It all started back at the end of January.
My friends and I were visiting Tsunacon, an anime convention which took place in Sliedrecht. All of us were first timers, aside from our Suigintou cosplayer (She went already once to Abunai).

Well after the cold weather and finally entering, we started rampaging the dealers when it was time. This was when we saw her.

Me and Aniki (That’d be a friend of mine, let’s stick it as a nickname as it sounds funny, somehow) were browsing through several figures when we both spotted some figma’s. Figma Yuki Nagato’s to be exact. After thinking for a while and looking at the price (It looked like shipping cost was included..), we still both bought one.

Aniki bought the normal version and I bought the Evil Wizard version.
My first figma, such joy! Well, that joy would come to an end in two months.

Another Figma, Tohsaka Rin, had joined the collection this time. I was expecting Hatsune Miku, so I was trying out some funny poses, with guitar switching and the like.
I had some trouble with pushing Nagato’s hands back into the lower arm, thing just wouldn’t go in.
Eventually after a while, I got the hands in after removing the arms. Whew, glad that was done.
When I proceeded to reattach her left arm, I heard a sound which every collector fears.

Her shoulder joint broke.

After a session of cursing and swearing (I forgot if any girly tears were involved), I went back to thinking how to fix this mess.
I went downstairs with the one armed Nagato and asked advice from my father. In his younger days, he was one who would make those little army tanks and stuff. So he had some experience (Odd, isn’t it? Father collects tanks, son collects figures. “Where did it go wrong!?” he probably shouted in his mind).

One suggestion was to remove the entire joint that’s still inside the body (Sorry, no pictures folk. No time for that in an emergency). But this would, in turn, make Nagato a cripple. As he needed a joint to replace the broken one (They’re two different joints, but whatever). It involved drilling and stuff, which I didn’t really approve of.

A few days went past. Using Nagato’s wizard cloak, it managed to support the broken arm. Unless you gave a small tick, it’d immediately fall off. It were sad times for Nagato.
Miku had arrived by then. So when unpacking and posing, I was extremely careful to look at the joints.
The things you learn from past mistakes do rub into your face. As Nagato was staring with cold eyes at me on my desk while I was replacing faces and hands and the like.
Yes, it was time to fix Nagato.

I had already searched over the Internet for replacement parts, but Goodsmile Company only had a select few (Spare arms for Nanoha and Saber, for example). And that was still Japan only, not international.
Thinking through carefully, for Nagato’s sake and pose ability..
We called over…. The Glue.

Gluing the arm back on would mean that Nagato’s upper left arm could never move again. But since I *try* to set them in poses that they would actually do, knowing Nagato, she wouldn’t move that much anyways.
Her upper arm unable to move wouldn’t be a big problem, especially with the wizard’s cloak. She could still hold the guitar well, magic wand. Hold up the tea etc.

Just look at her, it’s like nothing happened!

It’s a good thing I went out to buy a display case for my collection as the glue was drying. I couldn’t stand the waiting. And keeping yourself busy would distract you from too much thinking.

Oh, and if you didn’t notice yet. Her left arm is our right in that photo. It’s the arm holding the neck of the guitar.

Yes. Kam’s cautiousness meter is now over 1000% sparking.
And yes again. I do think reading the Haruhi novels had inspired me to write this little article.