finnleo Posted August 13, 2020 While everybody is going googely ga over the latest dollpa stuff, I counted my pennies and found myself a fair bit short to be able to go after Ai ... so what better than to turn to mandarake for some outfit splurging... Originally I was after the Hoshii Miki default set, but interestingly I didnt get that ... What I did get was some old Volks items, unopened, namely the pink marshmellow set, the sugar cookie set (I like my multiples), and sendo erika's relaxing set... other mentionables were that I now finally have the trifecta of 60cm Azone china dresses, when grabbing the long black one, and a short white one for good measure. But the highlight of the bunch was a battle mage outfit, that i've dubbed "Magical Stormtrooper" The outfit was sold as having some minor wear and tear, but the most obvious defects, namely discoloration on the boots caused by the gold accent paint fuming, actually cleaned off with just a good scrubbing with a magical eraser. nano000 The skirt isnt the full armor long kilt I would prefer, but its snazzy enough as it is, even though as a whole it gives of a Muv-Luv Hakuryuu school uniform vibe. nano002 The magical night stick had all its relative components intact so all in all it was a pretty good buy if I say so myself... nano004 a few more shots are available on me flickr, though not many due to a headache and annoyance at the boot-feet that are a pain to deal with... --- ... although I feel like im forgetting something ... --- nano010 Spoiler Oh well.. all joking aside, Nanoha ended up as #42. Originally this was meant to be 2B, but because I felt a bit bait and switched over the faceup, and my finance situation being what it was nearing payment, I ended up eating the loss with the pre-order fee, and cancelling... I still wanted a "new" doll after a two year hiatus of not getting anything, But because of the time table for Ai I was a bit short and decided to go browsing Mandarake I spotted a few bargain Nanohas -- something that I'd sort of wanted, despite the Volks effort being the adult version which isnt as appealing outfit wise (even though if I recall correct StrikerS does feature the long kilt when she goes full master of destruction near the end), and decided to take a risk on the cheapest one for 35k yen out of Complex ... turned out a rather good deal, after a thorough wash most defects went away, and after removing what I hope was the remnants of a deteriorated silicone coated saddlestand from the inner thighs, the DD2 body would have been immaculate... that is if somebody hadnt mistaken it for a smart doll cortex, and had scraped the sides of the legs as if trying to remove seam flashes. and no ... this is not meant as a continued drama... just wanted to poke some fun at her "value", and had been wanting to do a photo story after some time also... 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Singer Yuna Posted August 15, 2020 35k is such a chopped liver steal! Congrats on the old haul full of wonders ^^ welcome to the family! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
finnleo Posted August 17, 2020 Thanks. For the price this perticular Nanoha was indeed a bit of a steal, although the "good" one's on mandarake only go for 60k, so she's depreciated quite a bit also in that sense. but a nice addition non the less... all i need to do is figure out slightly lighter eyes for her, since the originals are way too dark for any kind of indoor photography. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Meguchi Posted August 29, 2020 Did someone say explosion? I came running as soon as I heard... On a serious note nice haul! Haven't been active for awhile.... Nice seeing you again 😄 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
finnleo Posted August 29, 2020 Exlposion...? boom...stick...? hmmm...? nano007 In anycase, thank you very many. Although I've been posting on flickr roughly every 1,5-2 weeks for the past eight months, depending on how im feeling (made a rule that any set needs to be made with max 5% feeling of effort). I've only put up me handiworks on the forum side recently, so its not like I havent done stuff... heh. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Meguchi Posted August 29, 2020 11 hours ago, finnleo said: Exlposion...? boom...stick...? hmmm...? nano007 In anycase, thank you very many. Although I've been posting on flickr roughly every 1,5-2 weeks for the past eight months, depending on how im feeling (made a rule that any set needs to be made with max 5% feeling of effort). I've only put up me handiworks on the forum side recently, so its not like I havent done stuff... heh. Sorry I wasn't clear, I meant I haven't been active for over a year lol Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Poofiemus Posted August 30, 2020 Congratulations! As a fellow Nanoha-haver, I agree she is an excellent addition. Are you gonna keep her default eyes, or get new ones? Changing her eyes was basically the one thing that I did right out the gate lol. In this household, sanity is considered a tresspasser. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
finnleo Posted August 31, 2020 4 hours ago, Poofiemus said: Are you gonna keep her default eyes, or get new ones? This is what im going with for the moment (along with the mentioned black china dress...): nano027 Not ideal, but a bit better. I dont have much of a selection for eyes at the moment, and im not really motivated to go shopping for single fancypants one's -- so these will have to do at the moment. But yea.. the defaults, while being accurate to the original character design sheet are way too dark. would have been better if they had been a navy blue base instead of metallic black. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Poofiemus Posted August 31, 2020 Oooh those are cute though! And I agree, I dunno what Volks was thinking with that color. I often describe those default eyes as "soul sucking black holes", because they're somehow worse IRL. In this household, sanity is considered a tresspasser. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
finnleo Posted August 31, 2020 5 minutes ago, Poofiemus said: I often describe those default eyes as "soul sucking black holes", because they're somehow worse IRL. You're not actually the only one to make that definition.. heh.. I guess they manage to have a Scrying mirror effect, so it seems like the darkness just goes deeper than it should ... and then you move around and the metallic backing kicks in and you get a flash of grey to spook you even further. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites