January 2021 Loot

  Another accumulated loot post as past three months have been rather hectic for me. In any case another well rounded acquisition for me with a balance mix of Bishoujo figures and Mechas. The best haul of the bunch is Hi-Metal L-Gaim which is no doubt a good product overlooked by its obscure series. The SHM Rathalos probably catches the attention the most among the rest of the loots and i am certainly looking forward to the future release for Zinogre. In this haul saw myself another sizable addition for Beastbox series including the second AMTS series, Deep-One. Lastly My FGO and Ensemble series are getting steady addition and certainly i need to catch up for the latter as i have been lagging 2 volumes behind. As usual Prize Figures and the Beastbox series will be likely getting the review first.

Mobile Suit Gundam Ensemble 13 Review

 Sentinel Gundam makes a grand appearance in Candy Toys once again!

Yuusha Super Minipla Power Dagwon

  Goriki Gattai! Power Dagwon! Bandai doesn't really waste time for Brave Command Dagwon Minipla, just after minipla Fire Dagwon announced July last year, Power Dagwon is following suit. Super Minipla Power Dagwon is scheduled for May release with 5850 Yen price tag. Power Dagwon is slightly pricier than the Fire Dagwon as it comes with extra accessories notably the main character in Fire En form and the Dag Fire as well. No doubt Minipla Power Dagwon is necessary for complete Fire Dagwon setup as it is the second half part of the protagonist mecha final form, Super Fire Dagwon!

 Personally i am not too fond of Power Dagwon since the design is blatant lazy cashgrab by Takara back then due to rather uninspired mecha design. Firstly the transition from Jumbo Jet to a mere construction vehichle feels like a downgrade for Fire Dagwon not to mention the inherent blocky design.

 In any case Raian and Gunkid are also available in minipla as part of P-Bandai item which is necessary if you want to get Super Fire Dagwon ultimate weapons. It is just annoying that the Raian's sword which Fire Dagwon regularly used is only included in the P-Bandai set. Depending on the Minipla Dagwon sales, i think we might see the rest of Dagwon series coming in Minipla like Super Liner, Shadow and Thunder Dagwon

Super Fire Dagwon doesn't look to shabby in this one

Figma 515 Okita Souji Alter

 Not long after the 1st Ascension Nendoroid treatment, Okita Souji Alter makes another return with her 2nd Ascension in Figma format! Just like other FGO Merhandise, she would have received much fanfare if it was not for ongoing COVID pandemic. Figma Okitan will be scheduled for September 2021 release with 11000 Yen price tag. For a Figma that cost over 10000 Yen, Okitan is riddled with issues due to her inherent design and Max Factory either don't bother or unable to fix it. With Okita Alter standing on high heels and heavy hair part, i think it is impossible to make this figma version of her stand properly without Base support. This makes the fans reconsider about getting the figma since most FGO around this price tag so far like Gilgamesh and Proto Saber are still able to stand properly. 

 I suppose Max Factory are betting on the fans getting Okita Alter Figma due to her popularity in FGO and possible pairing with upcoming Okita figma, however with the current situation the gambit is rather risky.

Arknights Nendoroid 1551 Texas

 

 GSC is quite productive with Arknights Nendoroid series lately and now they releasing another one for 5* Operator which is no other than the Penguin Logistics Texas! Scheduled for September release, Nendoroid Texas will be sold for 5600 Yen price tag.

 In Arknights Texas is a 5* Vanguard Operator recruited from Penguin Logistics who specialize in crowd control. With her calm and collected personality, Penguin Logistics owner, Emperor entrusted Texas as the Penguin Logistics combat team leader and she is definitely no slouch in combat as she can summon blade like projectiles raining down upon her opponents. It is no surprise that Texas is getting the Nendoroid treatment quite fast since she had several qualities that made her to be rather popular waifu in Arknights. Given her accessories especially with her not amused expression, It is only a matter of time before Lappland joining the Nendoroid lineup as well. Among 5* Operators, i would be quite keen with Skyfire or Blue Poison which probably had a good shot too.

Aura Battler Dunbine Plamax Sirbine

  Another mecha toy that finally getting ready for production after stuck as prototype for years and this time it is another rendition for the legendary silver knight Sirbine! Apparently based of a 1980s garage kit that gained some cult status among the fans and Max Factory revived it as a part of Plamax lineup. Standing 15cm tall, Plamax Sirbine will be scheduled for May 2021 with reasonable price tag of 4800 Yen. Since it is a Plamax mode kit, i think the articulation will be rather limited which is comparable to Wave's Five Star Stories Model Kit. I don't think this version will surpass Bandai's Robot Damashii just yet since this one only wins out with the Shield as extra accessory. However at the skilled hand of modeller, Plamax Sirbine will look superb with its beautiful sculpt.

