One Piece Time Skip Figures -- Ban Dai Figuarts Zero

I have always thought that Ban Dai's Figuarts Zero is a line which the sculpt and the price of the figures is not really that attractive ever since it started with Luffy and all. So far of those released I only thought that Boa Hancock and Blackbeard were not too bad and the rest was not that good and I would even term it bad but their Admirals was pretty well made and with the Time Skip figures coloured prototype released, 1 step ahead of Ban Presto line, I must admit Im really impressed.

Starting in order of how they met.. Luffy looking pretty good

Zoro which I find not that nice and the worse among all 9

Nami with overspilling boobs in a micro bikini, which I feel face can be improved

Usopp looking good with his abs and all..

Sanji looks quite good as well

Chopper looks not bad too ha, notice the no photos sign beside it? lol

Robin looks nice as well although I dont really like this design

Franky looks good! Although I prefer his older looks with the hair and "SUPER!" pose

Lastly the Rock Superstar Brook! Pretty good with a  stand to make him do that pose! Nice!

Hopefully the final products will look as good and they can improve on Zoro. Although they look pretty good but I think Im going to stick to Ban Presto line as I dont think I want to start another line of collection as I think if so I might hunt back earlier releases.. Well unless Ban Presato screws up in 1 way or another which I highly doubt so..

One Piece Time Skip Figures -- Ban Presto

From this year onwards Ban Presto has decided to make it more difficult to get their products by imposing strict restrictions on their arcade game prizes from leaking out of the arcades. Basically you probably can still get the items but of cause at much higher and more expensive prices. Well but the upcoming previews look really nice.This seems really exciting with what Ban Presto is coming up with for its Grandline Men GLM as well as its Grandline Lady GLL and Grandline Children GLC figures..

Prototype pictures starting with even more robotic looks, Franky

Brooks as the rock star

Chopper looking the same

Luffy with the Sagat-like scar on his chess

Nami, with her ever growing boobs, this is supposed to be under Grandline Lady

Macho Usopp

Bonney also under new Grandline Lady line

Nico Robin

Nami is bikini licking ice cream (dun get the wrong idea..)

Grandline Children Luffy

Along with Sabo, supposedly with Ace but not coloured pics of Ace so far..

Grandline Lady Vivi

This is one which looks really good which I think will be highly popular, Zoro!

3rd figure from Shanks crew, Yasopp, father of Usopp

World Collectible Figure Vol 18

World Collectible Figure Vol 16 which I think looks really nice as it is from 1 of the cover art of the books, which they are actually all crossing the arms like the picture which you can replicate the scene in SD forms!

 

World Collectible Figure Vol 17, which is quite interesting and looks really good as its both Shanks and Whitebeard with their main crew members, especially Shanks crew which can accompany the upcoming GLM releases and Whitebeard with Vista and Marco POP

  

For now I will eagerly await to see if I can continue to get these figures at reasonable prices as well as await the upcoming pictures of the coloured prototype figures! Just cant wait!

X'mas gathering

Had a early X'mas gathering at Plaza Singapura with my friends. we were supposed to meet at 1330h but at 1430h there were only 3 of us out of 6 people who were expected to be there. zZZ and they only arrived at 1445h. Not the 1st time being more than an hour late! The next time must inform them of the timing an hour earlier ahead of the scheduled time. While waiting we were choosing the dining place and normally I had no specific preferences and since two of them had babies, one of the Mama wanted a more spacious seating area with some cushion seatin or something. Well I actually just had dinner at Manhattan Fish Market the day before so I didnt really want to go there again but Mama No. 1 just ignored my choice! Argh.. Total disregard of my choice, irritating! Same as the other time when Mama No.1 was pregnant, we went to eat and I didnt want to eat Seoul Garden but she insisted on it. Well that time she was pregnant so I gave in to her but now again! So no more third time!

Enough of ranting, after we ordered our food for a long time, and I had platter for 2 with my friend again zZZ, the other 3 then slowly strode in. Mama No. 2 also came with her baby in a pram. It was the first time we went out with them with their babies. Baby 1 was 7 months old and Baby 2 was 9 months old, both boys. Quite troublesome with a baby alone I would say. You have to feed the baby or take care of him or her while you try to eat or pacify the baby when the baby cries suddenly, so if without the husband or anyone else around it would be quite a hassle to try to handle everything alone. Mama No.2's sister was getting married soon in Jan and she was there to distribute her wedding invitation cards. I guess our age is really the marriage age especially for gals. Stirs back unhappy memories again. Mama No.1 looks succummbed to her orderly life which I find she chose to pursue. things were moving systematically and progressively. Mama No.2 was all excited about being Mama and cant wait to have another one again and she revealed to us that she already foudn out she was pregnant when she met us last year September but didnt tell us.

