at different angles; the down side is they’re wobbly, so expect them to fall a lot.

Here she is at all angles. I’ve shown her here holding her pendant and empty hand option. If you want to see how she looks with the dagger and magic jewel hands there’s more at the end of this post (or click here to jump down now).

I like the way she’s pivoting about her stomach, gives a great impression of dramatic movement. Plus it’s an excellent opportunity to show off her rear.

I also love the way her hair is wildly flowing. I’ll admit it’s not so hot from the back in photo format, but seeing her in 3D I can vouch hair looks great from behind. That’s just a limitation of projecting a 3D object onto a 2D plane. Maybe one day we’ll be able to view and send full 3D images (not that pishy pop-out nonsense tech companies are trying to push).

Another aspect I love about this figure of Rin is how her top (unrealistically?) hugs her body, especially around her breasts. The silhouette they paint is very hot, not too big, not too small, perfect I’d say. You probably have also noticed the shine from her jacket. I’ve found it isn’t actually as shiny as I’d first expected from seeing other photos, and seeing her in real life it’s nowhere near as intense as seen in these photographs. I really do enjoy the added shine from these photographs as she’d probably look kind of dull if she was all the same paint texture. The shine immediately captures your attention making you want to look at her more.

Rins pose and presence look fantastic from afar, but how does she look up close? Well let’s start with her face which I’d say looks perfect. Her solemn facial expression really suits the overall feel of this figure. The shape of her face is also perfect, not too round and not too sharp looking. Her fringe protrudes out a little from her forehead line allowing for shadows to be cast, something I don’t normally see or notice with other figures. She really does look beautiful from all angles…

… although if I had to pick a favourite it would be this one below. Not only do you get a nice view of her face you can see everything that’s great about her – her breasts, body shape, flowing hair, and her rear.

Each strand of Rins hair has been perfectly sculpted and positioned to create a sense of chaos as her hair wildly flaps around in the wind, which I like a lot. It’s also worth noting her hair is made from a softer plastic allowing for a margin of error when moving around near her. I’d hate if her hair was rigid and having it get caught or broken just from a passing sleeve.

Let’s now take a closer look at Rins iconic clothing. There’s three main items of interest: her red top, black skirt, and black socks. My favourite colour combination, red and black .

Rins top is probably my favourite out of the three. As mentioned previously the red top tightly hugs her figure revealing her beautiful feminine contours. I like how the full shape of her breasts can be seen from her top without making her look slutty or obnoxious. I also find that fabric being tightly stretched between her breasts pleasing. There’s then the white cross (not too dissimilar in shape to the swords around the base) running between her two breasts drawing your attention further to this region.

Perhaps it’s hard to see here but her top has also been shaded using different degrees of black to give the appearance of shadows without having to cast one. Highlights can then be seen due to the glossy paint texture and change as you change your viewing angle. The way Rins top is lifting up slightly is a nice touch adding to the perceived motion of her body.

Rins skirt is up next. Unlike her top and socks the skirt has a flat paint finish. I like how the paint finishes (shine, flat, shine) are sandwiched together giving variety to the viewer. Just as with Rins top her skirt has a slight upward flick, again emphasizing her motion. It’s also a cheeky chance to glimpse at her underwear which has been modestly hidden. You’re going to have to go out of your way if you want to see them. Thankfully GSC have resisted the urge to give her a removeable skirt. This is one figure I’m glad I cannot pull apart.

Her skirt also hides her beautifully shaped rear. It’s in full view, but modestly displayed thanks to her skirt. If I had to nit pick I’d say I don’t really like the fabric creases around skirt since they appear in odd places, but that a tiny flaw with this amazing figure.

Last up is Rins socks. Her socks beautifully accent her long well formed legs. The shine of the socks give a nice smooth and even feel. She has beautiful thighs which disappear under her skirt leaving a hint of mystery.

Keen eyes will notice this pant shot.

Too bad her shoes aren’t anything exciting.

Might as well look at her base while we’re down her next. The base has been sculpted and painted to look like a rocky dry surface similar to that seen in the official artwork. The base looks fairly good, not too distracting or busy, and compliments the figure well. There are three tiny almost unnoticeable slots in the base which you can insert the three different swords Rin comes with to create a mini Unlimited Blade Works.

All three swords look different and are symmetrical. Because all three look different you could potentially display them in different orders and at different angles to create your own unique looking base. I just stuck with the order they appear on the box.

The final aspect of this figure I want to look at is her various hand options.

Rins right hand can be swapped between two possibilities: one for displaying an empty hand or holding a dagger, and one holding her amulet. Both hands have a magical symbol tattooed on them. The amulet hand has been perfectly painted and sculpted. Each chain link can be made out and the silver paint used never touches her skin. The amulet itself is made of a red transparent plastic which gives a sense of some mysterious magic being held within.

For her to hold her dagger you remove the ball at the end of the hilt and slide it into her hand – no paint transfer . Oddly enough they give instructions for this. Again her dagger has a magical sense about it since it’s painted using metallic purples and reds, and the ball at the hilt end is transparent red.

Just as with Rins right hand her left hand has two possibilities: an empty hand which isn’t intended for holding anything, and a spread out hand holding her magical gems. Not as exciting as the right hand, but then it’s not at the forefront of the figure. The tiny gems aren’t perfect in terms of paint transfered from skin, but it’s only noticeable up close.

As you can hopefully tell I really like this figure of Rin. Anything negative is a minuscule nitpick that hardly impacts on your enjoyment of this figure – I can happily say Rin is perfect. Rin is one of my most beautiful figures both in terms of sculpt and craftsmanship. I love her overall dynamic pose, the way her hair wildly flows through the air, how her top and skirt are slightly lifting up, and the twist she makes about her stomach. Rin manages to achieve sexy while maintaining modesty, and she’s showing a minimal amount of skin. This is achieved, I think, by her clothing tightly following her body contours and bringing out her wonderful figure. Not to mention her beautiful solemn facial expression. Rin also manages to remain captivating to look at without relying on drastically changing her pose, outfit or positioning in any way. Quite a feat I’d say.

If you’re after a first class figure of Rin I would highly recommend trying to get your hands on this Unlimited Blade Works Rin.

Check out other reviews of Rin:
Tentacle Armada
Exelica Meteor

Here’s some wallpapers of Rin I’d like to share.

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And as promised here’s Rin 360 view with her dagger and magic gems. Or jump back up to see her with amulet.