Gloomy nights, dark eclipses, and more reviews.

So there was supposedly supposed to be an eclipse tonight that I missed due to the down pour of rain tonight (along with a sky full of clouds...). Seems like quite a few saw it and I must say that I am quite jealous... Photos were taken by many generous people online though, take a look!:
This photo was taken and posted by an anon


This photo was taken by me one evening, last week.

I am so jealous.... Not only because I missed out on such an awesome event but also because my camera wouldnt have been able to capture its goodness like the anon's... Ah well, I suppose there's no use sulking around about it ... Let's see what random reviews I have for today...

---

Medicom Spike Spiegel:

Cowboy Bebop.... You say the name of this anime and most people will stare at you and nod. They know how cool it is. I've had friends who DONT care about anime but would actually agree that Cowboy Bebop is an awesome show. Cool cast of characters, AWESOME soundtrack, the animation was just right, AND it even had its own movie. I've waited a long time to get my hands on this figure from Medicom for sure! Most I've noticed on eBay would appear for ALOT more money than its actually worth and SOMETIMES you would notice 1 or 2 auctions on Spike, just WAITING to be bid sniped at the last second. I suppose there was this seller on eBay from New York who MUST have had Spike in stock because there were numerous amounts of Spike on eBay that day. When ONE ended, another magically popped up the next day! I took this opportunity and won 1 for about $30. I know Medicom DID make another version of Spike but i'll get to that eventually.

Movie Version:


Personally I DO like both versions but even I have to admit that the movie version has a better head sculpt. The only thing I cant stand are dem hands... THEY'RE HUGE DUDE ! Medicom body you're wondering? I guess its supposed to be this new (during the time) line of bodies called "Spider Bodies" that they used ESPECIALLY for the Lupin III collection. Quite flexible and of course.... Big Hands .... The style of those hands are usually an on and off thing for me, one minute I think they look cool cause its part of the design and everything but then the next minute my face is all like -> . Anyways, is it study??? Well... His left leg DID snap on me a LOOOONG time ago and the only thing I did was replace the snapped peg with a molten nail (which has been holding him well for a while o.O). The head is quite big/heavy so expect Spike to fall down quite often if you try to pose him without his stand xD. What I like MOST about him are the clothes. In many parts of the series you could notice that spike has his Jacket (or blazer or whatever its called, I forgot =.=) is removable and you could have him sitting around in his buttoned shirt and tie. What a snazzy guy, right? He only comes with his Handgun (Jericho 941) and a stand. Thats about it. What else do you need for this Cool guy? PLEASE, giving this guy more accessories will cramp his style . Overall, This is a pretty cool figure (especially if you're going to listen to The Seatbelts or any other Cowboy Bebop music while having this guy strand around ). Im actually impressed with this male Medicom figure.


Pros:

• Removable Jacket
• New Medicom Spiderbody is pretty study and articulated
• Awesome Box Art

Cons:

• Not worth being so expensive?

Resinya Tamaki Portrait:

So I noticed these around ebay and thought "Eh.... Just statues". I soon found out that the head was removable and was compatible with obitsu bodies ! eBay then STRIKES again and well, Here is Tamaki Kousaka from To Heart 2? Once again... I've never seen the anime and no I havent played the hentai game if there is one (Im not big on hentai games like how I used to be years ago =_=). So the box arrived and everything seemed ok.... Head removed from the body easily, no clothes (figures...), headsculpt is sturdy, and what else? I just slapped this baby on a spare obitsu body and well.....

Why do I not feel all that excited about this? Maybe it's because I dont have her uniform??? Or maybe I should have gotten her a bigger bust size? Or maybe this wasnt a great idea all together? Who knows, I do enjoy Tamaki and this fig but something just seems abit off. Things really would have been awesome if they included her inform in the box but no... Of course not, why would I dream of such a lucky break ? I've noticed her uniform on Hobby Japan for like $30 but i've never gotten around to buying it. I honestly cant find the big joy in spending so much money on an outfit really (Dollfie Dream may be a different story xD), but this is just... Well..  I MIGHT eventually change my mind when I get sick of seeing her in this police uniform but hey! It's working well for me so far. She could stand JUST LIKE THAT in my collecting... Holding that huge ass sniper rifle, its all good baybay.... For now..... 

