The Fate/stay night franchise has had numerous figures made of its characters, with two upcoming notable ones being Good Smile Company’s Rin Tohsaka – who has an incredible backside – and their amazing Saber Alter, who is set to redefine badass in a way that’ll leave the world walking bow-legged for a month. However, Rider doesn’t get a lot of love from figure makers, which is really a shame, as she has a unique and interesting character design and an enigmatic personality. Fortunately for us, we have here a figure of Rider and –
Wait, this isn’t that Rider? What the blood clot? So who dis girl, then?
This Rider comes from Happoubi Jin’s Sweet Body artbook and was sold in limited quantities at the recent Wonder Festival. Like the Hustler, she apparently has no name and so is labeled by her most proximate occupation, which is sort of problematic since the Fate/stay night character is so well known. She’s sculpted by Orchid Seed in 1/7 scale and, unlike many of that company’s figures, the given scale seems to be accurate.
The production version of Rider wears a red and yellow suit, but I decided I liked the pink and purple of this limited version better; I don’t have enough pink in my collection. Furthermore, getting the figure a couple of months before everyone else was an attractive proposition. The cost, however, was daunting, given that I had to commission Tokyo Hunter, who does an excellent job in acquiring the goods but ain’t cheap in the least. Also, I’ve had some reservations regarding Orchid Seed’s quality control, but as I found the Hustler to be quite good in that respect, I felt that that risk was small.
Happoubi Jin’s Rider comes with just one accessory, her bra which hooks over her left thumb. She also comes with a circular base labeled with her title, though she obviously doesn’t have to be positioned on it for display. That’s all she’s got, so if it’s a problem that she’s flashing her tits at all your house guests, this probably isn’t a figure that you want.
As I mentioned, I feel some trepidation with Orchid Seed’s figures; many of their recent figures have had ragged paint jobs and visible seams and protruding bits of mold lines. Happily, Rider seems to be free of such defects; she’s actually very nicely sculpted, surprisingly so, even. An admirable level of detail is evident: her knee and shoulderpads feature stitch lines and her jacket and trousers include zipper teeth. I like how her breasts are falling towards her sides; it gives them a more realistic shape and the impression of weight. They’re a marked contrast to the breasts on this figure, where it looks like they’ve been pumped up with helium. That looks weird even for anime.
Her paint job is also very good, especially for an Orchid Seed figure. The application is fairly clean; I’d expected problems on areas like her zippers, the gold buckles and strap holders on her boots and bra, and on her goggles, but happily no such issues are present. Surprisingly. And Orchid Seed’s provided some nice touches, like her white fingernail polish and the bit of gloss on her lower lip that elevates the temperature of her look. Shading is more subtle than conspicuous. One change that I would’ve liked would have been to give her clothing more of a glossy look, since sexy female motorcycle riders are often squeezed into shiny clothes.
The Rider also comes with a little chain that dangles in front of her panties. It’s a real chain and it has a tiny heart talisman attached to it. Cute.
It’s gratifying that the technical aspects of the Rider have been handled well, but I like the stylistic aspects of this figure even more. She’s seductive, sensual – and okay, slutty. Not that I see anything wrong with that. With her hips thrust forward, boobs hanging out and cameltoe on full display, this figure brazenly blares sluttiness. I think that that’s an admirable thing.
Orchid Seed has done a lot of ecchi figures, but I think this is one of their nicest. She has a very pretty face that I think is more attractive than that seen in the source artwork, and the overall quality is quite high, particularly for a figure from this maker. I think that anyone who likes mature-looking, explicit figures will be very happy with the Rider.
Really like the pink color scheme, but I don’t even want to take a guess at what you paid to acquire it. Still, it’s a really nice figure, and I’m even more certain that the mass production version won’t end up as one of my cancellations. The Hustler figure almost ended up so, before the rerelease, and I almost immediately regretted it. The reservation was pulled from Hobby Search, and I know how some figures sell out instantly upon release. Luckily I ordered some in stock items from Amiami, and the figure released the next day, so I just added it to that order. Came in about $10 cheaper than the Hobby Search price too, so I can’t complain.
I don’t want to think about what I paid (it was 14k yen not counting shipping). Checking the Tsuki-board page, I now recall that only 200 pieces of this figure were made so I suppose that ain’t too bad. Actually, looking at that page, I see that the sculptor who did this figure and the Hustler also did the Griffon Enterprises Kanu Unchou and Ryofu Housen figures that I own and don’t particularly care much for. Weird how this figure turned out very nicely and those figures were pretty poor.
That reminds me, I need to cancel my preorder for the production figure.
