Happy weekend!

Happy day after Christmas, everyone!

Things have been so hectic here, that I am taking a break for the next two weeks. I have a few posts scheduled, so there will be some content, but I just need some time to relax and unwind without thinking about blogging!

Have a great weekend and a great New Year, and I'll see you all in 2016!

Game sales!

Hi, everyone! Hope your day is going well! Just a quick note: HumbleBundle's holiday store sale is live, as is Green Man Gaming's, and Steam's sale will be going live tomorrow. Happy shopping!

Ever After High news!

Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven!

It's almost the weekend, hooray! And to get you excited, I have some Ever After High news! First of all, prototypes from the Epic Winter line (which is releasing later in 2016) were just leaked. The characters included in the line will be: Apple, Ashlynn, Briar, Maddie, new character Crystal Winter, Rosabella, and.....DARING CHARMING! Surprising, right? His debut isn't a basic doll, but a two-pack with Rosabella. (His prototype doll is wearing a jacket with fur trim, and while it could be because it's cold out, what if it's because he is destined to the the next Beast from Beauty and the Beast?) The others are all released separately, although Crystal gets two dolls! She comes as a basic doll, and as a doll packaged with a playset. The playset doll is really pathetic, though; she's unarticulated and plainly dressed, which stumps me, because isn't that the opposite of what a playset doll is supposed to be? Aren't they supposed to be more "premium"?

Disappointingly, the cute snowflake-themed backgrounder that fans have been waiting for *isn't* Crystal Winter. If you find pictures of Crystal's prototype, you can see that she's a blue-skinned, blue-haired girl dressed in blue and purple, not a tan-skinned blonde girl dressed in white. So much for the backgrounder being the daughter of the Snow Queen, although maybe she'll be the daughter of Jack Frost? That would be cute!

We also got prototype leaks of the next three new characters: Nina Thumbell (daughter of Thumbelina), Jillian Beanstalk (daughter of Jack who climbed the Beanstalk), and Meeshell Mermaid (daughter of The Little Mermaid).

Finally, there's a new budget line being released next year called "Birthday Ball," featuring Cupid, Blondie, and my girl Duchess. It's all pastel color themed, which is kind of interesting; the girls have pastel-shaded hair with matching dresses and what looks like cake- or gift-themed handbags. Duchess has pastel lilac hair, which is kind of pretty, actually. And best of all, they are articulated! This is surprising, since Mattel had started making unarticulated budget dolls....my guess is that they are trying different types of dolls to see what sells best.

I'll be honest in that none of the dolls interest me in the least, except for the budget Duchess (which should surprise nobody). This is actually not bad, since that means my budget should be freed up a little for the upcoming DC Superhero Girls dolls.

Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Sailor Moon Collectibles Roundup: Atsumete Figure for Girls and Shittenou Rubber Straps

It's time for everybody's favorite feature on this blog: the Sailor Moon Collectibles Roundup! I'm your host, Miss Scarlett, and I welcome you to my nerdy little corner of the internet called the Hobby Haven! Today, I've got two pieces of merch to oooh and ahhh over, so mosey on over while we take a gander! (Everything's after the jump!)

Odds and sods

Wooooo! Lots of good news here. Anime localization company Sentai Filmworks has started their "Dear Sentai Claus..." giveaway. It runs until the 18th, and is free to enter. You can access the giveaway form here or on their website. 12 winners will get their choice of one Sentai Filmworks anime, and one grand prize winner will not only get the Sentai anime of their choice, but also a prize package including manga volumes and Nendoroids! You can enter once per day.

My latest package from the Right Stuf sale arrived, and I might do a review on one of the items I ordered, so keep an eye out! As an aside, the Right Stuf sale is still ongoing! Sale prices end on the 27th; customer service reps have stated that they will stop adding new items to the sale a little before Christmas. So if you're waiting to place an order until everything has been fully uploaded, your best bet is to wait until the 25th, and then place your order in that 3-day window.

Miss Scarlett, signing out!

The quest for cheap dolls continues...

I just need a moment to vent my frustration here: Toys R Us and Target have been offering pretty nice sales on dolls lately. Target had a buy-2-get-1-free last week, and right now Toys R Us is offering the Monster High "Original Favorites" for $10 apiece. Yet every time I go to their websites to buy something...everything is out of stock online, everything is out of stock in the stores, no rainchecks, no idea when they'll get more stock. I look at the holidays as a way to get toys at a discount, but...what is the point of having a sale when you don't have sufficient quantities to fuel demand? Ugh, so frustrating. So the money I would have spent on a basic Frankie and Clawdeen goes to Groupon. Yet another MH purchase that gets pushed off because retailers don't know how to manage their inventory.

Hope you're all having better luck than I am! Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Miss Scarlett Cooks! Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Welcome to the Hobby Haven! Stuck trying to figure out what's for dinner? I've got a suggestion for you--hopefully you like garlic!

This is a great weeknight dinner, by the way; the prep time is quick, and the chicken only takes a half hour, so you have time to make veggies and side dishes while it's baking. Oh, and when performing step 4, don't use ALL of the breadcrumb mixture. I did it once it and turned out kind of dusty. Just a dab will do ya!

Tis the season for game shopping~~

Hey, everyone! Just dropping by to let you know that Good Old Games's Winter sale is LIVE! Time to shop your hearts out! Peace~~

Frozen "Queen Elsa" Nendoroid Review

I would like to preface this review by stating that I will attempt to abstain from as many of the following as possible: 1. Gratuitous use of quotes from the movie Frozen. 2. Puns involving snow, ice, or frozen precipitation of any type. 3. Mock Norwegian.

I feel that I have to hold myself to higher professional standards at times. Carry on.

As any regular readers will have undoubtedly learned by now, I am nuts for Frozen. I have the movie on BD. I have the soundtrack (that I ran to buy the moment I got out of the theater). I have the Disney Store dolls. I have two shirts, a poster, a bracelet...you get the picture. When I learned that Good Smile had gotten the rights to make Nendoroids based on Frozen, I might have screamed my head off, rolling around and flailing on the floor. But only in my mind, since I was at work and I have to hold myself to higher, less crazy-seeming standards when I'm on the clock.

But anyway, I pre-ordered that so hard. Like you wouldn't believe. And she's here now! SHE'S HERE! All the glorious details will be available for you folks after the jump.

Edit: This was supposed to be the Black Friday review, but I got sleepy and couldn't finish on time. Sorry!

Black Friday!

Good morning, everyone! I hope your Thanksgiving was pleasant and that today hasn't been *too* crazymaking. (...I hope...)

The whole Scarlett family had a good Thanksgiving yesterday; my grandmother was having one of her "bad hearing" days ("Grandma! Would you like some mashed potatoes?" "Eh? Stop mumbling, Scarlett, I can't hear you!" "WOULD YOU LIKE SOME POTATOES?" "EHHHHHH?"), and my sister managed to burn herself making brownies, but those hiccups aside, it was fine. We now have lots of leftovers, and I had pie for breakfast. :) And now I've been roped into helping my parents decorate their house for Christmas. Every room *must* be filled with Christmas cheer. Must. Non-negotiable.

But that's okay, because I've finished my Christmas shopping, for the most part. Best Buy started their online sale yesterday, so I just made my purchase with them in the morning after we put the turkey in the oven. They had everything that I wanted with the exception of the Amazon Fire tablets; they sold through their online allotment quickly on Thursday morning, and I wasn't fast enough. Soooo I ended up buying it on Amazon, which was price-matching the deal. If you want the Fire tablet deal, I suggest going there, since Best Buy is not offering the deal online now, just in-store only.

Right Stuf is also hitting it out of the park this week; half of the items on my "must-have" list popped up again, so I placed some orders. Note that I am saying "orders," because this year, there is actually an incentive to place your orders in smaller quantities. They are running a drawing to win a $250 gift certificate, and each order that you place during the holiday sale counts as an entry. (You can also write in entries if you can't/don't want to buy anything) I have no doubt that doing it this way encourages more impulse buying. Also, the shipping turnaround is amazing; I placed my first order about 6 PM on Thanksgiving, and got a shipping notification when I woke up this morning at 9 AM.

The rest of today was spent picking up some necessities at the grocery store and Rite Aid (which was sold out of the bath puffs I wanted, boooo), and then helping my parents clean up from Thanksgiving. Laundry, dishes, floors....ugh.

I'm beat at this point, guys. If I can't get this next review finished tonight, I'll put it up tomorrow. Right now, I need pie and sleep. My Black Friday kill count is under the cut, but beyond that...Miss Scarlett is signing out.

Update time!

Okay! The Holiday Shopping Guide is ready for Black Friday. I've got most every big retailer on there, but you can check out Black Friday.com's site for smaller and more regional chains. Phew, I thought this would never end!

Some other housekeeping notes:

• Black Friday will be a two-fer; I'll make some small shopping updates, and also post a new review.
• Steam has announced that they are revamping the way that they hold their big sales. Instead of offering daily specials and timed specials, they're basically just doing what everybody else does: all games included in the sale are the same price for the entire sale. So you basically can just check the sale once it's up, decide what you want, and make your purchase without needing to check in constantly.
• Possible end-of-the-year retrospective next month?

Well, that's all for now. Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Holiday Anime Sales!

