A trio of One Piece Grandista figures

   Like many of you out there with a penchant for all things anime, the One Piece series probably rank quite high up in your list of all time favourite shonen series. And if like me, you've watched it since its inception way back in 1999, you would've marveled at how the story telling has continued to captivate an adult version of yourself just like it wowed you when you were a kid. Being a fan myself, it was only the past year or so that I managed to find time to resume watching the One Piece series I had watch together with my son way back when it all began. And you know what? I still love the series nearly 20 years later. With that of course comes the inevitable move on my part to add some characters from the One Piece universe to my pre-painted figure collection.

 Below are the embedded YouTube videos of One Piece pre-painted figures from the Bandai Banpresto Grandista/Grandista Nero line. Specifically, Nami comes from the Grandista line while both Sanji and Zoro are from the Grandista Nero line.

 While there exists premium pre-painted figures of One Piece characters that far exceed the Bandai Banpresto Grandista line in terms of quality and design, I am beginning my collection with the latter due to budget considerations. Despite the Bandai figures being from the budget crane prize figure category, the product line has enough quality in both paintwork and sculpt design that make them worthwhile additions to your collection. That being said, in the future I hope to unbox and review One Piece pre-painted figures from more premium lines like the Megahouse Portrait of Pirates line. That's one for the future. For now, thanks so much for visiting my blog, and I hope to see you on my YouTube channel. Take care, be well and be happy.

Kaguya & Chika【Kaguya-sama: Love is War】PoP Up Parade Bishoujo Figure Unboxing & Review

 Kaguya-sama: Love is War does not enjoy mainstream popularity to the level as those from giants like One Piece and Naruto, so figures from the series aren't actually as easy to come by, either new in retail, or in the aftermarket. But both Shinomiya Kaguya and Fujiwara Chika have enough of  a cult-like following among fans that their figures that do become available have above average prices. The mid-tier pre-painted figures you see here are from Good Smile Company's Pop Up Parade lineup.

  Below are the 'Unboxing and Review' videos of the pair that I had uploaded to my YouTube Channel FourEyedMonster Miniatures. You can watch them here by clicking their respective play buttons located below. Alternatively, please visit my channel to watch the videos there as well as other similar content on pre-painted figures from other anime series.

 In essence, both figures are extremely simple in design and color scheme. Yet this creative choice by Good Smile Company for the Pop Up Parade figures suits the characters to a tee. Having both of them wear the Shuchi'in Academy uniform also, in a way, ensures anime accuracy. These Pop Up Parade figures look great and would be a welcome addition to any fan's collection. So that's it for another quick update on the latest videos on my YouTube Channel, which you can also visit by clicking on the banner below. Thanks for checking out the blog and videos. Be well. And be happy.

Priestess【Goblin Slayer】Good Smile Company Pop Up Parade (L) Pre-Painted Figures

 Suffice to say, the anime Goblin Slayer isn't for everyone. Now I watch a lot of anime, and as such I'm not easily shocked by the medium. But the opening scenes of Goblin Slayer was admittedly disturbing as it contained a rape scene by goblins on the female members of a captured human adventure group. Initially I was put off, and wondered if I was going to continue watching the anime. Well I did, and I'm glad I did. As disturbing as the scene was, it wasn't to glorify the act. The story showcases the horror inherent in rape, and the effects it had on even the strongest of heroines.

 But I digress. The purpose of this blog post was to direct you to my YouTube video on the unboxing and review of Good Smile Company's L-sized Pop Up Parade pre-painted scale figure of the heroine, namely Priestess. If you are wondering, that's her real name. The anime gives all the characters generic nouns for names such as Goblin Slayer, High Elf Archer, Dwarf Shaman, Lizard Priest, Cow Girl, etc. Weird but it kinda works. Please check out the embedded video below if you're interested.

 Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Please visit my YouTube Channel by clicking on the first banner below. If you like the content, please do subscribe. Until next time, be happy and be well!

Asuna & Kirito【Sword Art Online】Good Smile Company Pop Up Parade Pre-Painted Figures

 While having a story concept that's by no means unique in the anime scifi storytelling world, Sword Art Online (SAO) nonetheless is one of the few tells the tale well. And it's an intertwining tale of three core concepts of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games. All tough topics to deal with, yet to me SAO has managed to combine all three together extremely well. Kirito and Asuna, whose mid-tier Pop Up Parade figures are being unboxed and reviewed in the videos in this post, are the main characters of the light novel and anime series.

  Below are the two 'Unboxing and Review' videos of the SAO protagonists that I had uploaded to my YouTube Channel, FourEyedMonster Miniatures. You can watch them here by clicking their respective play buttons or visit my channel to see the videos there as well as other content.

