Figure Unboxing and Review: Nendoroid #600: Saber/Altria Pendragon (Good Smile Company)

Figure Unboxing and Review: Nendoroid #600: Saber/Altria Pendragon (Good Smile Company)

Wednesday, August 10, 2016 / No Comments

As promised in an earlier post, I'll be unboxing and reviewing all ten full-sized Saber Nendoroids from the Fate/Stay Night franchise. If you're wondering why I'd pour in all that time, money and effort, it's partially due to a little jab at my Saber-obsessed friend. Coincidentally, Saber also happens to have the most Nendoroids modelled after her, bar Hatsune Miku of course.

On a more serious note, it's also due to the inevitable resurgence of Fate/Stay Night in the coming year. The Fate/Extella game for PS4 and PSVita is set to be released in November plus a double whammy of the Heaven's Feel trilogy of movies and Fate Extra: Last Encore anime series will continue to keep Fate/Stay Night fans glued to their screens.

To please Fate/Stay Night fans even more, Good Smile Company celebrated a series of milestones, such as their 15th anniversary and the Nendoroid line's 10th anniversary by producing yet another Saber Nendoroid. This, by far has the most regal design yet, featuring her outfit from the Fate/Grand Order mobile game and one that fans have seen many times over.

The 600th Nendoroid was only available at this year's Summer edition of Wonder Festival and only 2000 pieces were up for grabs there and then. For the many who're willing to wait till November, they could pre-order the figure through Good Smile Company's website. Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on one out of the 2000 available thanks to an acquaintance who was at the event and at a lower price compared to the pre-order rate to boot.

The exclusivity of the milestone Nendoroid is apparent from the packaging itself, being clad in Saber's iconic gold, blue and white. Even the simple act of revealing the blister pack via the fabric pullout tab shows that Good Smile Company has pulled out all the stops with this figure. 

Once you've taken out the blister pack, you can clearly see the magic circle that was used to summon Saber on the base of the box. It's nice shoutout to fans from Good Smile Company and one that shows the attention to detail the designers and sculptors have, even if it's something that most people might not even notice.

Saber's default pose features her second Ascension form from Fate/Grand Order. As expected, the quality of the figure is exceptional, considering that a cape and crown is added to Saber's already intricate armour. Not only are her armour and weapons painstakingly recreated, her hairstyle is too and who can forget her iconic ahoge?

However, the cape requires you to affix her arms at the attached ball joints inside it, preventing you from using the usual holes at the shoulders. Wearing the cape also creates a little space between the head and neck. It's an unavoidable problem and but one that most collectors will notice.

However, the appeal of the Nendoroid line is the fact that the figure is modular and this static pose doesn't suit the King of Knights one bit, even for the laziest collector out there. It's also a bit too serious for my liking, having seen the many sides of the character while watching the anime and playing the visual novel. Thankfully, the two blister packs worth of additional parts and faceplates will have you looking for the perfect pose for hours on end.

Like the other Saber Nendoroids, the Altria Pendragon one here includes her iconic swords, Excalibur and Caliburn. There's also a version of Excalibur that's masked by Saber's skill named 'Invisible Air' included. If you're wondering, Excalibur's equally important sheath Avalon is naturally in the box. Heck, an additional ahoge is thrown in, minus the crown.

The different faceplates are a godsend, letting you create different poses, as you can see from the photos. My personal favourite is the one showcasing a goofy and blissful expression. I appreciate that almost half of the Saber Nendoroids have a cartoony faceplate included, expressing various emotions such as anger, bliss, shock and even sadness. Good Smile Company has continued this streak and I eventually decided to stick with that cute faceplate as well.

I did away with the cape, crown and stern expression, being satisfied with this funny pose that breaks character instead. However, I'll probably add the former two accessories back as they differentiate this particular Nendoroid from the Super Movable edition and 10th Anniversary one that I'll review later on. And hey, what's the King of Knights without her crown and cape. If you're wondering, her armour is that shiny, right down to the gold accents and shoes.

