March 7, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection – The 12th and Final Character Revealed!

Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection!

The day to announce the 12th and final character is finally here!
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The Nendo Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection Publicity Ambassador, Mikudayo-san has also taken some special photos for everyone!

She really wants to show everyone, so before the final character is revealed, let’s first take a look at some of the photos she sent through!!
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Ahhhh!!! Σ(ﾟДﾟ;）

It’s the real Mikudayo!!

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She looks just as… foreboding as ever!

She even has the “Publicity Ambassador” sash! I guess she looks… happy?
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Ah! Now she really looks excited!

Not only did she get the sash, she also has a beautiful flower with the title as well! These are all to ensure that Mikudayo will try her very best as the Publicity Ambassador! 😛
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“I believe that the 12th character should be me!”

H-Huh?! No, no, no, no! Σ(ﾟДﾟ;）

You’re the Publicity Ambassador!!

She’s trying to get herself into the new Nendo Petite set now! The problem is that she is so very good at convincing the other Nendo Petites! （´・ω・`）

Come on now! You’re even wearing the sash, so you can’t say things like that!
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Anyway… ever since their first debut at WonFes I’ve been introducing some of the new characters one by one…

The fan-characters so far are “Deep Sea Miku’, ‘Daughter of Evil Rin’, ‘Servant of Evil Len’, ‘Mikurisutaru’ and ‘Akahitoha Luka’!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

Each of them are so cute, and are great figure versions of the illustrations they are based on. But who will the final fan-based character be?!

It’s time to reveal the 12th character…

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Hatsune Miku: Romeo & Cinderella!

Every time I go to karaoke someone will always sing doriko’s hit song ‘Romeo and Cinderella’! Just look at Miku’s sexy gaze and pose!!
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This beautiful illustration was by nezuki!

Every time I look at it it’s so pretty… and sexy!! (*゜∀゜)=3

Even the apple in her hands and the tiny dots on her camisole have been carefully added onto the Nendoroid Petite!
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This is how she looks from the back!

The way her bottom and thighs stick out from the side is so cute!

There is no way I won’t be adding her to my collection!! Σ(`･ω･´)

The Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection!
All 12 characters have been announced!

A second set following on from the popular Nendo Petite Vocaloids sold in 2009, 2010 and 2011! For both those who missed out on the first set, and for those who have the first set and want to add even more to it… there are so many cute characters to add to your collection and display on your desk or shelves!

Now for a quick notice!

With the recent production circumstances and exchange rates in China, it’s very hard to leave products priced at ¥500… and thus the Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection and possibly other future Nendoroid Petites will be changing from ¥500 to ¥600 each . I hope that doesn’t cause too much trouble for the Nendo Petite fans out there!!

That said, I know that everyone will still be very satisfied if they choose to pick them up! The time and effort that does into these products is nothing to laugh at, and everyone works super hard to ensure that even if they’re small, they are still amazing figures! I hope everyone will continue to support the series!!
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Mikudayo is sad that she never made it into the lineup…

Don’t worry Mikudayo! You’ve still got a very impressive title!
You’re the Publicity Ambassador!! Don’t be sad!!

Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection

The set will be up for preorder from tomorrow!

Each box will include 12 singles and the singles each contain a random character. Preorders will all be for a complete box of 12!

Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 6, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Toshiki Kai

Today we start off with a quiz…

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Do you know what this is?

Just by seeing this, it looks like some figure part with someone’s signature written on it in permanent marker… but in actual fact…
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It’s Wingal’s front paw! (Included with Nendoroid Aichi Sendou!)

This is a sample that the manufacturing team are working on at the moment, which is undoubtedly split up into a lot more pieces than the final version. Each one of these parts has the date written on them for quality control. Sometimes the parts are so small that it’s rather hard to write the date on them!

But that aside, today we’ll be taking a look at Aichi-kun’s rival…
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From Cardfight!! Vanguard:
Nendoroid Toshiki Kai!

From the anime series ‘Cardfight!! Vanguard’ comes a Nendoroid of the solitary Vanguard fighter, Toshiki Kai! He comes with a number of hand parts, including hands holding Vanguard cards and hands wearing Vanguard Fight Gloves, allowing you to display him in the middle of a cardfight against another character!

I know many girls have been waiting for Kai-kun!!

Ever since Aichi-kun’s prototype was first revealed, there have been so many requests from fellow girl figure fans to release Kai-kun as well!

If you missed it, A review of Aichi-kun can be found here:

– Nendoroid Aichi Sendou –
http://mikatan.goodsmile.info/en/2012/11/13/nendoroid-aichi-sendou/
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This is how he looks from the back!

