June 21, 2012 by Kahotan

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!

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･´)

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!

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

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!!

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!

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゛

June 18, 2012 by Kahotan

Fate/Zero Figure Special!

Hello everyone, my name is Oonoshi, another member of the Good Smile WEB team. I am the one always sending out the official comments on live broadcasts, and I am also in charge of the GSC email newsletter. (｀・ω・´)

I’ll be taking over the blog for Mikatan today, and I’ve decided to take a look at some of the figures from a series that I look forward to every week!

Fate/Zero!

The last episode of the series is going to air later this week, so I thought I’d take a look at some of the upcoming and released figures from the series!

figma Saber : Zero ver. &

figma Irisviel von Einzbern!

First up let’s take a look at figma Saber, in her lovely black suit that she was known for in the Zero series. She was just recently announced for a rerelease which will be coming in October! The suit itself is made from a soft material allowing you to pose her in all sorts of wonderful poses!

Next to her is Irisviel who went on sale last month – she looks so lovely and elegant! I’m sure that Fate/Zero fans will be proud to display these two together. They look great alone, but they look event better when they are together… but fans of the series also won’t want to miss out on the most recent addition to the figma Fate/Zero:

figma Kiritsugu Emiya!

figma Emiya is currently up for preorder to be released in September this year!

He comes with a load of heavy weapons along with his Thompson Contender, and he even comes with a hand holding a cigarette and an expression with a cigarette in his mouth – all the optional parts really bring together Kiritsugu’s personality! He even comes with a extra arm part that lets you display him with one hand in his pocket – it’s the perfect pose for him in my opinion!

ex:ride Spride.05 : Saber Motored Cuirassier!

To add even more options to the figma collection, and ex:ride of Saber’s bike is also up for order at the moment, due for release in October!! It is absolutely amazing quality – I was actually scared to touch the prototype because it looked so great. ^^;

You can of course also pose figma Saber: Zero ver. riding the bike, allowing you to recreate the amazing scene from episode 20 of the anime series! The bike also comes with an extra head part for figma Saber that makes it look like her hair is blowing in the wind, as well as a hand part for her to grip onto the handle bars.

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All lined up together!

Here we have all the different versions of Saber and her bike – the 1/8th scale version will be released later this month. Both the scale figure and the figma have their own unique feeling – I love putting different scale figures together like this and comparing them!

But… where did that Nendoroid come from…?

Nendoroid Saber : Zero Ver.! (Unpainted)

She was on display at NicoNico Super Kaigi so I’m sure most of you already knew about her, but the black suited Saber will be joining the Nendoroid world as well!

Because this was a special on Fate/Zero figures, I had to beg Oda-P to let me include the unfinished version in this post – but note that it is still incomplete and may still have some changes made!

The painted version along with all her optional parts will be introduced shortly, so look forward to it – I’m sure Mikatan will give her a proper introduction with lots of photos!

I also want to introduce this figure of Saber!

The 1/7th Scale, Saber ~Triumphant Excalibur~!

This figure has also been announced for rerelease this September! Saber wore this classic armor in Fate/Zero as well, so fans of the original Fate/stay night and fans of Fate/Zero will love this figure! The long flowing fair and realistic looking armor are absolutely stunning!

Anyway, that brings an end to my Fate/Zero figure special!

If you enjoy the anime then don’t miss out on the figures!

Lastly, a look at another upcoming figure!

The 1/8th Scale, Princess of the Crystal!

She is sculpted in the famous pose she always took when she said “A message to all you who will never amount to anything!”

Her huge fluffy dress that gives the figure some nice volume along with the all-important penguin hat have all been faithfully sculpted as not to disappoint fans of the series! The pose itself is also lovely to look at – you can see all her lovely curves and the expression is perfect!

She is available for preorder as of tomorrow!

Phew, I managed to finish the blog… I can’t tell you how much pressure I was under to write this… thanks for reading the whole thing!

Perhaps I’ll see you all again sometime!!
…maybe much sooner than you think…

It seems I’ve been roped into writing again tomorrow! I’ll be taking a somewhat different look at introducing a certain set of figures to everyone – I hope you’ll enjoy it.

But that’s all for today!

May 21, 2012 by Kahotan

Good Smile’s 10 Year Appreciation Project: Rerelease and Product Request Results!

Good Smile’s 10 Year Appreciation Project:

The Rerelease and Product Request Polls!

001

A big thanks to everyone who voted between the 10th April and the 1st May!

　　　　　　　　／ ⌒｀”⌒｀ヽ、　　　　
　　　　　　／,,　／￣￣￣￣＼　　　　　”We had lots of comments congradulating us!
　　　　　　 /,／/::　　　　　　　　＼　　　　　Thanks to everyone who sent them in!”
　　　　　　;/⌒'”:::..　　　　　　　 |⌒ヽ　　　　
　　　　　　　/　　/､:::::… 　　　　　 /ヽ_　＼　　
　　　　 _＿（　⌒ー-ｨ⌒ヽ、　 /⌒`ー’⌒　）　　
━━━━━`ー──ゝィｿﾉー‐ヾy＿ﾉー─”━━━━　　　

I’m sure some have already seen that the results of the polls have been released!

