Our apartment – 2016 NSFW

It's been not only a long time since I've posted here, but it has been a long time since I shared photos of my place. The last time you guys saw where I lived I was still living at home with my parents. It was back in 2012, so easily 4 years ago you saw my collection. Now you can see not only has my… [more]

Our apartment – 2016 NSFW Our apartment - 2016 NSFW

[Alter] – Melty Review

So since I've moved into my new apartment I still hadn't set up my photography studio. Seems work has me busier than I thought I would ever be, however I took some time this past weekend to set up my studio so I could take some photos of my latest purchase, Alter's 1/8th Melty from Shining Hearts. Now… [more]

[Alter] – Melty Review [Alter] - Melty Review

[Orchid Seed] – Yuki Review NSFW

Pre-ordered this figure the moment she was released for pre-order. I needed for for multiple reasons, she's sexy/half naked, plus while she's not Sora she reminds me of Sora from Yosuga no Sora! But she's Yuki from Maid Yome and she's pretty amazing. The only issue is her adorable mouth really looks… [more]

[Orchid Seed] – Yuki Review NSFW [Orchid Seed] - Yuki Review NSFW

Nendoroid Storage Container

I recently went on a trip to a magical place, The Container Store. Ok it's not really magical, but I happen to have discovered a love for organizing my home. I tend to prefer Ikea and Daiso but we went to The Container Store on a whim and I discovered this lovely storage container! I've been needing… [more]

Nendoroid Storage Container Nendoroid Storage Container

What got you started?

What was the thing that sparked your interest in figure collecting, that’s if you collect figures in the first place? The pictures shown in this post are pretty old and were pictures i took when i first started collecting, this was my small collection but i was so proud of it! The person who got me started in figure collecting is the same person who got me started into anime in the first place, my wonderful older Brother!

My brother has been into anime longer than I have and when some of his friends mentioned that staffing at Anime Expo gets you a free hotel, food and you of course get to go to Anime Expo for Free he jumped at the chance. Now he’s been staffing for Anime Expo since ’05 and in July of ’06 I decided to see what it was all about and go myself. I didn’t have much money so I only want the last day of Anime Expo and when I got there my brother had already raided the exhibit hall and got me some awesome presents.

A Renji Plushie, a set of Card Captor Sakura Gashapons and he got himself some Sega Eva figures. I loved his figures and made him take me immediately to the exhibit hall to look at the figures. Needless to say even though I bought the ticket for the entire con, I spent all my time in the exhibit hall. I got me my first two figures, Renji and Ichigo from Bleach. I was a complete bleach-o-tard then. Sadly I didn’t have enough money for more but I just adored the figures they had, I didn’t know anything about figure companies, bootlegs or anything really. I just knew I loved them and I wanted more.

Since I didn’t know much about bootlegs I went shopping on eBay for figures like crazy, finding amazing figures for amazing prices, never knowing it was too good to be true. I ended up getting some Bootlegs Bleach gashapons and a Bootleg Kotobukiya Mai Tokiha (Pictured above.) But I was lucky enough to be able to sell it off to people who don’t mind bootleg figures but I couldn’t bare to have them in my collection at all.

Now I always liked my small figure collection but didn’t get seriously into it until ’07 when I started talking more to Deftoned of Tea Shop Beloved and he showed me the wonder of HLJ and that I wouldn’t ever get a bootleg from them, also through Deftoned I learned a lot more about figure companies and which are good and which are bad. I also had to learn by experience like how I had purchased a few Atelier Sai figures and at first loved them. But once I compared them to say Max Factory figures I realized what crap figures Atelier Sai makes and have sworn to never buy another Atelier Sai figure. My collections started out small yet i was proud of it. It’s grown a lot in the past 3 years and I’ve learned a lot more about figures. It’s become such a passion for me, I don’t regret starting even though if i sit and think about the thousands of dollars my figures cost me. It’s all worth it to me, it’s been something that has made me feel good and i love getting new figures. I love finding old figures, and I love helping people start collecting and showing them he ropes as Deftoned helped me.

