Paolo Parente's Dust KV-47 Tactical Armor

Ok, so i'm a little slow. The KV-47 Tactical Armor shown here came out ages ago. Since this is not necessarily a toy news blog, give me a little slack. I first saw this hulking figure a ways back in a toy store when it was going for like $89 and it didn't include any of the extra figures. Recently I saw a version in Hobby Japan that caught my eye specifically because of the tiny German figure with the...um...strips of duck tape as her bra! For those of you old enough, you might remember Wendy O. Williams from the Plasmatics! Finally I saw this set in LA's Chinatown for a very reasonable $59 including the aforementioned Wendy O. Williams figurine, but I didn't buy it. I figured if it was $59 in a retail store, I must be able to get it cheaper online. Alas, this time I appear to be wrong as I see them online for $65 on up. ugh. Damn the retail stores! Damn the web!


So I did a little more research and found out the KV-47 Tactical Armor figure comes from a comic by Paolo Parente called "Dust". It's about an alternate universe where the Germans and Japanese win World War II. I guess if the Germans won, we would see a lot more duct tape on nipples! It's an interesting idea, a popular comic. I love the mecha designs as they look like they belong in WWII, but have a very interesting alternative bi-podal Japanese design aesthetic as well. The sets came in three different versions: the one above left, a winter version and the Wendy O. Williams version. The other figures you see here are custom kits that I don't believe have been released as figures yet.

Joe Ledbetter is Hotter than a Firecat!!!!

So I was down in my hometown of LA for Christmas and while having Dim Sum at Empress Pavillon in Chinatown, I stumbled across this quirky little hipster toy store called Munky King. Munky King is very much in the same vein as Kid Robot featuring Urban Vinyl, mini figures, limited edition artwork, custom toys and figures, T-shirts, etc. Stores like this seem to be popping everywhere as artists are turning to toys as their next art medium. It was behind the counter at Munky King where I first got a glimpse of Joe Ledbetter's Firecat. It was an interesting piece even from afar. It looked like it was a 3D cartoon drawing. I asked the guy: "what is that?!" He said, "oh, that's not for sale - that's Ledbetter's Firecat. They sold out like in the first hour we had them. Only 400 made total."

Joe Ledbetter is a self-taught artist living in LA. You might expect to see his interesting art on a wall somewhere in Santa Monica as grafitti, but he's made quite a name for himself in the art community along with other guys you might know, like Gary Baseman and Tim Biskup. Recently, he released his first two toys: his signature Mr. Bunny in yellow limited to 400 pieces and an ultra-exclusive ice-blue version limited to 100 pieces. He followed this up with his very cool red-hot Firecat in a limited edition of 400 pieces and a super-duper exclusive Icecat version of 100 pieces. I had the benefit of picking Firecat up at Munky King and I have to say, it's a very well-made toy. It's made by those whackos over at Wheaty Wheat Studios. It might be hard to tell, but Ledbetter's toys look like a 3D version of his drawings. They are amazing in their simplicity, yet feature all these cool angles and edges as if Mr. Bunny and Firecat jumped off the page and into your hands.

I did a little research online and apparently everyone has been waiting for this buggers to come out since last June. When they finally did hit the streets for $90 retail, most of them were already sold. A quick search on eBay has Mr. Bunny yellow version going for almost 300% retail at around $275. The Iceblue version will cost you nearly $500. Firecat is going for a bit more reasonable $200, but the Icecat version will cost almost $500 as well. The way I look at it is $200 or even $500 is not a huge amount to pay for a piece of artwork. It is a huge amount to pay for a toy, but not art. It's up to you to decide if it's art or a toy. All I know is I want both Mr. Bunny and Firecat in both versions. I might have to settle for paying $200 for the Firecat on eBay.

Bandai's Latest S.I.C.: Akumaizer 3!!!

