Banpresto SQ Figure Saber Fate/Zero Ver

Just fabulous
A new figurine review after RAH DX Lunamaria Hawke Ver. 2 from Megahouse last month, but this one is going to be mighty different from all the other reviews of large-sized fixed figurines on my blog. ^^


This is SQ Figure Saber Fate/Zero Ver. from Banpresto. ^^ "SQ" is abbreviation for "Special Quality", and in many regards besides quality, this figurine is very special indeed. ^^

I heard about this figurine line some time ago when Kallen Stadtfeld and C.C. were released but never paid too much attention to them or the entire series at that point. Because of the lack of interest in the overall product line, I never kept track of the lineup or release schedule. So, when this figurine of Saber was offered as a ready stock and I picked one up right away, it hit me as a real surprise (a very pleasant one I must add ^^) . I was thinking, "Where did this figurine came from?" ^^;

Looking at the entire lineup on its official site, I realized that I have overlooked the series in the past. ^^; SQ Figure is not exactly a new figurine series, it has been around since December 2010, and this Saber, which was released in May this year, is actually the 18th item in the series. ^^

Speaking of which, the official site for this particular figurine line is pretty elusive as well. ^^; The link is not directly available on Banpresto's main site, and while you are in SQ Figure's site, you can link to what seems to be an entirely different version of Banpresto's website, specially for prize items, which is amazingly confusing. ^^;

I'm quite a fan of Saber. ^^ I like the character design very much. The sold-out Figma version is an item I really want to add to my collection. ^^; But referring to her many large-sized fixed figurines, they are just out of my price range. ^^; They are all excellent representations of the character, but I don't really have any intention of getting them, even when they were at one time, still available in the market at regular prices.

This SQ Figure version however, is not following the same "market formula". A 20cm-tall fixed figurine of excellent quality at the price of 2,000 Yen (from Hobbylink Japan). It's an unbelievable bargain in my opinion. ^^ While been mesmerized by the great price, I wasn't going to sit around waiting for her to be sold out like that Figma version that I missed. ^^



Box front images


Labels of SQ Figure and the production company Banpresto.


Item name and a special emblem of Type-Moon's 10th Anniversary mark. Type-Moon is the game company responsible for creating "Fate/stay night" where Saber originated from.


The same image on either side of the box.


The same simple product label on the top and bottom faces of the box.



The same image of the figurine is used on the back of the box as well.
Banpresto is exhibiting no fancy at all in making the box more attractive to potential buyers. ^^;


Links to SQ Figure's official site and Toru-Navi - Banpresto prize items' news site and some sort of lucky draw announcement can be found on the back of the box as well.


Just to give you a idea of the box size, here's a comparison with the box of a typical Figma figure - Makise Kurisu in this case.


Box side - width.


Box bottom - depth.


Box open.


The same labels on the back of the box are shown on the flaps.


Manufacturer's serial code inside the box.



The content is inside a rather rough-looking cardboard wrapper sealed using clear tapes. ^^;


Fortunately, there's a sheet of bubble wrap to protect the content inside the cardboard wrapper.


All the figurine's parts are contained inside separate plastic packages on top of the two layers of wrappers shown earlier on.


The different parts that make up this figurine.


The largest part among the content is Saber's dress fixed with the side armor plates. ^^
I suppose you can get an idea of its size by comparing it with my palm as shown in the image above. ^^ And it feels really heavy too. ^^


A light shade of blue gradient painted beneath the dress to signify depth I suppose.


Excalibur's length is about 16cm.


A simple display base to hold the figurine.


Copyright statement molded beneath the base.



Even without the display base, the figurine is capable of standing firmly on a flat surface. ^^


The right heel is slightly off the ground as you can see, but the figurine's stance is still very firm.
More images of this extremely lovely figurine:













Closeups on the details:







[Head]







[Body]









[Arms]




[Sword]










[Dress]





[Legs]
I seriously can't give this figurine enough praises. It's absolutely fantastic. ^^ If the box it came in has clear window at least on the front side, I would probably just kept it inside the box, much like RAH DX Lunamaria Hawke Ver. 2 reviewed not too long ago. But since that's not the case, Saber gets to show off her beauty in full glory, and she's just beautiful. ^^ I could go on for an entire day on the awesomeness of her hair's sculpt work, details of her eyes, face sculpt and expression design that are accurate to her character image, different coating layers to depict the difference between fabric and armor parts, gradient paint work to depict shadows, and so on. ^^ For a figurine of this size, the details and overall quality are definitely adequate, and they are lovely. ^^

Comparing the figurine with a few other items in my collection to show you its size:


MG Gundam AGE-1 Normal


Figma Drossel


Transformers Prime's Legion Class Cyberverse Arcee

The quality of this figurine is really disproportionate to its price, but in a good way in my opinion. ^^ For the price of 2,000-Yen (exclusive of tax), this figurine far exceeds my expectations in terms of size and overall quality. In comparison, Figuarts Zero Boa Hancock which costs 500 Yen more than this figurine is "negatively" disproportionate in terms of its price and almost everything except its box. ^^; That's certainly my feeling after reviewing that figurine and this Saber. While looking at the latter, I was wondering the whole time, "What's Banpresto up to all this time with its pricing really?" ^^

Not that Figuarts Zero Boa Hancock is a terrible figurine. It just feels like a very normal market release item as compared to this Saber, which instantly feels like a great bargain when comparing its price and overall quality. ^^

Including all the prize items limited to just Japanese fans, Banpresto's prices for their figurines are always so low they almost seem like just nominal fee to me. ^^; The reasons behind the low prices may be the figurines' production material, mass production method, low promotional fee due to lack of advertising, low profit margin and so many other speculative factors, but the overall quality is just so unbelievable. ^^

Personally, I would pick this figurine up if the price is 1,000 or even 2,000 Yen more than the actual one. The overall quality is totally worth the specified higher price in my opinion. But like I said earlier on, the actual price is just so crazy. ^^

I'm pretty sure this is the best bargain in my purchase list so far this year. ^^

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Banpresto SQ Figure Saber Fate/Zero Ver