Hello, and welcome to All Your Monies, where The Glorio Blog’s resident toy and figure collecting crew (and Aqua) will run down the last week’s new pre-orders, turning a loving or scathing eye over what’s been put out for you to spend your hard earned cash on. This week we’re fully back in the swing of things after a slightly inconsistent schedule. To celebrate, here’s an extra-large edition.

Nendoroid Mako Mankanshoku (Kill La Kill)
Good Smile Company, November, ¥4,500 (Exclusive)

Zigg: This is, needless to say, super duper adorable and I love that GSC went the extra mile on some stuff like the knuckle duster and the weapons in the coat. This is technically exclusive but the company opens orders through the official store for everyone so keep an eye on the Good Smile Shop if you want one.

Timmy: Mako in her ultimate form never looked so good and as with her other nendroid, her design chibifies really well. Accessories are also really fun but lets be honest. You were already buying this before you saw them. That exclusive status really is a pain though, not to mention the expensive flat rate EMS shpping GSC charges. Still, you know you want to.

Jel: It’s finally here and it’s exactly what we hoped it would be. That said, I’m not sure how well the Fight Club outfit makes the transition to nendo form. As we’ve said before, Mako herself is basically a living cartoon nendoroid but seeing her various implements of pain make me kind of wish we got a full scale figure or at least a figma… nah who I am kidding? This is awesome. They nailed all the poses and bonus points for including the explosive crocodile tears, even if I’m not sure when you would ever use them. Maybe if they make a nendo of an almost dead Gamagoori? We can only hope.

Euri: Exclusive? Come on GSC, you can afford to spread the bancho love around a bit more than that. This is certainly one impressive Nendoroid, and I feel bad for the people that won’t be able to get hold of her.

Yotsuba&! Figure Collection Vol. 1 (Yotsuba&!)
GG7, September, ¥5,556

Zigg: Cute as a button. My only major complaint here is that even though there’s only five varieties you’re forced to buy blind boxes of ten. Nor is there any guarantte you’ll get one of each type. A little too random for me to invest unfortunately.

Timmy: Maximum adorable. There is a little bit of unknown here though as I am not familiar with GG7 and their quality or if a box of 10 will be random or a pair of sets. Still, nothing bad can come from having these cute little things all over you desk.

Jel: I’ve still never really read Yotsuba even though she is kind of our unofficial mascot and I feel like we should all have one of these on our desks. Maybe we can invent some kind of GLORIO cocktail that requires having the one climbing on your glass? That aside these are super cute and look pretty decent for what looks like capsule figure quality. If you think of it that way the price might be a little steep, but is there any amount of yen too high for something this adorable?

Euri: As soon as I saw these 4chan girls for sale, I had to set aside the money to buy them. No regrets.

Rikka Takanashi (Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions)
Hobby Stock, October, ¥12,778

Zigg: It’s less grotesquely sexualised than a lot of bunny girl figures and I like the dark colour scheme and cute pose, but yes, definitely one for ‘very dedicated fans’ only.

Timmy: I already own a pair of Rikkas and figured I was done with the series but I have found myself surprised by how much I am tempted by this. For starters they have matched the source image really, really well and I actually find the ensemble more cute then sexy probably due to the lack of fishnets. I also find the asymmetrical positioning of the ears to be oddly appealing as well, and the face actually works for me for some reason. Furthermore the fact this is NOT an exclusive like it was first implied along with the rumor that this is being made in Max’s Factories adds a lot of appeal as well. Will Rikka here be my first bunny girl? Guess we will have to wait and see.

Jel: Kind of odd how there wasn’t any figures at the height of Chuu2’s popularity and now we’ve been seeing a few over the past year or so. That said we are better off with less Bunny suit figures and I could have lived without this one. It’s actually pretty tame compared to some other bunny figures, with the little blazer and the ribbon thing covering her backside, but that scared/embarrassed/surprised expression totally kills it.

Euri: This reminds me that I should probably get a Rikka figure at some point, but this certainly won’t be the one I’ll get. The sculpt looks to be fine, but I just can’t get over how it looks like she’s raided a costume store and was interrupted while trying everything on at the same time. That and I’m trying to work out why exactly she’s wearing a swimming costume. 

Hestia (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?)
Kotobukiya, November, ¥9,200

Zigg: Kotobukiya make great figures but Hestia is one of the stupidest characters of all time.

Timmy: To be honest  Hestia’s design really isn’t all that extravagant save for her one defining feature, but I enjoy the show so it isn’t going to stop me from buying and adoring her. Kotobukiya did a fine job with what they had to work with, and the extra spice of the apple crate really adds a lot of interest to the figure. It should be noted though that there are several more Hestias in the works, namely one by Max Factory, so unless you are in love with what you see here it is worth considering holding off.

Jel: Look, we all know Hestia is one of the dumbest character designs in recent memory, nothing we can do about that. Can we talk about that amazingly detailed crate of apples? Look at the incredible detail in the woodgrain, and you can even see the nails holding it together! That alone should be worth your 9,200 yencoins.