For a moment the topics were on marriage, partners and babies which I didnt really wana engage in. Overall it was a pretty fun gathering except actions of one, Ms Naive which kinda spoiled the overall experience. There wasnt really as much conversations I guess due to her. She has this naive thinking about alot of things in life, in marriage and others. I just find that she is viewing the world through her little window and thinks how perfect things are and dreams of the ideal life to come. Probably she really hopes her Prince Charming will ride on a white steed with a carriage and marry her to live happily ever after. Her speeches of how Mama No.2's husband helped to look after the baby and take care of the baby and mentioned something like she thinks that I would probably fail in this kind of roles and such. But she speaks too softly and I cant really make out her conversations and I was kinda cant really be bothered with her comments. Changing a baby's diapers makes a good husband? No I dont think so. There are just so many aspects to it which she overlooks. Marriage is also a lifelong process which is hard to say even 10 or 20 years down the road. Too many people I feel do not have the right idea of marriage and jump into it without serious considerations of the many facets of marriage resulting in the high divorce rates nowadays, but well..

Well before we called it a day, we had our gift exchange. I think its always quite interesting to see what people got for one another and the element of surprise of what one will get. I got this bottle of wine lol which was quite appropriate for me I guess.

Erm the most shocking was this gift given by Mama No.1 which was this Porcupine coin back which had a back or body shaped like a durian! lol.. Most of us were lost for words and stunned for a moment especially when the 1st layer of wrapping was unwrapped, the 2nd layer was wrapped in those paper which contained 1 rim photocopying paper lol. Mama No. 2 even mentioned "Wa this is epic! Must take a photo of it!" And the 'durian' went to Mama No.1's best friend lol. After we called it a day, Mama No.1's best friend was heading to Downtown East for a BBQ so we left together. We went around shopping for a gift for her niece for some time before finally deciding on a furry bagpack. Along the way she complained of the 'durian' and wondered what she was going to do with it and I really had a good laugh. Guess Mama No.1 didnt expect her best friend to get it. And we came to a conclusion, Ms Naive has got to be left out of the gathering next time. She does not seem to be appreciative of the effort put into organising such gathering and event blatantly commented that if we left her out next time its ok. It was really hard to even contact her which she did not reply sms or calls. So happened I bumped into her exactly a week ago and I asked if she wanted to join us which she agreed to and she didnt reply any calls or sms till the day itself saying she will be late. Overall the atmosphere would have been better I suppose? So sorry mate, you are out of the circle of trust. Well the next time round the Mamas suggested going their place instead which probably would not have been a bad idea. I wanted to suggest it but didnt know if they would mind but since they proposed why not? Next gathering then I guess, hopefully 2 more others will be able to turn up.

Gotten my 1st X'mas card this year from my dear friend who never fails to give us a card everytime. Ha she was complaining to me about Ms Naive getting her exchange present which she specially prepared for us, hoping that one of us will get it as most of us were borned in the year of the Rat, but sadly ended up with Ms Naive who was 1 year younger than us. On a sidenote, my friend's handwriting I realised is pretty good lol. Thanks for a card..

Pictures of some purchases before I try to upload older ones..

Picked up Ban Presto Memories of Merry Vol 2's Going Merry, a recolour version of Vol 1

Capcom's Monster Hunter Rathalos Really huge box..

Overdued POP Strong World Chopper

Along with POP Strong World Franky, really love this one for his stomach being able to open and put Cola bottles in lol..Big box n big figure as well..Cant imagine Jinge and White Beard.. Picked up these after Alvin got them too as it looks quite nicely done with pretty good details and articulation. More worth than Star Wars 3.75" I would say..

Jump Fiesta One Piece Previews

Recently was Jump Fiesta which reveal some of the upcoming One Piece items like POP, Figuarts Zero, SH Figuarts and others. I must say Ban Presto items are really well priced and of really good quality. POP looks great but price is not that cheap. Well some pictures of the figures shown.

Ban Dai SH Figuarts Sanji

other than Luffy released with the blown up fist gimmick, I find the other Ace and Nami released pretty bad as the sculpt looks bad, but Sanji dun look so bad from this pic, especially the flaming foot effect

Ban Dai Figuarts Zero Strong World Shanks and Ace, Im not a supporter of Figuarts Zero line, thinking the line lacks details to the sculpt.. Figuarts Zero Trafalgar Law Figuarts Zero Chopper, feel that the face looks abit funny Ban Presto DX Brotherhood figures upclose..think the face sculpt and flames effect look great!DX DX Girls Snap Collection 1 Vivi & NamiGrandline Children -- young Sabo, Luffy & Ace

the uncoloured prototypes DX Marines figures

Super DX Ace seems to have a newer version with a less shiny body and flames on his hands

POP Vista coloured! Instead of releasing the other Admirals or Shichibukai we get White Beard's other captains instead zzZ

POP Strong World Shanks

looks great but never appear in the OVA so I dun understand why is he released though he looks great

upclose pic of his face

POP Strong World Ace uncoloured

POP Perona coloured love the ghost beside it as well as the colour of Perona

Was kind of hoping Megahouse would complete the Admirals and Shichibukai rather than releasing other characters but well being a sucker for OP stuff especially POP I most prob would get all of them.