Pros:

• Awesome idea! (Especially for those who like sculpted hair heads)
• her pony tails move
• If you dont like your obitsu body then it could always be a statue

Cons:

• No Uniform.... Of course not... Why would I even THINK they would include a uniform? 
• since her hair is sculpted = limited head movement

DML Guts:

I love knights. I love castles. I love Lord of the Rings... Oops... Well I love Berserk! You're missing out if you havent watched/played/read BERSERK. I've heard rumors of a new Berserk OVA coming out pretty soon and I sure am looking forward to it. Dragon managed to get the license for Berserk and well... Turned our hero Guts into a 1/6 scale figure. I've had this figure for quite a while but failed to take very good care of him due to my carelessness back then . He was an awesome figure that came with many accessories! I am dead serious, When I took Guts out of the box, I was all like "DAMNNNNN this dude is ready to kill ANOTHER 100 men". Now I currently only have his sword, cape, a few kunai, a couple of daggars, and his extra head. Damages done to him = His right hand is broken from posing him with his sword too much, it is now glued on.... His armor fell apart a couple of times so I had to put those together too... and HIS body shows through his armor more than usual . I know many other owners have taken better care of Guts and usually deliver outstanding photos of him, unlike mine...:

His articulated body is awesome, I just wished they fixed his hands abit more to hold his sword -_-. Other than that and his 2nd head was a hassle for me to put on, everything else is great. Hes my first male DML figure and hes a great one at that. If you are a berserk fan then i'd give this figure some thought and pick it up off of eBay or echobasetoys. His articulated everywehre else is good, he has his bad ass blade, AND he has two heads. Other than the crap load of accessories and the risks of breaking his armor, everything else checks out :P.
Pros:

• Awesome articulation for a DML
• Alot of weapons
• Extra Head (sample: photo of him lifting his blade)
• They did an awesome job putting him together, he looks great.

Cons

• It would have been awesome if they had his human arm as an accessory too
• Heads are a hassle to change
• Hope you like assembling

---

Thats about all for tonight! It's 3am and im tired.... I gots some x-mas shopping to do anyways. You all enjoy the holidays and be safe yo! 

Oh.... I was serious about being safe....

Tea Time with Yukino. Sexy Dollfie much?

lmao I've seen a few posts on xanga before and I just wanted to see if adding the word "sexy" to my title would bait viewers this post . All night I've been pondering about what to talk about next and then it suddenly hit me . I've never really mentioned much about my Dollfie Dream! I've always wanted to own one before and what held me back was the face that this would be the only 1/3 scale doll/figure I would own, I figured that it would make a great asset to my otaku looking room anyways. Friends find it creepy, parents find it interesting, and kids find it scary. Whats NOT to like about that??? Eventually I did get my hands on Dollfie Dream Yukino and I became I happy camper for a while.... Now she just kinda sits next to my manga collection... collecting dust... 
I guess i'll have to explain.... A Dollfie Dream are basically BJDs (Ball Jointed Dolls) that seem to have more of an anime style/feel to them (compared to any other BJDs). These are no barbie sized dolls, most of them vary in many different sizes (Mine is about 22 inches in length). Dollfie Dreams in my opinion DO look much more anime styled than any other Super Dollfie or BJD I've ever seen (Others are kinda creepy to be honest, I can barely handle sleeping with Dollfie Dream Yukino in my room ._.). Like other BJDs, they come in different bodies, wigs, clothes, heads, eyes, and more! ALLLLL just for you to put together into well... The doll of your dreams lol. There are a ton of different anime (familiar) based creations too like Mai Shiranui, Saber, Yoko (Gurren Lagann), Asuka (Evangelion), and Kanu (and im only naming a few ...) that seem to take the breath out of any otaku or doll collector. The bad news? Well Dollfie Dreams are VERY expensive!!! Bodies go for a good $200 - $400, Creations go for $400 - $1000, AND familiar anime based creations go for $900 - $3000? A VERY expensive hobby indeed (Note: Dont ask how I got my hands on Yukino, its kind of a long, miraculous story -_-). Some people are rich enough to buy tons of Dollfie Dreams, some just make them, and OTHERS (like me) just tend stick with one. I'm not really good at explaining these things so if you are interested then here are a few sources for you:
http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/1641/Dollfie+Dream.html
http://www.volksusa.com/dollfie-dream.html