The latest in Bandai's Superb Super Imaginative Chogokin (S.I.C.) line is another throwback to your yester-year circa 1970-ish. This Trifecta Trio of Akumaizer Three (3) is a terriffic tasting treat featuring three figures in one package! As with all S.I.C. figures, these guys feature some of the best sculpting, paint, accessories and weapons in the business! Akumaizer 3 features multiple heads, hands and weapons to keep you busy. I especially like the Blue guy (except for his kinda gross head). $50 is not bad considering you are getting three detailed and excellent figures. You would normally expect to pay that much just for one! $65 INCLUDING overseas shipping from our friends at Hobby Link Japan. You might get it quicker if order it from our other friends at Action-HQ but expect to pay $79 not including overseas shipping. Click on one of the links to the right, tough guy.

Chirico Action Figure Gallery

The slow boat from Japan finally arrived and I got my Votoms Scopedog Chirico Action Figure at long last. Made by Yamato, you may remember way back in October, I posted an article about getting the RIGHT Chirico Action Figure as Takara was putting out a microman version of Chirico around the same time as Yamato. The Yamato version shown here is much more detailed, higher quality, nicer paint job and very natural articulation. Chirico comes painted in a nice matte finish with very nice shading to show off his muscles and bunching in his baggy pants. Notice the eyes on the head! The articulation is very nicely done with elbow and knees pads to hide the joints but allowing for some very cool and natural looking positions. It reminds me of the articulation from the original Kaiyodo Evangelion figures which at the time was second to none. Chirico comes with a belt with a working holster for the included blaster pistol. The holster even swivels to allow for this cool cross-draw. I found him very balanced and easy to pose standing up which is not something I can say for all action figures. He


comes with two heads and several sets of hands for each head. If you're into Votoms, this figure is a no-brainer and you probably already own it. It's an absolute must if you have, or plan on getting the massive Scopedog in which this figure sits into. At over $35 for this figure, it's not cheap by any means, but I think it's worth paying for quality.

The Only Cool Saint Seiya Action Figure

I'm not a Saint Seiya fan. I don't have anything against Saint Seiya. I'm just not a fan. However, if there was one figure that could make me a fan, it would be this Hades Wyvern Radamanteis figure. This guy is baaaddddassssss. Check out his cool armor in that metallic purple color. You can take it off to create the Hades Dragon as well. It's on sale at Action HQ for $49 BUT DOES NOT INCLUDE the metal insignia plate which is this little coin-like stamp that comes with each figure. There must be quite a market for these plates over at Action HQ as several of their figures don't come with the plate. If you don't care, order away and save some bucks.

New CI Boys: Gundam, Sh:t Fighter and XBOX Characters

CI Boys are at it again. Continuing with their hallmark tradition of imitating popular character series, their latests sets are no exception. Today we have examples from Microsoft's XBOX video game characters, Capcom's Street Fighter, and Bandai's Gundam series. Buy them by the piece or the entire set. They range in price from a couple of dollars for each character all the way up to over $100 for rare sets. My favorite place to buy CI Boys on the web is TallTallCat shop on eBay. They have the greatest CI Boy selection by far and will create sets for you or just sell you individual pieces. This takes the nasty problem of blind assortments out of the picture. Check them out at TallTallCat Shop on eBay

Fewture EX Gokin Getter 1, 2 & 3 Coming in January, Hopefully

Follow-Up to the post on Black Getter: From the cool guys at Zinc Panic "The EX Gokin series of Getter Robo figures from Fewture Models is planned to include Black Getter, Getter 1, Getter 2, and Getter 3 -- in that order. Black Getter is locked in as a Hobby Japan mail in exclusive, costing ¥24,800. It's not been decided if the other three will or won't be similar magazine exclusives.Black Getter should ship in August, with his cohorts following every other month after. If the others remain magazine exclusives, the price will likely not budge. If they go into the channel, the price is expected to be something in the ¥20,000 range.Black Getter is described as about half metal, also with heavy use of ABS, standing at about ten inches tall."

Do you see these guys??? Holy Gazebo Getter!! Fewture is outdoing themselves with Getter 1, 2 & 3. Look at the details on the arms of Getter 3!! Hey, I think Getter 2 has my drill bit on his left arm. Seriously, i've been looking for that...$200 bones each is not cheap by any means, but look at these things! They look like they could rip you in half! These guys are Baaadaaaaassss!

