For the 4th rule, I kind of do the opposite thing. I pretend that I have already paid for a figure when I first pre-order it and count it towards that months total, rather than the release month. In addition, I always set money aside for unexpected shipping problems or charges that I didn’t notice which may occur. I have no idea why I started doing this, but it’s worked pretty well so far!
On GSC in particular, usually they don’t charge until the figure ships unless you use PayPal. I’ve started to use PayPal exclusively so I’m charged right away and not saddled with an unexpected payment in the future!
It's so nice to have another lady collector who can share the woes of Canadian shipping. I also really respect your open love of sexier figures. Not my thing, but I enjoy seeing how excited you get about SkyTube figures!
i just started buying figures (not sure if i wanna make it a hobby or not as im super poor) but so far i just buy characters are think are hot. i appreciate this video cuz i have no idea where to start! so thanks for the video :) keep up the good work
So glad you added the editing note on tip 4! I didn't think about looking out in store for future months. Great tip and it supports the local industry. Also nice shirt :3
Original characters were my loop hole for not getting figures for characters I don't know lol! If a character comes from a series I haven't seen, I most likely won't get them, but original characters were a nice loophole, since they don't have context :D Meaning I don't need to feel obligated to research them or see the series.
I haven’t bought a figure yet even though I really want one. I don’t think I will ever get a scale figure cause of how strict my parents can be and the cost but I think I might buy my first nendoroid soon.
If you won't be able to afford scales, I'd highly recommend price figures, Banpresto and Taito makes adorable very good looking cheap figures, also Goodsmile company's "pop up parade" figures ❤
good smile came out and said pre orders are going to be limited. and i know this is just a good smile for maybe something else, however its important to note that now because of covid getting so bad factories for this here, is going to be in a bit more delayed and pre-orders are going to be very limited no matter what, its going the same now for funko pops, alot of them are being pushed back to next year. and while you might not collect them. its saying alot about companies for right now. and some might not come out until that year anyways i have seen people become angry at the companies while people should be more understanding. however, i just wanted to put this out there in case people wonder what is happening. great video as always :)
I also had a "no characters I dont know/OC" rule, but I abandoned it recently for certain things, basically just for cast-offs (the only cast-off I've ever seen of a character I know is a 1/4 Hestia and it goes for like $600 so thats a bit too high for me). I also kinda use figures as a potential entry point into series I've not yet seen. I recently got into Quintessential Quintuplets because I thought a figure for one of the girls was cute, and now it's one of my favorite shows
I tbh didn't look much into manufacturers prior to finding your channel! I regret trying to be so frugal, I wound up with waaaaay too many prize figures as a result. To be fair, I used to mainly only buy figures at cons (which cost enough without getting merch sometimes). I did finally start to buy scales there though! I guess my biggest regret is not saving more/getting certain scales when I saw them, but some I've luckily caught on re-release recently :3
I find I don't like to go by theme because it sounds appealing to look for a figure that fits a theme and not because you would want it in its own right. "Do I like this figure because it would compliment this other figure or would I love it as much even if I didn't have the other one?" Sometimes looking for a figure to fit a space for your shelf isn't always good. I like to keep in mind the sorts of things I like, and I find that the figures I get can be grouped together because they have an aspect about them that is to my taste that they might share. Like it could figures whose colour pallets have a warmth to them and the theme is magical in some way: I have the Witch Hat Atelier figure where she is is sort of standing like she is suspended in the air or floating (like in the artwork for volume one) and another figure that will come next year which is my pre-order for the Myethos sleeping beauty and they are quite different but they compliment each other because of the fairy, enchanting theme and general v i b e s Honestly my shelf organisation will mostly consist of v i b e and it will change as I collect more figures because the ones they vibe with the most may change and they will be grouped together by a different aspect as time goes on. :) I just buy (what I can afford) that sparks joy, and that I can see myself loving for a long time. They will find their home among all if the other figures I love. And sometimes a figure might 'not fit' with your other figures, and that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have a place in your collection, it can just be that this is the first of you discoving a kind of figure you like, and that it's just a different aspect to your collection. You know? Great video, I was just getting on some of that monthly figure budgeting when you uploaded :0 welp I better get back to it since the figure gods have gone and called me out woops
I love these kinds of videos 😍 Rule #5 is becoming increasingly important to me as well! As space becomes more limited, I feel like I want my shelves to remain as cohesive as possible! And I'm the opposite of you for the rule "no OCs/characters I don't know" 😂 I started by collecting anything I found pretty, but I quickly realized that those figures didn't bring me the same happiness as my fav characters/series. So I stopped, but I think I could make some very rare exceptions for designs that really speak to me! But I think I would keep it to OC's in that case, since I don't wanna risk buying something from a source that I end up hating 😬
Same here. I just finished moving into a new house, and I'm currently purging some of my stuff(figures included). Since I didn't know how much space I would have at the time, so in the past few years, I grabbed every figure I liked, just so I wouldn't miss out on said figure before the price went up. Now I realize I went a little overboard, since I now have less space.
Love your outfit, my rule is usualy doing a bit of research to find all the pre-order/available figures of the same characther, i usually start by buying the nicest looking one to avoid feeling the need to buy another right after (fate figure lmao)
@Horikita same! I’m new to figure collecting, but I’ve come to realize that if I get the figure I really, really want, I’ll end up buying less figures overall. Otherwise, I’ll keep buying too many figures from the same series or character.
Thanks! This is such a great rule! I bought the plentiful apple harvest Holo figure because I couldn't get the 10th anniversary one and I really should have just held out for the one I wanted.
I started collecting this year, I have had a scale figure from a convention I went like, 8 years ago and it was a present but it was this summer that I got my first scale and preordered a few nendos I don't think I can buy more than one or two scale a year at this point but I look forward to slowly make my collection bigger (lowkey your fault I couldn't resist after watching half of your videos rigiri)
This was such a great video! For me I have some rules but they are a bit more loose but also weirdly specific? For context, I love having a collection of figures which is made up of smaller mini collections like an idol show collection, a sports anime collection, a swimsuit collection. For me it is super important to make sure I feel strongly that a figure has a place in my collection and won't be the odd one out. My rules basically go: 1. Does this fit into the collection? is there a smaller collection that this is a part of? 2. How much do I like the character/do I know the character? It honestly just saves me money and space to make sure I buy figures of characters I know and like. Original figures are an exception! 2. Do I like the prototype pics and generally trust the manufacturer? Sometimes I won't buy a figure even if I love the character because I don't actually like how the figure looks. 3. Do I think it is worth the price? If not, do I think there will be another figure of this character that it mig!ht be better waiting for? 4. Try to stick to one figure per character (unless it is a character I actively collect multiple figures for)!
Just came by, one note if the part 2 is not finished, if u could also include online websites and proxies that u may use, with the price they charge estimated? Nice video!
For your budget each month, some sites allow cancellation. I would advise preorder what you want in case the figure gets sold out then you’ll have to pay after market prices. Since figures doesn’t release at the same day, you’ll have time to cancel one of your orders. For example, the three bunnies you’re thinking about all releases on January, when 2 of them already charges you, you can cancel one. If only one ships on january, then your other 2 might fall on the february budget. But this will only work if your site accepts free cancellations.
Rules I made for myself 1. Try to get figures you like to represent a show you like 2. Try not to go broke 3. If a character I like doesn't have a figure or is out of budget acrylic is always a route. (Why I got my Zina Void from how heavy are the dumbbells you lift? Representation! Needed best girl) 4. OC are welcome. 5 FILL THE SHELF!!!!
As a fellow Canadian, I tend to stick to pre-orders within Canada as much as possible, that way I only put down 15-20 percent deposit and every month I budget for $200 to put on orders, paying them off in order of release date. Has worked out wonderfully for me! Hobby-Bee is probably my new favorite place to order from. I have a few regrets from when I started about a year ago, without having any rules for myself.
