Hi guys! I hope you have all had a lovely start to your week. I finally got my first Nendoroid!! And I've been sooo looking forward to sharing my excitement with you all :) I waited to unbox it until yesterday because I had to move some things around and clear a space on my bookcase for the little cutie to go, and procrastination is a part of my personality at this point. But that just means the hype is fresh in my mind, so it's the perfect time to write all about it.
In case anyone is wondering why it took me so long to step into the wonderful world of Nendo collecting, it's because I literally collect so many other figures and, as many of you guys will know, Nendoroids can get pretty pricey! I was certain that when I eventually did get my first Nendoroid, it would be the Kirby one, as I've wanted it for a super long time, but then the Good Smile Company (who makes these awesome figures) announced they were releasing a Hamtaro version. So after freaking out, I knew now was the time! I couldn't be more thrilled!
Before I get into my first impressions and whatnot, let's backtrack a little. I almost forgot to even explain what Nendoroids were! It's easy to assume everyone who's been on the nerdy side of the internet for a while will have seen them before... oops. But anyhow, Nendoroids, or Nendos for short, are a type of vinyl figure made in Japan. They were originally of anime characters, then game characters, and now you can get other popularised characters, such as Elsa from Disney's Frozen. They are super detailed for being figures on the smaller side, and so photogenic, too! As someone who partakes in toy photography as a hobby, this made them appeal a lot to me. Have a google of the different Nendoroids you can get after reading my post; you'll not be disappointed.
I also wanted to introduce Hamtaro :) If you're a fellow lover of kawaii culture, then you may have come across the most adorable hamsters and not even released that there's a whole anime series surrounding them. Hamtaro: Little Hamsters, Big Adventures began airing in Japan in 2000 and didn't take long to arrive in Australia, the US and across Europe. I first watched it on the channel Fox Kids, and I was obsessed from the get-go!
I remember having a sketch book that I filled with drawings of all the different ham-hams. I would record the episodes on VHS tapes and then pause them so that I could draw the characters. Can anyone relate to this? I was already a lover of Syrian hamsters, having had two as pets before I ever watched the show, and you can bet I got another and named him Hamtaro :D He ended up being the sweetest, most friendly little ham-ham I ever had the pleasure of knowing, too. I still have many of the tiny Hamtaro character pencil-topper figures I got back then, as well as two Hasbro plushies. One is of Hamtaro and the other is Bijou, a little white hamster with two ribboned pigtails and a French accent, from 2002.
Hamtaro will always be a fond favourite of mine when it comes to anime, and of course, I couldn't pass up on getting the main man Hamtaro in Nendoroid form!! I will end up talking about my love for the franchise all night if I let myself, so here goes... brace yourselves for some cuteness overload!
As the back of the box shows, you can style this Nendoroid in four ways. The set comes with three faces: a chubby cheeks version, a standard open eyes look & a happy, closed-eye expression. You also get two body options, standing up and sitting down. There are various accessories and tiny hands that match with the different face parts, such as a hand for holding onto a tiny sunflower. This is one of my favourite things about Nendoroids! That you can style one figure in so many different ways because of all of the parts that come with it. They remind me of my Pennywise the Clown figure by Neca, but obviously a smaller, more chibified type of figure, haha! (I think I need a chibi Pennywise in my life though... *quickly google searches for horror Nendos*).
LOOK HOW PRECIOUS THIS NENDO IS!!!! I love him so much. He's going to be so fun to use in photography scenes and I can't wait to get creative with that :) As you can see, the colour is so vibrant, and the eyes are so expressive and eye-catching (well duh). His little tail and paws are the cutest! I love the way all the interchangeable parts were organised in the box, and was impressed by how securely everything was packaged with tape and tiny bags and such.
Here are all of the main pieces, not including some of the tiny additional hands. All Nendoroids come with a stand, along with a thing to connect the figure to the stand, so the figures are easier to display. I've decided to display my new Hamtaro in a sitting pose so I'm not currently using the stand, but it's still very handy to have. Honestly, collecting figures is a nightmare sometimes when slight vibrations can send a figure flying off your shelves, often knocking over several other figures on its way to the ground :D I'm looking at you Tokidoki...