Okay! Get ready for holiday sales galore! I promised I would write about this earlier, so here we go~~

In an unprecedented move, The Right Stuf started their holiday anime sale waaaaay early this year. Historically, they have always started the holiday season with a "Black Friday sale" the week before Thanksgiving. But this year, they started on the 12th of November--the second week of November--and announced that they would be running their sale from that day until December 27th. Instead of offering "waves" of sales, where they would update every few days, their new strategy is to add about 50-odd items into the sale each day. Doing some quick and dirty math, we're looking at around 2000 items (at least) going on sale total.

TRSI is also doing two more promotions during the sale. Each day will have a "Mega Deal," usually a new or popular release discounted heavily; normally, newer items take a long time to go on sale, so it's a good way to get new releases for cheap. They are also offering "limited time" promotions, where a deal will be available for a few days (or until their stock runs out). So far, the limited time promos have been Viz manga bundles, but we'll see if that changes.

It will be interesting to see how this new strategy works. I admit that it is more exciting to offer new items every day, but also a bit more hassle to have to check every day. It is also was a bit easier to strategically plan out orders when the sales were placed a bit further apart. But I have a feeling that if this strategy works at least as well as the sales models they've used before, then it is here to stay.

Not to be outdone, Robert's Anime Corner Store is offering their own holiday sale, but using the same model that TRSI has done previously: various "waves" of sales. (In this case, 12 total.) Only the first wave of titles is up, but their selection is mainly comprised of new titles, collector's editions, and figures, which is impressive. The prices are very comparable to TRSI, so it's more than worth a look. From what I can tell from the newsletter announcement, the last "wave" will be on December 18th, but the sale prices will be good until December 24th. The prices for each item are also only valid "while supplies last only," so it looks like no rainchecks or restocks. Free shipping is available for orders of $50 or more, so there's that. Also, they're giving out free chocolate coins with each order (again, as long as supplies last).

That seems to be all for now, so Miss Scarlett is signing out!

Crafting post: Duchess Swan Makeover, Part 2

Greetings, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven! Today's installment in "Miss Scarlett finishes the posts she promised to do" is Part 2 of my Duchess Swan doll's makeover. Here, you can see what I did regarding her shoes, headpiece, stockings, and necklace.

Let's get to it! (And refer back to the prior post for the materials list.)

Hey there!

Hey, everyone! Miss Scarlett here, dropping in to tell you two things:

1. Keep an eye out for updates this weekend! More Black Friday ads have leaked, so there's a ton for me to update in the shopping guide.
2. The Right Stuf sale has started...TODAY! More details to come this weekend!

See y'all soon!

Busy day tomorrow!

Good news, everyone! My camera is back up and running! It seems to have taken an irrational dislike to Duracell batteries, and won't turn on if you pop those in. But any other brand--even the cheap-o ones from the dollar store--are fine. Who knew?

Tomorrow's my day off, and while I have some boring errands to run in the morning, I'm going to spend the rest of the day crafting, making some posts for November and December, and browsing through the latest round of Black Friday ads. I was right in that at least two retailers will be offering a sale on the New Nintendo 3DS; while it's only $20 off, it's better than nothing, and I'm not willing to wait much longer. Now the question will be who to order from...

Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Media Review: Sailor Moon Season 2, Limited Edition

Greetings and welcome to the Hobby Haven! I've decided to do something slightly different with the rest of the reviews for Sailor Moon; instead of reviewing each set as it comes out, I'll be looking at the season as a whole. Because honestly, doing it the other way will be incredibly repetitive and fairly boring. And honestly, if you pick up half of a season, you're bound to pick up the other half as well. So be warned, there's quite a bit of text and photo bombage below the cut

Odds and sods

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Hobby Haven!I'm your host, Miss Scarlett, and am coming to you LIVE (from work) with some bits of housekeeping business.

First is that my camera died. YAY. I'm seeing if there's any hope to get it back up and working, but it's pretty old, so my hopes are not high. Chalk yet another item onto my Black Friday Wish List. What this means is that I'm probably going to have to borrow a camera until I can get a new one; and this could possibly mean no picture posts. Sigh. Everything always breaks at the same time, huh?

Second, I am desperately working on getting Friday's media review up. Hopefully I can work on this during my break today, but if it doesn't make an appearance until later...sorry!

Third, I will probably have the Shopping Guide up by next week. I might be able to get it up before then, but I think we're talking Monday at the latest.

Fourth, the Ever After High Dragon Games dolls should be released soon, according to the fan page. "Soon," in their parlance, usually means a few weeks to a month, so I am expecting more of a December holiday release. Momo and I might go together to look at them. The dolls are $19.99 apiece (except for Apple; she comes with a pet dragon and is $29.99), so I might get one for the time being, unless there is a good sale, like 2-for-1. (I want Darling and Raven, Momo wants Mira and is undecided on the others.) Also, the Target-exclusive Tricastleon set (Hunter, Cerise, and Lizzie) is now available for $49.99 and is in stores.

Fifth, the Good Old Games fall sale is LIVE! You get free games when you spend $5, $15, or $30, plus there are new daily deals every 12 hours, plus daily bundles. It's 11 days full of gaming goodness! (I wonder when Steam's sale starts?)

Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Quick sales post

Just a quickie, everyone: if you're interested in picking up Inuyasha: The Final Act (basically, season 8 of the anime, and the conclusion of the series), the Blu-ray pack is currently sharply discounted to $19.99 on Amazon, while supplies last. Happy shopping!

The most wonderful time of the year?

It's that time of the year, everyone. Halloween is barely over, and already every major retailer in the country is jumping up and down with glee. The Holiday Shopping Season is now upon us (and it feels like it's earlier every year; I fully expect to see a jack o'lantern with a Santa hat one of these days).

Thanks to my new job, I now have almost the entirety of Thanksgiving week off (plus Black Friday off), so that means I can, indeed, spend some quality time snuggled up with my laptop browsing sales. I will, like last year, be posting a holiday shopping guide, but that will not be going up for another week or two. I'll be putting it up once the sales flyers leak, basically.

I already have my family's Christmas gifts acquired, so any shopping done is going to be for me--okay, and probably gifts for next year. But between the raise I got earlier, and the promise of some pretty lucrative overtime coming up, I have some cash to spend on myself.

I've already decided that I'm going to bite the bullet and splurge on the "New 3DS," which is still the dumbest name ever. Nintendo just can't figure out how to properly name their hardware, geez. I debated getting a PS4, given the recent price drop, but I think I will wait another year and see if we get a second one. And I know that I'll be buying some anime during RightStuf's sale: I'm looking to pick up some of the Yu Yu Hakusho Blu-rays, plus Log Horizon, and last year they offered a Final Fantasy artbook set which I didn't get and now am crying over.

Not quite sure what else I'll get beyond that, but I have an idea of what I'm keeping my eyes open for:

• Sales on the re-release of the Monster High "original ghouls"; looking for Frankie and Clawdeen in particular
• Some kind of super cheap deal on the new Jurassic Park BD collection (the one with all 4 movies)
• Last year, lots of retailers offered deals on Nintendo eShop cards, like "Pay $40 for a $50 card"; I'm hoping to see something like that again, since there's quite a few digital releases I'm considering buying
• As always, fingers crossed that GOG or Steam runs a sale during the same time!
• Cheap BDs: the Daniel Craig Bond movies, Bridesmaids, etc.
• Cheap CDs: Nightwish, Within Temptation (both have new CDs out!)
• A new electric kettle. I am so exciting.
• Some nice, basic shirts, like from Old Navy
• I've been thinking about getting a Kindle, so if Amazon offers a price cut like last year, I might consider it this time.

So stay tuned, everyone! Miss Scarlett, signing out!

The Vincent Price Collection on Blu-ray (OOP, Scream Factory)

Gather 'round, friends, and listen to a tale of woe, a tale of terrors unimaginable, of horror unfathomable to the human mind: an OOP BD set scrubbed clean from every retailer imaginable. It's a spooky tale of greed, fright, panic, and procrastination. A tale worthy...of the Hobby Haven.

(P.S. Happy Halloween)

Odds and sods

Just some quick housekeeping notes here!

I'll post the Holiday Shopping Guide on November 1st. I'll have enough info to do a very rough, basic post by that point, and will fill it in as information is released.

Still no news on which day in November will be the Sailor Moon Crystal dub premiere (Hulu and viz.com exclusively!), but we do have a confirmation that Sailor Moon Crystal will be released on DVD and Blu-ray next year. It seems to be sometime after March, which is all we know. Given that the release of the original anime's third season is also scheduled for next year, I'm left wondering if Viz plans to stagger the releases at all to ease the burden on fans' pocketbooks.

Just found out that the DC Super Hero Girls dolls will cost $19.99 each. I'm picking up Wonder Woman first thing, and will probably get Poison Ivy and Batgirl as the year goes on (gotta space these out, thanks budget).

And new Figuarts! Besides R season's Black Lady, we now have confirmation of ANOTHER version of Sailor Moon, this time in her R season incarnation. That is to say, she comes with her Cutie Moon Rod, and her Crystal Star transformation brooch. ::headdesk:: At least we know they're getting excellent use out of the Sailor Moon mold. I'm taking this as a sign that the figures are popular?