Figure(s) I own of characters I don’t know: - 1/8th Mikazuki Munechika from Touken Ranbu -1/8th Otakemaru from Onmyoji (coming September 2021) Do I regret breaking the rule of I must know the character or source material… nope and in fact they are/looking to be my favourite figures in my collection. My dad who doesn’t watch/ care about anime sat down and watched me open Mikazuki. The first thing that came out of his mouth was “wow” his face was filled with genuine awe from how great the design was and started talking about how he liked this feature and that. Even today he tells me that it’s his favourite. And now whenever I get a figure in the mail we open it together regardless if he knows the character or not and is just happy to spend time engaging in something I enjoy and appreciating the artistry that goes into figures. If you love a figure and you don’t know it but it’s something you know will bring a smile to your face each time you look at it then get it you are investing in your happiness ( just don’t go into debt of course) 💕
I've been buying the odd anime figure every now and then for like a decade but only this year started to collect more seriously (party because I found your channel... lol) and since I'm not aversed to prize figures, my main problem is space. I really don't have that much space at my place and I'm starting to think I need to stop buying figures.
started collecting figures about 3 months ago, i had only bought 6 nendoroids currently and i make sure they are similar themed if possible like for the fate nendo of gilgamesh fgo i display him with my artoria alter nendo dx which is on a horse and they combo well tgt cuz they're both loyalty and they look like they're going war tgt, artoria as the vanguard and gilagamesh as the general and i plan to get the artoria pendragon dx (non alter ver) so i can have two knight with horse beside MY LORD GILGAMESH !! it will look epic, i also try to stick to getting nendo's with very cool grandiose accessory cuz they are just so worth it and look so much better like DX nendos or special non DX nendos like Rimuru ( Demon Lord ver ) from tensura, ive tried to buy scale figures before , it was mona from genshin but the moment i opened the box I was disgusted ( it wasnt bootleg ) it looked so bad and got a refund since i hadnt left the store and was kinda afraid to purchase them since they're so expensive and risky unlike nendoroid which almost all the time looks exactly like the advertisement materials
I started collecting after I caved and bought the Orange Rouge Dazai 1/8 (??) figure back in April I believe, and I usually follow a themed shelf rule after that with Eva figured and Vocaloid figures. But I’ve seen some that I’m kinda just willing to buy because of the look so who knows I may break that one solid rule in the future! Love the video! I like hearing your journey of collecting and rules!!
This has been fun to watch, can't wait for part two. (: One of my top questions I ask myself from buying a figure is how much will I regret not getting this figure. Then a side question I also think about is do I need the scale or is there a different figure I can have instead, for example when theres a big group of girls but you can't afford everyones scales, would you opt for a nendo or petit figures.
I love how far you've come in such a short time! My "rules" definitely evolved over the years (or devolved, 50/50 really)! Back in college w/ limited funds, it was definitely i) do I know and really love the character and ii) only one (and ideally the "best") figure per character. I also had a pretty strong no cosplay or figures dressed too differently from source material rule. Nowadays, well... chara love still strongly drives decisions, but def more than one of said characters (assuming good manufacturer), absolutely love alternate outfits (maiko/ kimono is my kryptonite), and original characters or figures from licenses I don't know are definitely in if they steal my heart aesthetics wise. I'm also an absolute Alter fanboy; their execution is just far too stunning to ignore...
Oh, and my favorite theme is if I manage to get a VA or author signature... then I build a "shrine" around that! I got Hanazawa Kana's signature last year and put all my figures where she played the role around that as the centerpiece! Also, I got the manga artist/chara designer from Eva (Yoshiyuki Sadamoto) to sign my volume 1 of the manga and it sits prominently on my massive and growing Eva shelf (soon to be multiple shelves)... XD
I should have set rules for my collection looong ago, cuz oh boy, did I go overboard! I actually just recently set a rule to only get figures of characters I know, because I am so easily tempted by any beautiful figure. Also majorly cutting down on the Nendos and figmas because I've learned that I prefer scales. I've mostly learned how to rein it in now and only break my own rules sometimes. 😂These are good criteria to follow!
Very insightful video Gwyn. I wish I've watched this video way back when I'm just starting figure collecting. Criteria no. 1 for me usually always prevails 😅 but now I learned that I really need to set limits which is very important. Hope you do more videos like this.
lol I started off with rules. I broke every single one this year. We can always come up with a justification to break them xD As a Nendoroid collector, my rules: -no girls. But I bought Korin Miku (BECAUSE OF YOU!) and since also got Kagome and ichigo snow Miku -no nendo duplicates (but I bought two of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru because they’re my baes) -no character duplicates. Meaning no variations. (But I bought both Wei Wuxian’s, all the Bakugo’s, all the Gilgameshs, you get my point xD)
Thanks a lot for the tips, especially tip #5. Immediately after hearing it, went to check my current collection and POs to check if any of them wont actually fit my collection. It also helped me to solidify decisions on wanting to PO some really good figures. Sadly have to give them up as they dont really fit the theme or have too many from the same theme ( Yae Sakura Wedding Ver and Luo Tianyi)
The “month” rule you talked about is probably my biggest one. I only have so much discretionary income per month, so I can’t go crazy. I also try not to buy characters from actual shows that I don’t know. (OCs are fine, because they have no source material.) Though this has led me to watching anime series JUST to justify buying a figure from it. lol
I watched Darling in the Franxx just to see what the big deal was about Zero Two and boy do I regret it. Saekano wasn't bad though. I think combined shipping is a great friend to us with a budget.
I have three rules: 1) I have to like the character - similar to your first rule. I've no interest in original characters so this rule hasn't backfired on me (yet!) and I like knowing the personality of the character of the figure I have. I haven't really thought about aesthetic of my collection, I only have about 10 figures so it's not a huge worry yet. But maybe one day if I have a big collection and I'm trying to make "groups" I may buy some OC figures just to round off some sets to make them look nice. 2) I have to like the series - this is just mainly to limit purchases. I can think of a few shows where a single character has probably carried me through a show. And while I may like them, I would rather spend my money on a figure of a character I like equally as much who was in a setting which I actually enjoyed as I'm supporting that entire work. 3) I have to like the figure - I've seen some people just buy bad-looking figures lmao. There was a streamer/youtuber I used to watch who made it her goal to collect every Bulma figure and while a neat idea, some just looked really bad (but less bad when grouped together, kind of like the cheerleader effect haha). She then moved countries and got rid of most of the Bulma figures because she did realise they looked ugly. So I don't want to dig myself into that hole and have too many figures just because I like the character and want to support the work. Which is a shame when there's not many figures of a certain show (thinking of A Place Further Than The Universe - love the nendoroids, but don't like the swimsuit figures). These aren't rules but more preferences: - An interesting base - so many figures just have a clear/one colour base which I think is boring. I'm much happier to spend some more money when the entire figure is utilised, as the base is like 50% of what's going on. - Figure is canonical - I haven't bought a lot of figures simply because the character has never worn what they have on the figure in their source material. Again just to limit myself, mainly for bunny girls haha. I have been tempted a few times and thought about pushing back to goalposts e.g. myfigurecollection.net/item/941385 these Rem and Ram figures are based off an official illustration by the light novel illustrator. So while not "canonical" to the story, it is based off something "official". I don't have a set rule on money but just kind of go with my gut. I haven't looked too deeply into different manufacturers but I will definitely include that more in my decision-making in the future! I don't have a budget per say but if I preorder a figure I'll save for it and if I notice I'm preordering a lot of figures which will have to be paid at similar times I will limit myself. But I can't say I have a cap as at the beginning of the year I preordered the prime1studio NieR:Automata statue at £2531.89 which is CAD4400.26. I've yet to buy another figure this year so maybe I'm subconsciously budgeting myself for the year LOL.
Although I don't *love* Mary from Kakegurui, I kept looking at her upcoming figure from Myethos and decided to make her my 1st scale figure. Thanks for reassuring me that she'll turn out good. Hopefully combined shipping helps with the monthly budget.
Hello! I have been watching your videos as I am going to beget into the hobby soon and have subbed as I love the content? Could you make a video on the different types of figures and garage figures, there is a certain anime I love and they have a ton garage figures but I don’t know anything about them and they don’t seem very commonly available
Oh I don't know if this tip helps or not but with delays what I do is pretend like they don't happen lol. Basically if I already budgeted for a figure for say an August release but it got pushed to October. I still take out the money in August and set it aside for October. I usually add an extra $25 with the money I set aside because I know shipping costs probably went up for my October order. I have the $500 rule too lol. Oh also yeah I avoid everything associated with FOTS Japan. That's really it lol. Oh I did add no prize figures and I'm selling all the prize figures well minus the Nekopara pop up parade ones lol.
The only figures I own as of this date are little pokemon toys from when I was little, A Piccolo funko pop (kind of regrettably, but the memories attached to the figures are very precious), An Eva-01 gunpla (my favorite) and 2 more gunpla (RX-78-2 and red zaku) because I'm thinking of making a diorama out of them. How I would like my collection to be is have like a few (3 to 5) cool figures that I can display on a bookshelf or a shelf with other stuff on it. I really like the idea of figures as like general decoration
woa this video is so helpful!!! i def use imaging it in my room as a big part as if i should get it..also man with all those shelf ideas will u need another detolf??
