evenstar88WARNING: Lengthy, wordy diary post. With pics, though! :)
Hello, MFC and welcome to my customary year-end diary post. I make one at the end of each year for reflection on the collection and life in general, and have been doing so since 2018.
I started this collecting hobby in June 2017 and it has been a great 4th year running. I entered the hobby rather late and so the first few years were spent playing "catch-up", hunting down the earlier figures that I missed and wanted. And now 2021 marks the year I obtained my FINAL GRAIL of past released figures, which is the Myethos -Another- Alice in Wonderland figure. My tendency to constantly check figure stores online diminished significantly following this acquisition, which was good because I knew that I was starting to overdo the habit to the point of being unhealthy.
*Note on my final grail, Alice:
For those who are wondering - she's not that great in my opinion XD, being one of Myethos's earlier releases - the figure is fragile, quality leaves a lot to be desired and you are most likely going to get her damaged if you buy her preowned because she was built in such a way that makes her prone to it. Mine was damaged too but the final price ended up being really good and I fixed her up and she's all good now. She's not as refined in sculpt and paint as the later releases. So if you are looking to get her, be absolutely sure that you are okay with the price to match the condition you will be getting her in - since her aftermarket price is astronomical. That being said, she looks great on display and completes my Wonderland collection.)
I also find that I have a lesser tendency to instantly jump on preorders now and take even more time deliberating on a potential purchase, as compared to before. My 2022 preorders as of today number at FOUR, and I am content with that. (though, factoring in delayed preorders from this year, there are actually another SIX to add into the total) I can really feel the hobby slowing down for me, and feel nothing but contentment :)
This year, I have had the pleasure of accumulating fantastic figures, and they mostly came from Chinese companies.
2021 kicked off with the arrival of a (ironically) whim purchase of mine in January - the Myethos Zhang Qiling figure. Despite having no knowledge on the series or character, he has remained in my collection up to current time and I consider this an extremely well-made figure.
The next figure marked my first purchase from another Chinese figure company, Medium5. I decided to give this company a try because the figure concept and design looked great, and I wasn't disappointed. The figure sculpt does look a bit plain but the base design and overall look made up for it.
There was a dry spell for me for several months until June arrived, and with the mid-year came the highly-anticipated Myethos Fairytale Cheshire Cat figure. I cannot decide if this figure or the Zhang Qiling figure or the Shaohua Miku is the best figure I have owned for 2021. The design of this figure is sublime, I just don't like that her pose doesn't allow full appreciation of her face and attire. The experience preordering this figure gave me a new lesson in buying from Taobao - the shop I had preordered her from had been around for 2 years which I had thought was pretty good (and I already successfully bought one figure from them) but they suddenly became unresponsive to PMs and the shop was taken off the site. I almost had a heart attack (given that I had four preorders pending with them, and these preorders, like all figure preorders on Taobao, required deposits) but I proceeded to liaise with the Taobao customer service and after near a week of anxiety, the shop came back on and will honour all the preorders. They are still quiet but their orders have so far arrived without problem and I currently still have two more preorders with them. After this particular episode, I have started distributing my preorders between shops if ordering from Taobao.
Following that, I received my boar boy - the Kotobukiya ARTFX J Hashibira Inosuke figure ITEM #943145. I received this figure with a significant delay by months (in October!) and I wasn't too happy with the store. But this figure completed my Kimetsu no Yaiba gang, and I think they look fantastic together.
We then had the Myethos Shaohua Hatsune Miku in late October, which I assume a lot may be sick of seeing by now given how much she pops up everywhere XD I didn't anticipate her too heavily though, but she is definitely top 3 for my 2021 figures. The figure is gorgeous and has what I consider the best face of all figures that I own. I remain undecided on which is the best figure for 2021 for me.
November then arrived, and I managed to snag a Seele Vollerei figure from Apex (another Chinese figure company) for cheap during the 11.11 sale. The figure is not of my usual taste/preference, but she's adorable!
