Figuarts Fire Emblem

        I was actually extremely irritated when I initially heard that Fire Emblem was going to be a made-to-order exclusive.  Mainly because I didn't have the money at the time, sure, but that was also kind of crap in general.  It sort of made me wonder if Bandai had such little faith in Fire Emblem fans that they just plain weren't going to bother with a regular retail run.  And then I heard Blue Fin was definitely going to bring him to the US.  Between that and the fact that I keep seeing him regularly popping up at certain reselling sites, I'm no longer quite so concerned that there aren't enough to go around.  I'm also incredibly happy to get him at a great price, from Amazon of all places.  (I'd sort of given up on Amazon after their general policy to overcharge for Transformers.)  But I digress.

        LOOK AT ALL THAT PINK.  And he arrived in the totally legit Tamashii Nations cardboard box, even.  I wasn't expecting that.  He looks ready to get the hell out of this box, too.  I was glad to help him out there.  Oh that delightful no-fuss Japanese packaging.

        I took 9 pictures of the back of this box, and this was the one with the least glare.  It's glossy as hell, as befitting of Fire Emblem.

        Look, I've got to say this up front: I'm irritated that his stand is clear.  Just... clear.  Not orange, at least?  What gives, guys?  Everyone else has colored stands!
        Okay, with that out of the way, just look at all of this.  An entire second cape for "dramatic" poses, a total of 9 hands to choose from, and one of them has his rather shiny flame.  Speaking of shiny, the back of each cape is ridiculously shiny.  Which is why the camera decided that it didn't want to capture that aspect.  Thanks, camera.  You can at least see a little of the intense shiny there, along with the lovely gradient from red to yellow.

        Look at that fabulousness.  He's not just an openly gay person of color super hero, but he owns his own business, is one of his own sponsors, drives luscious sports cars, and can walk in those boots.  All hail.
        Detail on him is great, as is articulation.  While the joints are a lot more obvious on him than on the armored figures (Wild Tiger, etc.), the full range of motion really makes up for whatever minor aesthetic traits people may not be overly fond of.  My only extremely minor gripe is that the shoulders are... very weird.  Not so much when they're not actively being posted, but the joints themselves take a little getting used to.  Hardly a complaint, though.

        Nope, my camera is still refusing to show the full extent of the shiny.  Ah well.

        Fabulous ass shot.  Still wonderful detail, and clearly he's balanced very well on those tiny heels.  Yes, I notice that little circle.  No, I'm not going to make a joke.  Much as it's killing me, slightly.

        I don't even know what's going on here, but I laughed so it must be alright.  Interestingly, when I started editing the pictures for this page, "I Am What I Am" popped up on random on my MP3 player.  Yeah.  He's got that power, you know.