2 Days Until WonFes! The GSC Offices Before the Event!

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Just 2 Days Until WonFes!!
 
The booth setup starts tomorrow!!

                _____  
      r⌒ヽ、   .  / ー  ー\
     / \  \. / ( ●) ( ●)  
    _/ / ヽ   /   (__人__) \  ”I’m off to the Makuhari Messe!”
   〈__/  . |  |    ` ⌒´   | 
        /  .\     i⌒\   / 
       ./   / ⌒ヽ, _.ヽ  .\/
        r  /     |/ー、\   \ 

I’m going to head off to the event hall now!!

I’ll once again be doing a live broadcast that covers the building of the booth tomorrow! Watch my twitter for updates!!

– WONDERFUL HOBBY LIFE FOR YOU!! Behind the Scenes of the Booth! –
http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv101857958
The broadcast is scheduled to start at 15:30JST tomorrow!
 


Finally, another quick notice! Danny Choo will be doing an English WonHobby Live Broadcast! You might even get the chance to see some of the figures that debuted at WonFes, so don’t miss out! For more info, head over to Danny’s website: http://www.dannychoo.com/wonhobby

– Danny’s Profile –
http://www.dannychoo.com/post/en/25018/

– Yoshimi’s Profile –
https://www.facebook.com/ferlynyoshimi.fb


 
Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope you’ll join in for the live broadcast tomorrow!! (`・ω・´)ゞ

Three Days Until WonFes! What to Expect From the Event!

Just 3 days until WonFes!!
 
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The GSC and Max Factory staff are all hard at work preparing for the event!!

Whether we like it or not, there are only 3 days left to prepare! We all work super hard before the event to make sure that everyone can have a great time, so if you have the time I hope you’ll stop by the event!!

Let’s take a look at some things to look forward to!

Firstly, hand-outs!
 
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A jumbo-sized fan & 3A stickers!

We are in the middle of Summer, so the event hall is likely to get very hot! Luckily everyone can grab one of these fans to cool down a bit!

The 3A stickers were seen at the previous WonFes, and will be here again this time around!
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The figma Catalog!

All the latest figmas all lined-up in a single catalog for you to take a look at. You’ll have to wait and see what is behind the giant GSC logo over on the left!
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The Nendoroid Catalog!

The reverse side of the figma catalog is in fact a Nendoroid catalog! Just like the figma version, all the latest Nendoroids are lined up for you to see!

Please note that all the hand outs will have limited stock and are on a first come, first serve basis. Head to the event early if you don’t want to miss out!
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Here we have the booth info!

The WonHobby booth will have quite a lot going on as usual! There will also of course be lots of figures on display, so figure fans are sure to have a great day!

– Event Summary – (Japanese)
http://www.whl4u.jp/event.html
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For those who want to buy WonHobby products!

There will be a queue for purchases that will follow the arrows in the above image. You’ll be given an order sheet in the queue – you simply need to circle the products you want and wait for you turn in line!

The following products will be available at the event:

figma Buffalo Bell : Visitor ver.
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3581/
(Blog): http://ameblo.jp/figma/entry-11283855693.html (Japanese)

Nendoroid Insane Black Rock Shooter
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3583/
(Blog): http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2012/07/24/nendoroid-insane-black-rock-shooter/

Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi & Fate Testarossa : Seishoudai Primary School Uniform Ver.
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3582/
(Blog): http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/nendoroid-nanoha-takamachi-fate-testarossa-seishoudai-primary-school-uniform-ver/

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Please note that The Good Smile Orange Special Diagonal Pliers will only be available in the afternoon!

They will be on sale at the same sales corner from the afternoon. This time around the threeA product will only be available via online sales. More information can be found here, unfortunately only in Japanese though!

– Event Sales –
http://www.whl4u.jp/buy_kaijou.html
– Online Sales –
http://www.whl4u.jp/buy_web.html
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Live WonHobby!

The usual live broadcast will of course be coming around once again! In the afternoon we’ll be showing the stage events, with some rather deep contents coming in the evening!

For those who have school or work the next day, you can also watch the broadcast using NicoNico’s timeshift! I hope you’ll join us!

– Live WonHobby 12: Afternoon –
http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv98624534

– Live WonHobby 12: Evening-
http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv98639019
tenji_cap
WonFes Japan Figure Displays!

All the new figures on display at WonFes will be making their way around Japan for everyone to see! They will be available at 4 different locations over the weeks following WonFes. The last tour around Japan for the sales team just ended the other day, and now a new one is about to begin! 😛

I’ll also be at the display at Osaka, so if you see me there be sure to say hi!

– WonFes Figure Displays –
http://www.whl4u.jp/tour.html

-GSC Sales Team Twitter –
https://twitter.com/gsc_sales

You can also follow Gumako on twitter to find out about new products and sales info from twitter!

If you can’t make it to the event, she’ll keep you updated so you don’t miss out on any news from the event!!

– Gumako Twitter –
https://twitter.com/GSC_GUMA

Just 3 days until WonFes!!
 

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       / ̄ ̄ ̄\
     / ─    ─ \    ”Hmm?
    /   <○>  <○> \.   What is that capsule toy machine…?”
    |   (__人__) し|
    \    ` ⌒´  / 
    /  し        \

From all of us here at GSC…
We hope to see you at the event!! (・∀・)

I’m sure you’ll have a great time if you come along, so don’t miss out! The event day is likely to be very hot, so be sure to bring some water along with you!

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

Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi : Exelion Mode Edition

The production team just before WonFes!

Here we have Takanon’s desk!
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       / ̄ ̄ ̄\
/ ─    ─ \
/  (≡)  (≡) \.  “Sorry for bothering you right before WonFes!”
|    (__人__) し|
\    ` ⌒´   /
/  し        \

But I had to come by at least once before Friday! I needed to grab some photos of the products that would be on display at WonFes – but that’s a blog for another day. 😛

Today I’ll be borrowing that weapon lying on his desk to introduce this figure to everyone!! (`・ω・´)
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From Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 2nd A’s:

Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi : Exelion Mode Edition!

