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Ektris

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Blog Entries posted by Ektris

  1. Ektris

    Pokemon Y: Day 2

    By Ektris,

    So I still have...
     
    One badge.
     
    There's just so much to do! So many Pokémon to catch, both new and old! Every 30 minutes I'm really struggling to construct a team, because I find something else that I really like.
     
    My team:
     
    Philoctetes, Skiddo Lv. 24
    Soul Eater, Honedge Lv. 21
    Gabutyra, Tyrunt Lv. 21
    Kurama, Braixen Lv. 28
    Sanbi, Wartortle Lv. 27
    Ankh, Fletchinder Lv. 28
     
    Available/might use maybe eventually again:
     
    Pandaman, Pancham Lv. 25
    Uva, Vivillon Lv. 22
    Skyhopper, Diggersby Lv. 20
    Pikachu, Lv. 17
    Simba, Litleo Lv. 12
     
    My core team is actually what I'd been working towards from the start, so I'm quite happy with it. I wouldn't be surprised if Ankh is replaced with a Noivern eventually, though (ooh what to nickname him... perhaps after a Makuta?). I'm a little worried about the lack of an Electric type and I'm not crazy about Pikachu nor Helioptile, who are the only two I have access to at the moment. Perhaps I'll get a good TM that can be taught to somebody else to make up for it.
     
    I also really, really need a Fairy type. All I've encountered are Ralts and Flabebe, which I also don't like. (Also uuuugh the former and its evolutions are going to be a pain for completing my living Pokedex in the future. Still not nearly as much as Vivillon.) So maybe I'll get a Sylveon in the future...
     
    I've been spending a ton of time just catching things. And a lot more time doing Super Training and Pokémon-Amie. Those are actually some fun mini games, and Super Training is a godsend for EV training. It's just so useful and so easy to use, even if it is still time-consuming.
     
    This game is distracting me far too much from homework though.
     
    ~|ET|~
  3. Ektris

    Avatar Query & Things

    By Ektris,

    I really do need a new avatar; it's been too long that I've been staring at pony Luffy (not that he isn't incredible still). But just can't decide anything that screams me... ya know? Thoughts, suggestions?
     
    Also, I realized I never put back up my Pokémon Y logs... I really should do that. I plan to again write one for Omega Ruby (including one for the demo within the next few days), so might as well get them here since I still have it saved.
     
    Have my Minecraft Micro World reviews saved and also never posted back up... Maybe I'll write one for The End and get them all back up in one fell swoop.
     
    Plus photo shoots I keep meaning to do or post...
     
    Man I need to stop being so lazy with my spare time.
     
    ~|ET|~
  4. Ektris

    Lazer Team Casting

    By Ektris,

    Even if all I get out of it is this picture, I'll still say going to the extras casting call for Lazer Team was worth it.
     

     
    Finally got out and did something here in Austin, which is something I've been struggling with a bit. Even though it just ending up being a 2.5 hour wait in the hot Texas sun to be shuffled into a room, have my headshot taken, and shuffled out. But... The paper they gave out afterwards for details on it, though... Has me hopeful. Because one line is "we need many clean-shaven military types with short hair." And guess who thought to get his hair cut yesterday and fits that bill.
     
    ~|ET|~
  6. Ektris
    Looks like it is indeed a total reboot, based on what's coming out of NYCC today.
     
    It's really weird how accepting of this when the last beloved franchise of mine to do this, Star Wars, still has me bitter over it...
     
    A few things indicate a massive simplification of things, like labeling Tahu's mask... Tahu's Mask, and not a Hau (could change) and the new Makuta seeking a "Mask of Ultimate Power." But we'll see what it's really like in time, I guess.
     
    ~|ET|~
  7. Ektris
    I know I've said it before, but I feel like yet again that I need to stress that I've not really found a good place to take pictures in my apartment yet. I feel like I might need to make a custom photobooth if I want to keep doing this... But I'm lazy heh. Still, I'm not too thrilled by a lot of these, but it's the best I was able to come up with.
     
    So with that preface out of the way, let's get to the main event!
     


     
    Salacious B. Crumb here is truly the star of the show. He is a big reason why I wanted this San Diego Comic-Con exclusive version. Because the retail Jabba comes with literally nothing but a big empty box, not even a hookah or dais in sight. But Crumb was so much more interesting to me than those even. He just looks cool. And to my surprise is actually a really good action figure! Although missing elbows and knees, everything else you could possibly want is there, including even a nice multidirectional neck. They really went all out on this Kowakian monkey-lizard and it shows. Which is really quite surprising when he amounts to nothing more than an accessory and is really just a throwaway pet in the lore that doesn't really matter.
     
