“a look back” means that I do another photo shooting of a figure I’ve already reviewed, where I try to improve the overall presentation. Sometimes you’ll learn to appreciate a figure just a few years after it’s initial release, for me it happened with this certain Tamaki Kousaka, she was released in 2010, but I’ve bought her a bit later in 2012.

Tamaki Kousaka was made by Max Factory and released in May 2010. She is scaled 1/6 and measures around 18 cm.

ELLIOTT and Katayama Hiroki created a cute and sensual sculpt. Tamaki has been captured in an expressive way where she greets the viewer with her sweetest gentle smile. Her kneeling pose together with the nicely arched back create an alluring yet romantic appearance. It’s also quite nice how her school uniform shirt hanging down her shoulders .

There are around 265 Tamaki Kousaka figures, but from the many of her adaptations, this one is my favorite. Her smooth, rounded face with the very sweet and gentle smile gives her quite different look from the others.

In the To Heart 2 VN/anime Tamaki Kousaka is a childhood friend of the protagonist, Takaaki Kouno. she is the older sister type with a strong personality and determined behaviour. While this adaption of Tamaki doesn’t make her look dominant at all with her sweet rounded face and voluptuous curves. The big eyes are following the To Heart 2 design, as well as the hairstyle, the figures hair has a pretty shade of red with twintails at the back and an ahoge on top.

In 2012 my figure photography still was quite experimental and sometimes even clumsy, personally I think I improved over the years. So I wanted to make nicer pictures of this sweet Tamaki Kousaka. For the setup I decided to create a room with curtains and couch. Well, you could also call it a fancy porn set, although that wasn’t my real intention.

This Tamaki figure has a really nice body with marvelous curves around everywhere where it’s attractive with a cute slight stomach and shapely thighs. The figure has nice voluptuous curves or to put it more flattering, soft appearance.

This figure is highlighting the characteristics of an attractive woman, yet she has a certain innocent charm. Her outfit follows a sweet direction with the schoolgirl shirt, white stockings and pink panties she looks youthfully sexy.

Tamaki has beautiful breasts, nowadays I very much appreciate what might have slightly bothered me a few years ago. I really like how her hands folded above her breasts, the indentations on her breasts give the illusion of softness.

Overall the figures attractive sculpt is very detailed, especially the area around her shoulders with the pretty collarbones is great. She also has very detailed hands, it’s really nice to look at her petite fingers and painted nails.

Tamaki Kousaka from Max Factory is one of my all time favorites.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my new pictures of Tamaki Kousaka from Max Factory, below I’ve listed all of my
“A look back” posts in case you are curious about more figure photography of my favorite figures like that.

Today I’ll let down my pants, only in the figurative sense, of course

Inspired by Adam’s Figure Financials posts I decided that I wanted to create something similar by the end of this year. I’m fully aware that a detailed look at the figure expenses of this year might be a shocking experience, but join me  and face the ugly truth in this post.

Let’s take a look at the things I’ve bought this year, overall it were 27 figures that I’ve purchased and received this year, 1 less compared to 2011. Since I already sold 2 figures I end up with a number of overall 25 collected figures in 2012, it was one of my goals to stay under 28 figures.

monthly figure expenses

In the diagram below every bar shows what I’ve spent each month, surprisingly I ordered nothing in February and May. With 4 figures, I kind of overdid it in June and October, it were expensive months, but this also partially happened because of unforeseen events. In November I also ordered 4 figures, but these figure were from the aftermarket and comparatively cheap.

I won’t write down the entire sum I’ve spent this year, it would be a too big shock for me XD

manufacturer appointments

It looks like I chose ALTER for most of my purchases, their figures really caught my interest even some older figures from them. Surprisingly GSC, which I really can’t stand or better said it’s the constant hype about their products. Anyway I went out of my way and ordered four of their figures, I really like Sayaka and Shinobu. I also got really nice figures from Max Factory.
For some reason I only ordered 3 (4) Orchid Seed figures, maybe that will change in 2013.