Gundam Seed 1/100 MG Mobile Ginn

  Gundam SEED has been quite neglected for few years in Master Grade Department but it is going for a resurgence once again! Last SEED Master Grade was MG 1/100 Justice Gundam back in 2017 and now finally the SEED series Grunt units are getting some love with Zaft's workhorse Mobile Suit, GINN! MG Mobile GINN will be scheduled for April release with 4300 Yen. The MG GINN comes with the default GINN's equipment which is 76mm Assault rifle and Sword as well as extra missile pods equipped on the legs. 

  In the Gundam SEED series, ZAFT managed to defeat earth military OMNI faction due to the technology advantage of Mobile Suit as the GINNs easily defeat the latter mainstay army which consist mostly of Mobius type mobile armor. Considering GINN is one of the earlier Mobile Suit in CE era, it does not possess many beam weaponry in its arsenal which is exploited by OMNI with Phase Shift technology as showcased by Strike Gundam in the TV series. Being a grunt unit, GINN possess a range of arsenals to serve its versatile role including Bazooka and Beam Cannon which possibly released as P-Bandai Option parts by Bandai in the future. Personally i am looking forward to MG treatment for CGue or Guaiz since they are the cooler elite grunt unit that belongs to ZAFT which might see a release considering even Calamity Gundam is getting a 1/100 treatment.

Monster Farm: Mystery of Disc Stone

 During the Pokemon Boom in mid to late 90s, there was a 3rd contender tried to carve into the market when Pokemon and Digimon are busy vying for dominance. The series is called Monster Farm or more known as Monster Rancher in the west which made a name for itself during Playstation era. While Monster Rancher only lasted for two console generation and then gradually fade into obscurity, no doubt the series leaves a legacy and some pleasant memories for the fans. During its peak fame, Monster Rancher had an animation series that running over 70 Episodes. 

52Toys Beastbox BB-23 Darkwave Review

 

 First of the Deep Sea series!

Yuru Camp Nendoroid 981-DX Shima Rin

 

 Overlooked this version of Shima Rin's Nendoroid back in 2018 before i watched Yuru Camp and it was particularly special item too. Long story short this Nendoroid fetched rather high price in the after market due shortage of product as the local toy distributor didn't ordered this item. However Goodsmile finally heard the pleas of the collectors and opened a rerun for Nendoroid Shima Rin with her Camping set. Nendoroid 981-DX will be scheduled for September 2021 release with 7000 Yen price tag. The main selling point for this Nendoroid is no doubt the Camping set which complements well with many other Nendoroids like Monster Hunter series for instance. For some reason this version of Shima Rin is cheaper compared to Nendoroid 1451 which came with the Scooter as the only major accessory. For me Yuru Camp is just another of those Slice of life of the season but it is undeniable quite a good one if you need something chill to unwind things.

Tsukihime Remake announced!

  2021 started with one of the most joyous occasion for Old Typemoon fans! Along with Major FGO News update including Muramasa Banner, Typemoon finally announced the long awaited Tsukihime remake. Titled as Tsukihime: A Piece of Blue Glass Moon, the remake of this legendary VN will be scheduled for Summer this year for PS4 and Switch. Nothing much has been revealed about the remake apart from the PV and the casts will be using the redesign version which was around for few years already. Some of the Old Fans who played the original VN back in 2000 are probably in their Mid-ages already. As for myself, i felt quite fortunate enough to witness this miracle just as i started my early 30s. I was exposed to Tsukihime series from Melty Blood around 2006 and soon charmed with the lore of the series but only managed to read the VN in 2008. Tsukihime is literally magical experience where Nasu took a spin on on the vampire trope creating one of a kind masterpiece VN.

 By no means It is an easy feat for a VN company to survive for 20 years and create a remastered work for its masterpiece but Typemoon has made it! It can be said that in Eroge Industry, Typemoon has attained the Holy Grail and reached Avalon where many has failed and faded away into obscurity. Personally i only wish the Tsukihime remake will expand the existing Nasuverse lore from the original without compromising its integrity. Since the VN will be released on Multiplatform, i think there is a good chance for the English translation but i will get the Japanese copy anyway if it doesn't get translated. That's the least i can do for the series that gets me into the Nasuverse.