From the hit anime film ‘Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 2nd A’s comes a fully posable Nendoroid of Takamachi Nanoha wearing her barrier jacket! You can also switch her weapon into different forms with replaceable parts!

Another Nendoroid to join the posable ‘Edition’ series!!
It’s so nice to be able to pose a figure exactly how you want to see it – and with Nanoha that means you can create all the famous combat scenes! There are so many poses I want to make!
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This is how she looks from the back!

Raising Heart is in Excelion ! (*゚∀゚)=3

She can hold it on the grip or on the blue handle area – which ever you prefer!
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Floating in the air with a smile!

She uses the arm-type stand allowing you to pose her in aerial poses just like this! The base of the stand also features a lovely magical circle!
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A shouting expression for combat!

You can also change Raising Heart into Strike Flame mode!

The light and wing parts of the Strike Flame form are made using a clear pink plastic which looks really nice. The wings on her feet are actually made using the same clear parts, and can also be removed and attached whenever you like.

She really is loaded with joints – she has joints on her neck, twin-tails, shoulders, hips, elbows, knees, wrists, ankles and more! Even the sides of her skirt can be moved around, allowing you to create really dynamic looking scenes with her skirt blowing around in the action!!
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Just looking at this smile calms me down!

If you prefer the more peaceful side of Nanoha then you can stay way from the combat poses and have a much more peaceful pose like this one! She looks so happy to be holding Raising Heart!!

The ability to change the poses to however you like is really great! You can really pick the Nanoha you want to see with this version!

Bonus Scene! ( ゚∀゚)ノ

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Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi & Fate Testarossa : Seishoudai Primary School Uniform Ver. will be on sale at WonFes this Sunday!

The full review for these two can be found here: http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/nendoroid-nanoha-takamachi-fate-testarossa-seishoudai-primary-school-uniform-ver/

You can take this adorable expression…

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… and place it on Exelion Nanoha!!

Even as a super posable Nendoroid, you can still swap expressions with other Nendoroids! Which means you can also of course use this Nanoha’s expressions on the school uniform Nanoha as well!

Nanoha fans can grab both of them for even more variations!
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From Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha The MOVIE 2nd A’s:
Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi : Exelion Mode Edition!

         ____
/      \
/   ─    ─ \   ”I hope Fate-chan is coming soon too!”
/    (●)  (●) \
|       (__人__)  | ________
\      |r┬-|   ,/| |        |
ノ      `ー’´  \ | |        |
/´               | |        |
|    l             | |        |
ヽ    -一ー_~、⌒)^),-、   | |_________|
ヽ ____,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ- ̄   | |  |

Nanoha will be up for preorder on the 26th July!

Be sure to contact our partner shops if you have any sales or preorder queries!
But that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!! (・∀・)ノ゛


(C) NANOHA The MOVIE 2nd A’s PROJECT

Nendoroid Insane Black Rock Shooter

The GSC Meeting Rooms have a window shaped like the Good Smile logo on the doors!
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Beyond this lovely little window…
WonFes preparations are well under way!

If you look through the window’s smile you’ll see a couple of figures – there are being setup to figure out how they should be placed in the display cases at WonFes! There will be a lot of new figures on display at WonFes as well, so figure fans have a lot to look forward to, whether you are going to the event or not!

Let’s go through this year’s WonFes products!!

These five products will be available at the WonHobby booth this time around!

figma Buffalo Bell : Visitor ver.
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3581/
http://ameblo.jp/figma/entry-11283855693.html

Nendoroid Insane Black Rock Shooter
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/ja/3583/

Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi & Fate Testarossa : Seishoudai Primary School Uniform Ver.
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3582/
http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/nendoroid-nanoha-takamachi-fate-testarossa-seishoudai-primary-school-uniform-ver/

WWR JDF HAROLD
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3599/

Takumi Tools : Ultra-Thin Diagonal Pliers – Good Smile Orange Special
http://www.goodsmile.info/product/en/3605/

Today we’ll be taking a look at this one!
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Nendoroid Insane Black Rock Shooter

She is of course from the anime series that aired on Fuji TV’s noitaminA block, ‘Black Rock Shooter’ – a more psychotic version of Black Rock Shooter that played a big role in the series!  The Nendoroid can take a variety of poses from the series as well as from key visuals from the series!
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This is an actual sample of the product!

With only five days to go, we obviously aren’t looking at the prototype, but in fact at one of the actual figures that will be on sale at the event! This is pretty much exactly what you’ll get if you pick her up at WonFes this weekend!

As you can see from the packaging above, she comes with a lot of extra parts to play around with!

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This is how she looks from the back!

As you can see, the Insane Cannon Lance at her side is even taller than her! It’s also attaches to her back with a chain. Her spiky twin-tails are also fitted with joints! The crown on the left is made of a softer material so it doesn’t get in the way of posing at all!
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The Insane Cannon Lance!

She can be posed holding the cannon with her right hand while her left hand pulls the chain back to support it! The incredible size of the weapon creates a pose has a really epic feeling to it!

        ____
        /     \   ”Hmm, this seems like a cooler pose than normal…?”
     /   ⌒  ⌒ \
   /    (●)  (●) \
    |    ゙)(__人__)” .)|    ___________
   \      。` ⌒゚:j´/ j゙~~| | |          |
__/          \  |__| | |          |
| | /   ,              \n||| |         |
| | /   /         r.  ( こ| |         |
| | | ⌒ ーnnn        |\ (⊆ソ .|_|__________|
 ̄ \__、(“二) ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄ ̄l二二l二二  _|_|__|_

I’m glad you noticed! But in case you didn’t…
Insane-san has more joints than a normal Nendoroid!

