Influence of stuff and the horror of figure leaning

Sometimes, people can do the strangest things because of stuff they buy. A 45 year old salaryman will spend his entire weekend waxing his newly bought BMW 3-series, a 26 year old woman will simply must show off her Chanel suit (although the colours are totally ugly and size is too small) and your neighbour's 6 year old kid will fight his best friend over the pog he supposedly won.

I do not know what causes this phenomenon, but I can describe what they're probably feeling. When you buy something you really like, you start a full-fledged love affair with it. You love looking at it, love breathing it, and love bragging about it. And whenever it is hurt or damaged in any way, the primal instincts handily take care of any shred of intelligence, restraint and dignity, and thus occurs the weird behaviour that is observed.

So, as all regular people, otaku are also affected by this process. But even moreso. Because one of the things we buy (figures) are hideously precious. Bought with little money available and sometimes after painful cycles of preorders and internet retailing, we want our figures to be as perfect as they can be. That is why we bitch when we discover any mold line, PVC flash or paint mishap and why blister packs end up unopened.

But the greatest horror is when the figure is actually damaged. The local cat, little sister, or ignorant significant other have caused agony with which we can all relate to. But it can get even worse. And that is figure leaning. This is worse because the figure comes to life by deforming itself and making itself hideous in the process. Moreover, since there is to external assailant involved, it is an insult from the manufacturer, who mocks you with shoddy quality control and substandard manufacturing. Almost all what makes you like the figure, makes you hate it.

Overly worded rant aside, figure leaning is indeed an issue with figurines today. There have been many articles about this issue, of which this one (http://www.happysoda.com/archives/142#more-142) is a great one. This issue is due to the malleable nature of PVC, the material of which many figurines are made. PVC gets its rigidity and longevity from the plastic coating applied on it: this is not only important for figurines, but also for medical uses of PVC (PVC catheters are cheap, but the plastizer can cause allergies). It's usually not the quality of the PVC, but the quality of the coating that defines the resistance of a figure to deformation.

The most important cause of leaning however is not the material, but the support system and center of gravity of a figure. As you may know, most figures come with their own display base and cannot stand on their own. The base usually sports pegs or screws placed in such a way, that the figure will remain in the pose it's supposed to. Usually, this is done in such a way that the center of gravity of the figure (the point of the figure on which gravity pulls) is balanced by support points, thus equilibrating the figure. You can see this on this example:




The blue arrow represents the center of gravity, and the green dots the support points. As you can see, there are 2-3 points behind this centre, and 1-2 in front. This will "pull" the figure to the center, without straining any of these supports and the location of the figure anchored to these points. This figure (Tomoko Hoshina of "To Heart" by Kotobukiya, a plain and cheap figure) will thus be very unlikely to warp or lean.

Next, we have a figure that almost everyone knows and probably owns:



We see that the situation is different. Ignis' center of gravity is located slightly anteriorly: this is due to her stance, but also due to the relatively low mass of the hair. Also, the support pegs are located on the tip of both her shoes. Ideally, she should've had a stance in which one leg would be in front and the other behind the center of gravity, or additional supports posteriorly. This is however not the case. So, strain on her front feet and also her lower extremities (ankles) occurs. And over time, leaning may insue.

My cure was twofold: first, I stuck some transparent poster putty on her right heel: this is place where there should've been a support point. Secondly, I place the figure on a minor (10-20 °) bank posteriorly, to place the center of gravity between her feet and alleviate structural stress. This "bank" trick doesn't need to be done constantly, I do it once a week during one night or something, but this depends on the center of gravity, ambient temperature, support locations, etc.



Sorry for the crappy rotated image.

So, first, ascertain the center of gravity. Then, if possible, search for candidate locations for extra support points. And, if necessary, display the figure under an angle so that the center of gravity moves to..well..the center ^_^.

So, you'll see this 23 year old dude sticking glue on figure's shoes..I prefer that to a bunch of PVC Smooth Criminals.

Figure review backlog

Okay, it's been an awesome long time since I posted. Sorry for that, also, thanks to my good-for-nothing lazy *ss colleague oaf of an admin.

Here's the backlog of figures that still need to be reviewed. I've included one picture of each, just as a sort of preview. Will review them soon (when my laziness subsides).

