December Figure Haul and the 2013 Figures

It's been a long time since my last post. But I'll save you from reading an explanation for my hiatus and let's pretend I've been to a Holy Grail War serving as a Saber class servant.  :p

On December 14, 2013, I attended the Christmas Toy Fair at SM Megamall to pick up a few figures for myself and for one of my friends. Here are the spoils:

1. Good Smile Company Nendoroid 345 Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Mikoto Misaka (pre-ordered)
2. Good Smile Company Fate/Unlimited Codes 1/7 Saber Lily Golden Caliburn
3. Kotobukiya Fate/Zero Rubber Strap Collection 2 (ordered)
4. Play Arts Kai Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Rufus Shinra (an early Christmas gift from my fiancé.)
5. Banpresto Ichiban Kuji Premium Fate/Zero part 2 Plate Gilgamesh
6. Five Good Smile Company Saber Nendoroid Petites (purchased from a fellow figure collector)

I bought Saber Lily Golden Caliburn as a Christmas gift for myself. She's one of the Saber scale figures on my wishlist. At first I was torn between her and MegaHouse Neliel (being sold by another store during the convention), but because I'm prioritizing my Saber collection, I got her instead. I'd have to say that she is so far the most beautiful Saber figure in my collection. She was given to me at an attractive price that was definitely cheaper than the ones offered by other stores, so I couldn't let her go anymore. I'll post an unboxing/review of that figure later.

The Gilgamesh plate is proof how much of a huge Gilgamesh fan I am, that I'm willing buy any official merchandise of him as long as it's plausible, regardless of what it is. I think I'm such a huge fan that I'm actually eyeing those Gilgamesh boxer briefs that are being sold in Rakuten and Amiami and waiting for the price to go down. XD

I bought the Kotobukiya Fate/Zero rubber straps with two of my friends. We split the cost. I got Gilgamesh, Kirei, Saber, and the secret character (won't reveal who it is in case you don't like being spoiled :p). 

For Christmas, one of my best friends helped me get a Kotobukiya Steins;Gate 1/8 Kurisu Makise figure from an acquaintance and fellow figure collector who sold her at an attractive price. My friend and I split the cost and I got the figure on December 29. It's part of her Christmas presents for me and I'm really happy that I finally have a scale figure of my favorite Steins;Gate female character. I'm targeting the Beach Queens next.

I waited for Kotobukiya Kurisu Makise before taking a picture of all the figures that I got in 2013. I played box Tetris for this picture:

Setting them up was fun. Putting them away made me lazy.

My 2013 figure collecting highlights:

• My Gilgamesh shrine grew
• I finally bought my first holy grail of Saber figures: Good Smile Company Fate/Stay Night 1/7 Saber Triumphant Excalibur
• Pre-oredered and acquired Bandai Chogokin Fate/Zero Archer (Gilgamesh)
• Suddenly I have a collection of Kirei Kotomine goodies
• I completed the Wave Beach Queens Sabers
• I got my first male scale figure: Megahouse M.M.S. 1/8 Fate/Zero Lancer
• I got a Banpresto Bleach DX Girls Neliel Tu Oderschwank figure at a really good price. It didn't come with a box any more but that's okay with me because finally, I have a Neliel figure! X'D

And then here are my 2013 figure collecting lessons:

• Minimize impulse buys or you'll regret it later. Sure, there are online stores that won't let you pay ASAP or just ask for a downpayment, so you tend to order a lot. However, once they arrive all at the same time, you'll realize you bit more than you can chew and you'll feel bad about splurging.
• Control your friends' compulsive buying behavior and tell your friends to control yours, too. It helps when you have friends who collect figures, too. Chances are, they understand the perils of blowing off your money to get the figures that you want. If you want to save money or control yourself but you require more manpower, ask your friends to stop you if you're suddenly close to buying an expensive figure or some cheap figures again (but usually, they won't be cheap anymore if you buy about 3 or more). You can do the same for them when you think their purchase will endanger their funds for other important things like food and bills (or if you think their purchase will sidetrack them from their goal of gettin an expensive scale figure that they've always wanted). :p
• Always take note of your orders, especially if you're doing a group buy. That way, you won't forget who gets which keychain or figure. Don't forget to calculate and divide the costs, too, so people who are part of the group buy will know how much they should shell out to pay you and when they need to pay you.
• Don't forget to pay/deposit money for your orders. Even a small downpayment helps, rather than waiting for the arrival date and you pay everything in full (then you'll feel bad for your wallet when that happens, unless you're filthy rich like Gilgamesh).
• I'll prioritize doing group buys with close figure collecting friends. I'm lucky to have friends who are into this hobby, too, and we happen to like the same series (i.e. Fate/Zero, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, and Shingeki no Kyojin), so each time a set of figures or goodies like keychains come out, I ask them first if they want some of the characters. And then when none of us wants a certain figure or merchandise from the set, we can just sell it later.