I also tried different companies, that I’ve never bought from before, like Alpha Max, Native, Daiki Kougyou, PLUM, Phat Company and Volks who will relase their Nagisa figure soon. Unlike my bad experience with Griffon, these companies provided solid quality and very good figures.

Shop appointments

new exclusive and old figures comparison

Aside from 15 new figures, I bought 5 Exclusive figures (Sonico – Bath Time version,
Noel Vermillion, Miku Hatsune – Cheerful Japan, the Sonico Nendoroid and Nagisa).
The 7 old figures were Max Factories Tamaki Kousaka and Haruhi Suzumiya Gekisou version, Echidna from Megahouse. From ALTER I ordered the Louise Francoise – school uniform version, Fate/Hollow Ataraxia – Saber Maid R and non R version and Fauna at last.

I spent a lot for the Tamaki figure, but in other cases there were a number of significant price drops at Mandarake and AmiAmi preowned in this year, these prices were so low that I couldn’t resist these figures I always was slightly interested in. Asida from Echidna, who had a stained butt (it wasn’t me XD) I made no bad experiences with these aftermarket figures.

additional costs

When looking a these numbers I’m quite surprised that the custom fees only take ten percent of the spent budget, hehe four times my packages weren’t charged. 17 percent for shipping also appears lower than expected, this year I used more SAL shipping and domestic shipping, when more figures arrive in one month it makes no sense to use EMS for all orders. I used EMS 11 times, SAL 12 times and domestic shipping for local shops was used 4 times.

favorite figures of the year

Ok, enough of these dry statistics lets end this post with my personal favorites of the figures I’ve purchased this year this year.

Bakemonogatari – Oshino Shinobu (Good Smile Company)

This was my first GSC figure that I actually like a lot. The donut eating loli vampire Shinobu from Bakemonogatari was very well recreated in this figure, be it the adorable and cute face, the petite appearance of her body. Also the outfit with the cool motorcycle helmet and the light looking summer dress are also a convincing part of her. While not being sculpted perfectly sharp, the donut bed like base with it’s overload of details is a nice addition to the figure.

Another nice detail is that she can be taken off her base and be placed nearly everywhere.

Ikki Tousen Xtreme Xecutor – Kan’u Unchou (Daiki Kougyou)

I saw, drooled in excitement and ordered ^^. This figure appeared convincing for me from the day she was announced. I like Ikki Toussen quite a bit, but I never bought a figure of it before.

With this figure Daiki came especially close to my image of Kanu. Her powerful fighting pose and the well trained, attractive body were quite appealing. The figure of Kanu has a kinda angry determined face expression, while I prefer cute expressions in general, I was fascinated by the look of this figure. As my first experience with Daiki Kougyou, Im quite satisfied with their work. The sculpting and the painting on clothes and figure turned out very well

Soukou Akki Muramasa – Sansei Muramasa – Maid (Max Factory)

This was quite maid year in terms of figures for me, but Sansei Muramasa throned above all of them. I was interested in her since a certain Wonfes a few years ago. I am totally happy that I was convinced to get her in the end. Her appearance of a grown up and very attractive dark skinned elf is really enchanting. Muramasa has a beautiful face, the eyes are very expressive and also the unique combination of a slightly embarrassed and pouting  face expression are nice.

Her dress is lovely with the detailed ruffles and also the color combination of cream white and silky shine black a quite classy, elaborate look is created. The figure also offers a cool looking base with red floor and a pretty table where parts of the included coffee dishes can be placed.

Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai – Takayama Maria (Max Factory)

Im still not a fan the Maria character, but she’s cute loli anyway. As image for the sculpting and painting Max Factory relied on the illustrator of the Novels, Buriki who has a quite unique style.
I really love how the face of this figure was adapted, she has super detailed eyes, blush marks and a cute open mouth with a sharp little fang. This Maria Takayama is a high quality figure with great looking body sculpting and an overall lively and playful appearance.