Euri: Actually I was going to point out that the uniformity of the apples in the box is really distracting. Come on Kotobukiya, you’ve mastered physics-defying boob ribbons, now step up that apple tech.

Yukiho Hagiwara (IDOLM@STER)
Phat, November, ¥8,400

Zigg: I love this. The modest outfit and pale ‘washed’ blue color scheme makes this very evocative of 80’s shoujo to me. That base is a little cheap but otherwise it’s a gorgeous pose, full of character and fluid motion. Always nice to see something different, especially when it’s this well executed.

Timmy: Yukiho is as fantastic as I have come to expect from Phat and their Idolm@ster line, and much of the praise I gave their Makoto a couple months abo applies here as well. Highlight is definitely the motion of the sculpt, but the paint all looks pretty good as well. I personally love the hat, as well as the cute expression on her face as she reacts to the gust of wind that is causing her to lose it. Really, the only thing keeping me from buying any of these girls is knowing that if I do I will need to buy all of them.

Jel: Another month, another great figure in Phat’s IM@S line. The sculpt and pose are top notch although I’m not sure how I feel about the paint job. The hazy blue almost looks otherworldly, and as far as I know Yukiho doesn’t have supernatural powers. Still pretty nice overall though and another worthy addition to the line.

Euri: A standout, not-gross Idolm@ster figure, so I’m sure fans of whoever this lady is will be happy. I’m personally more interested in finding out what music she’s into, as I can tell by the positioning of her fingers that she was recently pulled out of a rock concert.

Aqua: 

Keigo Atobe (The New Prince of Tennis)
Alter, October, ¥15,800

Zigg: I have no idea who this character is and I have no idea why he’s dressed like that, but I knew he had to be in this roundup because that is just BALLIN’. Oh and since it’s Alter I guess it’ll be a pretty good figure too.

Timmy: I don’t know who this guy thinks he is sporting his Gilgamesh levels of smug and arrogance, but he is all the better for it. Alter have done a great job bringing Keigo to life with all the details sculpted into his outfit and it’s adornments. And of course giving him an extravagant throne to sit on was a necessity. The real winner though is that pretty boy face and that expression on it. He is a bit on the expensive side, but considering the chair he sits on and the robe around his shoulders he might just be worth it.

Jel: So if Echizen is the Prince of Tennis is this guy the king? Maybe even the emperor? Wait, why do I know ANYTHING about Prince of Tennis? Regardless, this is an amazing figure if not for quality than for the sheer arrogance. The level of detail is astounding. You can see little creases in the gaudy blue leather armrests and even the back of the giant gold throne is ornately decorated. Please, someone buy this.

Euri: I must remember to watch Japanese tennis sometime, because if this figure has anything remotely similar with their version of the sport, I’m in. That aside, it would be cool (and unlikely) if Keigo was removable, if only so I can finally sit Woody on the throne he deserves. 

figma Venus de Milo (ART)
Max Factory, January 2016, ¥4,445

Zigg: What sort of cheap hack sculpted this? She doesn’t even have arms!

Timmy: A really fun idea in general but the execution is marred by all those damn ugly ass joints. Still it is nice to see the Figma line getting something different for a change every once in awhile.

Jel: I kind of love that there is an entire category of “weird” figmas out there to balance out the onslaught of anime schoolgirls, maybe even more so now as GSC and Max Factory are cranking out their line of same-facey Love Live gals. We now have The Thinker and Venus available to go on their own anime adventures, but who will be next? Maybe they’ll start adapting paintings? Could you imagine figma versions of “The Scream” or “American Gothic”? Just remember you heard it here first.

Euri: Only if she can fit in the product below this.

figma Panzer IV Ausf. D (Girls und Panzer)
Max Factory, September, ¥14,800

Zigg: This is one of those awesome, cool, and totally impractical things that’s way too expensive and dumb to buy but I am glad exists. Waiting for invading armies of idols/magical girls/sports teams etc.

Timmy: This is… pretty cool actually, and even if you don’t have the Girls und Panzer cast to go with it it is still a fun accessory to play around with, much less a stand alone figure in its own right. Seems a little pricy, but given the size of the thing the price isn’t all that unexpected. I am half tempted to grab it just to give all my Madoka Magica figmas something to do. Or Homura at the very least… Aww shit, I just talked myself into buying it didn’t I?

Jel: Speaking of same-facey anime schoolgirl figmas… this one addition makes all the dull looking Girls und Panzer crew MUCH cooler. I can’t wait to see the photos that come out of this, be it with the original girls or otherwise. The price tag seems steep for an what is essentially an accessory, but if the quality is anything like Saber’s amazing motorcycle from Fate/Zero it will be well worth it.

Euri: The product page claims that this requires six AA batteries to operate. If this doesn’t move forward by itself while playing that one song, I’ll be sorely disappointed. I’d also like the ability to launch tiny Styrofoam balls out of the cannon.