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...