Macross 1/100 VB-6 Koenig MONSTER

Let's face it, transformable robots are cool. I've always been into Macross since I was a kid. A couple of years ago, I got theMacross Plus DVD movie which is quite good. When Yamato first began making the transformable Valkyries years ago, I was one of the first to pick one up. I was totally enamored with how it transformed into three different modes including Robot, "Gerwalk" (inbetween) and Jet. The engineering is amazing and the high-quality figure made for a fine addition to any collection. Over the years, Valkyries kinda slipped under the radar for me. I haven't purchased any additional Valkyries to add to my collection for some unknown reason. I think my thought process was that once you had one Valkyrie, you kinda had them all since they look similar. Now there are a ton of different versions made by different manufacturers with varying costs, materials and quality. For hardcore collectors such as yourself, I would suggest sticking to Yamato which makes several versions in different price points to suit your needs.

What brought me to this post is that I recently saw a macross toy that I have never seen before. It's not a Valkyrie, but this crazy ship called the "Koenig Monster". This think is AWESOME! It's like the Hummer of the Macross universe! It's some kind of heavy drop ship with unbelievable firepower. Love those canons! I love how beefy and stocky is looks in any mode be it "Shuttle", Gerwalk or "Destroid". This one Macross toy has made me take another look at the whole Macross toy universe and seriously consider picking up a couple of new additions to my Faithful YF-19. The pictures below are some of versions that I might consider including the Koenig Monster of course. Pick up the Koenig Monster at Hobby Link Japan for around $127 not including overseas shipping. Still in stock now!!

Get the HLJ "Early Bird" special on Yamato's amazing new VF-1S Variable Fighter!! From HLJ: "Complete transformation and superb detail, in a size that truly calls for two hands! Yamato's new VF-1S Variable Fighter does jaw-dropping justice to the Valkyrie piloted by Hikaru Ichijo in the movie Macross: Do You Remember Love? ! A pioneer in bringing to us 1/48-scale transforming Valkyrie toys, Yamato takes advantage of the opportunities offered by this immense scale -- such as a detailed cockpit with removable pilot figure, opening cockpit hatch and nosecone complete with radome, and individually posable fingertips! Weapons are included to mount or remove as you please. All in a dramatic window box with velcro-seal opening cover. Full-color instruction booklet is included. The ultimate in Valkyries, and in huge demand--get yours before they're gone!" Get it before January 6th from Hobby Link Japan for around $121 not including overseas shipping.

How about the very interesting and alien 1/60 Queadluun-Rau? "The Queadluun-Rau, customised for Max Jenius in bright blue, is fully completed in sturdy plastic, and painted; it even comes with optional missile launchers. The shoulders, hips, knees and ankles are jointed; the cockpit opens and closes, though no figure of Max is included. Even the manipulators on this snazzy beast are indvidually jointed. Unlike the completed Valkyries that Yamato's released, the Queadluun-Rau is fully-marked, and no stickers are included or necessary. Just remove it from the package and play or display!" I think it's very cool and no Macross collection should be without. They also have an older version in red. Check it out for around $84 not including overseas shipping from Hobby Link Japan

How about the affordable 1/65 version of the VF-17 S Stealth Fighter from Bandai? From Japan Toy Link: "This item is a completed posable action toy designed for collector. Fully-transformable of VF-17 S Stealth Valkyrie from the series "Macross". Can be transforms from fighter to gerwalk and battroid modes, without having to remove any pieces except the gun (gun is included but requires some assembly). Made from tough ABS plastic with metal hinge points. Excellent detail and paint job. It does not require either painting or cement to complete or use." Get it now while in stock for $75 at Japanese Toy Link.

How about the VT-1 Ostrich? "This item is posable die-cast metal with ABS plastic action toy designed for collectors. The two-seater trainer Valkyrie from Macross "Do You Remember Love" comes in 1/60 scale, and fully-transformable from Fighter to Gerwalk to Battroid mode. It comes complete with Fast Pack parts, trademark large propellant tanks and no weaponry. Two figures are included in the cockpit. It does not require either cement or painting to complete or use." Get it while in stock for $95 from Japanese Toy Link

Harder to find Valkyries:

1/72 YF-21 with Fastpack:
1/48 Super VF-1J Miriya Valkyrie

Black Getter Hobby Japan Magazine Exclusive Coming in January!!!

