Fads come and go. Over ten years of collecting girly anime figures, I’ve seen series like K-On!, Black Rock Shooter, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, and Ikkitousen have their day before fading off into memory. However, there is one series that has never seen its star dim and that, of course, is Fate/stay night, and all its myriad slash-random word spinoffs. The coterie of sexualized heroines have always found an appreciative audience, regardless of the ludicrous interpretations of their historical backgrounds. A Saber figure was one of the earliest figures that I owned, there is a veritable (and assuredly metaphorical) boatload of Fate-series figures in my review queue right now, and their ranks will only grow in the years to come. I have little doubt that should the universe someday collapse back into an infinitesimal singularity, the last atom to go will be the injection molded tip of Saber’s ahoge.
The lady depicted here is Scathach, a relative newcomer to the Fate milieu. This isn’t the first figure of her we’ve looked at; we went over Plum’s figure a year and a half ago. Somehow it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since that figure was released. Scathach is some sort of fighting teacher – something like a Marine Corps drill instructor without the cool hat, I imagine – but she’s presented in a relatively more domestic manner here.
This figures is manufactured by Alter in 1/7 scale, which appears to be the de facto standard scale size for Fate figures regardless of manufacturer. It is about 22.5 centimeters in height and comes with no accessories at all, making display setup absolutely elementary.
As one can readily discern, this is not a particularly complicated figure, so we’ll just go over the obvious things. Scathach is depicted in a highly abbreviated outfit, wearing no more than a figure-hugging turtleneck and an enchanting smile. Despite completely covering her torso her sweater is still quite sexy, showing her chest as it does. The modeling of the sweater is, as expected, first rate; the complexity of the garment provides for a nice contrast against the simplicity of the rest of the figure.
The design of Scathach’s face is one of the most obviously appealing aspects of the figure. She’s sculpted with a whimsical look and a knowing smile, and there are a number of ways of interpret her expression. It’s a bit rare for a figure to make the source artwork look clownish, but in this case, I think it does.
There are a few subtle touches that make this figure stand out. The tilt of her head and the arch of her back seem tantalizingly inviting, particularly in concert with her smile. Also, her slightly messy hair adds a suggestive undertone to her look. This is a figure that does a fine job of conveying body language.
It’s surprisingly difficult to get a decent look at her panties, being that she’s not wearing pants. I’d be remiss not to make an attempt, though, and they are definitely there, and they’re black, for anyone who might be curious.
This may not be the most intricate or visually convoluted figure, but it’s an exceptionally nice adaptation of Scathach in a less violent mode than she’s typically presented. The contrast between her clothed – but still undeniably feminine – upper body and bare legs is striking, whereas the subtleties of her expression are rather more nuanced. Her look is enigmatic in all the right ways, and of course, the technical quality is impeccable, as one expects from Alter. This is a superb figure that stands out amongst the multitudes of Fate-series figures.
