Welcome back again to my second review, which will be my second newest figure (newest scale figure), Pop Up Parade Megumin!
My first review was my first scale figure, so I felt that my second review should be my newest scale figure.
Pop Up Parade is a new figure line, which was created as a line for nice figures, but with a lower price tag. This Megumin is my first ever Pop Up Parade figure and I happened to catch her as she reappeared on Good Smile Company’s website as I missed her preorder the first time around.
Because this is a newer figure with newer techniques involved, expect me to be a little harsher on this figure than I was with Izumi.
I don’t have a special story behind this figure besides that she is my first Megumin figure. My husband and I need more explosions in our lives, so Megumin was our best bet.
SCULPTING 7/10
Including my scores in my test this time around, in comes the first review, which is the sculpting. I gave this an 7 out of 10 because she is a fabulous looking figure, especially from far away. However, you will notice some pretty harsh lines in her bangs and her elbow.
I docked one extra star for Megumin’s wand hand. And you might be wondering why. Well, the staff isn’t actually attached to her hand. You have to place it in her hand.
What does this have to do with sculpting? Well, it is more about the rigidity and the materials of the actual figure itself. You see, I found out quickly that Megumin’s hand on this figure is very soft. The fingers are surprisingly bendable, which means that her staff can literally fall out of her hand and clatter down onto the shelf. Yes, a figure collector’s nightmare, something falling off. It rarely happens, but it can.
In contrast, where this figure shines is the legs just like Izumi, particularly her bandaged leg. There is a lot of amazing sculpting there for a cheap figure. There’s also some amazing sculpting on the hat that I didn’t expect would be there, especially on the ribbon detailing. I also like that the orb in the center of Megumin’s staff has a small, almost unnoticeable peg where the ball sticks in.
PAINTING 8/10
The paint job comes in at an 8 out of 10. She has flat colors painted on with no extra shadows or detailing, however the paint that is on there is 100% in all of the right places and no part of her design has been omitted.
So the flat colors kills one star, but what kills the other star? That would be the possibility of paint transfer. They warn you of this on the box and it is a sad fate for all figures with removable parts. Her hat can can transfer and her wand and hand can transfer. (I personally don’t really care about her hair transferring into her hat, we’ll rarely see that. However, a dirty staff means that she might have to hold the staff in the exact same place every time.
POSING 7/10
You may be wondering why there is so much loss on posing. Well, it’s more that this pose for Megumin is kinda boring. She’s a fired up character who just has to cast some explosion magic. There have been times where she has posed before when announcing how awesome she is, but this pose just doesn’t scream the exciting derp that Megumin really is. That is the gift that Konosuba blesses our world with: adorable derps with stupid powers.
BASE 6/10
Coming in at the worst score this figure would have to be the base. Just like Izumi, the base is flat and boring. However, this base also does have slightly more detail using the hexagonal stepped shape and the color is fabulous. It really makes this figure stand out on your shelf.
PACKAGING 6/10
Co-joining the worst score is the Packaging that Megumin comes in.
Someone wanted me to upload the box pictures, so I made some quick time for it. I am updating my text that was slightly incorrect and adding more detail about why I dislike this box.
It doesn’t have any flair to it. It is a flimsy plastic box covered in triangle shapes and a little note card on the front with her name.
I am betting that this will likely be the generic package style for Pop Up Parade figures. I can judge based on my next Pop Up that I will be receiving, which is Winter Megumin later in the year.
In case you don’t care about why I dislike this box in much deeper detail, I marked it as a spoiler.
View spoilerHide spoilerSo why do I personally hate plastic boxes? There are multiple reasons. The biggest reason is because of how awful current recycling standards are around plastic. Why does this matter so much to me? I tend not to keep my boxes, which I know is sometimes a raw ropic unheard in the collectibles sectors. Why do I get rid of my boxes?Well, I live in a very small apartment and I move a lot, particularly across countries. Boxes take up a lot of space and I’ve had to sacrifice things to make that space work. I wrap my figures in clothes most often when moving to keep them safe. I also have more reasons why I dislike plastic packaging. Sunlight is a figure’s worst enemy. It is hot and it can damage the paint over time. Cardboard boxes may not help so much with the heat, but they do help prevent some bleaching because the sun and light has less to touch. When my figures aren’t on display, I always keep them stored in a dark closet in special containers that I have just for them. Another reason why I dislike plastic packaging is because of the lack of breathability in the material. Cardboard breathes more than plastic, which means that more air and gases coming off of the figure itself has more chance of escaping than in a completely plastic container. Blister packaging is notorious for its inability to let figures breathe and the chemicals in figures that make them so soft and easy to remove from molds during the creation of the figure will actually start to get stuck to the surface of the figure. This is why figures that are stored in packaging for long periods of time are sticky feeling. This stickiness makes a figure more likely to keep dirt and have a bad plastic smell overall. And those are the big reasons why I dislike plastic packaging in full. Thank you for reading this tidbit if you did and took the time. If you prefer plastic packaging, that is your preference and I won’t fault you for it, just as I hope you understand why I dislike it
ENJOYMENT 9/10
So this is this figure’s greatest stat in this review. The enjoyment factor. I know that this will change for me over time as I get more Megumins. (*Cough Cough* Pop Up Winter and E-Stream) Until that time comes, I will enjoy this figure and it’s supremely amazing price tag. The price tag for this figure really makes me enjoy having her.
For playful options, I can remove her hat and wand. Removing the wand feels like a waste, because her hand still does the holding shape regardless, but I like sometimes removing the hat so she can just can have a more refreshing appearance.
She is not stable when removing from the base, so beware when you’re trying to take baseless photos.
So how do I obtain her you may ask. She is a pretty common find among Megumin figures and Good Smile does restock her once in awhile. So keep an eye out for a restock or else you’ll find her still pretty cheap on some figure selling websites.
Thank you so much for sitting through my second review and I look forward to my next review!