The long anticipated Hobby Japan Magazine exclusive EX Gokin Black Getter Action figure from Fewture has been victim to several delays due to build quality according to Zinc Panic: "The letter explains: The toy ended up heavier than thought, over two and a half pounds. As a result, the toy is being reinforced, and extra detents are being tooled into the joints. Production time, then, is lengthened, and the toy is delayed. The end of August becomes the first half of November". Another update from the boys at Zinc: "Due to production bugs, the endless strive for quality, and the already maxed out industry shipping capacity during this season, EX Gokin Black Getter is now scheduled for mid January".

This figure part die-cast and part ABS plastic better be good for all the production delays not to mention it's $349 price tag! Yowie! Not sure from the pictures what you get for $350 bones besides a nice action figure. I mean does it transform or something? How about make lattes? I might pay $350 if it made me a latte... You can pre-order it from our new friends at Japanese Toy Link which has quite a nice site dedicated to all the cool Japanese toys that we like and none of the crap that we don't.

Transformable Assault Galient Action Figure

When I first saw this toy, I thought it was the same Galient Action figure I purchased not too long ago (see below). Upon further inspection, I saw that this version from CM's Corporation actually transforms into the space ship and a "walking" version of the spaceship as well! Pretty cool! As you can see, it comes complete with a nice variety of weapons including sword, shield, whip, blaster, etc. The paint job is not as nice and metallic looking as the pure action figure version I have, but the extra weapons and the fact that it transforms goes a long way! A very interesting and "non-Gundam" mecha that transforms! Get it for $45 from Japanese Toy Link

Final Fantasy: Advent Children DVD REVIEW

Just so you know, I'm not a Final Fantasy fan at all. I've never even played ANY of the video games ever. I'm not into RPG's. I'm not against them, but i've never been attracted to them. I've always found them a bit boring and lacking in the action department. But I am into anime and CG movies. When the first Final Fantasy movie "Spirits Within" came out, I saw it in the theatre and bought the DVD. While I was not particularly fond of the storyline, the graphics were amazing. The same can be said for "Advent Children". Not only are the graphics amazing, I was completely blown away with the fight sequences. Only in CG could you see such unbelievable, heart-pounding, gravity-defying, physics-ignoring fight scenes. There are several truly mind-blowing fight sequences including two on the very cool Fenrir motorcyles that are completely worth the price of admission alone. The storyline is Final Fantasy. What more can I say? It's been said that you won't appreciate the movie unless you're a die-hard FF fan which might be true if you want to completely understand the story line. I didn't fully appreciate all the character nuances and background plotlines, etc. because I never played any of the games, but you don't have to be a FF fan to appreciate the amazing graphics and the truly insane fight sequences. As far as CG action, Advent Children is some of the best I've ever seen. I got my copy on eBay for a very reasonable $14 so it's quite a bargain if you ask me. Highly recommended. Go get it!

Since I just finished the movie, the FF Advent Children toys being released below are a bit more meaningful. I've already pre-ordered my Cloud and Fenrir motorcycle set for $59. The rest of the toys below can be found readily at most online stores or eBay from $22 for the action figures to $30-$40 for the ship above and monsters.

Get the DVD and then check out the toys!!!

Spotlight on Studio HalfEye

Led by Mr. Hajime Takashima who is perhaps THE best engineer in the toy industry, Studio HalfEye is a little known, garage toy company that produces some of the most amazing, intricate, and expensive toys on the market today. Studio HalfEye is known for it's $500 transforming die-cast Getter Robots. I have posted a couple of their fantastic feats of engineering marvel before including their stupendous transforming Go Dannar Robot. They should also be known for what they bill as the "smallest fully transforming robots" including the tiny four (4) inch Getter Robot below. Yikes! That's like a transforming mini figure! I like it! I even abandoned my thoughts of getting all three Soul of Chogokin Getter Robots in favor of the mini transforming Getter Dragon shown here. If you consider the total transformation of the robots, I think the engineering puts your run-of-the-mill Transformers to shame!