I started collecting really recently and I kinda started from figures I like so rn if you take the figures I have and the figures I have on the way it's kind of a mess, I currently own one scale, one nendo, 3 gachapons and two mini figures, and have 2 prize figures and a scale on the way. The scale and mini figure are from the same series and one of the prizes is the same series as the scale that hasn't arrived yet, which leaves the nendo and other prize figure as completely unrelated to anything (the gachapons are from the same set and also work as desk or regular shelf decorations). The other prize in question is Miku, and I'm definitely getting more Miku figures in the future, but the nendo is kind of a problem bc he doesn't fit aesthetically with any of my current purchases. Well, if I get more Vocaloid figures other than Miku then maybe I can put him in the singing pose with the little mic and he won't be too out of place. We'll see
I'm still trying to kinda figure out my "rules." I don't really have any, other then budgeting is key. I have a spread sheet, and I completely black out months that I know will be tough to get figures. I guess another rule I have is that my favorite anime comes first. If I ever have to cancel some figures, I know that figures from those shows are not getting cancelled. Interested to see what people who have been in this longer, have to say. :)
For preorder if the figure is expensive i will figure out how much it is monthly and set aside that money every month. I have an overall cap for monthly. If i reach that cap but want a figure i have two factors. Can I afford up my monthly x amount /can I afford it later down the line in my monthly. Do i have the money rn/when i get paid to outright buy it. If yes then i put that money automatically into the preorder savings. If no to either options, then i pass or cancel a pre-order and determine how much is need for monthly/outright
I ask myself how much I want a particular figure over something else to keep from buying too many. But my collection would be 10x the size if money wasn't a factor. 😂
I know this reply is over a year late(as of this post), But before I moved, I would often pick and choose my favorites, based on size, price, and appeal. Now that I've moved, I've had to purge some of my figures, due to lack of space. Even some I don't want to purge.
I just recently started my collection with the banpresto Glitter and glamours Super Sailor Moon and eternal Sailor Moon, i love them so much!! I plan to expand It by adding some cute taito miku since they are so cheap. At the moment my rules are: - only price figures - max two figures a month - no characters i don't know These rules may be restrictive but since i'm just a student with no job (excluding some drawing commissions) this Is the best i can do.
Love these kinds of videos Gwen! Just started getting into figure collecting too so knowing which brands and what info to look for is always super helpful 😁 Always looking forward to more of your videos!
any thoughts on maker "FLARE"? and "Wonderful Works"? I want the Mona Genshin Impact figure(WonderfulWorks), but heard about WW inconsistency quality of their previous works
Flare makes some nice figures! I honestly think it's too soon to judge with WW since they've only put out a few figures but in my opinion what they've put out so far look pretty good! I went for the Mona because I think if they deliver she is going to be so amazing
My rules are that I need to know the charecter or it needs to be an OC, no figmas/posable figures unless it's of a charecter with limited scales (like Lancer from Fate), and nendoroids have to be of a charecter I love or one without a scale yet
What do you think about FuRyo for pre-order? I'm brand new to figure collecting but I'm eyeing up the Liscia Elfrieden figure from them but it is pretty price-y for me at 18,500 yen. I'm pretty nervous about the whole 'pre-ordering' thing, but I think the figure is super cute
FuRyu has really been killing it with their scales lately and I think the ones that have released have turned out pretty good! They are pretty expensive but if you really love the figure I don't think you'll be dissapointed with the quality!
Wondering if I should spend the money on tamaki kotatsu for my first figure. Really hefty compared to what else I can get for the price. Any arguments?
She is a fantastic figure and is rereleasing soon! I would say though she's ONLY worth it if you can get her with her bonus part so make sure if you do order her that the shop you're buying from includes the bonus parts. I'd say she is actually quite a well-priced figure for what you get, especially with the huge rise in prices lately.
I have a Rem, Tachibana Kanade, and Eriri in their kimonos here. I've never seen Saekano, which is where Eriri was from. But seeing her figure had her in her green Kimono, made me watch the show just to keep to a Blue, Red, and Green setup.
My top buying tip is to open the purchase tabs, but not buy them until like a week later (unless you felt like you must have it). I usually end up with plenty of open tabs, but I also manage to close many of them as something I didn't really need after thinking it through. This is if you are a nerd like me and keep the computer on all the time. (Or if you buy on the phone and keep the browser available on it at all time).
Hi Gwyn just a heads up you have mentioned before that you don’t really want to collect prize figures but I just want to let you know there is a new Chika figure by taito of her in a yellow China dress that is coming soon. Just thought to give you a heads up.
for me "type" of figure is very important (for example, I won't buy any figma or nendoroid, no matter how much I like the character), as well as the scale. I will prefer a 1/7 over any other scale.
I had a Figma of Satsuki from Kill La Kill and personally, I don’t think they are the worth the price range. They also tend to have the worst quality control and breakage (depending). I prefer taller scale figures. Nendoroids at this point have become overrated imo but I do think they are worth more the money than Figmas.
I started getting more into figure collecting this year and so far, I'm trying to have a monthly budget and not go overboard or not buy a figure just for the sake for it within my budget. I even started having an Excel spreadsheet with all my preorders so I'm prepared. I also try to buy just one or maybe two figures of a series since for now I only have limited space for now. 😆 For now it has worked well. Your videos are always so interesting and it's always so nice to watch your videos. Much love from a fellow Canadian collector!
For me, color palettes is the biggest rule for me. Regardless if I’m a fan of the anime/character or not. I also try to avoid holiday themed figures (while some are nice, they can throw off the whole section of a shelf).
Hi, I'm a newer subscriber of your channeling, and am a fellow figure collector. I like to buy figures that I think look cute, or some of my favorite characters in Animes I love, I recently preordered the Highschool DxD Koneko 1/4 scale bare leg bunny version figure and previously the Chika Fujiwara Swimsuit version figure from Kaguya-Sama love is war. I find that I just buy figures based on what I really like and feel I need in my collection. I spend alot of money on these figures, but I try to limit myself to only 1 or 2 expensive purchases no more that a few months apart, even though sometimes I break that rule lol.
I must really like a figure to buy it. It must be an instinctive impulse to press the order button. At first I did not have a specific idea about what I want to collect, but eventually I concentrate mainly on figures from shonen and isekai anime. And here and there splashes of everyone's beloved Miku.
Hi Gwyn I love your videos so much and they got me into figure collecting, I'm so glad you made this video because its going to be so useful. Right now I'm only getting prize figures, what's your opinion on the pre-order 2020 racing miku kimono ver. espresto est figure because this will be my first pre-order and I don't want to get it wrong. Thanks for all the vids there AMAZING and keep up the good work 😁
I have her pre-ordered too! She is one of my favourite prize figures I've ever seen and judging from her pictures on My Figure Collection I think she turned out really nice
Gwyn have you tried doing partial twintails like say Natsuki from Doki Doki LC? I bet you would look so cute!! I started doing my hair like this recently and I can't stop lol
A rule I had initially was "No Bunnies". I just thought they were so insanely expensive and took up so much space. That is until I went hunting for Jibril from No Game No Life. I quickly came to the realization that an aftermarket 1/7 Jibril cost about as much as the new bare leg bunny (At least at the time. I missed the preorder and ended up paying $100 more, but whatever). So I ended up buying the bunny and honestly? It was a lot of money to drop but I couldn't be happier. But now that that rule is broken I'm tempted to preorder the Erina and Alice Nakiri Bunnies. What have I done?? Another stupid kind of unconscious rule I had not only getting characters I like but them in their most iconic outfit. For example I have Luffy, Zoro and Sanji in their initial post-timeskip look. However, I broke that rule when I bought my very first anime figure when I got Nico Robin in her Dressrosa look (In my opinion one of her best outfits to date).
I think the biggest rule I really try to stick to is be patient. lol which is incredibly hard at times. Like I really want a Chizuru figure, but I'm not gonna get just any figure because its out right now. I'm holding our to see the coloured version of the b-style bunny of her. I keep seeing the nedo popping up everywhere and other figures of her tempting me but I need to be patient and wait for the bstyle one, i know it's gonna be better. Also, I don't feel like any of my rules have made me regret not getting a figure but my lack of attention to release dates has for sure. Like the kotobukiya beetlejuice (b&W one) and even going really far back the bandai sailor saturn. I knew about it and for some reason didn't goto buy it until it was sold out. The sailor saturn one, reallllly hurts because i'll never own it now it's like 800+ dollars for something that was 5000yen -_- .
Looking at my shelf while watching this and my rules are: 1. Definitely an anime and character that I like. 2. Is there more than 1 in that line? (I like all my figures to be consistent and to scale, i.e. DBZ Sh figuarts and myth cloths ex, Banpresto One Piece “king of artist”) but also a double edge sword since I won’t stop until I complete the series. In the case of the sh figuarts, I just chose to collect the Namek saga 3. Then price.. I don’t collect Nendos because I think they are way too expensive for what you get, but taking into consideration the rules from above, I have Itachi and Sasori and waiting on Deidara, and whatever other Akatsuki becomes available
Hi, I love to watch your Videos, you also got me into Figure Collecting☺️ Maybe you can also talk about how you get updated about new Figures in your second Video??