That's all for now! Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Figuarts news

I've got news both good and bad, folks.

The first article of news: we have confirmation that Bandai will be making a Black Lady S.H. Figuarts as the next entry in their Sailor Moon Figuarts line. No release date, but given the release schedule (Sailor V in September/October, Pluto in November/December), she's clearly a 2016 release. This tells me that getting Figuarts of other characters from the series is quite likely!

The second article of news: Bluefin (the NA distributor of Bandai products) has confirmed that none of the preorders that Amazon cancelled will be reinstated. Whether this means that Amazon will not be carrying new Bluefin products from here on out is yet to be seen, and I have no clue what's going on. Bluefin has encouraged customers to purchase the cancelled products from their other partners--but this doesn't help much when Pluto isn't available to order from any of them. I am hoping that we can get V and Pluto from Barnes and Noble (they carry Bandai's Figuarts and Tamashi Buddies figures) at some point. It would just be stupid for them to not bring over Pluto in some way, shape, or form, so I'm sure that we'll get her. Eventually.

Sigh.

Miss Scarlett Cooks! Asparagus and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Welcome to the Hobby Haven, everyone! I've got a new recipe for you! Now, this is a bit more seasonal for spring, but it doesn't hurt to share it now, does it? I made this for Mother's Day, and got rave reviews. But this doesn't have to be just a meal for special occasions! Make sure you do it on a night when you have enough time, though, since the preparations take almost as long as the cooking.

Not quite a review: Legend of Legacy CE

Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven! This isn't a review, exactly, (because I haven't been able to play much of it), but I wanted to gush about the latest game I picked up: The Legend of Legacy. Silly Engrish-y name aside, this has been one of the games I've been most stoked about (besides Persona 5, of course) this year. 

Ever After High "Heartstruck" C.A. Cupid

Hello, all you lovelies, and welcome to this week's edition of the Hobby Haven! Today, I'll be reviewing one of the latest Ever After High deluxe dolls. the ever-lovely and ever-lovestruck C.A. Cupid in her newest incarnation, "Heartstruck." I have to say that I love the deluxe dolls that Mattel creates for EAH; they are always so on point, and feel truly display-worthy. I'll admit that this was something of an impulse purchase (as Thronecoming Cupid was); I was so miffed about not finding Fairest on Ice Duchess that I resolved to just buy one that I really liked.

This doll is themed after one of the newer episodes, appropriately titled "Heartstruck"; Cupid accidentally loses her bow and love arrows, which Hunter uses to blithely cause romantic havoc among the student body. It's never explained why Cupid is decked to the nines in this episode, but I'm not complaining.

The rest of the review is after the jump!

Odd and sods

Hey everyone! I hope you had a great weekend! How's October going for all of you?

I decided against doing a crazy "Shocktober" marathon like I did last year; it always seemed that even when I scheduled myself to watch something, I never felt like it or had the time. Instead, I've been doing things as I feel like it, and it seems to work better. For example, Icaro and I hung out over the weekend and played "Until Dawn," which is an incredibly suspenseful and creepy video game for the PS4. It plays on all types of horror movie tropes, and when we were down, I felt like we'd watched about three different types of horror movies. I also have been reading Rick Yancey's "The Monstrumologist" and Jim Butcher's "The Dresden Files" series; it's been a while since I found an engaging horror/supernatural series, so I was happy to have stumbled onto both. I also finally picked up "The Vincent Prince Collection, Vol. 1" BD from Scream Factory; I will be reviewing that on Halloween, so stay tuned!

In news that isn't about my life (HA!), Viz announced during NYCC that they will start streaming the English dub of Sailor Moon Crystal next month on Hulu! No word on how soon they will release it on home video, or on how long the dubbed episodes will remain for free viewing, so I would recommend watching it while you have the chance, if you are interested.

Lots of manga announced at NYCC as well; Viz announced that they're bringing over a lot of stuff that people had been begging them for: Haikyuu, Kuroko no Basuke, Yona of the Dawn, etc. None of the announcements are anything I had been waiting for, but it's great to see some long-begged for series making it to these shores. Viz also confirmed that THEY were the company that had licensed the 2011 Hunter x Hunter anime, but I don't think we'll get an explanation of why it took so long for it to get here.

DC Super Hero Girls will be launching the dolls this spring, apparently as soon as March! Definitely going to keep my eyes peeled, and maybe use this as an excuse to start looking for back issues of Wonder Woman again. The web series for this line is also up on Youtube, or you can watch episodes on the (FAN CREATED, NOT OFFICIAL) Facebook fan page for it.

And remember Mattel making un-articulated basic dolls for Ever After High? They're doing the same for Monster High. They seem to be doing this for younger fans, since these are very plain and with less accessories and plainer outfits and hair. I think these are great for younger kids, as way to get them something fun to play with that they can't easily destroy.

Speaking of Monster High, there's lots of new lines coming! The next movie is the "Great Scarier Reef," which means lots of underwater-themed dolls. Several of our regular characters turn into mermaid-like versions of themselves, and they meet lots of new (and realllllllly bizarre-looking) characters. There's a half-squid girl, a half-water spirit girl, and a two-headed hydra girl(s?). I...will be passing on this line. There's a new "weekend getaway"-type budget line, and some new characters appear that were mentioned in conjunction with Monster Exchange: Kjersti Trolleson, Isi Dawndancer, and Batsy Claro. Finnegan Wake, the merman who uses a wheelchair to get around on land (you might remember him from one of the webisodes), also made his debut, and is only for sale on Mattel's website.

Well, I'm going to stop here, since it's getting kind of late. Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Ever After High news!

Oh, wow! So we have confirmation that "Dragon Games" will be an upcoming special in 2016, along with "Epic Winter," which seems to be based off of the tale of The Snow Queen. It features the character "Crystal Winter" (which is an awful generic name but whatevs) who the fandom is thinking might be this girl whose image was leaked earlier:

We're closer to getting her doll! YES!

NEW DOLL SERIES!

I am pretty excited right now, guys, and I will share why. Mattel, the beloved makers of Barbie, Ever After High, and Monster High, are now making dolls for a new line, DC Super Hero Girls. The idea is that DC is creating a new cartoon, aimed at a slightly younger (think elementary to early middle school) audience starring their female superheroes as high school students. From the visuals I've seen, this is being aimed as a much more approachable, family-friendly version of the characters.

I probably would have become more interested in superheroes as a kid if something like this existed! I also like how the costumes aren't so bathing suit-like, it makes cosplaying a lot more approachable, as well. 

I don't know if these are prototypes or the finished product, but I really like what I see. I definitely want Wonder Woman, and would probably pick up the Batman characters. Not really crazy about the rest, though. But I like that so many of them are wearing pants! I always thought that crimefighting in those skimpy leotard-type outfits looked so uncomfortable, like they'd get a wedgie at any minute.

There will be more characters than these, of course--apparently some of the male characters like the Green Lantern will be present--and lots more merchandise, including some action figures. Merchandise is supposed to start rolling out later this month (although that can always change), so I'll be keeping my eye out!

Grumble, grumble

Well, it's not just the Sailor Moon Figuarts that are being cancelled due to "lack of availability," it's EVERYTHING from Bandai that Bluefin distributes in the U.S. Checking out the Bluefin Facebook page yields dozens of complaints from customers whose preorders for Figuarts and Proplica merch have been cancelled. Bluefin, as of a week ago, stated that they are working with Amazon to hopefully get orders re-instated, but there's been no news since. I had Pluto ordered with an Amazon gift card, so I'm not really able to get her anywhere else; and she seems to be pretty much sold out at every other vendor. I have every faith that we'll be able to get her eventually, but probably not for a while. I wouldn't be surprised if this takes a month or two to get wrangled out. It's pretty much unthinkable that Bluefin would *not* try to get a deal worked out with one of the biggest e-vendors in the world to distribute their merchandise.

In happier news, my new Ever After High doll arrived, so I've been having fun cooing over her. And since it's that time of the year, I'm going to see if Funko is making more Hello Kitty Halloween blind boxes.

Sailor Moon Re-ment sets: Cafe Sweets and Daily Life

Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven! It's been a while since I did a real, live review, and I'm pretty excited. I do have to apologize, because the camera was not being entirely cooperative that day, so a few shots are a bit blurry. Bear with me, please!

We're looking at two of the Sailor Moon Re-ment collectible miniature sets. They are my newest guilty pleasure. :)

Let's take a look, shall we?

I'm not dead!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I ordered a bunch of stuff, so depending on when USPS gets them to me, there will be some new reviews coming down the pipeline! I've unintentionally put off doing a bunch of reviews because I haven't had the time, and I feel like I keep saying that and apologizing for it...so frustrating. The crafting posts are taking the longest, because I have to remember all the steps I did, plus the mindset I was in. But I know that I will get there eventually; I'm actually editing the next media review as I type this. Well, I'm not doing it WHILE I type this, but you get the idea.

I'm thinking about going back and editing some of my more recent reviews, because comparisons between them and my earliest reviews show that my writing skills have been dropping off. Gotta practice, practice, practice.