This kind of toy engineering is not cheap either: On the average of $250 upwards to $500 for each piece of artwork. They recently decided to make smaller robot versions - around 4-5 inches for less than $100. I think it's completely worth the investment. I would rather spend $75 on a fully transforming 5" inch figure you see above than a non-transforming 7" inch Soul of Chogokin figure which does nothing.

Text and pictures courtesy of Hobby Link Japan:

"Studio HalfEye's engineering in making Getter Robo's transformation a 3-D reality is second to none--but such precision work doesn't come cheap, with their masterpiece sets usually priced at over 25,000 yen. Now Studio HalfEye comes through with a transformation of a different sort: a line of mass-produced, more affordably priced Getter Robo sets! This entry in the line is the transformable 11cm Getter Dragon, formed by combining the Dragon, Raiga, and Poseidon vehicles. Add the included two Getter Tomahawks, and Getter Dragon is ready for action!"
5 inch transforming Getter Dragon above for $73 not including overseas shipping.

"This entry in the line is the Getter Robo 1 Last Battle Version, featuring a fully transformable Getter 1 (about 10cm, or 4 inches, high) with serious battle damage and missing one arm. Includes one Getter Tomahawk (the packaging has a space for a second one, but this set comes with a single Tomahawk), and a Getter energy generator unit that is either gray or clear yellow. The yellow variation is the rarer of the two, but they are packed randomly, and we cannot see which version is in the package. We cannot promise customers exactly which version they will receive. Please place your order for this item only if you are willing to receive either type."
Getter Robo 1 Last Battle Version above for around $70 not including overseas shipping.

Studio HalfEye's Takashima-san has long been demonstrating that he is probably the best model engineer in Japan who's not working for one of the major firms. His Perfect Change Compact Version Shin Getter continues that tradition. This completed model transforms from the component sections - Shin Eagle, Shin Jaguar and Shin Bear into Shin Getter 1. The transformation is amazing. Comes with a 15 page manual on the inner workings of the model plus very detailed. Step-by-step photos and instructions on doing the transformation. Even includes a small screwdriver so you can tighten the joints if necessary. One incredible feat of engineering. Perfect Change Compact Version Shin Getter above for around $225 not including overseas shipping.

More superb hand-held transformable fun from Studio HalfEye! This time the God Gravion gets the mini treatment, at a whopping 12 cm tall! That's about five inches, for those of you who aren't metrified! The set contains the Grankaiser, G-Attacker, G-Driller (two -- one becomes the left arm, one the right), and G-Shadow. Put them all together to form God Gravion, and arm him with his Gravitonne Sword and Gravity Crescent, both included! All parts are resin and pre-painted. Pose him wherever you need a miniature giant robot to protect you! Five Inch Transforming God Gravion above for around $142 not including overseas shipping.

More superb hand-held transformable fun from Studio HalfEye! This time the Sol Sigma Gravion gets the mini treatment, at a whopping 12 cm tall! That's about five inches, for those of you who aren't metrified! Due to be released in December, this new addition to the Studio HalfEye Line-up will sure to please the die-hard fans! Five Inch Transforming Sol Sigma Gravion right for around $208 not including overseas shipping.

Beautiful full-action transformable model of "Dan of Thursday" ("Dann", according to the box) can be transformed between Sword Mode and (humanoid) Robot Mode. Superbly constructed, as is to be expected from Studio Half-Eye. Step by step transformation instructions are included; the text is in Japanese but photographs accompany each step to make it easier. Non-scale; in Sword Mode, it measures 18 cm long. Six Inch Transforming Dan of Thursday above for around $79 not including overseas shipping.



Fully Transformable Getter Robo above for around $479 not including overseas shipping. Everything you see here is included.

This gorgeous, mostly-completed piece from Studio Half-Eye requires some construction (a screwdriver is included to allow you to change the armour parts). Everything you see in the photos is included in the box. Fully Transformable GoDannar above for around $434 not including overseas shipping.

There you have it mecha fans! Studio HalfEye: the most innovative, highly engineered transforming toys on the planet. Spend the big bucks and get the GoDannar for $500 or be like me and spend $75 on a mini transforming nugget of Getter Dragon!

Gundam Ultimate Operation Plus 2 Mini Figures Coming!!!

