Fig thread!

[harry_kinomoto]

Figurines (or "figs") are sculptures of popular characters featured in a variety of anime/manga/VNs, and form one of the types of merchandise that devs end up end up trying to flog to die-hard otaku fans. They can be quite cheap, for eg the small "gachapon" capsule toys, to well-near life-size and thus ridiculously expensive. Most, however, seem to be rather well-made, and perhaps a reasonable way to reconcile a fanship of 2D characters with a 3D world.

I am not normally a fig person, but I have noticed one that am quite keen to procure, and I have other plans for it aside from merely looking good and collecting dust (they involve public piano performance, to cut a long story short):

It is released April this year (ideal for me), and is available for pre-order (relatively) cheaply at:

-AmiAmi: http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?scode=FIG-MOE-7485&page=top

-Hobby Search http://www.1999.co.jp/itbig20/10203320.jpg

I was wondering if there were any fig veterans amongst us who has had experiences with buying online from these sites? Or are there any other you would recommend? I'm particularly hesitant about the above which are Japan-based, quite unclear about the buying process in general, and don't seem the most efficient in replying to my emails! So if anyone has tried them out as an overseas customer and has feedback about them, I would be grateful to learn of your experiences!

(I do note it for sale at UK-based company Estatic Arts, though for MUCH, much more.)

*******

And if nothing else, general fig thread! Share your fig collections here~

[俊 (Jun)]

AmiAmi and Hobby Search are a good pick!

I can give you a few reasons not to use (particularly unknown, less popular) English-based sites to buy figures.

1. More expensive

2. Slower

3. Less reliable

4. Considerably less stock

Reasons not to use Japanese, even the popular ones:

Custom duties, taxes can be dreadful. EMS packages are also more likely to get caught, at where I live at least.

This is speaking from my own experiences and observations.

________________________________________________

I haven't used AmiAmi and Hobby Search in a long time since I don't collect figures anymore, but here's what I can tell you about them:

AmiAmi usually has the cheapest initial figure purchases available.

Hobby Search has good prices as well, and also gives you points you can use later on. Each point equals 1 JPY.

Both have a separate catalog for English and Japanese customers. Sometimes they limit the amount you can buy of a single product.

I favored AmiAmi more for buying figures, and Hobby Search for other goodies. AmiAmi also has more exclusives.

They say you CANNOT cancel orders from AmiAmi. I've done it once, but if you do it enough you could lose their trust and they will stop taking orders from you.

Canceling orders from Hobby Search is done by filling in a form through email.

When ordering from AmiAmi, you are required to fill in a form of how you want it to be shipped (SAL, EMS), if you want to combine orders, etc. (That's how it used to be anyway, not sure about now)

When ordering from Hobby Search, they take you step by step through the ordering process. You can easily login again to check your order status and also combine orders through the system.

You generally want to avoid shipment by EMS because it'll drill a hole through your wallet.

EMS is insured, fast, can hold any size, comes with a tracking code.

SAL is NOT insured, does not come with tracking code, ok speed. There's the commonly used variant called SAL small package which can hold only up to so much, but is definitely much cheaper. Tracking code only on request (at AmiAmi), which should be known as SAL small package Registered. I don't think Hobby Search offers the tracking code service for SAL but they do label every item page that SHOULD be able to get shipped by SAL small package with "SAL".

Only AmiAmi offers SAL Parcel, which can hold bigger items than SAL small package and is slightly less expensive than EMS.

You will be forced to use the bigger shipping methods if an item is too big for SAL small package, so it would be wise to do some research first before placing the order. For this reason, it is a bit safer to order from Hobby Search because there's actually a "SAL" icon on the product page if it can be shipped by SAL small package. Warning: If the item has yet to be released it is not a guarantee that it can be shipped by SAL, merely an estimation.

Both AmiAmi and Hobby Search process orders quickly from my experience.

