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So, the new year has started and the very first figure to arrive at my doorstep is one I was reeeally excited about ever since the announcement. The Child of Light himself Cú Chulainn item/603997 in his Lancer form made by Orange Rouge. The figure is based on the “The Crimson Land of Shadows” craft essence from FGO View spoiler
depicting him during his training under his mentor Scáthach queen of the Land of Shadows. Well, with a little shrine in my collection dedicated to him I guess it comes as no surprise that this figure was a day 1 preorder for me. Although I would’ve preferred if they hadn’t gone with the FGO style, seeing how I prefer his more mature one. Since it’s his first scale figure (finally!!) and the only one of him in this form this couldn’t deter me. Well then, without further ado let’s just go ahead with the review now.
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Given the base and pose I was expecting a huge box, but it’s actually not that bad. OR didn’t waste much space when designing it as you can already see through the huge front window. If that’s not enough the side and top window allow for looks at the contents from other angles. The box is held mostly in black with red accents like summoning circles (which is about what you can expect from a standard Fate character's box). Additionally, the box is plastered with pictures of the figure and for once I’m kinda ok with that. It actually looks quite stylish and does fit him (keeping it in lieu with the craft essence would’ve been nice as well though).
Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to the blister…
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All in all, we have 3 (4) parts: main figure base and Gáe Bolg (which is actually made up of 2 parts).
While assembly is pretty easy and straightforward there’s also an instruction sheet included with both Japanese and English instructions.
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The base is an elliptic piece of concrete or pavement, considering that it looks like it’s made up of tiles. Some of said tiles surrounding the pegs are cracked, broken or have turned to debris fitting the battle pose of the figure. Speaking of pegs there are 3 metal pegs holding the figure in place (and they do a good job of it, although you might need to use a little force for them to fit properly). As a base I think this is fine, not great, but then again, a too elaborate one would steal the spotlight from the figure. :3
Then there’s also the cursed spear Gáe Bolg which has been recreated in minute detail.
The tip can be detached so you can place it in Cú Chulainn’s hand. I’d advise against pushing it too far his grip is pretty tight and paint transfer is likely enough as is. The rest of Gáe Bolg can be reattached by sliding it behind his hair and then reconnecting both parts (since both the hole and peg have a very unique shape only one angle is possible, so you might need to wiggle it around a bit until it “clicks”).
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Spin around…
This figure sure conveys a sense of motion and momentum, especially in combination with the base.
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Cú Chulainn does look quite young here, so maybe that’s why I think for a battle ready and strenuous expression I feel like it’s a bit lacking in tension? Despite the lowered eyebrows and open mouth. Although it’s true to the illustration, so…
I do appreciate the sculpt on his mouth though, especially his teeth.
At first glance his spiked hair and the stray strands falling into his face look well-made and for the latter that’s certainly true as they also enhance the figure's dynamic impression. Now for the former… it’s sadly pretty obvious how the different “layers” where attached to the head due to the seam lines, the rough edges and the excess bits of plastic and paint bubbles. When looking at figures with a similarly complex hairstyle this seems to be a common problem though (to varying degrees). Another gripe of mine would be that the tips of his hair in some instances look white as if they hadn’t been properly painted (though I’ve seen that before as well).
On a more positive note I really like how the hair at his nape looks like it’s being pulled into his rattail as well as the way it moves.
I also like how the silver earrings move as they really complement the overall look (they could be a tad more detailed though). The ears too are nicely done.
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Onto his body…
I wonder if the grey lines are the runic protections Cú Chulainn’s armor is supposed to be covered in (I actually tried to look this up for a long time to no avail so…). Whatever they are though, and this holds true for the whole figure… they’re not well-made. The sculpt is okay, since they really pop out. The paintjob on the other hand… you’ll find paint spills, uneven lines or even “scratches”, that look like the paint wasn’t applied consistently, basically everywhere. This is something I noticed on his figma as well, but I wouldn’t expect it to this degree on a scale figure from a supposedly good manufacturer. This figure isn’t particularly intricate or complicated since his design is on the simple site. In light of that this is just such a shame…
Well, I wanted to get this out of the way since I didn't want to repeat it on almost every picture, but you can see what I’m referring too between the pauldrons already.