The result screen during the voting period only showed the top 20, but these results show to the top 50!

I hope the figure you were looking for is somewhere on the list… let’s take a look!

The Nendoroid Results!

The top 4 of the Nendoroids were all from the first 100 Nendoroids! With 6 years and running, it has become quite difficult to get hold of some of the older releases, so now you might get a chance to grab them again!

Miyafuji, Saber Lily and Saber Lion got a lot of votes from mail entries and I have to say that I was very surprised (but happy!) to see Zetsubou-sensei! I’m so happy to see a male figure popular enough to be voted into the top 4 in a poll like this!! There were also a load of Touhou and Vocaloid requests from all the new fans!

003

The figma Results!

The top results featured two of the special ‘SP’ figmas which made alongside other companies! There were also a number of ‘fate’ series related products and some BRS requests spurred on from the recent anime series!

There are also a lot more male figma requests when compared to the Nendoroids! I for one will be sure to grab another Lelouch for my collection!

011

The Scale Figure Results!

The top three characters are all TYPE-MOON characters! Wow!

It looks like once again the Vocaloids have invaded! Not only the Nendoroid and figma results, but the scale figure results as well! Kino is one of the very first figures I ever reviewed on this blog, so she has a very special place in my heart!

004

The product request results!

Characters that people want to see as new figures!

There were a lot of characters that as I saw I couldn’t help agree that they were excellent ideas! As of now there is no guarantee any of them will be made, but we will continue to look into them as well as all the rerelease possibilities!

　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　／　　　　　＼　　　　
　　　　／　　⌒　　⌒ ＼　　”Hmm…? Continue…?”　　
　　　／　　（●）　（●）＼
　　 |　　､”　ﾞ)（__人__）”　.）|　　　　_＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　　　＼　　　｡｀ ⌒ﾟ:j´　,／　jﾞ~~| | |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
＿＿／　　　　　　　　　　＼　 |_＿| | |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
| |　/　　 ,　　　　　　　＼ｎ||　 | |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
| | /　　 /　　　　　　　　　r.　（こ） | |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
| | |　⌒ ーnｎｎ　　　　|＼ (⊆ｿ .|_|_＿＿＿＿_＿＿＿＿_|
￣＼＿_､(“二）￣￣￣￣￣ｌ二二ｌ二二　＿|_|＿_|＿

Yep! We have already had a meeting between the planning team, production team and web team, in which we managed to decide the first few products that will be rereleased:

006

Nendoroid #136:

Nendoroid Flandre Scarlet!

008

Nendoroid #105:

Nendoroid Sakuya Izayoi!

005

Two figures straight from the Scarlet Devil Mansion!

Rerelease orders will start tomorrow!

012

figma #124:

figma Sayaka Miki!

013

figma #128:

figma Kyouko Sakura

These two will also be rereleased! Kyouko was released recently and thus wasn’t on the polls, but she was popular enough to warrant a rerelease anyway! Plus you can’t display Sayaka without Kyouko, right!? 😛

They’ll be up for order from the 24th!

014

Onto scale figures…

Saber ~Triumphant Excalibur~!

She will also be rereleased! The date has not been confirmed yet, but she should be up for order sometime in May!

Plus there are many more to come!

We still need to look into the viability of a number of products – there are many things such as licensing issues, possible production problems and other things that need to be addressed before we can ensure the product can be rereleased. Rest assured we will be looking at all the highly voted products! I’ll keep you informed on live broadcasts and on the blog whenever possible!

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

(C)上海アリス幻樂団
(C)Magica Quartet／Aniplex・Madoka Partners・MBS
(C)2002-2006 TYPE-MOON

May 10, 2012 by Kahotan

Studio Ghibli x Max Factory x Kaiyodo x Good Smile – Giant God Warrior Figures!

001

That’s a prototype box…!?

I don’t think I’ve ever had a prototype that is almost the same height as my desk! I remember the Yu-Gi-Oh! dragon being pretty huge, but it is nothing in comparison to the figure we’ll be looking at today!

002

From ‘Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo’:

Giant God Warrior Vignette,

figma Giant God Warrior &

Giant God Warrior Statue Replica!

From Studio Ghibli’s newest short special effects film titled ‘Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo’ that was screened at the Anno Hideaki’s Special Effects exhibition comes various different figures of the Giant God Warrior that invades Tokyo. These figures really are something else…!!!

They will be on sale at the exhibition “Anno Hideaki’s Special Effects Museum – View Techniques of the Showa Period in Miniature”

Dates: 2012/07/10 (Tues) ~ 2012/10/08 (Mon) From 10:00 ~ 18:00. Entrance permitted up to 30min before closing.
Place: Tokyo Gendai Art Gallery – Planning Exhibition Room 1F/B2F
〒1335-0022　Tokyo, Koutou-ku, Miyoshi 4-1-1
www.mot-art-museum.jp/

These figures will be on sale at this event! I’m got to find some private time and go there myself!! ^^

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Big, smaller, smallest!

