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Astro Toy - Figma Ultimate Madoka


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mgosdin



Joined: 17 Jul 2011
Posts: 1302
Location: Kissimmee, Florida, USA
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:31 am Reply with quote
Quote:
I still can't believe the yen took a dive starting right after my vacation...


David, you know the gnomes at Bank of Japan were just waiting for your plane's wheels to clear the ground to fire up the Yen printing presses. Razz

That is one seriously big hunk o' plastic, but it's a nice figure for those with a good place to safely set it.

Mark Gosdin
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Chagen46



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 4377
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:36 am Reply with quote
Quote:
(“Chief of Police” Madeleine Dokes in the dub)


I have a feeling there's a joke I'm missing.
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Polycell



Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Posts: 4623
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:56 am Reply with quote
Quote:
(Side note: I saw used Ultimate Madoka PVCs all over Akiba when I was in Japan, and at Don Quixote they were buying them back for chump change. Does anybody know what was wrong with that figure? I was really surprised and curious.)
My own brief experience with having mine put out is that her bow can tend to twist if you don't get it 100% tightened(though they thoughtfully include a simpler design that's far less topheavy, which they use in the instruction illustrations), that her left anklewing doesn't want to install right(mine's just sitting there since I couldn't get it in all the way - and even that much was a struggle) and that installing the arrow is a third pain-in-the-ass(her hand twists to enable it, but even so mine just has the arrow sitting there, looking decent at a glance).

I'm guessing that if they didn't manage the impressive feat of outproducing demand, then you're witnessing the effects of her being a bitch to put together(but GAWD is she gorgeous).
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 11:57 am Reply with quote
Wow, it may indeed be fiddly, but that figure looks fantastic. (Okay, the face looks a bit weird, but the dress and hair are awesome.) I can see why it's better to look at it than play with it.
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Mikeski



Joined: 24 Sep 2009
Posts: 608
Location: Minneapolis, MN
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 1:06 pm Reply with quote
Polycell wrote:
Quote:
(Side note: I saw used Ultimate Madoka PVCs all over Akiba when I was in Japan, and at Don Quixote they were buying them back for chump change. Does anybody know what was wrong with that figure? I was really surprised and curious.)
My own brief experience with having mine put out is that her bow can tend to twist if you don't get it 100% tightened(though they thoughtfully include a simpler design that's far less topheavy, which they use in the instruction illustrations), that her left anklewing doesn't want to install right(mine's just sitting there since I couldn't get it in all the way - and even that much was a struggle) and that installing the arrow is a third pain-in-the-ass(her hand twists to enable it, but even so mine just has the arrow sitting there, looking decent at a glance).

I've got the PVC as well, and I had to get a replacement ankle wing shipped from GSC. The first was so difficult to set that I actually rubbed some of the paint off it in the process. The replacement dropped in perfectly, so they "fixed" something, I guess.

And yes, the bow with the fireball on top is too top-heavy to use.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 1:23 pm Reply with quote
Mikeski wrote:
And yes, the bow with the fireball on top is too top-heavy to use.


It's not a fireball, it's a rosebud. That's why there are thorns on the bow.
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Polycell



Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Posts: 4623
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 1:44 pm Reply with quote
Mikeski wrote:
I've got the PVC as well, and I had to get a replacement ankle wing shipped from GSC.
How and how much?
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Kit-Tsukasa



Joined: 16 Mar 2006
Posts: 930
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:08 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
I've got the PVC as well, and I had to get a replacement ankle wing shipped from GSC. The first was so difficult to set that I actually rubbed some of the paint off it in the process. The replacement dropped in perfectly, so they "fixed" something, I guess.


I'm guessing this was on the left ankle? I recall that piece as well as the right wing being the most difficult pieces to assemble. Took me about an hour to get them right without damaging the figure. The PVC is definitely one of Good Smile's most difficult figures. The high demand probably lead to more small sculpting/incision errors than their normal figures.

