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It’s been a while, but we’re back! This time we’re taking a look at Altair, from Good Smile Company. She’s also known as “Gunpuku no Himegimi”, apparently.

Now, full disclosure – I haven’t watched even a single second of Re:Creators, and it’s not likely that I ever will. However, I’m a sucker for a girl in military uniform. Altair has a striking look, quite reminiscent of Mauser Kar98k from Girls Frontline (incidentally, Altair is wielding the Soviet PPSh-41).

In terms of vital stats, Altair is a 1/8 scale ABS & PVC figure that stands about 240mm (a little more than 9 inches) tall. She has a ¥14,352 RRP (tax excluded), with aftermarket prices ranging from ¥14,500 to ¥17,500. This puts her toward the pricier side of things. If you opt for the “Holopsicon” version, which includes several extra pieces, you’re looking at prices up to ¥21,000.



As Altair plays her sword across her gun like a bow across a fiddle, the wind sweeps up her dress and makes her hair dance dramatically. Despite her static pose, the figure is quite dynamic.

The sculpt is well realised, though it’s not quite as crisp as it could be in some places. This mostly affects smaller pieces, like her hands or some of the accessories on her coat. Still, for the price tag you might hope for that extra bit of sharpness in the details.

As well as this, Altair’s stand is… It’s not bad, but I don’t really understand why it’s so tall. Her slanted footing could have been achieved without it. Still, it’s not really a huge concern as it doesn’t drastically alter the figure’s profile, although it does make the figure taller than it really needs to be.


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Altair’s paint-work is pretty good, but not without a few small blemishes. The figure sports varied paint finishes and detailed shading to give it a textured feel. The gold paint is somewhat muted and matte, which keeps it from being gaudy and garish.

Generally, the paint is applied neatly, with only a handful of negligible mistakes. The logo on her coat is clear and sharp.

Overall, it’s a well handled paint-job, though you might expect a little more oomph out of a figure of this price. The muted, darker colours can make the figure feel a bit dull, and some of the details fail to stand out. Of course, adhering to the source material is the top priority.


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Overall, Altair is a perfectly fine figure, but I feel that she fails to stand out among other figures around her price range. While the figure is certainly not poorly made, I’ve seen and owned figures with sharper quality as well as more eyecatching pieces. I feel that she doesn’t quite work as a centerpiece figure on her own.

Also, from a photographer’s perspective, this figure is a pain to shoot. It has only a handful of flattering angles and several of those are useless because her gun or her sword blocks her face.

Fans of the character will no doubt be pleased with this figure, though, and honestly that’s the important part. Collecting figures for your favourites often trumps other factors. If you like Altair and you like what you see, I’d suggest picking it up at around it’s RRP, if you can. Failing that, hope that the anime’s popularity lasts far enough to justify a reprint. And don’t bother with the Holopsicon version unless you’re really into it – all those plastic arms just look like a nightmare.


Final Score
4

Summary

Altair is of solid quality overall, but fails to stand out compared to other figures in her price range. For casual collectors, there are more appealing options. Hardcore fans of the character will no doubt appreciate the figure, though, and should consider adding it to their collection.

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By Scott Bennett

Artist, writer and photographer. I review anime figures over @WaifuWatchBlog. I like gacha games.