Although this Saber Nendoroid has a minor problem with its cape accessory, it's not one that I focused on. Instead, I was constantly amazed by the attention to detail, especially regarding her intricate armour and weapon design. The different parts and accessories helped make my money's worth too.

This is a big step up from the Nozomi Nendoroids I've reviewed previously and naturally so, given the importance of this particular one. It's also one that I'm glad I seized the opportunity to purchase, being able to own it much earlier than the folks who pre-ordered it online.

Written by ET

A Letter to Shin-chan

A Letter to Shin-chan

Tuesday, August 9, 2016 / No Comments

Dear Shin-chan,

Ogenki desuka? You were a part of my life albeit briefly many, many years ago, but for some strange reason I have found you back recently, still reminiscent of the awkward but awfully fun times that we shared. Of course, there is also your beloved family, and your friends from the kindergarten. By the way, how does it feel to stay the same age for over 20 years? You must be the envy of many people!

So, many things have changed since I last saw you, though I have to say that my memories of you and your misadventures have long turned fuzzy. Forgive me, but I didn't realise that you had a pet dog. Then, your mother gave birth to your baby sister. I don't know which came first, but that shouldn't be a huge concern anyway. You are still the same old Shin-chan, I think.

Now, I know that you are such an iconic presence. I mean, there are just so many of your movies and specials. Occasionally, you go on a different form of misadventure with rather grand themes, like time-travelling. The contrast between the past and present, or the present and future doesn't seem to bother you as much as it did to the people around you. Even though a lot of things don't make sense, in the end your antics still help solve the problems though the process is anything but smooth-sailing.

One thing that I still remember is your penchant for cracking lewd jokes. Well, you are still able to get away with that, and honestly if it weren't for such an easily identifiable trait, you wouldn't even be half as charming. Unfortunately, your daddy isn't so lucky on the same line. That said, I'm surprised that your buttocks are incredibly flexible. Being able to rise on command for your routine dance is indeed something. 

Watching you again after so many years hasn't felt any much different. I'm still easily tickled by the most unseemly stuff. Frankly, your behaviour isn't the best in this world, but for some strange reason a lot of people are unusually accepting of it. Perhaps the laughter has become so out of control that nothing else matters anymore. Yeah, I feel that too most of the time. I suppose that I have to thank you for all those wonderful memories of watching your misadventures. 

I wish you well. Till then.

Eccentrically Yours.

Written by J.Fluffysheep ♪

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For Beginner Figure Collectors #16: Storage of Figures

For Beginner Figure Collectors #16: Storage of Figures

Monday, August 8, 2016 / 2 Comments

Hi Friends,

This session, I would be covering the maintenance and storage of your figures I would be covering the pros and cons of storing the figure boxes, and sharing how I do it on the next post!

For the storage of figures, my first recommendation to anyone would definitely be Detolf. Detolf is the cheapest large display case and they go for SGD$79 each, from the trustworthy Ikea. They come in dark brown (as seen in the picture) or white. (In no way are we affiliated with Ikea on the mention of their products)

I really wish Detolf shelf heights could be adjusted! I'll kill to add one more shelf inside, especially since the height of each shelf is slightly too wide. All the DIYs I found to add more shelves inside ended up with the Detolf looking less appealing eventually...

The setback of getting a Detolf, as you can see, would be that most figures do not look good on the bottom-most shelf. To get around that, many collectors either display their artbooks or other pretty trinkets down on that last shelf, or prop the detolfs higher.

For propping, most would use Lack wall shelving units. They come in black, white or red, and can hold up to 4 detolfs. Simply place them facing down on the ground and assemble your detolfs on it!

Here's an example of how it'll hold.

Image credit to Tiamat on myfigurecollection

Of course, you can use other items like a TV bench to hold the detolfs up instead. With a TV bench, you might even be able to store boxes, so it might be a better deal!

