Pop Up Parade Megumin Review
To compliment my first scale figure that I personally owned, I went for my newest scale figure (at the time).
Personal History of the Figure
Pop Up Parade is a fairly new line that was created for people to have nice figures, but at a much lower price tag. (If you were wondering, the majority of good quality figures are in the $100 - $200 range. Anything below that tends to be older figures, Figmas, Nendoroids, crane figures, capsule figures, et cetera. Anything above that tends to be high class figures.
The biggest glaring problem with the Figure Collection Community is how expensive it is to get into, so a line like Pop Up Parade makes figure collecting much more bearable.
I missed the first printing of Megumin and I was just starting to take figure collecting more seriously around early 2021. I already had a decent Nendoroid collection, but I was definitely looking for a new thing to collect. When I was looking around for Megumin figures, I definitely had an idea of what I wanted. I was going to splurge on something that I thought was epic.
Well, just like I said, the figure industry is expensive and perilous. Megumin is a super popular character, so all of the figures I wanted had super jacked up aftermarket prices. (When in doubt, just sell it at aftermarket).
It was around my birthday and I was feeling lucky when suddenly I saw this figure appear under the Available Now section on Good Smile Company’s US website. I saw her price tag, felt a bit of doubt well up within me, but then jumped on it. I had just preordered the Winter Version of Pop Up Parade Megumin and I didn’t feel like skimping out now.
Sculpting
It’s not perfect, but she’s great for the price tag.
I personally docked a point due to the staff. If you’re wondering why, it’s because her staff hand is incredibly soft. The staff isn’t actually attached to the hand, you need to place it in her hand. So when the figure is this soft, the staff can drop right out of her hand and clatter onto the ground/surface. That’s a huge no no. I do not condone possible figure damage.
What I do love about her staff is that it is gorgeously detailed. The small peg that holds the ball in the center of the staff is often hardly noticeable. Well done!
Her body also has soft ripples all over the surface. Not in a disgusting unpolished kind of way, but a beautiful way that makes you really think that these are the folds in her clothes.
What else did I dock points for? Well the end of the cape is awkwardly pushed out. They tried to go for a nice effect, however, it just comes off a bit weird.
She also had very apparent mold lines on her arms and hair. Cheap figures mean that corners will be cut. This figure is overall great, however, these pieces do bring down the score just a bit.
Where this figure truly shines is in the leg and staff details. The shoes are well done, they have rolls and bulges that make you feel like she is really wearing shoes. They aren’t flat or skin tight.
The legs themselves cannot be ignored, these are my favorite part of this figure. The bandaged leg is fabulous, every fold is there and her knees are beautifully defined. A lot of details in the knees and behind the knees could have been lost, but they maintained the quality all the way through.
The other thing that I like about her legs is how her socks/bandages interact with her leg. There is a small, but logical pinch and the skin spills out over the leg coverings, which is awesome.
Paint Job
Flat, but the curvatures of the figure makes the paint job shine.
The paint job on this figure is rather good overall, after looking more closely, I did discover a couple of mistakes here and there, but nothing huge.
The rim of her hat is a little messy, but over all pretty good.
What she is missing is paint that helps define her body shape. This can be little highlights or added dark colors to form shadows. The paint on this figure is mostly flat, but the great sculpting helps to go a long way.
The second point was deducted because of the possibility of paint transfer. This paint transfer can come from the hat (which is removable) and the staff or staff hand. Extra markings on the staff is a big no no. Transfer on the hand is something I might be able to live with overall.
Pose
Static, boring for the character, but still a nice pose.
As a huge Megumin fan, we know that this character really only has this pose once. She did it when she first introduced herself and then we pretty much never saw it again.
When I purchase a Megumin figure, you know I am looking for one thing: Explosions. There are tons of figures that do have an explosion pose. It did not have to include the explosion, but the lack of explosion intent makes me feel like this almost isn’t Megumin.
The pose did score rather high because it isn’t a totally out of character pose, which I have seen on a startling number of Megumin figures. Of course, a lot of them are out of costume figures, so if you’re going to go out of character… You may as well do the whole shebang.
