June 20, 2012 by Kahotan

A Look at Good Smile Racing’s History with Nendoroid Racing Miku!

Hello everyone, my name is Wakamizu, another member of the Web team here at Good Smile Company!

Following on from Oonoshi, I’ll be taking care of the blog today! When I first started I was sitting staring at the monitor and wondering what exactly I could possibly do for the blog when Mikatan told me…

　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　／　　　　＼　
　　　　　／　　─　　 ─＼　　”Just do whatever you think you’ll enjoy doing!”
　　　　／　　（●）　（●）＼
　　　　|　　　　（__人__）　　 | ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿_
　　　＼　　　　|r┬-| 　 ,／　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　　　　ノ　　　　　 `ー’´　　＼　 | |　　　　　　　　　　|
　／´ 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 | |　　　　　　　　　　|
　|　　　　ｌ　　　　　　　　　　| |　　　　　　　　　　|
　ヽ　　　 -一ー_~､⌒)^),-､　　　| |_＿＿＿＿＿＿__|
　　ヽ＿＿＿＿,ノγ⌒ヽ)ニニ-￣　　　| |　　|

I’m a big fan of motor sports as well as Hatsune Miku, so today’s theme will be:

A Look at Good Smile Racing’s History with Nendoroid Racing Miku!

…the title ended up sounding a lot more interesting than I think the actual blog will be, but I hope those who are interested will take the time to read through this post!

In 2007, Good Smile Company became a motor sports sponsor for the 2007 Rally JAPAN, a World Rally Championship. In 2008, the Hatsune Miku GT Project began and Good Smile Racing began taking part in the SUPER GT with a Hatsune Miku themed itasha. In 2009, Good Smile Racing (GSR) was officially established as a subsidiary company of Good Smile Company.

gsr

At the moment, GSR is working with Studie who provide the looks for the BMWs as well as the former F1 Racer Ukyo Katayama’s racing team ‘teamUKYO’ to create the team ‘GSR＆Studie with TeamUKYO’ who are now taking part in the SUPER GT with a BMW Z4 GT3!

What exactly is the SUPER GT?

The SUPER GT is one of Japan’s most well known motor races!A total of eight races are held all over Japan as well as in Malaysia. Depending on their position in each of the races, each team is given a certain number of points, which accumulate over each race.

In the end, the team with the most points is crowned the champion of the season! To those watching the races the cars might just look like slightly modified stock cars, but the cars have actual each been very finely tuned to perfection for each and every race! The cars are separated into two different classes depending mostly on their engine ability – either the GT500 class or the GT300 class.

GSR takes part in the GT300 class races!

spgt2

Ever since GSR was established it has been running under the motto, ‘Racing Together with the Fans!’, and through that concept it has been funded through a system of personal sponsorships!

Sponsors have been given special edition figures for their support!

The very first of which was this Miku!

2009miku

This version of Miku is now very rare…!

The separated race queen outfit was definitely the highlight of this figure! It also featured some more black and grey onto the standard Miku colors, which ended up making a really awesome looking version of Miku that was named ‘Miku Hatsune : RQ Ver’.

It was only available to the personal sponsors in 2009, so I’m sure that the figure is extremely difficult to get hold of now! She was essentially the very first Miku in the now long series of Racing Miku figures!

Back at this time GSR was a part of a team known as the Studie GLAD Racing, racing in a BMW Z4 M Coupe.

“I remember when we couldn’t even get through the preliminaries, but got through via a letter of appeal…” – GSR PR Emii.

Even GSR had to get through some tough times at the start…!

Into 2010!

In 2009 the team was known as Studie GLAD Racing, but in 2010 to clear up some misunderstandings the name was changed to GOODSMILERACING with COX.

This was also the year that…
The Miku Hatsune GT Project’s Official Character, ‘Racing Miku’ was officially created!

2010miku_001

A version of Miku in a mechanic outfit illustrated by redjuice!
She looks absolutely amazing! I love the way this figure looks!

She even came with a wireless headset and an impact wrench to replace tires quickly! I think this combination of cute girls and mechanics really has some potential!

Thanks to the hard work of mechanic Miku, the 2010 season didn’t go too badly for the team…

They finished 16th out of 26 teams!

A very good result for a newcomer team! The car they were using in this season was a Porsche 911 GT3 R, which at the time was a brand new model – one of only 21 in the world!

Then the 2011 Season!