Mizuho Kazami -- Max Factory



Bought in summer 2006. It was hot. The weather. And still is. The figure. Wonderful detailing, unbalanceable pair of glasses. Mizuho-sensei was on my desk during midterms, she was great company. Picture taken with Canon Powershot A640.

Genshiken: Saki & Ohno -- Gargoyle Gashapons



Bought at the FACTS 2006 convention. Was on top of the world about this. Great genki and detailing for such a small scale. Especially Saki looks great, worthy of one of the coolest female characters in anime. And of the great Yukino Satsuki. Picture taken with Canon Powershot A60 (pwning with 2MP)

Cloud Strife Resin -- Kotobukiya



Also bought at FACTS. Ultimately a bit ugly, but cool to be had whenever replaying FF7. Picture also taken with A60.

Tomoko Hoshina -- Kotobukiya



Bought this just for fun. Very inconspicuous in every way, but decent delivery and detail. Also quite cheap. Picture taken with Canon EOS 350D dSLR.

Tsukishiro Meena -- Sega



Cheap PVC from Sega, who are also known for their flood of cheap Evangelion releases. This figure is actually very good, a copy of the famous figure that donned the desk of Densha Otoko. Great "gambatte ne--" pose! A60 shot.

Ignis -- Max Factory



One of the winning designs of 2006, from the galge "Jingai Makyou". In all respects, the best figure in my collection. Pose, face, hair, body, detail & production. Looks great from all angles, she absolutely loves the camera. Shot with A640.

Tessa & Chidori -- Bome/Kaiyodo



Getting this set was extremely difficult. Released in Japan in May 2006, it was always quickly sold out at most Japanese webshops. BOME figures usually get US/overseas versions, which are often cheaper than the original Japanese releases. In this case, the Japanese was 6800 yen at HLJ (45 eur, with tax and shipping this would become 70-80 eur) while the overseas version is 40 eur including shipping. The overseas version was slated for august 2006, so I put down my preorder. In one of the worst tests of patience ever, this date kept being pushed back, the last date I've seen is March 2007. So I decided to switch to "crazy I-don't-care-about-the-money collector's mode" and ordered with HLJ, at one of their sporadic restocks. My sample was the last (currently "discontinued") of their stock.
The figures themselves are quite exquisite. While not as expressive as other figures (as with most BOME releases), this Chidori is the only Chidori worth getting. The Atelier Sai version is bigger, expensive and ecchi, but ugly. And the Good Smile version is poorly balanced (she's holding a bazooka whilst standing on one leg) and only in bikini.
The detail levels are very high, with subtle creases in the clothes and very crisp hair. Chidori is also holding the big paper fan, one of the most hilarious accessories in any anime. The skin PVC looks a bit "rough", creating the illusion that these figures are handcrafted as opposed to being mass-produced. Tessa-chan's hair is of the grey-blueish semi-transparent sort, similar to the hair of KOS-MOS of Alter.
Pictures taken with Canon A640.

IGNIS IS IN! I RULE, you sux0r, race!

HahgahahahahahAHaHahahaha

*keeps laughing frantically, I'm insane, remember?*

Insanity, anime and a small country

Insanity is one of the ailments that plagues man. It's strange that, otherwise balanced, productive and amiable people, can lose their minds, and cease to function in society. All medical technologies and knowledge aside, we still do not know why people go koo-koo.

Here's part of the answer: Japanese merchandise and import delays.

As you all know, the single purpose of the existence of anime is to brainwash helpless otaku and to pave the way for large, faceless corporations to sap these suckers of the little financial assets they have.

That is the usual scenario. In the figurine world, this is amplified to new and uncharted levels. Instead of large companies (like Bandai), the publishers are smaller (but not less evil) and release their merchandise in small quantities, and without restocking after 1 or 2 shipments. Combined with (undoubtedly through evil, underhanded) agreements with ruthless webshops that heat things up with preorders, user reviews (written by their own staff) and box/real-life pictures.

The worse of it all is import tax and delays. Since I live in an utter anime-less corner of the world (Belgium), I have to solely rely on these webshops. But because I refuse to risk having to pay import tax, I prefer Belgium-based shops, who usually get supplied by European importers. Although they are slightly more expensive than the Japanese webshops, import tax and shipping result in favour of local dealers. But here's the thing: since demand for anime stuff is really, really, really slim in Belgium (most people here think that all anime is Pokemon), deliveries are really unreliable and in small numbers. Also, since it's Belgium (it's the size of a postal stamp), European distributors will supply to Germany, France, UK..and leave us little schmucks hanging.

