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About This Blog: |
Shin-Otaku
is a blog site belongs to the author, Divine Fang
who is a super otaku wannabe. Here he shares his
thoughts just about anything related to otaku
in this very portal -figurines,
anime, games,
computing, jpop,
Japan e.t.c. As of time
of writing, he is especially obsessed with:
• Ayumi Hamasaki (since 2000)
• Tekken
5 DR (hard-core player)
• Suzumiya
Haruhi's figures
• Learning
Japanese
This
site is optimized for MS Internet Explorer &
Firefox. Set your screen resolution to 1280x800*
or above to view this site in its full glory!!!
Your location: Browsing Entries In Category FIGURE |
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Overseas Otaku Buying Tips |
Making
online purchases/pre-orders especially for Jpop
CDs and anime/game PVC figures have always been
the best option for me (and many otakus who do
not live in Japan). Listed below are my wish list,
preorders and purchases from these reputable online
companies.
• YesAsia
(Bought my Jpop CD/DVD here)
• J-list
(many 'weird' Japanese stuff)
• HobbySearch
(Comprehensive inventory
but no free shipping
and no shipping cost
provided upon placing
an order )
• HLJ
(very good alternative to HobbySearch)
• E2046
(many figures & rules in resin
kit)
• Play-Asia
(My #1 online shop)
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My Wish List & Pre-orders! |
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Nendoroid
Saber Lily
tba
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Hyakka
Ryoran
Yagyu Jubei
Aug '09
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Kotone
Ousaka
Aug '09
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Saber
Lily ~Distant Avalon~
Aug '09
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Sennin
Narika
July '09
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Nendoroid
Zange
July '09
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Nendoroid
Shishido Imoko
June '09
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Nendoroid
Nagi-sama
May '09
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Nendoroid
Kokonoe Rin
Apr '09
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Most
wanted game of the year:
TEKKEN 6
PS3 [US]
[Asia]
Xbox 360 [US]
[Asia]
Released: 27th Oct 2009 |
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Saber Lily vs Saber Lily
(Post date: 2009-06-16, Views: 416)
ALTER, a very reputable figurine company must have done a BIG mistake approving this newly announced 1/7 Saber Lily figure. It seems that they are ignoring the release of Good Smile Company (GSC) 1/8 Saber Lily ~Distant Avalon~ completely. Today's very quick post features A/B comparison between the two figurines using stock photos... |
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Nendoroid Kannagi
(Post date: 2009-06-12, Views: 217)
Nendoroid Nagi has arrived for a while (fast 3-day transit via EMS from HobbySearch) but was unable to snap her until today. I sent my Canon EOS 450D kit lens for repair -AF and I.S. malfunction- and it took more than a month to complete for your information. Today's post features a rather short photoshoot session result of... |
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Hyakka Ryoran Figures
(Post date: 2009-05-22, Views: 389)
My figurine pre-order list have been lacking some scaled figures and Hyakka Ryoran's figures will potentially populate it. Reportedly here, Hobby Japan Magazine finally revealed the fully colored (previously saw monochrome prototype) Yukimura Sanada which is set to be released November 2009 *duh! long wait* to pair with Yagyu Jubei... |
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Suzumiya Haruhi Gekisou
(Post date: 2009-04-17, Views: 909)
Max Factory's ***kira kira*** (bling bling) silver-foiled cardboard packaging makes this 1/8 Suzumiya Haruhi Gekisou version looks like a premium figure! She is my very first figure by Max Factory and I find the build quality is on par with that of Alter and Goodsmile Company masterpieces. However, upon digging back the... |
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Unity May
(Post date: 2009-04-10, Views: 630)
GoodSmile Company's 1/8 scaled Unity May finally unboxed! For some reason, Unity May released was delayed for about 2 months and I was actually about to cancel this order during that period, mainly because of new & upcoming Nendoroid flood. Now, I am glad that I didn't -her unique blend of purple and pink color makes her a very good... |
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Queen's Blade Mellowna
(Post date: 2009-04-08, Views: 1450)
