Erio Mondial & Caro Ru Lushe figma by Max Factory

Release Date: (Erio) February 2011 - (Caro) March 2011
Price: 3500 yens each
Size: (Erio) 115 cms, (Caro) 14 cms
My Rating: 9/10 (both)

Double update for a couple!!!
These two figmas were two i never expected to ever see being released, Caro and Erio are Fate T. Harlaown's protégés and the youngest members in Nanoha StrikerS and are seen in the show as cooperative teammates with caro supporting Erio with her magic and later on as a couple. Thus Max Factory decided to pack Caro with extra effect parts for Strada, Erio's weapon.

Erio Himself owns some effect parts to recreated 3 modes for Strada while Caro can attach several fins effect to recreate Kerykeion's 2nd and 3rd mode. Caro also comes with her pet dragon Friedrich whom a repleacable head can be used to make him breath fire and is posable in the head and legs area. Both have the usual neutral face and action face like all Nanoha figma series. Finally Caro comes with an atachable ponytail to recreate her slightly older self.

Caro


Erio


With these two the Nanoha StrikerS series is complete unless Max Factory decides to release Vivio and every cyborg villain seen in the series (one can only hope).

Sakura Matou Evening Preparation ver.

Release Date: November 2006
Price: 6800
Size: 29.5 cms, scaled 1/6
My Rating: 10/10

Recently aquired this rare piece after 2 years of searching for a deal and i cannot say that i am dissapointed.
This Sakura is part of a Hollow Atararaxia serie by goodsmile, like the Holiday ver. of Saber, just looking at both figures and its easy to see the ressemblances in the sculpt. She's a beauty down to every curves that were faithfully respected, her uniform is perfectly recreated save for the sleeves wich are a tad shiny, but its acceptable for a 2006 figure. Her long hair with her ribbon flowing back is a nice touch and her face bearing her empty but beautifull eyes and slight smile is captivating. Something that was especially worked on this figure is her grocery bag, its been made so we can see some of the products inside appear thru the bag's plastic, the negi appearing from the side can even be removed (and be played with by a figma or something :p), her school bag has been given a leather like look also.

Of course, only real Sakura fans will really apreciate this figure, but it can be a nice addition to your collection if your into schoolgirls. :p

Black Rock Shooter - Animation ver painting error

An annoucement from Good Smile company was made concerning a painting error made on the animation version of Black Rock Shooter released this month, the error consist of the star on her jacket (see picture) being missing from the final mass produced figures.

Good Smile offered two solutions to this problem, either to send the buyers of the figure a sticker that you can apply yourself (free of charge) or send the figure itself back to them and they will manually paint the star themselves (also for free), this 2nd option will provide tracking so you can know whats going on with your item.

For contact and the form to use, please go to this page (english) of Mikatan's blog.

Nendoroid Konpaku Youmu

Aint she a cutie?!
From goodsmile, once more we are blessed wit a nendoroid rendition of a popular Touhou character, this time of Konpaku Youmu.

Release date: March 2011
Price: 3000 Yens
Size: 10 cms
Rating: 10/10

Youmu comes with her ghost half Myon wich can be displayed encircling her, she has the standard 3 facial expressions, normal neutral face, one with the eyes closed and a serious fighting face. Both her swords Roukaken and Hakurouken are available and can be displayed in her hands, sheeted or being held on her back.

I recently aquired the Reimu nendo and she only came with 1 face and is somewhat very big compared to the other nendos, but since Sanae all the Touhou nendos have been both very acurate and high quality and this one will be no exception.
According to Mikatan's blog Yuyuko Saigyouji, Youmu's mistress, is supposed to be the next in line for production!!!

Black Magician Girl by Kotobukiya

Well this is something i have been waiting for ages!!!
This is Black (Dark) Magician Girl of popular Shonen Jump title Yugioh, one of the most popular, loved and seeked creature in the card game.

Release Date: March 2011
Price: 6800 Yens
Size: 18 cms, scaled 1/7
My Rating: 10/10



Kotobukiya did an amazing job on this figure as expected of them, even more that the original designer Takashi Takeushi was present during its creation. The colors are brilliant and beautifull and every little details have been recreated to perfection. 2 faces are included, her signature wiking one wich im crazy over and a more neutral expression, both feature her oh so cute blushing cheecks that are part of her innocent charm. Her trademark hat and costume are perfect and she is posed as if floating on her wand as could be seen occasionally on the anime.

Aya Shameimaru figma by Max Factory

Note: I have accidently aquired a 2nd copy of this figure, if anyone is interested in buying it from me please contact me.