My general rules usually are : Likeability (if you like it), Affordability (if you can afford it), company (who makes it), availability ( if its exclusive/limited)
I'm so picky about what animes and video game figures i collect that if it does fit the theme of my room and isn't too lewd a fig then i just go for it cuz the selections already dwindled down so much XD
Our local figure stores usually ask for a minimum % deposit during pre-orders and then settling the balance once it arrives. It's very helpful for collectors like me that have a limited budget. Things only get crazy when I need to allocate my budget for both pre-orders & incoming figures at the same time! 😂 FOMO is real in this hobby!
The thing with OC is.... I *do* care for the "personality" of a character. So unless there are enough artwork to at least frame the character to a moderate amount, I just can't get into it. I only have one OC as a result, and she does have a decent amount of artwork. I also avoid fots like the plague. But beyond that, I'm not picky with my manufactures. I mean most of my figures happens to fall into the ones you mentioned but that's because I'm picky about quality and they are good so... Hard limit.... ha..... I ordered the Nier MasterLine set.... And I do want a 1:1 of my favorite waifus so.... It's all about whether the figure can justify the price. The fate 15th anniversary one, for example, just doesn't. The only gimmick is "limited quantity release" and I don't go for that sort of thing. Due to the precise nature of figure release, I'd say a yearly budget is better. If anything, I actually prefer figures releasing together, at least on AmiAmi. In that case, you tend to be able to save something on shipping and as you know, shipping is murder right now. Yeah.... I need additional shelving.... Luckily, I have an IKEA near by so.... time to visit perhaps?
Get the Erina because Freeing never releases figures on time. Also, you can always cancel it. Regarding collecting, pretty much your criteria is the same as mine except now that my collection has over 200 figures and statues, size has now really become a factor since I'm running out of space.
I buy sexy figures! Also, designs based on my favorite artists, such as Shunya Yamashita, Mataro, Tony, Asanagi, Oda Non, Raito & many others. The company as well, Q-six, Dragon Toy, Orca Toy, Freeing, Skytube, Rocket Boy, Orchid Seed, Kotobukiya, Lechery, A-plus, Max Factory, Mega House, Alter, Phat company, Native, Binding, Frog, Daiki Kougyou & various others. Another is cast-off or extra parts & or features. It just feels like I'm getting more bang for my buck. I usually try to get the deluxe version if I can. Also, sometimes if there's an alternative color version, certain figures will have a different facial expression & or a unique item or items just for the alt. color & not just a straight color change. There are times when I love a figure so much, I get both color versions. Sometimes 3 colors. My record is 4 different colors. My fav. scale is 1/6th. I feel this scale offers the best size, details & quality. ( depending on the manufacturer ) 1/7th is my next scale. Same reasons as 1/6th , except slightly smaller. I don't mind 1/8th either, but they start to get top small & lose detail & quality after that. Although, I do have a bunch of 1/10th & various other smaller figures. I have some 1/5th that I really like too. Of course, 1/4th are impressive! Especially the Binding ones. I have about one dozen 1/4ths & half of those are Binding figures. There are several more Binding ones on pre-order. Who knew 1/4s would be so addictive? I don't know wether to laugh or cry. My bank account hurts! But I can't seem to stop. Lol
Heyyy! Canadian here! :) ... Today the only shipping method available on AmiAmi for us is "DHL". It is worth it? Do we need to pay for customs on this one? Should I wait for SAL/EMS to come back? And thanksss for the video!! You are awesome!
Do you ever consider buying a statue? I started collecting figures this year and i'm thinking about buying my first very expensive statue (the new Evangelion Prime 1 studio), but i know nothing about statue collecting.
I also just started statues. I have 3 now, and 3 more coming. Until now it’s been absolutely great! I look at them waay more often and longer than figures and get a bigger buzz from them. But I still love figurines as well. Only advice I can give: watch out for humongous shipping and import costs. And be verry careful with assembling if there are multiple parts. Some parts may break very easily. Also never never ever buy anything from China.
At first I decided not buying figures from anime I haven't watched. But then I saw the Mary figure from kakeguri by Myethos and I was like "Fuck it. This is gorgeous. I need this"
I was doing the “characters I know only” rule, but then kancolle and fate nendos came into my life😭🤣 I think it’s a rule that definitely saves you money, but some of my favorite figures give me joy just because of their design🥰
First ryle to me, it's either a character I like or an OC, but I already broke that rule with couple of figures :') Second rule is to wait with price figures, because they are easier to acces and usually stays very cheap. So plenty of time to get it later. Third rule is buying nendo's of characters I really like (I also broke this rule with Evante from Red Pride of eden, this nendo applies to my first rule too :'))
i want this kobayashi's dragon maid figure so bad but its by fots and ik everybody says theyre bad 😭 do second hand sellers package well? or like,, idk how it works i heard fots just wraps it in bubble wrap and ships it lol im really new to figure collecting
Well because I'm a cheap person i have so many rules: - i must know the character and his character arc, and like it till the end if the anime/manga is finished - the figure has to have a pretty detailed base, or a plane black/transparent one - no oc - not twice the same character or at least not the same outfit -no prize figure besides one piece figures bc the manga style make prize and scale figure kinda similar -no impulse buying -no bootlet -never buy more than 2 time the retail price for after market unless it s one of the top 3 grails. - no articulated figure. Well i think that s all :)
Bare leg bunnies seem to stay in stock a bit longer so you may get lucky with Erina later on. But you do already have a good Erina I guess. :D I've got Kaguya and Erina pre-ordered and Taiga is tempting and I haven't watch the dvds of Toradora! yet.
i don’t really have hard and fast rules, but i do take my time to make sure i truly love the figure. if i’m willing to say fxck the price AND how much space it’s gonna take up, i’ll go for it, but if one or the other of those things keeps bothering me, i’ll let it go.
I just buy less expensive figures such as nendoroids figmas or just prize figures in general because I do have money to buy expensive really nice scale figures I bought my first figure a few month ago its a chocola pop up parade figure
I don’t have too many rules. I basically buy what I like. My one ironclad rule however is I don’t buy male figures. Only exception is an Iron Man I bought after endgame, because he earned it.
Hi. Great vid. Very informative (about figures). Liked it. I have... SAITAMA of OPM, and waiting for my waifu for laifu... the CRYSTALLISED season 4 ANNIE LEONHART!!!
Anything over $100 I question myself really hard about why I want the figure and how badly I want it. Sometimes I'm super on the fence though and it takes me a few weeks to decide. I still stick to the only figures I know rule because it encourages me to watch new shows and decide if I like them or not. I just dont like having figures I dont have a connection too. I'm also not a huge fan of Miku and wasn't going to buy any Miku figures, but the Snow White and Rapunzel ones are so freaking cute they made me break that rule. 😅 Now my rule is after I buy those and any future fairy tale princess Miku's I wont buy any others. Still not a huge fan of Miku but the designs are so cute. 😍 I also try not to buy figures from brands I haven't heard of before or can't find a lot of previous examples of/non stock photos. Some companies are really hit or miss though which is frustrating.
One figure series I struggle with when it comes to price, are Kaiju figures Mainly because the good quality ones are worth an arm and a leg, while the cheaper alternatives look like crap. And so far, there's no in between option in terms of price.
For the 4th rule, I kind of do the opposite thing. I pretend that I have already paid for a figure when I first pre-order it and count it towards that months total, rather than the release month. In addition, I always set money aside for unexpected shipping problems or charges that I didn’t notice which may occur. I have no idea why I started doing this, but it’s worked pretty well so far!
On GSC in particular, usually they don’t charge until the figure ships unless you use PayPal. I’ve started to use PayPal exclusively so I’m charged right away and not saddled with an unexpected payment in the future!
It's so nice to have another lady collector who can share the woes of Canadian shipping. I also really respect your open love of sexier figures. Not my thing, but I enjoy seeing how excited you get about SkyTube figures!
i just started buying figures (not sure if i wanna make it a hobby or not as im super poor) but so far i just buy characters are think are hot. i appreciate this video cuz i have no idea where to start! so thanks for the video :) keep up the good work
Buying characters you think are hot is extremely valid haha I've been doing that a lot lately myself!
So glad you added the editing note on tip 4! I didn't think about looking out in store for future months. Great tip and it supports the local industry.
Also nice shirt :3
Original characters were my loop hole for not getting figures for characters I don't know lol! If a character comes from a series I haven't seen, I most likely won't get them, but original characters were a nice loophole, since they don't have context :D Meaning I don't need to feel obligated to research them or see the series.
saaaaaaaaaaamee
I like your 5th tips, it helps me to strategize better - not just buying what I want and later dont know where to display
I haven’t bought a figure yet even though I really want one. I don’t think I will ever get a scale figure cause of how strict my parents can be and the cost but I think I might buy my first nendoroid soon.