Not only does she have joints in her shoulders and wrists, but also her elbows, knees and ankles! It’s not quite as many joints as the super posable ‘Edition’ series of Nendoroids, but it is definitely more than normal and definitely makes it possible for some more interesting poses!

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A rather cute looking combat expression!

Those scornful eyes with the kind of blank staring expression suits her so well! Insane-san is so adorable… 😛

She also comes with a separate arm part to pose her with the Cannon Lance horizontally at her side like this!
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The Insane Blade Claw!

The blade has been given a nice metallic look, and can be held in either hand! The BRS series is often praised for working with figmas very well, but I have to say I think it works just as well with Nendoroids! huke’s designs are just so incredible!!
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Insane-san looking down from above!

She looks like a dominatrix looking down on everyone, it’s lovely!! The purple flame over her eye connects onto her fringe and so can be used with either of the expressions!
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Exchange expressions with Nanoha!

Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi & Fate Testarossa : Seishoudai Primary School Uniform Ver. is another one of the WonFes products together with Insane-san – if you grab both of them you can exchange expressions for a rather interesting look like this!

Their eyes are a similar purple color, so it actually suits quite well! Insane-san looks so much more innocent suddenly! ((((( ;゜Д゜)))))

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Good Smile Company’s:

Nendoroid Insane Black Rock Shooter

         ____
       /      \
      /   ─    ─\   ”The black crown looks lovely!”
    /    (●)  (●) \
    |     (__人__)    | ________
     \      |r┬-|   ,/| |        |
    ノ      `ー’´  \ | |        |
  /´               | |        |
 |    l             | |        |
 ヽ    -一ー_~、⌒)^),-、   | |_________|
  ヽ ____,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ- ̄   | |  |

There are four ways you can get hold of her!

Here is a quick summary, click the links for more information!

■ 07/29 : WonFes’s Wonhobby Booth
http://www.whl4u.jp/buy_kaijou.html
Number Available: 3000. Max two per person. Stock is limited!

■ 07/29~ : Web Sales
http://www.whl4u.jp/buy_web.html
You’ll be able to order them online for a week from the 29th July! All figures will be made to order and are planned to be delivered in November.

■ 07/29 : GSC & Karaoke no Tetsujin Cafe Akihabara
http://www.gstjcafe.jp/
Number Available: 200. They will be on sale from 11:00 at the Akihabara cafe on the 29th July. Max one per person. Stock is limited!

■ 07/29 : GSC & Karaoke no Tetsujin Cafe Taipei
http://www.gstjcafe.jp/tw/
Number Available: 300. For more information please check the official facebook page of the cafe! Max two per person. Stock is limited.

Just 5 days left until WonFes!!

There will be a lot more than just things to buy at the event! I’ll be putting that up on the blog soon as well, so look forward to it!
 
– WONDERFUL HOBBY LIFE FOR YOU!! 16 –
http://www.whl4u.jp/
 

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

Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi & Fate Testarossa : Seishoudai Primary School Uniform Ver.

The WonHobby 16 website was updated today!

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The previously unknown products have been revealed!

WonHobby 16 Product Information:

http://www.whl4u.jp/products.html

Two more products have been added to the website!

Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi & Fate Testarossa : Seishoudai Primary School Uniform Ver. & WWR JDF HAROLD!

The WWR Harold is joining the Japan Defense Force Series from threeA – a lovely model with caterpillar treads! It’s also a huge 30cm in size which is certainly quite impressive… but more than the size, I just want those caterpillar treads!

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Today is also the premiere of…

Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha : The MOVIE 2nd A’s!

We decided to announce this WonFes product to coincide with the release of the movie!

There is even a sample for us to peek at!

There are only 15 days left till WonFes now, so I suppose its not really that amazing that there are samples already! But anyway, let’s get on with the review!

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From Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha : The MOVIE 2nd A’s:

Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi & Fate Testarossa : Seishoudai Primary School Uniform Ver.!

Nendoroids of Nanoha and Fate from the most recent Nanoha movie, both wearing their school uniforms! They also both come with a variety of optional parts!

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This is how the packaging looks!

This is obviously a set of two Nendoroids, and each comes with some extras parts which we’ll take a look at shortly. They also each come with an extra expression – lots of goodies for fans to enjoy!

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This is how they look from the back!

That simple white uniform with the blue stripes has such a neat and tidy look to it! The skirt is also nice and loose which ensures the legs can be moved around without any problems for all sorts of fun poses!

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Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi!

The younger version of Nanoha is so adorable!!

Nanoha comes with her device and a school bag!

The school bag is carried on her back, but it has a hole for the arm of the stand so that it doesn’t get in the way when you’re trying to pose her!

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Nendoroid Fate Testarossa!

The young Fate is just as cute as Nanoha!! She looks so happy!

Fate comes with her school bag and a hand to hold it!

They both come with two bent arms for some cute posing options like this!

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Arf and Yuuno in their animal forms!

They’re so tiny!! Both of them are attached to the arm parts that are holding them, so hopefully they won’t go missing too easily!

Even though Yuuno is so tiny, he still has highlights for the pupils in his eyes! Both of them are really important characters, so I’m glad to have them included!
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Holding out their intelligent devices!

When you pose the two of them together like this, it looks just like they are about to transform together! The devices are attached to the hand parts, but can be attached to any of the arms!
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Crying faces while holding hands!

This lets you recreate one of the most popular scenes from the show!

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They suit each other so well!!

Not only can they hold hands, but there are also hand parts for them to couple hands together like this – you can even make out each and every one of their tiny fingers!! Absolutely incredible!!

There is no way a fan could say no with parts like this included!! Σ(゚Д゚)ガーン
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From Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha : The MOVIE 2nd A’s:

Nendoroid Nanoha Takamachi & Fate Testarossa : Seishoudai Primary School Uniform Ver.!

There are four ways you can get hold of them!

Here is a quick summary, click the links for more information!

■ 07/29 : WonFes’s Wonhobby Booth
http://www.whl4u.jp/buy_kaijou.html
Number Available: 3000. Max two per person. Stock is limited!

