Vinyl Pudding - Art and stuff

Rin Rocks!

Fifi — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 17:22:43 +0000

She really does! Despite standing at a measly eight inches, she packs a mean visual punch. Look at her! Everything about her is so badass, from the guitar to the base (ha ha, get it?).

I honestly have nothing more to say, except buy her, buy her, buy her! She is totally worth the money.

Still not convinced? Click ‘Read the rest of this page’ to see more photos of Nuclear Rin.

Hit me with a black rock and shoot me

Fifi — Sun, 10 Oct 2010 01:42:48 +0000

Ah, yes, Black★Rock Shooter. She came out of nowhere.

The brainchild of a Japanese artist named huke, Black★Rock Shooter became an instant sensation. Despite appearing in only one OVA, her likeness decorates everything from mugs to mouse pads. Somewhere in that vast spectrum, we have figma BRS, which I acquired a little over a month ago.

The figma was smaller than I had expected. I had envisioned her to be a majestic ten inches tall, breathtaking as she engaged in epic battle with her nemesis, Dead Master. Yet, there she was, emaciated and puny. Mio could have easily crushed her with a bass guitar.

There’s also that goddamn alignment issue, which although isn’t present in all B★RS figmas, I thought I should mention anyway. She collapses at the slightest touch. (Okay, I admit, maybe I was less than careful when removing the plastic wrapping, but it was only because I was excited. You can’t blame me for that.) My B★RS’s torso is now permanently misaligned, making the figure appear as if it has acute scoliosis.

What makes B★RS worth it for me are the extras. Her accessories include Black Blade, Rock Cannon, even the chains
Dead Master used to bind her. Of course, there’s the DVD copy of the OVA (although I have received reports that not all BRS packages contain one).

Also, you can’t deny that Asai-san did an excellent job with her design. Perhaps as a testament to his skill, he was able to pack so much detail into a very compact space. I definitely enjoyed taking photos of B★RS. Score one for the folks at Max Factory.

Despite its numerous faults, figma B★RS is a good addition to any figure collection. I’d recommend getting it, if not for its aesthetic qualities, then for a slice of the zeitgeist of 2010.

Test Shots: Rin and Mugi

Fifi — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 04:32:00 +0000

Kagamine Rin!

Fifi — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:01:00 +0000

Rin is an impulse buy. I never set out to find her. I was just tra-la-la-ling through the internet, simultaneously minding my own business and salivating over the absolutely pretty Rin Kagamine Roshin Yuukai (Nuclear Fusion) figure by Good Smile Company which I will never be able to afford because I’m poor, boo hoo.

So when she appeared, I didn’t exactly jump at the chance. But, after purchasing Mugi, I became hooked. I just had to have another figma. And what better way to fill the crater in my heart left by that hurtling realization that I will never be able to afford that absolutely pretty Rin Kagamine Roshin Yuukai (Nuclear Fusion) figure by Good Smile Company than buying a figma Rin Kagamine also by Good Smile Company? My logic is infallible; do not object.

Long story short, I bought Rin and hurried home to open the box. It wouldn’t make sense to write a review, since I got Rin secondhand and she obviously has some issues which wouldn’t have been around had she been MISB (mint in sealed box—see, I’m down with it).

So in lieu of the usual review, I present these pictures. Enjoy, and don’t forget to leave comments.

Note: If you live in the Philippines and you happen to have a figma Len Kagamine (pre-owned or MISB) that you’re willing to sell, please contact me.

Lazy bum

Fifi — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:39:00 +0000

I promise, I’ll get to that review of my Rin Kagamine figma within the day. In the meantime, you can fap to this.

Image from Good Smile Company

Mugi!

Fifi — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 16:15:00 +0000

NOTE: Hey, guys! I noticed there is an abundance of text and image-heavy posts here on the-end-of-the-girl. Out of consideration for those of us with slow internet connections, I have decided to introduce jump breaks (“cuts” to those of you who have spent some time on LiveJournal). When you’re ready to read the entire blog entry, click on “Read More”.

Many thanks to My Japanese Hobby Shop (the only guys I know of who will take orders in the morning and deliver the items in the afternoon of the same day) for my very first Figma, a very epic Tsumugi “Mugi” Kotobuki.She is well worth the (undisclosed sum of money–let’s just say it left a considerably large void in my pretty little pocket).

I had to drive home, that night I got Mugi, so you can imagine the mounting excitement as I ran upstairs to my room to peek at the contents of her box. I peered through the plastic window lined with musical notes. There she was. I had never seen a Figma this close before.

Hands trembling (I am not kidding, folks), I picked at the sticker that sealed the top lid of the box. Hands still trembling, I eased the plastic case out of the box and pulled off the cover.

I had never imagined Mugi would be this small. She was only around 14 centimeters tall, much smaller than what I had thought. Beside her were two small faces, each bearing a signature Mugi expression. Below those, were an extra pair of shoes. To the far left was Mugi’s keyboard and, beside it, a pair of detachable legs. The base and arm, four extra pairs of hands (with a dispenser, might I add), a ziplock bag, and an instruction sheet were wedged in a notch at the bottom of the package.