    Too bad I don't feel the same way about Jabba.
     




     
    From his... Umm... well, he doesn't really have a waist, so uh... His swivel joint cut up, Jabba's not bad. He's got some nicely articulated arms, he really does, even though this toy's gimmick can sort of get in the way at times at the shoulders. Really not sure if I'm breaking anything when I hear the loud click of a gear snapping over another just by trying to move them sometimes, but he's got shoulders and I'm going to use them. That's more important to me than his weird, barely noticable eating/talking/mouth-something gimmick (see picture 2 above). At the same time... I do like that it was included. It does work and is kind of cool. I would have just been fine without it though. But hey, at least he can still get his hookah (if you have one...) in his mouth. It's really like his left hand and arm were sculpted just for this purpose... My only real problem with this half of his body are his eyes - it seems to be a somewhat widespread issue where they aren't exactly painted centered. Mine are only a little off, so it's not bad, but some pictures I've seen make him look pretty dumb.
     
    What isn't good, by any stretch of the imagination, is everything below that cut. I'm guessing it was part a desire for accuracy and part a cost issue, but I'm really not happy that his lower body is a solid piece. I'd have liked to be able to snake my Jabba around, make it look like he was actually moving. Instead he will only ever look good in the throne room pose (which is really unfortuante if you don't have one for him to sit on). And of course, it is just one incredibly large hollow piece of... I want to say vinyl, because it feels exactly like the same material as some Kamen Rider vinyls I've handled. It just doesn't have a great feeling to it and is very disappointing. At least the paint is spot-on though.
     


     
    But now the real big draw of this set: the throne room. And what a load of garbage it is!
     
    Allow me to interject for a moment the story of acquiring this piece. If you attended SDCC and were willing to wait in line for endless hours to get one at the show before they sold out (and they did), you had no problem getting it. If you're like the majority fo fans, you had a horrible time. Because as is per usual Hasbro fashion with SDCC exclusives (and unlike a lot of other big toy retailers), they don't announce when reserved online stock will go live. It is genuinely unpredictable. This year, in fact, was the latest they ever went up! But to make matters worse is their response to questions... The actual, official response to any inquiry was "just keep staring at the exclusives listing 24/7 until they show up." REALLY?! That's just so unprofessional and inconsiderate of loyal customers... It's literally impossible to do and was just overall aggravating. In fact, they went up while I was at work and was lucky enough to have been monitoring the page anyways. Most wouldn't have been. And of course Jabba was one of the first to go out of stock there too. The entire experience was annoying.
     
    And then when you finally get this prized exclusive, that you have wasted an inordinate amount of time to get, you are met with... Nothing but disappointment. Nevermind Jabba himself. But that throne room. This set was called "Jabba's Throne Room," not "Jabba with throne" or anything to that effect. You were buying his throne room.
     
    And it is just horrible. Bad. Terrible. Completely and utterly garbage.
     
    The plastic bubbles you see in the pictures, to hold the figures in place in packaging (along with ugly twist ties I removed), are glued into place on the throne room. Which means you will never remove them without completely destroying the diorama that was the entire point of the exclusive set! If they wanted to make a diorama... Make it actually usable and not hideously disfigured by plastic bubbles!
     
    At least they included a cardboard Han in carbonite for those of us who didn't get last year's exclusive. >_<
     
    Overall I am met with incredible disappointment with this set. I will always stand by my opinion, however, that it is the only one worth getting. The hookah and railing (once you manage to rip that out of the evil bubble), and even Crumb, complete Jabba. He was clearly designed with these things in mind, especially the hookah. The ordinary retail release gives you just Jabba and seems like a terrific waste of money given he's mostly just hollow. At double the price, though... The SDCC one wasn't much better. And nobody should ever, eeeever pay aftermarket prices on him unless desparate. But I really felt like I needed a Jabba in my collection, so this had to be it. It was a genuine pain to get and not even that great, but hey... I guess getting lemons sometimes is just part of collecting. Maybe he was just supposed to be left in packaging... which to me is a ridiculous notion, but even then the ugly plastic and twist ties would have ruined the looked. But for all that, I really can't recommend him for anyone but the diehard fan.
     