Both Aichi and Kai-kun’s hairstyles look like they were very difficult to sculpt! But Kai-kun’s pointy hair has come out looking great, and even looks swept off to the side! Wonderful! (`・ω・´)
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A sinister expression!

What an amazing expression!! (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)=3

It gives him a bit more of a childish look compared to the standard expression, but those eyes really gives off a threatening feeling! He looks confident that nothing will ever defeat him!!!

He also comes with a bent arm, Vanguard Cards and ‘Vanguard Fight Glove’ hand parts, which are all perfect for displaying him in a cardfight with another character!
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Impatiently drawing another card! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

It really is such an sinister expression!! He looks so evil!!

The sharp cornered eyes, low eyebrows and kind of cat-like mouth all come together to make such a really stunning expression!
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A shouting face for Vanguard Fights!

This expression has him shouting out to recreate the tense atmosphere of Vanguard Fights! It also has a bit of an upward glance, which suits him nicely!

By the way, all of Kai-kuns hand parts are included both with and without the Vanguard Gloves! You can pick whatever suits the scene better!
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“Draconic Overlord the End!”

This is the Draconic Overlord’s final form, and for such a small figure the detail and degree of accuracy is incredible! It’s designed to be Nendoroid Petite size, and just look at all the separately painted areas… plus the gold paint has a nice shiny look to it! His neck and other areas are also articulated for some extra posing options – it’s incredibly high quality for a Petite-sized figure!

Aichi’s expressions are currently off on a trip to China, so I put Kai-kun’s sinister expression on him instead. It actually suits him quite well!
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The Ultimate Cardfight!!

A Vanguard Fight between the two Vanguard Nendoroids!! I hope everyone will display the two of them together, as they really do look amazing when posed with each other!

Unfortunately I can’t show you the complete effect without Aichi’s expressions, but I’ll leave that for you to enjoy yourself!
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Vanguard Cards are also included!

Nendoroid Kai will let you can get your hands on the “Wyvern Strike, Gyunturu” and “Demonic Dragon Mage, Makoraga” cards!

Not only do you get the company of Aichi-kun and Kai-kun, you also get cards you can use in the real Vanguard card game!
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From Cardfight!! Vanguard:
Nendoroid Toshiki Kai!

He’ll be up for preorder from the 7th March!! (`･ω･´)
Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 5, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Sakura Miku

March is here! Spring is here!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

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All the girls are hanging up their coats from Winter and starting to wear more Spring-colored clothes! Watching the change makes me feel all happy inside!

And speaking of Spring… this lovely pink Nendoroid will be sent off to everyone soon!

Yay! The release made it in time not only for Spring, but also in time for the 9th March, Miku day! A big thank you to Tsukki from the manufacturing team who made that possible!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ
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Nendoroid Sakura Miku!

Nendoroid Miku is back again as ‘Sakura Miku’ , wearing an adorable pink outfit created with the image of cherry blossoms. The design is based on an illustration by Putidevil, which has been converted into Nendoroid form with careful attention to the meticulous use of color in the illustration!

She comes with her standard expression, a crying face as well as an innocent expression munching on a rice cake. She also comes with an alternate head part which allows you to change the accessories in her hair into cherries to suit the season even more! Enjoy your Spring with Sakura Miku by your side!

This is a release sample, and it has come out looking adorable!

I must say that I’m more than satisfied with the final product! I actually went through to China with Tsukki and took a look at the Sakura Miku production line. The posts were placed on the GSC newcomers blog and are only available in Japanese, but you’re welcome to have a look!

– Mikatan’s China Business Trip Diary –
http://ameblo.jp/blog-shinsotsu2012/entry-11445736949.html
http://ameblo.jp/blog-shinsotsu2012/entry-11446387474.html
http://ameblo.jp/blog-shinsotsu2012/entry-11446394302.html
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This is how the packaging looks!

There aren’t a huge number of small parts, but there are three different expressions, two different head parts, cushions and a cherry blossom pedestal… so many big parts!

For those wondering why there are two different heads – In the front you can see the one has sakura headphones, while the other uses Miku’s standard headphones, and on the back the difference is between Miku’s standard hair accessories and cherry hair accessories. It’s quite hard to tell the two apart, but the hair for the sakura headphones has a hollowed out area in her side hair.
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This is how she looks from the back!

The cherries at her hips are very cute!

The beautiful clear twintails also have lovely pink and white cherry blossom prints on them! I know it was not an easy task to do that clear gradient together with such detailed paintwork, but I couldn’t be happier with how beautifully they’ve come out!
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Switch to the cherry hair accessories!

This requires a complete switch of head parts, but these hair accessories give a very different feel to her! She looks more cute and innocent now!!
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A crying expression!