■ 07/29~ : Web Sales
http://www.whl4u.jp/buy_web.html
You’ll be able to order them online for a week from the 29th July! All figures will be made to order and are planned to be delivered in November.

■ 07/29 : GSC & Karaoke no Tetsujin Cafe Akihabara
http://www.gstjcafe.jp/
Number Available: 200. They will be on sale from 11:00 at the Akihabara cafe on the 29th July. Max one per person. Stock is limited!

■ 07/29 : GSC & Karaoke no Tetsujin Cafe Taipei
http://www.gstjcafe.jp/tw/
Number Available: 300. For more information please check the official facebook page of the cafe! Max two per person. Stock is limited.

Just 15 days left until WonFes!!

I’ll also be doing a review of Insane-chan soon, so watch out for that if you’re interested in grabbing her!

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

The WonHobby Site is Live!

Wonder Festival 2012 (Summer)

29th July at the Makuhai Messe!

I can’t believe how fast these seem to come around every 6 months! It feels like the last WonFes was not even three months ago!

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The special site for the event went live today!

WONDERFUL HOBBY LIFE FOR YOU !! 16!

This will be Max Factory and GSC’s joint booth for the event! The booth name is shortened to ‘WonHobby’ for the event, so you just need to remember that.

– WONDERFUL HOBBY LIFE FOR YOU !! 16 –

http://whl4u.jp/


The site will be updated again from time to time, so keep an eye on it! (`・ω・´)

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WonFes Products!

From Max Factory we have,
figma Buffalo Bell : Visitor ver.!

From Good Smile we have,
Nendoroid Insane Black Rock Shooter!

There are also some products that will be up later!
Keep an eye on the site, as they’ll be announced soon!

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There will also be online sales!!

Delivery will only be in November for online sales, as they will all be made-to-order. But it does mean that if you can’t make it to the event you can still grab the exclusive products!

They will be available for order at the GOOD SMILE ONLINE SHOP from 29th July until the 6th August!

– GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP –

http://goodsmile-wf-global.ecq.sc


This will also be updated when the products are available, so keep an eye on it if you want to order! We’ll also announce it on the GSC site once they are available for order!

– WONDERFUL HOBBY LIFE FOR YOU !! 16 –

http://whl4u.jp/


And finally a quick notice!! (ノ゚∀゚)ノ キャホー

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The Nendoroid Complete File!

This was released by Hobby Japan and you should be able to find it in stores from today! It’s much bigger than I expected and the package is so cute!! It a great read but that’s not all – it also comes with a Nendoroid to play with!!

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This is what’s inside the box!

Here you can see the included Nendoroid Saber : Complete File Edition! (`・ω・´)

This is a fully posable version of Saber in her casual clothes! She comes with a fencing sword, some tea, parts for sitting on her knees and much more!

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Inside the actual album!

All the Nendoroids of the past are all included for you to enjoy! Everything you need to know about Nendoroids you can find in this lovely album!

The album also includes interviews that you can’t find anywhere else as well as production reports which shows exactly how Nendoroids are made – definitely a book that Nendoroid fans will enjoy. The album was released to commemorate GSC’s 10th anniversary, and should be available for purchase now!

Today we have a special guest on the blog!

An interview with the Nendoroid illustrator, kako!

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for the blog! I’ve got to know kako quite well now, he is a really nice guy!! We’d never have so many cute Nendoroids without him!! (`・ω・´)

Q. Is there anything you need to pay specific attention to when illustrating Nendoroids?

You need to be very careful to keep to the original character design as much as possible. When making a Nendoroid design there is a careful balance between keeping to the Nendoroid design and still keeping the original character design intact as much as possible. The illustrations need to indicate things like where the waist starts which changes quite a lot from character to character, so each needs to be very finely tuned. Nendoroids are ‘chibi’ characters, but even so we try to keep their outfits and extras with the same amount of detail on the original designs. I think that’s partly what makes Nendoroids so amazing! (Although I’m sure it’s a lot of work for the sculptors!)

Q. Are there any illustrations that really stick in your mind?

There are lots that I remember quite fondly, but if I had to talk about a few…

● Haruhi Suzumiya (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)

This was the first Nendoroid to have an illustration done before it was sculpted, so it is definitely very memorable. When I first saw a picture of the rough sculpt, I couldn’t believe how much cuter the figure looked compared to the illustration – I was overcome with how amazing she looked and that was when I realized just how incredible the sculptors were!! I was also amazed that the rough sculpt was ready the week after I sent in the illustration… they were really quick!

Ryuk (DEATH NOTE)

I wasn’t able to get the head to look right on this one… I must have redrawn the face at least 100 times before it looked right. Nendoroids are supposed to have a kind of cute feeling to them, but that was very hard to capture with Ryuk. I think it must be the illustration that I’ve spent the most time on ever. I was personally quite happy with the way the design came out in the end though – it was cute but still had the Ryuk feeling to it.

Miku Hatsune

The Nendoroid illustration of Miku was kind of the illustration that set the format for all the future Nendoroid illustrations – most new designs use her as a base now. It’s like the definitive Nendoroid illustration! Plus the illustration was not only used for sculpting the original Nendoroid, but also for the plushie, rubber straps, Racing Miku and lots more!

Q. Anything else you want to add?

Congratulations on the release of the Nendoroid Complete File! I made sure to order a copy for myself! I couldn’t believe the Nendoroid series got its very own game, and now it even has its own album! To be perfectly honest I never expected the Nendoroid series to become so big and last for so long when I started working on it. I’m so very glad that the Nendoroid design has been loved by so many people for such a long time. I’ll be sure to bring more and more of the cutest illustrations I can! A big thanks for having me on the blog as well!!

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer the questions!! kako’s Nendoroid illustrations really have the most amazing balance – they suit the conversion to figures absolutely perfectly!