So how did you start collecting figures? Are you wanting to start but not sure what to look for in a figure? Do you just don’t have the money but would love to collect figures as well? What are some lesson’s you’ve learned about figure collecting in the time you’ve been collecting?

Planning on starting a collection soon? Stop by these awesome retailers to find some of the best deals!

beNippon
HobbyLink Japan
Hobby Search
J-list
Kid Nemo Company
Otaku Fuel
Play Asia
Toylet
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31 Responses to “What got you started?”

  1. Uzumakiworld says:

    I personally just think its fun to see characters you love virtually, come out in 3D and real life for you to enjoy. They are expensive- but not all people have them. All of the figures are full of energy and happiness, not to mention have striking poses. They represent an ideal world and I think it’s nice to have a little bit of perfect-ness in your life! Thats why you want to collect more figures! You want more of that in your everyday life. Figures seem to come to life… admitedly, every night before I go to bed I wish my figures goodnight. LOL! So cute, so ideal, so wonderful. Nothing in the world is like them- they are unique and they display a piece of unreal reality.

  2. Dancing Queen says:

    @Uzumakiworld:
    that’s beautiful, and truly what most die-hard figure collectors feel. Just having something so delicate and beautiful in your hands, it’s just an amazing feeling

  3. Aquilla says:

    My brother got me started XD technically. I had wanted to start collecting figures for ages, but didn’t have a job back then. My brother brought me my first figure for Christmas about 3-4 years ago. I was instantly hooked. When I got a job I started collecting more figures.

    My other hobby is super dollfie and bjd though, so its a pricey hobby. So even though I’ve been into figures a long long time, I don’t have a huge collection because of the dolls huge expenses. I love my 23 figure collection though, they all make me smile.

    Aquillas last blog post..Dollfie Dream troubles

  4. deftoned says:

    I cause all kinds of problems for people. Turning an interest into an infatuation was terrible of me. I apologize. 😉

  5. Blowfish says:

    What got me started?
    Ive been a follower of superrats blog for quite some time and always admired those beautiful figures he had taken pictures of.I never thought about buying those since they were expensive and I had no idea where to get them from.Ive stayed a lurker for a long,long time until someone opened up a figurethread in the anime section of a videogamesforum I attend.The figures suddenly became avaiable for me even tough they were sold on the other side of the globe.Those guys hooked me up with all the basic knowledge and I was ready to go.I placed my first order with HLJ in Dec 07.

    My very first order consisted of:
    RealActionHero Rei
    Yamato 1/6 Aya from Oneechanbara
    JungleEmmy from Monsieur Bome

    Haha i was still wet behind my ears back then ^___^

    The rest is history in the making

    Blowfishs last blog post..Aerocat Rei

  6. Sythlia says:

    I’ve been a lurker for quite some time, so I felt compelled to type something into the comment box this time. 🙂 I really enjoy your figure reviews; even if some figures just aren’t my type, it’s still quite interesting to see it from your perspective.

    As for me? I had a small collection of domestic figures (mostly dragons) when I was a young kid, but it wasn’t till I was about 17 that I ever got my first import figure. It was a birthday present from my best friend and it was a 4″ inch pseudo-action figure of Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII fame. I was in love and it has had a place of honor on my desk for over 10 years now. (It only feels like yesterday… good grief!)

    That said my figure collection isn’t huge because I’m quite picky about what joins my legion. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what will make me lose my willpower and suddenly have ordered a figure before common sense returns, but I usually like to get a figure for characters I like from a good game and/or anime that will likely stick with me like the Eye Up versions of Kamina and Yoko. So awesome. <3

    Since Sephiroth was the first figure, it’s become a mild obsession to get just about any figure I can get a hold of which has increased a lot since Advent Children. A good chunk of my Final Fantasy shrine is very Sephiroth-centric. Hehehe….. n_n;

  7. Toonleap says:

    Hello
    Thanks for visiting my website. I tried my best to reply…About the 1/4 Saber post, it does have the castoff photos, but you must click a link to toggle visibility…

    Since you know about figures, it would be nice to exchange ideas and also I will like to exchange links as well.

