Despite being the title character for one of gaming’s most iconic and beloved franchises, I never had much care for Zelda. Sure, of course I’d care enough about her to go after her in every game and save her from Ganon’s dirty mitts, but as a figure I don’t consider her iconic enough to serve as a must-have in the collection.
But I still picked this new Figma release up at Anime Expo this year – why? Picking up figures just because they make good companion pieces is an unhealthy practice, but it’s still a way of life for me anyway. In this case, Twilight Princess Zelda looks good next to Twilight Princess Link, even though I would never own Zelda on her own.
I’m kind of surprised this Figma was even made, though I suppose if I really think about it, if they were going to do any Zelda, it would have to be the Twilight Princess design. I would have personally preferred a Midna companion piece to Link, but her royal highness works too.
High marks given for sculpt details and overall design execution in figure form. The gold in particular is done extremely well – befitting of the princess’ regal air without looking like cheap opaque “gold” plastic.
The tampo’d royal family design on the front of her dress is also crisp and well printed. Stuff is made out of soft plastic where it needs to be – the ends of her blouse, the tips of her hair.
I’ll be the first to admit that I actually don’t really know how to pose this Figma. It’s Zelda. She stands at a window for the first half of the game, becomes a flying puppet during stage 1 of the final battle, and rides a horse with you during stage 2. There’s little pose inspiration for me to draw from here, and there’s only so much I can make her do with her arms before it looks too silly to bear.
Flying puppet mode. Kind of. I somehow doubt a spinoff release of this figure as the actual Puppet Zelda will garner much attention, but I suppose we have to remember that First 4 Figures released a Puppet Zelda statue and that was gobbled up with much glee from the fanbase.
The ceremonial sword is rendered well, with a detaching hilt that allows it to be easily slipped into Zelda’s hands, the same as Twilight Princess Link’s swords.
As is common with Figma, the articulation is generally fluid and seamless. Since Zelda’s entire lower body may as well be a block thanks to that hard dress, there’s a joint in her chest that allows her entire upper body to pivot and rotate freely. This way she doesn’t look stiff, while retaining full motion in her arms and head.
This is for science, not for gross peeping pleasure. Yes, she actually has legs under that thing! And they even went through the effort of molding the boots that you’ll never get to see. I honestly almost expected just bare unpainted peg legs under the dress when I first took her out of the box.
Now, to be fair the dress sections can move – it’s divided up into three portions so you can spread the sides out for a wider look and more balance if you want, or keep them closed inwards. No matter how you play with those dress folds though, you’ll still never get a peek at those boots.
The only other significant accessory we get other than the sword is the Bow of Light and a single Light Arrow. I don’t blame them for this though – there’s only so many items you can have Zelda wield, unlike Link who carries everything and the kitchen sink between his ass cheeks.
Spirits of the light! Wielders of the great power that shines far and wide upon the lands of our world…
In my hour of need, grant me the light to banish evil!
The bow splits just as Link’s do in order to slip a hand onto the handle.
Bummed that there’s no string attached, but that’s not a difficult figure mod to make if you had some thin elastic cord lying around.
Both the bow and arrow have a nice pearl shimmer to their finish, which is a nice touch to emulate the sparkly light effects that these items have in game.
And finally, a subtle accessory – a face swap-out that’s meant to evoke a softer expression than the princess’ usual stern visage. The difference is incredibly minute – barely discernible from just looking at the faces side by side, but they do change the mood of the figure’s poses enough to be worth swapping.
And of course, I had already admitted to buying her only as a companion piece to Link – and what a fine companion she makes.
I actually think Max Factory pulled of Zelda more faithfully than they did Link, ironically. Nearly everything about Zelda is picture-perfect to the game – especially the face. Link looks much more stylized – while undoubtedly still Link, his features take on more anime-esque proportions than Zelda’s faithful recreation.
Did Link ever become Zelda’s personal champion after the events of Twilight Princess? All we know for sure is that Hyrule screwed up yet again 10,000 years later and allowed Ganon to wreck havoc once again.
When Zelda’s had enough of your sidequest-prioritizing shit and is ready to save her own ass and become her own chosen hero.
As a representation of the character, I think this Figma really hits all the points on the head – accurate, versatile, affordable, crisp quality. Before this the only other offering was First 4 Figure’s Twilight Princess Zelda polystone statue, and while that piece is incredibly detailed and high-end, it’s anything but cheap. Even though I didn’t get this Figma for the Figma, it still ended up impressing me with just its base quality, so that’s high marks for fans of the princess considering this release.