The biggest version is the Giant God Warrior Statue Replica, and its considerably bigger than my monitor! To the right of him is the figma, and then the Vignette version as well!

004

Giant God Warrior Statue Replica!

He is so big that the lights on the ceiling ended up in the photo as well. A huge 50cm cold-cast statue!

This is a miniature mock-up of a life-size muppet that was used in the film ‘Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo’! The life-size version was used for reference and examination while sculpting this smaller replica version!

The sculpting was done by Takayuki Takeya! (`･ω･´)ゞ

005

What an amazing presence…!!

I really have no idea how to describe it, but once you see it you just can’t look away. I was also stunned at how detailed it was while I was running my finger over it a few seconds ago…

I’m generally more of a fan of cute things, but the sculpting on this is so stunning it’s impossible to not to be impressed!

006

figma Giant God Warrior!

This is basically the same figure shrunk down to figma size and made just as posable as all other figmas! It’s amazing what kind of poses you can put him into! Plus the price is great!

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An optional head part to fire the proton beam!

By the way, this is a 15cm tall figma! The head alone is more than 2cm tall!! An amazing size and stunning quality to boot!!

008

A rod of light and wing parts!

It might be hard to see from this angle, but the wing span of the wings is actually very big! Plus the wings are just as detailed as the rest of the figure!

You can make use of the figma stand to pose him in mid-air like this, which gives the wing parts that extra bit of realism! I almost want to get a whole bunch of these to line them all up together like this!! 😛

009

Three different Giant God Warrior Vignettes!

These prototypes literally just arrived! They might be small but they are just as amazing as the other versions! As I mentioned on twitter yesterday, these were the products we were going back and forth with, together with Kaiyodo.

These are in fact Kaiyodo’s products!! (`･ω･´)ゞ

They are about the size of a capsule toy, but they are absolutely fantastic quality! As expected of Kaiyodo!
010

From ‘Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo’:

Giant God Warrior Vignette,

figma Giant God Warrior &

Giant God Warrior Statue Replica!

You can purchase your’s at the following event!

They will be on sale at the exhibition “Anno Hideaki’s Special Effects Museum – View Techniques of the Showa Period in Miniature”

figma Giant God Warrior & Giant God Warrior Statue Replica! will also be on sale at the GSC Online Shop!

On sale between 2012/10/08 (Mon) at 18:00 until 2012/10/22 (Mon) at 24:00. (JST). Delivery is expected to be in February 2013.

http://goodsmile.ecq.sc/

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

(C) 二馬力・Ｇ

March 23, 2012 by Kahotan

figma Black Rock Shooter : TV ANIMATION ver.

Tokyo! Nagoya! Osaka!

(Photo from Osaka!)

001

The Max Factory staff have been touring around Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka to show off the popular Luka Megurine Tony ver. Prototype!

Loads of people came to take a look, and the Max Factory staff looked delighted by the numbers! A big thank you to everyone who went down to take a look!

But Luka was not the only figure on display! Can you see the figure with an arrow pointing to it?

002

figma Black Rock Shooter :

TV ANIMATION ver.!

She is a figma from the anime series ‘Black Rock Shooter’ – a figma of Mato’s mysterious existence in the alternate world – Black Rock Shooter.

　　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　　　＼
　　　　　／　　＼　　／＼　　　”A quick announcement!”
　　　　／　　　（●）　（●）＼
　　　　|　　　　（__人__） |　＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　　　＼　　　　｀ ⌒´ 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　　　　　　　＼　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　／´ 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 | |　　　　　　　　　　|
　|　　　　ｌ　　　　　　　　　　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　ヽ　　　 -一ー_~､⌒)^),-､　　| |_＿＿＿＿＿＿__|
　　ヽ＿＿＿＿,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ-￣　　　| |　　|

Tonight is the final episode of the BRS anime!
It is on Fuji TV’s Noitamina block, starting at 00:50!!

Those who haven’t seen the first episodes can still catch them on Nico Nico Douga at any time! Kagari-chan’s personality is just to die for!!

http://ch.nicovideo.jp/channel/blackrockshooter

003

This is how she looks from the back!

The most notable difference is the hood that she is wearing, however her clothes and weapons have also had a design overhaul, in order for the production team to have an even harder time customer’s to enjoy her more than ever before!

The coat she is wearing is fitted with joints to make some incredibly dynamic poses!

004

Her sword, the Black Blade!

She is holding it in her left hand in this photo, but she can hold it in her right hand as well! BRS-chan is well known for being posed in epic poses like this, so I had to try it out with the figma! Even in such an amazing pose, you still can hardly see the joints at all!

005

The Rock Cannon!

As soon as the final product is released I’ll have to pose her fighting around macarons! (But I’ll eat them all up afterwards!) The Rock Cannon is so huge that it’s almost hard to believe it’s designed for a figma…

She has two expressions – a focused expression, and a standard expression (seen above)

Plus she has extra head parts that allow you to pose her without the hood and with her twin-tailed hair instead!

