[HaRoRuleZ]

Originally Posted by <EvAnGeLiOn>

It'll be nice if you show us some pictures of your rare collection of soft figures~
We would love to see some of it!

As you know I am leaving Japan, I am packing my stuff everyday. All non-gashapon models are almost completely packed. When I pack gashapon models maybe I can pile them up to create a mountain of 3,300+ gashapon models for taking a shot. The shipment of my stuff will cost 300,000~400,000 yen and that is a big hit I have to hold off the purchase of new releases.

Early releases of MS Selection Series and SD Gundam Full Color are rare (in terms of production numbers they are not rare but they are rare to find in present days) and cost a lot of money to get them. Early releases of Ultraman and Masked Rider are rare too and I love the monsters so much. I have no time and ability to paint things to that level. If you love collecting soft figures and you want to collect gashapons and trading figures you are bound to investing a lot of money to finish a set of them. I usually have 30-50 pieces of 100-yen coins ready for gashapon dispensers. There is slim chance to know which figure I will get from a dispenser (depending on the dispenser model and the number of gashapons left in that dispenser) and I have to wander around several dispensers at different stores to see whether a particular figure I want is about to be dispensed or at least the next or next next one and that needs efforts, patience, and money too. There are shops that sell some complete sets of gashapon figures at their face prices plus additional VAT but their choices of set are limited and in that case I can save some money and use it to get others sets that are available only from the dispensers.

As for Gundam trading figures (e.g. Hyper Gundam, Gashapon EX Series, Gundam Mini Figure Selection, Gundam Collection 1/400 Image Scale, G Sight 1/350 Scale, Gundam Swing, SEED Heroines, SEED Chara Puchi, Haro Kore, Gundam Sharpener Collection, SEED Sharpener EX Collection, Gundam/Zeta Gundam/SEED/SEED DESTINY Chess Piece Collection, etc.) they are in boxes or metallic coated plastic bags (Gundam Mini Figure Collection). Only sense of your hands can roughly differentiate them by weighing or groping them. To defeat this I used to carrying a digital balance around to weigh them. Some stores do not allow me to weigh and what the problem it is my money and is up to me to get the boxs or bags I want . They are close-minded. See, it needs efforts to get a particular trading figure to complete a set with little money possible. Another way to complete a set of particular trading figures is to buy a big box and in that case I will get mostly two sets of them or merely two sets with a secret (e.g. Hyper Gundam, Gashapon EX Series, SEED Heroines) or a complete set with an additional set of variation figures (e.g. G Sight 1/350 Scale, Gundam Head) or partial set (e.g. Gundam Collection 1/400 Image Scale, Gundam Sharpener Collection, SEED Sharpener EX Collection, Gundam Mini Figure Selection) or a complete set or almost a complet set with a secret item (e.g. Haro Kore, Gundam Swing, Haro Cap). Some hobby shops sell each complete set of trading figures at high price.

Each volume of Gundam Collection 1/400 image scale (volume 1-9 and DX) has up to three rare items, some variations, and sometimes two premiere items. Each set of Gundam Mini Figure Selection has two rare color items, a secret item, and a super rare color item. My succesful rate to get super rare color item is by far only 0.0060 %.

I usually do not drink soft drink. In this year prior to the release of Pepsi 25th Anniversary Memorial Gundam Bottle Cap Collection in August I remembered drinking only 1.5 liters of cola but playing with this collection I ended up buying 70 bottles of 500 ml Pepsi (35 liters). Finishing 35 liters of cola was painful to my stomach though . This year I got 8 secret items after searching through hundreds of bottles . Spending xx minutes or an hour searching through several dozens of bottles to get some items was a kind of adventure. Last year I bought 73 bottles but got zero secret item . I only bought 19 bottles (available for only 1 liter bottle) in 2002.

Banpresto Gundam products are prize items not for sales and principlely available for game machines such as UFO Catchers (you control a claw to catch them) but some hobby shops sell them at their own determined prices. Getting Banpresto Gundam items needs a lot of money and efforts. Some game centers set the claws too weak too get an item regardless of how hard and how many times you try. Blindly playing them will drain your 100-yen coins away.