 Both Asuna and Kirito are the very first Good Smile Company Pop Up Parade Standard-Sized figures in my collection. In terms of condition, the former was bought pre-owned from AmiAmi Japan while the latter was bought brand new from a local Good Smile Company Partner Shop. Going forward, I'll definitely add more PoP Up Parade figures into my collection. For now though, thanks for taking the time to read my blog post. Please do visit my YouTube Channel by clicking on the second banner below. If you like the content, please do subscribe. Take care for now, be happy and be well!

Elsa & Echidna【Re:Zero-Starting Life in Another World】Banpresto Relax Time Pre-Painted Figures

 Villainesses in the world of Re:Zero might not be as popular as the main trio of Emilia, Rem, and Ram, but both Elsa Granhiert and Echidna do have their own niche attraction when it comes to the pre-painted figure collection community. And between both villainesses, Elsa is a much rarer find than Echidna. The pre-painted figures shown below are from Banpresto's Relax Time series, which tends to portray anime characters in either casual or nighttime sleepwear. 

 Below are the two 'Unboxing and Review' videos of them that I had uploaded to my YouTube Channel FourEyedMonster Miniatures. You can watch them here by clicking their respective play buttons or visit my channel to see the videos there as well as other content.

 While the Relax Time color scheme for both Re:Zero villainesses are pretty dull with their almost all-back hues, the colors are nonetheless still true to the anime characters' onscreen colors. What I would've have preferred was more neutral colored trimmings such as gray to add details to an almost all-black ensemble. More details of the review can be gained from the videos above. Next up will be a pre-painted figure with much more cheerful colors. Stay tuned to find out who she is. Until then, as always my dear readers and viewers ... please be well and be happy.

Asuka & Mari【Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time】Revolve 1/7 Scale Painted Bishoujo Figures

 In all my years as an anime fan, I honestly never thought I would be able to get my hands an upper-tier scale painted figure, let alone two. It was only thanks to the availability of pre-owned figures either in extremely good or near-mint condition at lower than retail prices that allowed me to get my hands on this pair from the Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon A Time movie.

 Below are the 'Unboxing & Review' videos of Shikinami Asuka Langley and Makinami Mari Illustrious respectively, filmed at the High Definition (HD) resolution of 1920x1080.

 For upper-tier pre-painted figures such as the Revolve Evangelion Last Mission ones of Asuka and Mari that you see here, I plan to start a new videos series called '4K Showcase'. Kicking off this new series in my YouTube Channel is the Ultra High Definition (UHD) videos of both the EVA pilots filmed at a resolution of 3840x2160. Technically 4K usually has a resolution of 4096x2160 but YouTube classifies 3840x2160 as 4K in their video uploads, at least for now. So bearing that in mind, the video you see below is the first 4K video uploaded to my channel.

 Happy as I am with this pair of EVA pilots, I realize not many of future figures in my collection will be of the upper-tier variety. For the near future, most figures will still be from the budget friendly prize figure category or from the mid-tier category. Any upper-tier figures I do get will likely be spread out in something like one every two to three months due to budget constraints. Of course any figure be they of the budget or the more expensive variety will still be a treasured item in my collection. On that note, I always treasure the time you, my dear readers take in reading my humble blog. If you would like to also view more content, please do check out my YouTube channel by clicking on the banner immediately below this paragraph. Until we meet again, be well and be happy!

Emilia & Beatrice【Re:Zero - Story To Be Continued | Ichiban Kuji】Bishoujo Prize Figures

 Beatrice finally joins my Re:Zero-Starting Life From Another World figure collection. More importantly she is clad in her iconic pink Lolita outfit. Prize figures of Beatrice in her Lolita outfit are rare to almost non-existent. Emilia is the other pre-painted prize figure, and she is similarly clad in her own iconic outfit of purple and white from the anime series. While not as rare, figures of Emilia in her purple and white outfit are still fairly hard to find, especially in the budget prize figure category.    

 Below are three Unboxing & Review videos of the Re:Zero pair of Emilia and Beatrice. 

 All the pre-painted figures above are from the Banpresto Re:Zero-Story To Be Continued Ichiban Kuji. For ratings of the figures, please do have a look at the videos above. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog update. Please do visit my YouTube Channel by clicking on the second banner below. If you like the content, please do subscribe. Take care for now, be happy and be well!

Water Decal Tutorial | Straw Hat Pirates symbol on the flages of Going Merry ship【One Piece】

 Veteran scale modelers or miniature painters tend to take the act of water decal application for granted. When I first started out as noob scale modeler, I remember being absolutely terrified of applying water decals for fear of damaging them as most model kits did not include spare decals in anticipation of some being damaged during the application process. One thing I wish I knew back then was that I actually had more time to manipulate the water decal during the application process before it dried out. That and the fact there were ways to re-hydrate the decals thus extending the time we could work with the decals. Time affords us the opportunity to be patient in the water decal application process. And patience is the key virtue required in this task.

 Below are the two YouTube Shorts I managed to record of a water decal application of one section of the huge Straw Hat Pirates Symbol on the main sail of the Going Merry. This is an example of how quickly the process can be achieved one you've gained sufficient experience in the process.