Cherry bloom and fade so quickly, you can’t help but shed a tear sometimes! You can also further pose her holding this little blossom… it creates such a beautiful pose!

Left and right bent arms and legs are included, allowing for all sorts of different pose combinations!
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A chibi expression and sakura pedestal!

This unbelievably cute expression is included to recreate a very specific pose which I’ll show just after this!

The pedestal she is sitting on is made to look like one big cherry blossom, and sits on top of the standard base like this. You can also pose her entirely without the standard base (propped up with her twintails), but its very easy for her to fall over in that case.
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Sitting on cushions eating sakura mochi!

I’m sure many of you will have noticed already, but this is a complete rendition of Putidevil’s original illustration! This pose combined with the chibi face is so perfect!

An adorable Sakura Miku-san sitting on three three bright green cushions while munching on some sakura mochi… If this isn’t cute, then I don’t know what is!
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Bonus! Sakura Miku Charm!

The very first figure of Sakura Miku was actually released as this charm and given to all those who entered Mikupa 2011! Even as a small charm the paintwork was so very intricate and it even used stamp paintwork! Far too much effort was put into something so small! 😛

I remember when Gakkun from the manufacturing team and Fuumin from the 3D team were working so hard to get the very best quality possible! She’s been on display at my desk for some time now, so the colors have faded a bit… but she still looks incredible to me!!
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Bonus! The cushions can be separated!

As you can see from the photo, here I have just one cushion instead of the three! You can even pile up more than three cushions if you manage to get your hands on more than one Sakura Miku!

Plus if the legs fit, you can place some other characters on the cushion too! But if the head is too heavy, you might need to place the cushion on the standard base to keep them from falling over!
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These were the selected catch phrases!

“A cherry-blossom colored, palm-sized idol action figure!”
“The small songstress floating down on a gentle spring breeze ♪”

You might remember back on the 5th November 2012 we held a competition to decide the packaging catch phrases! Thanks to everyone who sent in ideas!

– Send in Your Catch Phrase Ideas for Nendoroid Sakura Miku’s Packaging! –
http://mikatan.goodsmile.info/en/2012/11/05/send-in-your-catch-phrase-ideas-for-nendoroid-sakura-mikus-packaging/

Apparently there were over 1500 entires!! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

It was rather hard to decide on a winner, but together with Crypton we decided on phrases sent in by “Kiyomi” and “Negi to Rock”! Thanks and congratulations to both of them! We’ll be sending a little gift through to you both as thanks – you should find a mail from me in your inbox!! （´∀｀）
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Nendoroid Sakura Miku!

She’ll be sent out from GSC tomorrow! (`･ω･´)
This product was made-to-order, so you won’t be able to find her in stores, but she is planned to be on sale at the GSC Tetsu Cafe. More details will be posted on the cafe website, so keep an eye on it if you’re interested!

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 4, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Chariot with Mary (Tank) Set: TV ANIMATION Ver.

Today we begin with a quiz!!

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What are these guys trying to pose as?!

From the top we have Shuu-chan from planning, Tori Bird from manufacturing and Oonoshi from the web team! While they were trying to get this pose right, a rather unfortunate splitting sound was heard from Oonoshi’s jeans. ^^;
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From TV ANIMATION BLACK ROCK SHOOTER:
Nendoroid Chariot with Mary (Tank) Set:
TV ANIMATION Ver.!

From the anime series that aired during Fuji TV’s noitaminA block, ‘Black Rock Shooter’ comes a Nendoroid of Chariot, the character specially designed for the TV series! The set also includes a Nendoroid-sized version of Mary, the spider-like tank that Chariot used to torture Black Rock Shooter. Chariot can also ride Mary, allowing you to recreate all sorts of scenes from the anime!

A double set with some impressive volume! (((ﾟДﾟ)))

But the main thing I want to point out isn’t the size, it’s the incredible quality of detail!! The sculptors have truly done an amazing job, and I also have to commend huke-san for his amazing original design as well!
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This is how she looks from the back!

Both Chariot and Mary are so very detailed! (As a side note, this is actually the first time I knew the tank’s name was Mary… what a cute name! :P)

I also love the ‘angular’ sculpting of Chariot’s hair! It has a very anime-esque feeling to it, but also seems like a rather unique design compared to previous Nendoroids!
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A look from a high angle! Mary is huge!

Mary must be about 50% bigger than Chariot herself. The balance of the chibi Nendoroid look and the detail is excellent, they’re both so well done!!
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Mary is also very posable!

The arrows here show areas that clench into each other allowing the legs to be moved up and down! The base of each leg can also be moved backward and forward giving you lots of control over the legs!

