Figure Reviews by Rena

Weird Toy Spotlight: Stackable Zakus

Average Price: ???

Revoltech YF-19

Average Price: $30 to $50 

Hey loyal readers! Its guest contributor Nick here with a toy from one of my favorite anime series!

Price: 7.5/10 This may not seem like a bad price for a non-transformable Valkyrie figure, but the inflation of the price is disheartening for me. With the original price of around 1800 yen, about $20 at the time it was released, it may seem a little steep by today’s standards.What might be more tragic though is that the Revoltech line has been edging away from being an affordable toy line and get more expensive every year. Honestly, you can still find these for cheaper than the new Revoltech figures so that’s worth something.

Matierial: 8/10 Soft rubbery plastic may be a turn-off for some, but think it works for this toy. This is a very play-worthy figure and you wont feel bad posing it because even the points that would be brittle on harder plastics are not  a worry here, except in...

Sculpt: 7/10 One thing I don’t miss about these old Revoltechs is that the sculpts left a lot to be desired. Some of it was the smaller size, but the rubbery plastic does not aid to the look of this bot’s face. YES, it should be noted that the rest of the body is actually very nice, you can even see the little guns on the YF-19′s chest, but that face is a bit of a let-down.

Poseability: 8/10 A new criteria for this blog! What good is a poseable toy if you can’t, well pose it? The revolver joints in this figure make posing pretty easy. Even the wings on his legs are on little revolver hinges, so no problems there. if you want the figure in a neutral, standing pose though, you’re out of luck. this figure’s thighs are mounted at an angle that does not allow for it to stand straight, so that may be a deal breaker for some.

Accessories: 10/10 You get everything you could ask for on a Valkyrie that can’t turn into a plane. The machine gun is there, along with the shield which can mount on the YF-19′s left arm. There’s also removable fast packs which, due to their color, aren’t super noticeable, but are certainly welcome. What’s really neat is that there are effect parts of the YF-19′s pinpoint barriers, including one’s for its fists so that it can do its (surprisingly super-robot) shield punch from the anime. Speaking of which, the figure includes two fists, a right hand for holding the gun and a splayed finger hand which can either look dramatic or serve as the hand that steadies the rifle. Best of all, albeit standard with Revoltechs is the Revoltech base which can make the YF-19 look like it is flying with ease once you mount the figure on it by shoving a peg up the poor YF-19′s butt.

Okay, so this is an incredibly important post to read if you ever decide to start collecting figures.

What makes a figure worth buying?

There are several answers to this question, but it is always entirely subjective, meaning that while I can give you insight it is up to you to find your own answers.

1. Start by asking yourself these questions

What is the price of the figure? Always, always see what the full price of the figure is before asking any other questions.

Is it within my budget? If the figure falls outside of your budget, don’t get it. You should be able to afford food as well as the toy in question. If the figure is $80+, then it is a serious investment, and should not be considered lightly, sometimes saving up for a while is the best course of action when it comes to the more expensive toys, even putting aside $5 a week can add up quickly enough to get that expensive toy coming out in three or four months. If you don’t have a steady form of income, the more expensive figures should be ruled out entirely unless you are saving up for one specifically.

Is this the best price available? Always do the research. If you are at a convention or a brick-and-mortar store, you also need to factor in the cost of shipping, so the list pricing online+shipping is what you are essentially paying for. If the price is way beyond the average price online, then you should probably reconsider. Asking to borrow a friend’s phone if you don’t have a smartphone is incredibly easy and can save you a lot of pain in the wallet at conventions. If the figure is rare, or you can’t find a price anywhere online, be cautious of any over-pricing that may occur. Types of keywords to use in researching: Sculptor, Figure Line, Series Title, Character Name, Figure Manufacturing Company Be on the lookout for people selling something that they have no clue what the actual value is, or who the character is because sometimes you can get really great deals!

How important is this character important to me? This should also be taken into account. If they are a random side character from a series you know nothing about are they really worth owning?

Is this character from a show/game that impacted me greatly? This one should be obvious, as it also pairs with the question above. If you didn’t entirely enjoy the show, then there may be something else for your collection instead that will be loved for a much longer period than a series that just left you in a state of uncaring. Characters from shows you loved are always worth more to a person than characters from unloved ones.