---

Before I start, I think I should mention that this might get alittle PG-13 so uhh... Either grow up or just enjoy 

 

Dollfie Dream Yukino:

From time to time I would browse around toy forums or eBay and would bump into images like THESE:

"Holy sh*t! Those look pretty neat! I'm gonna get me one of those! "..... Looked at price ranges and my face suddenly turned sour . How in the hell are all these people affording these things?! At first I just thought "You know what? Screw it! I'll just continue collecting 1/6 scale figures anyways! Those dolls are WAYYYY too big to be in my collection anyways!"...... Then one faithful day I ran into an eBay auction for Yukino and kinda bid sniped for her (Still costed an arm and a leg and yes im kind of an a$* on eBay). A large box came to my door! I opened it up and put Yukino together with ease. The smell of vinyl coming from her smelled so sweet... her anime eyes looked at me with warmth... her skin felt so smooth... her hair flowed through my random brush strokes with ease and well... let me stop before this turns into a weirded out blog entry. The doll is pretty awesome! I can see why they're worth so much!!!

It seems like many pro photographers from Japan deliver SO MUCH justice to these dolls in their photographs compared to me (who doesnt do so much justice with mah cheapo canon camera ._.). Many people have amazing customized Dollfie Dreams (which im going to start referring to as DDs now) and gain enough courage to actually take these things outside and photograph them in public! You might as well write "From Japan " all over those awesome looking DDs and photographs. These guys actually spend hours working on their DD's hair and making their CLOTHES! There are also many different owners from different parts of the world own DDs as well and also do an awesome job photographing their creations too (I have about 2 FB friends who own one xD). As for me? Well.... I simply just purchased a random wig and school uniform on eBay since the plain original Yukino look was getting pretty old for me. I ended up having to BRUSH its hair, search for clothes, carefully wash it down, sit it next to my desk, and more (almost like a real person, creepy huh?). These things are pretty sturdy and yes I am a grown man messing around with an oversized doll but its mainly for well... the purpose of photography? a piece of anime merchandise that I simply crave? A feeling of regret for not having dolls when I was younger? because I want to show off an expensive item that not many of you own? I really dont know but you cant really blame me for NOT taking care of such an expensive creation. I know some of you are thinking these photos are noobish and others find it pretty interesting but to be honest, I think I enjoy taking photos of Yukino much more than any other doll or figure I own. I think mainly its because certain people who understand BJDs actually see this as a fun activity. Taking photos of a large poseable anime girl! Whats not to like?! Well enough of my Lolligagging, Let me just start doing the break down for Yukino.

Please Pardon my photos, I have to buy a new white background (poster board xD) and Yukino is simply too tall. Any-who, I cant really complain about the articulation for BJDs. I've been able to perform many different types of poses since a few of her limbs are ball jointed. I have had an issue whenever I try to twist her legs inward or when I try to bend her in specific ways she cant bend (dont ask). If she were a giant obitsu body then things would be alot different but then again... I do find her joints and limbs very photogenic because of her vinyl skin. Different parts of her can be purchased which kinda makes me angry because it seems like a giant scam (ESPECIALLY for different hand poses, they're usually purchased separately...-sigh-). Why else do they sell different parts for this doll other than clothes and wigs? Because over time the Vinyl stains and you end up having to either BUY another limb to replace the stained one OR looking for different ways to remove stains (I've heard Oxy pimple cream works? Weird huh?) ORRRR you do the smart thing and take precautions by BUYING skin protectors (white cap, white jumpsuit, etc -_-).  The only extra body part I've purchased for Yukino would have to be the alternate bust size (which really makes a difference, i'll show you later  ), I DO think some these things should come with whatever Dollfie Dream box you are buying(especially the protectors) but I suppose the makers NEED to make money too, right?

