Today I’ll be taking a look at Good Smile Company’s Unlimited Blade Works version of Tohsaka Rin from Fate/stay night. Rin is our 5th scaled statue from the Fate/stay night franchise and unlike Sakura, I’m actually a fan of her character! I had been looking forward to getting my hands on this figure after seeing the unpainted photos of the prototype floating around the internet. Sadly, Luth didn’t show much of an interest in her and we typically try to avoid adding any figures to our collection that only one of us wants unless we can’t possibly live without it and well, yeah.. Rin was one of those for me!
Tohsaka Rin is one of the main heroines from the Fate/stay night universe and one of the most popular characters among fans of the franchise. She’s a model student at the protagonist’s (Emiya Shirou) school and she also happens to be a powerful sorceress and a Master in the Holy Grail War with her Servant being Archer. Admittedly, while playing the visual novel, I wrote Rin off as being another generic tsundere type character whose personality I found rather grating until nearing the end of Saber’s Fate route where I started to warm up to her a little and by the end of Rin’s Unlimited Blade Works route, she was easily among my favourite characters.
The figure itself is manufactured by Good Smile Company and is based off the above illustration for the Unlimited Blade Works animated movie adaption and it depicts Rin and Archer hanging out in Archer’s Reality Marble. She stands at a tall 265 mm and is part of Good Smile Company’s stunning 1/7 scale series of Fate/stay night figures. Rin was released in early June and retailed for around 8380 yen.
There are a great many things that make this a stand out figure and one of them would certainly be the amount of motion that’s been captured in the sculpt. The way her hair flows around her head and back out behind her is incredible and together with the fluttering of her skirt, it seems like Archer’s Reality Marble is a pretty windy place to be.
Another major point of interest would have to be the determined look upon Rin’s pretty face. I was initially worried when I saw some of the first images of her painted as her face looked completely off but thankfully GSC pulled through and fixed it up by the final prototype because I certainly wouldn’t have paid any money for a Rin with a face like this, haha.
I’ve always found the design of Tohsaka’s outfit a little boring but the creases, folds and pleats sculpted into the figure gives it more than enough interest for me. I would have prefered GSC to be a little less heavy with the gloss on Rin’s red top but I quite like the glossy effect on her thigh high stockings unlike a few other collectors.
Well.. Rin has some pretty nice curves, especially on the lower half of her body. I’m not sure if Rin usually has a posterior this large or if the sculptor decided she would in this representation of her but I certainly haven’t heard any complaints anywhere about it!
For me, I think.. it all comes back her hair. It’s so elaborately shaded and sculpted and if it hadn’t been for these details then I probably would have been able to give her a miss. None of the other figures in our collection can come close to matching it in terms of detail and no other figure we will purchase probably will for awhile yet!
Rin comes with a whole bunch of different display options which include her red jewel necklace, her Azoth dagger and some gems which she holds between her fingers. Her hands are really simple to switch around, all you do is pull them out and replace them with your hand of choice! Also, the red jewel on the end of her dagger can be removed so you can slide the hilt into her hand easily.
Please excuse the extraordinary setting of my desk but she’s way too big to be able to fit in front of my monitor screen in full view! You may have noticed that I took her swords out of her base for most of the photos above.. this is ’cause they tend to fall out whenever I move the figure and while that’s annoying during a photoshoot, it’s hardly an issue while she’s on display unless you like to move figures around a lot.
Another small issue I have with her is that I’m unable to get her foot firmly onto her peg. However, the peg itself is quite tall and goes pretty far into her foot so she’s stuck on there firmly which makes it more of a display issue than a safety one.
I mentioned earlier that Rin was large so I thought I’d show her with another Good Smile Company figure and I’ve chosen their lovely 1/8 scale Hitagi. We typically stick to 1/8 scale figures so Rin herself stands out as a giant among our other girls!
Tohsaka Rin’s box is big so set aside a decent amount of cash for shipping if you’re thinking of purchasing her online. She’ll be worth every cent spent though!
Here is a photo of all her extra parts. My favourite way to display her is with just her red jewel necklace in her hand and the swords in her base but I might switch it up sometimes for a bit of variety.
I couldn’t be much happier with this Rin figure! Quality wise, she’s almost flawless with very little overpainting or seam lines in her sculpt and she looks absolutely striking both on display and in photographs. I’ll always look at her fondly and she’ll forever have a place among our collection even if she does nothing for Luth, I’ll make sure of it!
On another note, sorry for the inconsistant lighting and glare in some of my photos. I shot her over multiple days and struggled with the light on days when it was overcast outside, ehe. This’ll also be my last review for a few weeks as I’ll be heading overseas soon (wonder festival, yeeeeah!) so Luth will be managing the blog alone during this period. Thank you for reading!
I wanted to comment a bit earlier, but the latest wordpress update massacred my blog theme quite a bit.