There are also other display cabinets I'm interested in getting, like this glass door cabinet, which solves Detolf's bottom-shelf syndrome. However, it does have less space as a result (1 less shelf) as well as a hefty price tag of SGD$249. (In no way are we affiliated with Ikea on the mention of their products)

Moving away from display cabinets, I know these are really bad for people facing space constraint issues, I'll like to look at displays which focus more on individual figures. And for that, we will be examining Daiso products!

You get to choose if you'd rather get the tiered or flat bases. Their overall height isn't that different. My general rule would be to get the tiered ones for Nendoroid Petites, One Coins, and Suwarase-tai, and the flat ones for Chibi-kyuns.

These, on the other hand, would be more or less perfect for a single Nendoroid with space to spare on the top. Or you could lie it on its side and place your trading figures in it. I used to use them for Nendoroids but after I got a new display cabinet, I use these for trading figures!

These are very good at keeping Nendoroid Petites as well. You can choose if you'll lie the case like in the picture or on its side. As the case is rectangular, lying it on its side would make the height for each space differ so be sure to choose one which fits your needs better!

When I'm not feeling lazy, I cling-wrap the open-air side to prevent dust, which is one of the annoying problems you face when your case doesn't come with a fitted lid.

Another way to use this it to place your extra Nendoroid parts in it, like I currently do!

From Muji comes another display case. It's like a very large version of the Daiso 4-cell case! They are ideal for storing larger trading figures. Or even keeping Nendoroid face-plates!

And I guess you could possibly try fitting a Nendoroid in there? Although I don't think it'll work out well...

And if you love getting Nendoroid parts from all sorts of Nendoroids for customizing, or just too lazy to open the blister every time to get you Nendoroid parts out to change their poses, why not invest in one of these?

Not only would it be easy to see what you need, but it'll be easy to retrieve them as well. The only problem I can imagine you facing would be remembering which part came from which Nendoroid. But unless you are reselling them, I guess that wouldn't make that much of a difference...?

So these are the various storage items for figures that I use. If you are feeling ambitious, you can always ask for customized acrylic storage boxes. I know that there are quite a few on Taobao. Why not give them a try? As much as I don't trust China for figures (it's a bootleg haven there), I do trust in their display cases.

From Your Fellow Collector,

Reina-rin

Schedule:

- Nendoroid

- Cu-Poche and Chara-Forme

- Scale Figure

- Prize Figure

- Figma and FigFIX

- Chibi-kyun Chara

- One Coin Figure and Suwarase

- Color Colle, Bath Defo

- Charapuka, Instant Noodle Stopper and Ochatomo

- Exclusives

- Garage Kits; Proxy or Forwarding?

- Which figure company to order from?

- Where to pre-order figures?

- Where to get second hand figures?

- What to do if you have issues with your item or receive a damaged box?

- Storage of Figures

- Storage of Figure Boxes

- Maintenance of Figures- Bootlegs- Sale of your figures

Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go

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Have you recently come across a group of people walking while looking at their phones, or staring at it while walking on the streets, or even stopping in the middle of the street to swipe around on their phones?

Perhaps you are one of them too?

Pokémon Go has taken the world by storm and Singapore will definitely not be the last stop for this game! I have been playing it for the past few days and have visited quite a few areas myself, which is the main point of Pokémon Go.

How did you know about this game, and how did you know that it arrived in Singapore? I knew of it from my friend and read facebook posts from the same friends, which was why I knew it was available in Singapore. 

Have you started playing since the very first day it arrived in Singapore? A little later? Or perhaps you are one of the spoofers that started with other countries? Have you spent real money on it yet?

I started on the very first day it arrived in Singapore and have been playing it rather consistently since then. I have not spent any real money on the game yet, and probably wouldn't. At least not when I don't even see a single Lapras yet.

Lure stops have been very good camping spots where I caught several rarer pokemon. Though I must admit that my luck has not been very strong and most of the rarer ones I've caught have low CP...

Due to this lure aspect of the game, a Pokestop point with lure are really good advertising methods, and many eateries and malls have used that to their advantage. Though I doubt that it would boost sales for items such as clothes, boost for food items are much more plausible and realistic!