If you won't be able to afford scales, I'd highly recommend price figures, Banpresto and Taito makes adorable very good looking cheap figures, also Goodsmile company's "pop up parade" figures ❤
Ok thx! I will check it out. Also I did end up buying my first nendoroid and I love it so much!
good smile came out and said pre orders are going to be limited. and i know this is just a good smile for maybe something else, however its important to note that now because of covid getting so bad factories for this here, is going to be in a bit more delayed and pre-orders are going to be very limited no matter what, its going the same now for funko pops, alot of them are being pushed back to next year. and while you might not collect them. its saying alot about companies for right now. and some might not come out until that year anyways i have seen people become angry at the companies while people should be more understanding. however, i just wanted to put this out there in case people wonder what is happening. great video as always :)
I also had a "no characters I dont know/OC" rule, but I abandoned it recently for certain things, basically just for cast-offs (the only cast-off I've ever seen of a character I know is a 1/4 Hestia and it goes for like $600 so thats a bit too high for me). I also kinda use figures as a potential entry point into series I've not yet seen. I recently got into Quintessential Quintuplets because I thought a figure for one of the girls was cute, and now it's one of my favorite shows
Same philosophy here too!
Which Quintuplet caught your attention? 😄
@@azureblueotaku Miku, lol
I tbh didn't look much into manufacturers prior to finding your channel! I regret trying to be so frugal, I wound up with waaaaay too many prize figures as a result. To be fair, I used to mainly only buy figures at cons (which cost enough without getting merch sometimes). I did finally start to buy scales there though! I guess my biggest regret is not saving more/getting certain scales when I saw them, but some I've luckily caught on re-release recently :3
I find I don't like to go by theme because it sounds appealing to look for a figure that fits a theme and not because you would want it in its own right.
"Do I like this figure because it would compliment this other figure or would I love it as much even if I didn't have the other one?"
Sometimes looking for a figure to fit a space for your shelf isn't always good.
I like to keep in mind the sorts of things I like, and I find that the figures I get can be grouped together because they have an aspect about them that is to my taste that they might share.
Like it could figures whose colour pallets have a warmth to them and the theme is magical in some way: I have the Witch Hat Atelier figure where she is is sort of standing like she is suspended in the air or floating (like in the artwork for volume one) and another figure that will come next year which is my pre-order for the Myethos sleeping beauty and they are quite different but they compliment each other because of the fairy, enchanting theme and general v i b e s
Honestly my shelf organisation will mostly consist of v i b e and it will change as I collect more figures because the ones they vibe with the most may change and they will be grouped together by a different aspect as time goes on. :)
I just buy (what I can afford) that sparks joy, and that I can see myself loving for a long time. They will find their home among all if the other figures I love.
And sometimes a figure might 'not fit' with your other figures, and that doesn't necessarily mean that they don't have a place in your collection, it can just be that this is the first of you discoving a kind of figure you like, and that it's just a different aspect to your collection. You know?
Great video, I was just getting on some of that monthly figure budgeting when you uploaded :0 welp I better get back to it since the figure gods have gone and called me out woops
I love these kinds of videos 😍
Rule #5 is becoming increasingly important to me as well! As space becomes more limited, I feel like I want my shelves to remain as cohesive as possible!
And I'm the opposite of you for the rule "no OCs/characters I don't know" 😂 I started by collecting anything I found pretty, but I quickly realized that those figures didn't bring me the same happiness as my fav characters/series. So I stopped, but I think I could make some very rare exceptions for designs that really speak to me! But I think I would keep it to OC's in that case, since I don't wanna risk buying something from a source that I end up hating 😬
Same here. I just finished moving into a new house, and I'm currently purging some of my stuff(figures included).
Since I didn't know how much space I would have at the time, so in the past few years, I grabbed every figure I liked,
just so I wouldn't miss out on said figure before the price went up. Now I realize I went a little overboard, since I now have less space.
Love your outfit, my rule is usualy doing a bit of research to find all the pre-order/available figures of the same characther, i usually start by buying the nicest looking one to avoid feeling the need to buy another right after (fate figure lmao)
@Horikita same! I’m new to figure collecting, but I’ve come to realize that if I get the figure I really, really want, I’ll end up buying less figures overall. Otherwise, I’ll keep buying too many figures from the same series or character.
Thanks! This is such a great rule! I bought the plentiful apple harvest Holo figure because I couldn't get the 10th anniversary one and I really should have just held out for the one I wanted.
I really enjoy your learning videos , your suggestions and tips on figure collecting, keep up the excellent job.
I started collecting this year, I have had a scale figure from a convention I went like, 8 years ago and it was a present but it was this summer that I got my first scale and preordered a few nendos
I don't think I can buy more than one or two scale a year at this point but I look forward to slowly make my collection bigger (lowkey your fault I couldn't resist after watching half of your videos rigiri)
This was such a great video! For me I have some rules but they are a bit more loose but also weirdly specific? For context, I love having a collection of figures which is made up of smaller mini collections like an idol show collection, a sports anime collection, a swimsuit collection. For me it is super important to make sure I feel strongly that a figure has a place in my collection and won't be the odd one out. My rules basically go:
1. Does this fit into the collection? is there a smaller collection that this is a part of?
2. How much do I like the character/do I know the character? It honestly just saves me money and space to make sure I buy figures of characters I know and like. Original figures are an exception!
2. Do I like the prototype pics and generally trust the manufacturer? Sometimes I won't buy a figure even if I love the character because I don't actually like how the figure looks.
3. Do I think it is worth the price? If not, do I think there will be another figure of this character that it mig!ht be better waiting for?
4. Try to stick to one figure per character (unless it is a character I actively collect multiple figures for)!
Just came by, one note if the part 2 is not finished, if u could also include online websites and proxies that u may use, with the price they charge estimated? Nice video!
For your budget each month, some sites allow cancellation. I would advise preorder what you want in case the figure gets sold out then you’ll have to pay after market prices. Since figures doesn’t release at the same day, you’ll have time to cancel one of your orders. For example, the three bunnies you’re thinking about all releases on January, when 2 of them already charges you, you can cancel one. If only one ships on january, then your other 2 might fall on the february budget. But this will only work if your site accepts free cancellations.
Rules I made for myself
1. Try to get figures you like to represent a show you like
2. Try not to go broke
3. If a character I like doesn't have a figure or is out of budget acrylic is always a route. (Why I got my Zina Void from how heavy are the dumbbells you lift? Representation! Needed best girl)
4. OC are welcome.
5 FILL THE SHELF!!!!
3 is such a good idea!! I just bought my first two acrylics and they are so cute! 2 is very valid aha
As a fellow Canadian, I tend to stick to pre-orders within Canada as much as possible, that way I only put down 15-20 percent deposit and every month I budget for $200 to put on orders, paying them off in order of release date. Has worked out wonderfully for me! Hobby-Bee is probably my new favorite place to order from. I have a few regrets from when I started about a year ago, without having any rules for myself.
Figure(s) I own of characters I don’t know:
- 1/8th Mikazuki Munechika from Touken Ranbu
-1/8th Otakemaru from Onmyoji (coming September 2021)
Do I regret breaking the rule of I must know the character or source material… nope and in fact they are/looking to be my favourite figures in my collection.
My dad who doesn’t watch/ care about anime sat down and watched me open Mikazuki. The first thing that came out of his mouth was “wow” his face was filled with genuine awe from how great the design was and started talking about how he liked this feature and that. Even today he tells me that it’s his favourite. And now whenever I get a figure in the mail we open it together regardless if he knows the character or not and is just happy to spend time engaging in something I enjoy and appreciating the artistry that goes into figures. If you love a figure and you don’t know it but it’s something you know will bring a smile to your face each time you look at it then get it you are investing in your happiness ( just don’t go into debt of course) 💕
I've been buying the odd anime figure every now and then for like a decade but only this year started to collect more seriously (party because I found your channel... lol) and since I'm not aversed to prize figures, my main problem is space. I really don't have that much space at my place and I'm starting to think I need to stop buying figures.
started collecting figures about 3 months ago, i had only bought 6 nendoroids currently and i make sure they are similar themed if possible like for the fate nendo of gilgamesh fgo i display him with my artoria alter nendo dx which is on a horse and they combo well tgt cuz they're both loyalty and they look like they're going war tgt, artoria as the vanguard and gilagamesh as the general and i plan to get the artoria pendragon dx (non alter ver) so i can have two knight with horse beside MY LORD GILGAMESH !! it will look epic, i also try to stick to getting nendo's with very cool grandiose accessory cuz they are just so worth it and look so much better like DX nendos or special non DX nendos like Rimuru ( Demon Lord ver ) from tensura, ive tried to buy scale figures before , it was mona from genshin but the moment i opened the box I was disgusted ( it wasnt bootleg ) it looked so bad and got a refund since i hadnt left the store and was kinda afraid to purchase them since they're so expensive and risky unlike nendoroid which almost all the time looks exactly like the advertisement materials
I started collecting after I caved and bought the Orange Rouge Dazai 1/8 (??) figure back in April I believe, and I usually follow a themed shelf rule after that with Eva figured and Vocaloid figures. But I’ve seen some that I’m kinda just willing to buy because of the look so who knows I may break that one solid rule in the future! Love the video! I like hearing your journey of collecting and rules!!
