XSp. » Figures http://xspblog.com Curiosity amused the cat. Thu, 08 Mar 2012 18:18:34 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= Merry Otaku Christmas! http://xspblog.com/2009/12/24/merry-otaku-christmas/ http://xspblog.com/2009/12/24/merry-otaku-christmas/#comments Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:57:58 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=16921 Merry Christmas readers!
I’m probably somewhere far away right now with a very poor or no Internet connection at all…
Hidamari Sketch

Hidamari Sketch


But to celebrate this date, I selected some pictures which hopefully some of you will like!

Also to celebrate the second XSpBlog Xmas, I’m linking all the images to XSpBlog related posts!
Yotsuba

Yotsuba


Kinda lame, I know, but it’s all I could prepare with the little time I had. :P
Lucky Star

Lucky Star


Some linked posts are ANCIENT!
Shakugan no Shana

Shakugan no Shana


Like more than an year ago, which to me sounds ANCIENT! In blog post time that is… xD
Tora Dora

Tora Dora


Some of these will be pretty random… somehow related but sometimes also not the main theme.
Ichigo Mashimaro

Ichigo Mashimaro


You might find some images from last christmas… couldn’t be bothered to check it. :P
Moe-tan

Moe-tan


But I’m pretty shure most are new!
Neon Genesis Evangelion

Neon Genesis Evangelion


At first, I was going to post animes from the Anime Discussion and Manga Recommendation series…
Lucky Star

Lucky Star


But you know, as most animes on the series are pretty serious, couldn’t find images related to christmas. xD
Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu


If you’re new to the blog, you might have the impression that this blog is about animes and mangas only…
Touhou

Touhou


But it has tons of more stuff – technology, games, and everything internet related… 6 posts a day, everyday running steady for almost an year and a half. You do the math. xD
Vocaloid

Vocaloid

And that’s it!
Merry Christmas to all, hope you enjoyed the lovely images! ^^

Source: Google Images

]]> http://xspblog.com/2009/12/24/merry-otaku-christmas/feed/ 1 Figure Photo Shoot Setup http://xspblog.com/2009/12/11/figure-photo-shoot-setup/ http://xspblog.com/2009/12/11/figure-photo-shoot-setup/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:55:52 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=16444 I finally took some time to take pics of my figures to use them as the blog’s mascot!
Figure Photo Shoot Setup

Figure Photo Shoot Setup


It’ll take me sometime to present the final results, but I decided to post the pics of the whole lighting setup I used.

Didn’t have much to work with, so I did what lots of photographers do: IMPROVISE! :P
I basically used 3 lights – all three exposed CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lights): One from the room lighting, another one with that lamp, and a really strong one enclosed in a cardboard box, with a difuse plastic to soften the light.
Figure Photo Shoot Setup

Figure Photo Shoot Setup


In the end, I had to use shirts and socks (white) to make the light softer, because it was throwing too many shadows.
And I bought sometime ago these medium sized cardboards… the one I used is white on one side, and silver on the other.
Figure Photo Shoot Setup

Figure Photo Shoot Setup


But I guess it came out nice in the end. I had some trouble making my Nendoroids stand up… specially Saber Lion, so I had to use it’s stand. Something that I’m now regretting because it’ll be weird to use it as mascot for the blog with the stand showing… but oh well. Maybe next time I hold it as a puppeteer with a stick and a string or something.
Figure Photo Shoot Setup

Figure Photo Shoot Setup


I read some setups like the one posted by DannyChoo and the one from OtakuDan… used some ideas, but since I had limited budget and not enough patience to go after materials, ended up making something cheaper and less elaborate.
If you’re gonna try something like that, please go more along what Danny’s and OtakuDan’s tutorials are recommending… :P

o/

]]> http://xspblog.com/2009/12/11/figure-photo-shoot-setup/feed/ 0 Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes http://xspblog.com/2009/10/10/photojournalism-student-%e2%80%93-roland-barthes/ http://xspblog.com/2009/10/10/photojournalism-student-%e2%80%93-roland-barthes/#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:31:21 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=14934 Continuing the series of posts with results from my photojournalism course essays, the theme this time are elements from the book from Roland Barthes.
Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes

Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes


That plus one other composition rule.

