Ghost in the Shell Haul: SAC_2045 Kusanagi Motoko

Hello everyone and welcome back to Tiro Finale for yet another haul post. Shortly after my recent shipment from Mandarake featuring two very rare Mami dolls, I was greeted with yet another shipment from AmiAmi for a figure that I had pre-ordered earlier in the year. Unlike my previous shipment with Mami which saw significant delays due to slower postal traffic and issues with duties, this shipment from AmiAmi arrived smoothly and without a hitch. Unfortunately, just like my Mami shipment from Mandarake, I had to redirect this shipment to Lance's place as Japan still does not provide EMS to my current country due to the ongoing pandemic.

Letdown as it may be, I was more concerned about securing my parcel having already made the payment to AmiAmi. Then, I had major concerns about the condition of my parcel especially since it was delivered in under a week. The initial outlook was fairly good with only an acceptable amount of damage to the edges of the cardboard box. Having bought from AmiAmi in the past, I was very confident in the amount of stuffing that they place within the box to protect the contents within. I had almost forgotten we are now in the winter season, as the handy AmiAmi postcard helped to remind me.

Any concerns I had about the integrity of the contents were immediately alleviated when there turned out to be yet another cardboard box within AmiAmi's cardboard box. You may question why such a thing even occurred and my best guess is because this particular figure is a limited/exclusive production by MegaHouse that was supplied solely by the Megatrea Shop. I certainly am not complaining as this would more than certainly ensure an undamaged box within.

With the secondary cardboard box opened and we can finally take a peek at the contents within. The very figure that I made a Figure Wishlist article about in the middle of this year had finally arrived! MegaHouse's SAC_2045 Kusanagi Motoko figure from their GALS series was perhaps one of my most anticipated figure releases of this year.

Having never bought from MegaHouse before, I was a little concerned about how the end product would turn out. Nevertheless, I bit the bullet and decided to go ahead with my pre-order for the figure. The 15,000 Yen price tag also was not too heavy of an investment if things turned out to be not what I expected in terms of quality. With Union Creative's Hdge Kusanagi Motoko figure having set the standard at 11,000 Yen though, I did have somewhat high expectations for what MegaHouse was able to produce especially considering the prototype and promotional pictures looked really promising.

At its asking price, MegaHouse certainly did a good job with the whole packaging of the figure. Aside from being a fairly massive box, Lance tells me that the materials used for the box itself are also fairly sturdy and thick. Always a good sign especially if you are the kind of collector, like me, who loves to keep your figures mint in box.

There are little cutouts throughout all visible sides of the box to provide a window into how the figure looks like. From here, we can get a rough idea of the large volume of plastic blister that MegaHouse has put in place to keep the figure safe and secure. Hence, the larger than usual box size for a figure of this size. This is especially important considering the fact that Motoko is in a somewhat unstable pose.

Because the entire figure was encased within two separate cardboard boxes, the contents within are absolutely spotless with not a single sign of box damage even at the corners of the box. Now, how about the contents within the box? I would love to provide an answer to the question but, not being physically present, I am unable to scrutinize the quality of the figure itself. The large display window up front does however reassure me that there are no obvious manufacturing defects in regards to the figure itself.
 

User impressions that I have read regarding the figure have generally been good with the biggest downside being the simple clear base. It will be quite a while before I finally get to take a closer look at MegaHouse's Motoko figure but, for now, I am just glad that she is now part of the collection. Especially when you consider that prices are already starting to see a steady increase in the hobby market. The year may have been an unpredictable one but, I am glad to close it out with the addition of several new great figures to the collection. Of course, if you have any questions about this figure or any others in my collection, do not hesitate to let me know in the comments section below. Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!