Still working together with Studie, but now changing from Porsche to BMW, the team set forth against all new challenges for the new year! It was announced on the WonHobby stage that they would be working together with Ukyo Katayama and thus the team name would become GSR＆Studie with TeamUKYO!

The special supporter induction of the F1 Racer Kamui Kobayashi also happened this year!

Together with the new team name there was also…

Nendoroid Racing Miku 2011 Ver.!

2011miku

Her twin-tailed hair looks incredible!

The hair made use of clear plastic, plus the ends of the hair had a lighter gradient that looked great!

The 2011 Miku was based on designs by Yuichi Murakami – a lovely race queen version of Miku! Her hair was not the only highlight by any means – her skirt was also made with clear parts giving an overall really airy feeling to the design, and the black areas dotted around the figure brought everything together to make her look absolutely stunning! Balance is just as important on figures as it is on car designs!

The team were the winners of 3 of the 8 different races, and with those points…

They were the 2011 series champions!!

It was basically the first time this team was together once again, but even so they managed to take the gold! All thanks to the support of all the personal sponsors!! Mikatan made a report about the series championship before, which you can read here:
The Miku Hatsune BMW is the Season Champion of the 2011 Super GT!

And now we are back to the present…

The 2012 season!

This season the team name has stayed the same – GSR＆Studie with TeamUKYO, however the team is running two separate cars this season – Car #0 and Car #4!

The team is growing more and more every year… and this year also brings…
Nendoroid Racing Miku : 2012 Ver.!

She looks just like some kind of fairy!

Most people normally refer to Miku as an angel, but I think she could easily be described as a fairy based on this year’s design! She is so cute!!

This year’s design was by the illustrator GAN, and features a lovely pearl white outfit and unique costume! The little tiara placed on her head is also a lovely touch!

It’s certainly a change to the ‘cool’ style of Racing Miku in the past, but it shows that Miku is the queen of the circuit once again this year! The outfit once again makes use of clear parts which really adds to the cute and light feeling the design gives! I just don’t have the vocabulary to explain how cute she is to everyone out there, I hope you all feel the same was as me….

So, how are the results of this season looking so far…?

Race #1 (Okayama)

Car #0 – 3rd Place / Car #4 – 15th Place!

Race #2 (Fuji)

Car #0 – 1st Place! / Car #4 – 11th Place!

Race #3 (Sepang)

Car #0 – 12th Place / Car #4 – 10th Place!

The third race took place just the other day in Malaysia, Sepang.Car #0 managed to keep 2nd place almost the entire race when just near the end it ran out of fuel and unfortunately ended up in 12th place. On the other hand, Car #4 managed to finish in 10th place, giving Car #4 its first points of the season!

The next race will take place on the weekend of the 28th July! Hopefully we can get back on track to being the season champions again!

Looking back at all the past versions… Racing Miku has been amazing every single year! I can’t help but be amazed at the unique design that each illustrator has brought to Racing Miku each year, and props to the sculptors that made such lovely figures every year as well!

Finally, a big thank you to everyone over at GSR!

I’m sure most of you already know, but there are also of course a number of other Racing Miku figures – both Nendoroid Petite and Scale Figure versions. I would love to have gone through all of them as well, but I unfortunately don’t have the time, so I just took a look at the Nendoroids this time around.

If I ever get the chance, perhaps I’ll show the other figures as well some time! There have been a couple of posts about racing Miku in the past on Mikatan blog – take a look at these posts if you’re interested!

2009

Nendoroid Miku Hatsune RQ Ver. + Parasol + Nendoroid CAR (Japanese)

2010

Nendoroid Racing Miku 2010 Ver. (Japanese)

Nendoroid Petite Racing Miku Set 2010 Ver. (Japanese)

RACING Miku 2010 ver.

2011

Nendoroid Racing Miku 2011 ver.

Nendoroid Petite: Racing Miku 2011 Ver.

Racing Miku 2011 ver.

2012

Nendoroid Racing Miku 2012 Ver.

But I still have more to show everyone!

I want to show off these two cars that were announced on the GSC website on the 5th June. – GSR Miku Hatsune BMW 2012 : Season Opening Ver. and GSR ProjectMirai BMW 2012: Season Opening Ver.

The prototypes just got back from Anime Festival Asia Malaysia, and let me just say they are amazing… absolutely amazing!

This is how they look from the front!