As a head's up for what's going to be happening in the immediate future:

• Shocktober! Lots of Halloween and monster movies, plus a related media review. Maybe a recipe or two if I can settle on something that I like. Plus a Miss Scarlett Travels special!
• Holiday shopping guides! They were pretty popular last year, so I'll be making periodic ones, but keeping a close eye on Right Stuf because I am a giant nerd. Expect some cross-posting from Kotaku and CheapAssGamer, but I'll keep you informed of deals as I find them.
• Massive game sales! My wishlists may be whittled down, but I bet yours aren't. Keep an eye on the Hobby Haven for postings for sales from Steam, GOG, Humble Bundle, etc.

Well, I think that should do it for now. Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Well, this sucks.

Oh dear, oh dear.

Important Figuarts news, you guys. Amazon has emailed me a CANCELLATION of my Sailor Pluto S.H. Figuarts. In fact, the Amazon listing is no longer searchable, but I can still reach it from my cancellation email. It's listed as "currently unavailable," and the "official" reason given for the cancellation was "lack of availability."

Now, this is where it gets interesting. The Sailor V Figuarts is undergoing the same thing. But none of the existing Sailor Moon Figuarts have been affected! They are all still up on Amazon. I am wondering if some kind of issue is happening with Bluefin, the company that distributes Figuarts here in North America.

I'm a little worried, and not entirely sure what to do. Nobody seems to carry pre-orders for Pluto in stock save for Crunchyroll, and they charge you at time of order, not time of shipping, so I am hesitant. Plus, they charge $10 for shipping, so I'd be paying more than I would through Amazon.

I keep remembering the problems I had getting Saturn, so this may be a situation where I have to wait and see what happens...ugh.

In happier news, Dunkin is offering free Dunkin Dark coffee tomorrow in honor of National Coffee Day. So there's that, I guess.

Miss Scarlett Cooks! Homestyle Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Hi, everyone! Let's make something delish to eat today! I grew up eating boxed mac and cheese, and never even knew you could make it another way until I was an adult. I definitely like this version better; it's a lot cheesier and creamier. I'll share how to make it after the jump.

Tokyo Game Show Highlights

Work is keeping me busy--I'm honestly surprised by how much I love this job; I didn't hate my previous one, but didn't feel excited to go to work--but I'm doing my best to still post content and keep up on news! The Tokyo Game Show was this past week, and brought a lot of information on new and upcoming games. I've got a lot of info after the jump!

Miss Scarlett Crafts! Baby Blanket, part 1

Hi, everyone! Here is the post that took entirely too long to get finished, for inexplicable reasons. Part 1 of "Miss Scarlett Makes a Baby Blanket." Chills, thrills, and eventual apathy contained within! (You know you want to read it.) Everything is after the jump.

Miss Scarlett Cooks! Kitchen Sink Cookies

It's baking time at the Hobby Haven, everyone! Today, I'll show you how to make Kitchen Sink cookies. Don't let the name scare you off! they're called this because you throw in "everything but the kitchen sink." It's a great way to use up odds and ends around the household. Handful of raisins at the bottom of the box? One last packet of oatmeal nobody wants to eat? Stale rice krispies? Toss 'em in here to make a thrifty snack.

Miss Scarlett Cooks! Oven Fried Ranch Pork Chops

It's dinner time, and Miss Scarlett's here with a quick and easy solution! Welcome to the Hobby Haven, everybody! I hope you brought your appetites, because today we're fryin' up some chops. These are great with a side of home fries, by the way.

Checking in!

Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven!

I've been pretty consumed with my new job for the past two weeks, so I have not expended ANY effort towards the blog. I put a couple posts up for auto-post, and that was about it. I am hoping that once I get into the rhythm of things over the next week or two, I'll have some time to deal with posts. I feel like I keep saying that over and over, but it honestly has been a crazy couple months. A crazy summer, come to think of it.

I'm pretty antsy for September to roll around, since that's when I'll get paid. And in the middle of all of the bills that I have to pay (dentist, oil change, all of that fun stuff), I'm going to set aside some cash to FINALLY pick up a New 3DS XL once the holidays hit. I'm hoping that Nintendo will announce some exclusives for it, but in any case, there will be a TON of games for me to play. I already have a small stockpile of MegaTen (Persona Q, Soul Hackers, SMT IV), plus Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, and I've got the collector's edition of The Legend of Legacy on pre-order. I'm crossing my fingers for some good discounts on Nintendo e-Shop cards so I can get the fifth Ace Attorney game and some other digital exclusives.

So this might end up as the "Video Game Haven" at some point, since I know I'll be rambling about them for a bit. I may even do a post of my video game collection and talk about it a bit.

Beyond all that, all's quiet on the home front. Just trying to get settled in here. Hope everyone enjoys the last bits of summer! Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Odds and sods

I haven't been doing many updates recently due to preparing for my new job--I start on Monday!--so, I figured I'd drop one in right now.

*Still am in the process of writing up a review for a bunch of Sailor Moon-related collectible I obtained. It keeps getting pushed off, but I'll try to have it as the next review posted. Hopefully. Don't be too mad at me if that doesn't happen, though.
*Good Smile Company finished showing all of their pictures from the Japanese Summer Wonder Festival. They confirmed that a Princess Anna Frozen Nendoroid is being made and released this winter, but their own online store isn't selling her in non-Asian territories. I was able to preorder her from Big Bad Toy Store for about $50 (what Nendoroids usually retail for), so if you're interested, I would suggest pre-ordering her NOW. Also, confirmation of a Kaitou Kid Detective Conan (Case Closed to us in the USA) figma, and...uh...confirmation that the Magic Knight Rayearth figma haven't been cancelled yet? No concrete info at all.
*The Fairest on Ice dolls are finally available at Wal-Mart! You can get them at Walmart.com and get free store pickup, which is what I might do...or at least, I'll call ahead of time. People are finding Heartstruck C.A. Cupid and Royally Ever After Apple White (a deluxe version of Apple) at Toys R Us, although I can't find them on the website. The Dragon Games line won't be released until the holiday season, so I have some time to figure out if I want BOTH Darling and Raven or just Darling.
*The PSN store is offering a sale on Square Enix games, including massive discounts on almost all the Final Fantasy games, as well as some classic Squaresoft titles like Legend of Mana and Vagrant Story. If you've wanted to get into Final Fantasy, this is a great way to make an entry...cheaply!
*Still no Persona 5 news; probably the last major event we can expect to hear something is the Tokyo Game Show in September. If Atlus is going for a 2015 release date for Japan AND North America, they better clarify their release dates soon!

Well, that's all for now. Miss Scarlett, signing off!

S.H. Figuarts "Tuxedo Mask" figure Review

An actual review? What is this madness? Welcome to the Hobby Haven.

I have been repeatedly putting this off, not because I didn't necessarily want to do it, but because I had so much stuff to do IRL. I finally buckled down and got it done--and I admit that it's been kind of hard since it's been very cloudy lately, and the light isn't very good. So sorry about the poor picture quality here, since my camera refuses to cooperate anymore.

Today we're taking a look at the first male in the Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts line, Tuxedo Mask! You can read the review after the jump.

Movin' on up!

I am very excited to announce that I have finally been able to get a new job! I won't go into too many details, but it's a full-time position in my field that, shockingly, hits most of the check-marks on my "Miss Scarlett's Dream Job Wishlist." It's actually not that far from my current job, so my commute won't change by much. More responsibilities, more pay, and promised vacation time and professional development support. My schedule is even structured similarly to my previous job, and I'll be able to sleep in (I usually work afternoons and evenings)!

Even better, this should relieve some of the financial strain that I was feeling earlier. So while you won't be seeing huge floods of reviews now--I've finally decided to bite the bullet and look into replacing my car--there should be a bit more than before. And I won't be griping as much. Hopefully. Remember, mo' money, mo' taxes. But such is life.

So I can confirm that yes, I will be checking some items off of my doll wishlists, and you will be seeing those pop up in the next few months. Probably not until later in the fall or winter, since I have a lot to do, finance-wise (no matter how tempted I will be to dash off and shop once my paycheck hits my bank account). And honestly, the sales will be better around the holidays.

Aaaaand I got a new TV! Funny story: my grandmother called me up the other week. "Scarlett, could you use a new TV?" I said sure, why not. "Well, you'd better come down right away and get it!" Why right away, I asked. "Mr. So-and-So in the apartment next door just died, and his daughter asked if I wanted his TV. So you need to come and get it before the undertaker comes!" Why do I have to get there before the undertaker? "Because HE might take it!" Oh, dear.

Thank you, Mr. So-and-So, for the new TV. I will cherish it lovingly.

Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Figuarts News Roundup!

Well, finally---FINALLY--Bandai condescended to put up Sailor Pluto's pre-order listing on Amazon. she'll be hitting our shores just in time for Christmas. Let me tell you, I could not hit that order button fast enough. what's really interesting is that Bandai has "action figure" in the item's title, although none of the other Figuarts are titled that on Amazon. Huh.

I don't have much good news for those hoping to get their hands on the "Sailor Zoisite" figure. Actually, it's titled several different things. The base reads "Nise Sailor Moon"; "nise" meaning "fake" or "false." I've also heard it referred to as "Sailor Moon Imposter Version" and "Sailor Moon Zoisite Disguise Version." Bandai had this figure as a San Diego Comic Con exclusive, and is not selling it on their Amazon site. The only listings I've seen on Amazon are from secondary sellers. If you want this, your best bet would be A. A secondary seller on Amazon or eBay (but watch out for fakes!) or B. Seeing if anyone is posting one for sale on a figure-collecting website, like MyFigureCollection.net. Prices are skyrocketing--I'm seeing these for $80-90--so be willing to spend some cash if you want one.