The reason we are all able to love Nendoroids is thanks to you and the sculptors that work so hard to bring them to us! I’m looking forward to more illustrations in the future!!

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

The GSC Sales Team 4700km Japan Journey!

The sales team is super busy!

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The reason for this hectic business is that two of the staff are off on…

The GSC Sales Team 4700km Japan Journey!

The Good Smile Company Sales Team will be driving around in a Good Smile Car and displaying upcoming figures around to stores all over Japan between the 11th June and the 29th June. The journey will begin in the Kantou region, moving through to Touhoku, Hokkaido, Tokai, Kinki, China, Kyushu, Shikoku and the Shin-Etsu region – in each region they will be visiting some of the partner shops in that region, displaying figures such as Ultimate Madoka and Saber & Saber Motored Cuirassier which is due for release soon!

When and which stores they are stopping by are listed at the end of this blog post!

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They will be traveling in this car!

I can’t believe they’re going by car! This is going to one long and harsh journey for the sales team! ^^;

The two who are going on the trip are Nagaizumi and one of the new recruits – Murakami!
We’ll find out how the trip is going by phone a little later on…
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The main focus of the campaign is of course to display Ultimate Madoka!  (*゚∀゚)ノ

Posters like this one will be given out at Hobby Shops – a lovely picture of Ultimate Madoka with a spacey background. I’m sure there are lots that want to get their hands on it…

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If you reserve Ultimate Madoka while the sales team is at the store…

You’ll get one of these double-sided B3 posters!

The front is the Madoka figure with the universe background and the reverse side is a background for you to display behind your Ultimate Madoka! Awesome!

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Let’s take a look at the stores!

The first day was at Ibaraki – Akiba Sofmap Mito!

As you can see there is a lovely big cardboard stand for everyone to see! Plus even though the photo was taken quite far from the figure, she still has an amazing presence!
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The customers have arrived!

The first day was a weekday, so I was worried that nobody was going to be there! A big thanks to everyone who stopped by to see Madoka!

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Nagaizumi is the one in the turquoise shirt!

Excellent! He seems to be treating the girls with the utmost respect! If there is anything you want to know, don’t hesitate to ask him!
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Tochigi prefecture’s Volks Utsunomiya Showroom!

Wait? From Ibaraki to Tochigi…?

They moved from Akiba Sofmap Mito to the Volks showroom on the same day! That’s quite some distance to cover in just one day!
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Ah! The preorder poster!

As I mentioned before, the sales team will be giving out the B3 poster as a present to everyone who preorders while they are at the store!
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Madoka is just as popular in Utsunomiya!

The prototype hasn’t yet been out of the Chiba/Tokyo area, so it’s great that everyone else can finally get a chance to see it! It’s much better to see it for yourself than try and figure out the size from images all the time. ^^;
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Photo by Nagaizumi!

A picture of Madoka from above, giving us a nice look at the pedestal as well!
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The next day: animate Miyagi in Sendai!

Ooh! We got lots of space to show her off once again! It makes for a very colorful area that nobody would want to miss out on!
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Along with Ultimate Madoka, Phat Company’s Hibari and the soon to be released Saber & Saber Motored Cuirassier were also on display!

I’m still amazed at the quality that Saber & Saber Motored Cuirassier – this wasn’t the prototype but a early release sample! If you’re not sure if you want to order her, be sure to go take a look at the display and see her for yourself!
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Next up: Volks Sendai Showroom in Miyagi!

Wow! The display is enormous here! We also have GSC’s 1/8th scale Madoka on display!! Ultimate Madoka is the same 1/8th scale as the previously released Madoka series, so they’ll look great displayed together!
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QB-san as a teru-teru bozu!!

Not to mention he is huge!! xD If he was real I think I’d have to make a contract…!
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The display looked like this here!

Uuko’s circular display stands really give a classy feeling to the display! I want them for my Nendoroids!

And I have to say it again… Madoka is really big… 😛

Right, let’s call Nagaizumi and see how they’re doing!

“Hey! How is the trip going?”


||  / ̄ ̄\  ← Nagaizumi
|| /    ─  \
/〔|    ( ○) (○)   ”No time to stay at a hotel… I can’t charge my PC!”
〔ノ^ゝ  (__人__)
ノ ノ^,-    ` ⌒´
/´ ´ ‘ , ^ヽ      }
/     ノ'”\.  ⌒
人    ノ \/,_ __ノ
/:::::\_/l:::::::\ー-.,ノ、゙,

“Eh?! You’re just staying in the car?!
How are you going to send me text for the blog?


||  / ̄ ̄\  ← Nagaizumi
|| /    ─  \
/〔|    ( ○) (○)   ”I’ll send it at the next parking space…”
〔ノ^ゝ  (__人__)
ノ ノ^,-    ` ⌒´
/´ ´ ‘ , ^ヽ      }
/     ノ'”\.  ⌒
人    ノ \/,_ __ノ
/:::::\_/l:::::::\ー-.,ノ、゙,

No! It’s okay, really!

They’ve only just started, it’s definitely going to be quite a tough journey! Just make sure you stay healthy, and be careful when driving!

For the next three weeks the 4700km Japan Journey will continue!  (`・ω・´)

This is the schedule, so if you have the time when they are nearby then come by for a visit!