The cars GSR are using are 2011 model BMW Z4 GT3s! Definitely a very sexy front appearance for any car lovers!

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They are also a nice 1/32 scale!

This picture compares the new version to last years 1/43 scale Miku Hatsune GOODSMILE BMW Z4 2011 : Sepang Champion Ver..

I don’t think there was anything wrong with a 1/43 scale model, but I won’t deny that the 1/32nd scale size has a lovely presence to it!

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Both of the cars have a really colorful body design that contrast brilliantly with the black tires. They really give off a professional aura!

The 1/32 scale GSR Miku Hatsune BMW 2012: Season Opening ver. and the 1/32 scale GSR ProjectMirai BMW 2012: Season Opening ver. !!

Both will be on sale from October this year!!

Notice #1!

Good Smile Racing is currently looking for personal sponsors! There are a number of sponsor courses available that each come with lovely original goods and other extras! Check out the Good Smile Racing Official support site!

Personal Sponsor Information (Japanese)

Notice #2!

It’s time to introduce a newly announced product!!

kato

“It’s Pirate Time!”

A Nendoroid of Marika Kato from the series, ‘Bodacious Space Pirates’!!

The Official Product Page can be found here!

She will be available from October 2012!

Anyway, tomorrow Mikatan will be back! Look forward to her return!!

Copyright (C) Advancestep. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright (C) Crypton Future Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(C) redjuice/Crypton Future Media, INC.
(C)Yuichi Murakami / Crypton Future Media, Inc.
(C)GAN / Crypton Future Media, Inc
The BMW logo, the BMW wordmark and BMW model designations are Trademarks of BMW AG and are used under license.
(C)SEGA (C)Crypton Future Media, Inc.　Design Cooperation: Nendoroid

April 26, 2012 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Racing Miku 2012 Ver.

A (ﾟ∀ﾟ): “I’m looking for Racking Miku, have you seen her?”
B (ﾟ∀ﾟ): “Where did Racing Miku’s car go…?”
C (ﾟ∀ﾟ): “Can I use Racing Miku next…?”

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She’s just too popular…!

Emi from Good Smile Racing brought over this prototype, and ever since there has been an ongoing battle between GSR, the production team, the design team and myself – we all need to use it!!

Different departments both needing prototypes at the same time happens a lot more often than you;d think, but thankfully we always manage to dash around each other’s schedules, and I’ll always get the figure in time for the blog!

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Nendoroid Racing Miku 2012 Ver.!

A Nendoroid of the official 2012 Racing Miku design illustrated by GAN!

This lovely Nendoroid will be a bonus given to all those who apply to be a personal sponsor for ‘GSR & Studie with TeamUKYO’! (`･ω･´)ゞ

– NicoNico Chokuhan –
http://chokuhan.nicovideo.jp/special/kosupo2012

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This is how she looks from the back!

Her long light blue hair looks so light and airy, and is partially made using clear plastic! The twin-tails are also both connected by a ball joint for some additional posing potential!

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“Please look this way!”

Normally I only ever take pictures of figures, but when I go to events I also tend to take pictures of the cute girls there! In the past I often just took pictures without saying a word, but recently I’ve gathered the courage to ask them to look toward the camera before taking the pictures! 😛

She comes with bent a bent arm and leg to pose her in the classic Race Queen pose!

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She also comes with a parasol!

A bent right arm is included to allow her to hold it up just like this. Protecting the staff and driver from the strong UV rays from the sun! Great work, Miku-san!!

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This outfit and parasol are also used by the real Race Queens at racing events! (*ﾟ∀ﾟ)=3

Every time I see them at the race track I can’t help but think how cute they look in this outfit!! I can’t believe I’m the same species as those beautiful creatures!

Those who want to see the Racing Miku outfit in the real world, grab a ticket to a racing event and see them for yourself!

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A closed parasol is also included!

Another extra part that fans have come to expect! The fact that you can choose your favorite pose really is one of the best things about Nendoroids!

I also have to say that I love the clear front of the skirt! It’s such a unique and wonderful design!

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A Nendocar!

Make use of the included decal stickers to create your very own miniature ‘Type-0 Car’!! The car this time around is also slightly wider than the previous versions!

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Zoo━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━oom!!!!

Miku-san looks so happy riding in the car!! The wheels do actually spin around – so Miku really can really enjoy her ride!

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Nendoroid Racing Miku 2012 Ver.!