006

The Rock Cannon can open up!

This recreates the way it worked in the series! It’s wonderful to see it on the figma as well!

Plus, you can’t have BRS-chan without the blue flame!
She has a replaceable fringe part that lets you pose her with the blue flame over her eye!

007

The Tokyo International Anime Fair started today, and Good Smile has their very own booth at the event!

This picture is from setting up yesterday. ^^

008

Mmm… delicious posters!

Those who want to enjoy Golden Saw’s lovely underboob nice and close can come by the event and take a close look! 😛 There is a special Black Rock Shooter anime corner where all the new figures from the series are on display.

■ Event Name:　Tokyo International Anime Fair 2012
■ Date:　2012/03/22 (Thurs) ~ 2012/03/25 (Sun)

■ Bushiness Day:　03/22 (Thurs) ~ 03/23 (Fri) 10:00 ~ 17:00
■ Public Day: 03/24 (Sat) ~ 03/25 (Sun) 10：00 ~ 18：00
　
■ Place: Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo International Exhibition Center Hall 1,2,3.

■ Booth: G-17 GOOD SMILE COMPANY

※ The 22nd and 23rd are for business related guests only.
※ No Good Smile Company limited edition products are on sale at the event.

There will also be a lot of comments from people related to the series that you won’t be able to see anywhere else!
They’re a very interesting read!

BRS Special Page (Japanese)
http://www.goodsmile.info/post/ja/3314/

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figma Black Rock Shooter :

TV ANIMATION ver.

She was put up on the GSC website today! (`･ω･´)ゞ
If you have any preorder or sales queries, be sure to contact our customer shops!

And don’t forget! Tonight is the last episode of BRS!
Fuji TV’s Noitamina block, starting at 00:50!!

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

(C)BRS on TV

February 24, 2012 by Kahotan

figma Insane Black Rock Shooter

WonHobby Booth’s ‘Peel Off’ Corner!

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It just looks like little dots from here, but the ‘BRS’ is made up of loads of tin badges!

There are a total of 4000 badges up on that wall… and as the day went on those attending the event could peel off one badge each… and once they were all gone…

011

Tada!━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━!!!!

A lovely picture of Insane Black Rock Shooter appears!

WonFes was in fact the debut place of figma Insane Black Rock Shooter! I managed to get hold of the prototype today, so I’ll be taking a closer look!

002

figma Insane Black Rock Shooter!

From the anime series currently running on the Noitamina block, ‘Black Rock Shooter’ comes a figma of Insane Black Rock Shooter which will be included with the limited first editions of the Blu-ray Box & DVD Box sets. Enjoy the mystical charm of Insane Black Rock Shooter in figma form to posing her however you please!

The box-sets will be available from the 22nd of June!

They are currently up for preorder, and as they are a limited first edition – you’d better grab it before it’s too late! (`･ω･´)ゞ

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This is how she looks from the back!

　　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　／::::::─三三─＼
　　　　／:::::::: （ ○）三（○）＼　　”She is huge!!”　　
　　　　|::::::::::（__人__）::::|
　　　　＼::::::　　|r┬-| 　 ,／
　　　　ノ:::::::::　　`ー’´　　　＼　　

She really is incredibly big!
But more importantly she is incredibly cool!!

Shooter-chan has been transformed into lots of different figmas now, but I think this one is my bets so far! Of course the main reason for that is huke’s lovely design, but the craft work on the figure is also the most incredible so far! Looking at figmas like this really reminds me just how wonderful Max Factory are!

005

The Insane Canon Lance!

I didn’t think the photo alone would give a good feeling for just how big this weapon is, so I but a 30cm ruler underneath! 😛 With Insane-chan included, they are a little over 25cm in length!

004

The chain is also included!

Insane-chan was also introduced on the figma blog, and there you can see the default is to connect the chain into her back, but you can also pose it like this – it’s completely up to you.

Completely unrelated to the chain… but I have to say that I think that the hat on Insane-chan’s head looks kind of like a nurse’s cap, it looks great! I don’t think I’d want a nurse with such cold eyes though! 😛

006

The Insane Blade Claw!

You can’t really tell from the photo, but the edges of the sword are actually quite rough and very realistic! The same goes for the Insane Canon Lance as well as with her armor. Every single part is so very detailed – I can really see the passion that was put into making this figure!

008

Flame parts are also included!

You attach the flame by inserting it into the nurse cap (at least, that’s what I call it :P). Insane-chan has a beautiful purple flame in contrast to the normal blue flame we’ve seen on the normal Black Rock Shooter figures.

007

There are two expressions included!

A standard expression as well as a much more evil looking glaring expression. She has very unique looking eyes, they really have a strong impact! It’s unbelievable how wonderful this figma has come out… you can hardly even see the joints at all, which is ideal for a figma! I could make almost any pose, and still almost never see the joints.

figma Insane Black Rock Shooter!