    He does at least look cool sitting on top of all my books above the other characters I have (barely fit too, which was a lucky coincidence... also, picture is just for reference of the area, did not take an updated one with Jabba), which I feel is appropriate for a Hutt heh.
     
    ~|ET|~
  8. Ektris
    Yeahhh I kept playing back up this month...
    S.H. Figuarts Naruto Uzumaki
    Star Wars Black Series Clone Trooper
    Transformers Generations Trailcutter
    S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Ryugen Budou Arms
    Figma Fate/Stay Night Archer
    Kopeke
    Matoro
    Hahli
    Hafu
    Macku
    Jaller & Gukko
    Takua & Pewku
    White Miru, Red Kaukau, Orange Kaukau, Lime Rau, Tan Rau
    S.H. Figuarts Imperialdramon Fighter Mode
    Transformers Generations FoC Rewind & Sunder
    Star Wars Black Series Obi-Wan Kenobi
    McFarlane Assassin's Creed Adéwalé
    McFarlane Assassin's Creed Aveline de Grandpre
    Transformers Generations Jetfire
    Transformers Generations Waspinator
    Figma Captain America
    Transformers Generations FoC Sidewsipe
    I want to start off by saying that Reya is a total bro. Seriously man, thank you! These Matoran have been the biggest hole in my collection, IMO, for quite the long time and I'm so glad to finally have them. Well, except Hewkii. But I will have him one day! And the best part of them all was that they were seriously just fun to build. The last sets I got, the four Mistika, were terrifying because of obvious reasons, and overall boring because they weren't anything I hadn't seen before really. But I never had any of the '03 Matoran. So this was really fresh for me, even building 7 of them at once heh. Throw in Gukko and Pewku and I had quite the fun evening.
     
    Transformers is where I also did a lot of catching up. Good news for my wallet is I'm considering myself nearly done doing that. Although there's a lot coming out in the future I'll be getting, most of my catching up was more recent classic-style or FOC figures. And as far as I'm concerned, I'm done with FOC/WFC! While technically I still have FOC Prime and Voyager Soundwave/SoundBlaster, I'm not even remotely interested in them. FOC Air Raid maybe... And the Wreckers/Ruination I don't much care for. So yeah. Done. Same with the classics/generations stuff really. So it's future releases for now (except for, like, two things still left high on my wanted list but one's preeeetty expensive...). Leader Jetfire warrants a special mention too for being my first Leader class toy in a long, long time. I am thoroughly impressed with everything about him... except the chrome. It was predictably flaking out of package even. If that had been left off, he'd be flawless.
     
    Figuarts stuffs... Just a few this month, but I love them all. Naruto teeeechnically was from August, as both he and the Clone Trooper actually arrived on the 31st after I had already posted my blog entry. Which was the middle of the day on a Sunday. Just left at my door. And the delivery person did not even knock. And it was very hot that day. *sigh* I wasn't too pleased in the least... Anywho! He's cool. Much improved over my last foray into anime Figuarts of non-armored humans. Totally looking forward to Sasuke now too. And Ryugen's pretty. That's it. Just pretty. So I have Figuarts of the main 4 Gaim Riders and they look fantastic together. Then there's Imperialdramon... Oh how I love Imperialdramon. That figure delivered on everything I expected and more. While I was initially worried about his size based on being the same height as Omegamon and Dukemon, he feels just so much bigger and can pose so much better. He's just a blast.
     
    The Clone Trooper is bad. The socket in his head is so recessed that the neck ball joints is reduced to just swiveling. His armor is so rigid that his arms can't go out the side. He seems like a step back from all the good the line was doing. Obi-Wan at least is pretty good, although mine can't hold his lightsaber too well. Speaking of rigid... Remember how last month I said I was looking forward to the upcoming Assassin's Creed figures after being impressed with the last batch's improvements? Well... Avéliné and Adé are great from the waist up mostly. Adé can't hold his blunderbuss at all, which is huge for his character, so that's unfortunate. But that's so incredibly overshadowed by how stupendously stiff their hips still are. These are supposed to be agile, nimble characters. Why can they still not move their legs?!
     