Release Date: January 2011
Size: 14 cm
Price: 2800 Yens
My Rating: 9/10

Another Touhou exclusive coming out in January this time of Aya Shameimaru, the crow tengu paparazi of Gensokyo.

In comparison to the trashy Marisa and lower quality Sakuya recently released, this Aya figma seems to be on par to the excelent Reimu figma previously released. Included with her is the trademark vintage camera she always carry around, her lil red notebook, a pair of partly transparent wings and her pet companion crow. Her faces are the default one, a happy looking one and a sly one.

Like the Reimu figma, this one shines with high energy and beauty and will be a great piece to ones collection, especially if your a Touhou fan. Of course you'll need a proxy in order to be able to order one.

Flandre Scarlet Nendoroid by Goodsmile

Release Date: January 2011
Price: 3000 Yens
Size: 10 cms
My rating: 10/10

The newest release in the Touhou project nendoroid line, this time it is Remilia Scarlet's little sister Flandre Scarlet.

She is so damned cute!!! They did a great job on the wings, making even the jewels on em transparent, her hair also feature her trademark side ponytail and the hat is removable. She comes with 3 different faces, the standard one, an innocent happy one and the insane smirk she is known for. Her longinus spear is also available as an accessory.

Of course, like all Touhou nendoroids and figmas, this is a shop exclusive item and you will have to use a proxy service in order to order one

Ragnarok Online Achbishop Nendoroid by Goodsmile

Release Date: December 2010
Price: 3500 Yens
Size: 10cms
My Rating: 8/10



Ragnarok Online is an old yet still very popular MMORPG dating from 2002 and released by the korean game maker Gravity. New 3rd classes are about to make they're appearance into the game and goodsmile have released a nendoroid edition of one of em, the female Archbishop.

Unlike previous nendoroids, this one only comes whit 2 faces but her accesories make up for this lack in the form of two different headgears, a staff and a cute little poring. She's absolutely adorable and gorgeous at the same time in her briliant baby blue, white and gold outfit.

Mio Akiyama by Alter

Release Date: January 2010, re-release december 2010
Price: 7140 yens
Size: 20 cms, scaled 1/8
My Rating: 10/10

Recently aquired this beauty and i am all but too happy!!
Made by Alter, i previously thought this figure wasnt that good looking, but that was due to the official shot (picture above) being kinda on the yellowish side. But thats not the case at all, this figure looks beautifull and is full of life.

The bass is masterfully reproduced from the real life Fender model, with actual soft strings as if they could be played, the facial expression is dead on character with beautifull eyes and flushed cheeks. Her long smooth hair are floating in the air matching the pose hinting that she's in the middle of an energetic moment of a tune.

Also for those interested in aquiring one, a 2nd release is planned for the coming december.

Mio and Mugi get!!!!

Mugi-chan is such a little devil isnt she? :p
I received my Mio and Tsumugi figma yesterday afternoon and i have to say i love them. Both are very high quality and looking so adorable!!!!

Mugi comes with 3 very adorable faces, a smilling normal one, a blushing *happy* one and her very cheerfull seen in the picture above. She comes with her keyboard wich looks very sweet, full of details making it look almost usable.

Mio has the smilling face, a flushed almost crying face and the shy *omg* seen in the picture above. Her bass looks sweet however the shiny finish is slightly warped and the bag can actually be used to store her instrument in. Both comes with a flexible strap so it can hold on her shoulder. However the coloring of her hair seem to have stained one of her hands, so be mindfull of this if you get her.

Mugi can be aquired here.


and mio here

July LOOT

Just a little article about the figures i obtained this month begining with this Asahina Mikuru maid ver, it was a freebie a friend had got in error from an online shop and he had her displayed at the local anime club, when i said i wanted it he agreed to sell it to me :3

Next is the Azusa Nakano nendoroid posed here with her instant groupie Louise ^^, she's soooo adorable!!!

Next is the nendoroid of Fate Testarossa, aquired by chance from a girl on myfigurecollection who wanted to sell/trade it away since she had an extra.

Next is the whole entire set of Fate - Stay Night nendoroid petits, i bought a whole box of 12 and i got them all, but i gave one Saber away as a bday gift to Au-chan of Kawaru Wa Yo! and im gonna sell one of the Rins too.

These are two Hatsune Miku music boxes i got as bday presents from my friend Meruko, they are adorable :3, the Hachune Miku one actually plays Levan Polka and the other plays the music that made me discover and love Miku.

