Another week's worth of DVDs and S.H.Figuarts

I seem to be getting later and later in writing these updates. I used to do them whenever an item arrived on that given day, but that soon dwindled down to once a week and now I'm struggling to get motivated to manage even that (I do actually like keeping a record of what I get like this).


Monday (last week), supermart_usa, I received GunBuster.

This should have been the prefect DVD release for one of my favourite anime series, but this is not the case here due to one very significant change to the music during the first episode's training scene. To some this might be considered minor, but to me this is taking something I have fond memories of and fucking with it for whatever reason (copyright apparently) they deemed appropriate.

Apart from that though, this set is very nice indeed. It has a real sturdy cardboard case which puts the one DieBuster had to shame for starters.


Wednesday, kcmanhk, I received S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Double CycloneJoker.

Now this is what originally started my 'Figuarts Tuesday' plan back in the beginning of February, yet it ended up being the last to arrive because it somehow took over six weeks to make its way from Hong Kong to the UK (and trying to get information from the seller about it was a right pain in the ass).


Thursday, AmiAmi, I received S.H.Figuarts Shinken Red (with Kuroko).

ShinkenRed is the first Super Sentai character to get an S.H.Figuarts release and a brilliant one at that. This Figuart far surpasses any of the Power Rangers figures I own (including the Super Legends)! The detail on him is outstanding and he has all the articulation you'd expect from a Figuart (even with the new shoulder joint design).

He comes with a variety of accessories such as the Shodo Phone (in Brush Mode), Sisi Origami, Shinkenmaru and the big ass Rekka Daizantou. I currently have mine holding the Rekka Daizantou ready to cause some serious damage!


Saturday, AmiAmi and Amazon.co.uk, I received...

• S.H.Figuarts Cure Blossom
• S.H.Figuarts Cure Marine
• Summer Wars
  

Cure Blossom and Cure Marine quickly became a favourite of mine (Marine even more so) during the course of watching HeartCatch PreCure. The series was a real joy to watch (especially when compared to the rather boring Goseiger) and when I discovered these two were getting S.H.Figuarts, I just had to get them (the same can be said for the other Cures from this series).

Summer Wars, the film that made me seek out TokiKake after I watched it fansubbed last year (was it really long ago?). It was another one of those things I had seen mentioned, yet knew very little about at the time.

The change in cameras is now complete

This week's update suffered an unfortunate delay because the digital camera (which originally belonged to a friend until they gave it to me a couple of years back) I've been using since the creation of this blog will no longer take photos (the lens on it essentially died).

Thus this entry will be both a final salute to the Kodak EasyShare DX4330 that has served me well (its last photo being this photo I took of DaiGoyou using GoGo Drill and GoGo Shovel) and an introduction to the Samsung PL201 I have bought to replace it (you'll see the first of its photos beginning with Cure Passion).

The new camera even has HD video recording capabilities, so you may get a video from me one of these days if you're lucky (it all depends on if I can be arsed to do one really).


Monday (last week), Amazon.co.uk, I received 5 Centimeters Per Second.

This was totally bought on a whim at the same time I pre-ordered Summer Wars (cos it seemed like a really good deal considering it was listed for £8.99, not to mention I've been noticing its name quite a bit lately and wanted to know more about it).

I knew very little about the film beforehand, so when I watched it for the first time that same day it ended up leaving quite the impression. Its definitely worthy of a recommendation if you have yet to watch it (even if it's only the once).


Wednesday (last week), perfect-finds, I received Betterman Complete Collection.

Tracking down this set for a price that wasn't fucking ridiculous was one hell of a chore, but that joy was short-lived thanks to my having to pay more money to those thieving fuckers at Customs (wasn't the charge for this enough?!).

Betterman was a series I first got interested in seeing due to the same world setting ties it shares with GaoGaiGar (the now cancelled GaoGaiGar Project Z would have served as a means of bringing the two closer together, but the only evidence left of that now is the toys of GaoGaiGo). That being said, I actually appreciate it more as a series by its own merits now, but the plot of it does also boggle the mind at times.