    Once more, thanks for visiting. Feel free to visit and let me know.

  8. Toonleap says:

    Made a mistake with the link url, sorry….Nice Bleach collection you have there…

    Toonleaps last blog post..The CGI Sōryū Asuka Langley figure: So Expensive!

  9. ron~ says:

    actually I cant really remember what had me started figure collecting. it just happened like that haha…

    I started reading blogs when I started buying figurines, so it’s not from the blogs as well.

    ron~s last blog post..Happy 2nd Anniversary

  10. Lightosan says:

    My first figures were kagami,tsukasa and konata figma, and i got started in collecting figuras because i want to have more of the animes i like.Here in my country there arent figures collectors and they think anime is weird so i want to be diferent and be an figure collector.

  11. Dancing Queen says:

    @Aquilla:
    yep, i didn’t get fully into it until i had more money from my job, then i went crazy

    @deftoned:
    no worries, it’s not like i regret it or anything, but if i ever start to you’ll be the first person i’ll blame

    @Blowfish:
    see i only found out about happy soda after i started collecting figures, but he did inspire me to take pictures of my figures, his photography is some of the best I’ve seen

    @Sythlia:
    oh i’ve got one of sephiroth, well tech. he belongs to my mom, she loves him yet doesn’t even know who he is. she refers to him as the guy with the long hair and long sword

    @Toonleap:
    i’ll be glad to exchange links with you, and i don’t even own those same bleach figures anymore, sold them off some time ago

    @ron~
    yeah i started reading blogs after i got into figures, but it would have been nice to know about them before hand so i could have known what figures to look out for and which to avoid

    @Lightosan:
    most places think anime is weird, but we’re all too cool for them!

  12. Ghosty says:

    It all started one day when i still was a high school student. I passed by my local anime store and to my surprise they were taking preorder for Kotobukiya F/SN Tohsaka Rin and Saber and since I’m a great fan of Rin and the Price was $30, at the time it was a insane price that i would never pay for a figure but since it would take around 2 months to arrive i could save the money slowly to buy it and i decided that my love for Rin would be worth it so i went for it and ordered her, when i got her later i liked her a lot and i had saved more than what i needed so i ordered saber too since she was still available and since then i was hooked and have been getting more figures. After a few months i started to lurk around various blogs and widening my knowledge about figures and where get them.

  13. Benu says:

    It’s your fault and Danny Choo’s for getting me into figures collecting. I first figure I ever got was the Max Factory 1/8 Haruhi PVC. I still have a really small collection but it’s growing. I just like having and looking at figures on my desk though. I like playing around with figmas though also.

    Benus last blog post..Anime Genesis & How A Girl Figures LIVE! At Anime LA 2009!

  14. meronpan says:

    been a while since i’ve stopped by… stupid content filter at work… can’t believe your site is blocked ;_;

    at any rate… reading dannychoo.com is what started it all for me… have been watching anime since grade school and reading manga for the last decade (egads saying that makes me feel old ^^;;;) so it was just natural to add this into the mix ^^;

    glad i got into mix only after being exposed to the community and reading blogs like this. really helped get a head start in terms of knowledge about bootlegs, good manufacturers and such.

    one thing that kinda still caught me off guard was all the other aspects to owning a collection… dusting, display space, blogging -> photography… it’s a lot of work!

    meronpans last blog post..Fauna到着、Nyxパーツに付いて、日本旅行

  15. Dancing Queen says:

    @Ghosty:
    oh i have those two, impulse buys at their best!