    I believe that just leaves the Figmas. I want to like Archer. He's a cool character (and about to become even cooler with a proper Unlimited Blade Works route anime season starting this week) and apparently he's one of the oldest demanded/prototyped characters from Max Factory's Figma line. But he's just so awkward. You can't bend his knees without it looking like he broke his legs in half. And his coattails are atrocious in every position and angle except splayed out and from the front. I'm glad to have him, but I definitely am let down some. Now, Cap, on the other hand - I never even planned on getting him! But a cool guy on TFW decided he didn't want him and offered him at a great deal. I was fortunate enough to get in line first heh. And I'm glad I did. He looks great to me and can pull of some fantastic poses. Only problem I have is now I feel really compelled to track down a Thor and Full Spec Iron Man haha!
     
    ~|ET|~
  9. Ektris

    Smash Bros Demoing

    By Ektris,

    I was fortunate enough to be given a code by a kind gentleman on Tokunation, so I've been playing the demo for a good chunk of the day.
     
    Despite my numerous problems with the game's development and everything said throughout... I knew I'd still get it, for both 3DS and WiiU, and knew I'd play them a lot.
     
    And just this little bit on the 3DS has reinforced that so far.
     
    I've mostly been playing as Mega Man, and man is he fun! Definitely going to be one of my go-to characters.
     
    I just can't get over how weird it is to be playing on such a small screen, though. It will take some getting used to for sure.
     
    It has made me look forward to this game again at least.
     
    ~|ET|~
  11. Ektris
    May have gone a little overboard this month...
     


     
    Since the first picture is just not good (seriously I cannot find a good place to take pictures in this apartment. Windows are huge and everywhere...), here's a breakdown of everything in relative arrival order:
    Transformers Generations Whirl
    Star Wars: The Old Republic: Annihilation
    Star Wars: Kenobi
    Star Wars: Crucible
    A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones
    Transformers AOE Grimlock
    Dragonball Z: Battle of Gods Goku cardboard hair thingy (Not pictured but totally worth mentioning since they gave them out at the Alamo Dratfhouse during the first airing of Battles of Gods... As if seeing that wasn't bad enough, you now had half the theatre with Goku hair. )
    Transformers FOC Jazz
    BIONICLE Mistika Gali Nuva
    BIONICLE Mistika Onua Nuva
    BIONICLE Mistika Gorast
    BIONICLE Mistika Krika
    SDCC Star Wars Black Series Jabba the Hutt Throne Room w/Salacious Crumb
    Transformers AOE Strafe
    Transformers Masterpiece Prowl
    McFarlane Assassin's Creed Benjamin Hornigold
    McFarlane Assassin's Creed Black Bart
    McFarlane Assassin's Creed Blackbeard
    Transformers Generations Rattrap
    Transformers Masterpiece Sunstorm
    Xbox One: Transformers: Rise of the Dark SPark
    Xbox One: Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition
    Transformers WFC Bumblebee
    Transformers RTS Wreck-Gar
    Transformers RTS Lugnut
    Transformers AOE Slash
    Transformers FOC Eject & Ramhorn
    Transformers FOC Ravage & Rumble
    Jazzware Minecraft Creeper
    Aaaand that's everything that arrived. SHF Naruto and Ryugen, Black Series Clone Trooper, and Figma Archer have all shipped.
     
    Yeahhhh...
     
    I decided to play "catch up" hardcore on top of all the new stuff...
     
    Games first: Rise of the Dark Spark is officially my fastest 100% game! :3 Got all Achievements in 5 days, which to me is still fast heh. Grinded like crazy to get them. Now I can actually enjoy Tomb Raider, whenever I get around to it that is.
     
    Got a few more Star Wars books and it pains me to see that "Legends" banner on some... Only finished Crucible so far and that hurt even more. Because even though it got really, really weird at the end there, it still quite literally set up the perfect open-ended jumping on point for, oh I don't freaking know, a movie maybe! *sigh* Still, going to enjoy them while I can. Also fiiiiinally bought A Game of Thrones! I'll get to it once I'm through with Annihilation and Kenobi, and I'm halfway through the former. After that I plan on finally starting the TV series too. Figured it's about time I take a proper look into all of this hype.
     
    Random figures: The McFarlane Assassin's Creed stuff is really cool. These guys are such incredible improvements over the initial figures, which really has me looking forward to the future of the line. As for Jabba... Oh my goodness I could not be more disappointed. I quite literally spent almost two weeks glued to a computer screen stalking HasbroToyShop to get a chance at the SDCC version - that was even Hasbro's official stance on it! "We aren't telling you when they go up, just keep watching all the time!" What a load. So yeah, I got him. I still stand by the fact that it's the only Jabba I'd take since the retail comes with absolutely nothing, which really wouldn't make his hollow self worth it, but still. They could have done a lot more with him. At least Salacious B. Crumb is simply flawless and I love him. But I want to do a photo shoot so I'll go into more depth with them later. Eventually. Also, I got a Creeper. :3 Been wanting in on the Jazzwares stuff for a while and finally bit the bullet. Might stop here since I don't want to get obsessed, but it's still a cool little thing to have.
     
