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!

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!