Review: Nendoroid Sleeping Bags

Good Smile Company Nendoroid Sleeping Bags

I pre-ordered these Nendoroid Sleeping Bags last year and I got them today. I thought they looked cute and that I could use them for my favorite Nendoroids, Saber and Gilgamesh. I initially ordered a pair (red and blue), then added another red for a friend.

Here's how the sleeping bag looks like without the block of foam inside:

Nendoroid Sleeping Bag in red

I love how the sleeping bag was made. The fabric provided the look and feel of an actual sleeping bag. The zipper glides smoothly, so it is easy to close the sleeping bag once the figure is inside.

Back of the sleeping bag

Every aspect of the Nendoroid sleeping bag was well-made, including the interior as you can see here:

It looks comfy in there

Here's a first attempt at placing a Nendoroid inside:

*muffled crying*

You might be thinking that it does not look like anything from the promotional material. The figure's face must be exposed, right? However, the figure just keeps slipping down, causing the lower half of the face to be hidden.

There's a solution though, and you can find it in the back of the packaging:

Comes with instructions!

You might be saying, "Boo-hoo I can't read Japanese desu~" but when you observe the pictures, you might be able to understand what they are trying to say. Remember the block foam that came with the sleeping bag?

DON'T THROW THIS AWAY!

It's still useful! Follow the instructions and cut it into a certain shape. Then place the Nendoroid figure on the piece of foam that you cut from block of foam.

Something like this. Even Rin is unsure
what this shape is called. :p

After that, you can now insert the foam and the figure inside the Nendoroid sleeping bag, or you can put the foam in first then fit the figure inside.

It should probably look like this, haha. :p

And then you're now ready to zip it up and adore the cuteness of your Nendoroid figure.

Saber doesn't seem too pleased

The sleeping bag fits snugly around the Nendoroid. Hence, you do not have to  worry about the figure slipping out or falling off, even if you swing the sleeping bag around or dangle it upside-down.

Aww, babies.

If you noticed, each Nendoroid Sleeping Bag gives you the option to hang them wherever you want. Well, I tried:

The King of Heroes is not pleased

No, of course I won't go out looking like this.

But I don't think I'll be hanging them on my stuff and go out with them. I do not want them to get snatched from my purse. :p

Are Nendoroid Sleeping Bags worth your money? I'd say yes, especially if you collect Nendoroid figures and you love to play with them. The sleeping bag has ample cushioning, so I think it can somehow protect the Nendoroid if you intend to travel with it or put it inside your bag.

Figures That I Want From Summer WonFes 2014

Wow, I haven't written anything here in months, and now I'm writing about Summer WonFes 2014! How's your wallet so far? Mine is still surprisingly alive because I tried my best to just stick to my figure shrine, except for two. Here are the figures that I am most likely to get:

Wing Fate/Stay Night -Last Episode- Saber

Saber (Source)

Based on this lovely art:

And it's Arturia so I'm definitely getting her. :p Not sure about the scale though. Wing is the manufacturer, so I am hoping that she'll look as cute as Pajama Saber, a figure that I failed to pre-order and buy because I thought I didn't like it until I finally saw the finished product and wept in regret then regretted ignoring her. :')

Good Smile Company Nendoroid Hoozuki no Reitetsu: Hoozuki

Nendoroid Hoozuki (Source)

Hoozuki is a cutie in his Nendoroid form, and I really enjoyed his anime, so I'm definitely getting this, even if he is no Saber. XD

Brave Act (Sentinel)  Shingeki No Kyojin 1/8 Erwin Smith

Erwin Smith (Source)

Probably my most favorite guy in Shingeki no Kyojin. And then he's getting a scale figure. If there are no other Sabers or Gilgamesh figures and goodies around, then he's a sure buy.

Hey, you only have one Saber in this list!
Well, yes. I do. :p 
I narrowed down the choices and even considered Sakura Saber, but she is not Arturia (as far as I know!), so I may have to bypass her. I have yet to see her painted version though. Maybe I'll make my decision by then.

Sakura Saber (Source)

Other figures that caught my attention
Of course, there were figures that definitely caught my attention, but I'm not sure whether I'll get them or not:

1. Kotobukiya Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus - Sebastian Michaelis

Source

2. Union Creative International Ltd., Hoozuki no Reitetsu: Hoozuki

Source

3. Aniplex Kuroshitsuji: Book of Circus, Sebastian Michaelis

Source

April 5 Figure Haul: Saber

(heavy breathing)

I picked up the following figures today: 

• Nendoroid 363 Fate/Stay Night Saber Alter Super Movable Edition
• Nendoroid 13 Fate/Stay Night Hetare Saber Alter
• Medicom Real Action Heroes (R.A.H.) Fate/Zero Saber Suit Ver.

Getting these two Nendoroid Saber Alter figures helped add to my collection of Nendoroid Saber Arturia figures. Now I only lack the Cheerful Japan version, which I plan to split-buy with my friend who wants Rin Tohsaka in that set.