Included with the TV anime ‘Black Rock Shooter’ Blu-ray BOX & DVD-BOX sets!

■ Black Rock Blu-ray BOX Shooter Blu-ray BOX (Limited First Edition)
TBR22200D / 29,400JPY
4 Video Discs included as well as a bonus CD/8 episodes in total/Color/Single-Layer/MPEG4 AVC/16:9 HD Widescreen 1920 x 1080p/Linear PCM 2ch Stereo

■ Black Rock Blu-ray DVD BOX (Limited First Edition)
TDV22201D / 25,200JPY
4 Video Discs included as well as a bonus CD/8 episodes in total/Color/Single-Layer/MPEG2/16:9 Anamorphic/ Dolby Digital 2ch Stereo

The box-sets will be available from the 22nd of June!

Head to a shop nearby or visit your favorite online store and preorder now! (`･ω･´)ゞ

(C)huke/B★RS Project

January 27, 2012 by Kahotan

huke’s First Artbook – BLK!

The woosers are guarding something!

009

The lighter wooser is a special albino wooser! 😛

… actually it’s a sample that was sent during his development. It’s a super rare one-of-a-kind wooser! But I can easily defeat him and take the treasure he is guarding!!

　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　／　　　　　＼
　　／　　＼,三_ノ＼　　ｒnm
　／　　　　（ー）　（ー）＼ｒl　　|
　|　　　　　（__人__）　| ゝ　.|　　　Haha!
　＼　　　　｀ ⌒´ 　 ,／_ | 　 |
　　ヽ　　　　　　　　 i　　　　丿
　 /(⌒)　　　　　　　/￣￣´
　/　／　　　　　　　/

008

Today we’ll be playing with this lovely looking product!

BLK Limited Edition (figma BRSB Included)!

This is the artbook from popular illustrator huke, who has done the character designs for series such as Steins;Gate and is the creator of Black Rock Shooter. The book is filled with illustrations from Black Rock Shooter, Steins;Gate and various other illustrations – a total of 240 great pages!

This is the limited edition, but the illustrations are the same in the standard version!
The left side of the picture above is the artbook, while the right is the figma!

001

Let’s take a little look inside the artbook!

It really is absolutely humongous! It’s got the whole history of huke’s career drawn inside it!
002

I found BRSB-chan!

The figma included with the limited edition is of course this BRSB-chan!
The last ‘B’ in BRSB is for ‘Beast’! (For those who didn’t know :P)

003

Steins;Gate!!

004

There are lots of illustrations from Steins;Gate, as it is one of the projects huke worked on!

So many of the characters in all sorts of poses and outfits all included as beautiful illustrations in the book! Definitely a artbook that Steins;Gate fans will enjoy!

005

There are also original illustrations!

Look at that lovely sailor uniform! When I saw it first I got goosebumps… I really fell in love with this illustration! huke is well known for his unique textures in his illustrations… it really gives a lovely fresh feeling to his illustrations! (plus it’s beautiful!)

007

Some more serious illustrations as well!

006

Robots are also included!

I really don’t know much about robots myself, but I still really thought this one looked awesome when I first saw it… I really think highly of anyone who can come up with such incredible designs!

From the cute to the cool – huke has it all! (`･ω･´)

The artbook has been made using the finest quality of paper and all under the watchful eye of huke himself to make sure it comes out just as it should! It really came out nicely, so if you’re a fan of his work do consider grabbing the artbook to bring a piece of huke’s world into your life! The price is very reasonable when you see just how huge the book is – I think it would also make a great present for a friend!!

Alright, let’s move onto the limited edition’s figma now!
The figma is amazing, and very detailed!

010

This is how the packaging looks!

It might looks a little small at first – but remember this blister pack is the same size of the artbook! It’s much, much bigger than the normal figma box! It also comes with a very cute little postcard illustrated by CHANxCO!

011

figma BRSB!

The Black★Rock Shooter BEAST figma is only included with the limited edition of the BLK artbook! If you scroll back up you’ll see the original illustration that the figma is based on – it really came out wonderfully! When you actually hold her for yourself you’ll feel just how sharp all those spiky parts are!! You actually need to be careful when changing parts around as they can actually hurt you! :O

012

Her giant sword, the BRS Blade!

Here she is posed with her sword in a battle pose, ready for a fight! figmas are really great as they allow you to take almost any poses!! I particularly feel like huke’s designs fit the figma franchise really well – they pose so easily and look great every time!

013

The reverse side of the BRS Blade!

The reverse side of the blade has incredibly intricate letters and patterns all over it. It’s also made from slightly clear plastic – if you look carefully you can see her leg behind the sword in this photo!

014

She can stand without the base!

Although she is a little bit unstable posed without the stand – just look how awesome she looks!! 🙂 Even as a posable figure the body-line is absolutely fantastic!

016

Her gun, the ‘Seven Shot’!