I'm pretty sure the Ultimate Madoka PVC also has a larger number of external pieces than the average Good Smile PVC, if not the most.

Quote:
(Side note: I saw used Ultimate Madoka PVCs all over Akiba when I was in Japan, and at Don Quixote they were buying them back for chump change. Does anybody know what was wrong with that figure? I was really surprised and curious.)

It was a difficult figure to assemble. I recall three likely problems during my experience:
1) The right wing had an odd angle of insertion in between her hair. A bad twist could lead to snapping part of the hair or the wing itself.
2) The ankle wings as noted above. One was pretty loose while the other was incredibly difficult to insert. The heavy dress in the back made it difficult to balance the figure while trying to get the tighter piece in. Angel was also another issue.
3) The bow seemed to be poorly made with very thin material that felt like it could snap because of how top heavy it was (the rose was surprisingly heavy)

Basically, if you didn't have patience or assumed this was your typical Good Smile figure, chances are you broke something in the process. It's a very well sculpted figure, just something that could drive your patience nuts. That, and there was the paranoia that I spent about $300 on the figure (figure ~$150, shipping ~$150, forex fee another $10+) so no way was I going to take any chances.

Generally speaking, the figma is nice from Good Smile as expected but I generally liked the PVC more once both are assembled. The lack of movable joints is something I generally enjoy from PVC, but that is likely a personal preference.
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grooven



Joined: 16 Aug 2006
Posts: 1428
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:12 pm Reply with quote
There wasn't anything wrong with the Ultimate Madoka PVC. The only thing is they made lots of her and she wasn't limited so the price for resell is not a lot at all.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:20 pm Reply with quote
Chagen46 wrote:
I have a feeling there's a joke I'm missing.


Same. Does it have to with a role her dub actress did?
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Mikeski



Joined: 24 Sep 2009
Posts: 608
Location: Minneapolis, MN
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:32 pm Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
Mikeski wrote:
And yes, the bow with the fireball on top is too top-heavy to use.

It's not a fireball, it's a rosebud. That's why there are thorns on the bow.

Flaming rosebud, then. I'll compromise. Wink

The "simple" bow has a rosebud. (The linked page above has one image with the simple bow, the rest have a fireball/flaming-rosebud.)

(It doesn't bother me that the fireball-bow doesn't work well; I have her sitting on a shelf about 4 feet up, so it would block the view of her face anyway. Rosebud-bow works better for me.)
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Mikeski



Joined: 24 Sep 2009
Posts: 608
Location: Minneapolis, MN
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 2:38 pm Reply with quote
Polycell wrote:
Mikeski wrote:
I've got the PVC as well, and I had to get a replacement ankle wing shipped from GSC.
How and how much?
Email to their customer-service link (they wanted a picture of the damage, as well), and free.
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corinthian



Joined: 20 Feb 2009
Posts: 264
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:17 pm Reply with quote
belvadeer wrote:
Chagen46 wrote:
I have a feeling there's a joke I'm missing.


Same. Does it have to with a role her dub actress did?


I'm going to go out on a limb and guess it's just a joke on how some companies used to change characters' names when dubbing...
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Mylene



Joined: 07 Feb 2006
Posts: 2792
Location: Indiana
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 4:28 pm Reply with quote
Mikeski wrote:

And yes, the bow with the fireball on top is too top-heavy to use.


I haven't noticed any problem with that bow being top-heavy. The ankle wings are a pain though. Accidentally touch them and they fall right out. :\
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Mesonoxian Eve



Joined: 10 Jan 2012
Posts: 1858
PostPosted: Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:52 pm Reply with quote
A little tip: if the stand arm isn't holding up the figure, a small screwdriver to tighten the screws works well.

I'm not impressed with this figma, though to be honest, I've not been impressed with the line at all. I stopped buying them and now dump my coins into Nendos.

Still fun to read about them.
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