Leveling up as a player is no easy task. The exp which you require for each player level is too high and a lot of time and effort usually has to be invested for such level ups. Though, evolving your Pokemon might be an easier solution past this whole issue since it is one of the activities that produce more, if not most, amount of exp.

As a casual player, I do not think much before leveling or evolving my pokemon, but if you wish or are a serious player, you might want to consider IV values for yours, which are a "hidden potential" feature.

It appears that there are hidden attack and defend stats for these Pokemon and CP corresponds to the levels, and the weight and height might play a part in the potential of your Pokemon as well. Also, there might be some relation to the skills your Pokemon have as well.

XL Pokemon might evolve to become XS as well... it's all a little too complicated for me! Thus, I have been focusing mainly on catching and evolving only!

But it seems like I'm not that lucky or that hardcore because these are the best I have at the moment. Not to mention that I am steadily running out of pokeballs because I don't stay near a pokestop and there's no way I'm camping at a park late into the night for more pokeballs.

Sadly, I don't stay near a gym either so that's 10 pokecoins I'm giving up daily.

As much as I wish Niantic would implement Pokestops for every or every other building, with region-specific Pokemon (like they have already), the fact that they removed Pokestops probably means that will never happen.

So... which are the Pokemon you wish to get, and do you have them already?

I hope to be able to get Lapras, which unfortunately, I don't have yet. My second most wanted Pokemon is Pikachu, and I have it already! Maybe... I want a snorlax too... so cuddly!

~ Reina-rin

Figure Unboxing and Review: Nendoroid Toujou Nozomi Training Outfit Version (Good Smile Company)

Figure Unboxing and Review: Nendoroid Toujou Nozomi Training Outfit Version (Good Smile Company)

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For the past few months, I've been eye-ing the Training Outfit Nendoroid for Love Live!'s Nozomi, having bought her Bokura Wa Ima No Naka De version last year at AFA 2015. Sadly, I missed the pre-order deadline on AmiAmi and the Good Smile Company online store coupled with the fact that I wasn't so keen on collecting figures at the time.

When it did arrive in Singapore a few months back, I was put off by the initial retail price and decided to wait it out instead. After all, the Training Outfit version felt like an extension of the first Nozomi Nendoroid due to the lack of additional parts. Long story short, I ended up buying the nendoroid later on and at a much better price to boot, hence the unboxing and review article right now.

As I've mentioned earlier, this Nozomi Nendoroid feels more like an extension of the Bokura Wa Ima No Naka De one, letting you swap faceplates and accessories between the two. I wish that there were more faceplates and parts included but this didn't bother me as much as I thought it would, considering I like to leave my Nendoroids in a fixed pose for the most part. However, Nozomi fans and Nendoroid collectors in general might feel that they aren't getting their money's worth.

I've always admired Good Smile Company's sculpting for their Nendoroid line of figures and the streak continues here. The sheer amount of effort it must take to paint each little part and minuscule accessory amazes me till today. 

Her training outfit is a 1:1 replica of what she wears in the anime, right down to the creases and pockets on her pink shorts and knot on her light-blue top. You can even adjust her twintails to create the pose you see below. The only complaint I have is the clear separation at the top of her head, highlighting the line where the pieces join but that's probably hard to mask due to her hairstyle.

Unfortunately, poses are limited due to a lack of creativity on my end and minimal accessories, faceplates and body parts, as you can see from the blister pack image. For lazier collectors such as myself, this wasn't a problem. One of the sample poses on the box and Good Smile Company website happened to be from a hilarious Nozomi moment from the anime and I just decided to stick with that.

For more hardworking Nendoroid collectors, feel free to swap the faceplates around. There's even an extra hand for the Bokura Wa Ima No Naka De one included in here, oddly enough.

As a fan of the character and the Love Live! franchise as a whole, I'm satisfied with this Nozomi Nendoroid. Its partially due to personal bias but also because of the figure's high quality, although I understand the lack of additional parts might not justify its retail price.

Written by ET