Still exploring night photos, I recruited a friend (Marcos) to go to Barigui Park here in Curitiba, the city were I’m living currently.
Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes

Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes


At first, my idea was to take just one photo required for the essay.
The point for this photo, the first on the post, was to use the horizont line rule.
But while we were there, once again with a tense sensation over our shoulders (it’s dangerous and risky to go to parks at night here… it’s almost like asking to be robbed), we boldly decided to go for a stroll on the park.
Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes

Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes


And we were rewarded! We found animais from the park, which during the day usually stay hidden (because the park is always crowded during the day), walking close to us, almost fearless.
Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes

Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes


The capybara, which I had never seen so close (could almost touch them) ate a little bit of grass here and there… looked like dogs.
A flock of swams was also around, though they kept their distance. I ended up taking as many pics as I could.
We spent almost 2 hours at the park, very few people passed by.
Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes

Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes


Completely changing the subject now, one of the required themes was the Operator as defined by Barthes. Which is basically the point of view of that who takes the photoraph, the photographer.
My original idea was to take a photo from lots of photographers taking photos from a certain subject… but ended up not having time to go after this, so I ended up using the oh-so-hated (by several professional photographers) post in front of the mirror photo.
Used my current camera (Canon XSi) mounted on a generic tripod, an old Yashica from my father, an old lens for it, and another lens that was bought for an old camcorder.
Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes

Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes


Finally, I used my hobby for the two last photos needed for the essay.
The theme was photos that had a “Punctum”, as defined by Barthes.
I know that these photos don’t exactly reflect the concept, since it should be something more accidental than made on purpose.
Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes

Photojournalism Student – Roland Barthes


But I killed two birds with one stone, and did this figure montage, plus this self portrait thing which I was intending to do for quite a while to include on the “About…” page.

So, I hope you liked those.
The next post will take a little longer, since I have nothing ready quite yet… but I’ll try to keep the posts coming.

]]> http://xspblog.com/2009/10/10/photojournalism-student-%e2%80%93-roland-barthes/feed/ 0 Going to: AnimeFriends 2009! http://xspblog.com/2009/07/15/going-to-animefriends-2009/ http://xspblog.com/2009/07/15/going-to-animefriends-2009/#comments Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:23:33 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=11037 Hello readers!
I’d like to use this post a little bit to thank all of you who keep reading this humble blog!
AnimeFriends 2009

AnimeFriends 2009


Now, for the announcement: I’m taking a bus today on a 7 hour trip to São Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, to attend an Anime related convention called AnimeFriends.

It’s the number one largest Anime convention in Brazil, and it takes places every year around this date.
I’ll be doing my best to keep the blog flowing during this week… but I’m not really shure if I’ll have a good Internet link there, so you’ll have to excuse me if the blog doesn’t get as updated as usual.

AnimeFriends 2009

AnimeFriends 2009

Notice that while the post flow might get a little weaker, I’m still posting something everyday… so don’t worry!
I’ll be back next week, hopefully with tons of new stuff to post from the event! :D

If you wanna check more about AnimeFriends, try clicking the image for the official page (in portuguese) or check the following posts I made from last year’s edition, all in english:
AnimeFriends 2008 – Wednesday, 07/16
Liberdade – 17/07 (AnimeFriends 2008)
AnimeFriends 2008 – 07/18 – Cosplayers
AnimeFriends 2008 – Saturday, 07/19

Wish me luck, and have a nice week/weekend!

]]> http://xspblog.com/2009/07/15/going-to-animefriends-2009/feed/ 0 RX-78 Odaiba Gundam http://xspblog.com/2009/07/01/rx-78-odaiba-gundam/ http://xspblog.com/2009/07/01/rx-78-odaiba-gundam/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:06:09 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=10212 Some of my favorite blogs has been publishing stuff about a giant Gundam replica/statue that was being built at Odaiba, an artificial island close to Tokyo in Japan.
Been some months from the first news about it. In what seemed an incredibly fast speed, the project has already been finished, and had it’s first few presentations:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykamCJsKFBI

Turns out not only the Gundam RX-78 is a very detailed replica, but it also can move it’s head, and also gives a show with steam and lights involved.

Since you can’t really compare the size of it on the video, here’s a pic taken by Danny Choo:

RX-78 Odaiba Gundam

RX-78 Odaiba Gundam


Yes, a very proper and tasteful tribute to Gundam fans.
UPDATE: The full Gundam in all it’s glory:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl-Si9M9sYY

I can almost see it moving…

Source: DannyChoo (video), DannyChoo again (photos) and DannyChoo once more (night video)

]]> http://xspblog.com/2009/07/01/rx-78-odaiba-gundam/feed/ 0 Ichigeki Sacchuu!! Hoihoi-san http://xspblog.com/2009/06/12/ichigeki-sacchuu-hoihoi-san/ http://xspblog.com/2009/06/12/ichigeki-sacchuu-hoihoi-san/#comments Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:21:55 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=9923 I’m shure I already posted this, but I guess it was on my previous blog or something… so here it is again: Ichigeki Sacchuu!! Hoihoi-san

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5XJHBj0ges

Started as a manga which spawned a Playstation 2 game which also spawned an OVA, which is what you just watched. :P

Story is set in a future where cockroaches and annoying insects became immune to all forms of inseticides.
To solve the problem then, some companies created little robots to fight them during the night.

