Feena fam Earthlight

• Character: Feena Fam Earthlight
• Series: Yoakemae yori Ruriiro na
• Sculpted by [???]
• Figure Manufactured by Atelier Sai
• Slideshow (12 images)

 
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One of my favorite character archetypes or character themes is a sword bearer wearing a long dress, so when I saw this go up for pre-order I had to get it.  Atelier Sai set the SRP at 9000 yen, which is pretty darn high for a 1/6 scale PVC figure.  Now that she stands in my display case, I have mixed feelings about this figure and purchasing Atelier Sai figures in general.  On the plus side, the figure has a slightly different feel to it than the rest of my collection, which is mostly stuff from the Alter, Good Smile Company, and Max Factory.  On the other hand, for 9000 yen, I expected a better paint job and better construction.

The sculpt and pose have an elegant feel.  Feema stands hugging her sheathed sword which is adorned with a red ribbon, a regal looking figure with her gloves, dress, and tiara.  Her hair and her skirt are being carried by the wind, which creates some interest, especially the way her hair flows.  It’s real pretty.  However, when you give the figure a closer look, the illusion of an elegant princess falls apart. 

If you click on the links to the larger version of the image below, you’ll see some scuff marks on the skirt, which happen and so long as they’re not on the face not as big a deal.  What is a problem is where her corset type thing and her skirt meet.  The blue piece doesn’t properly overlap the skirt.  There’s a large gap between the two and you can see her underwear through the gap, which kills a lot of the princess mood for me.

 
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The paint on this figure has its share of lumps and stray marks.  I was a little surprised at how glossy most of the paint was actually. 

  
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It’s not all bad though, the drapery work on the skirt and the bow are also pleasant to look at.

 
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Speaking of glossy paint, check out her stockings, the shiniest part of the figure.  The fabric folds in her hosiery behind her ankles is an interesting touch that I’m not sure whether I like or not.  It’s a little over rendered and given the shininess of the paint, makes it seem like she’s wearing latex stockings rather than normal hosiery.  The curves on her foot and calf are great though, particularly that subtle arch on the front of her foot. 

 
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One thing was for sure, lighting Feema challanged my meager lighting skills.  A lot of what I had been doing to photograph my other figures just wasn’t working for Feema due to her color scheme and that the paint used for her dress and stockings were so reflective I had a hard time reigning in the highlights.  After about four different lighting setups, I learned quite a bit, enough to make me want to upgrade my desklamp setup to something a little more involved — I used three tabletop lamps, and a reflector to light Feema.  Instead of buying extra lighting equipment, I think I’d rather buy more figures…and cases to display them.

This was my first Atelier Sai figure and I’m a little disappointed.  It’s not all bad though; the figure does have redeeming qualities.  I think I’m just offended that the high price didn’t translate to better quality than what I typically get from Alter, GSC, or Max Factory.

 
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AAA Anime is going to release this figure in the US on 9/30/2006 with an SRP of $90.  It’s a little steep for what you get, but it’s still a nice figure.