I managed to obtain two preowned Myethos figures at a bargain this year - the Myethos A-Z: [ S ] ITEM #970343 and the Myethos Fate/Grand Order Gilgamesh ITEM #603828 at a total (inclusive of shipping) equivalent of JPY 8,700 and 8,000 respectively. I consider these two one of the best bargains in my collecting hobby so far (alongside the Kotobukiya ARTFX J Grell Sutcliff at 8,000 purchased two years ago).
There were plenty of delays for me this year, both manufacturer-wise and store-wise - which made up almost half of my preorders. I am definitely looking forward to the early months of 2022 to receive several of them, two of which are my most anticipated figures for 2021.
2021 saw a full grip on my purchases coming from Chinese companies. The majority came from Myethos (my bias, if my reviews do not speak for it already XD), and I made first-time orders for Medium5, Hobby Max and Good Smile Arts Shanghai. I also got myself a year-end figure from Apex. For the Japanese companies, I only made one order from Megahouse (it was a re-release) and Kotobukiya.
I think this is mostly because I have successfully hunted down many of the Japanese-company figures I have wanted over the years - my current humble collection is still made up of a majority of Megahouse figures (more accurately, the Portrait of Pirates P.O.P series, with a small mixture of G.E.Ms). I consider myself very lucky because as late as I got into this hobby, I entered at a time when the POPs were still at reasonable price levels (cheap, even) and I managed to secure most of the old pieces without burning holes in the pocket. Their current prices now are cutthroat - whether of the old releases or the upcoming ones! My last purchased POP figure was in January 2021 and I have not purchased any POP since then - which is due to a combination of a lack of interest in the new products coming out and shock at their prices. I hope they will re-release the Sailing Again Sabo ITEM #269713, which is one older POP I am looking for - then I am probably done with the One Piece figures unless something really interesting that matches with the price tag comes up.
As several of my collection series have neared completion, there are not many new figures I am especially keen on getting as I don't really follow many manga/anime series. And I think that influences my shift to Chinese companies. Another reason is definitely wanting to get more bang for the buck. I find that the rising Chinese figure companies charge very reasonable prices for the beautiful stuff they put out, which is made more obvious by the increasingly exorbitant prices charged by other mainstream companies in the market.
Despite this, I still tremendously enjoy both Japanese and non-Japanese manufactured products without being enemies of either side. I still think the sculpt of Megahouse is the sharpest of all figures I have owned, and their quality (alongside Alter) one of the best. And I think Chinese companies have the best price worth, bases and overall figure design. It really boils down to personal preference - what works for you in a figure and what you are willing to tolerate for it.
The most expensive purchase I made for 2021 was a total equivalent of JPY 17,829 (inclusive of shipping fees), and it did not go over my highest for 2020 let alone the most expensive figure in my collection. I personally thought that was great XD
I have also gotten strict on my Myethos preorders for 2022 (seeing as my 2021 orders mostly came from them), instead of jumping on anything that looks nice. Kicking off 2022, I only have two preorders with them so far. Now that many of my small collections are complete, I realized I don't have to aggressively figure-hunt all the time or continuously pump money into the hobby just for the sake of it.
The last month of December brought a small bitter taste in my mouth in terms of MFC interactions. There's always the occasional drama and rudeness flung around once in a while on here - but I have never had the displeasure of being on the receiving end. Well, until December. A user left a short but what I consider rude comment on one of my photos about posting same photos to get POTDs. The incident definitely saddened me - because 1) POTD titles are not important to me, though I know they are to some - I actually delete my own POTDs if I decide I dislike them over time, and try to keep them below 20 (they have reached above 30 before), 2) I actually discovered Myethos from a photo here on MFC so I thought it'd be nice to simply pay it forward. If anyone is wondering, this was the photo I stumbled across years ago because I was interested in the Aniplex Ciel - and Queen of Hearts then ended up being my 1st Myethos figure :) picture/1683062...