And I desperately tried to fix it, what only worked halfways TT
Nice to see your review of Rin after that ^^ she’s quite a figure giant, isn’t she? The dynamic look of this figure is beautiful and her clothes are showing a nice combination of matte and glossy colors.
I like these shiny stockings of her. Her curves look also great and the butt of Rin looks very alluring so nice and round XD, definetely not something you can see on many sfw figures. After first reviews of her appeared I felt the urge to get her for myself last minute, but I guess I’ll pass, because the mouth is a bit to serious for my taste and Im also slowly running out of place, sometimes I wish I had started to collect figures at a later date
I always love your “magic” lcd, the background looks fantastic and when blurred out like that it’s hardly noticeable that it is from a lcd screen. My favorite pics are rin01,rin06 and rin08 ^-^
Have fun at your wonfes businesstrip, thats a big dream of mine to be there one day, I would shed tears of joy ;D Hehe do you might have a ticket for me as well ?
Your site seems like it’s working well for me so hopefully it’s all sorted out for you now! Our web host went down once when we were installing an update and it messed the whole blog up.. was a bit of a pain trying to fix it. >.<
Thank you! I took ages to get it out, been pretty busy and a little bit lazy too.
I remember you being tempted by this Rin which is completely understandable! But yeah, her face isn’t exactly cute, hehe.
Damn space! Is putting some shelving up an option or you have pretty much reached your limit?
Thanks, she’s really easy to take photos of! It’s more photoshop magic than a magic LCD in these shots though.. I had to do a lot of processing on the backgrounds cause some sunlight got on my screen and the blacks on it came out greyish.
I just might shed tears of joy, lol! It’s a bit hard to believe I’ll actually be there on the day rather than sitting infront of my computer hunting down all the wonfes news and releases!
It’d be fun to have a ticket for you, we could go totally geek out there together! xD
Now it’s all usable again I had to downgrade wordpress, 5 plugins, and the damn theme, which caused the white screen of death but I lost no data or drafts, half so bad, but tireing I just wanted to finish my Taiga – Tiger costume figure review ;D
I can take 12 more figures but then its more or less over X< I will need a huge glass cabinet in the future. Haha yeah I prefer cute in general, but Rin is pretty nevertheless.
Haha that would be awesome as geek duo stealing some prototype figures XD
Will you able to walk around or do you have to stay at a certain booth?
Have you traveled to japan before? Well, have fun there and make some pics if you are able to, from the Orchid Seed booth for example ;P
Have a save trip ^_^
I want a ticket too T_T
While she doesn’t look like the Rin I know and love from the game she is awfully impressive looking!
I wonder if GSC would ever make an Archer figure…probably not…
In anycase enjoy Wonfes! Gotta tell us all how it went. ~_^
Yeah, I’m kinda glad they went with her more modern UBW look although traditional F/sn Rin is still very pretty so I probably still would have gotten her!
Good god, the things I’d do for a GSC Archer.. >.< Thanks a lot, Ash! I will definitely be telling you guys about my trip!
I was indifferent to this figure, I could see it is a nice looking figure but didn’t pick my interest until I saw your shots. Those gorgeous shots of Rin’s hair really made it for me. Still I can’t get over Rin’s clothes though, I find the way her blouse hugs her breasts unnatural and always distracts me from the over all figure.
Thanks Miette-chan!
I find the tightness of her top a little strange too but thankfully it doesn’t bother me enough to take away any of my enjoyment of the figure.
Yeah, the hair on that Rin is definately ridiculously awesome. I’m kinda surprised they managed to pull it off so well, but then lately GSC has been doing more and more complex sculpts.
GSC have been putting out some crazy figures lately, their stuff is always so pretty and uhmm.. shiny! Really looking forward to what new things they’ll be showing off at wonfest!
I help off on ordering Rin because of that horrid face in one of the pre-release pics, now I’m really regretting it. My only hope of getting her now is to pay extra or wait for a re-release.
I love the background you used, it fits so well.
Haha yeah, that face of hers in some of the pre release photos was so bad! Sorry to hear that you missed out on her, here’s hoping for a re-issue sometime in the future! Man, I’d love a GSC Saber Lily re-release..
Thank you very much.
I said this on MFC, but F@YGf0whg! these shots look so good! It’s amazing how the originally illustrator and the sculptor were able to take a rather simple character design it and make this explosion of a figure out of that. I’ve seem a whole bunch of reviews of this figure, and no matter who shoots it and what they shoot it with, Rin always looks so stunning. For the record, I definitely like the colours in your shots the best. Her hair reminds me of smooth chocolate being poured over a strawberry sundae… Mmmmmmm.
Oh, and have fun at WonFes! Make sure you take photos, especially of figures with the “photography prohibited” sign placed next to them — if someone gives you lip, just plead gaijin ignorance! Speaking of which, I have a question: what’s your ethnic background?
Thanks, no doubt I will! Haha, I’m a very fair blonde euromutt who doesn’t speak a word of Japanese so my gaijin ignorance will be very apparent to all!
