Building a collection of anime and video game figures is an expensive hobby. The small collection I have (some of which have been covered on The Otaku’s Study) has easily cost me a few thousand dollars to acquire over the last couple of years. Therefore if you are someone whose favourite characters shift with every season or prefer mainstream characters, and don’t have some form of disposable income, then it might not be the hobby for you. While the most popular figures will sell out during their pre-order period, in situations where you do have the luxury to do so, knowing a figure is tailored to your preferences is essential to ensure you get value for money.
As I have had to pull back from purchasing any new figures for the past couple of months, rather than write reviews of new releases, I would like to share a look at my current figure collection through this new photographic series. I hope my sharing these may help you in deciding whether purchasing a particular figure is a wise decision or note.
One of my last acquisitions before having to postpone my spending on figures last year was this figure of Shimada Alice from Girls und Panzer. Manufactured by Kotobukiya with sculpting work by Kojima Shou; this is an enhanced recolour of their original 2017 release. Staying true to the characters name, this recolour is an “Alice in Wonderland” themed variant which takes on the features the iconic white/blue colour scheme (over the original black and white) and a deck of cards / stopwatch theme to the base. Honestly, the base is one of the nicest out of anything in my collection to date.
Alice Shimada appears in the animated feature Girls und Panzer der Film: Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu!; and did not appear in the original television anime series. While I have never watched the films, I picked this up on a whim and am not disappointed in my decision.
