Thursday 15 September 2011

One Coin Collection: Tales of Vesperia ~Faith Chapter~ (Kotobukiya)


Tales of Vesperia is a role playing game with a so-so storyline, but a great cast. The character designs are unique and colourful. That is why they look nice in figure form.


What's a One Coin Figure?

One Coin figures are simply trading figures. They are not, by any means, action figures, so you can't customize their pose. Most of these little guys will come in pieces, so you'll put them together yourself if you ever purchase any. If you buy an entire box of one coin figures, you'll usually get every character listed in that series. However, there is no guarantee. Most box sets will come with at least one extra figure. It's like a safety net figure! Either way, there's no way of knowing which character you're going to get every time you open a one coin figure box. It's all a surprise!

Like I said, your little guys will come in pieces. You'll most likely get a limb or two (freaky when you think about it), a weapon or an attachment of some sort that the character would normally hold or use, and of course, a base.

Onto the Tales of Vesperia figures!

Let's start with Rita, my shortest figure! I have to admit, I like Rita's figure the most out of the three I got. Her stance and curvy scroll gives her a nice charm that the others don't have. Sure, Flynn and Raven are cool characters with cool weapons, but neither of the two has a cool pose!


Rita's pose is cool, but her expression
could use a little more life
If Rita had a more stern look instead of the standard expression Kotobukiya plastered on all the characters for this collection, she'd be pretty badass. Still, I find myself liking Rita's expression anyway...just because it looks good on her. It makes her look her age anyway, which is 14. At least she's the most stylish figure in the Tales of Vesperia Faith Chapter! Her garments remind me of a ninja. Now, who doesn't like a ninja? Funny thing is that she's just a researcher. It really throws you off, right? Rita's got the scroll and garments! At least now you can think of her as an awesome researcher-ninja girl!

[Rita Mordio shots]




Flynn is most certainly taller than Rita. In fact, he's taller than her by two figure heads, which makes sense when you take a look at his pose. He stands tall like a proud knight, just like he would in the video game.


The cape hanging in the back is somewhat flexible but flimsy because the material is so thin. It's still well done though because it's not actually attached to Flynn's back, meaning you can move it ever so slightly. Actually, I just like the fact that it's not glued to his body because I can play with it. You have to love the design on his cape. It gives off the "good guy" vibe. It resembles angel wings, which suits Flynn very well because he always fights to maintain peace. Anyway, moving on...

It was very easy placing Flynn on his base. Sadly, he doesn't have a fancy pose like Rita. It would have been cool if he had some sort of fighting pose. This guy fights for justice!! JUSTICE!! At least make him look like he's gonna strike down evil! Okay, cheesy, yes, but it's better than just standing there.

[Flynn Scifo Shots]




Raven has a rather strange base that gives you the option of altering his position. Instead of two nubs, like there are on Rita and Flynn's bases, this one has four.


On one hand, it's cool because it allows a little more customization, on another hand, it makes the figure look strange when it's on display. That's why he's usually stands in the back, closer to the wall. I can keep Rita and Flynn on the front lines, but sadly, not Raven.


The handle of Raven's bow is nice up close, but the rest of it just seems rather clunky. Fortunately, it's just a weapon. I'm glad Raven doesn't have many flaws (except for some paint spill overs here and there). His clothes are nicely creased though. Raven's clothes in the game itself are loose and have a casual feel to them, so I'm impressed that Kotobukiya integrated those features into his figure.

[Raven Shots]



The quality of these figures is quite nice, for relatively small and cheap figures anyway. Of course, these figures would never compare to the more expensive individually sold 1/8 figures, but for a small price, you'll get something decent! Like I did! The only problem I might have, and it's not a big one, is that the paint job can occasionally get a bit sloppy. Bits of paint will spill onto other areas. The figures are colourful, but their poses are too generic, which is why I'm content with just three of the ten figures available for the Tales of Vesperia series.

Summary:
Poses: 6/10 (There is nothing particularly special about their poses)
Sculpt: 8/10 (They're very impressive for small figures)
Paint: 8/10 (You can see that some of the paint spilled onto other parts of the figure where it doesn't belong, but overall Kotobukiya did a pretty good job)
Enjoyability: 8/10 (The figures are very colourful and look great on a desk)

Overall: 7.5/10

Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
Purchased From: AmiAmi
Price (for a box of 9): 4900 ¥

~Sui Chee

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