This has been fun to watch, can't wait for part two. (:
One of my top questions I ask myself from buying a figure is how much will I regret not getting this figure. Then a side question I also think about is do I need the scale or is there a different figure I can have instead, for example when theres a big group of girls but you can't afford everyones scales, would you opt for a nendo or petit figures.
I love how far you've come in such a short time!
My "rules" definitely evolved over the years (or devolved, 50/50 really)! Back in college w/ limited funds, it was definitely i) do I know and really love the character and ii) only one (and ideally the "best") figure per character. I also had a pretty strong no cosplay or figures dressed too differently from source material rule.
Nowadays, well... chara love still strongly drives decisions, but def more than one of said characters (assuming good manufacturer), absolutely love alternate outfits (maiko/ kimono is my kryptonite), and original characters or figures from licenses I don't know are definitely in if they steal my heart aesthetics wise. I'm also an absolute Alter fanboy; their execution is just far too stunning to ignore...
Oh, and my favorite theme is if I manage to get a VA or author signature... then I build a "shrine" around that! I got Hanazawa Kana's signature last year and put all my figures where she played the role around that as the centerpiece! Also, I got the manga artist/chara designer from Eva (Yoshiyuki Sadamoto) to sign my volume 1 of the manga and it sits prominently on my massive and growing Eva shelf (soon to be multiple shelves)... XD
That's so cool!
I should have set rules for my collection looong ago, cuz oh boy, did I go overboard! I actually just recently set a rule to only get figures of characters I know, because I am so easily tempted by any beautiful figure. Also majorly cutting down on the Nendos and figmas because I've learned that I prefer scales. I've mostly learned how to rein it in now and only break my own rules sometimes. 😂These are good criteria to follow!
Very insightful video Gwyn. I wish I've watched this video way back when I'm just starting figure collecting. Criteria no. 1 for me usually always prevails 😅 but now I learned that I really need to set limits which is very important. Hope you do more videos like this.
lol I started off with rules. I broke every single one this year. We can always come up with a justification to break them xD
As a Nendoroid collector, my rules:
-no girls. But I bought Korin Miku (BECAUSE OF YOU!) and since also got Kagome and ichigo snow Miku
-no nendo duplicates (but I bought two of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru because they’re my baes)
-no character duplicates. Meaning no variations. (But I bought both Wei Wuxian’s, all the Bakugo’s, all the Gilgameshs, you get my point xD)
Thanks a lot for the tips, especially tip #5. Immediately after hearing it, went to check my current collection and POs to check if any of them wont actually fit my collection. It also helped me to solidify decisions on wanting to PO some really good figures. Sadly have to give them up as they dont really fit the theme or have too many from the same theme ( Yae Sakura Wedding Ver and Luo Tianyi)
The “month” rule you talked about is probably my biggest one. I only have so much discretionary income per month, so I can’t go crazy.
I also try not to buy characters from actual shows that I don’t know. (OCs are fine, because they have no source material.) Though this has led me to watching anime series JUST to justify buying a figure from it. lol
sameee, i watched saekano just to buy the figures lol
I watched Darling in the Franxx just to see what the big deal was about Zero Two and boy do I regret it. Saekano wasn't bad though. I think combined shipping is a great friend to us with a budget.
Same lol I liked Zero Two better when she was just a cool character and I hadn't watched the anime
I've definitely done this as well 😂
I have three rules:
1) I have to like the character - similar to your first rule. I've no interest in original characters so this rule hasn't backfired on me (yet!) and I like knowing the personality of the character of the figure I have. I haven't really thought about aesthetic of my collection, I only have about 10 figures so it's not a huge worry yet. But maybe one day if I have a big collection and I'm trying to make "groups" I may buy some OC figures just to round off some sets to make them look nice.
2) I have to like the series - this is just mainly to limit purchases. I can think of a few shows where a single character has probably carried me through a show. And while I may like them, I would rather spend my money on a figure of a character I like equally as much who was in a setting which I actually enjoyed as I'm supporting that entire work.
3) I have to like the figure - I've seen some people just buy bad-looking figures lmao. There was a streamer/youtuber I used to watch who made it her goal to collect every Bulma figure and while a neat idea, some just looked really bad (but less bad when grouped together, kind of like the cheerleader effect haha). She then moved countries and got rid of most of the Bulma figures because she did realise they looked ugly. So I don't want to dig myself into that hole and have too many figures just because I like the character and want to support the work. Which is a shame when there's not many figures of a certain show (thinking of A Place Further Than The Universe - love the nendoroids, but don't like the swimsuit figures).
These aren't rules but more preferences:
- An interesting base - so many figures just have a clear/one colour base which I think is boring. I'm much happier to spend some more money when the entire figure is utilised, as the base is like 50% of what's going on.
- Figure is canonical - I haven't bought a lot of figures simply because the character has never worn what they have on the figure in their source material. Again just to limit myself, mainly for bunny girls haha. I have been tempted a few times and thought about pushing back to goalposts e.g. myfigurecollection.net/item/941385 these Rem and Ram figures are based off an official illustration by the light novel illustrator. So while not "canonical" to the story, it is based off something "official".
I don't have a set rule on money but just kind of go with my gut. I haven't looked too deeply into different manufacturers but I will definitely include that more in my decision-making in the future! I don't have a budget per say but if I preorder a figure I'll save for it and if I notice I'm preordering a lot of figures which will have to be paid at similar times I will limit myself. But I can't say I have a cap as at the beginning of the year I preordered the prime1studio NieR:Automata statue at £2531.89 which is CAD4400.26. I've yet to buy another figure this year so maybe I'm subconsciously budgeting myself for the year LOL.
Can you tell I don't have an outlet to talk about figures in my real life LOL
Although I don't *love* Mary from Kakegurui, I kept looking at her upcoming figure from Myethos and decided to make her my 1st scale figure. Thanks for reassuring me that she'll turn out good. Hopefully combined shipping helps with the monthly budget.
:0 *insert spider man pointing meme*
Hello! I have been watching your videos as I am going to beget into the hobby soon and have subbed as I love the content? Could you make a video on the different types of figures and garage figures, there is a certain anime I love and they have a ton garage figures but I don’t know anything about them and they don’t seem very commonly available
Oh I don't know if this tip helps or not but with delays what I do is pretend like they don't happen lol. Basically if I already budgeted for a figure for say an August release but it got pushed to October. I still take out the money in August and set it aside for October. I usually add an extra $25 with the money I set aside because I know shipping costs probably went up for my October order. I have the $500 rule too lol. Oh also yeah I avoid everything associated with FOTS Japan. That's really it lol. Oh I did add no prize figures and I'm selling all the prize figures well minus the Nekopara pop up parade ones lol.
I think similarily to you about delays! I think that's definitely the best way to deal with them to ensure you don't end up overspending!
The only figures I own as of this date are little pokemon toys from when I was little, A Piccolo funko pop (kind of regrettably, but the memories attached to the figures are very precious), An Eva-01 gunpla (my favorite) and 2 more gunpla (RX-78-2 and red zaku) because I'm thinking of making a diorama out of them. How I would like my collection to be is have like a few (3 to 5) cool figures that I can display on a bookshelf or a shelf with other stuff on it. I really like the idea of figures as like general decoration
woa this video is so helpful!!! i def use imaging it in my room as a big part as if i should get it..also man with all those shelf ideas will u need another detolf??
Yes but IDK where I'm going to put lol
I started collecting really recently and I kinda started from figures I like so rn if you take the figures I have and the figures I have on the way it's kind of a mess, I currently own one scale, one nendo, 3 gachapons and two mini figures, and have 2 prize figures and a scale on the way. The scale and mini figure are from the same series and one of the prizes is the same series as the scale that hasn't arrived yet, which leaves the nendo and other prize figure as completely unrelated to anything (the gachapons are from the same set and also work as desk or regular shelf decorations).
The other prize in question is Miku, and I'm definitely getting more Miku figures in the future, but the nendo is kind of a problem bc he doesn't fit aesthetically with any of my current purchases. Well, if I get more Vocaloid figures other than Miku then maybe I can put him in the singing pose with the little mic and he won't be too out of place. We'll see
I'm still trying to kinda figure out my "rules." I don't really have any, other then budgeting is key. I have a spread sheet, and I completely black out months that I know will be tough to get figures.
I guess another rule I have is that my favorite anime comes first. If I ever have to cancel some figures, I know that figures from those shows are not getting cancelled.