The reason for this rant?



Announced for 8/2006, released 10/2006, arrived in Europe mid 11/2006. But not with me yet. Argh. *going insane*.

1/8 Kotobukiya Belldandy

This is Race's latest score: the very nice 1/8 Belldandy by Kotobukiya. He received it from HLJ, and it was sent through EMS (whose purpose I needed to convince him of) to Belgium. The lucky bastard didn't have to pay any taxes on it, so he got the whole deal for under 50 eur.

Pictures were taken by me. Race doesn't have the 1337 skillz required for macro photography :p But he supplied me with some anime and (some desperately needed) blank DVDs ^_^. So, arigatou ne.

The box art is pretty standard, although the inner backdrop features a forest background, which is very appropriate.

The figure itself stands well over 20cm, and what immediately catches anyone's eye is the lovely dynamics on her hair and dress, both wonderfully layered and sculpted. It's funny how a relatively boring character (cuz let's face it, Belldandy is nowhere near as cool as her half-demon sister) can be brought to life with a little windeffect. Most importantly, this figure embodies everything Belldandy stands for: kind, innocent and free-spirited. Kotobukiya's production is spot on, wonderful detailing in all areas, no noticeable errors whatsoever, perfect paintjob.



All-in-all, a great figure, especially for Ah Megami-sama fans.



Full review will follow later *looks at Racemaniac*.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu -- Figure Bonanza

We all know Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, or "The Melancholy of--". For those who don't, this show is probably (one of) the most popular show(s) of 2006. Plotwise, it's pretty insane (like Race pointed out), but it's the brilliant execution that sets this show apart. Also, the very aggressive marketing has brainwashed otaku around the world, the OP and ED even made it into the top 10 of Oricon (the Japanese pop charts).

Now, fanboys and general animation lovers alike, brace yourself for the engulfing, all-engrossing and utterly unstoppable flood of Haruhi figurines!

First we have a private garage kit of Haruhi in her bunny costume playing and singing in episode 12 (which was thé best musical of àny Seiyuu éver). Sculpted by Bubba, this kit's mass produced resin version (which is inferior to the original sculpt) is still available from select sources at very reasonable prices (50-60 $).



Next Atelier-Sai comes into play with Mikuru and Haruhi, both again in their bunny suits. I personally don't like Atelier-Sai, since they often don't get a close enough similarity to the anime/manga of the character. Cfr. Chidori/Tessa from FMP. These figures are also 1/6. Read: huge and expensive.



Then we have Kaiyodo, best known for their "Monsieur BOME" line-up. Theirs is a cute Mikuru in her "Episode 00" maid costume. Skirt has been dramatically shortened for your otaku pleasure :p I like this figure very much, it looks a lot better than Atelier-Sai's.



Last we have the line-up of one my favorite companies, Max Factory. Noteable releases in the past are Mizuho from Onegai Teacher (review and pictures pending!), Naru from Love Hina, and recently the amazingly awesome Ignis from the eroge Jingai Makyo. They are planning on releasing Both Haruhi and Yuki (in her witch's costume!!) and possibly Mikuru-chan as well. F***** 1337.

FACTS 2006: Made it back --two--

Ok, I admit. Today was the first time I went to a convention. Although I started this blog, and pronounced to be a total otaku, I'm a total noob at this.

The convention was FACTS, by the way, abbreviation explained by Race. In Western Europe, it is one of the most noteable conventions for anime, but even moreso for Star Wars and fantasy.

To my surprise, months of intensive googling, ebay/webshop purchasing, and visits to fellow anime blogs have rendered me quite adept at picking out merchandise. While the convention floor was pretty large, I finished a preliminary tour in 30 minutes, despite the packed crowd and accompanying parents (who have been great sports). I triaged three locations: one had a 1/60 Wing Zero plamo (technically crap like the entire GW HG series, but big and kick ass). Another had a lot of figures, some new ones (GSC's Melissa Seraphy) and a few rarer older ones (a 1/6 Yamato Mizuho in swimsuit). He was also cheap, 20-30 euro for most of the stuff. The last location had a lot of Star Wars stuff..but also a few Final Fantasy VII items. And amongst them was a Kotobukiya coldcast 1/8 Cloud.