    Next, BIONICLE. Finished off my Mistika! And even more exciting, nothing seems to have broken putting them together! These were still sealed sets so I had no idea what to expect of them. But I know I'll never, ever be taking them apart if I can help it.
     
    Finally, Transformers... Now here is where I went overboard. I didn't expect to get half of what I did. The Dinobots, yeah, I was looking for. They're cool for the most part. But Jazz, the little guys, and Whirl were all impulse buys. I'm not disappointed by any of them, though. Then there's Bee, Wreck-Gar, and Lugnut... Three figures from a few years ago I never thought I'd have at reasonable prices. But I posted a wanted topic on Tokunation (check it out, make me spend more money ) and immediately got a reply from a great guy who hooked me up with them. They're all pretty sweet. Then there's Rattrap, who is a beautiful modern rendition of a childhood favorite and he just fills me with oh-so-much nostalgia and I love it.
     
    Oh, right... The Masterpieces. I bit the bullet on them too finally. Walked into Toys 'R Us, saw a Prowl, and immediately pounced. Have not seen one since even though more Sunstorms came in stocks and continue to sit there. He's fantastic, albeit I definitely agree with the universal opinion that he was VASTLY overpriced for what he is. Sunstorm... Well, the Takara one definitely looked better but this was readily available, and thanks to Prowl I got sucked in. Love the Seeker mold, love yellow, so I'm okay with it heh.
     
    So that's it. I uh... Wow. Did not expect to do this. Told myself I was filling a void and maybe that's right... But at least I don't really regret any of it. Right now. Except maybe Jabba. Curse you, HasbroToyShop, curse you!
     
    ~|ET|~
  12. Ektris
    A year later and man, I still freaking love Metalgarurumon. This is just one incredible figure.
     
    So, here are some pictures I took before the move and am only now getting around to posting. :3 When Imperialdramon gets here next month, I do plan on taking some more.
     





     
    Also Dukemon/Gallantmon and Omegamon/Omnimon. Because they look great together and imposing even just standing there. I am suuuuper pumped that Alphamon is the next Digimon (whenever he'll be officially announced and released is a concern though...) to add another Knight to my shelf.
     
    ~|ET|~
  13. Ektris
    With my move came some newfound freedom and with that freedom I... may have gone a little overboard.
     

    Alright, so... I finally started getting Transformers again! Of the bunch of Generations I've missed, really only Waspinator is left of recent waves that I'm mad I didn't get. With Skywarp I've finally completed a Seeker trio! And Armada Starscream is just cool to have. Now if I could have some luck and find a Rattrap, as they're hitting stores now apparently (and I've certainly got a lot to check here), I'll be a happy camper.
     
    As for the Dinobots... Well, I never really wanted to collect the movie toys in the past. But come on, these are the freaking Dinobots! I got Scorn first and loved him so much that I wanted to get more. And I definitely plan on it. Still can't decide which version of Grimlock to go for though...
     
    I also broke down and made a Mandarake for Figuarts order in what seems like has been forever. I was after Zangetsu to continue my Gaim collection, but thanks to their silly rules about fees under 5000 yen I just added the best thing I could find in that particular store for a reasonable price. And while I never wanted him too badly, I must say I am glad to say I now own the Weather Dopant. Definitely a cool choice for my first monster villain. And pair these two with the Transformers and you have one weird coincidentally color coordinated team of heroes and villains.
     
    But here's the big thing I bought...

    And maybe shouldn't have right away because then I got slammed with a bunch of bills. :|
     
    But I wanted my free game with MK8 and darnit I was not buying the game before the system. I got Wind Waker HD, by the way. Only played MK8 so far but I'm sure enjoying it. It's such a pretty game too.
     
    Man, looking back, I sure do like to spend a lot in July don't I?! Two years ago in July I even bought my last Nintendo console, the 3DS haha. Even I'm telling myself I should reign it in a bit for the next month, but boy is it more tempting than ever with so many places to look here..
     