Are there other options to consider? Is there another figure of this character with a better sculpt/outfit? Is this the only one that captured your attention? If they come in a set, are all the figures available? Do you even want the whole set, or just the one? Is the seller willing to make deals on multiple figures? If you are at a convention, is the figure available online? Can it be bought later?

Where/how am I going to display it? How much space does it take up? What scale is the figure? Is it something you can have where my parents can see it? Do you have a place where it will be safe? Do you take it out of the box, or leave it inside? If you are going to take it out of the box, is it going to be easy enough to clean? How fragile is it? Will it break just by walking across a room?

2. Making the decision, and the long run.

I know it can be hard to part with your hard-earned money, and I also know that sometimes you can end up very unhappy with a figure and want to get rid of it. I have had this happen to me before, and it is also something to take into account when making a purchase. There are some figures that I have debated on for months at a time, praying that they would still be available to me when I finally had the chance. These decisions can impact both you and your wallet greatly, sometimes resulting in you loving a toy so much that parting with it would send you into a fit of tears, or hating a toy so much after a while that you either sell it, throw it away or just destroy it. I have experienced a friend acquiring a toy secondhand that had been thrown full-force against a wall after a friend of theirs regretted their purchase so much, that instead of re-selling the toy they found it better to destroy it entirely. On that note, broken or pre-owned toys are almost always less expensive, and can be fixed up to look brand new with little to no effort, and are generally worth their price and then some.

Parting Ways?

If you find yourself in want of selling a figure, and don’t want to list it on ebay or a similar store, there are many other things that you can do, such as asking a friend to list it online for you, or even a listing on your blog. Even seeing if there is someone getting rid of a figure you want and they have something you want to offer up a trade of sorts. ((I have a page set up for this now)) I know that I am also willing to sell online for anyone who needs to sell off their collections or unwanted figures. Submissions of figures for sale are also accepted to this blog, as long as you provide a way to contact you that I can give to anyone interested.

Always try to get something in exchange for your toy, and please don’t donate it. More often than not, resale shops have absolutely no idea what the item in question is worth, and will either sell it for way too much or way too little. While it is an amazing way to find toys, they are left up the the collector who doesn’t care about condition to buy them. Swap Meets are getting more and more common at conventions for old or unwanted collection pieces, and can lead to some spectacular finds!

If you have a friend who still loves the character/series that the figure or toy is from, and you’ve gotten out of it, consider if they want it, even if it’s just in exchange for a case of soda, because it is much better to leave a figure in the hands of someone who will appreciate it than someone who doesn’t care.

Trading Figure Spotlight: Evangelion@SCHOOL Blind Box Figures

Average Price: 5-10USD

These figures are really cute and fun to collect, and they are one of the best ways to have your favourite characters from Evangelion represented in your collection if you are on a tight budget. There are even places online where you can buy a full set of these for a relatively reasonable price, and the sets are generally 6 figures for $25 or so. (I forgot to include my Maya Ibuki and Maid PenPen in this photoset, forgive me)

I really like them because they are very small, and often come with fun bonus items, like the Mascot-Costume Rei, who not only comes with an alternate head but also an alternate handheld item as well as a mini Mass Production EVA to help her sell her curry!

Other fun figures include being able to buy really cute figures of the Evangelion in human form, as you can see above with the EVA 00 figure, who has a tail with an electrical plug on the end of it. Not pictured, because I don’t own them: Gendo at his tiny table and a Ritsuko. I am also aware of Mari figures existing within this toy line.

Hatsune Miku 2011 Goodsmile Racing ++ Goodsmile Company 1/7 Scale Premium Format Figure

Average Price: 45-60 USD

Price: 10/10 This price is significantly beyond amazing for this figure in every way.

Materials: 9.5/10 the only issue I have with this figure material-wise is that the plastic discs in her hair are incredibly fragile, and may break while attaching them.