I bought that on the spot. I mean, the box says 12000 yen. And the guy gave it away at 32 euros (5000 yen). Ok, the box was slightly dinged and clearly opened but *who the f--- cares* for *thirty freakin' euros*!! Anyway, score one.

I then decided to proceed to the Gundam guy and get that 1/60 Wing Zero. I remember being in highschool and oogling that plamo after watching Gundam Wing. Upon arrival, I had some kind of timeshift experience. I saw this guy who kinda looked like me, but 7-8 years younger. He paid up and..took the Wing Zero. Damn.

The thunderous stamping of feet interrupted my disappointment, as the stage was filled with Star Wars cosplayers. I mean, is the Stormtrooper costume thé pinnacle in cosplay, or what?



I tried catching a Stormtrooper for a pic-op, but failed due to..well..too many
scifi..otaku..people..*dizzy*

I then proceeded to the cheap figurine guy for some serious, point-blank, up-close and personal browsing through his inventory.

On my way, I came across this other guy who handpainted his resin kits. They were absolutely stunning, here's a shot from the rare Kenshin resin, masterfully crafted and finished.



At the figurine guy, after 15 minutes I realized that I didn't really need any of these figurines, despite all their Nihon-cuteness. Either I didn't like one specific element of them (the face is all wrong, the pose is all wrong, the hair is all wrong, the base is crap,..) or I just didn't know the character. With a sense of unhealthy levelheadedness I left the figurine den.

I was lucky to run into Racemaniac and the Telenet Forum gang. Race (after thoroughly bragging about his conquests) pointed out that there where Genshiken gashapons.

Hold the phone.

Genshiken gashapons? Widely appreciated and sold out? Here? Available? URYAA!!!!

With renewed otaku-powah I rushed through the stands. The only good material form of Chairman Saki was waiting..(GSC's has no nose and Yamato's face is slightly wrong and the ankles are weak, cfr. Race's post) After much elbowing and scifi-fan shoving I found it.

Then I remembered what gashapons are.

Evil..closed..boxed..things..of evil.

I must've looked quite pathetic, shaking the boxes one by one in a desperate attempt to discover Saki-chan. In fact, I must've been enormously pathetic, as the dealer went up to me and asked "hey, just tell me which one you want". It was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me...*sniff* arigatou!!



Oh, and I also picked up Ohno, cuz she was one of the "dropouts" prior to Saki showing up.



So, FACTS was great for me. I scored bigtime three times, and it cost me less than 50 euro. All that I lacked was a Stormtrooper.



Hah. Bunny Stormtrooper. Hah. FACTS was great. Hah.

PS: In-depth reviews of Saki-chan, Ohno-san and Cloud will follow. As will some Gundam and other figurine reviews (Mizuho-sensei!!) Watch this space :p

Ohno Kanako Figurine and Jeremy Clarkson

Yamato SIF EX Ohno Kanako 7” PVC figurine

Foreword

This is my first PVC figurine. I have numerous Gundam plastic model kits. I am a detail freak, and very anal about small defects in anything I buy: from dead pixels on PSP’s (sold one and RMA’ed three) to the flavour and consistency of gum I just bought at local supermarket. Well, ok, I’m overdramatizing, I only RMA’ed two PSP’s.

Having that said, I also love Genshiken. I think it’s one of the best anime ever, and I watch an episode on a daily basis, without ever growing tired of it. Consequently, I love the girls in Genshiken, Kasukabe Saki and Ohno Kanako. I can go on and on about them, like how Jeremy Clarkson can rave on about his Ford GT. Hold that thought, by the way.

Box art, parts, construction

The box is very nice, depicting a shot from the Genshiken clubroom’s window with attached Kujibiki Unbalance poster, and Ritsuko and Tokino flanking the clear window. On the sides, Ohno is portrayed as herself, holding a pair of cosplay nekomimi, and as Ritsuko. The back shows a picture of the figurine.

After carefully opening the box (which I perceive as contributing to almost half the esthetic value of the entire product), the contents are revealed: the figurine (no detachable parts), a scabbard, sword and a stand.

Construction is straightforward, no excessive bending or jamming was necessary. All parts fit snugly and firmly. The scabbard is unfortunately not hollow, and thus, not functional. The stand has a snakeskin motif, but is otherwise very basic, almost flimsy. But it does the job. The figurine’s center of gravity is slightly to the rear, but the ankles seem strong enough to prevent bending.