Friday, HobbyLink Japan and zoverstocks, I received Hiden Chouchin DaiGoyou and The End of Evangelion.

DaiGoyou was a character I liked in the show, but I wasn't interested in owning the toy until HLJ were selling him at 70% off. Seriously, who'd say no to a quirky paper lantern mecha going for roughly £14 (or nearer £30 if you include the shipping costs).

The toy itself is very simplistic in design, but lots of fun. The fact you can attach a variety of arms from other Sentai mecha on him (see photo link above for an example) increases his play value in my opinion.

The End of Evangelion, probably one of the more fucked up things I seen in anime, but that's also probably why I keep coming back to it whenever I watch the series. Finding a copy of it on DVD took awhile cos I was unwilling to pay the high prices I'd seen it listed for second-hand, but then I happened to chance upon one being sold at a price I considered fair and got it as you can see.


Saturday, AmiAmi, I received S.H.Figuarts Cure Passion.

What led me into getting Cure Passion was finally seeing the fansubbed episodes of how she came to be in Fresh PreCure (that, and seeing AmiAmi selling it heavily discounted). I already knew that Eas became Cure Passion long ago, and that was about it (All-Stars DX2 made that fact clear as day). I had to endure a wait of over two years before witnessing her origin for myself (you could say the idea behind Eas' change of heart is pretty similar to that of Kaoru and Michiru from PreCure Splash Star).

Speaking of Eas, I did also manage to luck out and win an S.H.Figuarts Eas as well, but I'm still waiting on that to arrive at the moment.

The trials of wanting a Shattered Glass Rodimus!

Before I start on this week's hauls, I think I should point out that Nemmy is now on Facebook! I had actually been thinking of signing up to it for awhile but it never really went beyond that until a few days ago (again, thoughts go out to those affected by the earthquake in Japan) when I just thought "might as well" and did so on a whim (you should know by now that whims come very naturally to me).


Monday, transformersera, I received...

• Timelines Shattered Glass Rodimus
• Timelines Shattered Glass Megatron
• Timelines Shattered Glass Divebomb
  

You wouldn't believe the hassles I had in trying to get a Shattered Glass Rodimus.

First I win a auction for Shattered Glass Rodimus at the beginning of January which ultimately never arrived after weeks and weeks and weeks of waiting, then I was being messed around by the seller (who shall remain nameless) when trying to get the refund that he himself promised and was getting nothing but excuse after excuse after excuse, so finally I had no other option except to report the guy in order to resolve the issue (thankfully for me eBay ruled in my favour and was able to get my money back).

After that I used said refund to help fund my winning these three guys (most notably for the Shattered Glass Rodimus). Only trouble I had here was with the amount declared on the parcel as it was for the total sum I paid for them on eBay, which means those thieving fuckers at Customs (and Parcelfarce) had a good ol' field day in stinging me with charges totalling £120.77 (seriously, I shit you not).


The only good thing I can say about all the whole sorry ordeal is that I'm finally able to complete my Shadow Scythe with a Shattered Glass Rodimus!

The total combined cost once you factor in all the Customs charges I had to pay for both this guy and the armour is probably enough to make some out there feint, but in a positive light he's also a proud standing personified achievement in showing how much shit I went through to obtain it and succeeding in the end!

Shattered Glass Megatron is a mighty fine toy in its own right too. Even though I own several versions of the mould (both Hasbro and Takara) already, I still rate it quite favourably.


Wednesday, CSToys International, I received S.H.Figuarts Masked Rider DiEnd Complete Form.

This was purchased after the 'Figuarts Tuesday' plan had officially come to an end in a special one week extension.

After I got Decade in his Complete Form, getting DiEnd in his Complete Form became the next logical choice. There's no real deeper or significant meaning behind this one.


Friday, animeking_inc, I received S.H.Figuarts Masked Rider Dark Kiva.

This was also bought in the special one week extension to the 'Figuarts Tuesday' plan.