    ~|ET|~
  14. Ektris
    Well, let's get this one out of the way, shall we?!
     
    A lot of is going to be familiar since I did bring the same shelves I had at home after all. But a good number of things did move around.
     
    Let's start with the big picture:



    I'm turning my spare bedroom into a man cave/study, slowly but surely. Right now its main attraction is the toy shelves. I've got a bunch of posters I want to get up eventually too. I also plan on eventually purchasing a desk to put in there, but for now the small second TV and Xbox 360 are just on the floor, opposite the shelves.
     
    Then there's the entryway, which I showed off before. This you see right as you enter the apartment and I decided I primarily wanted all of my games and books there. Everything else just followed suit. The game-based figures just made sense, and the top shelf is just... where everything else I have went. But as I buy more games, that stuff's going to get displaced to the right, so I'm not too certain where it'll end up once that happens.
     
    Lastly, a closer shot of my mantle (because for whatever reason I have a fireplace... in Texas). For now it's where I'll put my Minecraft stuff, as well as larger statues (so my preorder Arno will end up there one day, as well as The End once I get around to ordering it).
     
    A closer look at the shelves...
     

     
    Nothing's really changed with anime, except I broke Ace's left wrist. You can't see it here and I posed him to try and hide it... But man am I super disappointed by that. Anywho, this is going to be changing soon, though, once Naruto comes in. Figma Kirito is being rereleased too! He's preordered, as well as Figma Saber 2.0 and Archer. Sasuke was just revealed, so I'll be sure to get him once he's released as well... So it's going to definitely grow quite a bit throughout the rest of this year.
     



     
    I am really happy to show off my Star Wars collection in full now. I've been gathering these book for a great many years... And despite the death sentence to the EU ( ), will still be trying to fill the gaps as I can. I still want to go to the bookstore very soon actually. Oh, and I think it's really cool to have all of my Black Series figures in front of them. That's going to be a slow expansion since they keep getting delayed, but some really cool new ones were revealed at SDCC, and the S.H. Figuarts planned will definitely be on my radar for future purchases.
     


     
    There's a minor change here compared to the group shot above... But what's here is current as of this posting. I totally want to get more Dinobots though. And other Generations in the future for sure. These shelves and BIONICLE are why I really, really need to get another bookshelf still. I'd probably go for another of the 4 shelf ones like the middle one.
     


     
    Ah, toku... There's also a few changes here compared to the wide shot, but will totally be harder to catch. This shelf is my biggest disappointment with the move. I loved the shelf I had at home to display them on (but now actually have a bit too many for that to be possible). And you just can't really see everybody that well. I am considering investing in risers, but I don't know where to look.
     


     
    Next, there's the game section. The second shot is actually out-of-date as it's missing the brightly colored cases for the two WiiU games I picked up recently, but just imagine them being there after Brawl.
     
    Anywho, I like how it worked out nicely that I had a place to put this all. The bottom shelf there is going to run out of room very quickly, though... Imperialdramon will be here soon and I only hope he fits in-between Omnimon and Gallantmon. But with Luigi and Mega Blaziken also out later this year, as well as who knows what else I decide to get... Things will have to move again. But I'll make it work. Regarldess, I do enjoy how it is now. They look so much better spread out like this than the big cluster I had at home on my dresser.
     



     
    Finally, the BIONICLE update. And I managed to condense the number of shelves used! Somehow. Because that top one with the playsets, Jetrax, and tall Titans... That's a mess and only barely worked out. And I still need a lot more space. But I like having all of the little sets spread out more and closer to their relative canister sets. Just looks cooler to me.
     
    So that's all for now! Totally open for questions, criticisms (because oh, I know I could do some of this better), and even picture requests! Just let me know.
     
    ~|ET|~
  16. Ektris
    Huh, could have sworn I posted these here already... I was going to post another shoot today, but then I noticed I hadn't, so let's do this one first!
     
    For those that don't know, I moved to Austin, TX on June 23rd. I'm now living on my own - truly on my own - for the first time and it's... quite a bit intimidating. But I'm enjoying work for the most part and found a pretty nice place to live. I've moved into a 2 bedroom/1.5 bath apartment in northern Austin that's close to both work and shopping. I'm pretty happy with it so far.
     
    After finally getting most things set up how I want (still haven't hung some posters and frames), I decided to clean up a little and take some pictures. So here it is.
     





