Month: December 2017

Sheryl Nome

Next up, Sheryl Nome. I saw this figure on Mandarake, and did think about adding her to one of my recent purchases, but decided to go for something else instead. Glad I waited, as I was able to add her to my MFC bonanza. 

For a prize figure, her body is nicely painted, but her hair quality definitely says “prize figure” to me. She took a little bit of heating to slot her waist into her legs. Dunno why, but her outfit appeals to me. 

Here she is from the back:

Again, the hair kinda lets it down a bit. The body has some nice touches – the metal detailing on her tube top/bra, creases in her knickers, sculpting of her back – but the hair colour just doesn’t seem that well blended. 

Here’s a closeup of her back & glasses:

Attention to detail was put into her hand pose. 

Here’s her right side:

And the left:

Some nice attention to detail in the sculpt, though you can see a little bit of a gap where she joins in the above pic. Might be able to fix it with a bit more of a shove. 

I don’t think this will be a fave fig, but she is a welcome addition to my collection :). Love the body, shame about the hair imo. 

Mashougun Astaroth

So… this is the first of 8 figures I bought from a seller on MFC. They were doing a giveaway of prize figures (just pay postage), but they had a couple of things for sale that I wanted. So I helped empty their closet…. and will be filling mine! (Watch this space…). 

This figure is one I’ve wanted since its original release. I remember seeing it for preorder, but not really wanting to shell out so much for a figure. Ah, how things have changed… 

So here she is:

Mmm, shiny blue demon! The painting is REALLY nice in this figure, and I adore the posing. And those shiny wings:

Didn’t know that the wings would be shiny, and it adds to the figure. They’re also ribbed on the back:

Here’s a closeup of her face:

The expression matches her pose. This pic also shows off her wing claws 🙂

Here’s another closeup of her upper half, showing her left arm and the tail wrapped over it:

And finally a shot of her back:

Love this figure, when I finally have somewhere to display these figures, she’s going to have a prime location to stand in. 

Kaki, Troll and…. food?!

So here’s some random figures I had to get… The troll figure I got some time ago, but didn’t judge it blog-worthy on its own, but now I have Kaki, I can blog about the pair.

So here’s Trollface:

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Yep, that’s deffo a trollface. And here’s Kaki:

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And yep, that’s definitely a poo. Waited for these figures to bin, which they indeed did. These are the two I wanted from the collection, the others don’t really interest me, even for bargain basement prices. They’re seriously not worth their original retail value, but at the price I paid, they’re fine for a novelty. 

Now onto food… 

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A happy, hungry sprout! Just in time for Christmas!

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I bought him from a charity shop, and we were debating if he was a cabbage or a sprout. The final conclusion at the shop was sprout, but I still think it could be either. See what you think after seeing his back:

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Bestest. Figure. Ever. And I bet you thought that’d go to Kaki :P. 

Rei Chopsticks & Illidan Keyring

These two don’t have a lot to do with each other, but they’re both not figures and arrived on my doormat at the same time. 

First up, the chopsticks:

And a closeup of the tops:

They’re nice, given the amount of space they had to work with. Might’ve been nicer if the chopstick with Rei visible either had the entry pod top be removable or not there at all imo, but it doesn’t get in the way or anything. 

As of the time of writing, I haven’t used them yet, but they felt like they’ll be a decent pair of chopsticks to use, and more conventional than my Alien ones. I may order the Asuka ones in future, but currently on the fence about them. 

Urban Mine – Aliens Edition

So there was one reason, and one reason only, I bid on this auction:

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I’m a sucker for Alien stuff, and I have most of the collection. My thought process was that I would probably win the auction at a price, that even if the one in the box was one I had, I’d be able to get my money back at the very least. 

But then this happened:

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And then this happened…

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There were two ships shoved in the box, both of which I didn’t have, and one is the rare! Looking at them, they were more impressive than I thought they’d be, so I’m definitely keeping them, especially for the bargain price I paid. 

So, back to the drop ship. I was just adding it to my collection on MFC, when I noticed in the promo shots I could do this:

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Man, that’s nifty. The others don’t articulate, so this was unexpected.

Here’s a more top-down shot:

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Here’s a shot of the top of the Sulaco. It’s very thin, so it doesn’t photograph well from anywhere other than the side (I did try):

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So super-happy I decided to bid on that lot! Now for the other stuff in the box. 

First, up, a blind box figure, which was already opened:

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Her name is Sakurakouji Hotaru, and I can’t tell you anything about her. She’s, um, wearing a blue skirt? The tiny stick at the bottom you can attach another rod to, and have a clip stand around her. Not planning on bothering, also she was quite weighty, so she might be made out of sterner stuff, which would help her not lean over time. Very nicely painted though, if simple. I do kinda like her, so thinking of keeping her for now. 

