Saturday, January 29, 2011

Tatebayashi Miharu

This was released in 2010 as a set called tokimeki memorial figure collection vol. 2 for the 15th anniversary of the tokimeki memorial series. This is produced by Konami who makes the game series and a few lesser known figures like busou shinki and bug killer HoiHoi-san. They also made negima and haruhi figures.


There have always been quite a few problems with tokimeki figures in the past. Either they were prohibitively expensive and hard to get due to direct mail order only or they were resin kits you had to build yourself. Cheap figures abounded yet they were in fact cheaply made and were originally ufo catcher junk.

Being an avid tokimeki memorial collector I have boxes of the stuff. Books, cards, puzzles, pencils, you name it and I might have some. So when I first saw these figures announced I was excited yet skeptic. The good news is these figures are very well made and I am thoroughly pleased. The quality of the materials on these figures is a step above what you would expect from a Sega prize figure.

Don't get me wrong, I love the sculpt and design of many Sega figures but ultimately they are made to be affordable and the quality of the materials suffer greatly. Not the case here. The packaging itself is very similar to the 50$ Negima figures I have purchased from Konami in the past. The plastic is soft and ply-able yet the color is rich and has shadowing. The figure has enough weight that it will not topple over easily.

@background photo from flickr
For under 10$ I definitely recommend these if you have some space to fill in your next figure shipment. Miharu is also the secret character in the series but now everyone can catch her themselves!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Toheart2 Nendoroids are finally here!

FDCGR is going to be re-released on the PSP under the name ToHeart2 Dungeon Travelers.
the limited edition will come with two nendoroids of Tamaki and Konomi! The battle system still looks the same and is lack-luster but some new effects and CGs have been added. Of course, the game is PG-13 being on the PSP.





The figures only come in the limited edition set and will most likely set you back over 120$ after exchange rate and before shipping. Here is the official website and more pictures of the figures and CGs on famitsu.

Oreimo on PSP is also coming out; man, I have to get myself a PSP! In other news a new version of the PSP will be out at the end of the year called the NGP.
I don't know what I should do! Supposedly it will be backwards compatible yet it will not have a drive for any discs.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Samurai Tamaki



Kohsaka Tamaki Samurai version from the game FDCGR! Honestly, I did not see myself purchasing this. So many figures are coming out this year that I literally have been strained on funds for things I want. The industry is growing too large too fast; I foresee another anime bubble popping in the figure market although I do hope not.

The first thing that came to my mind when I saw this item was why Samurai?
I would have loved to have had just the basic fighter version. A figma or some other poseable figure would have been superb. I love the kitty shield even though I am not an avid cat supporter. Below you can see a few of the available jobs: Fighter, Paladin, Valkyrie, and Samurai.



But I do have to say the choice has grown on me. My favorite thing about Samurai Tamaki is her flower hair piece. Usually, when you see a snap shot of this figure it is from the opposite side so you don't get a clear view of the hair piece. The design really brings out her femininity and adds a pop of color.
I do feel she is a bit scantily clad for my tastes. It is however provocative and displays a sense of strength, neglecting full armor to maximize strength and speed.



The packaging is done in typical Kotobukiya fashion. Individual parts are wrapped in plastic sheets to prevent any paint rubbing. Inside the box it says Tamaki and displays the official FDCGR logo. The package is designed to display her face clearly and there are no obstructions in the way.



Interestingly, my printer ran out of ink today. For some reason I am also out of backup ink cartridges. I definitely want to get a few pictures of this figure with different backgrounds but it will have to wait.

This is a well done figure and a quick rating I might give would be a solid 8 out of 10.
hopefully, more pics to come soon.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Orchid Seed Ryofu Housen


This is the alternate color for the Orchid Seed Ryofu Housen released at the end of 2007. I bought this used from Mandarake. I actually ordered it at the same time as I did the Toheart2 figures I posted about but the items were at different stores so I decided to have this one shipped SAL instead. it took about two weeks to arrive. I am not an Ikkitousen fan at all and do not typically watch similar shows but I do have some knowledge of the characters. Since the figure is slightly used there is a little bit of discoloration. Part of the reason for the flaws is due to the paint job by Orchid Seed.

For a short rating, here is my impressions. This is a B+ figure and a solid purchase. I like the design, the build quality is good and it has interchangeable parts/ cast-off-able. The downsides would be the chair feels cheaply constructed and the paint... it rubs off and bleeds! It is perfectly normal for older figures to have some paint rubbing. This particular figure though, they used some very rich paint and it rubs off a bit. It mostly occurs on the underside and is not noticeable. As you can see, the chair is very red and some of the red from the cushion has rubbed off onto her skirt. My particular item was man-handled by someone with dirty fingers and I had to clean her arms off, lol... What I wish this figure did have was interchangeable faces. The expression she currently has is just plain. Typically when you put your index finger on your cheek, you smile. Honestly, I have no clue what she is thinking in this pose. Overall I am pleased with this figure but I may not keep it in my collection permanently. In the mean time, into the card board box under the nendoroids she goes!