A New Ship Has Docked

Today, something very special arrived. After considerable amount of trouble from delays upon delays, payment issues and trouble with the customs, Atago has finally arrived. Safe and sound in the nondescript standard issue brown cardboard box. Time for some unboxing!

Open the first box and immediately greeted with, another box?

Pop that box open and you are greeted with an invoice and even more cardboard? At this point, I had never encountered shipping such as this before. Good Smile Company has really gone the extra mile to ensure the integrity of this shipment and I cannot say I was not impressed. In fact, I was absolutely stunned by the amount of care put into packing this one figure.

After some considerable struggling to remove the cardboard cover (!!), there she was still wrapped in the thin paper wrapping.

First, there was the insane packing. Next, came the box itself. By now, I have seen my fair share of figure boxes and have probably seen it all. But, never ever have I seen nor experienced something quite like Atago's box.

Unlike your usual figure box with a transparent front window to display the figure, Atago's box had none of that going on. Instead, it was just a solid thick box with printed covers on all sides. This is by far, the sturdiest figure box I have ever come across! Not unlike those you find with flagship electronic products namely, Apple's products which somehow come to mind...

Maybe it was the mixture of excitement and relief after having waited since March 2016 to get my hands on this very special Atago figure. But, nothing at all could prepare me for the sheer quality that was the box. After being so accustomed to the almost paper thin boxes of most "premium" scale figures, Atago's box itself just left everything else in its dust.

To be fair, this is hardly the first Kancolle Fleet Girl to be added into GSC/Max Factory's Wonderful Hobby Selection. Musashi and Yamato had the honor of coming first. Yet, I have seen and felt the boxes of both those respective figures and I can honestly say even those do not hold a candle to Atago's box.

The feeling of holding something so sturdy and well made in your hands is an indescribable feeling and I am only referring to the box. I have yet to open it up and take a look at the figure itself. But from what I have seen so far, the title Wonderful Hobby Selection genuinely lives up to its name.

If ever there was any doubt in me putting down so much money for Atago, it had since been absolved. Now, my only regret is that I only got one. At the very least, Takao is coming next and I absolutely cannot wait for that. With that, comes an end to my squealing excitement for Atago. Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!