Toy Fiend Friday: Kotobukiya CuPoche Tomoe Mami from Madoka Magica

By now, you should know that I have an insatiable obsession for all things Tomoe Mami.  What you might not know is that I'm also a diehard fan of Kotobukiya.  I've been collecting figures by them since I was a weensy teenager.  When they started releasing their CuPoche line, I was ecstatic!  I can't really get behind collecting Nendoroids because of their horrendous posing, but these little figures are amazing and run in the same super deformed, sugar dripping sweetness aesthetics.

Even the CuPoche packaging is super cute :3.

Mami arrives with three faceplates, several sets of differently posed hands, her guns, a magnetic (!!!) stand and a miniature Witch Charlotte, in her first form.

NO SAD FACES FOR MAMI.  She's suffered enough!

She also comes with a variety of clear plastic clasps and hooks to display the guns and Charlotte.  These can be placed into the pegs surrounding her stand to create different scenes.  Her faceplates are very easily removed, but don't fall out or become loose without a bit of pressure to release them.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH MAMI NO

There... that's better.  Pardon me while I go cry myself a river into my pillow T_______T.

As I mentioned when I reviewed Madoka last year, I absolutely LOVE the magnetic stand.  It's easily concealed under a backdrop.  The magnets in her feet are very strong.  Perfect for say...

Later, dude!

...Punting a particularly evil little witch into the corner where she belongs >_>.

I ordered CuPoche Mami from my favorite figure store, Hobby Link Japan.  She's still available and in stock :).  If you haven't had a chance to check these adorable little figures out, you definitely should!  If you're not a fan of Madoka Magica, there are also several other characters to choose from.

Thanks for reading!

Toy Fiend Friday: Revoltech Hello Kitty

My love of all things Hello Kitty is rivaled only by my love of coffee.  Seriously, come have a look at my apartment sometime.  The amount of Hello Kitty related paraphernalia borders on ridiculous, my friends and relatives only feed my addiction.  When I read that Revoltech would be releasing a tiny, posable version of Sanrio's princess, I completely lost my sh-... Er, I was super excited >_>.

Revoltech Hello Kitty

I mean, holy cow, just look at it.  It's friggin' adorable.  I preordered her with the speed of a thousand grabby fists. 

The little playset is pretty cute, if a bit lacking in accessories.

The set itself is pretty simple.  She comes with an easel, crayon, apple, stand and an extra winking faceplate.  The articulation is there, but I don't expect any dynamic posing capabilities here.  Of course, given her dimensions, how flexible could Hello Kitty possibly be?  The little crayon is magnetic, so that she can hold it in her hand.  You could also use other similar scale magnetic accessories.

Hard at work!

I ordered her from Hobby Link Japan (of course), but sadly, she is out of stock and has been discontinued.  I'm sure you could find her from a secondhand market, though.  Mandarake usually gets a lot of like-new items in stock shortly after their release.  I don't know if the Revoltech Hello Kitty had bootlegs produced, but if all else fails, you could try eBay.  Just make sure you're buying from a reputable seller (check the feedback, if they're conning people with fakes, you'll see it there).

Winky face!

I plan on carrying her with me in my bag for impromptu photos while I'm out and about.  She's tiny and capable of standing without her stand thanks to her huge feet, which is always a good thing in my book.  I think die hard fans will enjoy this set, but if you'd like a bit more complexity in your figures, you might wanna pass.  Though... lookit that face?  How could anyone pass up on that face?! :D 

Thanks for reading!  Toy Fiend Fridays are back on schedule and I'll be reviewing a new toy each week!

New girl! Pure Neemo Mami from Puella Magi Madoka Magica

I've waited patiently (against my will) for almost two full years trying desperately to find an Azone Pure Neemo Mami from Puella Magi Madoka Magica.  I kicked and kicked and kicked myself after I missed out on her during the Hobby Link Japan sale and I couldn't bring myself to pay scalpers prices.

Lo and behold, a week or so ago, my dear friend Heather of The Traveling Twig and The Majokko Shop sent me a link to an auction for Mami!  She was very reasonably priced, but had no buy it now option so I bid and crossed my fingers that I was the only one desperately seeking this girl.

Azone Pure Neemo Tomoe Mami from Puella Magi Madoka Magica

I haven't even finished watching the show, to be honest, but I fell in love with Mami and Madoka's characters.  I've been a fan of magical girls since I was a little girl myself, back in the days when Sailor Moon was my favorite Saturday morning cartoon.  Without going into any spoilers, though, the reason I love this show so much is that it takes the idea of a magical girl to an entirely new, incredibly messed up level.  You see these sweet girls with cute faces and expect another sugar coated pastel love story.  Oh, hell no.  Mami's story in particular is very tragic and the brutality of it all is probably why I latched onto her character so fervently O_O.  I just want to save all the Mamis T_T.

There are no demonic little rats or witches here, just tea and sweet things and puppies and kittens and fluffiness.