Queen's Blade Mellowna finally acquired! She had been in my wishlist (for a long time!) but never actually wanted to get her until I finished watching the 1st episode of Queen's Blade recently. I was lucky to be able to *still* get her at XL-shop.com (they do not usually keep old figurines in stock). Might just need to get Nanael and Reina later... |
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Nendoroid Pixel Maritan
(Post date: 2009-03-21, Views: 838)
Yay! I have just recently acquired Nendoroid Pixel Maritan, not one, but two of them! Nendoroid Maritan comes in 2 versions -#56a and #56b-. The #56a Assault Combat version which is a Hobby Japan mail-in order is priced slightly higher than #56b and she comes with different accessories, obviously her bazooka has lured my to get both of them... |
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Queen's Gate Alice Boost Version
(Post date: 2009-01-26, Views: 2739)
Wow! The Gate Opener Alice Boost Version dwarfs her loli counterpart in all aspects -oppai, oshiri, packaging, e.t.c-! Alice Boob version ships in a huge box with no promotional figure photos printed on it except for the 2D artwork in front. Despite the lame monochromatic box, Alice was succumbing enough for me to whip out my card. She is now... |
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Hiyori Pixy
(Post date: 2009-01-24, Views: 2033)
Pixy Hiyori is super hot! Seeing many figurine collectors -Danny Choo, Super Rats, Foobarbaz- posting many excellent photos and giving thumbs-up reviews for Pixy on their blog, sheis no-doubt a must-buy. I have just acquired my very own unit at XL-Shop.com hours ago and here she is! Photographing Pixy was a bit tough -her purple... |
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Figure Photoshoot Improvement
(Post date: 2009-01-21, Views: 2217)
Improving on figurine photoshoot have always been something I wanted to do in year 2009 and these are my precious figurines used as today's subjects. With better lighting, the results turn out to be better than all the photos I took before this entry but they were still quite heavily Photoshop'ed -I moved the Level slider quite... |
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Unity Yuno
(Post date: 2009-01-09, Views: 3094)
Let's have super kawaii Unity Yuno kick-starts Shin-Otaku.com for year 2009! This Goodsmile Company's 1/8 Unity Yuno was released mid-December 2008 but she arrived here late probably because of the recent New Year holidays. And for the first entry of 2009, I tried shooting using the included inner yellow cardboard as my backdrop... |
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Nanako Nekomimi School Swimsuit
(Post date: 2008-12-31, Views: 3755)
The final day of year 2008 brings chou-moe Nanako -NEKOMIMI SUKUMIZU- of To Heart 2 Another Days!!! This HUGE 1/5 scaled figure was quite an impulse purchase, I never thought that Nanako would come into my possession although she did make it to my wishlist a few months ago. She was acquired when I was collecting my Nendoroid... |
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GoodSmile 1/8 Hatsune Miku
(Post date: 2008-12-21, Views: 3829)
Yet another quick post of the month, today's weblog showcases the famous 1/8 scaled Hatsune Miku figure by GoodSmile Company. Yes, this figure isn't new but there was nothing we could do, our local retail shop was bad at acquiring Japanese figurines in a timely manner (-_-). This gorgeous 1/8 Hatsune Miku figurine actually... |
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Alter Suzumiya Haruhi Uniform version
(Post date: 2008-12-08, Views: 3416)
Quick post, Suzumiya Haruhi Uniform version was a long wait but she finally arrived yesterday to complete Alter's "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" figures to date (Nagato Yuki Uniform ver. to be released March 2009). This Haruhi figure has a very nice dynamic pose but there's a problem, I couldn't find her "best angle" because she looks good 360... |
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Pre-ordering Suzumiya Haruhi Extravaganza version
(Post date: 2008-12-04, Views: 3088)
HELP! I am in a dilemma now. Now that all my favourite stores -Play-Asia, HobbySearch and local shop XL-Shop- (just came up today) are already taking pre-order for this figure, I still couldn't decide if I should get her. Suzumiya Haruhi Extravaganza version is a big invenstment because most likely I'll get Mikuru and Yuki as well if I am to order Haruhi... |
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Nendoroid Shana
(Post date: 2008-11-29, Views: 2530)