Additionally, the front and back are linked with a ball-joint to allow them to be posed at different angles to each other, so you really have a lot of freedom when trying to pose Mary!
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Her sword and shield are included!

Ah! The shield is Mary-chan’s wheel!! Who ever thought a wheel would make such an amazing looking shield! Obviously she also comes with special hand parts allowing her to hold both the sword and shield!
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A disdainful expression and macaroons!

Macaroons, yay!! *:.｡.:*・ﾟ(n’∀’）n’ﾟ・*:.｡.:*・ﾟﾟ・!!

Special arms to display her holding the macaroons like this are also included, recreating the scene where she is throwing them at Shooter-chan!! I love yandere characters so this expression and pose are absolutely priceless to me!!
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She can also ride on Mary!

But hang on… why does Mary look so violent all of a sudden?!

Even Mary comes with both a standard and angry expression!!
Plus they’ll be compatible with other Nendo Petite expressions!

For a two-figure set, it really is filled with a lot of wonderful goodies!! Just imagine some of the things you can do if the expressions are compatible with other Nendo Petite expressions!
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Chariot’s thighs and knees are also fitted with joints!

This allows you to pose her sitting down in Mary like this!

The BRS Nendoroids have a history of being more articulated than other Nendoroids, which is definitely one of my best things about them – it’s so much fun being able to move them around and make some amazing scenes!
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From TV ANIMATION BLACK ROCK SHOOTER:
Nendoroid Chariot with Mary (Tank) Set:
TV ANIMATION Ver.!

She’ll be up for preorder from tomorrow!! (`･ω･´)
Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!
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Bonus Photo!

She looks so depressed… (=ﾟωﾟ=）

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 1, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection – The 11th Character Revealed!

It’s Friday once again!
Time to reveal another character from the…
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Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection!

I know I’m repeating myself here, but for those who missed the previous post, this is a new set of Vocaloid Nendoroid Petites, following on from the original Nendo Petite Vocaloids. They will be sold either as singles for ¥500 each, or instead in a complete box of twelve!
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The 10th character was Hatsune Miku: Deep Sea Girl!

Her adorable black dress and beautiful hair are so stunning! But now there are only two more characters to reveal… so let’s get onto today’s!! (`･ω･´)
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H-Huh?!

What happened to the 11th character?!

It seems like Dayo-san and the Nendo Petites are having some kind of meeting… or maybe they’re performing some kind of ceremony?
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It seems Dayo-san has been voted as the Nendo Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection Publicity Ambassador!

E-Eh? What?!

I’m not entirely certain how that works, but I guess she’ll be promoting the Hatsune Miku Selection for us!

And the first thing Dayo-san has to show everyone is…

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Hatsune Miku: Mikurisutaru!

The 11th character in the set is Mikurisutaru Miku, who was also seen in ‘Hatsune Miku and Future Stars Project mirai’, the rhythm game where Nendoroids dance and sing while you play!

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This is how she looked in the game!

The design comes from a competition held by Piapro where you had to design an outfit for Miku with a jewel/gem-like appearance.

The winning entry was by mikoko-san, and the illustration was transformed into this 3D model for the game! Her hair accessories and skirt have a shiny crystal appearance that looks super cute!

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This is how she looks from the back!

The crystal areas make use of a beautiful pearl paint which just makes the adorable design even more special!

The blue-pink gradient on the twintails is also so beautiful!! I’m certain almost anyone will be amazed by the quality once they see her in person!

Anyway, that’s the 11th out of the 12 characters in the set!

There is only one left!! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

I’ll be introducing the last character to everyone next Thursday, the 7th March!

But wait! Why isn’t it Friday this time?! Just another mystery surrounding the Nendo Petite Hatsune Miku Selection! You’ll have to wait and see!!

But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again next week!! (・∀・)ノ゛

March 1, 2013 by Kahotan

The GSC Product Release Schedule Page

Hello everyone! This is Oonoshi from the Web team, you might remember me from a couple of months ago! Mikatan-sensei came down with a fever, so I’ll be taking over the blog for today once again!

Today I’ll be taking a look at the Product Release Schedule on the GSC site!

I’ll be explaining all the different kinds of releases found on this page, and I have Nagaizumi-san from the sales department to help with the explanations! The three different types of release are

‘Shipping out from GSC’, ‘Arrival at Wholesale Stores’ and ‘On Sale’

There are quite a few different possibilities! When I first joined GSC, this was one of the first things I needed to learn. Let’s find out from Nagaizumi-san what each of them means! (｀・ω・)

‘Shipping out from GSC’

Nagaizumi:
“This refers to the day which we send products out from the GSC warehouses out to wholesale stores. If you look at the schedule at the moment, this would mean that the recently released Nendoroid Kanna Tanigawa was sent out to wholesale stores across Japan on the 18th February.”