One of my favourite things about the Hamtaro Nendoroid has to be the sunflower seed 'accessories'. If you watched the show or played the video games then you'll understand the significance of these seeds, they are like a bone to a dog. It's really cool that Hamtaro gets to be surrounded by one of his favourite snacks!
I mean, have you ever seen anything more adorable in your life!? He looks so happy having his cheek pouches stuffed with yummy sunflower seeds! This is definitely my favourite of all the poses/styles, and the one that I have chosen to display my figure with. I really like the rosy hue that the designers have decided to include on Hamtaro's cheeks, because it helps to add even more character to the figure! And the point of the sunflower seed in Hamtaro's hand lines up so perfectly with his mouth, giving the impression that he's just about to devour it. So sweet!
This is how the Hamtaro Nendo looks when attached to the stand. The part used to secure the figure to the base looks like it was made for a robot because of the screws and I love it :D That part, too, can be a little tricky to get the hang of at first, but I like that it's clear and again, it's always good to have the option of using a stand. Hamtaro's side profile is so damn cute! Check out that tiny 'snout' and pointed nose. Awww!
Another feature I adore about this figure is the open mouth expression! In the series, Hamtaro and his hamster friends speak to one another like humans do, however they also have this little ham-ham language (I think it's called 'Ham Chat'), with specific sounds and words for things. This expression makes me imagine that Hamtaro is saying 'Oopaa!', which is something the hamsters say when they see something they want and are excited.
This is the third style that you can display your Nendoroid in. Adorable closed eyes, and paw posed in the V-sign/Peace Sign, that is so iconic in Japanese animation and kawaii culture. This style just makes Hamtaro look so precious and friendly and like he's posing for a photo. I also think it makes him look kind of shy, and with the slight rosiness of his cheeks, he could totally be blushing. What's not to adore?
Which is your favourite of the variations you can display this super cute Nendoroid in? As I mentioned, mine is the chubby cheeks, sitting down version, but I like all of them for different reasons, and think that it's awesome to have so many options. Overall, I am very impressed with my first Nendoroid, even if it is a little tough to pull apart and put back together! It has opened up a whole new rabbit hole for me and I can already hear my bank account screaming.
I was so delighted to be able to get this figure so easily here in the UK, as I know it can be difficult to source certain Nendoroids without ordering directly from Japan. I got mine from Gamersheek, after the recommendation of a friend who preordered hers from them (shoutout of Nat, for always helping me bring kawaii goodies into my life!). The figure is available for £49.95, and there's an option to pay in 3 with PayPal, which I was very glad about. I'm pretty sure that the shipping was free as well. Thank you Gamersheek, for the quick delivery and for helping me to add this absolute gem of a figure to my collection!
I took SO MANY photos in preparation for this blog post, as it was just impossible not to! This smol guy deserves to be shown off, but I have done my best to refrain from filling this post with all the photos! I just had to add this one in at the end. Some final thoughts I would like to mention about this figure is how smooth the material is, the quality just feels so good, and all of the little details add so much to the finished look, e.g. the whiskers, the dash of blue in the eyes, the fluff on the edge of the inner ears. I couldn't get a photo I liked showing the front of the box, as it was too bright and the light was reflecting off the plastic screen, but the Nendoroid is No.1615.
I hope you all enjoyed reading today's post :) It's been fun to nerd out over figures again, as I feel like I've not properly done that for a while. Let me know if you'd like me to do the same when I get my second Nendo. I'm crossing my fingers that the Good Smile Company release all of the main characters from the Hamtaro series, if not all then at least Oxnard and Bijou. Who else has watched the show? Do you have a favourite ham-ham? My favourite characters growing up were Sandy and Cappy, so I would love to see them in Nendoroid form some day!
Thank you for reading!
♥
Do you own any Nendoroids? Which one is at the top of your wishlist?
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