How I started collecting figurines and stopped worrying.
I wanted to start collecting since I was a teen. While I am happy that I started in my early 30s, I can't say I am happy about the reason that solidified my decision. I don't want to go into too many details; I will just say that my life was constantly in danger due to reasons that were much, much bigger than me. It was just a fact: my life could abruptly end at any moment. So I chose to pursue my dream and hold onto the small spark of joy I could find. Even if it were the last thing I do. But even a small smile from looking at my little collection was enough for me to just… keep going. And in my circumstances it was already a lot.
All in all, figure collecting and art were two things that comforted me during the most difficult two years of my entire life. The situation is not over yet, even though I am relatively safe. But I still love these little things that kept me grounded. I accepted the fact that you can't take money to your grave, but you can put it into something that will help you survive, even if it's some little and pointless thing in the eyes of the others.
I made a few purchases recently (after I sold a part of my collection I don't really like anymore), and with them I am trying to tie my collection to a casino/bar theme. For example, this gorgeous diva dancing near the pole arrived just today. I was super lucky to find a seller who lives in the same country as I currently do!
Assembling her was a nightmare, though. All new figures tend to be a bit stubborn with pegs and stuff, but this one has this pole made of a solid chunk of metal. And sliding it in without breaking anything is very, VERY difficult. I began assembling her according to the instructions, but I regret it because it resulted in minor damage to her fishnet. Thank goodness it's not visible, but it's there, and it upsets me a little. The alternative assembly method suggested at the forum worked much better, though! All in all, I could assemble her without big losses, because people constantly snap her legs or her fingers trying to get her in place. That's how she became rather infamous among 1/4 scale appreciators. And another point of her infamy is her GIGANTIC base. 36 centimetres! This is crazy and absolutely unneeded! I have a friend who does magic with 3D printing, and we agreed to meet in September and see if we can think about a smaller base for her. I am not going to resell her (her gigantic box went bye-bye; I don't have a place to store it), so I can modify things here and there.
At the moment my 1/4 display looks like that:
Girls I have in my collection (left to right):
- Goddess of Victory: Nikke - Rupee - B-style - 1/4 - Luxury Rabbit (FREEing) (received her today)
- Original - Binding Creator's Opinion - Creator's Collection - Misono Ringo - 1/4 - Bunny Ver. (BINDing, Native) (received her earlier in August)
- Original - Binding Creator's Opinion - Creator's Collection - Ally - 1/4 (BINDing, Native) (bought in 2024)
Smaller display with bar and casino table is a work in progress, I am waiting for casino girls. As soon as I have them, I will surely share a few photos as well!