Ah-hah! So that means that the exact day which the figure reaches the different wholesale stores will differ. Plus the wholesale stores still need to send the products out to the consumer stores, so the exact date they’ll be available can differ depending on your location.

So for example, if Nendoroid Kanna Tanigawa was shipped from GSC on the 18th February, it would first take a day (or two for distant areas or islands in Japan) to reach the wholesale stores, and then it’ll still take another 1-2 days to reach everyone’s favorite hobby stores… which means you’d probably see her in stores from between the 20th and the 22nd of February.

Which means of course that Nendoroid Kanna Tanigawa is now on sale in stores, so don’t miss out on her! ^^

“Arrival at Wholesale Stores”

Nagaizumi:
“This refers to the day that the products should reach the wholesale stores. On the current Product Release Schedule, this would mean that the Nendoroid Petite: TYPE-MOON COLLECTION will reach all our wholesale stores on the 25th February. Unlike ‘Shipping out from GSC’, the products should reach wholesale stores all over Japan on that same date.

So the products will reach the wholesale store on that day, and thereafter be sent out to the respective consumer stores. In other words the products should be on sale slightly closer to the stated date when compared to the previous “Shipping out from GSC’.

For example, the Nendoroid Petite: TYPE-MOON COLLECTION will reach the wholesale stores on the 25th February, and should be in stores from the 26th-27th February! That means that the set is also in stores now!

‘On Sale’

Nagaizumi:
“The ‘On Sale’ is quite special and usually only relates to the figma series. As you’d expect, it means that the product will be lined up in stores and on sale from that date.”

I see, I see. So figmas have a special release date that will always be the same across Japan. This has been the way Max Factory has worked it for some time now!

So for example, figma Aigis The ULTIMATE ver. will be on in stores and on sale from the 28th February!

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
So that’s the reasoning behind the three different types of release dates. Be sure to check out the upcoming Product Release Schedule if you want to know when during the month a certain figure is expected to be available.

Obviously these dates are for Japan, so if you’re in a different country the products will take longer to reach you! Plus figures can also be delayed by various unforeseen circumstances such as the weather – we’ll keep the schedule updated with any changes!

I hope the next time you’re checking through the schedule this post will have taught you something!

But now I’ll be passing the blog baton back to Mikatan!

February 27, 2013 by Kahotan

[Final] Painting a Nendoroid Expression Part 10: Adding a Matte and Blush

The grand finale of the expression series!

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
This is the expression as it stands!

I started painting this expression back on the 7th November… it’s been almost three months and I’ve finally managed to get this far! It’s been a long journey!

At this point I’ve completed all the painting, I just need some finishing touches which I’ll do today! This includes getting rid of the shine on the face with a matte and adding in a little blush!!

Each time I ‘saved’ my expression using lacquer paint I did so using the ‘gloss’ spray you see on the right hand side here – the smooth surface it creates is much easier to paint on.

But now the face looks too shiny, so I’m going to apply the matte on the left to make the face look less shiny and more like skin again!

– Saving with Lacquer Paint (Gloss) –
http://mikatan.goodsmile.info/en/2012/11/15/painting-a-nendoroid-expression-part-4-preparing-to-apply-color/
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Spraying on the matte finish!

This works exactly the same way as the ‘saving’ did in the past – a quick spray, then some time to dry, then another quick spray… and so on!

A little unrelated, but the stick with the clip holding the expression up for me here was made by Seibu-san from the production team! (Strawberry Snow Miku’s sculptor!) Everyone uses tools like this, but I felt like a part of the sculpting team when I was allowed to use one! 😛
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
The shininess is all gone!

Ooh! It’s starting to actually look like a Nendoroid expression now!!

The bumpy bits from the lacquer layers and thicker paint that caused uneven areas actually also look a bit better now that I’ve put the matte layer on too!

Be careful though… if you put too much on it’ll end up looking a bit white and get a kind of rough texture, so be sure not to put too much on and mess up all the hard work!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
The blush will be added with pastels!

I’ve also got some sandpaper at the ready – you’ll see why in just a second…
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Rubbing two colors together on the sandpaper!

I can mix these two colors together to try and get the perfect blush color! The brush I’m using isn’t the same super thin brush I was using for the painting, but instead a brush with a flat head. This will allow for a cute, gentle blush!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Added in the blush!

I definitely think it’s added a little bit of cuteness!! (*゜∀゜)=3

You just need to lightly apply the brush at the very top of the cheekbones to get this effect – pretty much just like real make-up! It was actually very fun applying the blush! I decided not to erase the darker blush lines, but you can of course choose to have them or not! （´∀｀）
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Miku-san, complete!!