And finally the figma of Rider, this one was a small dissapointment, she has a lot of factory defects like a big scratch on her right leg and paint problems, i actually had to use a cutter to remove a big lump of plastic out of her collar, but overall shes good.

Asahina Mikuru Maid ver. by Alter

Alter- Asahina Mikuru Maid ver.
Release Date: July 2008
Price: 5800 yens
Size: 20 cms, scaled 1/8
My Rating: 9/10

As seen from Live alive, one of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu's more influential episode, is Mikuru in her maid uniform made for her class fried soba stand.

I've heard some bad reviews concerning this figure and frankly, i wonder why. Her dress was skillfully recreated and well painted, her hair, althought darker then her actual color, are carefully sculpted into a waving motion indicating she is turning, and the face is full of life with her big bright eyes and joyfull smile.

A funny detail that could be noted, we can see she is holding her plate a bit diagonally and the *liquid* inside the glasses have been shifted accordingly, the only big flaw is the white line on her dress wich clearly shows that the painting process was done in several steps with stops and restarts over the line making it uneven.

Figure Delays July 2010

Once more max factory and goodsmile delay some very awaited figures.
This time the figmas of Teana Lanster and Black Rock Shooter as well as the nendoroids of Kotobuki Tsumugi and Black Rock Shooter have been delayed from july to august 2010.

I wanted to order Teana combined with my Saber Alter and Reisen orders :(

Neko Arc nendoroid by goodsmile

Originally released in 2006, this was the very first nendoroid to be released by goodsmile. Based on Melty Blood's Neko Arc, a parody character of Arcueid Brunestud from Tsukihime by Type-Moon, this nendo is totally funky x3

With tons of different hillarious accesories based on her different attacks from the game, as well as being a new jointed model, this makes her one of the most versatile nendoroids ever, and back by popular demand she will be released a 3rd time with pre-orders most likely starting tomorow

Yutaka Kobayakawa scaled by Freeing

Release Date: October 2010
Price: 14800 yens
Size: 33 cms scaled 1/4
My Rating: 9/10



Released by Freeing is this 5th figure in a series of Lucky Star scaled.
Whats so special about it you ask? Well first, like her predecessors, her clothes are made of actual removable cloth and 2nd shes is an amazing 1/4 scaled figure!!!

Starting with Konata Freeing seems to be slowly releasing every girl of this serie in this 1/4 format with removable clothes (a Rin Kokonoe was made first however). This one is really adorable isnt she? Freeing really captured Yutaka's gentleness and cuteness. However the face might be a bit too round if my memory recalls her right.

Re-released Kaito Nendoroid

As a surprise announcement, the highly demanded but long discontinued Kaito nendoroid appear to have been announced to be released once once more in the near future.
http://ameblo.jp/gsc-mikatan/entry-10583166093.html

More on this as it develops but it appears pre-orders have been dated to start tomorow.

Aisaka Taiga -final episode ver- by Kotobukiya

Kotobukiya - Aisaka Taiga -final episode ver-
Release Date: October 2010
Price: 6800 Yens
Size: 25 cms, scaled 1/6
My Rating: 8/10

Just stumbled on this during my morning site checking today.
Standing at 25 cms of 1/6 goodness is one of Tsundere goddess Rie Kugimiya's incarnation, Aisaka Taiga as seen during the final episode of the anime.

I think they did an amazing job on her hair here, Taiga as very voluminous, wavy hair and it was well brought out for this figure. The sailor uniform she was wearing during the final moments of the last episode looked a bit plain in the anime, but somehow it kinda feels they made it look cuter on this figure with a beautifull black and white tone. Her adorable pose as if shy is a nice touch as well and the face reinforce this feeling with her nice looking eyes and flushed cheeks.

However since im more of a fan of Taiga's normal school uniform its one figure im gonna pass on this time.

Figure Delays

Just noting a few figures that will be delayed for June and July.

The June release of Mio Akiyama and Saber alter's figmas have been delayed to July and the July release of Clalaclan Philias armored for August.

Im quite happy that Saber Alter was delayed to July, now i can combine the shipping of my Reisen scaled with her :3

Megurine Luka Figma by Max Factory

Max Factory - Megurine Luka Figma
Release Date: October 2010
Price: 2800 yens
Size: 14 cms
Rating: 9/10

I know i've said it often, but this is a beauty of a figure!!!
Megurine Luka's figma has been carefully sculpted by Max Factory into this beautifull figure, shes is breathtaking with her long salmon colored hair flowing on the wind and and her shining outfit based on the chinesse cheongsam was already a great sight in the official art but this is just a superb rendition.

