Im also JPA scholar. Ah jib gor buying figures for us
I have allowance in addition to my monthly pocket money from parents, totally over RM 1.3K. But that money covers everything from my figure shopping to hostel fees.

You can clean figures with wet cloth or even very diluted (and only some specific brands of) detergent, i remember reading a tutorial somewhere online, one of them was from a wordpress blog called flawlessexa, from USA. I'd suggest leaving out detergent though. You just have to make sure the figure is dried properly.
Another friend of mine managed to preserve his figures and transformer stuff which were made in late 1990s until now. One of the methods is the one i described earlier on using freezer, im following his methods now.

The box damn nice
RM 550 is overkill. I got Saeki Ai for RM 450. But in international market, Saeki is considered rare by now and goes for at least RM 600. In malaysia i still know a shop or two who might still have her in stock for an okay price though.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: May 25 2013, 06:38 PM

LED, spotlights, should be fine. But if you do have display shelves with spotlights it's not recommended to turn them on all the time. Just let the figures get exposed to natural light (but not directly by sunlight), and your normal house's lights are fine as long it is not of fluorescent variant.

Nowadays many of my figures stay in box, and i flip them around with the window facing the wall, while a few others stay in 3 of my wood cabinets. Only a few figures i display in my room.

Ouch. The best way is to arrange a meeting, and explain things. It would be helpful if you show the photos of your figure collections, doujins, your otaku room or something in your phone. You are just a hobbyist and a collector. What website it is from?

I also want to collect doujins and artbooks, and airguns in future. So far i have fren living and working in in s'pore but from Johor, every month he loot doujins like nobody's business.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: May 27 2013, 10:49 PM

Underage girls? And it's MOMO? Count me in!
I already have the alter one though.

Price going up? Even if it happens i dont think it will be fast.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: May 28 2013, 04:58 PM

She is 1/6 right? That means she is at least 27-30cm tall, and the box will be even bigger.

If yen goes up then sure exceed 500. 50/50 chance.

I have to admit Caster's melons and flashy outfit is poisoning me...

I'd rather prefer the shipping company to have my money rather than the customs; and if customs stop it you have to drive all the way to their office to pick them up, think about petrol cost.

Ah, that one, i lost interest alread And the black version has more value, though, it's already expensive.

POISON ALERT

If that is true i really might consider ordering her. I got poisoned already but still thinking twice.

But, im not sure if any one of you here noticed, Max Factory has the attitude of doing a half-assed job (in a good way though), maybe for the past 3-4 years. It's pretty much impossible to predict what figures they will make next. Nowadays, they tend to randomly select a specific character, concentrate on it and make a very nice figure out of it, instead of trying to finish what they started - complete the set by making other figures of characters from the same series. They randomly pick a character from a mainstream anime, to a character from a game or visual novel - but choose an artwork they prefer and adapt it into a figure. The only exception i could think of is Miku/Luka pair, the Haganai bunny girls pair and Se.kirara set, probably due to popular demand.

Best examples are, they picked Asama Tomo from Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon and gave us a 1/7 scale figure, and i dont see other characters from that series being made as a figure. They also made a 1/7 Xiao Mei (Shining Hearts) and ignore other characters from the series (Kotobukiya, meanwhile, spamming shining series figures); For K-On, they made a figure of an embarassed Mio; then a santa claus Yui, then a Mac Donalds Azusa, then a waitress Mugi and a school uniform Tainaka Ritsu. Note all 5 of them doesnt even look like a set (although all are 1/7) because they are distinctly different - the sculptor chose an artwork he prefers and made it into a figure. They dont care about making a complete set - they choose a unique artwork that they prefer.

Examples of characters from games is 1/7 7th Dragon 2020 Samurai, something i wouldnt have heard of before if they didnt make a figure out of it. Max's 1/7 Nyaruko naked apron recently went on preorder, but i dont think a 1/7 Cthuuko figure will be made. If she does end up being made there needs to be a very unique illustration - not her in a school uniform, or the red flame mode. Just like how they chose a unique artwork and adapted it for Kuroyukihime (everyone's doing the butterfly avatar, Max went for naked look with her armor avatar).

Will the brides other than Momo being made? My prediction is NO. The only possible exception is Yami. I guess having Alter's Momo isnt a bad thing, she is on scale with GSC's Yami, and Lala.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: May 29 2013, 02:10 AM

1 simple clue for everyone, Good Smile's figures price usually maintain a stable price or enter bargain bin except online exclusives, especially since they screwed up BRS animation over a year ago. Saber Cuirassier also showed no signs of price hike yet, and IMO the only saber which the price will go up again is once again the Distant Avalon (which i think is more valuable than Golden Caliburn). Saber Triumphant Excalibur's price is still stable also, at RM 400 range. I dont really listen to rumors, i monitor the figure market and various other forums myself to predict what will happen.

So far i only know the companies with potential price surge after release is Alter/Hobby Japan, Orchid Seed/Amakuni and Native. Alpha Max's mainstream figures, PLUM, Fap Company, FREEing, price also drop kaw kaw. Im still waiting to see how the new companies Lechery (Kaitendoh renamed) and Arcadia (Yamato renamed) will end up.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: May 29 2013, 01:55 PM

Quoted for truth.
If i REALLY want it, i preorder, just like what i did for 1/8 Insane BRS (i know that she wont become rare very fast). Expensive? Let it be. But for others that im thinking like this "maybe i want" or "I want! but budget is a concern" i have to make use of how much i know about the figure market and try to grab it cheaper. My biggest regret till now is Beatless Lacia. Want one? If you have RM 1500 maybe can get.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: May 29 2013, 02:39 PM

Oh, that one, reminded me of Cecilia Alcott a bit also, and some Gundams... 18k yen. >.<

Max Factory is more of the unpredictable kind; Kureha is kinda old already, year 2008 i think. 5 years old leh, of course rare and expensive lah.

And regarding predicting max factory's figures, read this.
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=60670149

I saw this on FB. AF Hobby's page also. No money no talk.

My personal experience and observation so far (highest to lowest quality):

Tier 1

1. Orchid Seed
2. Volks (All the scale figures they made are exclusive)
3. Alter/Hobby Japan
4. Max Factory/Native (They are the same company, by the way)
5. GSC

Tier 2
1. Kotobukiya
2. Megahouse
3. upLark
4. Alpha Max
5. PLUM
6. Phat Company
7. Gift

Tier 3 (Manufacturer in this tier are usually inconsistent,but if feedback is good for a particular figure you can still go for it)

1. Griffon Enterprise
2. FREEing
3. Penguin Parade
4. Arcadia (Yamato)
5. Lechery (Kaitendoh)

Tier 4 (Just avoid for the sake of your wallet)

1. Chara-ani
2. CM Corporation

To get an idea what kind of figure CM corp is making, see this:



Already bankrupt:

Taki Corporation.Enjoy yourselves with the photos of their figures here.

This post has been edited by EXkurogane: May 29 2013, 05:14 PM

I edited that post, see one of the CM corp's figures
It's impossible to rank one by one which is the best, i just split them into tiers.

^ Thank god i never liked Madoka. Wide melon faces that reminds me of patients with moon faces in a disease called Cushing syndrome.