Nendoroid Shana of anime Shakugan no SHANA II arrived late but she adds very good value to my Nendoroid series collection as Flame Haze Shana is my only Nendoroid with bright red hair and I have decided to log an entry here. There's a black-haired version known as Nendoroid Shana Dengeki Daiou version which is a limited edition but... |
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Ryoko Asakura Bunny Version
(Post date: 2008-10-24, Views: 4476)
Produced by FREEing, these large 1/4 scale bunny girls can easily inflict serious damage to anyone's wallet. Retailed at 11,800yen, Ryoko Asakura arrival completes the series today (if there's no further bunny girls release). Initially, FREEing released 5 girls -Haruhi, Yuki, Mikuru, Kyon's sister and Tsuruya- and later added Emiri Kimidori and Ryoko Asakura... |
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Beat Blades Haruka
(Post date: 2008-10-17, Views: 4917)
Released early this year was eroge Beat Blades Haruka (or Chouko Sennin Haruka) which is widely known as the successor of Alicesoft's famous eroge Beat Angel Escalayer and presumably due to its popularity, the main character of the eroge, Haruka gets modelled in the form of 3D figurine now. Haruka, which is made by Alter is a "standard" scaled... |
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New Figures for October 2008
(Post date: 2008-10-14, Views: 2426)
Quick update, today's entry shall log the arrival of my newly acquired figurines where 3 of them belong the "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" anime family -FREEing 1/4 Kimidori Emiri, Nendoroid #44 Ryoko Asakura, figma Nagato Yuki witch version- and 1 of them from eroge Beat Blades Haruka -Alter's 1/8 Sennin Haruka-. The most anticipated figure... |
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Melissa Seraphy 1/8 Figure
(Post date: 2008-10-10, Views: 2430)
No figurine commemorates Halloween better than the newly acquired Waga Mama Capriccio Melissa Seraphy! You might be quite surprised that I could still buy this 1/8 scaled Melissa Seraphy PVC figure in spite of the fact she's labelled "Out of stock" almost everywhere. This entry shall not be doing a review on Melissa Seraphy but to... |
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Unity Marriage ~Double Bride~ Unity Mei
(Post date: 2008-10-08, Views: 2157)
Finally the second PVC figure from eroge Unity Marriage ~Double Bride~ (game info and goodies below), Unity Mei is up for preorder at HobbySearch and she's been placed in my wishlist. Initial announcement of the eroge's main character figure Unity Yuno was not succumbing enough for me to press the "Add to Cart" button but when the Unity Mei... |
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WF Nendoroid Melissa Seraphy Devil Version
(Post date: 2008-09-19, Views: 3186)
Uber cool Wonfes 2008 exlcusive Nendoroid #41 Melissa Seraphy Devil Queen Version* from eroge "Chu x Chu Paradise" is so hard to get at local stores that I was left no choice but to burn a big hole in my pocket. I had been eyeing on her since she was showcased at the Wonder Festival 2008 Summer months ago and finally decided to... |
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Preordering Chu x Chu Idol Hiyori Pixie
(Post date: 2008-09-17, Views: 2653)
Goodsmile Company (GSC) has just recently announced the release date of the upcoming Hiyori Pixie 1/8 PVC figure which is in January 2009 and I could not decide if I should press the "Reserve" button at HobbySearch (HS) right now or wait for either Play-Asia or the local XL-Shop to open their preorder. I would definitely prefer to get her at XL-Shop... |
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Queen's Gate Alice
(Post date: 2008-09-10, Views: 5411)
Marketed under the brand name ALPHA x OMEGA which is a joint venture between figure makers Megahouse and Alter, the demonic Queen's Gate Alice 1/8 PVC figure is finally out at local figurine XL-Shop outlets. This purchase is classified as compulsion as Alice's character, personality and origin are almost unknown to me... |
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Moetan Pastel Ink Nendoroid Unboxing
(Post date: 2008-08-15, Views: 2410)
Nendoroid Pastel Ink of Moetan is my most anticipated figure of the month and was immediately picked up when she hit XL-Shop just moments ago! Upon unboxing Pastel Ink saw many additional parts including a pair of faces with different expressions, arms, hands, legs, chair, a ribbon, a magic wand and a stand that crammed the box... |
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Lucky Star Wave Hiiragi Sisters Unboxing
(Post date: 2008-08-09, Views: 1852)