GSR&Studie with TeamUKYO Personal Sponsorship entry website!

http://gsr-global.ecq.sc/

These four personal sponsor courses will get you the Nendoroid as well as helping out ‘GSR & Studie with TeamUKYO’. For more information about the personal sponsor courses, check out the GOOD SMILE RACING Official Support Site.

There are also some important points you should take note of before applying to be a personal sponsor: [Notice] Important Notes Regarding Personal Sponsor Applications (Japanese)

– 10 Years of Good Smile Company : Nendoroids of the Past! –

There are only 5 days left until GSC turns 11 years old!

Let’s take a look at another Nendoroid of the Past!

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Released in January 2011:

Nendoroid Kurisu Makise!

The famous Christina from the game and anime series, ‘Steins;Gate’! I personally played the PC version of the game and really enjoyed it… I remember staying up late night after night playing it…

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When I see Kurisu I really feel like there should be a figma of Okarin… if you feel the same way, be sure to put it down on the new product request sheet that you’ll find on the pages below!

Don’t forget to vote in the resale & new product requests polls!

– Nendoroid Resale Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/index_nendoroid.php

– figma Resale Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/index_figma.php

– Scale Figure Resale Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo//index_scale.php

– New Product Requests –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/index_project.php

– Current Results –
http://www.goodsmile10th.jp/sousenkyo/answer.php

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

(C)GAN / Crypton Future Media, Inc

April 17, 2012 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Shuukan Hajimete no Miku Hatsune Product Review

Don’t you feel sorry for her…?

001

Seeing her sitting all bunched up behind the pot-plant…. I feel like I can really relate!

I might appear to be somewhat energetic online, but most of the time I feel more like this. When people meet me I’ve often been told that I’m not how they imagined me from reading the blog… 🙁

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But anyway, today we’ll be playing with this lovely Nendoroid!

Nendoroid Shuukan Hajimete no Miku Hatsune!

From the 4-panel manga currently serialized in Weekly Young Jack, ‘Shuukan Hajimete no Miku Hatsune’ comes a brand new Nendoroid design for Miku.

She comes with a total of three different expressions, as well as a mike stand, baseball and a paper-craft cardboard box to allow you to create all sorts of scenes from the series!

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This is how the packaging looks!

You can see there are a load of extra parts for all sorts of interesting poses!

Plus, between the inner cardboard of the box, you’ll find a papercraft cardboard box!

It’s quite easy to miss if you’re not looking out for it, so be careful not to forget about it!

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The ‘achop’ face and mike stand!

When ever I say the word ‘achop’, I can’t help but think of the scene where she catches the baseball with both hands and shouts it out – that scene can also be made with the Nendoroid!

The mike stand can either be held in her hand like above, or instead just placed on the floor. You can even adjust the height of the mike, so just adjust it to the height you think suits her best!

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My favorite, the gloomy expression!

I can really relate to this expression :P.
Such a lovely expression! I can’t wait to try it out on some other characters…

She also comes with a shopping bag and ice cream!
As well as extra hand parts to hold them both!

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The super cute sitting parts!

Her body is kept the same as the standing version, just the skirt, lets and hands are changed to let you pose her like this! Isn’t she just adorable…!!

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KAITO tries the gloomy expression!

I know I did the exact same thing while reviewing the prototype… but I just feel the expression suits him too well to not do it! 😛

The expression will work with most Nendoroids though, so have some fun trying it on some of your favorite characters!

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Normal Miku with the sitting parts!

This is just normal Miku’s head placed on the sitting parts and body of Shuukan Miku, allowing you to pose her sitting just as easily!

Hmm… I only just noticed those lovely thighs… I can’t be the only one who thinks they look great even as a Nendoroid, right…?

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Nendoroid Shuukan Hajimete no Miku Hatsune!

She’ll be shipping out from GSC on the 24th April! (`･ω･´)ゞ
If you have any preorder or sales queries, be sure to contact our partner shops!

– 10 Years of Good Smile Company : Nendoroids of the Past! –
There are only 14 days left until GSC turns 11 years old!
Let’s take a look at another Nendoroid of the Past!

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Released in February 2009:

Nendoroid KAITO

KAITO has been through two re-releases as well, once as the standard version and then again as the Cheerful Ver. The KAITO featuring in today’s blog is actually taken from Seki-sama’s desk. 😛

011

This smiling face has been really popular with fans!

