Cured of loli-Fate! – Volks M.O.E 1/7 Fate Testarossa PVC figure

The PVC deities, obviously disturbed by my deep obsession with 9 yr old Fate, have finally sent the antidote in the form of a 1/7 PVC figure of 19 yr old Fate Testarossa.

Still this could all be a very elaborate divine prank since the chances obtaining this magnificent work is low. A quick check with my regular and not-so-regular PVC sources revealed that possession will come at a great cost. One of the quotes I received was as high at 15000 yen (twice the amount I paid for Alter Hayate). And this was not the only hurdle. The quality of VOLKS PVC craftsmanship is also being called into question with their previous PVC releases not as impressive as their promo pics. According to a trusted source, while they are undoubtedly masters of the resin realm, they still need to play catch up in the PVC world. Given the uncertainty, should I still pour ALL my resources into acquiring her?

Figure display – Getto!

The wait is finally over! After more than 10 visits to IKEA, countless family conferences with my wife and in-depth discussions with dedicated PVC consultant - it is finally done. My PVC beauties can once again see the light of day without risking the dehabilitating effects of dust! All thanks to IKEA's Bertby.

Hontouni fund-raising – PVC daughters for display cabinet

As a firm believer and strong advocate of unleashing the glory of your PVC beauty (ie opening and displaying your PVC purchases), it's with deep shame that I must admit my PVC collection has been banished to the wardrobes for more than a year already. My excuse? No suitable display shelves/area.

I know, that's not a good reason to imprison your daughters in dark and cold places (which incidentally are conditions favourable for PVC). In fact, many a kind folk have pointed me to Ikea's Detolf which I thought was a great bargain though ultimately unsuitable for a homogenous collection like mine (mostly 1/8 figures). So it was with great excitement when I spied upon the Bertby during a recent excursion to Ikea. Originally a wall-mounted cabinet for DVD/CD storage, it's configurable to a figure display unit for a relatively affordable S$149. The catch - Assembly and wall mounting cost no included.

I had initially intended to get 2 Bertby (which would be able to house up to 40 1/8 PVC figures) but was shaken to learn of the transport/assembly/wall mounting cost - S$100. A whooping 30% of the purchase. Curse my 2 left thumbs and their ineptitude with the hand-drill.

After fretting over the unforeseen cost, my wife came up with a most brilliant solution -

I'm going to ignore the 'ALL' in her suggestion and release some of my lesser loved/spare figures for more worthy masters.

All except Fate are 2nd hand though everyone is in pristine condition. Oversea buyers are welcomed too though shipping charges would be at your expense.

Hesitate no more! Free my PVC pretties! Contribute to the cause by alleviating my costs! (Donations are welcomed too. Donation above S$50 would have one of the shelves named after them.)

Incidentally, I'd like also to let go of my Sister Princess and Rahxephon (legit Taiwanese R3 licenses) DVDs at much less than half their original price. Drop me a note/comment if you're keen.

PS: If you have a cheaper/better way of displaying figures, pls pass on the wisdom and save me the bittersweet pain of 'marrying off' my plastic daughters! XD

Gravity blast from the past

It was a welcome surprise to see (and acquire!) Sega Toys/Chara Ani 1/8 Misumaru Yurika at a local anime goods store recently, given that I'm still slowly watching my way through my Nadesico DVD boxset.

Armed and babelicious

With a sprinkling of yurilicious too! :3

What would an ideal figure display be?

While it looks like I'm violating one of my very fundamental rules of figure collecting, I have recently come to realise that not granting your PVC beauties a worthy stage to flaunt/protect their charm may be a greater sin than not breaking them out of their boxes. My decision to temporarily return my figure haremettes to their packages was mainly prompted by a lack of suitable display space. Previously, my figures paraded themselves on an open shelf, carefree and spontaneous. But since open shelves afforded no protection at all, I witness, first hand, my PVCs literally gnawed away by a very pervasive enemy of figures - dust. I could keep my figures away from sunlight but ensure a dust-free stage, I needed an enclosure. That's when I shifted my lovelies to my bookshelf. But alas, the bookshelves nerfed their beauty since the area wasn't optimised for display of 1/8" figures but for storage of books.

I considered many of Ikea's display shelves too (especially the immensely popular Detolf) but still didn't find anything that's worthy of the PVC haremettes. With plans to renovate my study, I intend to put up glass casings to finally house my collection properly. However, I need ideas and would like to find out from fellow collectors - what would an ideal figure display be?

Figure no tameni!

The incongruent charms of PVC figures and Nendroids/Figma

One of my laments during the last Wonderfest was the severely diminished PVC figures showing by Goodsmile Company/Max Factory. While my 2008 GSC/MF preorders/purchases remain healthy (maybe a little too genki for my wallet), I can't help but feel that too much of GSC/MF's resources are getting channeled to Nendroid/Figma productions.

While I understand the cute and interactive charm of Nendroid/Figma, it baffles me to see many PVC figure collectors diversifying to these figure derivatives since I thought both catered to very different collector profiles. For this tanuki, static PVC is art and their posable cousins, toys (albeit high grade, expensive ones). I suppose I'm one of those narrow-minded PVC purists who see static figures as avatars of anime/eroge goddesses meant to be admired behind glass walls, unspoiled by the elements and unsoiled by human hands. Figma and Nendroids, on the other hand, are made to be played and manhandled with little shred of dignity. If Nendroids and Figmas represent the cute and fun component of the 2D world respectively, PVC figures must then epitomise 2D beauty.

Are you a figure collector? Do you dabble in Nendroids/Figma too? Come share your motivations deviating from the 'enlightened' path of PVC. XD

Figure dilemma once more

2008 has been a slow year for me figure-wise. March is already round the corner and I've only 2 PVC acquisitions with 4 preorders so far.

<-------Acquired 2008-------><-----------------------Preordered figures----------------------->

I suspect the tremendous difficulty of selling my older figures had an impact on my purchasing pattern. Seeing how hard it is to find new homes for my PVC pretties, I'm a lot more prudent in my pre-orders now. In fact I'm so careful that I suspect I'm missing out on some of the best PVC lovelies the industry has to offer. Yes, in the absence of my PVC approving panel (PAP), I'm soliciting for opinions for following 7 figures before I make the very last-min pre-order. Listed also are some of my thoughts on each figure (left to right).

1/8 MaxFac Ruka - Good sculpt and dynamic pose but clashing colour scheme. Supporting prop is an eyesore too.

1/8 MaxFac Sawatari Makoto - Dynamic canonical pose (in Kanon OP). Love the hair.

1/8 Kotobukiya Kureha - Dynamic pose but the material seem to have a sheen that speaks of poor quality.

1/8 Alter Kuonji Shinra - Striking gold ornaments/clothes lining. Pose a little too subdued though and little color differentiation.

1/8 Alter Siesta - Great character! Pose a little awkward and possibly too much white.

1/8 Kotobukiya Sennin Narika - Pink hair and twin-tailed with a dynamic pose! May have balance issues though.

Non-scale Alter Chuua Churam - Great everything! Except the price that is...

If you could only pick 3 of the 7, which of these PVC beauties would you usher home?

Edit 02/03/08

Thanks all for your input. After deliberating the feedback, I have pre-ordered these PVC lovelies.

Can't wait for their arrival.