GSC Saber Lily...What I don't like
I'm pretty sure you've already read tonnes of reviews and seen thousands of photos of GSC's Saber Lily. It never hurts to add another person's perspective: What I don't like about her...
She has everything. Sure. Great sculpt, great paint job, great pose, amazing details. But how the final product, the whole, was executed is below par. I like everything about the figure except what they did to the base and the floating sheath (or whatever you might call it). Edit: Or rather, the rod holding the sheath.
More photos and full review on my bloggg.
Let me elaborate a bit on what I don't like about the base and the floating sheath, though I'm sure a lot of you have already left here because I can't upload everything at once.
This is Saber Lily's best angle. This is probably how she is displayed on most of our shelves. This is the "front" because this is where Saber is looking.
This is the "suggested front" base on the orientation of the Fate/Unlimited Codes emblem on Saber Lily's dioramic base. The alignment of the emblem gives a visual cue to where the front of the figure should be.
The emblem doesn't work with the figure's actual "front" because it appears slanted. The figure doesn't look good if you display your figure this way.
So the question becomes why did Good Smile put the emblem onto the base like this? Why include something that doesn't work aesthetically?
This might be seen as a personal preference issue, which it is, because most of you seem to be content with the Fate/Unlimited Codes emblem on her base. But if you give it some thought, real thought that is, the idea of having a dioramic base is to recreate the scene. That illusion of a epic battle of Saber Lily using Distant Avalon disappears when you put a Fate/Unlimited Codes emblem sticking out of the floor. Basically, the emblem defeats the purpose of a dioramic base.
A few comments on my blog goes as follows (sorry calling out these comments but I might see a few more here):
"I do agree that the logo is a bit distracting (and is not in line with the promo shots!) I wish they made an option for you to remove the logo or something..."
- Totally agree. She should work for GSC.
"Perhaps they added that in because they know the bootleg ones don’t have it. Maybe get a bootleg version if you want to have a base without the logo"
-Most likely, but I'm not getting a bootleg. Do we really need to settle for something less because of the bootleg issue?
"Actually I like how they put the emblem on the base of Saber Lily and also the transparent rod to hold Avalon..."
-I would be more accepting if the Fate/Unlimited Code emblem was aligned correctly with the figure.
"The logo on the base doesn’t bother me, because there is no good way to add the logo text and make it look pretty in all possible viewing angle."
-If there is no good way, why add it in the first place?
"Let’s suppose a logo must be added to the base to differentiate from the bootleg, how else would you have done it, without having it look all weird in different angle?"
-The power of magnetism like Hiyori Pixy's hat. You can rotate it, or leave it off, based on how you want to display her.
My problem is, it seems like the emblem was hastily added on as a last minute thing without much thought given to how it should be added, its position, and its alignment. Expected much more from Good Smile than this.
The diorama base looks much better in the promo shots...because it doesn't have the Fate/Unlimited Codes emblem.
The problem with the rod is not as big because you can display her without it...but it feels like a compromise to the figure as a whole.
*sigh*
I hope they don't slap a BRS logo on their BRS dioramic base...that'll be my last GSC figure if they do.
That floating sheath does seem rather out of place. I would have rather they gave her an extra hand that's holding it.
They have an extra hand without the sheath...it's just the rod that attaches it to the hand. :S
Or better yet, make a hand that is sculpted with the sheath :D
Agreed. ^_^.
When Avalon activates it always floats by itself
I should edit that. The problem lies with the rod, not the sheath itself. I rather like the sheath, just not the rod that attaches it.
I know what you mean, but there isn't any better way to show it really:p
The point of having the sheath float is because that's what it does when Saber summons that Noble Phantasm. I really don't see what the complaint is regarding this, considering they used clear plastic to make the effect happen.
As far as the emblem goes, I can't say it distracts me as much as it does you. You say she looks like she is slanting, but wouldn't you be somewhat slanting if you were in a stance like that? Plus there are a lot of companies that put the series name on the bases, look at Alter's Nanoha figures or their Beat Blade Haruka figures.
The emblem appears at an angle when you look at it from Saber's front...not the figure.
"Plus there are a lot of companies that put the series name on the bases, look at Alter's Nanoha figures or their Beat Blade Haruka figures."
They do, I know that. This is not my first figure with a logo on the base. The point here is not "putting a logo on the base". It's putting a logo on a dioramic base, which this is. It takes away from the base. That's my point. I wouldn't have as much of a problem with the Fate/Unlimited Codes emblem if the base was a plain white one.
I have 13 figures sitting on dioramic bases...this is the only one with a logo on it. Eight of them are from GSC, so they obviously know NOT TO put a logo on the other figures...
Well, the emblem really isn't as distracting to me as it is to you. Seems like a matter of personal preference to me.
hmmmm . . . seems like maybe reposition the logo, like customize :P
Or they can send me a bootleg base. Muahahahaha.
I'm not a fan of the floaty scabbard and plan to display Saber without it. It might be more aesthetically pleasing to sculpt the scabbard into her hand. However, that would only invite ridicule from fans, who would no doubt question if GSC even know the character. It's like Hollywood butchering the original story material in order to create a nicer looking movie.
At least the rod in the final product is transparent. That's an improvement over the prototype, which had a matte black rod connecting the hand to the scabbard (http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/image/10083388a4/20/4 ).
I agree about the clear rod, but I don't really find the emblem on the base that bad. Meh, I display mine with the emblem tilted but the figure is what most people care about/look at.
I know that most people don't care about the emblem being on the base as much as I do. Then the question goes back to why they put the emblem on the diorama base?
Haha, semantic cue from logo fights semantic cue from figure positioning...
My guess is that someone decided that she'd fit better on a shelf (and look neater) if the base was long-side to the wall. However you're right: she does look odd in that configuration. As for the plastic rod... it bugs me something chronic, one of the reasons I didn't bother buying this figure in the first place. That said, I can't really thing of a better way of executing it right now.
Heh. Are you buying Alter's instead?
Probably not to be honest, "Lily" isn't my favorite of Saber's looks... and I blew all my cash on plane tickets to Japan anyway. Got just enough cash for GSC's Triela when she's released and that's about it ^^;
Oh nice. Maybe I should start saving up for another trip to Japan or something. ^^
Hope you have fun there.
I understand your points, especially the logo. It makes perfect sense.
The plastic rod isn't so bad. It's not really all that noticable in the limited viewing angle for Saber's "front" anyway.
The logo could have been excluded, yes. I do like the detail of it, and it seems they chose to align it to the tiles, which to me makes more sense than having a crooked logo in my opinion.
I'm actually not very fond of the scabbard. The spray-on detailing is a huge stark contrast compared to the great detail on the rest of the figure. To me, that's the biggest fault.
In the end though, it's seems a bit nit-picking to be honest. It's a great figure, probably one of my top 10 favorites through my decade long figure collecting.
Yeah, the rod doesn't look that bad when you look at it from the front; though the black rod in the promo pics works better from that angle since it blends in with the hand.
It might seem nit-picking, but that Fate/Unlimited Codes emblem bugs the hell out of me. Ruined the base in my honest opinion; something most people don't agree with. They couldn't make it work, yet they still included it.
I'm just displaying her with the normal hand without scabbard. The logo doesn't bother me at all.
any idea where to get the bootleg?
no i dun want to use the base only for it, am planning to HEAVILY modify it (turning it into other character)
I think she's really well detailed, I like seeing pics of her... though there's something about the flow of her dress that is a bit distracting ^^;