     
    I didn't take pictures of absolutely everything, but here are the interesting parts... that aren't the second bedroom, which will slowly be transformed into a man cave. Stay tuned for more of that in an upcoming shoot. (That one being the one I planned on posting today, which the last picture here is also a teaser of. I just felt like including it here since it's the main entryway.) These were taken about two weeks ago, so are only slightly out-of-date... The only major difference is a WiiU on the TV stand now and the coffee table covered in junk.
     
    So this is my place. I live here now.
     
    ~|ET|~
  18. Ektris
    This is one heavy Tamashii month!
     

     
    We've already seen Gaim and Baron here. Plus first run bonuses! I really, really need to get myself a Zangetsu now since I missed the preorders and I already secured a Ryugen... just to have them all on that sweet stage (the symbols represent those four characters). But I really can't stress enough how pretty they are.
     
    Lucario's cool and is pretty much exactly what I expected. As in, he can't stand all that well but you can do whatever you want with a stand involved. And Mario... I got both diorama sets too, being represented here by the Goombas. Not sure I can really recommend them, but I haven't done much yet. Mario himself is totally worth it though. A slightly better range of movement in his neck would have made him flawless.
     
    Aaaand oh yeah.... An apartment, car, cable, Internet, insurance, and a job! It has been one super crazy month. I'm maybe a quarter of the way through putting things back on shelves here (can't believe I moved my entire collection still...), but it's getting there. Pretty much do need a new shelf to get things how I really want them though.
     
    ~|ET|~
  19. Ektris
    I move in just under a week, so before the movers come I finally moved stuff out of the way to get to the last shelf I needed to take a picture of to show off everything I had displayed.
     
    Let's get started, shall we?
     
    First up is Star Wars! My collection is still pretty small but continues to grow (and with S.H. Figuarts Star Wars now announced, I'm sure it won't stop). These guys actually don't have a dedicated space yet, but once I move in to my apartment I plan to line them up in front of all my Star Wars books.

     
    And now, anime! My how this shelf has grown! I'm pretty pleased with what I have here, but I'm not sure how I want to expand it. I'm still looking for Kirito at a good price (HAH!), Naruto and Saber 2.0 are on preorder, but I'm not sure what else I want to dip my hand into. A Silver Crow? Lelouch?? More Fate/Zero/Stay Night?? Who knows.

     
    Now, my game stuff. Still haven't gotten those Assassin's Creed guys I've been saying I would (which I'm actually angry about after seeing the Blackbeard three-pack in stores, but of course couldn't do anything without family yelling at me), nor D-Arts MegaMan... But hey, I still like everything. This picture does, however, predate me acquiring Lucario.

     
    Next up, half of my Transformers collection! All of my older stuff (sans RID Megatron because why not?) will be staying in storage at my parent's house, but I hope to one day have the space and shelving to put them all out. Thanks to those childhood toys, this is actually the oldest collection I started.



     
    My latest and biggest interest, though, is definitely the Toku shelf. This one is also a little out of date, seeing as I already have Kamen Riders Gaim and Baron, but who knows where I'd find room anyways? (It also just hit me that these, combined with the game shelf, will have nowhere to go in the apartment and I need to go buy a new bookshelf... Oops. At least they have nice boxes to stay in until then heh.)

     
    And my proudest assortment... BIONICLE! While not my oldest collection, these guys are undeniably what made me go from just buying toys to wanting to really collect. And I'm still at it. There's some small holes circa 2001, 2003, and 2008 I have yet to fill (small as in number of sets, the sets themselves are of course mostly the larger ones), as well as pretty much all of 2009 and 2010... But I think I'll get there eventually. The extra disposable income I'll be seeing soon should help.




     
    I'll definitely be doing some update shots in the new place, but with the realization above, I'm not toooo sure when that'll be heh. But it will happen, as well as some general shots of my apartment to show off some cool things not on the shelves.
     
    ~|ET|~
  20. Ektris
    More from the backlog first. Here we have Kamen Rider Blade, who is easily one of the best Figuarts Riders to be released.
     



     
    And some new stuff:
     






     
    The first of the fruit Riders have arrived! These guys simply look phenomenal and I love them. I only have Ryugen preordered so am kicking myself for not getting in on some of the exclusives already... [but that was mostly because I didn't have an address to ship them to and didn't want to be annoying with a middleman trying to change that.] There's so many of them and if they're all as great as the first two, I'll have to track them down eventually.
     
