Have you ever wanted a figure, to show your love of a character, but couldn't decide between X, x, or X~ ? I'll go over all the things to think about when deciding on that timeless question, "Which figure should I get?" and hopefully help you make a decision! I tried to reflect on my days of collecting anime or game figures and wonder if there was ever a time I had to choose between two. Most of the time I was fortunate enough to afford both or really didn't want the variant of that figure, so it didn't matter to me. Some examples include having a few items as acrylic stands over keychains when it's the exact same art and pose. This happens a lot when collecting newer items, like these Digimon: Reboot goodies that were up recently: Or these almost identical Rei Ayanami. The face sculpt is slightly different and the release years are 2020 and 2014, but both are Ichiban Kuji Prizes. Do you really need both? (Don't worry, as a Rei collector myself, I understand that yes, most of us do.) Also note the very minor details like the red orb being shinier. Personally I prefer the older style face, but the outfit on the newer one. Tough call! BUDGET When considering a budget, this is mostly to personal preference or release date. Let me explain. Your budget of course is tied to your income. Can you afford the figure? Is it worth spending x amount of money on this one, when there is a similar, cheaper option? For example, you may want that pretty scale statue, but the same pose is also available in a cheaper, PVC form as a prize figure or trading figure. Depending on the quality, this may be a wonderful alternative. Here is an image of Aerith from Final Fantasy VII Remake. One is a smaller, trading figure and the other, a larger scale prize figure. Both have decent quality but the size and face sculpt are things to consider! STYLE We previously discussed scales vs trading figures in terms of your budget. This may not be an option if the style, aka the pose, clothing, ect. is different. Maybe you're buying a character but can't decide between two similar scales and one is made of PVC and one is cold-cast. These are all things to consider. PVC looks cheaper but is way more durable; it also usually costs less but can be just as impressive in scale as a resin. On the other hand, maybe this piece is one you want to make a statement in your collection. A real statue is more your speed. Consider if you really want a statue, a trading figure, or maybe something posable. Square-Enix's Bring Arts line is a series of posable figures with accessories not unlike FIGMA. I consider them a budget friendly version of SE's Play Arts KAI line. Now, it could come down to pose also. Is this character in their special DLC outfit? Is this figure recreating an epic scene or just a piece of artwork? Do you already have a figure in this pose? I know for a lot of people this could be a make or break moment when deciding on a figure. Would you prefer Final Fantasy X-2 Yuna or FFX Yuna? They're made by the same company, same material, almost the same scale. The deciding factor here is more than likely the outfit/pose. SIZE I did previously mention a scale vs trading figure of a character, but that was in relation to cost. This is also something to consider when thinking of size. Will it fit on the shelf? Will the box have room for storage? Moving statues can also be tricky and they often require not only more space for the figure, but the box as well. The two Aerith I posted above are a good example of this! COMPANY / REVIEWS The company often matters a lot when purchasing a figure. For example, FOTS, is known to be of bad quality / figures have major leaning issues. Research a company before investing, especially in larger or more expensive figures. Some more well known names like ALTER or Kotobukiya are definitely the way to go. Look at reviews comparing the two figures you're debating between. This can give you insight to many things you didn't consider such as the true size of a figure, the quality, the paint job / quality control, sticky paint, leaning issues, missing parts, and more. This is general figure buying advice, but could be the ultimatum between that figure with the pose you love and that figure that you liked slightly less. AVAILABILITY The last thing I want to discuss is availability. Was this figure exclusive? Is it long out of print? Is it for preorder? Are there lots of used ones for a good price online compared to a holy grail? Are there variants? Keep all of these questions in mind as you decide between two figures. To use Rei Ayanami as an example again, looking at the two near-identical ones again: One is just released and the older figure may be harder to find. If you just want the general pose, the choice is clear. Sometimes, there are two releases of a figure: one general and one limited (usually with a bonus). Digimon has done this a lot recently with their GEM line and SHODO line. The original releases of Taichi/Agumon and Yamato/Gabumon GEM figures both came with a card. Their later releases are the same figure, but no card. The recently released SHODO figure sets have a wide release box with the exact same figure--but if you preorder from Premium Bandai, you get an art card and a stand. Depending on how bad you want the bonuses, you may want to settle for a standard release instead. Use caution, though, other figures like Kotobukiya's Final Fantasy VII Aerith had minor differences! The Extra Knights figure line had one Aerith with lipstick and one without. Her Kotobukiya Cold Cast statue was the exact same pose, but one was limited / hand painted and the other was wide release and factory-painted! Research is so important! If you're unsure about a particular figure, look it up on MyFigureCollection or Reddit and see if anyone knows important details about the figure you should know! I hope these tips helped you when deciding on that new figure! If there's anything you would like us to answer or cover or if you've had to make a tough decision, let us know in the comments!
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Author: ShindoW
I am a anime and video game enthusiast living in Texas. I have been collecting since 2005. During that time I've collected a variety of merchandise and knowledge to help other collectors. Archives
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