2012/6/11/(Sun) [Ibaraki] Akiba Sofmap Mito(Web)/[Tochiki] Volk’s Utsunomiya Showroom (Web)

2012/6/12/(Tue) [Miyagi] animate Sendai(Web)/[Miyagi] Volk’s Sendai Showroom(Web)

2012/6/13/(Wed) [Iwate] animate Morioka(Web)

2012/6/14/(Thur) [Hokkaido] animate Sapporo(Web)

2012/6/15/(Fri) [Hokkaido] Volk’s Sapporo Showroom(Web)

2012/6/16/(Sat) [Aichi] Joshin Kid’s Land Oosu(Web)

2012/6/17/(Sun) [Osaka] Sofmap Gigastore Nanba (Web)

2012/6/18/(Sun) [Kyoto] animate Kyoto(Web) /[Hyougo] animate Sannomiya(Web)

2012/6/19/(Tue) [Tottori] HobbyShop Rearia(Web)/[Okayama] Medio! Nishiichi Hobby Section(Web)

2012/6/20/(Wed) [Tokushima] ufotable CINEMA(Web)(animate Tokushima/Nankai Books)

2012/6/21/(Thur) [Hiroshima] Hobby Zone Hiroshima(Web)

2012/6/23/(Sat) [Fukuoka] animate Kokura(Web)

2012/6/24/(Sun) [Fukuoka] Asobit City Canal City Store(Web)

2012/6/25/(Sun) [Osaka] Geestore Osaka(Web)

2012/6/26/(Tue) [Aichi] animate Nagoya(Web)/[Aichi] TamTam Nagoya(Web)

2012/6/27/(Wed) [shizuoka] animate Shizuoka(Web)

2012/6/28/(Thur) [Nagano] Liondo Panda Record(Web)

2012/6/29/(Fri) [Tokyo] Volk’s Akihabara Showroom(Web)

If you want the B3 poster, you should follow the Sales Team’s twitter!

Sales Team Twitter (Japanese)
https://twitter.com/gsc_sales/

They will be tweeting where they are and when they arrive! On the 23rd/24th at Fukuoka, I might also stop by to see how things are going – feel free to come and have a chat! It’ll be my first time in Hakata, so I’m actually looking forward to it!

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

Kuala Lampur, Malaysia – AFA Report #2 and a Message from Aoi Yuuki!

Anime Festival Asia in Malaysia!

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version

GSC had a booth there on the 9th and 10th of June!

ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA is more commonly known by the acronym of the name, ‘AFA’! This report is a continuation from yesterday, so be sure to read the previous blog entry first: Kuala Lampur, Malaysia – AFA Report #1

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This is how the GSC booth looked!

We had displays of upcoming products which loads of people came by to look at! I was so glad to see that anime and figure culture has spread so much all over Asia now!

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This is the backstage area!

The stage that featured all the interviews and performances was located in a separate building away from the booths. Those appearing on stage would wait here in the back for their turn on the stage… it was actually quite high up and scary to stand on. ^^;

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The audience area was huge!!

I guess for celebrities and musicians this is quite normal, but  for me it was amazing to see so many people! Thanks Malaysia!!

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MAX Watanabe and Aki were both on stage with Danny Choo!

Danny would translate everything that MAX and Aki would say so that everyone in the audience could understand! Thanks Danny!

During the talks a number of figures would be put up on the monitors and the audience would all cheer together – it was incredible!!

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Back to the booth!

Today was also the day of the preliminary races taking place in Sepang, Malaysia – in which the Miku car was racing. Kaula Lampur and Sepang are about one hour apart by car, so Aki actually came from the race to be here for the stage performance!

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Chatting with some customers!!

MAX and Aki definitely chatted with a number of customers, but even I got some customers that came and told me things like, “I love reading your blog” or “Looking forward to the next blog!” which made me really glad!

Everyone in Malaysia was really kind, and most would try hard to speak to me in Japanese as I can’t speak English at all – it really meant a lot to me! Now that I’ve seen how many people are looking forward to GSC’s products even outside of Japan, I’m definitely going to work as best I can to show the best products to everyone!!

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That brings my AFA report to and end!

I’m sure it wasn’t the best event report ever, but I hope you enjoyed it! It’s not easy to get to an event like this if you don’t live around Malaysia, but I hope you were at least able to get a feeling for the event from my report!

The thing that really leaves an impression on me from this event is that even though the event hall was always in chaos, people wanting to take photos would always patiently wait their turn and if someone just slightly bumped into you they would apologise – I think that considerate mindset is absolutely wonderful.

It was my very first visit to Malaysia, and I’ve come to love it! If I ever get the chance I will definitely be back. A big thank you to everyone who came by the booth at the event, as well as to everyone who came to speak with me!!
But that’s not all!

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The main display at AFA – Ultimate Madoka!

____
/ .u   \    ”You brought the prototype with!?”
((○))  ((○))
/⌒)⌒)⌒. ::::  (__人__) l_j :::\/⌒)⌒)⌒)
| / / /    |r┬-|  | (⌒)/  /  /  //
| :::::::::::(⌒) U .||| / ゝ:::::::::::/
|   ノ     | |  |  \ / ) /
ヽ   /      └ー.┘   ヽ /  /

Of course! (Megurin did)

At the airport while they were inspecting hand luggage and just before we got on the plane, everyone kept aksing things like “What is that you’re holding?”, or “Isn’t that a little too big?”. ^^;

Normally there are two prototypes created of any figure – one more promotional use and another to be sent through to the factories in China for manufacturing. But this time around we only had the one and it needed to be displayed once in Japan and then again in Malaysia, and now it’ll only be sent to China!

The picture above came out a little bit blurred because of the display case glass, but somehow I quite like the way it came out anyway – it actually looks quite pretty!

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Plus I have a message about the figure from
Aoi Yuuki, Madoka’s voice actor!!

Look at the picture above and imagine Madoka’s voice saying the following!

Ultimate Madoka only appeared in the anime for a brief moment, so I never expected to see a figure of her!! I’m so glad to see how she came out!! (*´ω`*) 

I absolutely love the skirt with the universe inside it! Not to mention the beauty of those transparent wings! Just seeing how divine she came out makes me want to kneel down and praise the creators!! To think that Madoka’s final form will be delivered to so many people looking this wonderful makes me incredibly happy!!

I hope you’ll spend lots of time together with Madoka once she arrives! (>ω<)

What a lovely message!!