I had a go at recreating the pose from the illustration! The gun is fairly small, but even so the paint work and sculpting is fantastic!
She also has an extra fringe part to add the blue flame over her eye!

015

A face with closed eyes is also included!

The blue crown on her head can also be removed, but it will leave some bumps where it should connect – you can’t really see them unless you’re looking very carefully though. She looks just fine without the crown, as you can see in the above picture.

What I want to point your attention to is her collarbone and pelvis!
That bare skin gives off a lovely sexy side to the figma as well!
017

BLK Limited Edition (figma BRSB Included)!
The standard edition is also be on sale!

It will be sent out to stores on the 30th!
If you’re lucky, you’ll find it in store on the 31st!

For any order or sales inquiries, please get in contact with out partner shops!

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

(C)huke/B★RS Project

November 22, 2011 by Kahotan

figma Miku Hatsune: Cheerful ver.

The desks of those who are off to China!

001

This time the production team is off to China for quite a long stay, but even so, samples still stop by for us!

Today we’ll be taking a look at this lovely figma that managed to sneak into the offices!

003

The third part of the Cheerful JAPAN! project:
figma Miku Hatsune: Cheerful ver. !

This was the Cheerful JAPAN! product announced back in July! Everyone who ordered should have their’s delivered around the 29th November.

Cheerful JAPAN!
http://www.cheerfuljapan.com/

The damage that has occurred during the March 11 quake in the Touhoku region is astounding, and in order to get over the destruction caused there is a lot that needs to be done, and lots of support that needs to be given. Good Smile Company has formed a support group named ‘Cheerful Japan’ which will strive to support the relief efforts for as long as possible. For at least 1 year we be releasing charity products among other efforts to raise donation money for the cause. To everyone who supports the Cheerful Japan movement – thank you, and know that your money is going where it is needed!

002

This is how the packaging looks!

It takes the original figma Miku and adds in various ‘cheerful’ extras, such as a support flag and pompons are included! It’s a bit hard to see from this photo, but there is in fact a blister on top of the original blister here.

004

This is how she looks from the back!
Miku’s giant twin tails can be moved about using figma joints!

　　　　＿＿＿_　　
　　　／　　　　＼
　／　　　─　　 ─＼　　　　”Her hair looks kinda like a ramen spoon!”
／　　　（●）　（●）＼
|　　　　（__人__） |　））
/　　　　 ∩ノ ⊃　　／
(　＼　／＿ノ　|　 |
.＼　“　　／＿＿|　 |

Someone pointed that out to me the other day… it’s true, but I don’t recommend you use it as one… 😛

006

Optional parts, including her microphone!

This pose also makes use of the hands that grab onto the mike! I’m really proud of my poses in this photography, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did…

007

A singing face and a mike stand!

Just as with the Nendoroid, the figma also comes with this lovely expression!! It’s great to be able to create a kind of singing atmosphere with the pose as well.

You can either just put the mike stand on the ground or let her hold it like this! Here we have an acrobatic Miku singing her songs!

008

She also comes with two leeks!

I remember being amazed at the quality of these leeks back when the first figma was released – I’m just as impressed this time around as well! You can pose her with both, or just one – it’s up to you!

009

Cheering Expression and Pompons!

These items were only included with the new Cheerful ver! Just look at that huge smile! If you leave her posed like this on your desk you’ll get the energy to get through every day!

　　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　　　＼
　　　　　／　　　_ノ　ヽ､_＼　　”What an angel!”
　　　　／　　oﾟ⌒　　　⌒ﾟo ＼
　　　　|　　　　（__人__）　 |　＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　　　＼　　　　｀ ⌒´ 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　　　　　　　＼　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　／´ 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 | |　　　　　　　　　　|
　|　　　　ｌ　　　　　　　　　　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　ヽ　　　 -一ー_~､⌒)^),-､　　| |_＿＿＿＿＿__|
　　ヽ＿＿＿＿,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ-￣　　　| |　　|

010

A cheering flag with the Cheerful logo!

As with the ponpoms, this is newly sculpted for this figure! It really looks like it is flapping away in the wind!

011

Rin & Len can also use them!

You can attach the Cheerful parts to any of your favorite characters instead! Play around and see who they look best with!

003

The third part of the Cheerful JAPAN! Project:
figma Miku Hatsune : Cheerful ver.!

　　　　　＿＿＿
　　　　　／　　　　　＼
　　　／　　　⌒ 　　⌒＼　　　　”My Miku has arrived!”
　　／　　 ,（⌒）　　（⌒）､＼　　　
　　| /// （__人__）//// | 　　
　　＼　　　　｀ヽ_ノ　　／　
　　　　ヽ　　　, ＿_ , イ
　　／　　　　　　　|＿”＿＿______
　　| 　　ｌ..　　　／l´　 Miku `l
　　ヽ　丶-.,／　|___＿＿＿___|
　　　/`ー､＿ﾉ　／　　　　　　／

They are being shipped out on the 29th!
If you have any queries, be sure to contact the GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP

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

(C) Crypton Future Media, Inc.