So I'm admiring Flickr buddy QuattroVageena's cool toy photography the other day and I see a picture of a Dom Tropen that I have never seen before (left). Not that i'm a hardcore Gundam guy and know every single figure out there, but it was interesting because the way Quattro shot the picture, It was hard to tell if it was a model or toy. Upon further inspection, you could tell it was a figure and not a model. It looked pretty cool as it was fairly detailed and it had a nice paint job. Quattro's photography makes all toys look
particularly interesting. I then saw the blister pack that the toys came in. I had never seen this line of Gundam figures called "Fusion Works". Again, although I'm not an authority on Gundam, nor claim to be one, I did think that I had at the least seen all the Gundam action figure lines. Interested to learn more, I searched for Fusion Works and discovered that the line is actually called "Gundam Ultimate Operation". I also learned that they have been making these damn things for years and have several versions and somehow they all managed to escape me. Amazing what you learn on the internet. I found this set of six from Jbox out of Japan (below left) for $40 which seems reasonable considering other online stores wanted $12 each for these little buggers. As you can see, they are pretty detailed, fully painted, around 3 inches tall, come with weapons and have a fine selection of my favorite Gundam robots. They apprear to have limited articulation but feature these dynamic "going to kick your ass" poses.

In the buying mood and hungry for more Gundam UO, I went over to Hobby Link Japan and purchased another two sets. The first set is called "Gundam Ultimate Operation Best" which is a collection of the most popular Gundam robots. You can see the two versions that Quattro has are part of this set. I thought it was a bargain at $20 for five (5) figures (right).


I was also pleased to learn that Bandai is coming out with a new set called Gundam Ultimate Operation Plus 2 which should be shipping in December for around $33 not including overseas shipping. Check out the weapons below left!

So just like that in the blink of an eye, the power of Quattro's toy photography, the global reach of the internet and a couple of online stores, I now will be receiving three sets totaling nineteen (19) tasty Gundam mini figures for less than a hundy. That comes to around $5 each which is not bad!

Thanks Quattro for beginning my Ultimate Operation Collection!!

Hot off the Presses: Soul Calibur III and Tekken 5 Mini Figures Coming!!!!

From David Karlin from 1Up.com:

"If there's one thing Japan loves besides videogames, it's collecting videogame figures. Walking down a street, you'll often find "gashapon" machines, small contraptions you drop quarters in and random figures enclosed in a plastic bubble roll out.

In Japan, the figures are much cooler than ours and, instead of a quarter, it's $3-5. Additionally, traditional action figures and models are released in the thousands each year and game districts will often have every type of figure lining the shelves.




Joining the ranks of these figures is Namco's "Game Character Goods Collection," featuring both Tekken 5 and Soul Calibur III. The Tekken 5 figures will be released in January at $6 each
accompanied by a variety of accessories such as alternate costumes. The lineup consists of Nina, Yoshimitsu, Ling, Jin, Heihachi, and Raven.


A month later, Soul Calibur III follows, complete with multiple weapon types equipable on each character to replicate the feel of the game. Kilik, Cassandra, Voldo, Tira, Taki, and Mitsurugi make up the lineup for this set.

If you're bummed about Japan getting all the cool stuff, you shouldn't worry too much. Japanese figures are often released in the US a few months after, so there's a good chance these figures will show up at your local game or anime stores next year.





SPECIAL thanks goes to Degenki Online for the pictures."

Oh my, oh my. So beautiful, so detailed, so much mini figure yumminess....I'm so there! Can you believe the extra weapons sets included with the Soul Calibur figures??? Crazy!! How about the extra funny accessories for the Tekken crowd?? I love it!

Can you say "pre-order"? Do it now! ToyWiz is taking pre-orders for the full set of six Soul Calibur figures for $45. They are supposed to arrive in March 2006. Or you can buy a sealed case of twelve figures from Hobby Link Japan for $60 not including overseas shipping. The lazy guy will just get the set from ToyWiz and pay the premium. The toy entrepreneur will buy the case from HLJ and sell the duplicates on eBay. Which one will I be? hmmmmm....

Mighty McFarlane Mecha Madness!!!!