Interested to see what people who have been in this longer, have to say. :)
Your advice is SUPER insightful. Thanks again! :D
Thank you!
For preorder if the figure is expensive i will figure out how much it is monthly and set aside that money every month. I have an overall cap for monthly. If i reach that cap but want a figure i have two factors. Can I afford up my monthly x amount /can I afford it later down the line in my monthly. Do i have the money rn/when i get paid to outright buy it. If yes then i put that money automatically into the preorder savings. If no to either options, then i pass or cancel a pre-order and determine how much is need for monthly/outright
I ask myself how much I want a particular figure over something else to keep from buying too many. But my collection would be 10x the size if money wasn't a factor. 😂
I do this a lot too!
I know this reply is over a year late(as of this post),
But before I moved, I would often pick and choose my favorites, based on size, price, and appeal.
Now that I've moved, I've had to purge some of my figures, due to lack of space. Even some I don't want to purge.
I just recently started my collection with the banpresto Glitter and glamours Super Sailor Moon and eternal Sailor Moon, i love them so much!! I plan to expand It by adding some cute taito miku since they are so cheap.
At the moment my rules are:
- only price figures
- max two figures a month
- no characters i don't know
These rules may be restrictive but since i'm just a student with no job (excluding some drawing commissions) this Is the best i can do.
Love these kinds of videos Gwen!
Just started getting into figure collecting too so knowing which brands and what info to look for is always super helpful 😁
Always looking forward to more of your videos!
any thoughts on maker "FLARE"? and "Wonderful Works"? I want the Mona Genshin Impact figure(WonderfulWorks), but heard about WW inconsistency quality of their previous works
Flare makes some nice figures! I honestly think it's too soon to judge with WW since they've only put out a few figures but in my opinion what they've put out so far look pretty good! I went for the Mona because I think if they deliver she is going to be so amazing
My rules are that I need to know the charecter or it needs to be an OC, no figmas/posable figures unless it's of a charecter with limited scales (like Lancer from Fate), and nendoroids have to be of a charecter I love or one without a scale yet
What do you think about FuRyo for pre-order? I'm brand new to figure collecting but I'm eyeing up the Liscia Elfrieden figure from them but it is pretty price-y for me at 18,500 yen. I'm pretty nervous about the whole 'pre-ordering' thing, but I think the figure is super cute
FuRyu has really been killing it with their scales lately and I think the ones that have released have turned out pretty good! They are pretty expensive but if you really love the figure I don't think you'll be dissapointed with the quality!
Wondering if I should spend the money on tamaki kotatsu for my first figure. Really hefty compared to what else I can get for the price. Any arguments?
She is a fantastic figure and is rereleasing soon! I would say though she's ONLY worth it if you can get her with her bonus part so make sure if you do order her that the shop you're buying from includes the bonus parts. I'd say she is actually quite a well-priced figure for what you get, especially with the huge rise in prices lately.
@@GwynCollects Thanks Gwyn, this helps alot! Currently looking at ~$220 AUD for her with the bonus parts.
Just bought my first figure after watching your videos, scary but exciting experience! New subscriber here! 🙊
I have a Rem, Tachibana Kanade, and Eriri in their kimonos here. I've never seen Saekano, which is where Eriri was from. But seeing her figure had her in her green Kimono, made me watch the show just to keep to a Blue, Red, and Green setup.
That’s a cool lego set ,where did you get it at?
My top buying tip is to open the purchase tabs, but not buy them until like a week later (unless you felt like you must have it). I usually end up with plenty of open tabs, but I also manage to close many of them as something I didn't really need after thinking it through. This is if you are a nerd like me and keep the computer on all the time. (Or if you buy on the phone and keep the browser available on it at all time).
Hi Gwyn just a heads up you have mentioned before that you don’t really want to collect prize figures but I just want to let you know there is a new Chika figure by taito of her in a yellow China dress that is coming soon. Just thought to give you a heads up.
for me "type" of figure is very important (for example, I won't buy any figma or nendoroid, no matter how much I like the character), as well as the scale. I will prefer a 1/7 over any other scale.
I had a Figma of Satsuki from Kill La Kill and personally, I don’t think they are the worth the price range. They also tend to have the worst quality control and breakage (depending). I prefer taller scale figures. Nendoroids at this point have become overrated imo but I do think they are worth more the money than Figmas.
ooo cool ninjago set in the back at 11:36 -- :( it's retired now and expensive.
I started getting more into figure collecting this year and so far, I'm trying to have a monthly budget and not go overboard or not buy a figure just for the sake for it within my budget. I even started having an Excel spreadsheet with all my preorders so I'm prepared.
I also try to buy just one or maybe two figures of a series since for now I only have limited space for now. 😆 For now it has worked well.
Your videos are always so interesting and it's always so nice to watch your videos. Much love from a fellow Canadian collector!
okay but like... can we appreciate how gorgeous she looks today??? love the hair
Thank you so much 😊
For me, color palettes is the biggest rule for me. Regardless if I’m a fan of the anime/character or not. I also try to avoid holiday themed figures (while some are nice, they can throw off the whole section of a shelf).
My main rule is only buy characters from a series I rated 8/10 or more. Anything below and I just won't care enough.
Hi, I'm a newer subscriber of your channeling, and am a fellow figure collector. I like to buy figures that I think look cute, or some of my favorite characters in Animes I love, I recently preordered the Highschool DxD Koneko 1/4 scale bare leg bunny version figure and previously the Chika Fujiwara Swimsuit version figure from Kaguya-Sama love is war. I find that I just buy figures based on what I really like and feel I need in my collection. I spend alot of money on these figures, but I try to limit myself to only 1 or 2 expensive purchases no more that a few months apart, even though sometimes I break that rule lol.
I must really like a figure to buy it. It must be an instinctive impulse to press the order button. At first I did not have a specific idea about what I want to collect, but eventually I concentrate mainly on figures from shonen and isekai anime. And here and there splashes of everyone's beloved Miku.
Well i'm a collector for 3months now i could say i learned a lot but this video gives me more idea what to consider. Thanks for the tips :)
Thanks for watching!
How did you get Zero two figure ??? Have u announced before ??? Cause i don't think i seen it ...
Woooo my week has been made
Hi Gwyn I love your videos so much and they got me into figure collecting, I'm so glad you made this video because its going to be so useful.
Right now I'm only getting prize figures, what's your opinion on the pre-order 2020 racing miku kimono ver. espresto est figure because this will be my first pre-order and I don't want to get it wrong.
Thanks for all the vids there AMAZING and keep up the good work 😁
I have her pre-ordered too! She is one of my favourite prize figures I've ever seen and judging from her pictures on My Figure Collection I think she turned out really nice
Gwyn have you tried doing partial twintails like say Natsuki from Doki Doki LC? I bet you would look so cute!! I started doing my hair like this recently and I can't stop lol
I'll try this in a future video!
A rule I had initially was "No Bunnies". I just thought they were so insanely expensive and took up so much space. That is until I went hunting for Jibril from No Game No Life. I quickly came to the realization that an aftermarket 1/7 Jibril cost about as much as the new bare leg bunny (At least at the time. I missed the preorder and ended up paying $100 more, but whatever). So I ended up buying the bunny and honestly? It was a lot of money to drop but I couldn't be happier. But now that that rule is broken I'm tempted to preorder the Erina and Alice Nakiri Bunnies. What have I done??
Another stupid kind of unconscious rule I had not only getting characters I like but them in their most iconic outfit. For example I have Luffy, Zoro and Sanji in their initial post-timeskip look. However, I broke that rule when I bought my very first anime figure when I got Nico Robin in her Dressrosa look (In my opinion one of her best outfits to date).
I think the biggest rule I really try to stick to is be patient. lol which is incredibly hard at times. Like I really want a Chizuru figure, but I'm not gonna get just any figure because its out right now. I'm holding our to see the coloured version of the b-style bunny of her. I keep seeing the nedo popping up everywhere and other figures of her tempting me but I need to be patient and wait for the bstyle one, i know it's gonna be better.
Also, I don't feel like any of my rules have made me regret not getting a figure but my lack of attention to release dates has for sure. Like the kotobukiya beetlejuice (b&W one) and even going really far back the bandai sailor saturn. I knew about it and for some reason didn't goto buy it until it was sold out. The sailor saturn one, reallllly hurts because i'll never own it now it's like 800+ dollars for something that was 5000yen -_- .
Looking at my shelf while watching this and my rules are:
1. Definitely an anime and character that I like.
2. Is there more than 1 in that line? (I like all my figures to be consistent and to scale, i.e. DBZ Sh figuarts and myth cloths ex, Banpresto One Piece “king of artist”) but also a double edge sword since I won’t stop until I complete the series. In the case of the sh figuarts, I just chose to collect the Namek saga
3. Then price.. I don’t collect Nendos because I think they are way too expensive for what you get, but taking into consideration the rules from above, I have Itachi and Sasori and waiting on Deidara, and whatever other Akatsuki becomes available
I'm the same way with 2. Like if it's a set I need to budget for the whole set or I'll regret it later!