The dress is a little odd for a figure of a young girl, but is is very well done with pretty gloss and detailed shading effects. With a happy Maria inside the dress actually looks more cute than lewd.

To Heart 2 – Kousaka Tamaki – (Max Factory AquaPlus)

I saw this figure in the past, but in this year I noticed how appealing this figure actually is and was searching on the aftermarket. friend on MFC helped me and so I got my Tamaki Kousaka.

Not a cheap deal, but it was worth every cent. She looks a little different compared to her visual novel and anime origin, but in this case that is nothing bad.  On her fluffy, round base Tamaki radiates a romantic, cozy atmosphere what is quite charming in my eyes. The long red hair is pretty, the round face with the big eyes, rosy cheeks and the gentle smile on her mouth is really enchanting. The combination of a quite innocent appearance and an attractive curvy body works very well with this figure. Overall, the sculpting and paintjob of her are really top notch.

I still think that her boobs are too big, but with a cute face like this I accept this “minor” detail ;D

Nitro Super Sonic – Sonico –  Bath Time version (Native)

This was my first figure from Native actually, more importantly is that she’s a huge 1/6 scaled Sonico. I liked the creativity of pose and base a lot, these three little bathing friends are really cute accessories. The figure also has a very detailed and convincing face expression. I also like that they added more meat to this sculpt of Sonico like the Tsuji Santa artstyle always implies.

The figure can be displayed naked, not to the extent of most Native figures, but in my opinion  she looks best with one of her towels applied.Minor flaws are too faint blush marks and a  not that sexy looking butt, but nevertheless she is without question one of the best Sonico figures so far with the  Sonico – Bondage version from Orchid Seed following close afterwards.

Senran Kagura – Hibari (Phat Company)

I was quite happy as the cute GK of Hibari was quickly adapted to be turned into a PVC figure.
I didn’t had that much trust into Phat Company to begin with. But after unpacking her I was very much delighted, she looked very well done and came without major flaws. I love the cheerful face of Hibari with her flower eyes and the happy open mouth. I also liked her busty schoolgirl appearance dressed up in cute sportswear, like the jersey and the short bloomers that accentuates her meaty thighs. Her loose socks and the shoes are also a very cool detail.

Since I awaited this figure from Phat Company with lowered expectations my joy about her very good quality and looks were kinda amplified and Im still very happy about her purchase.

Do you have favorite figures from the ones you’ve bought?

Final Words

So far I always planned my purchases on a monthly basis, so that I won’t overstep my budget, in this post it was  interesting to take a look at the overall purchases of my figure hobby in this year. It appears like a lot of money and it probably is, but the truth is that there were more nice and pretty figures that I wanted to get n 2012, but I wanted to show at least a little retention.

Next year will be full of nice figures as well and I already preordered a few things, but lets see what and how many figures I will add to my next orders.

And you, Do you take a look back at your purchases and expenses of this year?

I there anyone who spent more? please let me know.

This is rather an update than a New Preorders post, but I won’t preorder a lot of figures anymore, at list for this year. Thx to the delays that occured I will get 4 figures this month  ;D

These unexpected delays collided with my previously set shipping methods  and so I just received one figure by the end of the previous month I got really bored during this 4 week waiting time. Even the Cheerful Miku which was released on the 14th September took more than two weeks until it was shipped to any western country, Im still waiting. And what happens when Im bored?

Right – Im looking for figure that are already available, which lead to the following purchase.

Ordered Figures

Fate/Hollow Ataraxia – Saber Maid version

Im actually not a real fan of Saber, but I don’t hate her either. As a friend of Maid attires I really like this Fate/Hollow Ataraxia – Saber Maid, she’s pretty nice as scantily dressed maid. The revealed back, the short skirt, sexy stockings and the ruffles everywhere, its a quite appealing combo. I also like the confident pose where she is holding the cool looking mop. This Saber was manufactured by ALTER in 2008 and is scaled 1/6. She should arrived in the next few weeks.