Mighty McFarlane is at it again with one of their better series to come out lately: Series 28 Regenerated Action Figures. Todd takes his most beloved characters and completely re-designs them from the ground up. It's fresh, yet familiar and totally cool. I'm trying to find the new Mandarin Spawn at a decent price but I did manage to pick up the Regenerated "Cyber" Spawn 2. As always, the sculpting is top drawer and the red metallic flake paint sparkles under the lights! My only complaint is that it didn't come with any weapsons whatsoever! What's up with that?? McFarlane is known for all the cool weapons and accessories! While this is supposed to be the regenerated Cyber Spawn, I thought it looked more like the original "Manga" Spawn which was also Red in color. The Manga Spawn shown here is actually one of my very first adult toy purchases that started it all. I got the silver re-paint version with the rare Kanji characters on the included sword.

No More Toys Allowed!!!

I've been on bit of a toy buying spree lately. I think it's this damn blog. As i'm looking for new stories and ideas online, when I come across something totally cool, I want to buy it and then take pictures of it, and then write about it! It's a vicious circle I tell ya. If I could find out a way to actually make any money doing this, I might be able to at least fund the toy purchases. But alas, this does not seem to be in the cards yet. All the online stores which provide the cool banners on the right keep sending me emails asking if they can help in some way. They noticed I put up these banners weeks ago, yet no one is clicking through and buying anything. I don't blame you guys, I never click through banners and when I do, I rarely buy. Other than that, traffic is not terribly high yet either. I will say it's growing a rapid pace which is totally cool! So send the link to your buddies without shame as they will think you're totally hip because Japanese toys are so IN these days. Remember, it's the uber hip that collect toys now.

Here is a pic of some recent packages that have arrived that I haven't completely had the chance to open up and shoot. My wife scolded me that I'm buying too many toys and that I'm not allowed anymore including Christmas. Ack! What she doesn't know is that more packages will be arriving through the New Year. I've got pre-orders stacked on top of pre-orders. I'm a toy buying junkie. I purchased 3 sets of the Gundam Ultimate Collection mini-figures last night alone. A lot of stuff I purchased from Japan weeks and weeks ago hasn't even shown up yet. It's slightly embarrassing when guests ask if all these toys packages are for my 19 month old daughter and I have to tell them: "ummmm, not really. these toys are for me!" I tell 'em it's in the name of research for my blog. Then they say: "you have a blog about toys?" I reply: "yeah, it's a blog about mostly imported Japanese toys".

Then they say: "oh...ok....so what's for dinner?"

Dusty Old Toy Find: Votoms Kubricks

Remember me posting something about stumbling into an old dusty Japanese book store a couple of weeks ago? Well, besides the Hajime Katoki photo book on the Fix Figuration line which is hard to find and the PSP Movie "Blood", I also picked up a couple of sets of old and dusty Kubricks. You can still find them on eBay so it's not like they are terribly hard to find, but they were cheap at like $12 each set. One of the sets that I purchased is this Votoms Scopedog and Chirico Kubricks. More detailed than many of the Kubricks they are releasing today with more accessories and a nice matte finish.

Multi Color MSiA Blaze Zaku Phantoms!!!

I'm going to admit being a bit of a toy snob. Until just recently, I thought Bandai's MSiA line was beneath me and my penchant for only the higher quality and more expensive Fix Figuration and Zeonography line. I stand before you a converted man! I was attracted to the MSiA Blaze Zaku Phantom figure due to the interesting design with the massive dual spiked shields on each shoulder. Let's face it, toys in cool poses sell! I can never figure out why any online toy store would only show a lame picture of the box or package without showing what the figure looks like in a cool pose. When I saw the black Blaze Zaku Phantom in the pose replicated here, I had to have it. I have to admit this was my first MSiA figure. My perception was that the MSiA line was cheaper, lower quality and less articulated than the more sophisticated Fix Figuration and Zeonography line. While the MSiA figures are certainly cheaper ($15-$20 each on average compared to the $35-$50 for Fix or Zeonography), they are not bad in terms of quality, materials, paint and articulation. Not bad at all! MSiA figures are not as detailed and the plastic is a little cheaper, but well worth the money and considering that there are far more models and figures to choose from, I would have to say i've been wrong about the entire MSiA line.