    @Benu:
    i’ll have you swarmed in figures soon enough, muwhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

    @meronpan:
    sorry about that, my spam filters suck… so i did away with them all together since i moderate all comments anyways
    and yeah cleaning figures is a pain but i don’t mind doing it from time to time, japan needs to invent dust free pvc so we don’t ever have to dust our figures again

  16. Adun says:

    It’s been a while since I started collecting figures but for me it all started back in my uni days. A friend was already collecting figures and I saw one that interested me. Got him to order it for me and eventually started from there.

    Aduns last blog post..Figure Gallery: Kouno Harumi

  17. shirokiryuu says:

    I got a Miku nendo as a gift. While I got the Rin and Len nendos, I don’t do much figure collecting, however I love reading figure reviews and see new releases. They’re just so interesting to look at! However I like to collect Re-ment models (those miniature foods)

  18. Panther says:

    I agree with Uzumaki, the figures represent ideals that I see expressed in a form of 3D content, even if it is only lifeless plastic. Yet the sculpture, expression, pose, and the story behind each figure if you know it can give it more meaning to the eye of the beholder. Some may therefore look with askance and doubt upon such a hobby, but it would be the same as if I did not understand someone who is way into cars and he or she would wonder why I do not understand. Is a person’s passion so difficult to comprehend? If he/she likes it, why not?

    That being said I forgot which was my first figure and I still believe it is GSC’s 1/8 Yakumo from School Rumble, but I could be wrong. How long a way I have come since then.

    Panthers last blog post..Anime Episodic Plan

  19. Actar says:

    I have to ask, do you watch the Animes and read the Manga from where the characters originated from?

    Personally, I see figure collecting as an extension of my Anime fandom. I will buy a figure of a favourite character. Then, the figure would hold more meaning than say a figure of a character that I know nothing about but has a fantastic sculpt and paint work.

    Actars last blog post..New Year’s First (Exclusive) Haul

  20. Optic says:

    I don’t remember the specific details but I think it started when I found cheap scale figures of my favourite characters online.
    Soon afterwards, it started to become a hobby of mine where I’m catching up with figure news and reviews. ^^

    Optics last blog post..Megami Magazine Vol. 105: My Impressions

  21. Lovelyduckie says:

    I came into some money in college (that’s right a whole $100). And decided I’d spend a little of it on some anime figures to go in my room. I bought 2 $17 Galaxy Angel figures by Yujin. After that I bought a few figures online which I’ve gotten rid of since then (because they were bootleg). On eBay I became enchanted by the Final Fantasy Mini Trading Figure set and bought it on eBay, I didn’t realize until later that I had technically pre-ordered them through the seller. The following Spring I saw a site and when I saw images of Revy (Alter), Clare (Megahouse), and Kureha (both Max Factory and Kotobukiya) it was all over. All of them were sold out at the time I saw the images (well Koto Kureha was at the pre-order stage). I own all but that Revy now.

    Lovelyduckies last blog post..Professor Layton and the Curious Village

  22. LoliHat says:

    My first figure came with the LE for Appleseed. After that there were other limited editions that I ended up getting. Didn’t end there, as I picked up a a couple more and then found out that they were part of a series…and I’m a stickler for getting an endire series, including color variants. After that I just picked up whatever looked interesting…and then some.

  23. ceasol says:

    I love Anime and their character since I was a kid. I saw figures in local stores and in anime events, but I start to collect them after watching SuperRats pictures at flickr. I like take pictures, so that trigger my interest to collect and put and take pictures^^.

    ceasols last blog post..GSC 1/7 Saber Lily

  24. Ohki says:

    I only started collecting figures at Acen 2007, when I picked up my Seras Victoria. Since then, I’ve obtained 4 other big PVC figures and a smattering of trading figures and gashapon. I also have 2 more trading figure sets and 2 PVC figures preordered as of right now.