"Saa hijimeru zamasu yo!", "Iku de karasu"... A midnight visit from buddy "Jus a loser" brought us his newly acquired Hiiragi sisters of Lucky Star! It is Shin-Otaku's pleasure to unbox and took a bunch of photos of these two well-sculptured figures by DreamTech (Wave Corporation). I'm quite surprised by the material used by Wave as it's... |
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Lucky Star Figma Konata Izumi Unboxing
(Post date: 2008-08-06, Views: 2398)
XL-shop just got their Figma Konata Izumi of Lucky Star in stock hours ago and I was there at their wholesale premise watching them unboxing their huge carton of Figma. The manager Ms. Mann asked me "Hey, I thought you might be interested in this, wanna get one?". With no doubt at all, I answered, "Yup, one Figma Konata sold!"... |
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Chu x Chu Nendoroid Melissa Seraphy Unboxing
(Post date: 2008-08-06, Views: 1475)
Oh I'm a big fan of Goodsmile's Nendoroid series now. Today I've got myself Melissa Seraphy and she is one heck of a special Nendoroid -mini crown, curly bright yellow hair, protruding fang, glossy pumpkin dress with ribbon & castoffable-. Melissa comes with 2 additional faces and 3 hands for some nasty and kawaii poses you can think of... |
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Wonder Festival 2008 and Thoughts
(Post date: 2008-08-04, Views: 1213)
Held yesterday was Wonder Festival 2008 (a.k.a. Wonfes or WF2008) in Japan showcasing MANY figures that interest me. There are a many sites/blogs where you could find news coverage about this major event among otakus but I'd recommend you to read Danny Choo's report before anything else since it's written in English... |
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Queen's Blade Steel Princess Yumil 2P Unboxing
(Post date: 2008-08-02, Views: 1532)
You have to have at least one reason to buy a figurine, but today I'm giving you five reasons I purchased Queen's Blade Steel Princess Yumil 2P version. Before that, allow me to log that this figure arrived at my doorsteps before I knew it yesterday evening. She was unboxed the moment she was passed to me (by my sis) and... |
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Griffon's 1/7 Suzumiya Haruhi Gothic Lolita Version Unboxing
(Post date: 2008-08-01, Views: 1139)
My first experience with Griffon Enterprises, "NOT as good as expected". Their recently released Suzumiya Haruhi 1/7 scaled Gothic Lolita version figure, although looks amazing and attractive from its commercial photos, its paint job is mediocre after thorough inspection as shown below. However, there's one thing I really like about this figure i.e. the... |
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Shuraki Trinity Rizfis Luttiva Mente Unboxing
(Post date: 2008-07-22, Views: 1506)
Rize arrived yesterday but I did not do an immediate photoshoot, I was 'working' on something else (i.e. getting MGS4 Big Boss Emblem if you care to know). So, today we have Shuraki Box 05 Rizfis Luttiva Mente a.k.a Rize unboxed! Rize's box is huge, almost double the size of Shuraki Liu Mei Feng's box! While her hairdo may... |
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Shuraki Trinity Akatsuki Mishiro Unboxing
(Post date: 2008-07-19, Views: 1280)
Unboxing newly received figurine has always been fun and exciting to me, and I believe so as to many other otakus. Today's unboxed figure is Shuraki Box 01 Akatsuki Mishiro! Unexpectedly Akatsuki Mishiro comes with 2 drama CDs instead of 1 drama CD in addition to a photobook. This would be my second Shuraki figure... |
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Alter's 1/8 Suzumiya Haruhi School Uniform Version
(Post date: 2008-07-17, Views: 1108)
"Oh boy, I hate it and at the same time I love it", I said to myself. I have spent too much this year for my figurines and yet there are more Haruhi figures coming up. Just announced today was Alter's Suzumiya Haruhi School Uniform Version ready for reservation at both HobbySearch and Amiami. This figure, measuring approximately 18cm is... |
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Haruhi Beach Side Version and Mikuru Gothic Punk Version
(Post date: 2008-07-16, Views: 1152)
I pissed off HobbySearch by cancelling my reservation of Suzumiya Haruhi Beach ver. and placed my preorder at Play-Asia as they offer a much better deal with FREE shipping to me. The deal got even better when I used one of my Play-Asia coupons upon placing this preorder (99% of the time Play-Asia give me a US$5 coupon code inside every... |
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Liu Mei Feng, Pastel Ink, Nagato Yuki and Nanase Ren Unboxing!
(Post date: 2008-07-15, Views: 934)
Shuraki Trinity's Liu Mei Feng, Moetan's Pastel Ink, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu's Nagato Yuki and Yakin Byoutou's Nanase Ren figures all unboxed! I just came back from work and I was busy unboxing these 4 figures acquired today. It is a record for me to unbox 4 figures in a day. Okay, I made serious damage to my wallet but... |
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Shuraki Trinity Liu Mei Feng and Rizfis Luttiva Mente 25% Off!
(Post date: 2008-07-13, Views: 1022)
Wow! I just stumbled upon Play-Asia Bargain corner and they are having a Summer Sales with 25% off on selected items until 20th July (1 more week to go). Unexpectedly, Shuraki Trinity Liu Meifeng(シュラキ 柳妹鳳) and Rizfis Luttiva Mente(リゼフィス・ルテティーヴァ・メンテ) are getting 25% off too! I have always wanted to get the super... |
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Suzumiya Haruhi: All About Her Fame!
(Post date: 2008-07-04, Views: 3948)
Suzumiya Haruhi (涼宮ハルヒ), one of the highest rated anime girl now gets her very own entry here at Shin-Otaku.com. This article will serve as a reference to all Suzumiya Haruhi-related entries in the future for all readers. This super high-profile 2D girl was actually created back in 2003 and later gained extreme fame internationally via anime... |
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FREEing Nagato Yuki and Tsuruya-san Unboxing!
(Post date: 2008-06-19, Views: 1564)
Without the announcement of the FREEing 1/4 Kimidori Emiri figure which is scheduled to be released this August 2008, my FREEing "The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi" bunny girl series would have been complete already today. Shown below are actual pictures of my FREEing 1/4 Nagato Yuki & Tsuruya-san boxes and figures which... |
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Tutorial: Pure White Backgound Figure Photography
(Post date: 2008-06-08, Views: 1211)
Secrets revealed! In this entry I will show you very simple steps to make figurine photo shot with pure white background, even if your subject is white in colour. Follow the procedures below and you will get near professional photo shots, even if you are a complete beginner. This method works even if you do not own a DSLR camera or proper lighting!... |
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Nendoroid Vocaloid Kagamine Len Reservation Closed?!
(Post date: 2008-06-05, Views: 2428)
Wow! I thought I saw both Vocaloid Nendoroids Kagamine Len and Kagamine Rin (Oct 2008 released) available for reservation at HobbySerach which started yesterday but right now Kagamine Len is fully reserved! "Shocker!" Rin is still available for reservation as of time of writing however... |
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Pure Black Background of Nagato Yuki Figure Shot
(Post date: 2008-06-03, Views: 1076)
Another quick post, this time I present you a photo with a pure black background featuring Nagato Yuki of anime "Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu". Making a pure black background photo is much more difficult than making pure white background. The following photo has been heavily Photoshop'ed, you would have guessed that... |
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First Pure White Background of Haruhi Figure Shot with 450D
(Post date: 2008-06-02, Views: 918)
Quick post, I have just taken my very first pure white background figure photo with my recently purchased Canon EOS 450D DSLR. The subject is none other than the rare Nendoroid Suzumiya Haruhi Bunny Version with guitar. It's not something professional but it works like a charm. The technique I used will be described in future entry, I promise. It's as simple as A.B.C. No special lighting required.... |
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Canon EOS 450D DSLR Acquired! (Tested with Haruhi Figures)
(Post date: 2008-06-01, Views: 1524)
Year 2008, May 31st marks the day of the Canon EOS 450D purchase. I am totally beginner using a DSLR but with a few hours of DSLR photography self-learning, I managed to shoot decent figure photos as below. Figma's Suzumiya Haruhi figurines were chosen as the subject... |
