While at TNT GT3 ’09 i didn’t bring much money to buy anything. I had brought only $1350 pesos with me with is less than $100USD, for the entire trip and I had brought with me $300USD for emergency money. So i hadn’t really planned to spend much money at the con. Plus the fact that i had no space in my suitcase i didn’t think of getting anything at all. But when i found this one booth it was like the heavens opened up, the angles sang and the one box in the corner of the booth just glowed and called out to me. It was the Elusive Max Factory Naru.

Naru is one of those figures that has avoided me for some time now. Love Hina was my Gateway Manga, i had already known of anime and was into it but i didn’t get into otaku culture as much until i read Love Hina. It’s still my all time favorite manga.

She was $1450 and lucky me the exchange rate that day was exactly $14.50 pesos per $1USD, so exactly $100. Which was such a steal for such a rare beauty.

In the entire con i only found one booth that had all original figures Animeca. They had some more amazing figures that i wanted but i knew there was no way for me to bring them back with me with all the other stuff i had to take home. So i settled and only got Naru, but she was worth every penny and all the hassle to bring her back. If you live in Mexico and are looking for rare figures they are the ones to get from.

I’ve been looking for Naru for a while now and have had chances to get her but always they slip right out of my fingers. Ok more like she was always far too expensive for my taste and i couldn’t afford to get her.

She is just so beautiful and really you can see that Max Factory has been amazing at making figures for years now.

Worth the wait Naru is just so amazingly stunning.

Naru has officially the sexiest bikini of any figure, you guys know the leaf bikni is just awesome.

Only fault on her is she has a bad mark on her right leg. It’s pretty bad but then for a figure from 2005 i can overlook it.

The detail they put into the leaves is really awesome, from the color to the sculpt. It really does make her stand out among other figures.

Finding Naru was very unexpected especially in a con rampant with bootlegs. Yes i quadruple checked to make sure she was real and yes she is very real. I adore finding rare figures and figures that i’ve been looking for. I have a list of wished figures in my head, figures that are sold out and I know their average price so if i see them i know immediately whether or not it’s worth it to get them or not. Naru has been on the top of my list for some time now. To finally check her off the list makes me feel amazing, to finally have her sitting on my shelf is just awesome. Now to just keep my brother away from her since he loves Love Hina just as much as i do.

-Figure Info-
Manufactured by Max Factory
1/8 Scale
Initial release in November ’05
Price of 4,800 yen

Now while getting your own Naru might be impossible check out these fine retailers to find a rare figure you might have had your eye on.

beNippon
HobbyLink Japan
Hobby Search
J-list
Kid Nemo Company
Otaku Fuel
Play Asia
Toylet
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Those of you who may read my blog often may have noticed that i just recently purchased the elusive Max Factory 1/8 Naru on the Ebays for $162 (not including Shipping). While it was quite painful but the thought of owning her was just so awesome i couldn’t say no, until my brain came back to me.
WHAT WAS I THINKING? I mean hell i want this figure and badly, but if you even looked at the site it didn’t even come in its original box! I asked the seller some questions about it’s validity and she claimed that they don’t even make bootlegs of this pvc… ORLY? Cause I’ve seen my fair share of this figure on eBay as a bootleg, as well as on Yahoo Auctions Japan! The last time i paid out of my ass for a figure was when i bought the E2046 1/7 Haruhi Bunny, and even still that was painful. But that was a resin kit, someone took their time and effort to make her amazing! This is a PVC figure! Mass produced and not worth the $160+ price tag. I am however willing to pay $100 for her, but anything over that is just highway robbery! So i did what i do best… I e-mailed the seller and asked to retract my bid, offer it to the next highest bidder and she gets her money back! Even if the next highest bidder doesn’t want it, not like she won’t be able to re-list it on eBay and sell it for about the same or even more. I’m not the first dumb person in the world to ever bid really high for a figure and i won’t be the last. I has also bid for the Kotobukiya Shouko san figure, since she was so cheap… but hell there are a million bootlegs of that figure and I’m not risking it again with this seller. Plus I wasn’t really interested in this figure in the first place, she would have been more fluff for my ever growing collection. What ever happened to listening to my own advice of Quality > Quantity! Now that I’ve canceled both orders I feel so much better. But then the impulse shopper in my keeps looking at eBay auctions and KidNemo for new and exciting deals…

Lucky me there aren’t many figures out there that I HAVE TO OWN! So i’m able to cut back and save my pennies for a rainy day. And this also gives me more money to splurge for my Shugo Chara Cosplay.

I just won two auctions on ebay. One i already regret, the other i can’t wait till i get it. I found this one person who was selling this ultra rare figurine and i just had to have her. I’ve been looking for my own for a few months now and i’ve only seen two on ebay, both well over $200+ shipping. I also found a few on Yahoo Auctions Japan, but none of the sellers ship internationally, plus they seem fake to me. The ultra coveted Max Factory 1/8 Naru.

I’m so glad i found this figure, i’ve heard some good things from this seller and she’s guaranteed to be real or my money back. I was a last minute bidder and i snagged her for $162.50. At first i thought, “Holy crap did i just spend that much on a figure!?!?!?!?!” But then i have before, my E2046 Haruhi cost me well over $175. I’m just so glad i’m finally going to get my hands on this figure.

The other figure is Kotobukiya’s Shouko-san. Part of me regrets this as it was purely an impulse buy and i didn’t need it at all. I was just talking to deftoned about how much i love having money in the bank, looks like i’m back to being broke for a little bit.

At least i got her for an amazing price, only $21.50. She’s practically was practically a steal. I’ll be happier with my recent purchases once i get them but for now, it just seems like such an extravagant expenditure right now since i need to be saving moneys. oh well, now i’m gonna try my best to go back to my budget.

EDIT: Before you post on this read this post!

J-List is a peaceful island of Japanese pop culture for you