    I would buy more figures, but I’ve been rather unfortunate about series and characters I like not getting figures made. (what I wouldn’t give for a 1/8 Miranda Lotto or Rinslet Walker!)

  25. Vanessa says:

    One of my best friends got me an Auron Play Arts figure (from Final Fantasy X) for Christmas in 2006. At the time, I was also REALLY into my two favorite anime, Cowboy Bebop and Evangelion (finishing both series at around the same time). That meant that I wanted everything relating to those series that I can get my hands on (and won’t burn a hole in my wallet). Fast forward to Anime Boston 2007. I got a few small figures of Rei and Kaworu from Eva and Spike from Bebop. I was pretty overjoyed that I found the Spike figure that I was looking all over for and I was satisfied that I got Rei and Kaworu. But when I saw the Light Yagami Nendoroid online, I fell in love. It was then I realized that I like figurines. A year later, I’m still buying figurines, scouring the internet for good deals, browsing through issues of Hobby Japan at my local comic shop, and reading blogs for reviews and recommendations. I really enjoy this hobby :).

  26. J-chan says:

    Well.. my first figure was a cheap-ish Tron Bonne that I bought online when I had some cash to burn and still didn’t really know anything about the figure scene (or even that there was one). For a few years, I bought the occasional blind box/gashapon here or there, especially when I went to Anime Boston! But what really got me into figures was when I first got into the Hatsune Miku craze. She’s one of my all-time favorite characters, and when I saw a picture of Good Smile’s 1/8 figure on 4chan’s /c/, I knew I had to have her! It was in the process of researching that figure that I discovered figure blogs, the art of preorders, and so on, and now I’ve recently started my own blog (and wishlist full of unattainable figures) too. <3

  27. phossil says:

    I like the CCS little figures you have in the shelf!
    Im a huge fan of CCS!!

    phossils last blog post..If at First You Don’t Succeed…

  28. jinx626 says:

    My figure collecting hobbies started when i really got into anime in 2003. My first figure was Arcueid from Tsukihime made by Spring DX. Like you i learned which figure companies to avoid and where to shop. Eventually it has led me to being more and more selective to what i purchase which i have noticed that you are also doing the same as your collection matures.

  29. th says:

    What got me into figures was actually seeing the Motoko Kusanagi figure from GitS SAC: 2. The one where she’s wearing the grey body suit which she’s zipping down. Man, I had just finished GitS (back in ’06) and was totally blown away by that figure’s level of detail and the playful mood that it captured. Alas, it was sold out and to this day I haven’t been able to find one 🙁

    So my first ever figure was the Creator’s Labo Rei Ayanami. Normal Rei figures were just like her, ie completely meh. But damn this figure was the most amazing rendition of her’s I have seen to date! And that started it all.

    PS: after a lot of hunting I finally decided to get a new macro lens. Check out my site if you get time 🙂

  30. Daniel says:

    The first figure I bought knowing entirely what it was, (I have a bunch of MegaMan X, DBZ and other random bootlegged toys from 10 years ago c:) was figma Lelouch, not too long ago.

    I was really into Code Geass and saw a really cool looking figure on eBay. I just had to have it!

    So, 40 dollars later (Japan to Mexico EMS shipping is expensive x:) I had my figma Lelouch, and I absolutely love it.

    So far I only have a few figmas, figma lulu, figma saber, figma miku, figma len, figma rin, and my newest buy was figma suzaku for 30 USD c:. I’ve also got a yotsuba and a bandaged Rei revoltechs.

    Yeah just a few, but I keep seeing all these cute figures, that I’ll probably give in to them soon. D:
    Figure collecting is an expensive hobby though..

  31. Daniel says:

    Oh right, I almost forgot, I had a whole frickin bunch of MegaMan Network figures a few years ago LOL.
    Around 20 of them. But I didn’t consider them “figures” because they had joints and I was young and stupid.

    They were since passed on to my nephews and niece to play with when they visit.

    I would never let them touch my figmas though.

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