Review: Alter 1/8 Yagyu Jubei ~Hobby Japan Swimsuit Ver.~

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When Alter announced a Hobby Japan-exclusive version of Hyakka Ryoran heroine Yagyu Jubei clad in revealing swim attire, it didn’t take long for me to decide that Jubei was a character worth at least two figures. Acquiring this version of Jubei was made complicated by the details accompanying the release announcement. Beyond the simple fact that Hobby Japan won’t ship outside Japan, Jubei was also to be limited to 1,500 pieces distributed via lottery. It seems that the old “first-come, first-served” adage need not apply here. The lottery clause effectively eliminated the option of ordering the figure through a proxy service because there was no guarantee that they could fill the order.

I had noticed in the past that the US-based ToysLogic seemed to carry Hobby Japan exclusives from time to time. I contacted them regarding the new Jubei to see if they would be accepting orders. A few days later, I got a response that they would indeed be accepting orders for the HJ exclusive. I was concerned as to how they would get around the lottery problem, but I didn’t press the issue and decided to place my order through them. A box from ToysLogic arrived at my doorstep seven months later.
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Review: Good Smile Company 1/8 Sawachika Eri

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Although I feel like I spend a great deal of time and mental energy figuring out how I can save money on the figures I buy, it’s surprisingly rare that I find myself rummaging through the proverbial bargain bin searching for great deals on figures. For the most part, I find that the figures I want to buy tend to sell out before they ever receive discounts of any significance, so feel it’s often more worthwhile to shop around during the preorder phase rather than hoping for hefty markdowns later on. That said, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to pick up Good Smile Company’s 1/8 scale Sawachika Eri from School Rumble when I discovered that she was readily available from 888 Anime for as little as $33 shipped.
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Review: Volks 1/6 Horo

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I was watching Spice and Wolf–the first season–for the first time not long ago and it occurred to me that my collection lacks a Horo figure. Given how great a character Horo is–she practically carries the show–and the fact that my collection is rather lacking in animal anthropomorphism, this simple fact immediately struck me as a grave injustice. It was time to go shopping.
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Review: Good Smile Company 1/7 Saber Lily ~Distant Avalon~

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I don’t think Saber needs any great introduction. She’s easily one of the most iconic anime characters from the past decade and I can think of precious few characters who have received more figure reproductions.

Saber Lily was introduced as a new variant of Saber’s character for the Fate/unlimited codes fighting game series. This new “form” swaps Saber’s traditional blue & white long-sleeved dress for a cream & black sleeveless dress and her unique braided hairstyle for a bow and ponytail. The new look serves to meaningfully differentiate Saber Lily from Fate/stay night-era Saber while retaining the key visual cues that make Saber instantly identifiable.
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Review: Alter 1/8 Yagyu Jubei

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Time for my first photo review! (Yay!) It took numerous sessions, much trial and error, and seeking photography tips online before I came up with a set of photos I was (mostly) happy with.

I chose Alter’s 1/8 Yagyu Jubei figure to serve as my first review. It was released relatively late in 2009; right around the time I was trying to launch this new figure blog. From the moment she was announced, Jubei became one of my most anticipated figure releases of the year. Combining Alter’s vaunted quality with a dynamite character design should be a recipe for instant win, no?
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