The first thing I did was copy one of the poses at the back of the box. I had read that bona fide Figmas sometimes have stubborn joints, but I never expected this. It took a sufficient, almost dangerous, amount of force to position each limb and, every time I did so, I placed Mugi in peril of losing an appendage. But that, oh, that is nothing compared to the frustration I felt when posing her head. Let me elaborate. When the arm is connected to that little hole on Mugi’s back, it is nearly impossible to move her head because her hair gets in the way. It collides with the arm. I don’t know, maybe Asai-san meant to have Mugi constantly looking down, but if he didn’t, it’s a crucial design flaw. I can live with it though; Mugi works with her head down anyway.

Did that bore you? I bet it did. Anyway, here are more photos of Mugi-chan.

For more info on this Figma, visit http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/2795/figma+Tsumugi+Kotobuki+Uniform+ver.html.

Today, I bought fake Nendos (part deux)

Fifi — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:53:00 +0000

I’m pretty much going to say the same things about this Mio Nendo bootleg, so I’ll just skip the wordy review and proceed to the photo series. (Okay, I give. I’m lazy. So sue me; I haven’t had coffee all day.)

Panel (l-r): front, right, back, left

Fail stand: now with cat ears

Today, I bought fake Nendos

Fifi — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:11:00 +0000

I know what you’re thinking. “That philistine! How dare she purchase a Nendoroid bootleg?” Relax, dear reader. I, like you, abhor these cheap imitations and I hate it when people selling anime figurines try to pass them off as the real thing.

The decision to buy a fake Yoko Nendoroid (and a Mio, which will be featured in tomorrow’s post) came to me a few days ago when I became curious as to why there is a market for these things. I cannot imagine anyone shelling out 450 pesos for a fake. It’s a poor financial decision and it just doesn’t make sense.

I tried to make my documentation as detailed as possible, even going so far as to spend hours scouring the internet for reviews to cross-reference with my notes.

Let’s begin with the packaging. Boy, I had no idea the Nendo boxes were this big; they looked so small in the catalog.

Panel (l-r): front, right, back, left

You can tell it’s a knock off from the quality of the print job. Also, the guy who sold me the Nendos told me that he orders his wares from China and, according to this guide, that’s a red flag.

Here she is.

The unpacking process was pretty tedious. The entire package—those itty bitty limbs and accessories included—was secured to the plastic case with tape. Sticky, gummy, annoyingly stubborn tape. In my haste, I sliced through the package with a cutter. As I lifted the plastic lid, a smell that I can only describe as “cheap industrial-grade plastic” marched through the air and assaulted my olfactory nerves.

I carefully scooped up Yoko (from here on out, I shall refer to her as such) and, Jesus, her left arm promptly amputated itself. It took me roughly five minutes to securely replace the arm onto her torso without the entire figure falling apart. At this point, I began looking for the stand.

Er, okay.

It’s not supposed to look like that. Anyway, I pretty much brought god’s wrath upon myself by purchasing a fake Nendo, so there’s no use in complaining. It took for-friggin-ever to get her to stand—more than it would take an original, I reckon. When I finally did get her to stand, it looked like she was floating in midair, as the clip suspended her a few centimeters off the base. I tried to fix that by gently—and I stress, gently—pushing the clip downward. After which, her left arm amputated itself again.

Oh god, she looks adowable!

I tried copying the poses on the box. Is it just me, or does the moe pose make her look like she’s giving someone the finger?

That concludes my review. I hope this discourages you from buying Nendoroid bootlegs (or any bootleg, for that matter). By purchasing fakes, you are not only breaking the law, but you may also be unknowingly supporting crime syndicates in China, as they are known to be involved in the counterfeit trade. Wow, I think I just made a contribution to society today.

Hiiragi Kagami✩Hatsune Miku

Fifi — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:03:00 +0000

Hiiragi Kagami✩Hatsune Miku, originally uploaded by FIFI✩QUIMBO.

Testing the Flickr “Blog this” utility.

I want her room, kthx.

Fifi — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:49:00 +0000

I was mindlessly flipping through channel after channel of scrumptious cable TV programming, when I came upon a feature on cosplayer and all-around cool person Alodia Gosiengfiao’s room. I don’t agree with the plum color scheme, but you know what they say about the outside not counting (you don’t judge a book by it’s cover, because it’s the inside that matters–ah, fuck it, I hate idioms). Put simply, her room’s kick-ass.

I forgot the name of the show (thank god, because if I have to watch one more feature, I will convulse with excitement and die), but when I Googled “Alodia Gosiengfiao’s room”, I was pointed to a site called Figure.fm.

Holy cow, it’s picture after picture of otaku goodness.

Photo by Alodia Gosiengfiao

She had me at the Hatsune Miku…is that a Figma? (Photo by Alodia Gosiengfiao)

Photo by Ashley Gosiengfiao