Wonfes 10, 2nd Photo Contest, and Hatsune Miku (special version)!!!!

Well, Wonfes 10 is quickly approaching! I don't know much about the figure scene in Japan, but I'm pretty sure this is one of the better events to attend. Bascially, most of the toy companies come to these events to showcase their new and upcoming wares. There are also limited edition items to be had at these shows....which find their way onto Ebay for ridiculous prices!!! Prices that I have paid, by the way, haha!

The last Wonfes (back in February or something like that) was actually called Wonhobby(?). I think it was because of an escalator accident during the show before that. Nobody wanted to take the blame, so the good people over at Goodsmile Co. and Max Factory held their own event...at least, that's how I remember it all going down. It was at this Wonhobby event that GSC and Max Factory held their very first toy photo contest.

It was split up into two categories. One for Figma photos (a Max Factory line of figures) and one for Nendoroids (a product of GSC). When I first heard about it, there was only like a day or two left before the contest closed up. I rushed to find something and sent it into the Figma category. The next thing I knew, my entry was chosen as a finalist! I thought my pic was good enough to win one of the top tier prizes, but sadly, I didn't :( I didn't even win the "The World is Mine" Miku, nor the Max Watanabe figma! But I did walk away with the special version of Hatsune Miku! It's the one that is metallic! Although, I'm grateful to have won something, I really thought I should have placed higher. I think I went too artsy with my photo. And I'm also pissed that, the person who won the Max Watanabe figma used an Ichiro Suzuki statue in the pic. My understanding was that you could only use Figmas and/or Nendoroids! Oh wells....

In any case, with Wonfes 10, comes another toy photo contest! This time around, I will dial down the artsy-ness and try to have a little more fun with it. I hope it doesn't backfire. I was thinking about using the Miku I won from the last contest, but thought that would be showing off, haha!

Final Destination...FOR REALS!!!!

As I was surfing the web, I came across an article about a lady who was killed in a car accident. Nothing too scary, right? Well, the scary thing is, she was one of the few who had missed that flight that crashed last week! I, instantly, thought about that movie "Final Destination"! Kinda creepy....

Playstation 3's Motion Control

Well, E3 began this week, and all I was interested in was what Sony had up their sleeves for the Playstation 3. I haven't gone through all the news items from Sony, but one thing that caught my eye was their new motion controller.

At first glance, it kinda resembles a Wiimote with a glowing ball attached to it. But after seeing it in action, I can tell you it works 10X better, and is 10X cooler! To me, it's better than the Wiimote, but not as advanced as Microsoft's Natal motion control device. Having said that, I'd probably use the PS3 motion controller more, simply because it seems like it will do a better job at bridging the gap between traditional and motion controlled gaming. The Wii is just a gimmick machine, and Microsoft's version is just an advance version of it :P Anyways, hit the link to see the PS3's motion controller in action!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiX-26VL4bM&feature=player_embedded

My First Critter Entry!

Here's my first Critter entry into this blog. Hope you like it :)

A new bunch of ducklings!

Small, Medium, and Large

Quackers!

Baby Cardinal

Please don't fall for the Wii's new gimmick!!!!

I fell hook, line, and sinker, for the Wii because of its marketing. It was brilliant! They made it look like soooooo much fun. Having all your friends over, using motion controls looked very awesome, indeed! So I bought it on the first day it came out, played with it for about a week....and was totally bored with it.

Then I'd see some advertising for a new Wii game. It looked like fun. I bought it, played for a day....then got bored of it. This pattern kept repeating, until I finally found the strength to give up on the system FOR GOOD! I was finally able to see through all the marketing and realized the games weren't that great at all; Just hype. Honestly, I think the only reason why the Wii is selling so many units is because people can't afford an XBOX 360 (which I also hate, just because) or Playstation 3.

But now, Nintendo is set to unveil their new gimmick control thingy. I think it's called the Wiimotion Plus or something like that. I can't wait to see the advertising for it. They are gonna make it look like something that will totally change your gaming experience. I'm not gonna fall for it again....I hope! I'll let my other friends waste their money and tell me it sucks. Oh yeah, nobody I know, who has a Wii, likes it.

So, that's all I had to say. Gonna get ready to watch Denver beat the Lakers and the Rapist!

Yuki Nagato no Gekisou!!!