I promise I’ll spend lots of time with her!! I’ll stay by her side forever!! I love you Madoka–!! 😛

Those who want to hear her voice, don’t miss out on the commercial for the figure either – if you haven’t seen it yet can take a look right here:

If you haven’t preordered your’s yet, be sure not to miss out!
Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again tomorrow!!  (・∀・)ノ゛

Kuala Lampur, Malaysia – AFA Report #1

.  / ̄ ̄ ̄\

. / ─   ─ \    ”It’s incredibly hot here in Malaysia!

/  <○>  <○> \   I knew it would be hot, but not this hot!

|   (__人__)  |

\    ` ⌒´  /

/  し       \

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Thursday, 7th June. 22:00.

Arrival in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia!

It took just less than eight hours to fly here from Japan. The time-zone is one hour different from Japan. It was also incredibly hot!!

The air is very humid, so it was very similar to the heat in Japan, but the strong aircon inside the buildings made it seem even warmer outside than normal.

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My room for the next four days!

I got a corner room, yay!  Not to mention it had a load of space, there was an internet connection and I had a great view! I couldn’t have asked for a better room!

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After one day of preparation…

AFA Day 1 Begins!

AFA is an acronym for ‘ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA’!

The day of preparation caused a lot of trouble with packages unable to get here on time, and road congestion causing delays for the GT team… but if I was to write on that I get the feeling it’ll end up being way too long, so I’ll have to drop it for now. 😛 Luckily, all the prototypes managed to arrive safely!

AFA was held at a place called ‘PWTC’! It looked pretty much like a shopping mall, but there were cosplayers walking around as if it were normal. Whenever I go overseas for events, I’m always glad to see things like this!

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Here we have the entrance!

From the main building you take a passage down to a smaller annex. Just like at Animelo Summer Live there was a fine mist spraying down from the ceiling. Anyway, let’s head inside…

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The GSC Booth!

The Good Smile booth was right near the entrance! Normally at events like this I have a hard time finding our booth…

This time around the booth was decorated with a racing theme!

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By the way…

Danny Choo’s booth was opposite the GSC booth…

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with Bushiroad next to us!! (゚∀゚)

Being close by to some of the booths that I know back from Japan was very reassuring. ^^ Let’s take a peek into Bushiroad’s booth…

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Lots of Cardfighers!

By the evening, there were so many people watching that the entire booth was surrounded! But Good Smile mustn’t lose!! 😛
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A photo from the pathway!

At the far end of the photo you can see the black and white chequered booth which is GSC, and on the left you can see parts of orange which are Danny’s booth! As an extra bonus we have a lovely looking back of a maid at the front of the photo! 😛
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The back of the GSC booth!

The same day as AFA, a GT race was being held at Sepang, right here in Malaysia – So the pit was recreated at AFA to celebrate!

That also explains why we decided to make the booth’s design have racing theme! The image above is Car #0’s pit – you can see Racing Miku looking absolutely lovely!

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Next to Car #0 we have the pit of Car #4!

The project mirai Miku Car! Isn’t she adorable!! Obviously I’m supporting #0, but I have to say I really want the mirai car to do well too!!

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Everyone taking photos!!

It makes me so happy to see everyone taking photos of our figures! Thanks everyone!! But what was the main attraction of the GSC booth at AFA…?

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It can only be Ultimate Madoka!

The case  we were using had lights in the top which worked very nicely for Madoka – the light on her wings and bow looks absolutely fantastic!

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A true goddess!!

The light shining up from the heavens only makes her look even more divine! Seeing her with lighting like this really makes me want to install lighting for my own figures at home…

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figma Saber & ex:ride Cuirassier

Note that they are both sold separately! As a part of the ex:ride series, Saber can of course ride on the Cuirassier perfectly – it was designed for figmas!
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The 1/8th Scale Saber & Cuirassier!

This isn’t the prototype, but in fact an actual sample from the factories! The manufacturing team have done a magnificent job, just look how incredibly she has come out!

I know a lot of you have been waiting for her – but the wait will be over later this month!

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figma Kiritsugu Emiya & figma Airi!

I might not be very good at it, but I tried to make some nice poses for the figmas – what do you think? ^^;

Kiritsugu is a prototype, and I was constantly worried I was going to lose his cigarette…

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The 1/7th Scale Luka-san!

Luka enjoyed all the attention of having everyone look through at her! Everyone else was taking photos from the front, so I decided to take a picture from the back instead!
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We also had a sales corner!

We were working with one of Singapore’s wholesale stores for this. They also helped us a lot with setting up the booth – thanks a lot guys!!

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These were the goods on sale!

On the first things sold at light speed and we were out of stock of many products in no time at all…

The Vocaloid products in particular were incredibly popular! There was also lots of Vocaloid cosplay – I guess it is just as popular overseas as it is in Japan!

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The Sepang race was being screened!

At the GSC Cafe back in Japan we were hosting a public viewing of the race, so we decided to host one here at AFA as well! This photo was taken on the first day, so this was actually the preliminary race.

The next day we of course had the actual race showing, and every time the Miku car made an appearance the audience would all shout ‘Oooh!”. It was great!!

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Time to wander around the event!

The event wasn’t that big, probably about half the size of the enterprise booths at Comiket. But even though it was smaller, it did seem more dense with things to do!

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Sailor uniforms and maid outfits!

I love maid outfits, but I think the sailor uniforms are even better. It really captures a unique kind of student feeling from Japan, along with a unique kind of sexiness!

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There were also swords on sale!

Whenever I go overseas I always see swords on sale – and lots of them!!

This store was also selling cat and rabbit hats that were incredibly popular! (There were tons of people wearing them at the event, which was absolutely adorable!)

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Capsule toy machines!

There were quite a lot of them to look through, all with all sorts of toys very similar to the ones you would find in Japan. I wanted to try them myself, but I didn’t have the right kind of coin on me… 🙁

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A maid café and a butler café!

At the very edge of the booths, there was a corner filled with tasty places to have lunch! The left side here is the maid café and the right was a butler café!