Next item was some random box item:

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Hm, some cool-looking stuff on the front. This box was opened already. And what did I get?

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Mmm, ok. Paint job’s nice, but I don’t think I have much call for a tiny dude and his bike. 

Here’s the other items in the set:

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A few things I could’ve gone for – certainly wouldn’t have minded the Utraman, but alas, this was the Urban Mine, so the blind boxes are often the crap you don’t want :P. 

Now for some Super Sentai sweets:

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These are going to a friend who loves Super Sentai, so not opened them. The chocolate is wayyyy out of date – the expiry is September 2007, so uh, only 10 years out of date. I have recommended the friend NOT eat the chocolate, though I don’t think he’ll be inclined to anyway. If I’m around when he opens these, I’ll photograph the toys.

And finally, a Pez strap made to look like a Pez dispenser:

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Hm, yep. Might see if someone wants to buy this. This is apparently “Boy” of the Pez family. Never even knew there was a Pez family, lol. 

And that’s the end of the Urban Mine loot. Super-happy with getting two items I really wanted, and the expected amount of trash, and I’ll be able to give a friend a Chrismas present… so a good loot it was.

Lawson Rei & Asuka C-Style

This was the other item I used to round out my Urban Mine purchase, coming up in the next blog post. This figure was sold unopened, and indeed it was. So here it is, out of the box: 

D’aww, cute! Did take a little bit of putting together, but it was worth it. If you get this, I’d strongly recommend a hairdryer for the assembly – the parts that slot together are tight, and the blue support in Asuka’s foot may be mildly misshapen – on mine it wasn’t going to go in there when cold, but a bit of thermal persuasion and it slotted in there nice and snugly. 

Here’s the back of the figures:

Looking OK from this angle, but it is mostly support, and Rei’s hair looks super-boring. 

Closeup of the characters:

There feels to be quite a thick layer of paint on them, and the colours are nice and bold. They don’t hold up to a close inspection – there is a little paint bleeding, and my Rei has a little bit of blobby paint on her belly, but from a distance, they’re quite striking. 

The price for these in the aftermarket is about what you’d expect to pay for two small figures, so if you like them, I’d say go for it, unless you’re overpaying by using a 3rd party type reseller. 

Devilman Keychain

This keychain was added to a Mandarake order, to round out up to just under the amount where I’d be liable for VAT (ah, the fun of being a European). 

So here he is, in his silver glory:

Anything that isn’t the head is sculpted OK, but the head doesn’t show up very well from the front. They went a bit too textured on the face, which makes it really indistinct from certain angles. He’s rubbery, as he’s intended to be a keychain… but he’s a bit big for that! Wingspan from tip-to-tip is 12cm, and he’s 10cm tall, from his feet to the top of his wings. 

Also…

This is the keychain piece. You’re supposed to screw this into him… somewhere. There’s no hole to do it – it’s supposed to be self-tapping, so I’m going to file this away somewhere, and am thinking of using thread to dangle him from somewhere.

And just for completeness, here’s the back:

Am happy with him, he’s bigger than I thought he’d be – I was expecting like a small, metal keychain, but he’s a bit larger and PVC, so should be easier to display. If he was smaller and metal, I’d probably consider using him as a keychain though. 

Devilman Mico Acid Purple ver.

So this is a character from Devilman. One day I’ll watch the shows and read the manga so I know all about these characters… what I do know is this one is symbiotic with a demon, which is the purple part, and it is called Tollg. 

So here she is, straight out of the box:

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Pretty decent for this kind of figure, lacking if you’re not into this older style of action figure. She does have a hat that I dismissed at first, but after putting it on, she does look pretty nifty with it:

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There will be no back shots at this stage… as she has a bare butt. 

She also comes with an “experimental chamber” you can put her in:

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Which I think looks pretty cool :D. Then again, I’m a weirdo. I also love the blue colour. And, hey, the experiments aren’t bad too!

Here’s a closeup of the details on top:

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And here’s the back:

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Not much to see, barring the battery compartment. I do have the cover – it was elsewhere when I was taking photos. Two AA batteries just fit in there. Took a fair bit of effort to get them in properly, so that the flap will shut – the feature can work if the battery is slightly out, but the cover wouldn’t fit back on like that. Needed to use a doodad to push battery next to the spring as far back as it would go to squeeze the batteries in there. Not sure how getting them out will go… 

Now why are there no pics of the light feature? One, it’s not too impressive to look at – it’s two LEDs, one at the top, one at the bottom. Though the main reason I didn’t try to photograph it, is the LEDs are only on when you hold down the button at the front. Part of me is tempted to mod it so there’s a sliding switch at the back, but I’d have to take it apart to see the feasibility. Also there’s the temptation to wait – if I have a place near a power source, I could potentially wire it into a lighting system. 

