Nendoroid: Teddie (Kuma)

It's been a while since my last post, but I'm getting back into it!  I'm returning and going to be posting every Sunday instead of the old Friday/Saturday schedule.  For now it's time to go through a back log of older goodies until I receive my next recent purchase.

Today I have a few shots of Nendoroid Teddie! or Kuma! Depending on how you know him.  I honestly don't remember how much I paid for this one, but considering how fast he went on sale I'm sure he is still available.  Also SO many reviews for this one went up, so I won't be too detailed description wise today. 

 The box is perfectly part of the Persona 4 theme with the Teddie blue and the Persona 4 yellow.  if you are looking to buy one of these make sure it has the atlus sticker on the front of the box.

 Here they are!  The really nice part of this Nendo, is the fact that you basically get two figures in one box.  I really wanted a Teddie to go along with my D-arts persona figures, so the Nendo was worth getting for the way cute human Teddie included with him.

 The options with the face plates make it hard to choose how to display this little Kuma in a good way. His scared and tough expressions are just too darn cute!  The parts fit well into each other and can be combined in amusing ways.  He is a versatile little Nendo. 

 Combination complete!  This is such a nice addition for people who know the scene from the game/anime!  I heard a lot of people were interested in this figure simply for this display option.

All in all this was a great purchase, even from someone who doesn't go out of the way to collect Nendo figures.  As a Persona fan I am very pleased.  This is a highly recommended figure!

It's the Little Things - Zelda and Monster Hunter Airou

I'm still adjusting to my new space, and don't have a shooting space for figures like before.  Currently, I am working on it since I have a couple of exciting new figures to share, but not until later.

So, for tonight, I just wanted to collect the pictures of the little things I've picked up, and photographed, since I started this blog, but never had the chance to put them up.  So here's a start to a new section, It's the Little Things!

These little guys have been in previous shots, mostly for size comparison things.  The Zelda Phantom Hourglass Tomy Gashapon figures were a random pickup from my local target store for 5 bucks each.  I was really lucky to end up with the two I wanted out of the set, the adorable toon Link, and the hilariously selfish Linebeck.  (I love the word Gashapon by the by)

The figures are really well modeled; more so than I was expecting for the small size. They do suffer from what most Gashapons suffer from: tiny missed paint spots, bends in weapons, and weird bases.  These didn't have bends and the missed paint spots are minor enough to ignore.  The bases have extra holes for no reason though, it's a little annoying to myself, but probably not an issue to others.  I do love the extra item they give you with each character, Link has the actual Hourglass, while Linebeck has a green rupee.

These are pretty popular in the states.  After finding mine in Target, I later saw some for sale in a walmart, and a MicroCenter.  You can also pick them up online prices ranging from 5 to 9 bucks (plus or minus shipping)  With these I have no need for any of future iterations of toon link, since I enjoy this these guys so much they hang out by my desk.  Others may be interested in the Ultra detail figure of toon link coming up http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=FIG-IPN-5007&page=top

Onto a convention pickup, another random box! This time the adorable Airous from Monster Hunter (Portable 3 this time) caught my eye.  These are adorable, and look pretty perfect in my opinion.  love the little decals you can attach as well.  This one was an 8 dollar splurge at a convention dealer's room.

 Another dealer's room item at another convention (sorry I don't have photos from either convention to cover them) were these adorable bobble head cats!My friend Lechau and I went ahead and got these and traded each other for the ones we wanted.  Love a trading figure where I can actually TRADE with someone.  I got the panic cat (the one I really really wanted) and the sympathetic cat. A perfect pair.

 These are far more glossy and bright compared to other monster hunter Airou items, which may turn people off, but makes them fresh an new for me. They do have a few missed paint spot but they are too minor to be a bother.  They come with a card to show you the possible bobbles you can get.  I may or may not pick up more.....depends if I can find them again because these little guys are kinda hard to find.  prices seem to be 8 to 10 bucks at conventions.

 So here are the buddies keeping me company right now, and they look pretty nice together.

Hope this was a nice post to keep everyone entertained until some larger post come down the line.  I'm preparing for a trip to Canada in the near future, so hopefully I can find a couple of cool stores or goods from that trip to share.

Persona 4 One Coin Grande figures from Kotobukiya

Happy August Everyone!  With the return of internet after my stressful move, I bring photos of the adorable Persona 4 One Coin set from Kotobukiya.  It's such a pleasure to finally have this set.  I love the PS2 game and all of the characters, so this times here is a full set review.

The box is large, bright, and has little designs from the game itself, like the cool arcane cards on the back.

Here is a shot of the mini boxes inside in case people are interested, but instead lets get onto the figures!  I was very interested in seeing which set I would receive, because one set has the main cast with their glasses while the other set is glasses free. 

Here we have the main cast (glasses free set), and I couldn't recommend them more.  No breaks, nicks or missed paint, in fact they are splendid in design and execution.  A couple have trouble staying on the base, but I do enjoy the magnet/pole set up for the bases (which mimic the school emblem from the game and look very classy).

The secrets were not what I was expecting at all.  I was wondering if the Dojima family would make an mini debut, seeing how Nanako has been pretty popular, but instead we have a little crossdressing instead.  I'm all for it, as it comes from one of the best events in the game, though I would love the monroe kanji with these two, haha.

A perfect mini set for any persona fan, and I know these are hard to come by, but if you can find a set, or the characters you want out of it, they are a delight for any collection.

D-Arts Persona 3 Thanatos Figure

OK so when this figure was announced I knew I had to have it, and it is the perfect compliment to a previous D-Arts figure of mine.  Here is the fantastic Persona 3 Thanatos.