Bandai also just announced a Super Sailor Mercury Figuarts, which leads me to the conclusion that we are getting the Super versions of each of the Sailors. Given that it's just a mild costume change (different sleeves, bows, and bow jewels), this really feels like a cash-in and a way to re-use the existing molds and maximize their profit. I can only hope this means that they're open to making figures of other characters, or maybe even Eternal Sailor Moon.

I'll be picking up the Sailor V Figuarts and the Super Sailor Venus Figuarts (whenever she gets announced, probably next year) at some point, but not before Sailors Mercury and Mars. I keep putting off getting those!

In not-exactly-Figuarts news, you should all check out Good Smile Company's Facebook page, since they posted up tons of pictures from the summer Wonder Festival. So many announcements of figures. So many. GSC is making a Princess Anna Nendoroid, naturally. So I have to get her to keep my Elsa company. Also confirmation of a Kaitou Kid Figma from the Detective Conan series. So many figures, so little time...

Miss Scarlett Cooks! Banana Bread

Hi, everyone! This is a milestone; my 100th post here at the Hobby Haven. And to celebrate, I'm sharing my favorite, signature recipe: Miss Scarlett's Banana Bread. Seriously, I don't even share the recipe with my family. But here it is, just for you~ (Everything, as always, is after the jump.)

Miss Scarlett Cooks! Coconut Cream Pie

Welcome to the Hobby Haven, everybody! I've got a recipe here that's a sweet treat to beat the summer heat! Honestly, nothing says "summer" to me more than citrus and coconut, so this coconut pie is the perfect dessert for a summer meal.

Miss Scarlett Cooks! Chocolate Kahlua Cake

Miss Scarlett here, bringing you Hobby Haven readers a cake to end all cakes. This is the most requested cake I make; and don't worry, you won't get drunk off of it! But if you're concerned about the alcohol, you can swap it out for coffee. The recipe is after the jump.

Weekend post before Miss Scarlett's vacation!

Hey, everyone! I've got a quick update for you here!

I finally picked up the souvenirs that Miss Moon got me while she was in Japan, and I'll be doing those as a Friday review. Maybe next week, maybe the week after; we'll see. I'm still going to be spacing out reviews with craft and recipe posts, and although I haven't figured out when I'll be posting them, I promise that they will go up.

I might even have a tech review--I know, I know, what?--up in the future, since I bought a new gadget.

It feels like I'm just making excuse after excuse, but I have been kept so busy with work and trying to get things on track for vacation next week that I've just had no time for anything related to the blog.

Anyway, have a good week, everyone!

Ever After High Newsapalooza

Oh, my. I am in Ever After High doll HEAVEN here, boys and girls.

The Ever After High Dolls Facebook fan page just broke out TONS of news with gorgeous high-quality pictures, and Miss Moon and I have been drooling over these all evening. So, so in love.

• 5 new characters' basic dolls announced: Courtly Jester (daughter of the Joker Card, and is an exclusive for Way Too Wonderland), Justine Dancer (daughter of the 12th Dancing Princess), Melody Piper (daughter of the Pied Piper, and fans have been asking for her dolls for YEARS), Farrah Goodfairy (daughter of the Fairy Godmother), and Mira Shards, who I think is the daughter of the Magic Mirror?
• Another basic doll line; these are very, very simplistic looking (think cheap Barbies) with non-articulated limbs and what look like molded-on dresses. Apple, Raven, and Ashlynn; not looking too bad, but still very cheap-looking.
• A new book-themed line with Lizzie Hearts, Kitty Cheshire, and Ginger Breadhouse.
• A special deluxe Cupid doll that is incredibly ornate and stunningly beautiful
• An announcement of a new EAH Netflix special, "Dragon Games," with new dolls! Mira will be making her debut, and we'll also get a "Dragonrider" Apple white with a really reindeer-like dragon, Holly O'Hair, and a STUNNING Duchess and Raven. Also, three forest animal-themed pixies. So many dolls.
• A sports-themed 3-pack with Cerise, Hunter, and Lizzie

(OH. And something completely different: we've just learned that the "Sailor Zoicite" Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts is going to be a San Diego Comic Con EXCLUSIVE. Japanese collectors will only have access to her via a special lottery run by Bandai. This is incredibly bewildering and makes me wonder if the Sailor Moon Figuarts have been doing better abroad than in Japan? I have never heard of this before.)

More ramblings after the jump...

Miss Scarlett Cooks! Loaded Baked Potato and Chicken Casserole

Welcome, everyone, to the first installment of Miss Scarlett Cooks! I'll be sharing some of my recipes with you and trying not to feel too Paula Deen-ish as I do. The inaugural recipe is one of my guilt pleasures. This casserole tries to replicate a loaded baked potato, with some chicken tossed in. Definitely not something you have every week; it's more of a winter comfort-food type meal, great after some snow shoveling or a brisk walk. It is a heavy, heavy meal. The recipe can be found after the jump.

Odds and Sods

Hey, everyone! Just a quick weekend update. Everything's after the jump, because my version of "quick" does not contain the word "brevity."

Sailor Moon Collectibles Roundup

Okay, everyone, it's now time for yet another "Miss Scarlett, what kind of Sailor Moon junk did you pick up this time?" The column where I show you all the little things that I can't resist buying from one of the greatest franchises of all time, after the jump.

Woooo!

Good news, everyone! We finally have a release window for the Sailor Pluto S.H. Figuarts! She'll be released in Japan this November, which means that we in the States will be getting her in December, or possibly January. Given that we are getting Super Sailor Moon and Sailor V this summer and fall, that means that Pluto will be the last Sailor Moon Figuarts for 2015.

This means that we'll see Sailor Zoicite as a 2016 release, probably sometime in the spring. Whether or not we'll be seeing more figures is up in the air, although there's a chance we might get some news at the summer WonderCon in Japan, where the toy companies announce upcoming figures.

From what I understand, pre-orders for Pluto should be going live in the next month or so. She's 4500 yen in Japan, about the same as Uranus and Neptune. When I have a bit of cash free, I really need to grab Mercury and Mars; they just constantly seem to slip down the priority list.

Oh, and the pictures released for the next Sailor Moon Crystal Re-ment line are live and are driving me crazy. It's a "Birthday Cake" set, and will be released in late September.

Okay, off to sleep. Miss Scarlett has had a busy day...

Video Game Things...

Hey, everyone! Hope your summer has started well!

Summer sales!

Summer is almost upon us, boys and girls--true, hot-and-humid-dog-days summer--and you know what that means....SUMMER GAME SALES!

Yes, it's the season for that time-honored tradition of kicking off the summer by discounting hundreds of digital games, and I am ready to go. Admittedly, participating in the last few seasonal sales as whittled down my wishlist to next to nothing, comparatively speaking, but I am still hopeful.

To wit:

• GOG.com: Always kicks off the summer with their big summer DRM-free sale. (Granted, every big sale is DRM-free, but I digress.) Usually in June, and runs for a few weeks. They usually offer pretty nice series bundles, so if you are interesting in dipping your toes in a whole series, this greatly lowers the barriers to entry.
• Steam: They are usually the first sale of the season, often in late May/early June. Especially great if you're looking at more recent titles, and discount percentages are often bigger than GOG. 
• PSN: Also usually runs a summer sale, but usually isn't that impressive. It's almost always a small selection of games on sale, and the discounts are usually not higher than 30% off MSRP. 
• Xbox Live: From what my friends have told me, they run their sales at the end of the summer. I'm not an Xbox gamer, so I don't follow these, but I might make a mini post about it.
• Nintendo eShop: Nintendo themselves do not offer a storewide sale, but individual publishers will often do so. Off the top of my head, I believe Atlus USA and Ubisoft often do summer sales on their titles.

What Miss Scarlett is looking for:

• In the past few months, GOG have gotten the rights to sell classic LucasArts games, so I am looking forward to any kind of discount off of these. I also have a handful of indie point-and-clicks on the list, so I'll see if any of them are in line for a discount, too.
• I have been mulling over getting Portal for the longest time, so if Steam offers it at a nice discount, I might snatch it up. Also looking for a hefty discount off of RealMyst, since I've heard it's a much nicer redesign of classic Myst, which I liked.
• I am not getting my hopes up for anything from PSN. I have found that the flash sales they offer are almost always better. (I am still sighing in happiness from the 80% off flash sale they did a few months ago, can't beat $0.80 for a PS2 Classics game.) But there are a few PS1 Classics games I'm planning on getting eventually, so we'll see if Sony tosses us a bone or two this summer. Same for Nintendo (I have long consigned myself to paying full MSRP for anything from them) and Xbox (don't own one, don't buy the games).

The GOG sale is live, and Steam's sale will be starting on the 11th. Happy bargain hunting!

Ever After High "Darling Charming" Signature Doll Review

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Hobby Haven! Today, I am bringing you another review from the world of Ever After High. That's right, today we're meeting the third Charming sibling, Darling! So pull up a chair (unless you're already seated), and let's get to it! Everything you need to know is after the jump.