Nendoroid Hetare Saber Alter is among the earlier Nendoroid figures (as you can see, she's number 13), and based on what I read on her My Figure Collection page, she was a limited figure released in June 2007 at the 2007 Summer Wonder Festival. Saber Alter is actually my least favourite among Arturia's forms, but I still wanted this Nendoroid for the sake of completing the Saber Nendoroid figures. She comes with a screaming faceplate, too, and it looks really cute.

She's anything but boring because of one of the faceplates that comes with this figure.

Nendoroid Saber Alter Super Movable Edition must be fun to play with and pose like Saber Super Movable Edition and Saber 10th Anniversary Edition. She does not come with a funny-looking screaming faceplate, though. She does have a screaming faceplate, but it is like the chibi or cuter version of her figma's screaming faceplate.

I have yet to discover how "super movable" she really is.

Finally, here is the ultimate haul and probably my best purchase in the first quarter of 2014:

My inner Gilgamesh is dancing happily

Medicom RAH Fate/Zero Saber Suit Ver. is a limited figure with only 500 pieces released. I wanted to buy the first one with Saber wearing her armour, but after giving it much thought (actually, just a few days after Winter WonFes when she was released, haha :p), I gave in and ordered her. The pressure probably intensified because of the "Only 500 pieces available worldwide!" part.

It feels like I have a new Barbie doll. :p

But despite the hefty price tag, I believe she was totally worth it.

Valentine's Day Greetings

If you have a deviantArt account and would like to send a Valentine greeting to someone there, I submitted these two pictures under the "Valentine Exchange" category so you can consider sending them to your special someone or to your friends there:

"Forever and Always" (link)

"Valentine Date" (link)

deviantArt's Valentine's Day Art Exchange runs from February 12 until the 19th.

Learn more about Valentine's Day Art Exchange on deviantArt here.

Winter Wonfes 2014: Figures That I Want

Winter Wonder Festival 2014 is over! But before I continue with this entry, let us have a few moments of silence for the souls of the wallets of fellow figure collectors who want a lot of figures from the event.

My wallet was on life support for a few hours before we finally pulled the plug.

And now let's proceed. :p

Winter Wonfes was held on February 9, 2014 from 10:00AM to 5:00PM. Wonder Festival is a bi-annual event that is usually held in Chiba, Japan. It aims to sell and display garage kits made by independent sculptors, but it is also a place where figure collectors can find/view upcoming/available figures of their favourite anime, game, mecha, science fiction, and super hero characters made by various manufacturers and companies.

Since Sunday morning, I've been keeping tabs on pictures of figures that have been showcased there. The figure that I wanted to see the most was Good Smile Company Nendoroid Fate/Stay Night Gilgamesh.

Imagine this cutie patootie calling you a "mongrel". (Source: AkibaHobby.Net)

 He comes with a Gate of Babylon and his angry face doesn't look so scary anymore in Nendoroid form!

"B-baka! It's not like I'm showing my treasures to you because I like you or anything!...Seiba no baka! DX" --an inaccurate dialogue
 (Source:  Wonderful Hobby Life For You 19)

Aww you're cuter when you're angry. :p
(Source: earlbox)

I thought Nendoroid Gilgamesh would be the only figure that I'd like to buy from this event, but apparently, I wasn't safe until WonFes 2014 was over. Behold these four other figures that captured my fancy:

Max Factory figma Fate/Stay Night Saber 2.0

There's already a figma Saber, but this is the upgraded version. figma 2.0 figures have newly designed joints. This means better articulation or movement for better poses that look more natural.

If she comes with this pretty base, then  *drool*
(Source: Animate.TV)

A closer look at figma Saber 2.0
(Source: Animate.TV)

Aniplex 1/6 Fate/Zero Saber

Source: earlbox

I have the small version of this figure and it came with a Fate/Zero vol. 3 manga and a set of post cards.  In my opinion, the smaller version doesn't look too great (particularly the face), so I'm glad there's finally a 1/6-scale figure of it.

SH Figuarts Ringu Sadako

I need a creepy figure in my life.
(Source: MyFigureCollection.Net)

Ring is one of my most favorite horror movies. Having a figure of Sadako would be fun. Just imagine the pictures you can take with Sadako scaring your other figures, or how you could probably try to freak out some of your friends and family when you place Sadako in your display cabinet, right behind one of your best figures that are sure to capture anyone's attention. :p

Megahouse Kuroko no Basuke 1/8 Ryouta Kise

Source: Animate.TV

I ignored all the Ryouta Kise prize figures and the Bandai Figuarts ZERO figure of him just for this. I said that if I'm going to have one Ryouta Kise figure in my life, this will be it.

Source: Animate.TV

Source: Animate.TV

Medicom Real Action Heroes Fate/Zero Saber suit ver.