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Figure Photography Tips: Saturation Adjustment In Photoshop CS
(Post date: 2008-05-23, Views: 763)
In this particular entry, I will show you very simple methods to quickly enhance your "not-so-good" figure photos taken using a compact camera in a not-so-well-lit room or somewhere indoor using Adobe Photoshop CS. The device I used was my sister's low-end Panasonic LUMIX FX10 compact camera (but I love it)... |
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Hatsune Miku Cosplay
(Post date: 2008-05-15, Views: 1243)
While
the word "ミクミクミクミク" (MikuMikuMikuMiku) is still spinning on
my head after my blog about
Hatsune Miku's fame in my previous entry recently, I could NOT resist
but to point this cute cosplayer out. I first saw her... |
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Vocaloid Hatsune Miku: All About Her Fame
(Post date: 2008-05-12, Views: 10780)
As a PVC
figure collector, I just could NOT miss Hatsune Miku (初音ミク). So
who the heck is this girl who suddenly pops out of nowhere and jumped
into the PVC figure scene exactly?... |
 Recent Entries | | | Saber Lily vs Saber Lily
(Post date: 2009-06-16, Views: 416)
ALTER, a very reputable figurine company must have done a BIG mistake approving this newly announced 1/7 Saber Lily figure. It seems that they are ignoring the release of Good Smile Company (GSC) 1/8 Saber Lily ~Distant Avalon~ completely. Today's very quick post features A/B comparison between the two figurines using stock photos... | | | Nendoroid Kannagi
(Post date: 2009-06-12, Views: 217)
Nendoroid Nagi has arrived for a while (fast 3-day transit via EMS from HobbySearch) but was unable to snap her until today. I sent my Canon EOS 450D kit lens for repair -AF and I.S. malfunction- and it took more than a month to complete for your information. Today's post features a rather short photoshoot session result of... | | | METAL GEAR SOLID: RISING Trailer
(Post date: 2009-06-02, Views: 721)
Kojima kept us puzzled for 2 weeks with his countdown site but the riddle has now been solved! "METAL GEAR SOLID RISING" has been unveiled by the creator Hideo Kojima himself! He sneaked up to Microsoft's E3 stage and announced that RISING will bring new METAL GEAR SOLID experience and will be available on Xbox 360. However... | | | Kojima Productions is Sunny!
(Post date: 2009-06-01, Views: 321)
*Who would expect the storm to stop before the countdown ends?* At Kojima's Teaser site, the storm is now over. While we are left with a few hours before the timer expires, Kojima's now presents only the number "8" or (letter "B"). All previous lettert/numbers (5 (S), @ (e), E, 3, P, R, C, 6 and 0 (O).) and portrait images of maybe... | | | Kojima Teaser Reveals RAIDEN and MASK
(Post date: 2009-05-29, Views: 718)
As shown on previous Famitsu reports, we now have the expected appearance of presumed character RAIDEN breaking the storm at Kojima's teaser site countdown. Joystick reported that RAIDEN began to appear some time in the 90 hour mark. Additionally, we get letter "C" two more numbers flashing in the mix, "6" and "0" (or letter O)... | | | > All Past Entries In ARCHIVE | |
| Most
Recent Comments |
 | Rin @ Saber Lily vs Saber Lily
(Toronto)
Posted June 30th, 2009 2:23 pm (Tue) | Who knows...
At times the prototype version and the retail version are completely different...at times
Who knows, Alter might improve what their figure will look like...
|  | Divine Fang @ Saber Lily vs Saber Lily
(Kuala Lumpur, MY)
Posted June 18th, 2009 12:53 pm (Thu) | @ Leonia,
Both are great figures indeed, but imo GSC nailed it this time. Distant Avalon really looks perfect from every angle.
@ Saku,
For me it depends on the character's personality. As for Saber's facial expression, I don't think a dere dere face suits her at all, makes her look weak. So it's gotta be a serious face for her ^^
|  | Saku @ Saber Lily vs Saber Lily
(Toronto)
Posted June 17th, 2009 6:13 pm (Wed) | Yah I totally agree with you. They both look great but GSC version is slightly better and slightly more expensive. Some people may like Alter's expression while others may like GSC's expression but for me, I prefer GSC's expression since I like figures with serious expression
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