She’s finally done!! At long last!!
It makes me so happy yo see the final product of my work!!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
She looks quite cute from this angle!

Although I think I might just be biased about my own creation. ^^;

She is the Miku I poured all my heart into making, so of course she is super special to me!!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Together with the original Miku-san!

I honestly tried to copy the original Miku as much as possible… but she ended up rather different. The biggest differences were:

・ The eyes should have been 0.7mm further apart.
・ Both eyes needed to be 1mm lower.
・ The eyebrows needed to be thinner.
・ The shadow on the eye needed to be lighter.
・ The line at the bottom of the eye should have been rounder.
・ The base color of the eye should have been lighter.

I think that sums up most of the differences… but there is nothing I can do about these things now! 😛

When Aki took a look at it he was quick to say that the eyes should have been lower… after all my hard work he was so quick to point out the biggest error! Even though I saved the whole way along, it’s so depressing that I can’t go back to any of the places I saved at now… If I wanted to correct the position of the eyes now, I’d literally have to start from scratch!

The expression team is going to take a look and see if they can make any changes to make it look a little bit cuter for me, if anything comes out of that I’ll be sure to show everyone!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Displayed with Strawberry Snow Miku!

If you look from a distance, the gradient on my version is very hard to make out, while the gradient on the Snow Miku and original Miku-san both look beautiful no matter what distance you look from – even the gradient in the pupil is perfect! I guess this just goes to show the skill of a professional!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
After three months, it’s time to bid this seat farewell!

I’ve been using this seat in the production studio whenever I worked on my expression… it’s quite sad that I won’t be using it anymore… although it was a lot of fun trying my hand at creating an expression, so perhaps one day I’ll challenge myself to do it once again!

The one thing I realized was that it takes much longer than you’d think to do all of this work by hand! (`・ω・´)

I honestly started this series expecting to finish this in just three days… I couldn’t have been more wrong! If you take one mistake too far you have to go back to step one, and each and every process takes time and careful preparation to complete.

I think the most difficult point was the outlines of the eye and the eyebrows. I’m sure with enough practice it would become much easier, but for me getting the lines to look right on a completely blank canvas was very difficult. You also need to be so careful to ensure that it looks right from any direction… if you focus too much from just one point of view it’ll end up looking distorted and off balance from another – and if you try and fix that you just end up messing it up from a different angle!!

But with all that said, the reward of completing the expression is amazing!
The face is the main part of any figure or doll, and if you’ve made it yourself it just means so much more!!

My conclusions:

· Expression painters are incredible!!

· Making things is lots of fun!!

Some people who can’t sculpt well at all sometimes have amazing talent with painting or creating expressions. When I tried my hand at sculpting it was a complete failure, but at least my expression came out looking alright – I think I’m much better at the painting side of things.

If you’re interested in things like sculpting and painting, consider taking part in the ‘Sculptors Tryout & Finishers Tryout 2013 Spring’! Unfortunately you do need to speak Japanese to apply!

– Sculptors Tryout & Finishers Tryout 2013 Spring –
http://www.goodsmile.info/post/ja/3624/ (Japanese)
But anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

February 26, 2013 by Kahotan

Painting a Nendoroid Expression Part 9: Adding in Highlights

The day before WonFes!
It’s 9PM on February 8th, in the production studios!!

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Everyone is hard at work while I prepare my expression!

If you’re unsure as to why I’m working on the expression the day before WonFes, it turns out that I’m being forced to complete it at WonFes!

The paints you can see in the photo above are the different paints that I’ll need to use at WonFes, I quickly had to secure them before the event!

They are completely different to the paints I’ve been using up until now, so I needed to get a little practice in before the big day!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Preparing to practice with the paints!

I was worried that this paint would dissolve all my hard work so far, so I quickly made a mock up version of what I currently have completed – the base color, pupil and gradient.

Somehow I think I’ve managed to get the gradient looking nicer on my quick mock-up compared to the actual version, but let’s just ignore that little fact for now and move on…
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Mixing up the paint to test!

I’ve been using enamel paints up until now and these definitely have a different feeling to them, but I’m sure it’ll work out! I’m told that these paints dry very quickly, and once they dry they do become a bit powdery.

They are however very safe paints, which is why we are using them at the event. They might not be ideal for expressions, but I’m sure they must have their own specific uses elsewhere.
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
I’ll be adding highlights to this at the event!

The stare looks just as impressive as ever! I’ve worked really hard on this, so I’ve actually become quite attached to her now!! 😛

I tried to add a little blush to her expression to make her look a little bit cuter, but it was much harder than I expected to get the balance right on both sides! I thought it would just be a few quick lines, but they actually ended up taking quite a long time… I was working on it until the last train!