Tier!! the review is excellent!!! .. you really surprised me with the opening pic,it is really fun jajajajajaja i would like to be in that situation jajajajajaja
Congratulations tier!! great angles shots!!!!
The figure is really nice!!!!!! i think rider is one the most detailed orochiseed´s figures, they did a good work with her!..score 10!!
I have to say …..i love her booobsss!!! my god!!!!!!! in fact, seriuosly, her tits are … i dont know.. perfect!!!, they have the appropriate size! very natural and desirable . in few times i´ve saw a good job about that part . Orchiseed has my heart in this moment jajajajajaja
thanks tier! The wait was worth it! (creo que asi se dice jajajaja)
Amazing!
Saludos!
atte
Marcucho
I’m glad you liked the review XD The Rider definitely has a very nice rack. I hope Orchid Seed keeps making figures based on Happoubi Jin’s art, maybe some of the Kanojo x 3 girls (especially Mafuyu), or the PSP girl. I know there’s a model kit of the latter out there, but I’d like to see a PVC version.
i hope so too… although i will prefer other character more mature instead mafuyu i don like lolicon very much ..well she seems like that. jajajajajaja
i would like they release this Happoubi Jin’s character: http://yotsuba.imouto.org/sample/f6fa8c6c8dd56f1cdbcc73d6e2a30bcf/moe%2013079%20sample.jpg
it will be nice! ..although it is a character type that usually companies like Native release..
what do you think?
Saludos!
Atte.
Marcucho
That picture would make for a great figure, though yeah, that’s probably more Native’s thing since even Orchid Seed seems to have bounds that they don’t want to cross. You know, I don’t think I have any teacher figures in my collection, which is a little odd, since there are a lot of sexy teacher characters in anime.
jajaja yes tier,,, well.. is good to have more options…. we always have very suggestive figures by Orchiseed and Native will be there giving us.. you know.. “basics instinct´s objects” hahahajajaja!! XD
Saludos!
Looks to be a very nice figure and an attractive shoot… I probably wouldn’t have let El Presidente in on the very first shot though – he’s seriously cramping her style! I have be deliberating over getting this for a while (standard model – not limited edition) and am sorely tempted… that said, I have a lot of other things I need to spend money – otherwise come winter I’ll be freezing my arse off with no boiler!
Got to say I can see why you plumped for this version – they both look good but I agree that this one does have an edge.
Haha, yeah, the president is there in the first shot solely to keep the front page plausibly PG-13. I gotta find his other hands. Or maybe I’ll just got the Hot Toys African American body, since the president doll I’ve got doesn’t have very good articulation.
September and November are looking like real expensive months, and I’ve already shelled out a lot on camera stuff and doll stuff and doujinshi stuff, especially with Comiket 78 having happened just a few weeks ago. I’ve got to make some budget decisions myself pretty soon.
Hmm… Looks like orchid seed still has a little problem of their faces looking a little too “plastic”
It was a problem with their ignis the white (and repaints) as well. The figure itself would look great but little things like that would stop it from *being* great. Not sure if that came out right…
Having said that, orchid seed limited stuff is always league ahead of their regular items it seems.
I agree that Tokyo Hunter isn’t cheap but for me, he’s fantastic even with the added costs! His service is better geared for items which you will only find at events where you physically have to be there to get them. There are other options for webshop exclusives.
Yeah, a lot of Orchid Seed’s recent figures have had a ton of potential and have fallen short. Like their L2 elf, I was really looking forward to it but the workmanship was so rough that it was hard not to be disappointed. I’m still looking forward to their L2 dark elf but I’m keeping my expectations in check.
I’ve seen a lot of comments recently about Tokyo Hunter’s prices; it’s all fair but I’ve found them to be the easiest and quickest way to get limited stuff. I use two other proxies, and SMJ is limited because of my relatively low max purchase price and their batch shipping system, and M-World only ships at the end of the month, so they can potentially be way slower. I’ve been thinking about asking Joseph to look around for a model kit that I’ve been wanting, since I can’t seem to find it anywhere.
Well, some people I know have been singing praises for Yokatta web. Their prices are supposedly a little lower but they’re only really good for web shop exclusives as they charge upwards of 30,000(!!) yen if you ask them to physically be at an event to buy something and you need to tell them a month in advance. So they are out for me, since all I buy is practically event exclusives!
I asked joseph to look for some gundam girl kits. I doubt they will ever appear (they are rare enough as it is) but if he does find one, I’m all over it like a cheap suit! if you’re looking for something already released, then Joseph is also probably your best bet. I don’t know another service which will go out looking for already released limited items.