October 6, 2011 by Kahotan

Nendoroid & figma Kamui Kobayashi

　　　　　＿＿＿
　　　　／　　　　　＼
　　　／　 _ノ　ヽ､_　＼
　／　oﾟ⌒　　　⌒ﾟo　＼　 “Megurin! Welcome back!
　 |　　　（__人__）　　　|　　　 I’ve missed you!”
　＼　　　 |r┬-| 　　／
　　ノ　　　 `ー’´　　　＼

021

The staff that went to Paris returned yesterday!

They were attending an event called the Paris Manga & Sci-Fi Show 12, but have now returned to Japan once more! Welcome home everyone, I’m glad you’re all back safe!

All the prototype figures that were on display there have also safely made it home, so let’s get started with playing with some of them… including this one over here!

022

Nendoroid Kamui Kobayashi!

Kamui Kobayashi is a famous F1 race driver with an impressive track record… and now he is joining the Nendoroid world as well!

　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　／　　　　　＼
　　　　／:::::─三三─＼　　　　”What the-?!”
　　　／::::::: （ ○）三（○）＼
　　 |　　､”　ﾞ)（__人__）ﾙﾟ｡ﾟ　　　_＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　　　＼　　　ゝ’ﾟ　　　　 ≦　三　ﾟ　| |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
＿＿／　　｡≧　　　　　　　三　＝　| |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
| |　/ 　　 ,　　　-ｧ,　　　　　　　≧=　 | |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
| | /　　 /　　　.ｲﾚ,､　　　　　　＞　　| |　　　　　　　　　　　　　|
| | |　⌒ ーnｎｎ ,≦｀Vヾ　　ヾ　≧　 |_|_＿＿＿＿_＿＿＿_|
￣＼＿_､(“二）｡ﾟ　/｡･ｲﾊ､＼､ｌ二二ｌ二二　＿|_|＿_|＿

I know some of you might be a little surprised with this Nendoroid!

I’m sure a lot of you know about GSR&Studie with TeamUKYO, and their Miku car, but Good Smile actually has a whole division called Good Smile Racing that is working hard in the cars and racing side of things!

We even sponsored Kamui for his races this season! ヾ(ﾟдﾟ)ﾉ゛

I hope that racing fans will be able to appreciate the figure just as much as figure fans will!

023

This is how he looks from the back!

Kamui always looks so relaxed and ready for anything during his races, and the Nendoroid shows that off really nicely!

024

Let’s move onto the optional parts!
A helmet and arm to hold it!

Kamui is always ready to race with his helmet right by his side – this pose really gives off that feeling!

025

He also has a helmet he can wear!

Now that’s what I call a very detailed Nendoroid extra!! :O
Even as a Nendoroid you can have Kamui wearing his helmet as if he is in the heat of a race – perfect for fans!

026

You can see the sponsor’s logos on his suit and helmet!

They’re so small! But you can definitely make each and every one of them out! The whole design is based on the actual outfit that Kamui wears – of course Good Smile’s logo is on there as well!!

027

A duo like this is now possible!!

　　　　　　　＿＿＿
　　　　　／ ⌒　　⌒＼
　　　／　　（○）　（○）＼　　　”Oooh!
　　／　///（__人__）//＼　　　This is the kind of thing you need figures to do!”
　 |　　　　 `Y⌒y’´　　　 |
　　＼　　　゛ー ′　　,／
　　 /　　　　ー‐ 　　ィ

I also wanted to put a picture in here of Kamui just heading off to a race… but somehow the picture I took made it look like he was playing rock-paper-scissors instead, so I decided against it in the end. ^^;

Plus…
He isn’t only becoming a Nendoroid!

029

figma Kamui Kobayashi!

He is getting his very own figma rendition as well!!

It- it looks just like him!! ((((ﾟДﾟ)))

But it should look just like him, as the sculptor in charge of this figma was none other than Hiroshi Sagae, who specializes in sculpting figures of real people! The body was all sculpted by Sagae, and then Masaki Asai worked on putting the figma joints in!

030

The figma can also wear his helmet!

When he is wearing the helmet and you look inside the visor you can see his cheeks are all squished up, it’s great!!! 😛 The visor lifts up just like a real helmet!

The HANS device (the black thing around his shoulders) is also included!
As with the Nendoroid, his outfit also has all the sponsor’s logos on, so it really is a faithful double to the original Kamui! It’s a bit strange to see a realistic figma like this at first, but it’s definitely still an incredible piece of work!

There are also some parts I didn’t show here, so check out the GSC website!

Nendoroid Kamui Kobayashi &
figma Kamui Kobayashi!

　　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　　　＼
　　　　　／　　　─　　 ─＼　　 “F1 time!”
　　　　／　　　（●）　（●）＼
　　　　|　　　　（__人__）　 | ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　　　＼　　　　|r┬-| 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　 `ー’´　　＼　 | |　　　　　　　　　　|
　／´ 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 | |　　　　　　　　　　|
　|　　　　ｌ　　　　　　　　　　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　ヽ　　　 -一ー_~､⌒)^),-､　　| |_＿＿＿＿＿__|
　　ヽ＿＿＿＿,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ-￣　　　| |　　|

They are up on the GSC website today!
As always, speak with out partner shops for any preorder or sales information!