Everything about this expression ends up taking so much longer than I expect!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
February 10th: WonFes!!

Now that I think about it, WonFes was already 2 weeks ago!
Time has been flying past far too quickly!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
My expression painting started at 2PM!

I really didn’t expect so many people to come by, a big thank you to everyone who came to watch!! I don’t know why you’d want to spend your time watching me, but it was an honor anyway!! ^^
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
These were the tools for the day!

All I needed were paints, paint dishes and a a paint brush!
I also had a mirror with me to check symmetry!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
I had 2 and a half hours to work on it!

The monitor on the right has a close up on my hands so everyone could see exactly what was going on – it definitely helped to show off my incompetence, but at the same time it gave everyone a good close up on exactly what needed to be done, which was nice!

Before I started I was so nervous that I was drenched in sweat, but I slowly managed to calm down once I got started and realized everyone was there to watch over me, not judge me! Thanks again to everyone who was watching!!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Completed the upper highlights!

Hmm, I might have made them a little bit too big…

But anyway, nothing I can do about it now, I don’t have time to adjust it any further for now, so I’ll just move into the lower highlights now.
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Mixing colors for the lower highlights!

The upper highlights were simply done with white, but the lower highlights (known as “crescent moons”) need to be a color similar to the base color.

Normally this would go in a cycle of mixing the color and testing the color until it was perfect, but because I don’t have that much time I’m just going to try this out and hope for the best!!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Added in one of the crescent moons!

It’s come out far too white!! The color should definitely have been closer to the base color…

There is no time to rework it though, so I’m going to move on ahead once again! (This blog is a very abridged version of the work I actually went though… I needed to erase and redo the highlights a few times!)
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
Highlights complete!!

At this point it was already around 4:30PM!! At this point I still wanted to add matte and more of a blush to the expression.

I actually went all the way out of the event hall to get the matte layer done, but WonFes seemed like it about to end, so I had to end my expression work for the day!
goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version
On display for everyone to see!

The title of the painting at the event was “Painting a Nendoroid Expression: Final Part”, but it ended up not really being completed to the very end!

But everyone still gave me a round of applause, which really meant a lot to me! I was so happy I actually teared up a little bit! I’ll don’t think I’ll ever forget the way I felt having everyone applaud my work. Thanks so much everyone!!

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version

I made a few more adjustments after WonFes!

While I was working on it at WonFes the size of the upper highlights and the color of the ‘crescent moons’ were annoying me, so I decided to fix them up! I know she’s not perfect, but I think I’ve done the very best I can to make this Miku-san!!

While I was working on the expression I accidentally erased the blush a bit too, so I’ll need to rework that as well. I’m getting used to dealing with these silly mistakes now. 😛

Tomorrow I’ll create the very last post in the series!

I’ll add a matte and complete the cheeks to finish up the expression!

It’s been a long journey!! I originally wanted to finish this in three days, and I simply can’t believe how long ago that was!!

I don’t think I’ve ever had such a long series of posts on the blog either! But I hope you’ll all read through tomorrow to the very end of the series!!
But anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

February 25, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Monokuma

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Monokuma has many fans here at GSC!!

This Monokuma hoodie belongs to Oonoshi from the web team! It was so cute that I had to make an animated .gif out of the photos! 😛

So anyway, today we’ll be playing with the Nendoroid version oh him, which you can see sitting on the desk here!
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From Super Danganronpa 2 – Sayonara Zetsubou Gakuen:
Nendoroid Monokuma!

From the high-speed detective action game ‘Super Danganronpa 2: Sayonara Zetsubou Gakuen’ comes a Nendoroid of Kibogamine Academy’s self-proclaimed headmaster, Monokuma! He comes with both his standard expression and a laughing expression!

He also comes with a number of extra parts to recreate the famous punishment scene, including sitting parts and a punishment button! Enjoy posing him in your favorite scenes from the game!

The fact that he was voiced by Nobuyo Ooyama is amazing enough!!

I haven’t actually played the game myself, but I hear that Monokuma is a rather cruel character… that says all sorts of evil things in Nobuyo’s voice! I really want to hear that!! (((゜Д゜)))

The game in the photo isn’t actually ‘Super Danganronpa 2: Sayonara Zetsubou Gakuen’, but in fact the prequel ‘Danganronpa Kibou no Gakuen to Zetsubou no Koukousei’ – I decided to buy it yesterday! I knew it was popular, but I never really knew much of what it was about… now that I’ve heard about Monokuma I can’t wait to try the game! 😛
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“Upupupupupupu!”