He looks so very happy! The parts included with him were fairly simple as with most of the first Nendoroids, but still came with this expression, a ‘hero’ expression and the ice cream for fans to play around with. KAITO was Nendoroid number 58! It feels like so long ago that he first released!!

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

(C)mikumix / Crypton Future Media Inc. / Shueisha
VOCALOID is a registered trademark of Yamaha Corporation.
(C)Crypton Future Media, Inc.

April 8, 2012 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Sakura Miku

　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　／　　　　　＼　　　　”Wha- What a wonderful photo!”
　　　　／:::::─三三─＼
　　　／:::::: （ ○）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　＿|_|＿_|＿

004

I’m sure there are some of you have already seen it from twitter last night…

Nendoroid Sakura Miku in her element!

I heard that the cherry blossoms were blooming at Matsudo Shrine, so I went out with the new Sakura Miku prototype for some outdoor photos of Miku together with the cherry blossoms!

014

The Nendoroid we are looking at today is the figure form of this Sakura Miku illustrated by Puchi Devil!

Just look how lovely she looks! It must have been quite difficult to capture the same cute feeling when sculpting the figure version!

001

Nendoroid Sakura Miku!

The sculptor for this lovely Nendoroid was Mesuka! The Miku Nendoroids based on the seasons are always quite difficult to get right – but you can see she has come out brilliantly just like Snow Miku before her!

　　　　／￣￣＼
　　　／ .ー　　ー＼　　← Aki
　　　|　　（●）　（●） |　　
　　　|　　（__人__）|　　　　”Very cute!
　　　|　　　｀i 　i´　 |　　　　　 She’s just as detailed as a 1/8th scale figure!”
　　　|　　　. `⌒ 　 }　　　　　　
　　　ヽ　　　　　　　}　
　　　　ヽ　　　　　ノ　
　　　／　　　　　　ヽ　

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Each of the cherry blossom prints on her hair features a lovely two-color gradient!

I truly think that Good Smiles’ manufacturing team is one of the most skilled in the industry – which allows them to continuously create wonderful effects like this!

I really hope the final product will still keep the gradient looking just as amazing as this… but I’m sure it will!

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The cherry ribbon on her back was also a part of Puchi Devil’s design!

The fact that the ribbon is a cherry is such a lovely idea! Plus those round, red cherries look absolutely delicious – they really add a little extra something to looking at her from the back.

If you look closely, you can also see cherry blossom shapes on her sleeves… such incredible detail!

002 006

A headset made up of three blossoms!

This headset has gone through all sorts of changes by Good Smile, Crypton and Puchi Devil, but in the end it came out wonderfully as you can see! It makes use of partially clear parts for a transparent effect that looks great!

001

Nendoroid Sakura Miku!

At this point in time, the prototype is just the Nendoroid itself, so there are no extra parts to look at just yet….

The release date and price are not yet decided, but she will become an official product!

Unfortunately the official announcement will still be awhile away, but I just had to take this opportunity to introduce her to everyone while the cherry blossoms were still in bloom!

Plus…!! ((((ﾟДﾟ))))

015

To commemorate the completion of the Sakura Miku prototype Nendoroid, the “Project mirai Cafe” at the Akihabara and Good Smile Cafe will be running a special Sakura Miku event!

The “Sakura Miku Fair!”

There will be some lovely new things to get your hands on during the event!

(1) Sakura Miku Flower Viewing Set

011
Unfortunately we only have a hand drawn example at the moment! 😛

A lovely Japanese Spring menu featuring sakuramochi and sakura tea!
This menu option will be available from the 7th April until the 21st April, and each and every order will also come with…

(2) Sakura Miku Badges!

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They feature lovely illustrations specially drawn by Puchi Devil for the Sakura Miku Fair!!

Thank you so much for the lovely illustrations!! They’re just so adorable!!

Everyone who orders the Sakura Miku Flower Viewing Set will get a badge as a little bonus gift – there are two available but you’ll have to select the one you want!

(3) Sega’s Sakura Miku Coaster

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A coaster that makes use of models from the 3DS game ‘Miku Hatsune and Future Stars Project mirai’!

The coaster is blurred out for the blog’s images, but it really is incredibly adorable! This will also be given to each order of the Sakura Miku Flower Viewing Set!