Hi, I love to watch your Videos, you also got me into Figure Collecting☺️ Maybe you can also talk about how you get updated about new Figures in your second Video??
My general rules usually are : Likeability (if you like it), Affordability (if you can afford it), company (who makes it), availability ( if its exclusive/limited)
I'm so picky about what animes and video game figures i collect that if it does fit the theme of my room and isn't too lewd a fig then i just go for it cuz the selections already dwindled down so much XD
Our local figure stores usually ask for a minimum % deposit during pre-orders and then settling the balance once it arrives. It's very helpful for collectors like me that have a limited budget.
Things only get crazy when I need to allocate my budget for both pre-orders & incoming figures at the same time! 😂 FOMO is real in this hobby!
I love your CHIKA (not sure if I spelled it right) planning to get one. But where are your QUINTESSENTIAL QUINTUPLETS characters???
The thing with OC is.... I *do* care for the "personality" of a character. So unless there are enough artwork to at least frame the character to a moderate amount, I just can't get into it. I only have one OC as a result, and she does have a decent amount of artwork.
I also avoid fots like the plague. But beyond that, I'm not picky with my manufactures. I mean most of my figures happens to fall into the ones you mentioned but that's because I'm picky about quality and they are good so...
Hard limit.... ha..... I ordered the Nier MasterLine set.... And I do want a 1:1 of my favorite waifus so.... It's all about whether the figure can justify the price. The fate 15th anniversary one, for example, just doesn't. The only gimmick is "limited quantity release" and I don't go for that sort of thing.
Due to the precise nature of figure release, I'd say a yearly budget is better. If anything, I actually prefer figures releasing together, at least on AmiAmi. In that case, you tend to be able to save something on shipping and as you know, shipping is murder right now.
Yeah.... I need additional shelving.... Luckily, I have an IKEA near by so.... time to visit perhaps?
Get the Erina because Freeing never releases figures on time. Also, you can always cancel it. Regarding collecting, pretty much your criteria is the same as mine except now that my collection has over 200 figures and statues, size has now really become a factor since I'm running out of space.
I buy sexy figures! Also, designs based on my favorite artists, such as Shunya Yamashita, Mataro, Tony, Asanagi, Oda Non, Raito & many others.
The company as well, Q-six, Dragon Toy, Orca Toy, Freeing, Skytube, Rocket Boy, Orchid Seed, Kotobukiya, Lechery, A-plus, Max Factory, Mega House, Alter, Phat company, Native, Binding, Frog, Daiki Kougyou & various others.
Another is cast-off or extra parts & or features. It just feels like I'm getting more bang for my buck. I usually try to get the deluxe version if I can. Also, sometimes if there's an alternative color version, certain figures will have a different facial expression & or a unique item or items just for the alt. color & not just a straight color change.
There are times when I love a figure so much, I get both color versions. Sometimes 3 colors. My record is 4 different colors.
My fav. scale is 1/6th. I feel this scale offers the best size, details & quality. ( depending on the manufacturer ) 1/7th is my next scale. Same reasons as 1/6th , except slightly smaller. I don't mind 1/8th either, but they start to get top small & lose detail & quality after that. Although, I do have a bunch of 1/10th & various other smaller figures.
I have some 1/5th that I really like too. Of course, 1/4th are impressive! Especially the Binding ones. I have about one dozen 1/4ths & half of those are Binding figures. There are several more Binding ones on pre-order. Who knew 1/4s would be so addictive? I don't know wether to laugh or cry. My bank account hurts! But I can't seem to stop. Lol
Heyyy! Canadian here! :) ... Today the only shipping method available on AmiAmi for us is "DHL". It is worth it? Do we need to pay for customs on this one? Should I wait for SAL/EMS to come back? And thanksss for the video!! You are awesome!
Thank you for your insight and sharing to the anime community!!!
i personally only buy characters i like because that's what makes figure collecting so fun for me.
100% agree on regretting the no OC rule I set myself 😅 I’ve changed it now but I know we are both scrambling to get hold of Stella now 😭
Do you ever consider buying a statue? I started collecting figures this year and i'm thinking about buying my first very expensive statue (the new Evangelion Prime 1 studio), but i know nothing about statue collecting.
I also just started statues. I have 3 now, and 3 more coming. Until now it’s been absolutely great! I look at them waay more often and longer than figures and get a bigger buzz from them. But I still love figurines as well.
Only advice I can give: watch out for humongous shipping and import costs. And be verry careful with assembling if there are multiple parts. Some parts may break very easily. Also never never ever buy anything from China.
At first I decided not buying figures from anime I haven't watched. But then I saw the Mary figure from kakeguri by Myethos and I was like "Fuck it. This is gorgeous. I need this"
*I'm in this photo and I don't like it-*
I was doing the “characters I know only” rule, but then kancolle and fate nendos came into my life😭🤣 I think it’s a rule that definitely saves you money, but some of my favorite figures give me joy just because of their design🥰
You see, what I do is that I see a figure and then watch the anime/play the games to justify buying it LOL.
Ive broken my “buy only characters I actually know” waaaay too many times. So many cool figure that I have but no idea who the heck they are. lmao
First ryle to me, it's either a character I like or an OC, but I already broke that rule with couple of figures :')
Second rule is to wait with price figures, because they are easier to acces and usually stays very cheap. So plenty of time to get it later.
Third rule is buying nendo's of characters I really like (I also broke this rule with Evante from Red Pride of eden, this nendo applies to my first rule too :'))
i want this kobayashi's dragon maid figure so bad but its by fots and ik everybody says theyre bad 😭 do second hand sellers package well? or like,, idk how it works i heard fots just wraps it in bubble wrap and ships it lol im really new to figure collecting
Well because I'm a cheap person i have so many rules:
- i must know the character and his character arc, and like it till the end if the anime/manga is finished
- the figure has to have a pretty detailed base, or a plane black/transparent one
- no oc
- not twice the same character or at least not the same outfit
-no prize figure besides one piece figures bc the manga style make prize and scale figure kinda similar
-no impulse buying
-no bootlet
-never buy more than 2 time the retail price for after market unless it s one of the top 3 grails.
- no articulated figure.
Well i think that s all :)
Bare leg bunnies seem to stay in stock a bit longer so you may get lucky with Erina later on. But you do already have a good Erina I guess. :D
I've got Kaguya and Erina pre-ordered and Taiga is tempting and I haven't watch the dvds of Toradora! yet.
i don’t really have hard and fast rules, but i do take my time to make sure i truly love the figure. if i’m willing to say fxck the price AND how much space it’s gonna take up, i’ll go for it, but if one or the other of those things keeps bothering me, i’ll let it go.
Notification squad!!!
I just buy less expensive figures such as nendoroids figmas or just prize figures in general because I do have money to buy expensive really nice scale figures I bought my first figure a few month ago its a chocola pop up parade figure
I don’t have too many rules. I basically buy what I like. My one ironclad rule however is I don’t buy male figures. Only exception is an Iron Man I bought after endgame, because he earned it.
when you set these price limits, do you account for shipping? or are the limits based around just the flat price of the figure
Hi. Great vid. Very informative (about figures). Liked it. I have... SAITAMA of OPM, and waiting for my waifu for laifu... the CRYSTALLISED season 4 ANNIE LEONHART!!!
I wanter the Erina bunny... until the Alice bunny was announced.
Woah what is that cool Asian Alley on your shelf?
Does anyone know what manufacturer she said to avoid?
Haven't seen the vid yet but as a collector I can say probably FOTS 😂
I'd avoid FOTS, Insight, Pultra, and B'Full!
Speaking about rules, thanks to you I have now broken my no nendoroid rule lol (my boy Hinata is on his way!)
Nobody can withstand the pull of the nendoroids
Anything over $100 I question myself really hard about why I want the figure and how badly I want it. Sometimes I'm super on the fence though and it takes me a few weeks to decide. I still stick to the only figures I know rule because it encourages me to watch new shows and decide if I like them or not. I just dont like having figures I dont have a connection too.
I'm also not a huge fan of Miku and wasn't going to buy any Miku figures, but the Snow White and Rapunzel ones are so freaking cute they made me break that rule. 😅 Now my rule is after I buy those and any future fairy tale princess Miku's I wont buy any others. Still not a huge fan of Miku but the designs are so cute. 😍 I also try not to buy figures from brands I haven't heard of before or can't find a lot of previous examples of/non stock photos. Some companies are really hit or miss though which is frustrating.
One figure series I struggle with when it comes to price, are Kaiju figures
Mainly because the good quality ones are worth an arm and a leg,
while the cheaper alternatives look like crap. And so far, there's no in between option in terms of price.