Hmm, interesting, I’d never heard of them before but their prices for web orders and YJA seem pretty reasonable. Maybe I’ll try out their service sometime.
Yeah, if I need something that can’t be found online, I think I’d ask Joseph first. I’ve heard that M-World will look in shops but since Tokyo Hunter specializes in anime goods, I figure they’re the best bet by far. I might actually need to ask him to go looking around for some doll stuff, since vmf50 stuff is sorta rare.
My mouth… I can’t close it… oO
What should I say…
**** I like to have one too, NOAW XD”
You can get one in a month! XD Assuming she doesn’t get bumped back, and I can’t imagine that she will, since they’ve already gotten the WonFes version out.
Still prefer the red, but pink is probably more accurate…Seems like most female rider gear I see in the stores when shopping for my own stuff is all pink, white, or light blue.
100% agree on the breasts though…Don’t really have anything against large breasts on figures just seems like most makers give em those anti-gravity spheres instead of a proper shape. T_T
Pink is a good color. I don’t mind admitting that I am very fond of pink. I once mentioned this to a co-worker and she looked at me like I just came out of the closet.
I think the next four or five figures I plan to review all are quite stacked in the bust. It’ll be interesting to see how realistic they are in that respect.
Wah she’s super expensive. But then she is limited and early release, so that kind of justifies the price. Looks like extra care has been taken to make sure this release has very little defects. That zip looks really well done (wait, am I looking in the wrong area…).
She’s not my kind of figure unfortunately. She has very broad shoulders, and her leaning pose really highlights this especially the way her neck triangulates down. Also not being able to cover her up means I wouldn’t be able to get her no matter how much I liked her.
I was surprised at how good her quality is. I wouldn’t have thought that they’d even try to pull off chrome-colored zippers.
Yeah, I imagine the lack of modesty options would be a strong deterrent to a lot of potential buyers. It’s funny how a few years ago, I massively overpaid for a 1/8 scale figure just because she had a castoff option to show off her breasts, and now, you don’t even get a castoff option, the boobs are hanging right out for ogling and admiration.
How most figures should be…with the exception of a few cast-off just makes unsightly seams among other things. Best to just have them half-naked from the start and avoid all that unpleasantness. :p
I agree! FREEing’s Senhime would have been glorious had they optimized it for the way she should be displayed. As it is, she’s up on the high shelf now where it’s hard to see her.
Holy Macaroni!
Those Pictures with the red light and incense (thats incense right?Or was Obama smoking something?) did turn out really,really awesome.
Rider is one of those figures id actually really,really want but didnt order because I think I should cut a bit back from figures and I dotn have enough space to display anyways.Throw in wonky QC and you have a good reason to not order her,
Your review makes me want to own her though >.<
Indeed it was incense. That gives me an idea for what I might do with the president later on, though.
I’m about to cancel my reservation for the production version at Hobby Search so if you change your mind, they ought to have at least one preorder slot open XD
Just had to share that I was finally invoiced for my D-Stage order. The damage was maybe slightly higher than expected, but within the area I had guessed. Still, it’s quite a shocker after three months. Total is just over 1200 for a 89000 yen order, so quite a lot of fees there. Think I got screwed on the conversion rate; when i ordered it all it was definitely high 80s, so I expected a rate of maybe 83-4 due to their -4 system. They put it in at 80. With $58 in commission and $59 in wire fees (ouch!.)
Still, after doing a quick Google conversion, it’s only about $150 in fees for a $1050 order (not factoring in any rate difference.) The painful part is that it’s stored in Japan… so shipping will probably be another $100-200 if I opt for EMS…
I must admit that I check xe.com maybe six or seven times per day to see what sort of beating the dollar is getting (although that’s also because my job is cosmically boring and I’ve got a lot of free time). I’ve been pretty dismayed for the last couple of weeks, and I’m starting to pay much more attention to statements from the Bank of Japan.
I’m still waiting on a bunch of doujinshi. I bought a copy of Cyclone’s F850 on eBay at an exorbitant price, only for the seller to tell me that it’s going to take him two weeks to ship it. I’m sure that he’s just buying copies off of Toranoana (the book was sold out there when I bought out the auction, but then they restocked a couple days later). I also got like twenty books off of Doujindou and Toranoana’s C78 list, and I’m waiting to pay for those. The guy I commissioned takes a 30% cut, so including EMS shipping, the overall markup is going to be a bit over 50%, I think. That’s better than the last time I used SMJ to buy doujinshi from Toranoana; the markup for that order was well over 100%, which I can’t say I was pleased with.