    Didn't really get good shots for either Gaim or Baron for the second pic of their respective sets, but hadn't noticed until I packed them away. Oh well. Still haven't decide how I want to eventually leave them posed once I get set up properly in my apartment in a few weeks either. Hmm...
     
    ~|ET|~
  21. Ektris
    Aaaalrighty! Eren came in and I finally bought some more games! Yippee!
     

     
    Also Stormtrooper. Yay! Amazon finally, finally came through and I managed to snag one during the literal minutes they are in stock for. Some of the articulation on the trooper is disappointing, but even so he can do what poses I want.
     
    Eren oh Eren... I already showed him off and said some words about him, but yeah... He's a solid figure and I'm glad to have him.
     

    I also finally bought Stick of Truth! It's so hilarious and I've had so much fun playing it.
     
    Watch_Dogs is my first on-disk game for my Xbox One. I had completely forgotten that the cases were shrunk lol. I'm generally okay with it, but of course that size jump isn't going to look all that great on the shelf. Unfortunately I haven't been able to play for more than an hour due to flying down to Austin for a week the day after it came out [so I'm still here in my hotel writing this heh]. I had been enjoying what little I did, though.
     
    ~|ET|~
  22. Ektris
    Let's get to the old pictures then, shall we? Way back from when I first got him and still cared about Star Wars*, I present Darth Maul!
     





     
    He's still one of the best in the Black Series line.
     
    *Seriously, killing the EU and implying everyone who spent time and money investing in it completely wasted their time has really, really soured me on the new movie and the franchise's new owners in general.
     
    ~|ET|~
  23. Ektris
    I've been packing up for the big move, so of course that means I've felt like taking some pictures before boxing things up. Well, one of those was my new Figma Eren (to be seen again in this month's haul). Only took a few, so here are some old ones of Mikasa and even Samus too!
     
    Eren first:
     



    I wish they could pull off the salute pose properly, but otherwise the Attack on Titan figures are fantastic.
     
    Mikasa:
     


    ...However, I'm glad I really only wanted Mikasa and Eren [although if he weren't a convention exclusive I might have even gone after Armin] because they're all the same. Right now there's only four, with Levi being released in the coming months, but that identical body and features would get boring fast.
     
    And hey, some old Samus pictures too because why not? She's just awesome.
     



     
    So that's it for now. Just thought it would be something fun to do and wanted to take some pictures. I'll be doing some other lines too as I pack up or finally get to uploading stuff from my backlog.
     
    ~|ET|~
  25. Ektris
    Oh boy oh boy oh boy!
     
    This month's haul satisfies me tremendously.
     
    First, I finally completed the Toa Mahri! Kongu has long been a gaping hole in my collection that I passed on so many times for really no reason. The Mahri were still overall pretty weak as sets, but Kongu's Zatth was always cool, so at least he has something going for him.
     
    And then Omegamon... Omegamon, the most expensive D-Arts figure in the aftermarket bar none, at last reissued - the last D-Arts that's going to be released too under since it's been absorbed into Figuarts and Lucario releases next month under that label. Omegamon was one of the figures that made me want into this whole Japanese collecting scene since it just looked so darn cool and struck the right nostalgia chords. And it really does not disappoint. Despite being released early in the line, I think he's leagues better than any of the other Digimon (although as a quadruped, Metalgarurumon isn't exactly comparable and is still perfect). And all that chrome is beautiful.
     
    Finally we have the figure that arrived in the middle of the other two, S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Kabuto... renewal version! I've had plenty of opportunities at the original Kabuto but passed for no real reason, and when this thing was announced I knew I had to have it. It's absolutely perfect. Seriously, you guys need to look up the sculpting process Bandai went through to redesign this new base body used for the new Kabuto (since I can't seem to find the blog post on it right now...). They started completely from scratch in mimicking the proportions of the human body and it worked to perfection. And there's a lot of cool pictures of it all too. He's going to make my Hyper Kabuto look pretty bad when I finally get them on a shelf next to each other haha.
     
    So I continue to have absolutely zero luck in regards to Transformers (and to an extent Star Wars as well, since I want a Black Series Stormtrooper like no other...). Hasbro must just hate me haha. So much cool stuff is coming out and I've just not gotten any of it. :/ Although I managed to snag a Rhinox for retail off of Amazon that should be getting here in the next few days. Hopefully it doesn't suffer from loose knees too badly heh.
     
    ~|ET|~
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