I found this Saber in AmiAmi’s preowned item corner for around 4800 Yen, it actually was good price. The deal had one little flaw though, I thought I was ordering the Ataraxia – Saber Maid R version, which was released recently, but ordered the old one instead *facepalm*.

Thats actually the first time that I’ve order the WRONG figure. The old Saber Maid version shouldn’t be so bad, in case I don’t like her I will sell her on ebay and get the one I wanted.

Maybe Baby List

These following figures are just from my Maybe Baby list (figures that I might order next), but I guess I will order the one or another from the ones listed below.

Kurokami Medaka

Max Factory recently became my favorite figure manufacturer, I love their Mugi, Maria, Asuka and Muramasa. Even though my impressions from the Medaka Box were a bit mixed, aside from that I like the crazy, big boobed weirdo student council president Medaka with her unique look and style. I especially like the wild appearance that the spiky hair and slanted eyes are giving her.
Max Factories Kurokami Medaka is scaled 1/8 and the release is scheduled for January 2013.
She has no cast-off option, unfortunately XD but the different armbands can be taken off.

Since I liked the Kurokami Medaka figure from Megahouse from the last Wonderfestival as well, therefore I would like to delay my order to give the other Company a chance for convincing me.

Dollfie Dream Dynamite – Miko

I guess I’ve turned crazy after 2 weeks of seriously taking care my last assignments, but yes I want a pretty Dollfie now. This one is scaled 1/3 and has a crazy height of 57 cm, I like her hair and the lively face with the blush marks. The only problem left aside from being able to get her, is the price of just ¥44000 *orz*. The loli Dollfie would be a bit cheaper, aww maybe I like lttle Rena a bit more  (>◡<)♡. Where could I get both anyway? a vmf50 would be easier to get and sexy.

Amami Haruka – Cu-Poche

This is Kotobukiya’s first figure from the Cu-Poche line is my beloved Haruka from the Idolmaster anime, she’s something like a more poseable ball jointed Nendoroid with magnets in her feet. I found Haruka’s advertised poses very interesting and the deformed face looks so stupidly adorable. This Haruka comes with three faces, 6 hands, wings, a halo and a microphone.
The release date of this little poseable monster is scheduled for April 2013 I’ll probably get her.

Kousaka Tamaki – Bunny version

I never expected to buy a bunny suit figure nor a second figure of Tamaki, but this one appears to be very nice. While not being a fan bunny suits, this Tamaki literally rocks that outfit with her nice body and the cool pose, also her seductive smile is a nice detail which gives this figure a nice appearance. This figure will be made by Orca Toys. It is the first figure of that company, which is related to Okayama Figure Engineering, they make extreme hentai figures. Bunny Tamaki is scaled 1/5 and will have height of 230 mm, the upper body has a cast off feature.

MIX

Megahouse decided to turn the whole cast of Aquarion Evol into a figure lineup, overall this anime appears better received by the Japanese audience. I watched the predecessor Sousei no Aquarion and also liked this new anime which aired this year. You could say that MIX was my favorite female character next to Yunoha. I’ actually never expected that someone would make a figure of MIX. The figure is sculpted in her casual dress, yeah Aquarion Evol was a quite colorful anime, but I think it’s a cute outfit. MIX also has her “big bangs” and is wearing neardy glasses.

I like her friendly face and also heard something about a second face option, but Im not sure if thats correct. MIX is scaled 1/8 and her release date is sheduled for the first month of 2013.