The GSC x Testujin Cafe is the only place you can get your hands on these badges and coasters, so don’t miss out!! (`･ω･´)

Plus you might get a chance to see Sakura Miku in the exhibition booth!

(4) Sakura Miku-san Life Size Cut-Out!

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Another one of Puchi Devil’s adorable illustrations!

Once again, thank you so much for drawing all these lovely illustrations for us!

This version of Miku will be a life-size cardboard cut-out display to be displayed on the stage for everyone to take photos with!

(5) Nendoroid Sakura Miku Display

Come and take a look at the prototype!

The event won’t last that long, so don’t miss out on the Sakura Miku Fair!

Since we’ve reached cherry blossom season in Japan now, it only makes sense to come down and enjoy the season before it comes to an end! If you’ve got some spare time and need something to do, head down to the Akihabara GSC x Tetsujin Cafe for a wonderful Sakura Miku experience!

Also, everything I’ve been through today…
Will be introduced as a live broadcast today from 21:00! (JST) – you can watch here:

http://live.nicovideo.jp/gate/lv87896471

We’ll have Sega and Crypton representatives around, so come along and enjoy the broadcast! (Although it will be in Japanese!)

Finally, on a more serious note…

As it was announced on the GSC website, Nendoroid Sakura Miku has had various bootleg releases. These releases are without the permission of Good Smile Company, or Crypton Future Media.

Don’t end up with cheap pirated figures! The figures we produce have the utmost care put into them to reach you as the products they deserve to be, and seeing bootleg versions of them is very sad for all of us here at Good Smile. I hope you’ll all take care not to be fooled into picking up inferior goods – check the following post for more details.

http://www.goodsmile.info/post/en/3354/

But that’s all for today!
I’ll see you all later during the live broadcast!! (・∀・)ノ゛

(C)Crypton Future Media, Inc.

March 28, 2012 by Kahotan

Racing Miku 2011 ver.

　　　　＿＿＿_　　
　　　／　　　　＼
　／　　　─　　 ─＼　　　”What’s that sound coming from the offices?”
／　　　（●）　（●）＼　
|　　　　（__人__） |　））
/　　　　 ∩ノ ⊃　　／
(　＼　／＿ノ　|　 |

Printing a Racing Miku Poster!

If you head over to the shops you’ll see many hobby stores have these posters made by the GSC design team up on the walls now!

This big printer prints out the posters in full size, and they are then checked for balance and tone issues before heading out to the shops!

But anyway… now that the posters are done, time for me to take a look at the prototype!

Racing Miku 2011 ver.!

The champions of the 2011 SUPER GT 300 class series – GSR&Studie with TeamUKYO! Racing Miku was their official mascot throughout the tournament, based on the illustration by Yuichi Murakami!

The figure is a lovely 1/8th scale! (･∀･)ﾉ
Racing Miku 2011 has a very mature feeling about her design, and from my point of view that comes across very nicely in the figure!

This is how she looks from the back!

The sculpting work on those long twin tails is incredible! They are twisting and winding all around, with thin little hairs branching out all over the place…. it’s really beautiful! You can look at her from any angle and still be astounded by the way the hair twists and winds around her.

Yuichi’s design has been faithfully reproduced!

The paint work on her outfit – even just the front side – is so intricate!!

Another highlight for me is the slightly see-though area between her neck and her breasts. It may be hard to see it in this picture, but it is really beautiful to see up close!

Would anyone who would say no to these legs?

No way! I’m absolutely certain that everyone has to approve of these beautiful legs! The silver on the boots also contrasts very nicely with the black boots.

Plus we have more of the thin see-though material!

From the pelvis down to the black accessory on her legs there is more of the see-though look that really gives her a sexy appearance! There are also more silver bands that contrast the colors of the figure so perfectly!

We all love to see some bare skin on our figures, but this thin see-though material somehow gives the figure a whole new kind of charm!

A very mature looking Miku-san!

Her expression gives off an air of confidence, but also comes across as very gentle. It really seems like Yuichi-san’s beautiful illustration has jumped off the drawing board and into the real world!

Today’s best shot!

　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　／＼　　／＼　
.　　　　　／　（ー）　（ー）＼　　　”You can see her armpits and thighs at
　　　　／　⌒（__人__）⌒ ＼　　　the same time! It’s perfect!”
　　　　|　　　　　|r┬-|　　　　|　　
　　　　＼　　　　 `ー’´　　／
　　　　ノ　　　　　　　　　　　＼

The outfit makes lots of use of clear parts!

