Love it or hate it, the Fate series of visual novels, anime ,and video games has garnered quite the popularity. Originally debuting in 2004 as an eroge game/visual novel on Windows, the series has since changed quite a lot from its adult orientated beginnings. Now we’re seeing Fate games on the PS4 and Switch, we have the Fate anime series on Netflix, and there’s even a fairly successful mobile game available. While some people out there will criticize the series for having character designs that are very similar to numerous others, I have always generally enjoyed the series. With the imminent release of Fate/Extella Link for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on the horizon, we were lucky enough to have gotten 3 figurines of some of the more well known characters of the series in for review.
Max Factory: Fate/Grand Order Lancer Scáthach Figma
Company: Max Factory
Release Date: August, 2018
Price: ¥6,759/$61.50
Well, I should probably rectify my previous statement just a bit. The next few installments of this article series will be for figurines not provided by an outside source. Honestly, I got excited over a recent game release. Since I would really like to see us be able to do more figurine and cultural item reviews for our readers at Niche Gamer, I delved into my own pocket to bring you some reviews for figurines of series that have been at the forefront of gaming news recently.
The first of the new figurines on the chopping block is the Lancer Class Servant, Scáthach, from Fate/Grand Order, and soon to be appearing in Fate/Extella Link. Beyond just appearing in the upcoming new game, I decided to pick up Scáthach for other, more personal reasons.
I am a huge fan of Lance weapon users in general (don’t hate me, but I also love Dragoons from Final Fantasy), and I’ve also studied quite a bit of Celtic mythology as well. So, Scáthach made a very good first choice on figurines to pick up for this article. The fact that the character herself is fairly cute didn’t hurt either.
Standing at a standard 6 inches tall, this figurine is perhaps the simplest and “plainest” of the recent figurines I have acquired. While the detail is very well done, as is to be expected from Max Factory’s Figma series, Scáthach herself didn’t come with many extras.
Her design is also the simplest out of all my more recent figures. The Scáthach Figma will come with a total of 10 different hand options, 3 face options, and 2 different spear variations for poses, as well as a stand that attaches to her back via a small hole in the Figma itself.
This is not the smallest amount of extras I’ve ever received with a figure, but it is certainly not the most by a long shot. Although, for fans of the series and collectors of Figma, there are certainly figures that come with much less and have less articulation to boot.
The Scáthach figure sports 14 different points of articulation and the placement of the stand allows for plenty of different poses, so you can place her pretty much however you like. Her build itself is fairly solid as well.
I’ve had no issue with loose or broken joints, so every pose I put her in, she is able to hold it very well with no movement once placed. Her range of movement is also surprisingly good. The figure is able to hold a lance with both hands, either over her head or in front of her with no issues.
The biggest issue you should be aware of with the build is an issue most Figma, especially female-based Figma. That is, their wrist joints are extremely small and fragile. If you are not careful while changing hands, you do run the risk of breaking the joint and the plug that fits into the hand option.
If this happens, you’ve pretty much eliminated any sort of movement at that joint, as you will only be able to fix it by gluing the hand to the broken joint. Please be aware of this build issue if you do desire to pick up Figmas for your own collection.
While Scáthach’s design itself is fairly simple, consisting of only light leather armor on the arms, legs, and chest, with an opaque bodysuit underneath, Max Factory did a very good job recreating her overall design from the games.
Her smiling face in particular adds a very cute and feminine feel to the figure, while her “action” face does really well at making it seem as if she is actually attacking something, if that is the pose you desire.
Realistically, outside of a lack of extra options, this is a very nice figurine for any collection, especially if you are a fan of the Fate series. It would have been nice if the Fate series of Figma had included some sort of extras in regards to battle actions.
These could have included things like their Noble Phantasms or some such, but I suppose we can’t have everything. At about 60 dollars (depending on where you purchase her at), she is neither the most expensive nor the cheapest of the available Figma available for order.
The Max Factory Fate/Grand Order: Lancer Scáthach Figma was purchased and reviewed with funds provided by Niche Gamer staff. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here.
