Type-Moon Tycoon: Arc and Ciel

You too can be a Type-Moon Tycoon!

Today’s otaku might find themselves more infatuated with the typical kits you find demonstrated on websites like these, but this is not the whole story. A casual browse through Hobby Link Japan will tell you that the Japanese figure/model otaku is quite diverse in trade and genre. The 2-D visual culture stuff is actually a rather new thing encroaching on the visual model arts.

To get to the point, I’ve been always impressed by some of the Type-Moon trade figures. Trade figures are usually a sign of popularity as most popular franchises have them…then again, often not-so popular franchises do too. Well, Type-Moon’s characters have had many different runs, between Tsukihime and Fate Stay Night, and I’ve enjoyed a lot of them. In fact, I’d say that I enjoy them more so than most of the larger, 1/6 or 1/7 or 1/8 ones. The trade figures tend to be cheaper, it gives you this extra layer of “zomg what’s in which box” when you’re comfortably assured that if you buy an entire display box, you can get most if not all of the set…

That is partly why the trade figure system just doesn’t work out so well. But even as individual figures, Alter’s FA4 Type-Moon Collection has been pretty impressive and in this blog entry I’m going to just post some pictures for just two of the figures. Why two? Kind of to highlight the fact that each individual figure is probably as good as some of the cheaper 1/8 ones you can get separately for a lot more money. And LOL I get to make 3 blog posts on ze purtty figurinez~

[An aside, I think the next FA4 comes out for Fate Hollow Ataxia later this month? I skipped out on it because I only wanted the small version of Magical Rin since it looks to be just a smaller, but equally good version of the dekkai Magical Rin? If you ordered a box and you got a repeat of her, let me know…]?

I only have a few pictures of Ciel and Arc today. If you google you can find some nicer ones, too, so I’ll try not to beat the same dead horse. In fact, I encourage you to look around for other pictures of them.

She’s re-enacting her fight with Nero in this figure, IIRC.

The Ciel figure along with this Arc figure both have elaborate base arrangements. Multiple connections and oddity especially with this one. And those snakes are trying to kill Arc, supposedly?

LoL beating the dead horse

Her figure is fairly multi-directional but there’s an obvious front. That said if you looked on the internet for pictures of her, you’ll realize she’s fully detailed everywhere ;_; Not that I care for that particularly, but the details on the snakes and on her legs are pretty cool and you can only see that from the back. Like, the snake crawling around from the side (that you can see in that picture) and the one inside her skirt. Le pervs. On that note, if you have a rotating display stand, she’s a good thing to put on that.

Ciel is a very different matter. Ciel is also sculpted by a different artist–HLJ’s website details who made what–Hirano, and Hiroshi Inagaki for Arcu.

But it’s not like you can tell when they’re in pieces.

But yes, the two most interesting thing about Ciel here is the detail on her arms, back, and on the Holy Scripture; and her flaming pose complete with…blue sparks? Time to whip out Melty Blood! (O wait this figure probably has more detail than she does in the game…)

The base and those sparkly things don’t agree well. I have some trouble getting those things to stick together. Take a look.

As you can see the base is in 2 parts, and the feet don’t like to stay on the pegs. Not likely to see “lean” for either Arc or Ciel given their complex arrangements with the base (and in Ciel’s case she’s already leaning forward anyways). Notice the nick on the skirt? Well, that’s what happens if you pack all that stuff in a tiny box that shakes around. Makes you wonder how much money you pay on a figure goes into the packaging… Or, rather, when you open one of those super-elaborately packed things (like her), how much of it doesn’t go into the figure. I can live with nick on the back of this figure, that said, simply because it’s cheap and, heh, it’s behind her. Ciel is very much a front-viewing only piece.

Wow, zettai ryouiki overload. But guess which one of the two I like more? :) I like how those extra flair wings add to the overall feel to this figure, even if they’re annoying to put on. It’s one of those figures that facial expression isn’t as important, too, because so much of it makes you focus on the figure’s dynamics. The only other nitpick I have, I guess, is that her right hand should be gripping the handle and not just be relaxing on it?

They are pretty big for trade figures. I guess next time I should bust out some of my old ones to give you a comparison. Stay tuned?