Speaking of which, they do look fairly nice, with subtle shading in the metallic paint giving them “depth”. I also like how pronounced the different layers are.
So… I know Cú Chulainn is a hunk wearing full body tights and that definitely should allow for some nice views, but… it feels like they maybe overdid it a bit with his abs? The sculpting here is pretty… (not sure how to phrase it) deep(?) and the shading is also quite abundant. It’s not bad by any means don’t get me wrong (or so I think anyway) just a bit over the top. Still needed to wipe some drool away…
Anyway, seeing how this is indeed a very tight outfit the creasing is pretty minimal, but also realistic.
The other thing is that you can see a lot of his muscular body. Abs aside his well-defined back and arms are very good examples of this. Again, it's both the shading and sculpt in combination that creates this look and it's gorgeous.
After going through the trouble of making the bones in his hands stand out, I wonder why the fingernails are only hinted at. They’re visible, but not exactly pronounced enough, what a pity… Not to mention the visible welds on both hands (middle and index finger on one hand, fingertip and palm on the other).
The metal plate over his lower abdomen looks good, but framed by the messy looking bits… well…
Apart from the ample shading and fabric creasing the crotch area isn’t particularly impressive (not that I expected that kind of “service”). It could be way worse but it’s nothing to write home about either.
What’s truly sad though is his butt. I know it’s exactly like the prototype, but really what’s the point in wearing full body tights if areas like this are neglected to such a degree? Well, this complaint obviously isn’t so much about realism and more of a missed opportunity...
View spoilerBut even the trading figure from 2007(!) item/2114 does a better job here (maybe excessively so). ╥﹏╥
Ofc, Cú Chulainn has impressively well-toned legs and it clearly shows.
The caps on his feet just like the pauldrons have a nice metallic finish. In fact, they’re so well made the runic protections (again) look especially wonky next to them. (-。-)
What I really like here though is how snuggly they connect with the base as his feet sinking in give the whole fight scenario a sense of “force” and “weight” (feels like I can’t explain it well…).
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Now onto some size comparisons…
This is supposed to be a 1/8 figure, but I’ll forgo measuring him as his bent pose makes any judgement on his height’s accuracy difficult (to say the least). So, let’s go with proportions here…
Figures that are on the smaller end of the 1/8 scale like item/775830 & item/584103 do look a bit off next to Cú Chulainn, despite him crouching. His face and body seem larger, even next to Eizen whose body height is supposed to be similar.
item/603828 on the other hand seems like a good match, but the right angle is important. When I tried to make it look more like a fight Gilgamesh looked a lot bigger for some reason. O__o
Clever placing will become increasingly important once you try to place him next to 1/7 figures. Both Nero and Artoria are way smaller characters (with the height differences being more than 30cm) but using item/287683 & item/287852 as examples clearly doesn’t show that. Although it is probably also that exact difference that doesn’t make them look too out of place.
Sadly, I only have one figure of his mentor Scáthach item/464672, but this comparison makes me regret not picking up item/644665 at some point (especially since I spend quite a bit of time looking at the illustration in preparation for this review).
And as expected 1/6 is out of the question if you care about your figures looking “coherent” in terms of size as item/604109 clearly demonstrates.
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So, considering that none of the runic protections look properly painted up close I should probably be more miffed here (not to mention other flaws). It’s like a wonky looking framework surrounding almost everything that’s good about this figure's paintjob so your gaze will inevitably wander there… Still, Cú Chulainn is a very beloved character of mine, but he has received very little attention from figure manufacturers and in light of this I just feel happy to own this figure. The flaws are more like mild annoyances to me simply because there’s not really anything else like it. Ofc, I love his trading figures and other merch, but it’s just not the same. I know I would’ve regretted it not getting him and I simply can’t feel too strongly about the flaws or the figure not entirely catering to my specific preferences. ヽ(~～~ )ノ
I just hope he gets more love in the future!
And I won’t stop spamming GSC’s suggestion form until they finally give him Nendos as either!!!
That's it for this review!
If you've got any thoughts on the figure feel free to share them in the comments.
Thanks for taking your time to read this! I hope you have a nice day! :3
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