 Meanwhile below is the main YouTube video tutorial that shows the water decal application process taking longer to completed as well as a scenario whereby the decal is accidentally torn. The main video is much longer in duration and it best describes the process if you are new to the task of water decal application. I included a torn decal scenario to show how the issue can be resolved with patience and care. Rushing the task will inevitably lead to failure as I've learned the hard way over the years. Even today I still make mistakes, but with lower frequency as my experience increases.

 If you are a beginner to this hobby, I hope you've found the video tutorial informative and most importantly helpful. Please hit the like button on the videos, and subscribe to my channel. Thanks for taking the time to read this latest blog update. As always, be well and be happy.

A trio of Taito Artist Masterpiece Pre-Painted Prize Figures | Albedo, Kitigawa Marin, and Rem

 For collectors who want to display figures with high quality paint jobs, there were usually two main routes to achieving this goal. One was to purchase expensive scale painted figures while the other was to paint the miniature figurines themselves. Up to now, I had either taken the latter route or made do with prize figures with lower quality paint jobs. But in the past few years, anime figure manufacturers have started to up their game, and produce prize figures with premium-like quality designs and paint jobs. One of those companies is Taito with their Artist Masterpiece figure lineup.

 Way back in 2021, Taito kick-started their Artist Masterpiece line with a popular anime figure in Rem from the Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World light novel/anime/manga series. Called the Winter Maid image version, this figure is huge for a prize figure with an approximate height of 27 cm from the bottom of the base to the top of he head (see video below).  

 An example of complexity in design for a prize figure done well is the Albedo from Overlord IV in the Taito Artist Masterpiece Plus (AMP+) line of figures. There is so much going on for a figure that is classified as belonging to the prize figure category. Taito more than makes up for the lack of paint shading on Albedo with both complexity in design as well as varied yet accurately textured parts.

 Another way Taito has made their prize figures more aesthetically pleasing is by adding a unique base as well as character-specific accessories. Similar to Albedo, this prize figure of Kitigawa Marin (in cosplay as Kuroe Shizuku) lacks paint shading but makes up for it via multi-textured and multi-layered parts that have excellent sculpted details. A key example of this can be seen on the cosplay dress that Marin is wearing. That dress she's wearing looks incredible despite a lack of paint shading.  

 Going forward I might plump for the more expensive upper-tier scale painted figures to add to my collection. But this I'll do sparingly because of my limited hobby budget. That means I'll still continue to paint miniature figures as well as opt to buy pre-painted prize figures as well as mid-tier painted figures. Slowly but surely, I hope to grow my figure collection despite budget constraints. Well that's it for this post. I hope to see you soon in my next hobby update. And until then, be well and be happy.

OZ-00MS Tallgeese | Bandai 1/144 scale Real Grade【Completed: Custom-painted & detailed with third party water decals】Gundam Wing Endless Waltz

 With the hard part over and done with (i.e. the custom paint and sub-assembly processes), getting this 1/144 scale Real Grade Tallgeese project over the finishing line involved the simple task of putting the sub-assembly pieces together in a final assembly process. What you see below are photos of the fully-assembled Tallgeese complete with its custom paint job and water decal details.

Bandai 1/144 scale Real Grade OZ-00MS Tallgeese EW custom-paint project (front view, closeup)

Bandai 1/144 scale Real Grade OZ-00MS Tallgeese EW custom-paint project (back view, closeup)

 Multiple shots were taken from slightly different angles to showcase the Tallgeese in a sort of static 360 degree view (see first dozen photos below this paragraph). For a continuous and uninterrupted video shot of the Tallgeese rotating 360 degrees, please check out the embedded YouTube video towards the end of this post. That video also includes the final assembly process as well as detailed explanations of the work that had been carried out on the Real Grade Gundam scale model kit.

 What this scale model kit lacks in terms of size, it more than makes up for in detail and complexity. As such, the Bandai 1/144 scale Real Grade Tallgeese retains a significant amount of shelf presence, with the caveat that the mecha model kit is displayed prominently in the upper levels of your display shelf. Admittedly its small size may make it less visible if positioned on the lower levels.

Front close up view of the Real Grade Tallgeese from a slightly different angle

Real Grade OZ-00MS Tallgeese EW custom-paint project (side view, closeup)

 Meanwhile, below are the YouTube videos of the Real Grade Tallgeese project for those of you who would like to see the scale model kit being examined, assembled, and reviewed in recorded real-time.

 It was nice to kick of my adventure with the Bandai 1/144 scale Real Grade line with the OZ-00MS Tallgeese EW. Because of the excellent finish of the molded-in color white parts in this scale model kit, I was able to reduce the amount of work to be done, thus lessening the complexity of the project. This helped reduce any trepidation I faced in starting the project as well as reduce the time needed to complete it. All said and done, the Real Grade Tallgeese is finally complete. Hopefully it's the start of many more Real Grade projects to come. Well, that's all for now. As always be well and be happy!