The remainder of my photos are NSFW, so here’s my conclusions. The articulation on this figure is largely pointless – it’s not very interesting, and the paintwork means moving her arms makes her look funny, though this is hidden by the symbiotic Tollg, when she’s wearing it. The hat looked kinda crap in the box, but looks better on, which was nice. The chamber is a solid addition, though mine had some mild scuffing, despite the outer box being sealed. Naked, she has the orangiest nipples, but she’s erm, accurate in other places. All in all, I like this figure, and I think I paid a fair price for her. 


Here’s a pic of her without Tollg:

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See what I mean by the super-orange nipples? Her body is anorexic, which I’m in two minds about. Also note they modelled her labia, which some castoffs don’t have, lol. 

Here’s a closeup of her upper half:

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That’s some orange boobage, with some paint smear that got in between her boobs. Guess she’s had some fun with spicy sauce? It’s a complimentary colour to the purple, but I dunno. It’s just a bit too unreal. 

And here’s her back:

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Some effort on the sculpting here, but seems like a “ok, that looks passable, done now” job. More accurate than a barbie, but lacking in polish, most notably her shoulderblades, the back of her knees, and those elbows seem to have boils on them. I won’t be seeing her back a lot though. 


Secondary conclusion: She can be displayed naked, but I feel she was mostly designed with Tollg in mind. I have ordered the green version, so I may display one with, one without, or both with Tollg. 

More Domez!

So… managed to end up at Toys R Us again, and bought 3 more Domez. This time there was the added bonus of them being cheaper! 

I managed not to get any dupes:

First up, Catwoman:

I initially opened these up in the dark, so didn’t see the scratch on her head :(. This is the favourite of the 3 I opened, but I may have to do something about that mark… darnit. 

Batman:

It’s… Batman. Looks OK from this angle, but the mouth makes him look a bit derpy. 

Lastly, but definitely least, Superman:

Yeah… what the heck is going on with that face?! I’m not a fan of Superman at the best of times, and this one… well. Face is super-derp and the head looks more out of proportion than the others.

Ah, that’s better. This angle actually looks OK! Back of his head doesn’t say “Superman” to me, but hey, I don’t have to look at that face any more. 

Ignoring the scratch on Catwoman’s head, I’ve got 2 that I like, one I’m mediocre about and one that might get hidden in a drawer. Not a bad pull. 

Wall Display

Been looking at putting a display cabinet at the top of my stairs, to house more of my figures, but then my husband suggested converting the old airing cupboard into a display, so the need for large figure display is currently lessened. So what do with the wall… put a wall display ofc!

Ordered this on Amazon, built it on the same day I got it, then my husband kindly hung it on the wall for me. 

I have a LOT of little stuff, so it was very easy to populate! The items on the second row of the display weren’t displayed anywhere yet – these are the Heroes of Might and Magic figures that were in the blind bags a number of blogs ago. 

After many trips around the various rooms in the house, I have now populated it, and freed up display areas around the house (or made the displays tidier for now…)

I did suggest getting another one to go under the TV in the bedroom, but my husband doesn’t seem keen… Ah well. 

Figure Spotlight – Big Daddy

This was one of my first figures. I went to GAME to buy the original Bioshock, and the collector’s edition was only £5 more, so I went for it, because, hey Big Daddy figure:

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The other parts of the collector’s edition are scattered to various corners of my house, and this is the only thing that is out and displayed. 

Here’s the side with his hand, where you can see some of the meh-ness of the painting:

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And here’s his drill hand:

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Here you can see some of the blood effect, which is spread over various places on the figure. 

And finally, the tanks:

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Hm. Don’t think the paint effect they were going for really worked here. 

Not sure what the collector’s edition originally went for, but even if I was into collector’s editions at that point in time, I don’t think the figure really justifies a large increase in cost. Can’t argue with £5, you get a decently heavy figure that looks like something from the game, but the paint job isn’t the best. I think they could have dialled down on the bloodstains – I think it would be more effective to have it on the drill and maybe one other place. With it being in various spots, it kind of makes it look even less realistic to me – I’m not a massive fan of “blood” spatter on figures, as it rarely comes out well. 

All in all, not a bad start to my collecting habit.