Mmm, it’s almost as if the word photogenic was made just for her. She looks just as good in person though! Smooth chocolate over a strawberry sundae, eh? I’m going to curse you every time I get hungry looking at Rin now!
Thanks again for the compliments on the photos.
ah, lovely shots and a great review.
When I saw the prototype shots for Rin, I was like, must get! but then after I got her, the hyped kind of died^^”
I saw pictures of her hand, holding the gems and the quality seemed pretty bad. Unless that’s just my imagination. Other than that, the other optional parts are pretty cool. I didn’t know she’d come with quite a few optional parts.
Although I do believe this figure is lovely, it feels, something is missing. I don’t know what it is but it just feels that way for me^^”
I ordered her too but sadly she’s still in the box^^” I do hope to open her up soon, so I can review her.
Thanks!
Sorry to hear that your hype for her died down. I’m lucky that I haven’t had that happen to me yet, I still can’t stand to leave a figure in it’s box unless I’m waiting for Luth to come open with me. xD
The gems look kinda blobby if you study them through a camera lens but they’re so tiny in person that it’s hard to notice so I didn’t feel it worth mentioning.
Will look forward to your review!
I was wondering when a review of Rin was going to pop up here. I remember seeing that first picture from MFC so now being able to see even more is treat. The background really suits Rin and makes for some fantastic shots.
Glad to hear you really like Rin, I think she amazing as well. The way her hair is blowing is marvelous to look at – each hair strand has been beautifully sculpted and the attention to detail really shines through. I also like the glossy texture of her outfit and how it tightly follows her body outline. Gah I could go on, basically I love everything about her
.
I had a bit of trouble with putting her on the stand as well, she was hovering a little when I first tried. I came back the next day, tried again and she plopped into place fine. Weird. Hopefully she doesn’t lean over time, I doubt it though, she’s pretty light and fairly sturdy.
I say this all the time but one day I’ll get round to playing the FSN VN, then hopefully I’ll have a better grasp on Rins character. The anime wasn’t really that great dealing with her and Archer I felt.
Have fun at Wonfes.
Ah, you’re right, I just tried taking her off the base and putting her back on (scary process though!) and she fits snugly now. Thanks for that!
I haven’t played the VN either but by this point all the storylines have been so spoilered for me that it doesn’t seem like it’s worth it anymore. Probably for the best, otherwise we might go broke from FSN merch.
Thanks for the amazing photos–I’ve never bought a figure before in my life, and I don’t know how I’ll explain it to anyone who sees it, but my PayPal is now $180 lighter. What can I say besides a sincere thank you for enlightening me about a hobby I hadn’t considered; I was unaware that figures like this, with hair this detailed and whimsical, could even be mass-produced. You could spend less, sure, but it seems that you really do get what you pay for with the Good Smile Company. It is fortunate that I have a spare display case ready to go.
Now for a question: I intend to order a Saber Triumphant Excalibur to accompany Rin, but I’m not sure about what to buy after that. The Golden Caliburn and Distant Avalon Sabers have gotten a little pricey lately, but they seem to be blue-chip, excellent figures. Does anyone think the latter two figures are worth the current going rate of $220-$300? Or should I save up for future 1/7 scale Type Moon stuff?
Wow, thanks a ton! I’m sure Zai will be delighted to hear that when she gets back from her trip. She’s so well made that you probably won’t need to explain the figure except for where you got it.
As for the Saber Lily’s, they are one of the most highly sought after figures, especially Distant Avalon. I’d love to get my hands on one but I have long given up on it. It’s really your call on how badly you want it. On one hand, the price is only going to go up the longer you wait but on the other hand $300 can get you 4-5 other high quality figures that are coming out tomorrow that might have superior quality and sculpts. GSC so far has not announced any further Type-Moon 1/7 figures but that will almost certainly change this weekend when there will be a ton of new figures unveiled at Wonder Festival. Personally I’m crossing my fingers for an awesome Saber Extra.
Personally I’m not interested in getting her, but damn does she look good. She’s got a nice amount of extra parts and the base is interesting, and her sculpt is beautiful. More characters from Fate/Stay need to be done like this besides Saber. They should make a Rider this epic.
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Yes, there needs to be a new GSC Rider! I love Saber and all but c’mon GSC..!
This Rin Tohsaka figure is indeed beautiful….. the backdrop makes the picture looks more awesome…. i can’t afford this though >__<
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Thank you very much, John! I’m glad you like her and the backdrop. I can’t blame you for not being able to afford her, she’s really quite pricey. >.<
I still think that something is missing, I just can’t seem to put my finger on it :< I could be that I just don’t like her as much as Saber lol.
Putting that aside, thanks for the great review!
~ Sotaku
Archer is missing! Asking for a GSC is probably a bit much though, lol. I personally like Saber a little more than Rin too.
No worries and thank you very much! ^^
awesome figures. Rin is my favorite Main heroine in FSN and also one of my fav chars. Love her. Nice review.
Thanks a lot, Gilgamesh!