Here’s the trailer for the game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By3AFD5Ol1Q

Gameplay video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfwyWTKmBFQ

I was reminded of this because of the recent release of the Hoihoi-san figure.

Hoihoi-san Figure

Hoihoi-san Figure


Very cute!
Hoihoi-san Figure

Hoihoi-san Figure


Maybe if I start saving now, I’ll have enough money to buy one when it becomes a fully functioning robot/bug killer…
Hoihoi-san

Hoihoi-san


But most probably I’ll end up working in a factory to make those, if I’m lucky. :P

Source and more figure pics: DannyChoo

]]> http://xspblog.com/2009/06/12/ichigeki-sacchuu-hoihoi-san/feed/ 0 Iron Man vs Bruce Lee http://xspblog.com/2009/03/30/iron-man-vs-bruce-lee/ http://xspblog.com/2009/03/30/iron-man-vs-bruce-lee/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:41:33 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=8302 Patrick Bolvin puts other attempts on stop motion videos to shame with this very awesome Iron Man vs Bruce Lee clip!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywu1DeqXTg4

The moves, the natural animation, the music (DJ4JOY) … so awesome!

Source: BombounaWeb

]]> http://xspblog.com/2009/03/30/iron-man-vs-bruce-lee/feed/ 0 Transformers – Soundwave MP3 Player http://xspblog.com/2009/02/16/transformers-soundwave-mp3-player/ http://xspblog.com/2009/02/16/transformers-soundwave-mp3-player/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:54:07 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=7128 Soundwave receives an upgrade while still keeping his retro-look…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF5TZGFu0XE

…now working as an mp3 player! xD

Source: TechEBlog

]]> http://xspblog.com/2009/02/16/transformers-soundwave-mp3-player/feed/ 0 Kyon's Sister and Cactus Dog at Curitiba's Botanical Garden http://xspblog.com/2009/02/11/kyons-sister-and-cactus-dog-at-curitiba-botanical-garden/ http://xspblog.com/2009/02/11/kyons-sister-and-cactus-dog-at-curitiba-botanical-garden/#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2009 20:01:14 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=6997 I’m fortunate to be living in a city that, while isn’t as big or as famous as others like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, it’s still a place you can find most things you want, also having a great weather IMO (colder than average), and lots of nice green parks and gardens to visit… I’m talking about Curitiba.

Every now and then I get to go to some of the tourist sites… this time I went to the Botanical Garden of Curitiba (Jardim Botânico de Curitiba). Took Kyon’s Sister and Cactus Dog along with me.

Most otaku will know Kyon’s Sister from Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu… Cactus Dog though, isn’t exactly a figure, but a collectible toy.

I guess the main difference between both is that collectible toys usually have a design made mainly for the toy only, and the materials used are usually different too… but as there are several exceptions to those rules, don’t take the stereotypes too seriously.

Back to the botanical garden, it’s of course much bigger than what I’m showing in the photos… but the greenhouse is what get’s the most attention of people visiting it, so I decided to capture it.
That “natural habitat” Cactus Dog photo was taken inside the greenhouse.
Well, I call him Cactus Dog but the real name is actually “Bastardino”, and he was designed by artist Simone Legno from Rome, Italy. The two companies related to this series of collectible toys are StrangeCo and Tokidoki.

I’ll end this post with this question: Figures and Collectible toys – do you collect any? Both? Would you collect either of them? Any recommendations?

Here, have some more pics:
dsc04023 dsc04028 dsc04034 dsc04036 dsc04043 dsc04046 dsc04050 dsc04054 dsc04059 dsc04060 dsc04065 dsc04075 dsc04081 dsc04085 dsc04090 dsc04023 dsc04028 dsc04034 dsc04036 dsc04043 dsc04046 dsc04050 dsc04054 dsc04059 dsc04060 dsc04065 dsc04075 dsc04081 dsc04085

]]> http://xspblog.com/2009/02/11/kyons-sister-and-cactus-dog-at-curitiba-botanical-garden/feed/ 1 Figures: Importing vs. Buying Localy in Brazil http://xspblog.com/2009/01/27/figures-importing-vs-buying-localy-in-brazil/ http://xspblog.com/2009/01/27/figures-importing-vs-buying-localy-in-brazil/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:39:47 +0000 XSportSeeker http://xspblog.com/?p=6241 Brazilian figure fans probably made themselves this question: To buy figures in Brazil (at Liberdade district mainly) or to buy them in international online stores?

Nendoroid Saber Lion / Nendoroid Melissa Seraphy

Nendoroid Saber Lion / Nendoroid Melissa Seraphy

With that question in mind, I decided to conduct an experience. In this post, I’ll show the results of this experience.
For those living in Brazil that are interested in buying something other than figures in international onlines stores, this topic might be worthy the read… since most products follows the same rules.