I am not going to lie, I felt rather disheartened after that comment - so much so that I considered not posting anything anymore and just using MFC to update my own collection. I actually sent a PM to one of the mods asking to downgrade myself from a club admin - but the mod did not reply which was great because I got over my silly reaction the very next day XD
The reason I am posting this particular part is not for drama/sympathy - the incident happened weeks ago and it affects me no longer (I actually find it petty now XD). But I think there's always a better way to word your sentences if you are unhappy with something, unless it was of course done on purpose with malice.
That being said, the small incident also taught me about involvement in an online community. I thought I was just minding my own business experimenting with pictures, but apparently that can even trigger and rub some the wrong way (only if it makes it into POTD, I guess XD). I will try not to let non-constructive negative comments get to me in 2022.
Now, my all-time #1 figure still remains un-dethroned as 2021 passes XD, and it is the Myethos Fairytale Little Mermaid - I personally still feel this figure really has it all - beauty, artistry, presence (I have never tired of looking at her), and taking up just enough space. I don't think anything I purchased in 2021 beat her for me.
Real life-wise, it has been a good year, I achieved what I have been working for for the past 5 years - and that has allowed me a great jump in my career (position and pay-wise). No bad news of any sort so far, which is good news in itself. Hobby-wise, every year, I am learning new things and adopting new habits to better the experience of collecting - and I love it. The hobby has definitely slowed for me moving into 2022, I am currently content and it's a pretty good place to be ;)
A happy new year to everyone, and stay safe and happy. Looking forward to sharing and learning on this forum for another year.
Hello, MFC and welcome to my customary year-end diary post. I make one at the end of each year for reflection on the collection and life in general, and have been doing so since 2018.
I started this collecting hobby in June 2017 and it has been a great 4th year running. I entered the hobby rather late and so the first few years were spent playing "catch-up", hunting down the earlier figures that I missed and wanted. And now 2021 marks the year I obtained my FINAL GRAIL of past released figures, which is the Myethos -Another- Alice in Wonderland figure. My tendency to constantly check figure stores online diminished significantly following this acquisition, which was good because I knew that I was starting to overdo the habit to the point of being unhealthy.
*Note on my final grail, Alice:
For those who are wondering - she's not that great in my opinion XD, being one of Myethos's earlier releases - the figure is fragile, quality leaves a lot to be desired and you are most likely going to get her damaged if you buy her preowned because she was built in such a way that makes her prone to it. Mine was damaged too but the final price ended up being really good and I fixed her up and she's all good now. She's not as refined in sculpt and paint as the later releases. So if you are looking to get her, be absolutely sure that you are okay with the price to match the condition you will be getting her in - since her aftermarket price is astronomical. That being said, she looks great on display and completes my Wonderland collection.)
I also find that I have a lesser tendency to instantly jump on preorders now and take even more time deliberating on a potential purchase, as compared to before. My 2022 preorders as of today number at FOUR, and I am content with that. (though, factoring in delayed preorders from this year, there are actually another SIX to add into the total) I can really feel the hobby slowing down for me, and feel nothing but contentment :)
This year, I have had the pleasure of accumulating fantastic figures, and they mostly came from Chinese companies.
2021 kicked off with the arrival of a (ironically) whim purchase of mine in January - the Myethos Zhang Qiling figure. Despite having no knowledge on the series or character, he has remained in my collection up to current time and I consider this an extremely well-made figure.
The next figure marked my first purchase from another Chinese figure company, Medium5. I decided to give this company a try because the figure concept and design looked great, and I wasn't disappointed. The figure sculpt does look a bit plain but the base design and overall look made up for it.
There was a dry spell for me for several months until June arrived, and with the mid-year came the highly-anticipated Myethos Fairytale Cheshire Cat figure. I cannot decide if this figure or the Zhang Qiling figure or the Shaohua Miku is the best figure I have owned for 2021. The design of this figure is sublime, I just don't like that her pose doesn't allow full appreciation of her face and attire. The experience preordering this figure gave me a new lesson in buying from Taobao - the shop I had preordered her from had been around for 2 years which I had thought was pretty good (and I already successfully bought one figure from them) but they suddenly became unresponsive to PMs and the shop was taken off the site. I almost had a heart attack (given that I had four preorders pending with them, and these preorders, like all figure preorders on Taobao, required deposits) but I proceeded to liaise with the Taobao customer service and after near a week of anxiety, the shop came back on and will honour all the preorders. They are still quiet but their orders have so far arrived without problem and I currently still have two more preorders with them. After this particular episode, I have started distributing my preorders between shops if ordering from Taobao.
Following that, I received my boar boy - the Kotobukiya ARTFX J Hashibira Inosuke figure ITEM #943145. I received this figure with a significant delay by months (in October!) and I wasn't too happy with the store. But this figure completed my Kimetsu no Yaiba gang, and I think they look fantastic together.
We then had the Myethos Shaohua Hatsune Miku in late October, which I assume a lot may be sick of seeing by now given how much she pops up everywhere XD I didn't anticipate her too heavily though, but she is definitely top 3 for my 2021 figures. The figure is gorgeous and has what I consider the best face of all figures that I own. I remain undecided on which is the best figure for 2021 for me.
November then arrived, and I managed to snag a Seele Vollerei figure from Apex (another Chinese figure company) for cheap during the 11.11 sale. The figure is not of my usual taste/preference, but she's adorable!
I managed to obtain two preowned Myethos figures at a bargain this year - the Myethos A-Z: [ S ] ITEM #970343 and the Myethos Fate/Grand Order Gilgamesh ITEM #603828 at a total (inclusive of shipping) equivalent of JPY 8,700 and 8,000 respectively. I consider these two one of the best bargains in my collecting hobby so far (alongside the Kotobukiya ARTFX J Grell Sutcliff at 8,000 purchased two years ago).
There were plenty of delays for me this year, both manufacturer-wise and store-wise - which made up almost half of my preorders. I am definitely looking forward to the early months of 2022 to receive several of them, two of which are my most anticipated figures for 2021.
2021 saw a full grip on my purchases coming from Chinese companies. The majority came from Myethos (my bias, if my reviews do not speak for it already XD), and I made first-time orders for Medium5, Hobby Max and Good Smile Arts Shanghai. I also got myself a year-end figure from Apex. For the Japanese companies, I only made one order from Megahouse (it was a re-release) and Kotobukiya.
I think this is mostly because I have successfully hunted down many of the Japanese-company figures I have wanted over the years - my current humble collection is still made up of a majority of Megahouse figures (more accurately, the Portrait of Pirates P.O.P series, with a small mixture of G.E.Ms). I consider myself very lucky because as late as I got into this hobby, I entered at a time when the POPs were still at reasonable price levels (cheap, even) and I managed to secure most of the old pieces without burning holes in the pocket. Their current prices now are cutthroat - whether of the old releases or the upcoming ones! My last purchased POP figure was in January 2021 and I have not purchased any POP since then - which is due to a combination of a lack of interest in the new products coming out and shock at their prices. I hope they will re-release the Sailing Again Sabo ITEM #269713, which is one older POP I am looking for - then I am probably done with the One Piece figures unless something really interesting that matches with the price tag comes up.
As several of my collection series have neared completion, there are not many new figures I am especially keen on getting as I don't really follow many manga/anime series. And I think that influences my shift to Chinese companies. Another reason is definitely wanting to get more bang for the buck. I find that the rising Chinese figure companies charge very reasonable prices for the beautiful stuff they put out, which is made more obvious by the increasingly exorbitant prices charged by other mainstream companies in the market.