Dark Kiva was a Rider I originally wanted a Souchaku Henshin figure of back when he first appeared in Kamen Rider Kiva. Yeah, his design is practically a slightly altered version of Kiva's Emperor Form, but he looks incredibly sinister (I really dig that colour scheme).

He even comes packaged with the Zanvat Sword and the Jacorder (cos Saga needs love too) for weapons (I currently have mine wielding both!).


Saturday, zoverstocks, I received Macross Plus The Ultimate Edition.

After listening to a certain podcast (which I've already mentioned) I thought I'd take a look on Amazon to see how much the DVD was currently going for. Well, I found it on there for £4.50 (including shipping) and pretty much snapped it up on the spot!

The joys of the Joker, an Eternal and a Hinagiku!

Things are finally starting to work out in regards to certain matters, but I think I'll just focus on the following items for now.


Tuesday, Yokatta Shopping Service, people4toy and kcmanhk, I received...

• Rider Goods Collection 2010 with T2 Memory Joker
• S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Accel
• S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Eternal
  

The magazine basically covers every bit of Kamen Rider W merchandise (and a lot more besides) that was released at the time it was published. However, the reason for my wanting it wasn't so much for the magazine itself but the T2 Joker Memory that accompanied it.

After getting my Lost Driver and seeing those rather teasing images of it highlighting the belt's shared use with Kamen Rider Skull (whose Skull Magnum I already own) and Kamen Rider Joker on the back of the box was the deciding factor in me wanting all the Gaia Memories associated with it.

S.H.Figuarts Accel and Eternal were also purchases of the 'Figuarts Tuesday' plan.

Accel was the 'bargain' purchase of the two and also the only version of him I'm likely to get (I totally missed the boat with Accel Trial and the current secondary market prices were rather high last I checked).

Eternal on the other hand was one I wanted to pre-order but was too late in doing so, thus I had no choice but to acquire him on the secondary market. You could call me crazy for wanting a character from a movie I haven't actually seen yet (I'm still waiting on a certain fansub group to sub it), but I just happened to like the design of this Rider wearing a cape (even if on the toy it doesn't work out so well in execution).


Thursday, tm08120tzeming, I received Nendoroid Hinagiku Katsura.

Now this was purchased not long after I started re-watching Hayate no Gotoku! and Hayate no Gotoku!!. Through doing that I was once again reminded of the reason why I watched this show in the first place, that being the lovely Hinagiku Katsura. I knew there was a Nendoroid version of her available, but I didn't feel compelled to buy it until now.

I was planning on keeping her MISB like my other Nendoroids, but the temptation to open it is growing...

I love it when a whimsical plan comes together!

Only a few items arrived this week, and all of them related to the 'Figuarts Tuesday' plan.

And I guess I should give a mention to this seeing as it got me watching the movie version of Macross Plus one more time (despite the fact I just recently watched the thing), so I'll recommend you go check out Episode 5 of Shut Up and Watch This! (even if it's so you can hear my name dropped twice).


Thursday, hobby_store_asia, I received S.H.Figuarts Masked Rider Faiz.

Another of my 'Figuarts Tuesday' purchases, but one I bought mainly for nostalgia reasons. I have a lot of sentiment towards to Faiz because I probably wouldn't be the Kamen Rider fan I am today if it wasn't for my watching of Kamen Rider 555 all those years ago.


Friday, toy_and_game, I received...

• S.H.Figuarts Masked Rider Kuuga Ultimate Form
• S.H.Figuarts Masked Rider Decade Complete Form
  

Kuuga in his Ultimate Form is my favourite Form of Kuuga, and the only one I actually own as a Souchaku Henshin. But compared to that relic of a toy, this new S.H.Figuarts incarnation is a vast improvement in almost every conceivable way imaginable (except that he doesn't come with any weapons like the Souchaku Henshin one did).

I wanted Decade in his Complete Form cos they made it appear oh so fucking awesome in the show even though the actual design of it is kinda ridiculous with the cards on his head and chest armour.

Another Burden for the Masterpiece Hardest to Bear!

Another uneventful week has passed (although I did finally manage to watch both the OVA and Movie versions of Macross Plus), but there were some notable arrivals.

I'll also give a special mention in regards to Episode 2 of Shut Up and Watch This! (which was a fan commentary for Saban's Masked Rider if you haven't checked it out) for accurately predicting the actions of yours truly so well (you're damn right Nemmy was "screaming" at that point!).


Thursday, Frankie (a.k.a. toyspark), I received...

• Masterpiece MP-9 Rodimus Convoy gold coin
• Masterpiece MP-9 Rodimus Convoy
• Masterpiece MP-9 Rodimus Convoy display box
  

I was originally planning on only having the one Masterpiece Rodimus Convoy, but a slight oversight with my pre-orders has resulted in me now having two. However, unlike the Rodimus I received last week, this is the Hong Kong version which came with a coin and a pretty box for displaying him in (didn't get the big ass flame bag unfortunately) as additional extras.

And in case you're wondering, I will be keeping this Rodimus MISB as I see very little point in opening another.


Friday, kcmanhk and figure_house, I received...

• S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Double FangJoker
• S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Double CycloneJokerXtreme
• S.H.Figuarts One Piece Nami
  

The two Kamen Rider W S.H.Figuarts were purchased as part of my crazy 'Figuarts Tuesday' plan I started on a whim at the beginning of the month and would last throughout the course of February. I do have more on the way, but I'm currently waiting on their arrival.

As for Nami, I did have my reservations on female type S.H.Figuarts after opening my Cure Black and Cure White, but with Nami I didn't feel like I had to be as cautious in handling her as the aforementioned duo. Changing her hands was practically a breeze, and her face was only a tad trickier but still relatively easy.

The Burden of a Masterpiece Hardest to Bear!

I think I'll just cut to the chase as I have a bit to say on this week's arrivals.


Monday, supermart_usa, I received My-Otome 0~S.ifr~.

Another OVA like Mai-Otome Zwei, but this one is a prequel set in the days where Arika's mother, Lena, was an active serving Otome (just before she received the Blue Sky Sapphire Gem).

This also completes my collection of the entire Mai-HiME/Mai-Otome franchise on DVD (unless of course they decide bring out something else later down the line).


Tuesday, Fan2Fan, I received Masterpiece MP-9 Rodimus Convoy.

I've heard the horror stories of the experiences people have had with this guy be it from stress marks, broken tabs, snapped off shin panels, cocked-up foot springs and the trailer scraping the paint on the spoiler wing fins. I tried to not let that affect me once I got mine, I really did, but after handling him for a bit I can say I'm actually terrified of even attempting to transform him into vehicle mode in case something goes irreversibly wrong (just changing him from Hot Rodimus to Rodimus Convoy in robot mode made me feel somewhat nervous).

Then you have the issue with his guns which feel like they were made of cheap plastic and also can't be held properly in his hands (c'mon, even Masterpiece Convoy with his finicky hands can hold a gun better than this!).

I think the saddest part in all this is that I find myself liking the trailer more than the figure itself... Unlike the figure this is a sturdy piece of construction that'll no doubt stand the trails of prolonged fiddling.


Saturday, Amazon.co.uk and AmiAmi, I received...

• Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac
• Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II
• S.H.Figuarts Cure Black
• S.H.Figuarts Cure White
  

In truth, I only bought the Almanacs on a whim while browsing on Amazon the other day, but once I received them I was genuinely shocked at the quality that has been poured into these books.

Then we have the S.H.Figuarts of Cure Black and Cure White, the two that began the PreCure (a.k.a. Pretty Cure) franchise and also the two that led yours truly into watching other PreCure series such as PreCure Splash Star, Yes! PreCure 5, Fresh PreCure, HeartCatch PreCure and Suite PreCure.

The figures themselves put me more in mind of a figma in its design than your standard Figuart. If I was to bring up a bad point about them (apart from the stands), it would be those small fragile looking ball joints and wrist pegs (it makes trying to change the faces and hands more scary than it should be).