To make a clear comparison, early this year (January 3rd, 2009), I bought Nendoroid Melissa Seraphy in one of the stores on Soho Shopping, at Liberdade district (São Paulo). Payed R$190,00.

Fairly expensive, comparing prices from July 2008 for instance, since store owners decided to remark the products prices with updated currency exchange rates.
Something I wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t for the fact that I had already seen the same figure in display on the same store long time ago.

BUT, proceeding…

Nendoroid Saber Lion

Nendoroid Saber Lion

At the end of September 2008, I bought Nendoroid Saber Lion on pre-order, from Hobby Search website (online store localized in Tokyo).
Set to release in late December, which really happened (last days of December).

They shipped it in January 7th (dunno the reason for the delay).
Got it at the main post office, here in Curitiba (city where I live) in January 14th.
Must add that during the shipping process, the figure could have been uphelp up to 3 days for customs checking.

I got the shipping data from EMS website, which is the shipping company, with a registry number supplied by Hobby Search.

Nendoroid Saber Lion

Nendoroid Saber Lion

Packaging arrived in good shape.
A standard mail package stuffed with some extra layers of paper to protect the box.
But I can’t say for shure if the shape I got the package was the same it was shipped in Japan, since braziliam customs open the boxes to check the content.

Nendoroid Saber Lion

Nendoroid Saber Lion

But let’s go to what matters most: The (approximate) numbers.

Once again, Brazilian physical store get:
Nendoroid Melissa Seraphy – R$190,00
Note that this figure, if bought at the online store, would be a little bit more expensive than Nendoroid Saber Lion.

International Online Store get:
Nendoroid Saber Lion – 2,715 yen –> 30 USD –> R$70,00
Shipping (EMS) – 2,780 yen –> 30 USD –> R$70,00
Import Tax – 60% product value + shipping –> R$84,00
Total – R$224,00

Conclusions

  • Brazilian government steal from it’s people.
    But this, every brazilian already knows… import tax in Brazil is one of the most expensives in the world.
    Notice the import tax value is superior to the value of the product itself.
    Apart from books and some few items, EVERY PRODUCT bought internationally has the same taxes applied: 60% of the value of the product plus shipping.
    Unless product + shipping is less than 50 USDs, which is kinda hard since shipping alone is very expensive.
    And in this specific case, I selected the most cheap shipping method available.
    Our government says the taxes are to protect the local market, but almost everything people buy outside Brazil has no equal product locally.
    Besides, these taxes damages several other sectors… like technological research, industry modernization, and common citizen access to products from other countries.
    The abusive taxes are also one of the big reasons for: piracy, smuggling, international enterprises refusing to stabilish local factories in Brazil (like Sony and Nintendo), among others.

  • If you find it in Brazil, buy it.
    You’ll pay less than buying online, unless you have some luck and customs don’t check it.
    But don’t rely on that… years ago, it happened more frequently… but nowadays, almost everything gets through customs.
    Particularly, I already made 6 purchases on online stores of products that could be taxed… and from the 6, all were taxed.
    There’s also the time it takes to be delivered, and the fact that at a physical store, you can check the product up close.

  • If you can’t find it in Brazil, maybe it’s worth ordering online.
    The difference in price is considerable, but for those searching for something specific (and those who really wants it), it isn’t worth relying on brazilian stores.
    Which is my case. Despite paying a high price, I believe it was worth.
    You never know when local stores will get the figure you want (if ever)… at most, you’ll get “I promise I’ll try to find it for you”, and you don’t know when.
    And you know how figures work.. it’s quite common that the popular ones gets out of stock very quickly.
    Considering all these, the online store was also quick and the product arrived in good shape.

  • Figure sellers in Brazil profit from it.
    At least for each figure sold, since few people actually buys them here.
    As far as I know, folks who sells figures in Brazil makes use of constant trips to Japan (from relatives or themselves) to pack their bags with figures and bring them back to Brazil.
    In these conditions, they don’t pay abusive taxes, since Airport Customs are not as tight as Customs for shipped products, and tributation for people who are taking flights is different.
    BUT, we can’t take this badly.
    First, because there are too few people who buy figures. Second, because a trip to Japan is a trip to Japan (if it was an easy thing to do, everybody was doing it), and third because they are the few ones who are risking a new business in Brazil. If it wasn’t for them, we the fans would be completely lost.
    • Nendoroid Saber Lion

    Nendoroid Saber Lion

    Anyways, I wrote a little too much… but since I never saw any articles about this specific subject, I decided to write everything I had to.

    For those still in doubt on how importing taxes work, check the official brazilian customs page for more information (in portuguese).

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