It's that time of the year!

Woo-hoo! Good Old Games' DRM-free Summer Sale is LIVE! You're excited, you know you are.

They're offering daily bundle deals--today is LucasArts' classic point-and-click adventures, some really goodies there!--and are uploading new deals twice daily. They're also offering free games when you reach a certain purchase threshold. None of the free games interest me (SIM City 2000, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Xenonauts), but it's great that they're trying out different things.

And now to stock up on cheap games that will increase my backlog... (I'll play them! It just...takes me a while...)

Miss Scarlett, signing out!

News Roundup!

Just some odds and ends, you guys...

• SDCC has announced both the Monster High and Ever After High exclusives! We knew that Evil Raven Queen was the EAH offering, but Monster High will be getting a two-pack of Kieran Valentine and Whisp ("guest" characters in two of the MH movies: Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love? and 13 Wishes), plus a vinyl figure of Nefera de Nile in her Boo York, Boo York outfit. As always, first dibs are given to convention-goers and registered members of Mattel's Matty Collector website before the general public (if any are left).
• Japanese miniatures maker Re-ment is continuing their partnership with Toei and offering more Sailor Moon Crystal sets. They just released the Cafe Sweets line (I ordered one of the sets and will be reviewing it later), and will be releasing an "everyday" and a "birthday cake" line. We'll see them in July and September, respectively. I'll be ordering the Sailor Venus/Minako sets from both these lines when available.
• Also in Sailor Moon news, Bandai will be releasing the Sailor V S.H. Figuarts in September, one month after the debut of Super Sailor Moon. Will we see both Sailor Pluto and "Sailor Zoicite" this year? Time will tell. Given that Bandai has announced that they are making Sailor Starlights Petit Chara figures, I have high hopes for getting Starlight Figuarts. But we probably won't hear anything about 2016 figures until the big Japanese summertime conventions. (Same with the Magic Knight Rayearth figures...these companies usually withhold prototype figures and release dates for the big conventions.)
• Also also in Sailor Moon news, the first box set of Sailor Moon R will be released in July...here's hoping that Viz will give us the release date of the second R box set soon, maybe at Otakon or AX or the like. Also hoping for the release date of S season to be revealed this summer...can't wait for that one!
• Just a reminder that E3 starts in roughly two weeks! If there's any exciting news regarding Persona, Kingdom Hearts, or Final Fantasy games, I'll post it here. But you can also check out Kotaku, since they will be covering every press conference during E3.

Time for lunch, so I'll see you later! Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Convention Season!

And so it begins, my friends--the start of the summer convention season, when we get oodles of anime and video game announcements, thanks to conventions like PAX Prime, San Diego Comic Con, Anime Expo, and E3. I always get excited for summer, because every month has something to look forward to. Even if I don't get to go to them, there's always some interesting piece of news to pick up!

I'm debating whether or not I'll post any info here...maybe if I have downtime at work and want to natter.  My friend Icaro*and I will probably be live-commenting on the E3 announcements like we did last year (*not her real name). We watch the press conferences and make post Facebook threads or tweet each other about our thoughts. It's a lot of fun. I may end up posting the highlights!

Here's what this summer's convention season looks like:

E3, June 16th
Anime Expo, July 2nd
San Diego Comic Con, July 9th
Otakon, July 24th
PAX Prime, August 28th
Dragon Con, September 4th

These are just the big ones that I follow, there are tons of smaller cons out there. Looking forward to lots of news!

Sailor Moon Collectibles Roundup

That's right everyone, it's time for another edition of "What Sailor Moon merch did Miss Scarlett find on eBay!" Today we have some variations on an old theme: another Petit Chara, and another gashapon accessory.

Sailor Venus is my favorite of the Sailor Senshi, so of course I had to have her Petit Chara figurine. (I'm still debating if I want to fork over the cash to get all the rest...the collecting bug can be vicious sometimes.) Searching my normal haunts turned out to be a bust, so I resorted, once again, to eBay. and like I've said before, you can find legit stuff on eBay, but you have to be careful and know what you're looking for. You don't want to get stuck with crappy fake knockoffs. 

Checking the eBay seller's feedback is very important, as is looking at their storefront and page listings. Examine the pictures they provide carefully. Stock photos are sometimes a red flag and sometimes not--legit sellers use them sometimes. But real photos they've taken themselves are the best judge of whether or not an item is legit. Let's take a look at the Petit Chara I got.

First--and most importantly--check the box to see if the official Toei sticker is on it. That's the little gold sticker on the lower corner of the box, the one with the cat. This is placed on all official merchandise made of Toei's TV shows and other licensed properties. If you have one of those, you know you're good. (But just to be sure, also check the box to see if you can find Toei's name printed on the box.)

Are the pictures clean and crisp? Does it list company info? If yes and yes, you're good.

One more step to tell if it's genuine. Check the bases! Venus' base should have a bow with her planetary symbol at the *top* of the base. The side will, indeed, say China (because even big businesses in Japan outsource manufacturing to China), but will also mention Naoko Takeuchi's name on the side. Artemis' base should be clear, not colored. If you go on eBay and look for Petit Chara, pay close attention to the Artemis and Luna figures. If the bases are colored, those figures are bootleg. If you can find a figure that's genuine, odds are that seller also has more genuine figures. Retailers who sell genuine merchandise will usually make a point of stating it, too.

As for the actual figures, they're great quality! The paint is vivid and detailed, especially for being so tiny. Venus' hair has some yellow gradations, like her Figuarts. I am shocked at how good the paint job on Artemis is. There is some solid heft to the figure, and definitely doesn't feel like it will fall apart at a touch. I am sticking by my earlier assessment that they are a solid collectible, albeit a little pricey--they are retailing for roughly $10 or so a figure. I got mine for $12 plus free shipping.

Some assembly required, of course. But we can't have everything.

This is another Sailor Moon scrunchie. It was released in the same line as the blue scrunchie I reviewed earlier. This one is more Princess Serenity-themed. It came with the little product booklet showing you all the different items you could get. Remember kids, if it has the Bandai logo, odds are, it's genuine,

And here's the scrunchie itself! I love scrunchies. I used to wear them all the time when I was in school, even when they fell out of favor. Then mine all wore out and I had to chuck 'em, but I could never find new ones. Sigh. I got this one for $5, from the same eBay seller I got the Venus Petit Chara from.

These gashapon scrunchies are on the small side, but they're made of a really nice, soft satiny material. This one has cream fabric with a gold print of Sailor Moon's transformation brooches. It's...pretty much the same as the other one, nothing new to report.

So...um...in conclusion, you can find fun stuff on eBay as long as you are cautious. Also, I like blowing my money on Sailor Moon crap.

Miss Scarlett suggests: If you like Sailor Moon, just buy them. You know you want to.

Doll news roundup

Hello, everyone! How is your week?

Well, the latest EAH boy doll, Alistair Wonderland, has been released! Same deal as Darling, Faybelle, and Bunny, he's going in and out of stock on Amazon. If you check his Amazon listing and all you see are third-party sellers jacking up the price above $20, just wait until Amazon has him in stock again. I am very surprised that we are seeing so many signature dolls released in such a short time window. Usually, they're spaced out a bit more...I wonder if that means that Rosabella will be in the next month? Who knows, anymore...

The Apple and Raven two-pack, as well as the Ginger Breadhouse playset, and the Way Too Wonderland playset will be released in June, and are up for preorder on Amazon's site! The rest of the Way Too Wonderland dolls are also now available on Amazon.

And lastly in EAH news, the SDCC Ever After High exclusive doll has been announced: Evil Raven Queen! Like Cerise Wolf last year, this seems to be another "What-if" scenario, depicting Raven as she'd be if she accepted her mother's legacy as the Evil Queen.

In quick Monster High news, some of the new character for Boo York, Boo York are now available...but you'll have to wait until June for the Cleo and Deuce 2-pack. Freak du Chic will be making its arrival around the same time. We've also gotten high-res pictures of the Draculaura Amazon-exclusive collector's doll. No news on date or price. Her dress and hair are amazing, but her face creeps me out...she looks like those scary paintings of bug-eyed children that were popular decades ago. ::shudders::

To finish...it's almost summer! It feels that winter lasted years, and I am ready for heat and humidity (then again, I'm saying this now, when it's relatively balmy...) at long last. Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Mini-Review: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon LE

Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven!

This is just a quick 'lil something in-between full reviews; I thought you guys might get a kick out of it. Some of you probably remember the review I did last year for the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha figure. This is related to that, and you can find out a bit more after the cut.

Late night posting!

Hi, everyone! I'm doing a quick post with some various tidbits before I head off to bed.

First off, in EAH land, Bunny Blanc's classic doll has been released; but like Faybelle and Darling, she is going in and out of stock on Amazon very randomly. If you're interested, keep an eye on her Amazon page, since she sells out very quickly once posted.

In the wild and wacky world of figures, Bandai has announced that the next Sailor Moon Figuarts to be released will be Sailor V. She'll be entering the scene in October, which means we won't get her in the States until possibly November or even December. What this means, then, is that we won't be seeing Sailor Pluto's release until 2016. This just boggles my mind. I thought that we would be seeing her by now--and I half expected Chibi Moon to be released before, which will be happening--but this is ridiculous. Think about it, we are getting a non-Sailor Senshi ('Ol Tuxy) and TWO variants (Super sailor Moon, Sailor V) before a main Sailor Senshi. Seriously, Bandai? If they release Sailor Zoicite before Pluto, I will throw things at them.