Trackers and Old Timers

Another quiet week in regards to arrivals, but I did manage to finish Quartett! (with added voice patch) in about two days (it was a short VN).

I also got to see the finale to HeartCatch PreCure, which is now the fourth PreCure series I've seen to completion.


Thursday, All The Cool Stuff, I received Generations Scourge and Generations Sergeant Kup.

Getting a Scourge that wasn't a underwhelming Titanium or an overpriced remould of Galaxy Force Noisemaze (not that I'd say no to owning either him or the Sweeps though) is a welcome addition to the collection.

His vehicle mode does look rather kinda silly, but being able to pop his head up as seen in the '86 movie is a neat little feature. The robot mode is lovely, but those wings do make him kinda back heavy. I think the only thing that could have made this guy even better is a proper Fracas Targetmaster.

Kup is also a nice toy, but that chest transformation scares me (I fear too much force here will cause breakage), and his elbow are awkward cos you can't bend it while holding the gun (using the higher swivel joint doesn't count).

Toys that make you want to count up your crimes!

Apart from me catching up on the backlog of anime and toku I have to watch, there's not much else to say really.


Saturday (last week), Amazon.co.uk, I received Aquarion Complete Collection.

I would have posted about this last week, but I discovered a nasty fault on disc 1 which rendered part of the disc unplayable, so I had to get a replacement sent out to me.

Aquarion was a series I first discovered when someone showed me an image of the Assault Type Aquarion toy (such is the notoriety of being a recognised black repaint fanatic) either slightly before or just after I began to branch out into collecting more than solely Transformers (I forget the exact details, but I do recall buying the toy before watching the series itself).


Wednesday, All The Cool Stuff, I received...

• Reveal the Shield Optimus Prime
• Reveal the Shield Perceptor
• Reveal the Shield Wreck-Gar
• Universe Classics Windrazor
  

Of the three, Wreck-Gar wins overall for having the least amount of things that irritated me.

The new Laser Prime mould is a flawed recreation of the original Laser Prime's perfection with kibble hampering its articulation and a stupid orange tab on his right shoulder that also gets in the way.

As for Perceptor, I do like robot mode, but the transformation of his backpack and arms in particular almost had me sling him at the nearest wall (the instructions weren't too helpful)!


Thursday, toy-wholesaler.jp, I received Skull Magnum and DX Lost Driver.

This is my first (and probably only) belt and weapon purchase from Kamen Rider W (a.k.a. Kamen Rider Double), so I went with the option that ultimately represented 3 of its appearing Riders in Skull, Eternal and Joker (I'm currently the process of acquiring a T2 Joker Memory at the time of writing this entry).

The Skull Magnum is a very simplistic gun with limited sounds, but I do love the colouring of this over the Trigger Magnum (like there was any doubt of that).

Then there's the Lost Driver which is basically a Double Driver with half its gimmick removed, and even then it serves little purpose when all the necessary electronics are housed inside the Gaia Memories themselves.

I got the armour, but not the main bot itself

After being kept busy by D.C. II ~Da Capo II~ for the last week or so, I finally get around to posting this entry.


Thursday, toystar_galactica and supermart_usa, I received Drill Boy and CLANNAD Complete Collection.

Drill Boy is basically the token partsformer power-up. I haven't bothered with his own vehicle and robot modes at the moment cos I purely wanted this so I could 'upgrade' my Build Tiger.

CLANNAD, easily one of the better visual novel adaptations I've seen, and also the starting point in my exposure of KEY's other works such as Air and Kanon.


Friday, robotkingdom.com, I received Shadow Scythe.

The inevitable black repaint of the Protector, and a totally awesome one at that (even if it did get stung by those fuckers at Customs).

One complaint I have is with the scythe itself, as those connector tabs are an awfully tight fit and probably prone to breakage.


I wasn't to take this shot until the Shattered Glass Rodimus I bought arrived, but I'm still waiting on it. So I took the opportunity to use the armour on my Challenge at Cybertron Rodimus.