Sculpt: 10/10 Again, the issue with this figure are the small hair discs, but they aren’t enough of an issue to warrant a downgrade in this category. they do take some finagling in order to attach them, but otherwise this is one of the more attractive Miku prize figures available, and unfortunately the box does her absolutely no justice whatsoever.

Overall: 10/10 If you are in the market for a Miku figure, and aren’t keen on the 1/8 scale 2014 prize figure, this is probably the most gorgeous Miku figure that I have seen that allows itself a reasonable price that is actually feasible in most budgetary situations. That being said, as a 1/7 scale figure she does come pretty close to 12″ tall, and just about 9″ wide, making it slightly difficult to display her if you are short on room. I personally recommend putting her next to either a computer, gaming system or music system of your choice, as I personally believe that that’s where she would look best.

And now to give you a very strange collection spotlight! Giant Robo: The Day The Earth Stood Still Why is this relevant on Plastic and Gold, you ask? DVDs are also made out of plastic, so is the toy and so are the animation cells that they used to produce the brilliant OVA. This is a blog for showcasing collections and I stand by that.

This is a series that should you ever manage to get a hold of it that you should watch it, and pay close attention to every detail, as it is a stunning example of flawless storytelling. Absolutely every plot point in this was a sincere shock to me, even as someone who has that habit of predicting everything a series is about to do. If you have the chance to watch it, please do, by all means, and tell me what you thought of it! Please make sure you watch it from beginning to end, because there is absolutely zero filler in this piece that is a love letter to one of the creators of the giant robot genre.    Within this story you get loving redesigns of classic characters, even if some of them are really strange racial stereotypes, the director of this series treated them with such reverence that the stereotypes seem to fade away and you are left with something so awe-inspiring that you can’t help but to sit and watch it, almost open-mouthed and practically in tears as it closes in the final two episodes.

This small, small collection of Giant Robo items is actually worth more than you could imagine. The animation cel is priceless, and the DVD set that we have has been out of print for ages. It’s a serious shame that Japan didn’t realize the true beauty of this series until it was too late to save it. The director of this OVA also went on to direct one of the more controversial Gundam titles, called G Gundam. In both of these stories you get more focus on the characters and their emotions than with most series of the surrounding period. Saying anything about Giant Robo other than “WATCH THIS” is beyond a spoiler., What I can say, though, is that the animation cel that I posses is from one of my absolute favourite scenes in the whole series. The GIN-REI special isn’t needed, but it’s where the hilarious .GIF images of her are from, and they really make no sense without the context of the OVA itself,  even then you may not be able to make heads or tails of it, since it’s so strange.

Sakura Kinomoto ++ 1/7 Scale Kotobukia ARTFX J Premium Format Figure

Release price: Approximately 100USD

Price: 10/10 This figure is actually rather inexpensive at release for the sheer size of her, with a wingspan of at least 12″ wide.

Material: 9.5/10 Much like the Lum figure in the same line, she has some plastic of very fragile quality on her, the clouds and part of the hair being foremost in that list. The wings are made of a shockingly heavy resin-like plastic, and seems to be rather durable but I wouldn’t dare try anything. Both pieces of the wand that are red are transparent, too, which makes it both more accurate and also catch the light in a sincerely magical way.

Sculpt/pose: 10/10 This sculpt is beyond beautiful, an that’s why I got some detail shots for you on this one, including ones without the wings attache so you can see the ruffles an other things better. I am beyond impressed an honestly can;t wait for her counterpart’s sculpt later this year.

Bonus: 9.75/10 Keroberos is included! The only downside to him is that he has no real adequate way to display him outside of just propping him up and hoping he stays. I guess that not everyone wants him there, but the two of them being together in this shot is very iconic and well-loved by almost everyone.

Plush Spotlight

SEGA Prize Keroberos an Spinel Sun massive Ball Plush

These plush are both very squishy and I enjoy owning both of them. Spinel Sun is actually more snuggleable than Keroberos, which may seem slightly strange, but it’s due to the fact that Spinel Sun’s ears take up less of his head. Their faces are absolutely spot-on, an I feel that they are a must-own for any CCS fan!

Yup. I felt the description was accurate for some reason. BUY IT HERE

Mai Kirasaki ++ Monsueir Bome 1/8 scale figure