A Look at Astolfo Figures - Fate
A Look at Astolfo (Fate) Figures
Boy oh BOY, Astolfo, the Rider of Black, sure is a money trap, isn’t she? She’s a poster child for the Fate series, appearing in Fate memes throughout the internet. You can’t really escape his memes. Sometimes you feel trapped by him. But that’s a really negative way to view such a positive character. In a series that doesn’t shy away from dark, bloody, and occult things, Astolfo’s personality is a ray of sunshine. If you need to see that demonstrated, just watch how he acts in Fate/Apocrypha. He stole the show with the way he’s always blabbing on, seemingly deprived of tact and subtlety. But if you were his enemy, would all that talk just be a trap for you to let your guard down? And would you fall for it? In some meta way, we can say that all Fate fans fell for this trap, but they certainly don’t regret it. Just look how many collectible figures were produced of Astolfo and offered on TOM’s Shop. It’s been years, but the Astolfo craze continues. Let’s hope we can enjoy more of his surprises for years to come! For now, let’s talk about those surprise hit figures from the past!
Fate/Grand Order Rider/Astolfo 1/7 Scale Figure (Re-run)
Some Heroic Spirits are way too moody and gloomy, like Emiya Archer and Vlad III. Astolfo is the polar opposite of all that, and that’s been wonderfully captured in this figure of him sculpted by Grizzry Panda. Astolfo is posed standing on one leg and bending his other leg, creating the shape of the number four. With one hand closed as a fist pumped firmly upward into the air and the other making a victory sign, he looks extremely jubilant and jovial. A closer inspection also reveals his trademark single fang tooth in that wide open smile. He’s such a cute, petite person. One of the appealing points to Astolfo is the gap between that soft, cute aesthetic and the armor he wears. While not boasting the level of metallic parts that Saber of Red of Sieg have on, there is still definitely a masculine touch to the gold and silver pieces that accent his feminine form. The same can be said of his boots and his cape. We especially like how the cape waves freely and allows visibility of his legs from behind.
Fate/Apocrypha Rider of Black: The Great Holy Grail War 1/7 Scale Figure
Again, Aniplex proves to achieve the gold standard when it comes to the quality of sculptures. Here we have one of the most highly detailed figures ever released of the Paladin of Charlemagne, while possibly being the most dynamic-looking figure of him as well. In this piece, Astolfo is swinging his lance, the Trap of Argalia. The pose takes place during the beginning of the swing, so it’s pointed in the opposite direction of his enemy. You know it’s going to gain incredible momentum, considering Astolfo’s legendary strength. His legs are also braced for impact. Meanwhile, the intricate style of his hair is absolutely stunning. Again, it's sculpted in a way that we haven’t seen in other figures of Astolfo on the market. What’s great about this piece is that it looks perfect by itself, but it’s actually able to look even better when you display him fighting Saber of Red. That’s another figure we felt was so amazing we had to discuss it in another article!
Nendoroid Fate/Apocrypha Rider of Black
Switching gears, we thought it would be neat to chat about Astolfo’s Nendoroid form. As usual, Astolfo is adorable, but as a Nendoroid, the cuteness just increases exponentially. It’s like a baby version of Astolfo, loaded with a ton of charm! Nendoroid Astolfo comes with multiple face places. Our favorite one by far is his winking smile. But the other ones are also charming. Again, his open mouth shows off that single fang tooth, pressing the point of how cheerful and carefree he tends to be. This figure also comes with chibi versions of his most well-known weapons - the Trap of Argalia, his sword, and even his horn that you can display him holding in his hand! Speaking of hands, the figure also comes with a victory V sign. It’s a very expressive character of a very lovable character.
Fate/Apocrypha Rider of Black 1/7 Scale Figure
All three figures we’ve looked at so far display Astolfo in his standard battle gear. It’s a well-known look for Rider of Black, but he has worn casual clothes as well! And this figure from Kotobukiya is the only one on TOM where Astolfo is showing off his casual swagger. As you would expect, Astolfo is dressed as a girl because he loves doing so. And he’s got the body to make female attire look good! Astolfo is wearing a purple jacket with a matching purple-and-white striped top and matching purple shoes. He has a loose light blue belt that goes great against the purple of his clothes and the pink of his hair. Astolfo again is posed on one leg, nearly jumping for joy. Fans were really impressed by this work sculpted by Ming-Chi Chiu.