Yesterday was a pretty good day (except for work). I found out that there was, in fact, a second season of Suzumiya Huruhi, and I got in a bunch of stuff from Japan! I got my Figma Hiiragi Kagami cosplay version, Belldandy 20th Anniversary figure, and this figure that I'm reviewing today. It's Yuki Nagato Extravaganza version, and she's a pretty awesome figure!

I really like her pose, but she looks kinda weird if you look at her from the sides. To me, it looks like she's leaning in an unnatural way, but it's a minor complaint. Notice how the Witch Hat fits rather well on her :)

The paintjob is really nice. Did not notice any major flaking or anything...but if you look at some of the other pics, her left eye has a "line" or something in it. I think it's just a piece of lint or something. I just hope it's not a scratch.

Shamisen fits purrrfectly in her arms :)

See that piece of lint / scratch?

Detail is great, but I didn't check to see if the strings were...stringy?

Playing around with lighting

Overall, I'd say this was a worthy purchase. For me, it was a necessary one, because without her, the SOS Band wouldn't be complete. I'll have to post a group shot of her, Haruhi, and Mikuru soon.

The Second Season of Haruhi is here!

After years of waiting, we finally get a second season of Suzumiya Haruhi!!! I think it's called "The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi" or something like that? Hopefully, my Yuki no Gekisou figure comes in today. That way, I can get a group shot of her, Mikuru, and Haruhi :)

Man, I wish I had brought my "God Knows" cd in to work today. I wanna listen to that now!!!

Miku Miku Kagami Nendoroid Review

Okay gang, here is my very first review of a figure. I posted a teaser pic yesterday, and here are a few more to accompany my review. First off, I have say that I really like this Nendoroid. It comes with 2 leeks, assorted arm and leg parts, and 2 extra faces. I believe the faces on the other Kagami Nendoroids are interchangeable with this one....but since I don't own one, you'll just have to take my word for it.

The main thing I like about this figure is the fact that her ponytails articulate. It would have sucked big time if they were fixed in one boring position. The paintjob on this is really well done. I haven't found too many places where the paint was flaking off. I think this is the most balanced Nendoroid I own, too. By that, I mean, she's quite easy to pose and not have her fall over. My Tsukasa Nendoroid is very top heavy (her head!), so if you tilt the head in any direction, she's likely to topple over. I also liked the different expressions on each of the 3 faces that are included with this release. You have the happy face, the sad/worried face, and the...um...on-the-verge-of-crying face? Oh yeah, the puffy stickers that come with it look like they'd be fun to apply to Kagami....I'm just afraid of using them, for fear of not being able to use them again once you stick 'em on. I also don't want any paint to peel off. Am I just being too protective? Anyways, that's the end of that....On to the pictures!

Here's Kagami at the start of the shoot. She seems quite chipper this morning :)

Nice detail in the face

Waving "Hi" to the camerman




She's not a Leek Lover



Puffy stickers that I'm afraid to use



Kagami's Yotsuba impression

Miku Miku Kagami is here!!!

Miku Miku Kagami arrived yesterday! She's the newest Nendoroid in my collection. I haven't been a big fan of Nendoroids, but recently, I've been getting more and more. They're growing on me...and that's not a good thing for me, or my wallet!

Anyways, this figure is from the Anime Lucky Star. . . the OVA, actually. Kagami's friend, Konata, transforms her into various cosplay outfits. One of them was of the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku, and this is the result (in Nendoroid form).

Here's a pic of her posing on Haro. It was a pain getting her to balance on it like that. No strings were used, thank you very much, haha! Maybe I'll make this my first figure review? Stay tuned...

QOOP!

Okay, for you nature lovers out there, I've added a link to my QOOP site where you can buy my critter pics. Not only can you purchase single photos of various sizes, but you can also put them on mugs, purchase calendars, and a whole lot more! Go check it out! The link is on the left hand side of this blog...I think?

My first blog entry

Hmmm....where to begin....

Well, this is my first crack at blogging. I've always wanted to start one up, but for some reason, never got around to it. So, since the Lakers and the Rapist killed the Rockets, and nothing good is on tv, I thought, "why not start blogging now?". And here I am!

The main focus of my blogs will be on Japanese Anime figures. I'll be posting a bunch of pics of them....probably do reviews of them. I'll also post pics of the various critters I see around here. Oh yeah, some of these critter pics will be available to purchase as well. I'll let you know about those as well. The rest of this blog will contain random stuff, rants, observations, etc...

I guess that's it for now. I'm kinda anxious to see where this all goes. Now, I'm gonna go watch the Celts and Magic!