How it began for me

Hi guys! I've been wanting to write this for some time but never got down to it and now here it is. As I see all the figures that we are planning to add from Wonderfest to each of our collections, it's nice to think about how I started in the first place.

My very first scale figure was Lacus Clyne from Gundam Seed. That would be the figure that's in the back of this photo. It wasn't expensive at the time but to the young me who only had allowance and no job, she was a very big expense. Sadly, this figure hasn't stood the test of time. She's basically quite heavy and the portion of the base which supports her weight broke. Attempts to fix it have not been lasting. So she can only stay at the back and lean on the wall, where she'll hopefully not fall over.

Due to limited funds, I didn't buy any scale figures for the next few years and only purchased capsule toys. I only started my collection of scale figures (and nendoroids and figmas etc) in 2010. Back then, it was rare for figures to exceed S$100 (this would include shipping plus profit margin) and I used to buy from local shops, both online and physical.

So, what was the first figure I bought in 2010? It was Alter's Azusa.

I fell in love with the quality of the figures, no more accurately, the instruments and their level of detail. Okay, the figures themselves were also awesome. I then decided to complete the collection by getting all 5 of them. Ritsu and Tsumugi were one of the first few figures that I could recall that broke the S$100 mark. Ever since then, so many figures are generally above that mark.

As time passed and my collection grew, I decided to arrange the figures and give themes to the shelves.

Needless to say, the main theme for these 2 shelves was "Saber". Although, because they have reached max capacity (not shown in this picture), there are couple of other Sabers in other shelves.

Some time last year, I began making purchases directly from amiami and hobby search (though now is mostly amiami). Every month my expenses on anime merchandise has been growing, especially over the past couple of months.

Some time in June, in came my most expensive figure till date: Kotobukiya Eustia Astarea - Seraphic Edition

Coming in at S$298, she still holds the title of most expensive in my collection, surpassing the 2nd by S$100. Was she worth it? I don't care. I really loved her wings since they're so beautiful and thought that I really had to have her!

In addition to that, I began watching Pretty Cure. By began, I mean picking it up again cause I dropped it for some weird reason a few years ago but after watching the movie, my flame for it got reignited. Then I set out to collect at least one of each Cure in some form or other. At the time there were Cure Black, White, Luminous, Bloom/Bright, Egret/Windy, Dream, Rouge, Lemonade, Mint, Aqua, Rose, Peach/Angel Peach, Berry, Pine, Passion, Blossom, Marine, Sunshine, Moonlight, Melody, Rhythm, Beat, Muse, Happy, Sunny, Peace, March and Beauty. Yes, that's a lot. The cost was... Well, not cheap. The first package that came in weighed 9kg (there were a few other items there but this made up the bulk).

I even allocated 3 shelves to all the Pretty Cure girls, which at the time I thought was excessive. Looking back, definitely not enough, not that I have the space for it now.

Speaking of space, not only do we have to cater display space for the figures, we also have to provide space for the boxes if we want to keep them. Why would collectors want to keep them? The most common reason is the retention of some value. I remember when I was buying Azusa (second hand) there was one offer where she did not come with a box and I was very hesitant so I can only assume that other people would be too. Where then do the boxes go?

Everything else is a blur... So, where am I at now? On display I have approximately 255 figures (nendoroids, figmas, prize and scale figures not including capsule, petites and others) and about 10 more figures still in their boxes with many more still on their way.

Not long ago, Raili (Pureneemo) joined the family.

Soon after Nyaruko joined too~

Kobato is coming soon, hopefully (she's been delayed for 3 months).

I estimate that I have invested around S$20,000 in this hobby (to include anything anime related like dolls and other merchandise). Friends ask why I spend so much on this hobby and I commonly reply: We have different wants. You spend on holidays, I spend on my anime collection. Moreover, I see them as art; they are designed, sculpted and produced. Being mass produced does not make it any less of an art piece. Yes, art is subjective and I can understand if you don't like it. Also, think about it, they still retain some value, do your holidays?

Yup, I finally got down to writing this. So, what I'm curious to know is: What got you started on this hobby? What was your first figure? And the if you're willing to think about it... How much have you spent so far?