There was one occasion at Hobby Search when I got a slightly defective product, which wasn't even their fault, but the manufacturer of the figure. I asked by email if they had a replacement part for the tiny pantsu defect and they gave me a full refund lol. As of this moment I'm still happily displaying said figure on my desk. XD

_______________________________________________

I have an account on MFC (myfigurecollection.net). Quite old but it lists the figures I have: http://myfigurecollection.net/profile/TQFigure

Feel free to ask questions that.. I might be able to answer. w

[thevoiceitself]

Another site worth checking out would be Kirin Hobby, as they tend to get a nice stock of figures and bring the prices to reasonable levels. One of my best friends is very much into figures and has an extensive collection, a lot of which he has purchased through Kirin Hobby. They import what they can and do their best to price affordably, and they offer great service in my limited experiences with them. I'll see if I can get my friend on Fuwanovel to contribute himself, as he would probably have a lot more to say on the matter.

I don't claim to be a figure buff myself though, so I probably don't have a lot of viable input for you. However I can say good things about Good Smile Company and the amazing works they put out. I received a Homura 1/8 figure from them that is nothing short of stellar, and I plan to purchase the Princess of the Crystal 1/8 as soon as I can get my hands on her for a good price. That will bring my figure total up to two. In any case, don't be afraid to look around as you will find a great difference in prices. Avoiding direct import is a must, as customs/shipping/etc. will leave you penniless in a hurry.

"I don't always buy figures, but when I do, they are f**king epic."

[Guest]

I got 8 nendoroids and a couple of goodsmile companies...

but i think now i want to sell them to pay off my bills.

bcuz i dont have a good place to put them.

[Ryoji]

hey Aaeru, long time no see!!

My figure collection has grown quite a bit in the last couple years. will post some pics later

[InvertMouse]

Yeah, I'd definitely be interested in seeing people's figure collections. In fact, room tours would be fun, too .

I only have a few figures. They're very expensive, for one. Also, my room is quite small so I'm already running out of space with all these books and games around XD.

[harry_kinomoto]

....what you looking at, huh?

Alright mate you asked for it - don't say I didn't warn you!!

Arrived nicely on time - a day before my first exam at that! Considering she's supposed to be what she is, I fancied it something of a good omen

imho it's a very well-made little thing. Solid material, impressive posability. Some complaints about how the joint on the base is a little loose for my liking, but it's nothing serious. I also find it intriguing how such minor variations in joint angle could potentially lead to quite different results - as you can see in the 2 photos above~

My thanks to all who replied!! I ended up using AmiAmi - fast service and even with the customs charge, cheaper than any other local company! However be warned that customs can potentially hit you hard - the going rate here in the UK is I think 15%? But on top of that is also a £8 flat fee. The customs website hadn't been very forthcoming about the flat fee...

Still eager to see everyone else's figs!!

[Forythos]

She's very cute. ^^

I wasn't really into collecting figures until I got my first Nendo last year. I had a statue of Asuka and some Valkyrie Profile figs, but I wasn't planning on getting more, that is until I fell for Estelle Bright's Nendoroid. ^_^/>/>/> I've managed to restrain myself and only order those that I really REALLY wanted, but I'm already looking to get two more in the near future haha. (Rin Natsume Nendo from Amiami, who is just too cute and is realeased at end of July ; and Saber Plain Clothes ver. Nendo that comes with a book, probably with some other stuff from Mandarake.) Anyway, pics incoming :

Makise Kurisu Nendoroid 130 - Got a few months ago from Rendoroid in Indonesia. (Price was good, shipping not so much haha, that's how we learn.)

Estelle Bright Nendoroid 236 - I got her on ebay last year from someone in France.

Asuka gothic lolita from Kotobukiya. I bought her at a local hobby store a few years ago when I had some store credit to spend.

Valkyrie Profile figures I got from the same store a few years ago.

I'll try to take pictures of other poses for the nendos later.

[Fujimoto Takashi]

I always wanted to buy some figs...but the lack of experience dealing with that sort of thing always makes me unsure wether its worth it or not.

I have nooooo idea where to buy, but since you guys suggested some places, I was thinking of giving it a try...but I live in Brazil, and that makes everything more complicated and expensive... I dont even know how it would work here...

[Down]

The buyfag link from /a/ has tons of useful info about figs, where to buy them, shipping internationally, etc.

[Forythos]

Yes, while I already knew the better know sites such as Amiami, I still found this guide very interesting and useful.

Just saw this new Feris Nendo on Amiami along with a re-release of the Kurisu I own. (I would have saved some money had I known.) I'm not a big fan of Feris myself, but it's cool to see a new Steins;Gate figure. I also saw a preview for Kamikita Komari from Little Busters.