Despite this, I still tremendously enjoy both Japanese and non-Japanese manufactured products without being enemies of either side. I still think the sculpt of Megahouse is the sharpest of all figures I have owned, and their quality (alongside Alter) one of the best. And I think Chinese companies have the best price worth, bases and overall figure design. It really boils down to personal preference - what works for you in a figure and what you are willing to tolerate for it.
The most expensive purchase I made for 2021 was a total equivalent of JPY 17,829 (inclusive of shipping fees), and it did not go over my highest for 2020 let alone the most expensive figure in my collection. I personally thought that was great XD
I have also gotten strict on my Myethos preorders for 2022 (seeing as my 2021 orders mostly came from them), instead of jumping on anything that looks nice. Kicking off 2022, I only have two preorders with them so far. Now that many of my small collections are complete, I realized I don't have to aggressively figure-hunt all the time or continuously pump money into the hobby just for the sake of it.
The last month of December brought a small bitter taste in my mouth in terms of MFC interactions. There's always the occasional drama and rudeness flung around once in a while on here - but I have never had the displeasure of being on the receiving end. Well, until December. A user left a short but what I consider rude comment on one of my photos about posting same photos to get POTDs. The incident definitely saddened me - because 1) POTD titles are not important to me, though I know they are to some - I actually delete my own POTDs if I decide I dislike them over time, and try to keep them below 20 (they have reached above 30 before), 2) I actually discovered Myethos from a photo here on MFC so I thought it'd be nice to simply pay it forward. If anyone is wondering, this was the photo I stumbled across years ago because I was interested in the Aniplex Ciel - and Queen of Hearts then ended up being my 1st Myethos figure :) picture/1683062...
I am not going to lie, I felt rather disheartened after that comment - so much so that I considered not posting anything anymore and just using MFC to update my own collection. I actually sent a PM to one of the mods asking to downgrade myself from a club admin - but the mod did not reply which was great because I got over my silly reaction the very next day XD
The reason I am posting this particular part is not for drama/sympathy - the incident happened weeks ago and it affects me no longer (I actually find it petty now XD). But I think there's always a better way to word your sentences if you are unhappy with something, unless it was of course done on purpose with malice.
That being said, the small incident also taught me about involvement in an online community. I thought I was just minding my own business experimenting with pictures, but apparently that can even trigger and rub some the wrong way (only if it makes it into POTD, I guess XD). I will try not to let non-constructive negative comments get to me in 2022.
Now, my all-time #1 figure still remains un-dethroned as 2021 passes XD, and it is the Myethos Fairytale Little Mermaid - I personally still feel this figure really has it all - beauty, artistry, presence (I have never tired of looking at her), and taking up just enough space. I don't think anything I purchased in 2021 beat her for me.
Real life-wise, it has been a good year, I achieved what I have been working for for the past 5 years - and that has allowed me a great jump in my career (position and pay-wise). No bad news of any sort so far, which is good news in itself. Hobby-wise, every year, I am learning new things and adopting new habits to better the experience of collecting - and I love it. The hobby has definitely slowed for me moving into 2022, I am currently content and it's a pretty good place to be ;)
A happy new year to everyone, and stay safe and happy. Looking forward to sharing and learning on this forum for another year.
![A-Z: - [S] - 1/7 (Good Smile Company, Myethos)](https://static.myfigurecollection.net/upload/items/0/970343-8674e.jpg)
Comments19
An interesting construction choice for mass production... :') Probably because of the costs?
Ah well, at least it was fixable!! And as long as the later figures don't have the issues they improved so that's good :)
I don't know if the glue is supposed to be stronger, but Alice is built as a figure structure that is sort of asking for trouble, if I may say so honestly XD She is suspended in the air, with just the ribbon taking the weight of the figure. And yes, she would definitely have been more secure with the parts being pinned. I was also surprised to see pegs in the ribbon at her back and was asking in the club if these parts were supposed to be removable. Turns out they are not - because I watched an unboxing review of her on Youtube. The only functional pegs are supposed to be the ones fixing her to the card base and that's it.
