A new page of history has begun, and what better way to commemorate America’s newly inaugurated president than with… an action figure? Spotted over at Gamu Toys is an Obama action figure that’s actually pretty cool. Screw the figmas, we have Obama! I chose a couple of my favorite pics for this post, but check the original page for more of the lulz. Now if they made a George W. Bush figure I could have an epic presidential duel for the ages…

FREEing will release their Ryoko Asakura, sporting her seductive blue bunny girl outfit, this September for 11,800 yen. The preproduction sculpt and paintwork look excellent so far. None of FREEing’s previous bunny girls interested me too much but this Ryoko is sizzling hot. What a way to finish the collection by saving the best for last. The figure gods continue to tempt me.

Image source: Hobby Search

Oh Goodsmile Company, why must you tempt me with the first Nendoroid I actually kind of want. I try to get out but keep getting dragged back in. Looking at new figures is definitely not healthy for a recovering figure addict… GSC will let you create your own Shanatan adventures (complete with interchangeable parts, extra accessories, and melonpan) this November for a cool 3500 yen.

Now is as good a time as any to talk about two upcoming Haruka Nogizaka figures. Figure makers Clayz and Toys Works are anticipating that the fans love Haruka, because both companies have figures slated for release very soon. Did they jump the gun though? Perhaps. Release details and pictures after the jump.

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I initially didn’t pay too much attention to this bit of figure news until I looked at the hefty pricetag- 12,800 yen (~$120). I know figures have gradually been getting more expensive, but this 1/5 scale figure is heavily inflated much like Chizuru’s breasts. Kotobukiya usually doesn’t price like this. Perhaps they’re hoping that otaku will pay for ecchi figures regardless of the cost under their new 4-Leaves label. Well you can count me out this time.

Cast off figures seem to be all the rage these days. Otaku just love being able to strip their favorite girls down to their skivvies… or less. Sure it sounds nice on paper, but casting off isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For all purpose and intent, this short article will cover true cast off where the clothes actually have to be taken off the figure mold.

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First things first. I don’t speak Japanese, so I won’t be doing any translations anytime soon. I’m just wondering if there’s a sizeable group that’s interested in the backstory to the Shuraki figure series. There is a ton of noteworthy voice talent with the likes of Ami Koshimizu, Mayumi Iizuka, Yukari Tamura, Saeko Chiba, and Ryoko Shintani as the lead females thus far. A lot of effort went into making the drama CDs, and it just seems a shame that we English-only speakers are missing out on this interesting facet.

Maybe if there’s enough demand for the CDs to be translated, it may just catch the attention of some generous translators out there. I’m betting that won’t be the case, but this blogger wants to see someone prove him wrong. I’m surprised no one has attempted this task yet, especially with so many big seiyuu headliners.

So does interest for a project like this lie only with the figure collectors? At the end of the day is it worth undertaking this translation for such a small fanbase?

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?

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I really don’t know too much about this character since this was an impulse buy the other day, but I thought this one looked nice ever since seeing the prototype at Wonder Fest Winter 07. Too bad Kotobukiya’s mass productions usually take varying dips in quality.

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Danny Choo and Goodsmile Company want to know your top five most wanted figures. Here’s the original link if you live under a rock and haven’t seen the post yet. Just for this article’s sake, let’s hypothetically extend the offer to Max Factory and Alter just to be fair.

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