X-PLUS COLLECTOR PROFILE: Arlo Hansen

X-PLUS COLLECTOR ARLO HANSEN

WHY DO YOU LIKE TO COLLECT X-PLUS?
I think it really boils down to the fact that they are willing to make figures of certain kaiju that other companies are not willing to do, like the Gargantuas, the entire Destroy All Monsters roster and much, much more.

I also love the meticulous detail that goes into each and every figure they make. They’ve had their ups and downs over the years, but I think X-Plus has been a brand that I’ve consistently been happy with since I started collecting their figures.

WHEN AND HOW DID YOU START COLLECTING X-PLUS VINYLS?
I began collecting X-Plus in the Spring of 2012. It started out from curiosity. I had just gotten back into collecting not too long before then, and I was buying figures left and right. I knew of X-Plus from over the years, but I was unaware of their newer 30cm and 25cm figure lines. I saw the 25cm Gigan 1972 in stock at Hobby Search one day and decided to give it a shot. I think it’s safe to say that the rest is history.

HOW MANY VINYLS ARE IN YOUR COLLECTION?
Hmm… Let me think. In total, with preorders included, I have at least 43 X-Plus figures in my collection. It’s funny. When I first started buying into X-Plus, I intended to stick to a small few. Oops!

WHICH X-PLUS SERIES DO YOU COLLECT? (SIZE)
I’ll buy from any series. I have no specific preference. Gigantic Series, 30cm Series, Large Monster Series, DefoReal and Tokusatsu Museum figures. As long as they make a great looking figure, I’ll buy it regardless what series it is in.

DO YOU HAVE A FOCUS WHEN IT COMES TO SHOWA, HEISEI, MILLENNIUM, ETC?
I think Showa, a bit of Millennium and anything post-2014 are my main focuses when it comes to X-Plus. Since I have plenty of S.H. MonsterArts figures from the Heisei era, my desire for X-Plus figures from that series is not so high. However, there’s always exceptions, like Biollante.

WHAT ARE YOUR TOP THREE FAVORITE X-PLUS VINYLS AND WHY?
My top three favorites have to be the Gigantic Series Shin-Godzilla, the Gigantic Series Burning Godzilla and the Toho Large Monsters Series Biollante.

They are incredible figures and add a dominating presence to one’s collection. I love them! Plus, they were all “holy grail” items for me at one time. So, I don’t think I will have the heart to part with any of them.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE INTERESTED IN STARTING AN X-PLUS COLLECTION?
To any budding X-Plus collector: I advise them to be very mindful with their spending. It is way too easy to become addicted to this brand. Don’t be a completist, because that would be financial suicide! Plus, it’s so easy to run out of space very quickly.

Buy what you really like. With that being said, if you do in fact have the money and space for ALL X-Plus figures, then go nuts!

Arlo’s X-Plus Large Monster Series Biollante.

Arlo’s Gigantic Series Godzilla 1995.

Another view of some of Arlo’s shelves.

A part of Arlo’s X-Plus Showa collection.

By John Stanowski Originally posted April 15th, 2018 on Kaiju Addicts.