Max Factory, the makers of the Figma line of figurines, announced a few months ago that they will be making figures of the three main characters of CLAMP's oldest magic girl series, Magic Knight Rayearth. I can't believe I missed the announcement--I might have been too focused on Bandai at the time--but there is a chance that we will hear more about this in August, when the next Wonder Festival will be held in Japan. Fingers crossed, here.

(At the very least, I am not expecting to see any of the MKR Figmas released this year; I am betting it's 2016. This may make it a little easier on my wallet this year, but then it begs the question, "What figures will be released next year, and how many of them will be Sailor Moon Figuarts?" Still holding out for the Starlights, here. I am passing on Sailor V in order to spare my tapped-out wallet, but maybe in the future when I am a fabulously wealthy bon vivant, I'll pick one up.)

And it now it's time for bed, since I am rather sleepy at this point. Check out my review tomorrow!

Springtime!

The Humble Store's spring sale is live, people! A handful of PC titles are on sale each day, for anywhere from 30-90% off. And there's at least one title each day that is about $1 or less--usually pretty big-name games, too.

It's running for approximately two weeks, and new games are posted each day. They are all DRM-free, like GOG.com, for those concerned.

Oh, and another Duchess makeover post is coming up soon! I haven't had the time to write it up yet, but I will definitely be working on it.

That's all for now! Miss Scarlett, signing out.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon "Sailor Neptune" S.H. Figuarts

Miss Scarlett, why do you even try sometimes? Sigh.

Hey, kiddos; welcome to the Hobby Haven. We're winding down on the new releases of the Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts series, and today, I'm bringing you another review of them. This time, we're taking a look at the Sailor Senshi of the ocean, Sailor Neptune. (I missed getting this back in March, but...better late than never?)

Neptune and Uranus went up for pre-order on the same day, way back in July of 2014. I placed an order for one of each, knowing that I wouldn't see hide nor hair of these until 2015.

In early March of this year, I got an email from Amazon informing me that my Sailor Neptune Figuarts would not be shipped to me on time, due to a now-delayed release date. We're talking going from getting her in early March to the mid-to-end of April. Ouch.  Saturn didn't even take that long, guys. Then a few weeks later, Amazon sent out another email stating that they were reinstating the original release date, and surprise, they were shipping her right then and there! (I'm still not sure what caused the delay; some people are theorizing that the West Coast dock strikes are to blame, which is certainly plausible. Bob over at RACS has stated several times over the past couple months that getting shipments of figures in from Japan has been slow and difficult due to the strikes, so it's not out of the question.)

All I can do is shrug at this point. Anyway, on to the review!

Odds and sods

Just a few odds and ends today because I'm in a chatty mood:

• Momo is leaving for a vacation in Japan very soon, and I'm completely bummed, because who will I go see the new Avengers movie with? I am also furious with rage (not entirely) that she's going and not hiding me in her luggage. I've asked her to keep her eyes peeled for any fun and interesting toys and trinkets, so if luck smiles upon us, I might be able to do a special review!
• Darling Charming finally came back in stock yesterday morning (for a few hours at least), so I picked her up, along with a movie to get free shipping. I won't be able to get around to doing her review until maybe July? I will also be modding her slightly, although not as much as Duchess. (So yeah, more content to pad out this blog!) 
• Confirmation of what I was mulling around this weekend: August's posts will be almost entirely DIY-related. I'll be doing posts on the baby blanket I'm making for that shower I was invited to, and I'll probably share some of the recipes I've been working on perfecting. (Miss Scarlett can cook, it's just not her forte.)
• I've decided that I'll attempt to do my Shocktober Halloween marathon again this year, but also cutting down on the amount of snacks, It wasn't pretty. I'll try to do more frequent updates for this, but we'll see how it goes.

Well, that's all for now! Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Weekend updating time!

Oooh! Good news, everyone!

The Amazon listings of Ever After High's Darling Charming, Faybelle Thorne, and Rosabella Beauty are now live! The dolls are retailing for about $19.99, but a word of warning. The dolls have been going in and out of stock, so if you get to the page and it is not retailing for the correct price, that means it's out of stock! Wait until it's the correct price, so you're not giving in to scalpers.

For my part, I'm going to be picking up Darling; I've learned my lesson from Duchess and will be buying this doll online. It's sad when you can't trust the stores around you to carry merchandise! Must be nice to live in an area where stores carry whatever you want... ::ahem::

Anyway, I believe that Darling will be the last EAH doll that I'll be buying until the end of the year. I would like Rosabella and Ginger, but I will be waiting to see if there are any good sales around the holidays. I may or may not be making an exception for the Duchess Swan "Fairest on Ice" doll, depending on when it's released. We'll see. The reason for all this is that my budget for the summer and early autumn is looking pretty tight, so I need to be cautious of what I'm spending on "fun" things that aren't necessary.

Just a few housekeeping items to go over; I have content prepared for the whole month of May, plus there are three figures that I have pre-ordered but not received. The third Sailor Moon boxset also ships in a few months, so I'll be reviewing that. Adding in Darling, that means we'll have enough for the months of June and July. I'm also planning another Throwback Thursday post, if I can find the time to do it. I'll be doing crafting posts for the EAH doll makeovers on the weeks when I don't have reviews.

I'm a little concerned about having enough posts for August, so I might be just doing crafting posts that whole month. I am making a gift for a baby shower in July, so I thought that I might do a post or two about the project and use that for August. So essentially, don't be disappointed if August is a little bare! I'm trying to do the best I can, content-wise, given my budget.

Steam and Good Old Games will also be holding their annual Summer Sales in a few months, so look for a post or two there! I've managed to whittle down my wishlists on both sites for the past year or two thanks to terrific sales, so while I may not be buying anything (it all depends), I'll still let you guys know what's on sale!

And I'll do a bit more of EAH news...The Way Too Wonderland line has a playset with Raven Queen. Other dolls in the line will be Maddie, Lizzie, Kitty, and Apple. The "Way Too Wonderland" special will be hitting Netflix in August. Still no release dates yet for Bunny Blanc or Alistair Wonderland, although they are supposed to be coming "soon." Pictures have been released for a "School Spirit" two-pack with Apple and Raven, no release date yet. Still no release date for the "Sugar Coated" line, although we've gotten more high-quality pics, and my goodness, the dolls look adorable. Ugh...so many dolls, so little money.

That should be all, folks. (Oh, and to the curious: STILL no release window for the Sailor Pluto Figuarts. We're getting Super Sailor Moon in August/September, which means that if Pluto is the next figure, we won't see her until October/November at earliest. Grrr.)

Where Miss Scarlett has been waiting, albeit impatiently.

Happy weekend, everyone! Hope it's been going well!

It feels odd to be writing again! To clarify: the majority of my reviews are written well in advance and are scheduled to be automatically posted. I technically haven't written anything in real-time, like I'm doing now, for quite a few weeks.

But I've got a bit of downtime, and figured I should write about something. And what I really wanted to chat about is how there are so many things that I'm looking forward to...but that I'm so tired of waiting for! (It's a bit of an odd post today, because Miss Scarlett just wants to natter a bit.)

Monster High Monster Exchange Lagoona Blue Doll (and Marisol Coxi!)

Welcome to the Hobby Haven, everyone! I hope your week went well. And it's almost the weekend! So let's celebrate with another review. Some of you might remember that I was gifted with not one, but two Monster High dolls this Christmas. And I haven't gotten around to reviewing them yet. So today's the day! It's two for one (sort of) at the Hobby Haven, after the jump.

Crafting post: Duchess Swan's Makeover, part 1

Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven! Today, I'm bringing you guys a little something different. Hopefully, you guys remember that earlier, I picked up the basic doll for one of my favorite Ever After High characters, Duchess Swan. (And in the same post, I complained about all the changes they made to her design.) I figured, why not be proactive and give her a makeover to have her look more like the cartoon/webisode design, since that's what I liked?

Thus, I have undertaken the process of giving Duchess a makeover to have her look more like her classy, sassy webisode design. It's the first time I've ever done anything like this, so I've documented my process here step by step: feel free to use my ideas as a template if you're planning on doing something similar!

I've broken this post down into multiple posts, to save on space. Look for the second part coming soon! Everything can be found after the jump.

Ever After High "Duchess Swan" Review

It's time, everyone. The moment has finally arrived. The long-awaited, hotly anticipated review of Ever After High's Duchess Swan basic doll. I have dreamt about this for what has felt like years, and I feel like a choir of angels is singing in the background.

Welcome to the Hobby Haven.

Alright, so as all of you probably remember, I have been babbling about how much I wanted Mattel to make a basic doll for my favorite Ever After High Royal character, Duchess Swan. I first got into the fandom in March of 2014, and waited months and months, hoping beyond hope that they would get around to it. And then they announced it--joy of joys!--and gave a release window. And then the release window went by, no Duchess. And then she finally went up online, but it seemed that some fans were finding her in Target stores. Yet when I tried to find her in my local stores, I came up empty-handed time after time. Eventually, I got frustrated enough that I decided it wasn't worth my time and gas money to look for her on errand shopping days, and got her online.