Sweet figure! The paint job on it is definitely very well done. I’m surprised to see how much “raunchier” the figure is compared to the original artwork. Her facial expression in the artwork looks a lot more subdue and innocent. The figure looks like she’s ready to ride!
The natural look and shape to her breasts are definitely more welcome than the balloon shaped ones typical of anime. I quite like it. 🙂
Is her head removable or something? I noticed a seam between her jawline and her neck. I don’t see why this is needed, since she it doesn’t appear like she has a different facial expression.
Awesome photography, as usual!
Thanks! Yeah, she looks lot more seductive (read: slutty) in PVC, especially since she’s looking up at the viewer rather than at her bra. I don’t think her head is removable, though I didn’t try to pop it off (and I don’t think there’s a reason to, though I could be wrong on that). Maybe I’ll try giving it a tug when I get home to see if it comes off.
Oh nice one, too sexy for my room but still very nice =)
could it be that biker girls in japan have a strange image
reminds me of the chick from “Golden boy” or the motorbike Asuka figure
Im no real fan of figures with big boobs, but ehh… yummy XD
this is a sexy but uncomfortable looking pose.
Her face is quite tempting and the chain is a cool detail.
the bright light suits her very well
Yeah, it does look like this pose could get painful but she doesn’t seem to mind XD It does seem like biker girls in Japanese anime mostly conform to this sort of look, and I notice that a lot of them ride high-performance racing bikes; I don’t think I’ve ever seen an anime girl on a Harley.
Oh wow nested comments!
I hate to say it, but I almost almost like this figure. Of course the big tits do her in for me, but she actually seems well done and I do like many aspects of her. I prefer the pink as well, it seems more fitting some how, though the white underwear denotes innocence which is odd given the exposed breasts. The original with it’s black underwear seems more fitting in this regard, but I prefer the white anyway, even if she is a slut.
I see where you’re going with the shinier outfit, but I like the more matte finish. Not everything a girl wears that’s tight need be reflective. Sometimes it’s nice when your eyes are able to focus on individual aspects rather than slide off the shiny material.
Overall though… those breasts kill it. They’re terribly unsightly.
I tried to get nested comments running on the old theme but failed, so I ditched that theme and got a new one. This one’s a slightly modified version of the Twenty Ten theme. WordPress is an amazing piece of software and I really like the Twenty Ten theme, but it wasn’t all that intuitive to modify and it took me the better part of a week to get it looking the way I wanted it to.
Yeah, I think you’re right, and I guess if the material is more leather-like than latex-like, it makes sense that it’s not as shiny (and it’s more likely to be leather anyway, since nobody rides a motorcycle in latex outside of the Matrix).
Maybe one of these days, Orchid Seed will do those Kanojo x 3 figures and everyone will get to pick a figure with a boob size that suits them. I still got the feeling that Mafuyu would sell the best, though.
I would totally buy a (well done) Mafuyu figure, possibly a Midori. There really isn’t any inbetween with that series though is there, it’s flat or huge. I pick flat. I’d still like to get that dakimakura you have, but I really do feel that’s rather over the top.
I almost want to go to flat comments but I’m not sure how since I’ve done the nested thing for so long. Sometimes it just seemed easier to reply with one comment to multiple people, but with nested you can’t really do that and still have it flow correctly.
Over the top :O There’s just some nipples poking out! Everyone has nipples, even you. I presume, anyway, I have no evidence to prove my assertion.
I’ve got this OCD problem which compelled me to respond to comments quickly because otherwise, I’d have this gargantuan single reply in which I responded to eight or ten people sequentially. That felt really impersonal, like I was handling a customer service line at a post office or something. It also conflicts with my laziness problem, since responding to comments takes me forever, so I’m liking this threaded comment system instead. I need to figure out a way to alternate the background color on responses so they’re easier to read, though.
“She’s seductive, sensual – and okay, slutty. Not that I see anything wrong with that. With her hips thrust forward, boobs hanging out and cameltoe on full display, this figure brazenly blares sluttiness. I think that that’s an admirable thing.”
I love your unabashed and humorous writing style! There are some more mainstream figure review sites that are so wishy-washy.
Thanks! I definitely try to inject my personality into my writing; I think it makes for much more interesting reading and it’s a lot more fun for me to write. It also makes for a more distinctive review, which is something I go for since there are a lot of other review sites out there now.
I would like to have this figure but cannot get it as i’m staying in a country that didn’t allow this kind of thing to be display even in my own private room. The custom will confiscate her if i ever order her.
Aww, that sucks >.< That's one of the parts of this hobby I dislike, that you gotta worry if legal authorities are going to confiscate your stuff or even get you arrested. I'm kinda careful about the doujinshi I buy because of those concerns.