Alter 1/8 goth-dress Dark Saber

8Aug/0612

Alter 1/8 goth-dress Dark Saber

And finally, I present the figure that sent me spiraling down figure-induced financial hell, Dark Saber; a character I have not encountered in anime/game even though I enjoyed her ahoged avatar's antics in Fate/Stay night. Frankly, I pre-ordered Dark Saber on the strength of her superb sculpt alone. I have not been disappointed.

The dress is a major draw for this figure. I love how the frilly dress is suitably intricate without being overly complicated. The detailed bodice adds a exquiste touch of feminity to an otherwise frivolous goth-lolish dress. And the result is this mysterious blend of dark innocence with womanly elegance. This mixed aura is enhanced by Saber's own expression which appears to be a cross between a knowing womanly smirk and a playful girlish smile. Then again, maybe I'm reading too much.

I love the dichotomous pose too. On one hand (literally), we have a coy gesture of implied modesty and uncertainty (near her bosom) while the other hand is firmly gripped on a menacing blade that assumes a semi-battle stance. The sculpt and paintwork of the blade are excellent too. The tapering edges fades to translucence adding dimensions to an otherwise boring old sword.

Overall, I am VERY pleased with this figure and thank the figure deities that my first love is such a worthy goddess. 20 yrs down the road, when I'm a jaded collector, I know I just have to gaze upon Dark Saber to reignite the passion. Such is her timeless beauty.

Posted by Stripey

Filed under: Figures Leave a comment

Comments (12) Trackbacks (1) ( subscribe to comments on this post )

Crayotic Rockwell
August 8th, 2006 - 21:53

the only thing I wasn’t sure about this figure when I saw it listed was the eyes.. even now, they still look kinda.. I dunno? They look like I’d possibly come to hate them after a while for some reason.

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Tsubaki
August 8th, 2006 - 21:56

Took you forever to post this.

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Xellos-_^
August 8th, 2006 - 22:34

No pantsu shots

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Crusader
August 8th, 2006 - 23:00

Now the world knows what “uniquely Stripey angles” are. An impressive figure no doubt, but I am no F/SN nor goth fan. Still may you happily go along with the Dark Side forever dominating your destiny. nevertheless that yellow base is still decidedly disagreeable (too bright detracts from the black), how about a disembowled Shiro dead at her feet?

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Haesslich
August 9th, 2006 - 00:20

Crayotic – that’s the way her eyes look in the Dark Saber path (Sakura’s story), so they’re pretty true to ‘life’ as well.

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Zyl
August 9th, 2006 - 07:40

I’ll reiterate my criticism that I told you face-to-face about this figurine – while aesthetically beautifully, the coy aspect does not fit with the Heaven’s Feel canon AT ALL. This figurine feels like heresy unless in the context of Fate/Hollow Ataraxia Another. But then again, the original game context is important to my interpretation of merchandise (another acquisition limitation / budget saving tool).

Photography-wise – needs natural light a la tjhan.

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Stripey
August 9th, 2006 - 08:04

Crayotic Rockwell: My major apprehension was the eyes too when I first pre-ordered it. Now that I have it I love the figure so much my judgement is totally biased. Did you pre-order this? Maybe you want to look at the actual product yourself before acquiring it?

Tsubaki: Heh, RL crowds out blog matters.

Xellos-_^: I try to keep on net nanny’s blacklist so that young uns can visit this blog too

Crusader: LOL!! Disemboweled Shinji is preferred.

Hasselich: Ahh thanks for the info.

Zyl: Hehe thanks bro for the photography tips. I’ll need to wake up for the morning sun should I get natural lighting. The things I do for my figures.

As for the coy aspect, this figure is sold under F/HA tag and I’m not sure if she shows that trait in F/HA. And yes, I need more stringent criteria for figure purchases. My wallet is thinning too fast.

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Asuka
August 9th, 2006 - 18:37

Stripey, this isn’t sculpturing class. You don’t need to analyze the elements of pose, expression, and frilly clothes of a figurine.

(Needless to say, I enjoyed the analysis. It was fairly enlightening.)

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Stripey
August 9th, 2006 - 23:52

Haha thanks for the kind words. The truth is I don’t really know how to show love except rave about her beauty….

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tragicsmile
August 10th, 2006 - 05:54

I really ought to take it out of the box sometime. The box is almost as sexy as the figurine. >_>

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cyw1988
August 12th, 2006 - 03:19

Well i didn’t get her coz i prefer the “hazukashi” look on summer vacation saber(my kinda moe) hehehe but she looks good nonetheless…

Well i found no where to present this but here is something else that you may want to consider to preorder as well…. muahahaha!!!

http://www.atsai.co.jp/arthobby/page039.html

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Stripey
August 16th, 2006 - 06:32

tragicsmile: Haha! you really should! Much as the box is adorable, it cannot compete with the real deal… are you concern about warp-age or just keeping it pristine for a possible re-sell?

cyw1988: Thanks for the highlight! Much as I love Mikuru, I’d prefer her in other uniforms, (ah especially the waitress one…:P) keeping fingers crossed for a PVC version..

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