So here is the box.  Also a lovely box with a side door and design similar to the game design.  This is one box I suggest keeping, because if you ever have to move the figure you'll want this for protecting the figure in the move.  Which I am currently doing at the moment.  Moving and packing away a figure collection is not fun.

 

Onto the figure:

So he comes in a lot of pieces: figure, base, stand arm, sword parts, coffin support rim parts and the row of coffins (and a couple of shoulder parts that connect the chain to the figure you have to attach).  Once all together it becomes the mighty Thanatos.

 

The details are again very nice, as with Izanagi.  No missed paint spots or difficult joints.

The coffins are an especially impressive portion.  Not only do they match the in game design, but they are also posable.  I like to keep them in  this simple out of box pattern for now.

Here is the plastic support that attaches the coffins too Thanatos.  It can seem distracting at first, but after a while it's easy to accept it as the necessary part that it is.  Personally I love the tiny real chain used along with the coffins, it looks sharp. 

I love the way this figure looks from the back as well as the front.  Just for the details on Thanatos' head, neck and attachable shoulder parts.  You can also see how they coffin supports attach in the holes on his back.

The Base is again like the Izanagi and Aegis I posted before.  Again it is large, but given the weight  of Thanatos it will be necessary as well.

The difference is the stand arm, which is meant to be stronger, but bends and falls under the weight.  So sometimes it can be difficult to pose Thanatos and requires more time and patience than I had to give Izanagi or Aegis.  Once you can find a configuration that works you can achieve similar impressive poses.

Thanatos also came with a swords, one in the scabbard (with a detachable handle) and one with the sword fully out.  I only have the scabbard combo on at the moment as I had to pack him up after these shots.  So instead enjoy some detail shots of this fantastic figure:

My final thoughts on Thanatos: He makes me enjoy the D-Arts line even more.  They pull out great characters for their line and give them the kinds of details and their fanbase asks for.

As far as being better or worse than Izanagi from this line? He is equivalent in terms of posing, paint, and sculpt.  He matches his in game design and is a lot of fun despite a few base issues.  I am not sure where he can be purchased from at this point in time, but I will guess conventions and the normal figure sites may or may not have it.  Do a little internet digging if this review has peeked your interest in D-Arts Thanatos.

Once I've moved into my new place, I'll have to pose him in battle with Izanagi, but until then enjoy these shots.

For the next few weeks it'll be impossible for me to film any new figures (maybe Smoker if I can work it out) Otherwise I will post different reviews like games, books, and figure news.  Hopefully that will be better than nothing!

D-Arts Persona 4 Izangai Figure

Here we are! Bringing it back to figures, and specifically video game figures.  Now, Persona 4 has long been a favorite game for me.  With the anime coming out, it is finally gain in popularity. This means many people get some of the dream figures they always wanted. Lechau (the one who would be my partner in crime if we chose to drop normal lives and rob banks instead) was the one who introduced me to this series of games. I can't thank Lechau enough.  In one of our discussions about the characters (and game, plot, etc, etc, etc...)  I clearly remember saying how Izanagi would make an amazing figure, and how I would pay crazy amounts of money for an awesome Kanji figure. 

Well cap my social links, because both are too happen, and especially with the first.  Izangai is kinda like Aegis, in the way that we are seeing a flood of figures of him.  So here is the only Izanagi I need:  D-arts Persona 4 Izanagi Figure:

Fresh out of the box and he is wonderful.  Imposing and classy.  I still have a soft spot for bad asses with good hearts.  Izanagi is all hero despite his "Gang Leader" look about him.  Also this is the box he comes in.  It's easy to spot and follows the game scheme to a T.  The TV window, box art, and the side open panels are nice touches.  This box is a nice size, and isn't larger than it needs to be, making it easy to store.

Izanagi is fully posable, and comes with three sets of hands (holding weapon hands, relaxed, and outstreched).  The are easy to change out, and just pop on and off.  They aren't as tight as chogokin Aegis parts but they work well.  I will say the joints are easy to manipulate, but sometimes the dip or don't stay.  So posing Izanagi with his weapon can be tricky.

Here are some side and back shots.  The last shot looks like he is getting hit, and it also shows off his joints in the legs, arms, straps, and the stand.  If you are interested in collecting posing figures, D-arts Izanagi is the way to go.

Izanagi also comes with effect parts.  The first adds onto the sword for the swing attack, but it is heavy and can really pull down the arms when it is on the sword.  If you balance it right it can be higher, so it's not that bad.  The other is the blue fire (from when Izanagi was first summoned) in a curved shape that sits on the base.  Both look wonderful in the light. With enough shine and transparency to be realistic.  I also really love how they are molded so no pegs are needed on the sword or the base.  Plus you can interchange them onto other figures and bases.

Speaking of bases, basically Izanagi has the same base (size and shape) as the chogokin Aegis.  This was a nice surprise.  They look really good next to each other, and they are from different makers! Just to show how large these bases are in comparison to their size, I put Plex Zoro next to them.  Basically his hexagon is the same size, even though he towers over them. Zoro looks good with his base on fire, too.

Some battle shots just for fun.  Pretend this is that new Persona Vista Game coming out, I guess.  I'm so happy I can display these two together. So my final thoughts?

Despite some posing issues (minor though) This is really a wonderfully sculpted, painted, and displayable figure.  Izanagi is really easy to buy, and available at most figure shipping stores (amiami, hobbylinkjapan, etc.) as well as online shops and conventions.  Be warned though, some places are really jacking up his price, so hunt around before you place your order!