Remifications

“No, I am generally good at all crafting tasks.”

Rem, enjoying a picnic in the garden of Roswaal’s Mansion, taking a break before the timeline might get dark again.

About the figure:

Believe it or not, this figure of her in the classic maid outfit is the only Rem figure I have. I also own the complement figure of Ram and this sums up my entire Re:Zero collection thus far.  Originally released back in 2018, this came out two years after the first season ended and everyone was craving for high quality figures from the show. And Good Smile Company definitely delivered. She has a beautiful sculpt, a friendly facial expressions and nice details all around. I also like the fact that they designed the base in a way that it doesn’t look awkward if you don’t attach the Rem figure. Most of those “twin figures” us a semicircle base, making you stare at an unfinished set or taunting you that you didn’t spend the money on the second figure.

When I looked up her data for this review it also reminded me that there is a sperate faceplate with her glowing horn and the berserk expression and apparently there is also her morning star and a separate set of hands included. I honestly forgot about that. See, that’s happens when you add “Nendo stuff” to my scale figures: I choose the classic outfit and the extra parts rot away in the box. Very sad!

Of course nowadays there are tons of Re:Zero figures out there to choose from and of course most of them are Ram and Rem pairs. Guess the industry found themselves a new Asuka/Rei situation allover again. In case you missed these two older classic ones from 2018 there is good news for you, since GSC will re-release them in the summer of 2021. Considering that the prize of those figures was quite low when they first came out and that a re-release often lowers the costs even further, buying them this summer could be a pretty sweet deal.

About the series:

Finally, a photo project about a show that I actually watched and haven’t had the chance to blog about. 2016, Re:Zero was one of the shows that helped me get back into Anime. I was immediately hooked on the high production value and the time loop gimmick from the first couple episodes. Sadly, I found myself pretty lost in the third third of the show. It was still interesting and I’m sure it all makes total sense when you dig deep into the lore, but I had the feeling that most of the lavish worldbuilding didn’t pay off – at least during the first season. And since I didn’t read the manga or the light novel, I had to rely on online videos explaining the broader story to me. For me it was basically Bioshock allover again.

Needless to say that Re:Zero was one of the major shows that really kickstarted the whole Isekai trend, that is still running strong, even five years later. As already mentioned the show was also a godsend for the industry. Not only featured it two of the most likable support characters in recent Anime history, it also happened to be that they are twins with nearly identical style. Therefore, they could sell you all the best merch twice.

Thoughts about the picture:

My first photo project in 2021 and also my first time that I used metal for the props. Two years ago, I purchased a few of those miniature garden furniture’s that had the perfect size for Nendos and since then I wanted to make similar Art Nouveau designs for a scale figure.

My first draft was a paper model of a chair and a table and after that I ordered some aluminum wire and brass tubes online and began to craft as soon as they arrived. Unfortunately, I didn’t had the proper glue at hand. In the beginning I tried everything I had in my arsenal. From hot glue to double sided scotch tape, regular glue to cyanoacrylates – but nothing was fit for the job.

The problem was that the wire was coated in a glossy colored finish that didn’t allow any substance to stick on it that well. I know that people who are into this sort of arts and crafts use torches or miniature welding equipment and of course I also tried to soldering the wire with my puny soldering iron that is mainly in use for repairing thin cables. But as you can imagine it didn’t provide the necessary heat to weld a 3/32 inch thick aluminum wire. 

Also keep in mind that I don’t work in a real workshop. 99% of all the props you see in my pictures are made at my normal office desk with very primitive and simple tools. I really can’t afford to make a big mess or work with open fire. Therefore using welding equipment or even a small gas torch was out of the question. Eventually I found a type of glue and technique that provided enough strength to hold the structure together for the purpose of this picture. The main structure of the pavilion was primarily done by bedding brass tubes and connecting them with steel nails.

The rest of the surroundings are composed from leftover props and greens of other projects. The background is a picture of Roswaals Mansion from the Anime displayed on my TV. I know that the pavilions from the show are made out of stone or marble but as a guy from Vienna I always liked the style of Art Nouveau and wanted to make a more delicate structure.

Sony Alpha 7R II, 55mm lens / ISO 100 /Exposure time 1/5 sec. /aperture: F/7.1

Time and effort: Considerable high, if you also count the time, I was trying to find the best way to bend and glue the metal wire and the fact that I also made a test table out of paper to see if the design was suitable in the first place.

Costs of the props: The grass and the plants all came from my personal stock but I had to buy all the aluminum wire and also a special glue for it. And even if I didn’t end up using all the material I bought, the costs for the props amount roughly to 40 bucks. 

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