Luka comes with a normal and singing face, a huge Tuna as per the Vocaloid tradition to mix each character with a foodstuff item and a vintage golden microphone as per her image of a mature diva. Even if i find it superb however, i think its a bit unatural to have her hair always floating in the air like this (her clothing as well), i can understand its an issue with the figma stand but it was also the case with Tsuruya's figma and the peg was plugged in her hair which wasnt a problem.

Overall, this figure is one of the rare masterpieces amongst figmas and a must get!!

My Room

Wanted to do something a bit different this time.
I will show everyone what my room looks like right now :3

Let's start with a quick round, i'll follow with close ups.

The north wall, covered in with lots of lamines and posters i made myself in my reprographic class, the 2 eva posters are xmax gifts from a while ago. I love the Suigintou lamines and Touhou posters especially :3






Next is the library on the north east, its full of figures, mangas and boxes that i dunno where else to place, more on it later. You can also see a Tales of the Abyss poster on the closet's sliding door, it comes from a japanesse Tales of magazine and its dual sided. :o








The east wall doesnt have much except a dresser with some figures and plushies, here you can see my Kero, Saber Lion and Azusa plushie as well as my Saber Alter figure.






From the same dresser here we have more of my figures, Sakura, Karen, Shiki and Tomoyo. That Tomoyo figure is really magnificent for a sega prize item and that Shiki figure is so awesome ne?





Above that dresser is a big poster of Hatsune Miku i printed at my reprographics class, i got it free when something like that would have cost me 50$ o.o




Next is the south wall, bearing 2 beautifull wallscrolls of Chii and Saber, also pictured my really huge Pikachu plush lookin all cute.










Next is a picture of the flood of posters above my computer desk, yes i know theres a lot, a piece of note is the Suiseiseki wood lamine wich i did in my reprographics class. You can see some figures but i'll come back on em.





To the south-west are several posters as well, most notably these two my friend Au-chan of Kawaru wa yo gave me when she returned from animenorth 2010, the Black Rock Shooter one owns!!!





The west wall sports these 3 beautifull wallscrolls of Saber, Asuka and the Haruhi trio. I love the Saber and Asuka ones.




Now for some up close details.

The upper Layer of my library holds a few figures, my Mokona plushie an all my anime and game pins, the small Rei figure is a souvenir bought in japan by a friend who went there last year and the Tohno Minagi scaled figure is a x-mas gift from my friend Meruko. Sadly the Suigintou here is a bootleg wich i bought at otakuthon 2009. Here's a tip, do not buy anything from wasabi manga, their table held nothing but bootleg i fear.


The second level of the library holds almost all my trading figures as well as a few scaled figures, the Saber figure here is my first scaled. Most of the trading figures were bought from ebay when i started to get serious about figure collecting. Also i display proudly here my Rei and Asuka mermaid (ver.3) figures wich are real beauties despite being sega prizes. You can also see part of my manga collection at the bottom.


Continuing is a close up of one of the glass shelf over my computer desk, on it is an almost complete collection of Nanoha StrikerS figmas and a full collection of Vocaloid nendoroid petits. I'm really proud of whats on this particular shelf :3

On my computer desk itself is quite a bulk of my collection, here are 8 of my nendoroids in all they're glory, i've also paired em up. Those nendoroid are some of my most precious pieces of my collection, 2 of them being limited and exclusive Touhou project figures. Also they are soooooo cute, its like a small world in itself is on my desk!!!

On the right you can see some more important pieces of my collection, the Noumi Kudryavka figure wich i previously covered and the magnificent Xecty wich was given as a bday present by my grandfather last month. The Saber figma is there until i decide to move her somewhere else once again and the Saber maid figure in the back, while still a good piece, may end up being but on sale very soon (message me if interested).




On the left are some more precious items, namely the goodsmile Hatsune Miku figure wich is one of my favorite pieces as well as my scaled 1/6 goodsmile holiday ver. Saber, as well is the beautifull KOS-MOS figure that was given to me by friends for x-mas 2008 and the elegant Blanc-Neige from shining wind.






On the direct right agaisnt the wall is another glass shelf with my sublime figure of Kuonji Shinra wich i also covered on a previous article, with an assortment of figmas, Mikuru is in trouble isnt she?
The two Fate figmas here as so adorable, especially the school uniform version. ^^

And to close this article is my smaller library filled to the brim with the mangas that are from series i like in particular, as you can see i have a lot of Ken Akamatsu's work (Love Hina and Negima) . I really should finish the Fruits Basket series however...

Well thats it, hope you like the tour of my room. ^^