It's been a long road to this point, is what I'm saying.

I have her now, though, and that's all that matters. So let's get down to reviewing her, what we've been waiting for all along!

Media Review: Sailor Moon Season 1 Part 2, Limited Edition

Fighting evil by moonlight, publishing reviews by daylight, she is the one called Miss Scarlett!

::ahem::

Welcome to the Hobby Haven. Today, I'll be giving you guys another media review, this time for the second boxset of Sailor Moon's first season. I try to do media review about every month, which is why you're seeing it now as opposed to a few months ago. If I ever hit the big bucks and can buy things more frequently, I promise I'll publish more of them and on a more frequent basis. ;)

But for now, let's take a look at boxset 2! All the info is after the jump.

March Madness Game Sales!

Happy weekend, y'all!

Just a quick note for all you gamers:

If you missed out on the epic 2k Steam sale, you'll have another chance--Humble Bundle is offering the same games on sale this weekend, as well as sales on select games from Bethesda and Sega.

Also, Sony is running a promotion this weekend: use the code LQ8ERDQH3A for 10% off of your order. It's a one-time use code only and some exclusions apply. But if you've been holding off on getting something, this isn't half bad.

That's it for now....Miss Scarlett, signing out!

Odds and Sods

Lots of little news piece to round up here!

Checking in!

Hi, everyone! Miss Scarlett here, checking in on the Hobby Haven. I've been so busy with family stuff lately--and work, I'm in the midst of a very stressful and time-consuming project--that I haven't really even thought about the blog lately.

I have been thinking, though, about what I'd like to do for next year.

Why I'm Excited for Persona 5.

I just can't stop watching the trailer. Shoji Meguro's theme for the trailer--and I hope to God this is the actual game's main theme--is the perfect blend of electric guitar and synth, with enough riffs to keep you bobbing along the entire time. I'm consistently amazed at how he can produce such different feels using the same instruments.

But the trailer's visuals! It's slick and stylish in a way that 3 and 4 weren't. The latter Persona games have been about rocking that whole "secret powers/double life" vibe. I mean, Persona as a whole is urban fantasy at its best, but the latter games have been focused on the concept of living an everyday life on the surface, with the frequent escape to an otherworld to fight an enemy beyond normal comprehension. We don't know a whole lot about 5 right now, although from what I've seen, the main cast seems to be running around in the real world, not some other alternate place like the Midnight Channel. Their double life is--so far--confined to something more realistic. We don't know how they get their Personas, and what or where the snippets of the dungeon scenes mean. But the whole thing so far promises an intrigue and excitement that didn't really come across in the earlier games.

1 and 2, your characters are fighting to save a friend in jeopardy and to right the wrongs said friend committed, along with fixing the world in the bargain. 3 and 4, your characters are fighting for justice, to protect the world from weird forces threatening people. (Yes, I've distilled the plots down to really simple elements here, but work with me.) And of course, your characters in all the games are working through their own issues at the same time. Character development (internal) and plot/world development (external). What do we know of 5? Our character are facing personal issues that entrap them, and so far, their reaction is to turn to crime (albeit fun, glamorous, decidedly non-violent crime) as a way to cope. We've got really no idea what else could be happening in this world, what the external forces going on are.

We're given a glimpse of a subway train driver losing control of the train and crashing it; his face gives us hints that he's perhaps being possessed or even cursed? Persona has long been full or urban legends, charms, and curses, so perhaps Atlus is weaving this in as an external force the protagonists must fight against? Could there be some malevolent force at work, preying upon the citizens of Tokyo?

There is just something about the idea of magic and fantasy within an urban landscape, Maybe because it's just such the epitome of civilization, of science and progress and modernity. Of...humanity, I guess. And the idea of primal forces beyond man's control or comprehension seeping through the cracks of the pavement...it's exciting and thrilling in so many ways.

I got into the Megami Tensei franchise back in 2009, well after the release of Persona 4. Since then, it's been so much fun to be present for the release of new mainline games, plus spinoffs (Devil Survivor) and even ports of games we never got before (Soul Hackers). But being present for the first new Persona game in a long time is something special, For once, I'm on the same page as everyone. I'm not discovering something new that people have known about and talked about for years; this something unknown, with secrets hidden away that nobody but Atlus knows about.

I'm just excited beyond words at the chance to be a part of something new like this. I can't wait for more news.

Disney Tsum Tsum Chip and Mickey Review

Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven!

Today's review is a new variation on an old theme. This past Christmas, I was gifted with some of my new favorite stuffed animals from the Disney Store: Tsum Tsums. I'd been planning on getting some more at some point, so this actually works out pretty well. (Thanks to my friend Mrs. Peacock who got these for me!)

Let's take a look at these babies!

Miss Scarlett checking in!

Whew! I just finished writing up and scheduling a whole bunch of reviews for you guys. I've got reviews and whatnot ready to go up to the beginning of May, and that's when I should have a whole bunch of things come in...and I start the reviewing all over again.

Now, some odds and sods:

Media Review: Funimation.com's "Cowboy Bebop" BD/DVD Limited Edition

Hi, amigos! Miss Scarlett here! How y'all doin'? Now it's time for "Media Review," the column that tells all about different media sets that I've purchased!

Shucks, howdy! Today is something I've been salivating over, the long-awaited Blu-ray release of Cowbo Bebop, the great jazz-themed space Western. This is probably one of the best anime ever created, and if you haven't seen it, it is available streaming for free on Hulu. If I can indulge in a bit of nostalgia here, this is one of the first anime I ever watched, and for my generation--fans in their mid twenties to early thirties--this is one of our "gateway" anime. This has aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami and Adult Swim programs for years, constantly drawing in new crowds of fans.

Cowboy Bebop is frankly, a classic. Well-directed, with action, mystery, hints of noir and classic Western elements merging together in a sci-fi setting that explores how humanity lives and changes--or doesn't change--after we ruin our home and expand into the galaxy. The art design is sharp, unique, with color palettes that shift to meet the mood as needed. It is one of the few shows that I urge fans to listen to in both Japanese and English audio, because both are outstandingly performed. And the soundtrack is just phenomenal, from the punchy, brass-heavy now-iconic opener "TANK!!" to the slow, moody closer "The Real Folk Blues."

WATCH THIS SHOW.

Ahem. Now, onto a review of the limited edition.

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon "Sailor Uranus" S.H. Figuarts

Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven! Today, I'm bringing you yet another entry in the S.H. Figuarts line of Sailor Moon figures, the World Shaking-ly awesome Sailor Uranus! I am feeling a bit less verbose today and more to the point, so let's jump into things, shall we?

Odds and sods

Another weekend, another mini-post. Welcome to the Hobby Haven, everyone.

I finally gave up on finding Duchess in a store near me anytime soon, and ordered her online. I've noticed that stores around me that stock Monster High and Ever After High have selections that get worse as time goes on. New releases come weeks and weeks after their street dates, and in incredibly limited selections that get snapped up quickly. And I'm just tired of wasting gas by making a trip to find something that I know probably won't be there.

It's a catch-22: stores can't stock a lot of merchandise if they don't have enough customers coming in to buy it...but customers can't buy the merchandise they want if a store doesn't have it! So I threw my hands up in the air (because I just didn't care at that point) and bought Duchess off of Amazon. So there, Target.

I met up with one of my best friends, Mrs. Peacock, a few days ago to exchange late Christmas presents. (She is, oddly enough, not married nor is she a man, but I think she'd like the moniker nonetheless.) Oh and by the way, spoilers for one of the ends of the Clue movie in that video!

What was I saying? Oh, yes. Her Christmas gift to me was one of the best gifts of all...the gift of Tsum Tsums. She remembered how much I liked the mini Tsum Tsums that I got earlier, so she splurged and picked up two of the medium sized ones for me. I'll be reviewing them later on, so please look forward to it!

Continuing on the Tsum Tsums, Disney has just released a line of 101 Dalmatians mini Tsum Tsums, as well as a Cinderella mini line! There are still a bunch more that are Japan-exclusive for now (Disney, I'm still waiting on Oswald and Donald's nephews...), but the fact that we're getting new ones here shows that there's enough demand. I'm sure we'll get them in time.

(And in the "Let's indulge Miss Scarlett's video game problem" corner, just some quick rambling news about my favorite video game series... A few weeks ago, Atlus released the first gameplay trailer for Persona 5. I've been watching it over and over, it's so good. I'm especially excited because 1. the characters are confirmed to be "phantom thieves," kind of like Lupin III, and 2. it looks like the enemies in this game are demons again; you can see the characters fighting against a Sandman and Pyro Jack in one clip. There also seem to be some platforming and stealth elements involved, possibly? There's a lot more elements going on here, but that might be deserving its own post. For now, we still have no release date beyond "2015," although Atlus stated that the Japanese first-print copies of their upcoming summer game "Persona 4: Dancing All Night" will include a special Persona 5 Blu-ray disc. I'm guessing this is a promotional disc with trailers and maybe a demo on it, so it seems unlikely that it will be released before the summer.)

And with that, I'll get going...Miss Scarlett, signing out!