Do you collect trading figures?

Trading figures have always had a prominent place between low-end gashapons and the pricier scaled statues, but it seems they’ve been in considerable decline lately. Trading figures have made great strides in quality over the past year; Just take a look at GSC’s Nendoroid Puchi, Bandai’s Figure Meister and Alter’s FA4 lines. So why does it seem that trading figures are losing ground?

Scaled figures have become more accesible than they were in the past. Earlier in the decade, the primary way to get scaled figures was to buy resin kits that required consumer assembly/painting or to double up the cash for a completed statue, usually in excess of $100 US. The next best option was to settle for a modestly priced trading figure. Now that PVC has all but replaced resin, the price of scaled PVC figures has settled to a more affordable level.

Alter’s Idolm@aster FA4 Collection #1

Trading figures have more competition in their price range. UFO catchers used to be the only competition in this range, but Max Factory’s figma series and Kaiyodo’s Fraulein Revoltech line are both making pushes for the middle ground. Sure you could buy a couple trading figures, but you could likewise spend that money on a poseable figure that comes with different accessories. Perhaps it’s simply more fun to spend a little more money to have a customizable figure because you give it your unique touch.

Max Factory’s Nanoha Takamachi figma

Trading figures are just too expensive for what they are. Dedicated collectors will have to spend upwards to $60-70 US for a complete set. With PVC statues so prominent these days, you could just opt to get one big statue that’s been more meticulously crafted and painted. This brings me to my next point.

GSC’s Haruhi Suzumiya Nendoroid Puchi Set #2

Trading figures take up too much room on valuable shelf space. Would you rather use your display case for several inexpensive trading figures or for an expensive statue? You’ll also eventually run out of room and have to retire something to its box. My first guess is to pack whatever takes up the most room. The lesson learned in this case is to stop buying trading figures and save your money.

Yet even with all these arguments, trading figures will never go away. Could you imagine the merchandising world without them? It would be a blasphemy bordering on madness. My prediction is that Figma and Fraulein become the new middle ground, GSC Nendoroids take the high-middle, and ordinary trading figures get relegated to the lower-middle end of the spectrum.

In the end though, maybe trading figures are not in decline, and it’s the huge PVC figure explosion that makes it look that way. Maybe the market will oversaturate itself with figures and collapse. Maybe otaku will just get tired of collecting figures down the line. The PVC figure market is still relatively new, so the future is uncertain in this area. I don’t like to leave things on a negative note so here’s some fanservice.

Fanservice~

All figure pictures are from the GSC website

Tagstrading figures