The ribbon at Alice's back had dislodged into its three separate pieces (the ribbon proper, and the two strands) - the seller had glued them together and told me everything was 'intact' which was a lie (because when I opened the box, the pieces were everywhere with glue marks) so I managed to get a certain refund back for the damage. One of the rabbit's arm had also dislodged out of its inlet and was actually not delivered the first time (the seller left it on his/her fixing table but was honest enough to admit it and send the arm to me in a second parcel). In a way, I was also lucky because there weren't random breaks anywhere, it was just that they dislodged from their attachment points.
So what I did was just to put some superglue into the ribbon's and rabbit arm inlets and then put the pieces together, hold tight for 10 mins and then let it sit for hours. Voila, back to normal :)
Thanks for the explanation! Glad they were easier fixes, but it's too bad for the hassle of course. Would you say that Myethos' earlier releases have problems that the glue they used doesn't work well, then? Kind of interesting, I would assume some of these parts would have been pinned or something, not just glued out of the box..
Personally, I loved seeing your POTDs. I really like the Myethos FT figures but I don't think I'd be able to own them, so seeing how they looked like in your arrangement was super awesome for me. Being able to admire them and knowing that it I also ordered the QOH recently, and she should be coming to me soon. She was one of my must haves when I started collecting, but I was young and didn't have much budget so I put it off. I didn't realize aftermarket would be such an issue. But so happy she's finally coming home now!
I also love your reviews and hearing about your thoughts! So thank you for making them.
I'm glad to hear you're feeling at a good place. I think 2021 definitely has been a wild ride for me, and I do feel content at where I am now :) I do really enjoy the work you put out there so hope you know you got a fan in me x) Happy new years!
Thank you very much for the very kind words, and happy new year to you too! The aftermarket for Myethos figures are usually brutal (but not all the time eg. figures like Judith and Argenta and the White Albums binned) so if you see something from them that you really want, chances are you will get them cheapest at a preorder stage.
Hope you get your Queen Of Hearts soon, you will love her - she was my #1 figure ever since I got her... until the Mermaid came along ;)
Personally, I loved seeing your POTDs. I really like the Myethos FT figures but I don't think I'd be able to own them, so seeing how they looked like in your arrangement was super awesome for me. Being able to admire them and knowing that it I also ordered the QOH recently, and she should be coming to me soon. She was one of my must haves when I started collecting, but I was young and didn't have much budget so I put it off. I didn't realize aftermarket would be such an issue. But so happy she's finally coming home now!
I also love your reviews and hearing about your thoughts! So thank you for making them.
I'm glad to hear you're feeling at a good place. I think 2021 definitely has been a wild ride for me, and I do feel content at where I am now :) I do really enjoy the work you put out there so hope you know you got a fan in me x) Happy new years!
Thank you very much!
I was wondering, what was broken on the Alice figure and how did you fix it? :O
Thanks and happy new year to you too!
The ribbon at Alice's back had dislodged into its three separate pieces (the ribbon proper, and the two strands) - the seller had glued them together and told me everything was 'intact' which was a lie (because when I opened the box, the pieces were everywhere with glue marks) so I managed to get a certain refund back for the damage. One of the rabbit's arm had also dislodged out of its inlet and was actually not delivered the first time (the seller left it on his/her fixing table but was honest enough to admit it and send the arm to me in a second parcel). In a way, I was also lucky because there weren't random breaks anywhere, it was just that they dislodged from their attachment points.
So what I did was just to put some superglue into the ribbon's and rabbit arm inlets and then put the pieces together, hold tight for 10 mins and then let it sit for hours. Voila, back to normal :)
You have an amazing Myethos collection !
Thank you so much for your detailed and honest reviews.
Thank you! You are welcome, I had a lot of fun writing those reviews :)
Thanks, and happy new year!