Base
Boring type of base, little bit of style added, awesome color.
With Sawatari Izumi, we had a boring, semi-transparent, yellow, circle base. This base follows a similar formula. It is a flat, semi-transparent, red, hexagon base.
What makes this base stand apart from Izumi’s base is the stepped look for one. It may not have a lot of detail, but it does have more detail and the detail that is there is somewhat visually interesting.
For two, the vibrant red color is awesome. It looks great in photos and really pops out no matter where in the room she is. You can’t miss that red base.
Packaging
Boring shape, weak, uninspired. Seems very cookie cutter.
I got a little bit of hell for saying this on MyFigureCollection, but I will be saying it again. This box is boring. It is a flat square, which a lot of boxes are, but it is made completely out of plastic.
This plastic is weak, overly flexible, and easy to scuff. There are many reasons why I dislike plastic boxes (you can read about it in the original article I wrote in MyFigureCollection), or you can wait until I get my figure care blog up and running. Then I will go in excruciating detail on why I dislike full plastic boxes.
Now, there is nothing about this box that screams Megumin to me. Sure, the boring triangles in the background somewhat match her color scheme and her name is on it, but that doesn’t make me feel like this box belongs to this awesome character.
I understand why a lot of these choices were made and while I do not have a second Pop Up Parade figure yet to compare and contrast against, I would not be surprised if I see this box in future Pop Up Parades with a slightly different color. I am willing for this to happen because this particular line of figures demands for something easy to push out, but that does not mean that I have to love it.
Enjoyment
Despite being static, she does have a few extra choices that make this figure stand out among the statics.
The hat being optional was an absolutely amazing choice for this character and figure. In the show and manga, Megumin is not religiously attached to her hat. In fact, she often doesn’t mind if it flops off or if she sort of leaves it behind. When she casts off a powerful explosion, more times than not, the hat is gone.
Some people might also just show off her cute little short cut (same one that I sported for many years myself) and it’s awesome that we get that choice.
This figure is photo worthy and absolutely photo ready. Even in the dark with a few choice lights, her base stands out radiantly from the rest of the photo. It’s eye catching.
No matter how this figure is framed or how many different filters you want to use, this figure stands out with absolute beauty and grace. My opinion on this might change a bit over time as I obtain more Megumins (Winter Pop Up and e-Stream are currently on my preorder list), however I do not think any figure will rock such a simple, yet excellent base quite like this Megumin.
Scores
Overall Score
Worth the price tag and a quick snag if you are low on cash and can’t/don’t want to buy something better.
FAQs
Do you have any tips on caring for this particular figure?
For this figure, I highly recommend giving her a gentle clean every couple of months to make sure that you stay on top of possible paint transfer.
Unlike other figures, this Megumin is actually only pegged in with one foot, so you do not need to worry about keeping her pegged in due to shrinkage or stretching.
As usual, keep the figure in a nice spot in your room where light won’t directly touch her.
Where can I purchase this figure?
Good Smile Company: She pops back up from time to time, so keep a close eye on her.
SolarisJapan: If you are really desperate for her.
Tokyo Otaku Mode: You can get a stock alert for her on this webpage and usually a nice discount if you are a member. She also tends to not get a huge price hike on this website.
Sure Thing Toys: Decent price tag and they are a licensed Good Smile Partner.
RightStuf Anime: Also a decent price tag and a licensed Good Smile Partner.
Do you recommend Pop Up Parade figures?
I absolutely do. Once in awhile I might see a kind of weird looking Pop Up Parade (I don’t know why, but Aqua’s Pop Up face gives me nightmares), however, the vast majority are great. I am also a huge fan of Good Smile Company’s products. I recommend ordering anything straight from them whenever you do get the chance.
Good Smile has awesome shipping costs compared to their competitors, they have amazing selections in Scales, Nendoroids, Figmas, Parter Products, Blind Boxes, et cetera. It is worth getting it straight from them. (Happy 20th Anniversary Good Smile, do stay strong for us!)