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

(C)2011 KAMUI KOBAYASHI,All Rights Reserved.

September 20, 2011 by Kahotan

figma Guts: Black Soldier ver.

Last Friday I called Max Factory!

　　　　　　 ∩
　　　　　　　||　　　　＿＿＿
　　　　　　　|| 　　／　　　　＼
　　　　　　／〔|／　　─　　 ─　＼　　 “Max Factory~
　　　　　〔ノ^ゝ　　,（●）　　（●）＼　　 Can you please bring me figma Guts?”
　　　　　ノノ^,-　　　（__人__）　 |
　　　　 /´ ´ ‘　, ^ヽ　｀ ⌒´　　／
　　　 /　　　　　ﾉ'”＼__ ーーノﾞ-､.
　　　人　　　　ノ＼／_____ ノ.| ヽ　i

As those of you who watched the recent live broadcast, we showed off figma Guts too!

Seen Max Factory brought it through we just had to add it into the live broadcast! It was a lot of fun to play with! I’m actually a huge fan of Berserk myself!

008

This figure has been on the blog before – it’s one of my personal figures from about six months ago. He actually came in a set of Guts, Griffith and Casca. He’s trading figure size so I’m sure he’ll look great displayed with figma Guts!

So today we’ll be taking a look at…

figma Guts: Black Soldier ver.!

From the upcoming movie of ‘Berserk’ comes this figma of the main character from the series, Guts!

Anyone who has ever had a figma will know, but…
This image has been enlarged quite a bit!
He looks about the size of the scale figure I review now. ^^;

The actual figure is about 16.5cm in height! So what exactly am I trying to get at my telling you all this? Even when enlarged the details on the figure are incredible!!

This is how he looks from the back!

His mantle can be removed at any time!

Just look at the bag around his waist, or the chain on his back for killing dragons! They’re so finely detailed!! The paint work also makes parts of him look ‘dirty’ in typical Guts style! It’s incredible to see so much detail on a figma-sized figure!

By the way! Normally I’d be the one to make poses for pictures… but…

　　　　　　　　＿＿_＿
　　　　　　：／　　　　＼：
　　　　：／　..:_ノ::::ヽ､_＼：　　　”W-What should I do…
　　　：／　 ..::<○>:::<○>　＼：　　 I dunno how to make cool poses!”
　　　：|　　　　　（__人__）　　|：
　　　：＼　　　　 r┬-|　　 _／：　　　
　　　：ノ　　　　　`ー’´　　＼：

I’m terrible at making good poses as many of you will know from the Big O figure when I tried to make cool poses… But I absolutely love Guts, so I refuse for him to get a bad impression from this article – So I’ve asked Oda-P and Masu from Max Factory to make some nice poses for me! Yay!

Let’s take a look at the optional parts!

He comes with his Dragon Slayer!

The sword even bigger than Guts’ huge body is included!! You can pose him holding it out to the side like this, or instead pose him with it on his back! The best thing about figma is the freedom to pose however you like!

He comes with an expression for battle!

This expression with gritted teeth is included along with the standard expression – the idea is for this expression to be used for combat poses! (Which kind of makes me want a Griffith figma as well… )

He also has an extra hand part for his cannon arm!
Which allows you to create scenes with him firing the cannon inside his artificial arm!! Definitely a part that fans will be pleased about!

Such incredible detail!!

I can’t wait to get hold of the actual one for me!! It’ll be so much easier to have my own figure to play with instead of worrying about this prototype!! I’m so happy that I’ll be able to display a figure of this quality in any pose I like!

001

figma Guts: Black Soldier ver.!

　　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　　　＼
　　　　　／　　　─　　 ─＼　　　”Guts!”
　　　　／　　（●）　　（●）＼
　　　　|　　　　（__人__）　 | ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　　　＼　　　　|r┬-| 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　 `ー’´　　＼　 | |　　　　　　　　　　|
　／´ 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 | |　　　　　　　　　　|
　|　　　　ｌ　　　　　　　　　　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　ヽ　　　 -一ー_~､⌒)^),-､　　| |_＿＿＿＿＿__|
　　ヽ＿＿＿＿,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ-￣　　　| |　　|

He’ll be on the GSC site tomorrow!
Be sure to check out partner shops for any sales or preorder queries!

Plus!
The Band of the Hawk is currently recruiting members!

-Berserk Film Official Website-
http://www.berserkfilm.com/members/

In order to join up you need a twitter account. If you collect enough points you might get your name in the credits of the film! Oooh!!

Be sure to follow The Band of the Hawk’s Clara! I’m already following of course!

– Clara de Porras Twitter –
https://twitter.com/Clara_de_Porras

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

(C)三浦建太郎（スタジオ我画）/ 白泉社