 I daresay Madoka looks excited to be reunited with her friend :).  I hadn't seen one of the Large size Azone bodies before, either, and I like that they used the body with a more mature bust to match her character.  Her torso is quite a bit beefier than my other Azone girls, but luckily she still fits into most of the clothing (except for the ones specifically made for S and XS size bodies).

The Mami and Madoka Army!  Cu-Poche Mami is still making her way out of Japan :3.

 Hehe, Madoka looks so tiny next to Mami, even though she's kneeling.  Madoka is on a S Flection Advance body. The Pure Neemo girls I had before Mami arrived all recently got updated to the new bodies, and I'd still like to order one for Mami.  The extra poseability makes such a huge difference, but I still want her to have a Large body :3.

Mami and Mini (Figma) Mami <3.

 I'm so happy to finally have this adorable girl in my collection.  She was definitely well worth the wait!  Thank you all for reading!

Attack on Titan GSC Colossus Titan Nendoroid Review and Video Demo

It should come as no surprise that I'm hopelessly addicted to all things Attack on Titan.  I'm not a terribly huge fan of Nendoroids, but I do own a couple.  They're very cute, but I like a larger range of poseability in my figures (like Revoltech and Figma).  However, I've had the Colossus Titan preordered since it first became available, there was absolutely NO way I was passing on this playset.  It's simultaneously one of the cutest and most disturbing figures I own!

Even the packaging was pretty cool, I love the alternate faceplate peeking over the top!

Tons of pieces with smaller Titans, buildings, Survey Corps, and civilians.

The playset comes with everything you need to recreate your own little Shiganshina District, complete with teensy buildings and a removable broken Wall Maria.  The playset also features three of the showcased smaller class titans from the earlier episodes of the anime.

There are two different faceplates for the Colossus Titan.  The 'realistic' version and a super deformed version.  I prefer the super deformed look with the articulated jaws :3.

Unfortunately, as with most Nendoroids, this figure is practically incapable of standing on its own.  I got my hopes up after seeing the beefier feet and legs, but the head is still just too hefty for them to support it.  Although this figure is heavily articulated, the range of motion is still limited by the body, meaning he can't sit properly =_=.  Normally, problems like this would drive me absolutely bonkers, but it's something I knew to be aware of before purchasing.  Honestly, this set is just so cool, it makes up for the shortcomings in poseability.  If you're a huge fan of the show, I definitely recommend giving this set a look :).  You can check out the video demo below to get a better idea of the working parts.  Thanks for reading!

Toy Fiend Friday! Cu-Poche Madoka Kaname

Admittedly, I've only gotten through about ten episodes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.  That being said, it's a screwed up show o_o.  I fell in love with Mami and Madoka, though.  I absolutely adore their character designs.  They're just too cute!

Today's Toy Fiend features the Cu-Poche Madoka Kaname (still available here for ¥3,420 from HLJ.com) from Kotobukiya.

Tiny, pink, and cute!

I've been a fan of Kotobukiya as long as I've been collecting figures.  I started back in the day with Final Fantasy VIII statuettes and haven't looked back.  I've always been impressed with their quality and their Cu-Poche line is no different.  Undoubtedly, this is their answer to the Nendoroid craze, however it features a few crucial updates.  Like most super deformed poseable figures, Madoka arrives with a plethora of accessories and one awful, little rat, who shall never be unpackaged =_=.  No, really, I hate Kyuubey.  Multiple expressions, weapons, and hands are at your disposal for creating a wide variety of poses.

Tiny floating faces, decapitated hands, and rat monsters, oh my!

The most notable difference from the other super deformed figures out there would be the size of the arms and legs and thus expanded articulation.  Someone wasn't thinking their cunning plan through when they made Madoka, however.  Even though her legs are on nice, flexible ball joints, her skirt is a solid piece that prevents sitting (she can still kneel, though).  Even so, these figures have three points of 360 degree articulation in each leg (thigh, knee, and ankle) and two points in each arm (shoulder and elbow).  Her head, waist, and pig tails also rotate.  The paint job on these figures is very nice and smooth.  Even her knees and elbows have faint blushing detail.

My favorite deviation from the usual would have to be this little gem:

MAGNETS, HOW DO THEY WORK?

A mother-humping MAGNETIC STAND.  WHY don't ALL action figures come with one of these?!  This little baby is powerful, too, it supports the weight of Madoka's massive head (seriously, that thing is quite heavy for such a small figure).  She comes with a stand that plugs into the base as well, but I don't even care.  I haven't even opened it O_O.  From a photographer's standpoint, masking or making do without the stand is a pain in the ass sometimes.  This way, you can just slide it directly under whatever backdrop you're using <3.

There's no such thing as too much Madoka.

 

In all, I'm very glad to have added her to my collection.  She's definitely a cutie and I'll have loads of fun with her.  I've already preordered the Mami Cu-Poche and Sayaka is up for preorder as well.  You can check out all of the Cu-Poche releases here.  Thanks for reading and happy collecting!