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.

The 1/8 scale Clayz figure will retail for 5800 yen this August.

Toys Works’ 1/8 scale Haruka will retail for 6800 yen this September.

The Clayz figure is the superior offering and has a lower price. I’m really not too confident about Toys Works and their build quality either. However, both have fanservice in spades if that’s your thing. I still think they’re pretty pricey, but if you’ve fallen for Haruka after one episode and simply must have a figure of her, Clayz is probably the way to go. If you’re more of the patient type, there may be even better figures later if the anime is popular enough.

Pictures courtesy of Hobby Search.

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.

First is the issue of rubbing. Two pieces of painted PVC rubbing together is only a recipe for disaster, and it’s usually the skin tone parts that lose the battle against dark colored clothing.

Next, how often are you going to do it? Figures aren’t toys and are strictly for display. As mentioned above, you run the risk of nicking the paint every time you cast off. Let’s also be honest here. It’s generally not safe to show a cast off figure to non-otaku friends… Especially girls.

To conclude, is the extra cost worth it to you? The average normal figure is about 4800 yen. The average cast off figure starts at 6000 yen and is liable to increase depending on the number of extra parts. That’s a lot extra for something that’s never been necessary to me.

All photos are from Hobby Search.

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?

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

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.

You can see the glue stain on her skirt, but the paint application is pretty good all around. I rather like the character design as well as the bewildered expression on her face. There’s just a certain allure to this figure.

Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
Scale: 1/8
Price: $32
Release date: July 2007

Sculpt: 8/10
Very passive and calm; There’s not much action in the pose. You could say the pose is boring, but I say that it’s space friendly and reliable. There’s an unseemly seam line on the hair but it’s forgivable.

Paint: 8/10
With the exception of the aforementioned glue spot, the paint is applied well and has good shading and tones.

Base: 6/10
Koko stands on a plain pink base for support. It does what it’s supposed to and nothing more. I give it an extra point above the average because it’s pink and not white or black.

Predicted Reliabilty: 9/10
Leaning doesn’t look likely because of the stationary pose. Her weight seems to be balanced, so she will probably stay in the upright position if displayed out of the box.

Total Score: 31/40 = 77.5%

Overall: I think Koko is a good vanilla figure for the collector on a budget. She isn’t a popular powerhouse like the other Da Capo girls, so give her a shot if you want something different. Just look at those doe eyes. They’re either saying, “Please take me home” or “Where’s the grocery store?”. I like to think it’s the former. I’ll end this review with a recommendation.

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.

1. Misuzu Kamio (Air) – This one may not be fair to some of the other girls that don’t have a figure to represent them yet. Misuzu does have five to her name, but the only decent one is Kotobukiya’s Misuzu. I’d like to see her get a good sculpt worthy of the Gao.

2. Kirika Yumura (Noir) – Kirika has a Yamato coldcast and a few Kotobukiya resin kits, all of which are long out of production. Her Yamato sculpt was good, but I’d like to have another Kirika in the Detolf case. If a company produced a dual display with Mireille, that’s easy money from all the Noir fans who would be obligated to purchase her as well.

3. Signum (Nanoha A’s/StrikerS) – I picked Signum just for the hell of it. She’ll eventually get her turn in production from Alter and Movic, but it just seems to be taking forever. I’d probably buy a good Signum figure.

4. Eve (Black Cat) – Another girl that has quite a few figures to her name, all of which are subpar. Is it really that hard to sculpt a good Eve?

5. Adult Fate Testarossa (Nanoha StrikerS) – I know a good Fate will eventually get produced but is still worth mentioning.

In retrospect, my list has way too many blonde girls and may technically list six figures. Hmm. Oh well. At least I didn’t list a million “honorable mentions” at the end… … …

Fine. Here are my honorable mentions:
Aono Morimiya (Sola)
Misaki Nakahara (Welcome to the NHK!)
Tokiko Tsumura (Busou Renkin)
Agrias Oaks (Final Fantasy Tactics)