Figure Purchases; Overview and Decisions.

Ok, this post will cover figure thoughts: Which figures I’ve bought recently, which figures I regret buying, which figures I want to order, which figures I have on pre-order, etc. Also, this is a good place for you to offer suggestions, insights, and advice :D

Figures Purchased:
These are the figures I’ve purchased, how much I’ve paid for them, and whether I’m happy these days with them or not. This came to me when I thought of Saber Lily Distant Avalon, more on this later.

1. Nendoroid Yoko Littner: $15.5, $17 for shipping, $9 to the post office. Total: $41.5
   Happy with it. Love the figure, my first nendoroid, my first modern figure. Review.
2. Petit Nendoroid Otaku Yuki Limited (with Manga): 1,600 yen, 1,500 yen for shipping. Via HMV Online (great service). $9 to the post office. Total:$41
   Pretty happy with it. Wish I could’ve gotten it without the manga, but one day I might be able to read it :) Who knows, maybe one day I’ll resell for big bucks? Review.
3. Banpresto Neliel tu Oderschvanck: $24.50, $13.50 for shipping. Total: $38.
   It’s a nice figure, it looks nice on my shelf, but if I had to cut anything when looking at things in retrospect, it’d probably have went away. I actually didn’t mean to win it, but eBay compulsion overcame me. Review.
4. Queen’s Blade Ymir by Griffon: $35, $20 for shipping along with the following items. Total: Let’s say $50.
   It’s a nice figure, but I don’t really like her underpants and how she looks with cast-off. But it’s a gothic-loli, so it’s ok. Still, would’ve cut it if I was spending in retrospect.
5. Evangelion XXnano figures of Sachiel and Lilith: $20 for both, was $20 for shipping with Ymir, so let’s say Total: $25.
   The pricing was perfect, so I’m not sorry with them. But I don’t currently have them on display. Cute, but I’d have cut them if I were spending now.
6. Shuraki Rize box: $26.52, $27 for shipping, $21 to the evil postal service. Total: $75.
   I suspected the postal office might do something to it, but since I didn’t really get involved with them in the last 1.5 years before the minimal charges, I really didn’t know I’d get that $21 surcharge. Anyway, I was more than happy with the figure, till it suffered the “Rize Flaw” and the pegs broke, requiring it to be supported from behind. This made me sad. Would’ve cut it if I’d known of both the surcharge and the peg, but if the pegs were alright, I’d have kept it, surcharge and all.
7. Shirahige Tsukuru’s Air: Purchased during Play-Asia’s Visa Special; $39.92, $13.90 shipping. Total: $53.82, so long the post office and/or customs don’t get their greedy hands on it, which I hope very much.
   Happy with it? Let’s see how it turns out, since it’s not yet received. And hope the postal office won’t add $22 or so to it.
8. Queen’s Blade Shizuka by Alpha x Omega: $32, $17.80 shipping. Total: $49.80, so long the post office and customs let it be…
   Happy with it? I like the oni girl, but since I don’t hold it in my hands yet, I can’t be sure. But if I were spending the total amount of money in retrospect, it’d be a hard-call.

Total money spent on figures thus far: $374. Had customs/post office not taken their toll it’d have been: $335, which is still considerable.

Now, I outlined in the post-office hate post that Saber Lily Distant Avalon would’ve run me an estimated $197, would I have bought her if I were spending money now in retrospect? Probably not. I’m willing pay about $130 for her, total (including shipping and post office/customs charges). And then the question becomes different, so the figure costs $130, which I’m willing to spend, but am I willing to spend $130 on her instead of the multiple other figures I could get for the price?

Well, had I known what would happen to Rize, that’d be $75, and I’d have cut the Ymir+XXnano girls, netting me an easy $150, so yes. Cutting Neliel would put me at $188, making it a tough call whether I’d rather have Saber over all 5 figures… to be honest, I would, but I’m not sure I could convince myself to actually pay $197 for the figure. I might prefer it to figures worth the same price, but I’m not sure the figure itself is worth the asking price (I’d have to pay for it), you know?

EDIT: But I forgot, of course. With that money, even with only $85, I’d have purchased Mabinogi Nao Adventure from the Toylet sale that was on early in the month. $85, and would’ve been totally worth it. Definitely better than some of the other things I purchased. Better than Air I got in her stead, and Shizuka I got after? That’s tougher. But she’d have also been somewhat cheaper than both combined.

Of course, another option exists, had I not bought these figures: I could’ve kept the money in the bank, or purchased a new computer monitor, or 500GB in RAID configuration… it’s not like I don’t have other things to do with the money. I ended up not getting that job I was looking into, and unless I find some other part-time position, I really could and should save up some money.

Upcoming Orders:

I have pre-ordered on Hobby Search Figma Aegis and Saber Lily Nendoroid, but here’s the thing, they only ship EMS, and their prices seem ridiculous. You see, they currently have Nekomimi Louise for sale, for only 1,440 yen, but when I went to order it, the shipping they quoted me was 3,200 yen! That was unacceptable, so I obviously didn’t order nek0-Louise.

This cemented my decision to move my orders to Hobby Link Japan, which even though the figures do not enjoy the 5% discount they do on Hobby Search, and the additional 5% off for future purchases, I figure I’ll be saving considerable money by ordering via SAL, and by the increased chances of not falling prey to customs, which are more likely to let SAL through.

Now, as much as I love Figma Aegis, and even though she’s only 2,667 yen, October release, if I had to cut something, I’d be cutting her, especially as if I order her with Saber Lily, my order passes beyond the dangerous $50 mark. The mark where customs screw you over. So I’ll have to get her later, my first Figma, though she is quite lovely. I love her smooth lines :D

 

Saber Lily Nendoroid, 3,500 yen, I’m ordering for sure, even if the world had ended, I’d have still been getting her. Way too lovely to miss, great faces and poses. Cancelling Hobby Search pre-order, moving to HLJ, and hoping they’d have it in stock. Also October release, originally slated to come along with the Aegis Figma.

Now here’s a hard one. I’ve got plugsuit Rei Ayanami from Eva 2.0 version on pre-order, and she’s coming out in November for 4,400 yen. 1/10 scale. And I am sure I will not be sad for this figure in times to come. I do have to think about money situation and all, and whether this is the best decision to make (probably not a wise decision to get any figure, when it comes down to it). Expensive, but I know I’ll appreciate it in time to come. But there is still time to decide. Also in November comes out the Dragon Age: Origins RPG by Bioware, one of my favourite companies ever. I’ll be getting the PC version for sure, so need to account for it as well. It’d be $50-60, more like $60 where I live.

Future figures that have caught my eye are Nendoroid Megurine Luka which will come with Tako Luka pucchi nendoroid, which we don’t know when it will come out. And of course, Alter-Saber maid version with the mini-Saber. Coming out in April. But see, for that last one, if I behave, and don’t buy other figures, I could put the money in a special place for it. I’ll look at a figure, go, “I was going to buy you, but instead I’ll put the money in the Saber fund!” and so I’ll have money by April for it. And it’ll also cut down on almost all impulse buys… Limited Saber is 8,000 yen, and we’ll be having to add deputy services on top. I suspect the nendoroid Megurine would run about 3,500 yen as well.

Also, really into the Lineage 2 Elf by Orchid-seed, but at her price-point the competition is fierce, like Alter’s Saber Lily.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Moral support?

And how did you like how I put the pictures in this post? ^_^