Here today, we have a multi-color mosh pit of MSiA Blaze Zaku Phantoms to choose from. Essentially, they come in a few different flavors including Black, Orange, Blue and White. Some of the weapons vary from version to version so I would encourage you to get them all. Check out the nice selection at PlaJapan.com

Front Mission Trading Arts Series 2 Mini Figures Coming!!!!

Just a short post with a sneak peek of Square Enix's new Front Mission Trading Arts Mini Figures coming in February. This is the second series in the line-up and from the looks of things, were going to be treated to some different color schemes including a sort of yellow-ish, pink-ish and lime-greenish variations along with some cool tiger-striping of the mini mechas. If the first series are any indication of what is to come, we are going to be happy campers come Valentines Day as these mighty mini mechs feature tons of articulation, posability and weapons.

I've fallen victim to the 5% "early bird" discount Hobby Link Japan is offering for pre-ordering these mini wheats of plastic sweetness. Approximately $65 for a case of 12 figures seems a fair price compared to spending $70 on eBay with some bastard for 7 figures. Having said that, I still have more than a few Armored Core Mini Figures doubles that I haven't got around to selling on eBay!

Pre-Order them now from Hobby Link Japan for around $65 for a sealed case of 12 figures not including overseas shipping - or better yet, wait until I post mine on eBay for $12 each!

Mezco "Defenders of the Dragon" Mini Figure Review

This post courtesy from our buddies over at the legendary Eternal Collector Reviews. Mezco is continuing is entre into the mini figure market with the upcoming "Defenders of the Dragon" line which pits three varied ninja against three interesting Samurai mini figure characters. Mezco mini figures are slightly bigger than their doppelganger Kubricks - presumably to fit into the bigger, fatter, grubbier and sweatier hands of the typical american toy collector.

The ninjas are whatever, but I do like the three samurai figures especially the guy with the big sword, Noh mask and red hair. Right now, you can only pre-order them directly from the Mezco Online Store for $16 which includes either a 3-pack of ninjas or a 3-pack of samurais! Do what I did and pre-order the cool samurai figures!

As you can see in the pictures, each figure comes with an ginsu assortment of swords, knives, nun-chucks, spears and tsais. I also really like the details on the removable helmets and masks. Very cool and sure to make it in my stocking for Christmas!

The review was written by the Siskel and Ebert of the toy world: Michael Crawford aka Toy Captain. Check out his toy review of the week!

More Munny Madness!!!!

Here are a few more Munny Masterpieces from the Munny Discussion Boards and Gallery. Most of the following pics are from amateur artists, but I would say they could easily go toe-to-toe with many of the professional artist Munnys from the previous post. There are a ton more that I didn't have time to go through and post, so my apologies if your's is not listed here. Drop me a note with a link to your Munny and I'll post it up if it's interesting.

Kidrobot Munny Show at Minna Gallery, San Francisco

Kidrobot is poised to take over the toy world! It all started when they decided to get fashionista artists to put their designs on the 2" Dunny which were, and continue to be, a blockbuster hit. They are toys, but not for kids and not for your usual geeky ToyFare kind of collector. Dunny's and to a certain extent, Kubricks before them are toys that crossed over passed the mainstream and onto the hard-to-reach plateau of the super-uber hip. I wouldn't be surprised if more than one celebrity has a couple of Dunnys on their desk designed by the same guy who made their Golden Globe Gown.

Well, Kidrobot along with Originator Dunny Artist Tristan Eaton have done it again with Munny. What are Munny? A Munny is essentially a blank Dunny (sans the rabbit ears) but a bit larger, around 8". They are blank so you can paint and design them yourself. When they first hit the scene a few months ago, I was like, meh. Who wants to paint their own toys? Apparently everybody and their Mother does. They look to be an even bigger hit than Dunny as anyone can create any kind of figure they want. There are websites, discussion boards, How to guides, photo gallerys and a few weeks ago right here in San Francisco, a honest to goodness Munny Art show at the Minna Gallery featuring some of those uber hip and fashionista artist mentioned earlier putting their own spin on the Munny! At $25 each for basically a white toy canvas, I would say Money is the more appropriate spelling!

Photos courtesy with actual permissions from Flickr buddy and urban hipster Spookypaw.