First impression, design

At 7” tall, it’s about the same height as a 1/100 Gundam plastic model kit. Ohno is in a simple standing pose, nothing special here. The way she stands though, and how she holds both the sword and scabbard is great. She looks slightly sideward, whilst smiling sweetly and politely. So instead of a samurai girl, she looks like a girl *pretending* to be one, and that is *exactly* what we want cosplay-queen Ohno to be like.

Both hair and clothing ripple slightly in the wind, like it is being created by a fan during a photo-shoot. Again, exactly the effect that fits perfectly with Ohno’s character. The effect itself is well done, with the creases not too deep and the fringes rippling in a believable fashion. The hair is also great, and the ribbons (one in the hair and one on her back, which straps in her short battle yukata) adds an enormous amount of cuteness to the entire design.

Technical: paint, mold

The paintjob is pretty good. Blacks are done in a matte finish, the colours are bright yet slightly shaded, so it doesn’t look too much like a toy, but still like anime. Lines are generally crisp, no major flaws. The eye decal is excellent; the entire facial area is, actually, with Ohno’s trademark moles positioned perfectly. Another outstanding element is the shading on skin areas, especially the knees. The boots are also great, the straps are sharply painted.

The mold is good in the crucial areas (front, face, skin, J-cup boobies), and there is not an intolerable amount of flash (small dots of excessive material). The knee looks fantastic, with noticeable tibial tuberosity (the narrower elevation below the kneecap). Detail on the hands is also great, the recession of the nails is visible and the fingers are slender and feminine. There are a number of flaws though, especially in the hair. There were 3 flat spots, 1 of them even mimicking an ugly “solder burn”. Another similar damaged spot can be found on right fringe of the pink ribbon in her hair. Seam lines are also visible, although not in a dramatic fashion. There is also a dent above the right knee.

Although the PVC production process is prone to this kind of defects, the combination of all of the above, pose a serious issue. It usually comes down to the manufacturer’s QA policy. Companies like Good Smile Company, Alter and Max Factory have higher standards, others lower ones. I have little first hand experience, but this figurine, as well as the buzz on the net, puts Yamato on the lower end of the scale.
Having considered this, the many great technical features seem to outweigh the production hick-ups though.

Personal satisfaction, conclusion

Yes, this figurine has an amount of serious flaws. Yes, the pose isn’t very dynamic. Yes, Yamato probably is a poor manufacturer. It just looks so nice though, it’s right up there with my 1/100 MG Freedom in terms of eye candy yumminess. Detailing and colouring are very good, with high marks going to the face and knees. The figurine perfectly conveys Ohno’s character. One of the reasons why I held off a long time from figurines is the fact that they seldom get the faces and “heart” of the character right. Not so with this figurine. It *is* Ohno. I can kinda sum it up like Jeremy Clarkson’s Ford GT. It is impossible to get into due to the ridiculous doors that contain part of the ceiling. It needs to be filled up at virtually every single petrol station you come across. And it breaks down more than clockwork made by a baboon. But he still loves that car. As I love this figurine.

Figthing gravity

 Behold my cute cosplaying Saki figurine (character from 
Genshiken, great anime/manga ). As always, trouble is never 
far off when you're trying to have a bit of fun... In this case,
buying this nice figurine has given me another thing to worry
about.

In the store, i already saw that the one on display had fallen forward, 
but since i got another one, i thought mine would be stable (in 
retrospect, pretty naive...). After a few falls, i knew mine wasn't any 
different, so i came up with the brilliant idea of superglueing it to the 
base...That's when the real problems started. Now it doesn't fall over, 
without any real damage afterwards, but starts to bend forward! 
In a few weeks my figurine would probably have been wasted if i 
hadn't found a way to counter it! 

Luckily i did. After a few nights of hanging her horizontally off the 
handle of a drawer, she has bended backwards enough to compensate,
and appears to be pretty stable now :) (and i can always hang her on 
the drawer a bit more if necessary).

Ahhh, another crisis averted :), and somehow i don't really mind. 
Encountering little challenges, and seeking solutions is also fun, i
think life would be boring without such little mishaps (as long as
they don't ruin things, ofcourse).

Well, this concludes my first post on this blog, cya soon!