I have to confirm this, but fourth time lucky - I THINK I scored the last Ubiq Brain from seller chacha16412002 on Yahoo Japan for 25,000 yen plus fees http://page.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/87634037, and I actually won out against Mr SParkle. When u add in the fees, you are looking at $270 for a single loose figure! However, I couldn't even bid on the prior ones, due to Celga already having placed bids above my maximum for other people. Know I know atleast one other Celga bidder won one of these for about 21,000 yen (anyone here?), and Mr SParkle won another earlier one for 18,000 (he bid 22,000 on the one I think I won - the git!)

This, to me, is an insane price to pay, and way, way more than I have EVER paid for an SB figure - and I half expected to be outbid...or maybe even hoped I would be. I'm still used to the pre-Kozik days, when A skullbrain cost under $50 and beer was just $8 a bottle at a trendy club. Methinks I got carried away here.

Anyway, I'm interested in what other people think of this purchase, and its relative merits.

I paid that much for my gid GF and proto madball. It happens. Don't worry, it is one of if not my favorite SB figure.

Money well spent, seing how you can tell the grand kids about the time you took down Mr Sparkle Enjoy it.

If I had the money I would probably pay that much for it, I want that motherfucker bad.

That is an awesome toy, and when you are looking at it in it's case, it's worth every yen you spent on it.

I paid a little over 300 for mine if that makes you feel any better!

IMO, it just has to do w/ your personal preferences. This was, in essence, for me a "holy grail" type piece that I had spent a great deal of time searching for. Thus it was def worth it for me personally.

Of course I did not foresee this chacha dude apparently finding a bag full of them in his basement! Weird things happen!

Is it worth it? I think hell yes, but it's up to you of course.

On first looking into the whole SB scene and researching the toys this was one of the most appealing figures to me. I too bit the bullet on one of the recent auctions. It hurts me to say that I appear to have also paid the most, (outside of the first BIN that I believe went for around 40000) as my auction ended at 30500!

Although that stings, I'm really excited about it and can't wait for it to arrive. This is by far the most I've paid for any figure, but somehow it just felt like the right time. Shit, I could hardly believe it when they just kept coming out of the woodwork! Each time another one would appear I'd be like "you've got to be kidding..."

I'm sure we've all had a "you've got to be kidding" incident or two or ten...

Why did you bid that much if you didn't want to spend that much? I know you said you thought you would be outbid (which means your raising the bid ofor someone else to pay more)?

That doesn't make sense! You obviously wanted it or you wouldn't of paid that for it.

C'mon - you've played this game long enough to know - you cna't escape the pull of a "holy grail toy".

Buck up little camper and open that wallet!

The problem always being that once we attain the grail piece, there's always another quest for another grail... Sigh...

Indeed. Funny thing is, that's both so good and so bad at the same time.

Yeah, good question. What i actually thought was that I would get it for less, based on the fact the last one went for less - and at the time I put the bid in I was pretty adrenalined up I think. It was only the next day when I won it i was feeling a bit overspent (the consortium Adidas and Stash Af1 dropped the day before).

I'm sure U know how it is, I KNOW I'm not the only one who puts in a high bid in a moment of excitement, then thinks "Crap, maybe someone will outbid me" - I am so totally not into rasing someone elses game...well, maybe Mr Sparkle ...but not even him. Besides with Celga it doesn't work that way if u don't have a personal account (which I don't) - you put the bid in advance and at the time u have no idea whether it will raise somneone elses bid.

Anyway,, the main point of this thread was as a reality check. For me it really doesn't seem that long ago that u could get this stuff from Rough for about 6,000 yen, or really pay top wack at 12,000. So 25,000 on a single figure seemed insane. As it turns out no one thinks I'm crazy or that I over paid ...... so thanks for the input guys, as usual - you RULE!

Now I need to go to ebay and check out the "you've been outbid email" I got and see who stomped all over me on the Damage Brain I was the first bidder on yesterday.....and in much the same way as Loco desribed above .......... I have the urge for a pair......

Yeah, your insane, and better off for it ! Ha ha ha . Mighty fine score .

Any idea what the advantages are with a Celga personal account?

I've tried experimenting with just placing some bids in advance and paypaling the deposit up front. They still haven't explained to me what happens to the deposit if someone else wins the auction.

They hold it and will put it towards another auction that you are interested in.
If you dont plan on bidding on anything else, they will refund you your money.

Advantages of a personal account are being able to bid when u want, and not having to rely on getting an email to the Celga guys. They recommend a 12 hr lead time, but have fitted me in within that before, but I have also missed out as a result as well. I remember wanting to bid on two early RxH buy it nows, by the time Celga read my request email, Bamboomafia had got em both!!!

Wow...Bamboomafia. I haven't heard that name in awhile.