I'm going to show off the body so uhh... yeah.... PG-13ish from here on out:

Yes I know the lingerie is shotty, give me a break .... The body seems somewhat photogenic right? You should see those bikini and naughty snapshots people take now a days lmao. The body sends off that vinyl aroma that doesnt get annoying (Im sure those of you who own one could look at this photo and imagine the odor by now ). The only issue I have with the body is the staining. UGH! EEK! The staining. Basically putting on certain colored clothes will leave a mark on her skin. Sometimes LEAVING her sitting around next to something black, red, green, blue, or whatever will make a slight stain in her skin... I left her next to my black umbrella one day and there were pen-like makings all over her feet! It looked as if some 4 year old kid just scribbled on her feet with pen! NO LIE ! I was like "WTF MAN?! ". I researched this problem online and found out that my stupid umbrella was the cause of this issue.... Umbrella... ella ella.... aye aye aye under my umbrella... ella ella aye aye aye aye aye aye.... Sorry..... ANYWAYS I found out that a certain oxy pimple cream (forgot what it was... Maybe Oxy 9 or Oxy 10? -shrugs-) would take care of the problem. So I ordered a small sample tub from eBay and applied it on the suffered areas... The cream hardened and I simply washed off only to find that the marks were slightly still there -_-. I tried again and the same thing happened AGAIN ( except they appeared LIGHTER). I WAS going to take photos of those markings but now they've disappeared o.O. I guess the stuff really DOES work over a long period of time as expected -coughcoughcough-.

Here are a few more Articulation shots (kinda):

Probably mentioned this before but.....

Make sure you make up your mind with what kind of Dollfie Dream you want cause I want joking earlier. You'll either end up wanting to cough up money on many different wigs and clothes and accessories or you'll end up sticking with one specific design. Maybe you're even talented enough to make clothes and wig styles yourself, obviously im not good at it. I only have about 4 different outfits (including default Yukino dress) and a few wigs that I've given crappy haircuts to (You've probably noticed Yukino's crappy haircut already ). Dont let those awesome Dollfie Dream photographs fool you! It takes alot of work, patience, and money to design these things the way you've seen them in pro snapshots. Like me, some people just dont really mind and just take photographs of their DDs! Just because so and so has messy hair or crappy lingerie doesnt mean they cant take beautiful photos. The doll itself is amazing regardless of how you make it look. Take the time to search for Dollfie Dreams on Deviant Art, Flickr, or Google. I guarantee that you wont be disappointed .
Pros:

• Beautiful Doll! Very photogenic indeed.
• Crazy-good Vinyl smell
• It IS a Dream! You could customize anything on this doll
• Quite a collector's item, show it off to your friends (Or scare them with it...)
• It's large and in charge! It sure does open a wider variety of photo options

Cons:

• It's expensive
• Everything for it is expensive
• Stains in/near dark colors
• Could use more flexibility

See? About the size of 3 Rurouni Kenshin mangas lol. Anyways, I hope this crappy review of mine helped some of you gain more of an idea about Dollfie Dreams. Some people see it as an idiotic hobby for creepers or women and others see it as a very interesting figurine for the arts. I could understand that spending $500 on a doll is going wayyyy too overboard but I guess you'd have to be a hardcore collector or a "rich" fan of the anime arts to understand. I dont like dolls in general unless they're anime related so dont expect me to do a review on a life size barbie doll lmao. I'm pretty happy with Yukino and it was quite a joyful experience to snap photos of her to share with you all on xanga. I'm sure many of you DD owners feel the same way too when you share yours online or meet other people here and there who find them interesting. I still feel quite embarassed taking this thing outside for snapshots though(Being a dude and all...), I DID ONCE and I ended up having to tell a bunch of random, curious people that I was doing it for a college arts class xD. Well its about time I drop this weblog for now, I've been up all night doing this and its already about to be 8am. I guess i'll leave a few more photos before I go. Hope you all once again ENJOY your holidays and write to Santa that you want a Dollfie Dream for x-mas .





Original Yukino:


P.S. If you're wondering about that alternate BUST then umm.....

Yeah........