You can probably tell which was which just by which customers are lining up where – the queues for both seemed like they would never end. ^^;

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Dolls in the pathway!

Not even off to the side – right in the middle of the path!! I know they have stands, but I’d be worried that someone was going to kick them over!!

But it seems everyone in Malaysia is careful!

There was about a 1m area around the dolls that never had anyone inside, with people taking photos on the outskirts!

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Japanese kimonos! ( ゚∀゚)=3

They all look absolutely lovely! From the kimonos down to the sandals on their feet!! There are even patterns used on the straps of the sandals! They are so amazing! I also love the bow in Reimu’s hair – it’s perfect!

Anyway, my AFA report will be continuing tomorrow! 

I’ll also be getting some comments from a special guest – look forward to it!

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

Nendoroid Super Sonico : Tiger Hoodie Ver.

Nendoroid Super Sonico : Tiger Hoodie Ver.

         ____
       /      \
      /  \    /\ 
    /    (●)   (●) \
    |     (__人__)    | ________
     \      ` ⌒´   ,/ | |          |
    ノ           \ | |           |
  /´                 | |           |
 |    l                | |           |
 ヽ    -一ー_~、⌒)^),-、  | |________|
  ヽ ____,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ- ̄   | |  |

We’ve taken a complete look at how she was made!

094

All done at NicoNico Super Kaigi!

060

…and completed in just two days!

Well, 12 and a half hours to be exact!

001

After some adjustments, she debuted on WonHobby News Watch!

If you missed out on the details of her sculpting and painting, you can catch up with the articles below. If you’re looking to become a sculptor in the future, it should be a rather interesting read!

Nine Sculptors in an 11 Hour Figure Making Trial! (Sculpting – Part 1)
http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2012/05/08/nine-sculptors-in-an-11-hour-figure-making-trial-sculpting-part-1/

Nine Sculptors in an 11 Hour Figure Making Trial! (Sculpting – Part 2)
http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/nine-sculptors-in-an-11-hour-figure-making-trial-sculpting-part-2/

Nine Sculptors in an 11 Hour Figure Making Trial!
(Duplication / Painting– Part 3)
http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/nine-sculptors-in-an-11-hour-figure-making-trial-duplication-painting-part-3/

Nine Sculptors in an 11 Hour Figure Making Trial!
(Duplication / Painting– Part 4)
http://gscmikatan.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/nine-sculptors-in-an-11-hour-figure-making-trial-duplication-painting-part-4/

WonHobby News Watch
http://www.goodsmile.info/post/en/3394/

And now…!

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Nendoroid Super Sonico : Tiger Hoodie Ver.!

The prototype has had some final adjustments for release!

Nitroplus’ lovely mascot character is here to join the Nendoroid series in her tiger hoodie! In order to ensure that the Nendoroid lived up to previous Nendoroid standards, she has undergone a brush-up after the original sculpting and painting. She looked incredible at the event, but she looks even cuter now!

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This is how she looks from the back!

Can you tell which parts were changed from the original prototype?

First off, the tail!! Σ(゚∀゚*)

The tail wasn’t visible on the illustration so it wasn’t sculpted on at the time, but the character designs do feature a tail so it had to be added on! Plus it can even be moved left and right!!

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The guitar can be removed!

There were also small changes to the color of the hair and headphones!

The hair needed to be made slightly lighter, while the headphones were changed from white to a more silvery color. Apparently even though the illustration had white headphones, it’s actually very common for things like that to be made silver on figures – I had no idea!! :O

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A lovely winking expression!

Is it just me or does this make her look super sexy!? She also comes with a bent arm that lets you put her hand up by her headphones – a pose very suited to a model!

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She also has a singing expression!

Sonico is a gravure idol, game character and of course the vocalist and guitarist for the band ‘Daiichi Uchuu Sokudo’!

The expression really makes her look like she is happy to be singing! She also comes with a microphone as an optional extra!

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Jump!! \(^o^)/
 
This is how I imagine Sonico would look jumping up in the air during one of her live performances! She comes with both left and right bent legs, so making a pose like this is easy with the use of the arm-type stand!

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You can also put her hood up!

       ____
    /::::::─三三─\
  /:::::::: ( ○)三(○)\  ”That’s too cute!!!”
  |:::::::::(__人__):::|
  \::::::   |r┬-|   /
  ノ:::::::  `ー’´   \

It really is adorable!!

Plus it really wasn’t necessary! She comes with so much already!

The hood part fits around all the expressions – you just need to push each expression into the hood first. She comes with a separate fringe part designed to be used with the hood as well!!

009

This is how the hood looks from the back!

You can of course remove the unworn hood from the hoodie when she is wearing it on her head!

The pattern on her hoodie was also very hard to work with – it will be done with stamp printing, but the surface is large and there are lots of curves which makes it very awkward. I hope the production team doesn’t have too much trouble with her!!

002

Nendoroid Super Sonico : Tiger Hoodie Ver.!

She is up for preorder at the Good Smile Online Shop!

http://goodsmile.ecq.sc/top/gcp202.html

Orders close on the 31st May at 21:00 JST, and you can only order her from the Good Smile Online shop and from the GSC Tetsujin Cafe, so don’t miss out!
 


We will be having a live broadcast today from 20:00 (JST)! (・ω・)ノ

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– Wonhobby News Watch –

http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv93869976

The 3rd News Watch will be broadcast from the Akihabara Good Smile x Tetsujin Cafe! There will be some interesting info about Family Mart and Miku, as well as the final episode of ‘Chase the Super Sonico : Tiger Hoodie Ver.’!! Sonico may even be joining us in a special video appearance….!

There will be lots going on, so don’t miss out – you can also watch it on time-shift at a later stage!
 
 
Anyway, that’s all for today!
I hope to see you all again next week!! (・∀・)ノ゛
 
 
(C)2006-2012 Nitroplus