Source: Amiami

This is the most expensive figure that I want from Winter Wonder Festival 2014.   She's a Winter Wonfes 2014 exclusive and there are only 500 pieces available. According to MyFigureCollection.Net, she costs ¥19,000.

She's also the reason why my wallet died today. :p
(Source: MedicomToy.Co.Jp)

And that's it for this post. If you're a figure collector, how much damage did your wallet take from Winter Wonfes 2014? :')

Unboxing & Quick Review of Two Banpresto Saber Prize Figures

There are two Saber prize figures that I thought I wouldn't buy soon: Banpresto SQ Fate/Stay Night Saber Lily and Banpresto DXF Fate/Zero Saber. SQ Saber Lily was released on November 2013, while DXF Saber was released on November 2012. I didn't buy DXF Saber at first because back then, I prioritized the other servants like Gilgamesh, Lancer, and Berserker. As for SQ Saber, I refused to buy her at first because the face looks off on pictures and overall, it just looked derpy.

And suddenly, I bought them on January 25 because I had time on my hands to roam around and then they're cheap. I got these two girls from Great Toys Online's store in Shoppesville, Greenhills.

You could probably say that I also bought these out of boredom

But before anything else, prize what?

If you're new to figure collecting or if you're not really into figure collecting at all but you're still here reading this and you're wondering what a prize figure is, I'll attempt to explain: They're called, "prize figures" because in Japan, you can win them from convenience store lotteries and crane games. If you're not very anal or obsessed with the details and the finest quality on the face, clothes, and overall construction of the figure, or if you want a figure of your favorite character but don't have enough money to afford a scale figure, then prize figures might suffice.

I'm from Manila, Philippines, and there's no such thing as winning prize figures from your friendly neighborhood convenience store. I'm not even sure if there are already crane games where you can fish out a prize figure of a character that isn't from Naruto or One Piece, so if I want to get a prize figure from a series like Kuroko no Basuke, Fate/Stay Night, or Neon Genesis Evangelion, I'd have to look elsewhere. Fortunately, there are reputable local figure stores that are selling authentic prize figures imported from Japan.

Banpresto makes some of the better prize figures around, and most of them are affordable, too. SQ and DXF are some of Banpresto's lines of prize figures.

Banpresto DXF Fate/Zero Saber

Again, an obligatory picture of all sides of the box

This figure is part of Banpresto DXF's line of figures featuring Fate/Zero servants. Two Sabers were released: an armored and non-armored one. The non-armored Saber was released on February 2013.

I also bought this figure because I pre-ordered Banpresto DXF Fate/Zero Kiritsugu Emiya (yep, Banpresto also released a Masters line of DXF figures, starting with Kayneth and Waver in 2013) and I thought he needed a servant to go with him.

DXF Saber was packaged neatly, with some parts packed individually. I think this is a great way to pack the figure to prevent scratches, paint transfer, and of course, to prevent fragile parts from breaking or snapping.

Banpresto DXF Saber is very easy to assemble. If you find yourself unable to make her hold Excalibur, check the palm of her right hand. There's a circular dent there where the pommel (or the topmost part of the sword's grip/handle) goes to be supported, so Excalibur won't slip off.

One problem I found with her: the back portion of her blue skirt had moisture stains on them. Even when she's packaged well, humidity can cause the figure to be sticky. I was able to get rid of the stains by wiping it off with a wet washcloth.

Banpresto SQ Fate/Stay Night Saber Lily

She doesn't look very nice on the photo

I didn't find her face that attractive on the photo of the box. I also checked out some user pictures of her from MyFigureCollection.Net and found her face derpy. When I inspected the figure myself, it looked much better in person than it did on the pictures.

Sides, back, and top of the box

Not really a box within a box

It looks like they just stuffed her inside the packaging, but she came with bubble wrap and the parts were individually wrapped.

From left to right: ahoge, Caliburn's grip, and  the rest of Caliburn

Nope, not broken. Just needs assembly

The base

AAAAAAH

Nope, this is not how the figure should be assembled

There's a reason why the sword comes in two parts: you need to make them connect inside Saber Lily's fist. It can be tricky, and you're probably lucky if you can get it right in one try. It took me three tries before I finally managed to make the parts connect, but before I show you the finished product, let me show you how Caliburn looks like once assembled:

It looks bent

And then I finally managed to make her hold Caliburn without making it look too bent:

The ahoge is easy to place on her head, so you shouldn't have any problems with that. Just be careful when making her stand on her base, and beware of paint transfer, which unfortunately happened in my case when one of her feet slipped from the peg:

Gerdemmet -_-'

More pictures

Banpresto DXF Saber with DXF Lancer and Gilgamesh (and Berserker behind Lancer)

Size comparison between Banpresto DXF Saber and SQ Saber Lily

Size comparison between Good Smile Company 1/7 Saber Lily Golden Caliburn and Banpresto SQ Saber Lily

Kinda rough on some parts, but hardly noticeable when you don't care about the details