My slightly decreasing Preorder Roadmap

Yagyu Jubei already arrived, Miku and Saber are already on their way. With Stocking, Kanu and Hibari October should be an awesome month. I guess there will be at least 2 delays like last time.

related posts —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

New Preorders part 14
New Preorders part 13
New Preorders part 12
New Preorders part 11
New Preorders part 10
New Preorders part 09
New Preorders part 08

Hello, Im still on vacation, but I’ve prepared most of this posts content before my departure.
With no real new figure around, Max Factories Tamaki Kousaka which I received recently would be good review material. It’s a figure from 2010, but sometimes you’ll learn to appreciate a figure just a few years after it’s initial release, for me it happened with this certain Tamaki Kousaka.

As I saw Tamaki in reviews a few years ago, I liked her, but had the impression that her boobs were several cup sizes too big XD Well, the taste of a figure collector can change over the years and I now I actually have a liking to figures with a fairly sized bosom like Menace or Sonico.

A few weeks ago I saw pictures of her again and felt the urge to get this figure no matter what.
In fact it turned out quite difficult to find this rare figure, thx to my buddy ManstraCustom @ MFC I was able to get her on Mandarake. It wasn’t cheap and the shipping procedure was kind of nerve wrecking, but the figure was more than worth all the trouble, I can tell you this in advance.

This Tamaki Kousaka figure was made by Max Factory and released in May 2012. She is scaled 1/6 and the kneeing height of her measures around 180 mm. She comes with a round brown base with soft white floor on top. Sculptor ELLIOT was in charge of a number of Tamaki Kousaka figure adaptions, but this certain one is a little different, but we’ll keep this for later.

Her origin is the popular To Heart 2 dating game /anime, I don’t know why it’s that popular, so far everything I’ve seen from this anime was kind of boring, maybe the games are better ^^.

Tamaki is a redhead, she has nice long hair, actually Tamaki is my first figure with red hair and I really like it ^-^. The hair is very well sculpted and shows many detailed strands with a few brighter shading effects. The shape of her face is soft and round which gives her a much more kind and innocent aura than the predator look Tamaki has in the anime.

Her mouth slightly resmbles the one from anime cats, the gentle smile on her face is awesome.
On her cheeks Tamaki also features adorable blush marks what I really appreciate, another great part of her face are detailed eyes with the glossy finish. The way this figure is looking torwards the viewer is quite enchanting, it seems like she’s in love with the person in front of her.

Tamaki has a overall nicely sculpted body, like her face, the shape of her body appears very soft and rounded as well. This slightly chubbiness in combination with her pure and innocent aura suits her very good. The skintone is is also very well done and looks great in natural light, it’s the right amount of pale and tanned. The subtle shading adds the final touch to her skin.

Tamaki is showing a lot of skin, but she still has this innocent flair around her, she is wearing white stockings, pink underwear and the shirt of her school uniform. With her hands she tries to cover her boobs, but what can she do with just the petite hands of hers, they are spilling over XD

The level of detail at her hands is remarkable, they appear somewhat realistic in shape and the finger look just great with the accentuated finger joints and painted nails.

She has nice shoulders, collarbones, thighs and a cute belly. The decision to equip Tamaki with something around a J-Cup was a rather brave one, I know a number of people that are no too fond of boobs that large. PersonallyI like big boobs on my figures, but this is still a bit much, well the overall figure is so lovely that I can show a little more tolerance, than I would usually do.

Final Words

This Tamaki figure is an really adorable piece of figure craftsmanship, her attractive body and the innocent facial expression are enchanting, she is showing a good combination of sexy and cute. There are many nice details I like about this figure, the size of her boobs could be a little smaller in my opinion, but Im glad that I purchased her and overall Im more than satisfied with this figure.

It seems every serious figure collector has to own at least a single Tamaki Kousaka figure and with this purchase I did my part XD Her character isn’t one of my favorite anime characters I don’t even know much about her to be honest, but I really like Max Factories adaption of her character.

Tamaki (>◡<)♡

This figure has been around since May 2010, so my review of her isn’t the first one of course, other reviews can be found at

Tentacle Armada

Happy Soda

Tomopop

Howagirlfigures

Exelica-Meteor