“Pop Up Parades.” Love them or hate them, they give people a chance to collect something on a budget.
Unboxing & Review
Figure Review
Good Smile Shop link
Toga Himiko GSC Exclusive Figure info
Otaku Sinh’s collection
Timeline
- Paid April 8th, 2022
- Shipped April 27 (UPS Ground)
- Received May 3rd
Good Smile US
The 3 biggest reasons why I would shop at goodsmileus.com is because of the “Pre-order Bonus,” 50% off shipping on pre-orders and product availability.
Pre-Order Bonus
Nendoroids, Figmas and other figures sometimes comes with extra part bonuses that is only exclusive to the Good Smile Company websites. If you are a person that cares about those extra bonus parts or want to add value to your figure, buying directly from Good Smile Company’s online shop may be the only option.
“Become a member to get 50% shipping off on all Pre-Orders!”
If you sign-up on the Good Smile US website and make pre-orders, then you’ll get 50% off the shipping of that pre-order.
Restock & Availability
Sometimes, they end up getting restock on figures that are thought to be sold out. I was able to cop the “Uchiha Itachi Nendoroid” late last year or the beginning of this year after it sold out. If you missed out on pre-orders, then there’s still a chance you’ll find it “in-stock” at some point on their website.
Besides being able to purchase “Good Smile Company” products, sometimes they get other figures under the label “Partner Products.” If you missed out on pre-orders from other websites, then goodsmileus.com might be a good fallback plan. A couple of figures I have my eyes on are eStream’s “Monochrome” Gojo Scale and Furyu’s “Shiromoku” Raphtalia Scale.
Purchasing & Customer Service Experience
A good thing about goodsmileus.com is that you don’t have to pay upfront unless you’re using PayPal. I didn’t get charged for this figure until the month of release. It took about 2-3 weeks after payment for it to ship.
Also, since I am a bit of a credit card churner, they give you the option to change credit card information about 2 more times until you are locked in. I accidentally did this and had to phone in to customer service to see if I can update it again. I tried to call customer service a couple times in the morning with no answer. I tried again later in the afternoon and it connected with a very nice lady. Turns out, you just have to wait until they try to charge you upon release date. They just send you another invoice if the previous credit card doesn’t work. Judging by how fast the customer service rep spoke, I can tell that they might be a bit short-staffed. Although, she was very helpful and nice during our phone conversation.
The one last great thing about goodsmileus.com is that you can cancel your pre-orders without recourse. I think as long as you didn’t get charged yet, you’ll be able to cancel. Like RightStuffanime, there’s a “cancel” button you just need to click, in order to change your mind.
Overall, the perks to shopping at goodsmileus.com are clear. You get discounted shipping on pre-orders and can only get pre-order bonuses on certain figures if you buy directly from Good Smile Company’s websites. The website is easy to use with a very flexible way to easily manage your orders.
Shipping
Was the packaging secure? It sure was.If you watch my unboxing video, you can see for yourself how much they stuffed the crap out of the box. As far as I can tell, I didn’t receive any damages on any of the boxes.
Price
($38.99 x 4 (Quantity)) + $11.12(Shipping) = $167.08
Here is the link to their website, regarding the price increase of their Pop Up Parades. The price increases from $38.99 to $43.99. I think this is still a pretty fair price range compared to their other competitors. If you consider PUPs on the same level as Bandai’s prize figure lines (Banpresto, etc.), then it has always been a bit pricier. That $5 increase doesn’t make it or break it for me, as the quality of another figure for $43.99 remains about the same. In my opinion, I don’t try to fight against these price increases. With inflation and supply chains out of whack, this is just reality.
Unless you really want to get this figure early, I would just buy this figure domestically. The amount you’ll pay for shipping from overseas will probably be more than what you’ll pay domestically, at least from a US perspective.
Box
I apologize for not taking pictures of the box before opening it! Check out the YouTube video if you want a closer look.
Assembly
This figure comes with a base and the figure. There are 3 pegs on the bottom of the figure’s feet and you just simply attach it to base where the holes are located.
Aesthetics
What I received compared to what the prototype pictures looked like was a poorer quality looking version. In terms of the pose, I think they chose a very good one that accurately represents the character. The colors and paint that was chosen seems very vibrant and representative of what the character shading should look like. If you scroll all the way down where I compare the other scale figures, I think I can comfortably say I like the colors on the PUP more.
In terms of the sculpting, I think it looks pretty good. Where you might have issues is the sides of her hair. The little strands of hair seems a bit less defined and crisp.
Painting & Sculpting Errors
GSC PUP Exclusive vs Competition
Below, are some other options out there for you to pick up if this particular one is not of your interest.
Out of all of these options, the Spiritale scale is the one I will personally be the most interested in. I like the wow factor in crazy and elaborate designs. They have some other figures that have peaked my interest. I’m not a big of a fan of Ochaco in My Hero Academia, but her design is so eye-popping good that it makes me consider it as an option. The Milim Nava one of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime is another interesting design. When it comes to Sega, Kotobukiya and Bell Fine, I think people know what they are going to get. When it comes to Spiritale, they are taking some interesting swings on newer and fresher designs. If you are in that $200-300 range of a collector, keep this company on your radar!
Pictures
Last Thoughts
“Pop Up Parades ” gives you a budget friendly option to collect figures of your favorite characters. When it comes to this Himiko Toga Exclusive Version, I think they picked one of the better poses out there for this character. If you care about size and quality, there are better options out there. If you care about exclusivity and value for your bucks, then this becomes a pretty good option. As a casual fan of the character, this purchase fits for me. As always, you determine what makes sense for you.
OTAKU SINH 