This is Monokuma’s own unique way of laughing! Isn’t it lovely! He also comes with a bent arm to fully recreate the insidious laughing pose! You can also choose to use just one of the bent arms instead of both of them if you prefer!

I can’t wait to hear Nobuno-san laughing like this!!
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This is how he looks from the back!

His neck and legs are loaded with Nendoroid joints to move around! The neck can only be moved left and right and not vertically, but even that actually allows for some very different looking poses!

Take a look at the next photo as an example!
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Embarrassed Monokuma!

He comes with another bent arm for the roar of laughter expression you’ll see in just a second – but here I’ve placed that arm behind his head to create an embarrassed looking pose instead!

I have to say that even without playing the game I’m already a Monokuma fan… I think I’ll grab two and make a team out of them – it’ll look so cute!!
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Monokuma roaring with laughter!

He comes with an alternate expression for a burst of laughter!

Monokuma comes with just the two expressions – the standard one and this laughing one with his mouth open much wider. At the same time though, he will be cheaper than the standard Nendoroids at ¥3000!

This pose also makes use of both bent arms placed on his stomach, which just shows how hard he is laughing!
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Punishment Time!

The button & hammer used in the class trial executions are included!

What? Ex-Executions?! (((( ；゜Д゜)))

So if you press this button, some character is going to be executed…

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He pressed it!!

The spring part of the button can be removed so that you can pose him having pressed the button for punishment time!! I trust fans will believe this is a very important pose to have!

Plus he comes with alternate legs for a sitting pose!

He is very stable while sitting down, plus the way he is just plonked down looks so adorable!!! 。・゜・(ノД`)・゜・。
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From Super Danganronpa 2 – Sayonara Zetsubou Gakuen:
Nendoroid Monokuma!

He’ll be up for preorder from tomorrow!! (`･ω･´)
Get in contact with our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

February 22, 2013 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection

10th February at the Makuhari Messe was…

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Wonder Festival 2013 (Winter)!!

This is a photo of the GSC/Max Factory booth – the WonHobby booth! So many people came through the booth which made for a great event for all the staff!!

Believe it or not, we’ve already started preparing for Summer WonFes…
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One of the things revealed at WonFes was…
Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection!

A second set of Vocaloid Nendo Petites following on from the previously released set!! The new set was very popular at WonFes, and it was retweeted by so many people on Twitter!

They will come in a box of 12, or sell as singles for ¥500!

You can choose to grab the whole set together with a single box, or just collect them one-by-one over time! You can’t see which character is inside each single box though, so you’ll have to wait and see who you get!
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These are the six main figures!

They are all in different poses and make use of different colors compared to the previous set! Looking at all of their energetic poses makes me feel all warm and happy inside! （*´∀｀*）

Plus as usual, the paintwork is incredible detailed!!
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This time we have new fan-made characters!

Kagamine Len: Servant of Evil (Song: Akuno-P (mothy)　Illus: Ichika)
Kagamine Rin: Daughter of Evil (Song: Akuno-P (mothy)　Illus: Ichika)
Megurine Luka: Akahitoha (Song: Kurousa-P　Illus: Moka Ichiyou)

These are all from hit Vocaloid songs that have had over 1 million views!
I’m sure many of you thought of the songs just by seeing these figures!! 😛
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This is how all nine look together!

But there are actually three more in the set!! (`･ω･´)

Every Friday I’ll be introducing one of them… starting with today!!
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Here we go!
Can you tell who it is…?

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The 10th character is Hatsune Miku: Deep Sea Girl!

As many of you will know, there is also a scale figure version of ‘Deep Sea Miku’… but you’ll be able to get the Nendo Petite of her too!!! Isn’t she adorable!

Everything is a completely new sculpt – her fringe, twin tails and outfit!
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This is the original illustration!

The illustration done by Haruyo-san and Makuu-san is so beautiful!! We’ve really tried to keep the same cute yet mysterious feeling about this Miku-san!!
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This is how she looks from the back!

Her twin-tails are painted with a kind of bubbly image to create the underwater effect of the original illustration. She also has a fairly dark gradient which looks beautiful, and the loose black dress also looks so cute in Nendo Petite size… there are so many lovely parts to her!

Alright, so that’s 10 out of the 12 figures in the set!

There are 2 left…!! ヽ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ

I’ll show more of the set on the 1st March! You’ll have to wait and see which other characters will be in the set!!

But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛

Kahotan's Blog

Author: Kahotan

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[Final] Painting a Nendoroid Expression Part 10: Adding a Matte and Blush

Painting a Nendoroid Expression Part 9: Adding in Highlights

Nendoroid Monokuma

Nendoroid Petite: Hatsune Miku Selection