Plus, areas like this skirt are not only made from clear plastic, but are also painted with a gradient that makes certain areas more clear than others.

Another interesting thing I noticed is that the body and the skirt don’t seem to be separated at any point – I’m not sure how that will work through production… 😛

Her hair and the parasol also use clear plastic!

The parasol is a kind of clear silver that looks really incredible! Plus I have to mention the stunning hair once again – just look at it!

If you look at her heels in this photo you’ll also see the heel seems to be floating a bit – it’s balanced on a tiny little clear part to make it look like that. The small little details all come together to create a really stunning figure!

Miku has to have a decorative headset!

The 2011 Racing Miku really had an incredibly unique design – the headset design actually looks more like a hair accessory, which really makes her look very cute!

Seeing the extra volume on the left side of the picture, I can also mention once again that Racing Miku’s body is definitely more mature than the normal Miku… 😛

Racing Miku 2011 ver.!

She’ll be on the GSC website and up for preorders from tomorrow! (`･ω･´)ゞ

Be sure to contact our partner shops if you have any preorder or sales queries!

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

(C) Yuichi Murakami / Crypton Future Media, Inc

March 12, 2012 by Kahotan

Project mirai cafe & Miku Live Party 2012

　　　　　　＿＿＿＿
　/　) ) )／＼　　／＼　　
　{　　⊂)（●）　（●）＼　　　”Normally I’m a stay-at-home kinda person…
　|　　 / ///（__人__）/// ＼　　 but today is gonna be different!”
　!　　 !　　　`Y⌒y’´　　　　|
　|　　 l 　　　ﾞー ′　　,／
　|　　　ヽ　　　ー‐ 　　ｨ
　|　　　　　　　　　　/　 |
　|　　　　　　　　　〆ヽ/

001

The Akiba Good Smile Tetsujin Cafe!

It was the morning of a weekday, but there were still so many customers!

And the reason I’m visiting today is because…

goodsmile company Mikatan's Blog English Version

The Project mirai cafe has started!

Sega’s 3DS game, Miku Hatsune and Future Stars Project mirai was released on the 8th of March, and so the GSC Testujin Cafe is working in collaboration to bring a cafe themed around it!

The Project mirai game is a music game where Miku and the others dance around and sing for you, it’s incredibly cute! I was also involved here and there with it’s production, and had great fun with it! I hope everyone will try it if they can!

002

The stage at the back!

There is a giant panel featuring Nendoroid Miku-sab, as well as a monitor playing one of the movies found in the game. Of course the cafe is filled with Miku’s beautiful voice for you to listen to while you’re eating!

003

I was placed at a Rin & Len seat!

Ooh! Very cute indeed! Depending on the seat you are placed at, you’ll be greeted by different characters! Unfortunately you won’t be able to pick for yourself though… you have to just look forward to finding out which character you will be seated with. 😛

004

A brand new original menu!

To start off with, the menu features dishes based around Miku and Luka! However the menu is planned to change every so often, so keep checking the GSC Cafe website to see what’s coming up!

　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　／＼　　／＼　ｷﾘｯ
.　　　　　／　（ー）　（ー）＼
　　　　／　　 ⌒（__人__）⌒ ＼　　”Bring me one of everything!”
　　　　|　　　　　|r┬-|　　　　|　　
　　　　＼　　　　 `ー’´　　／
　　　　ノ　　　　　　　　　　　＼

005

Miku & Luka drinks!

The Miku drink is a lemon soda with blue curacao and vanilla ice cream. The Luka drink is a strawberry au lait with vanilla ice cream!

The Miku drink has a much fresher taste to me, while Luka is much sweeter! They were both delicious, but I think girls will love the Luka drink the most!

Each drink also comes with a free coaster!

Leek Fried Rice! (With Leek Soup!)

As expected of the Miku dish! A ton of leek! Let me try some…

　　　　　　　＿＿＿
　　　　　／ ⌒　　⌒＼　　　 “It’s delicious!
　　　／　（○）　（○）＼　　 The rice has a lovely flavor and a perfect texture!
　　／　 ///（__人__）/// ＼　　and the crispiness of the leek is wonderful”
　 |　　　　 `Y⌒y’´　　　　|　　
　　＼　　　゛ー ′　　,／　　
　　 /　　　　　ー‐ 　　ィ

009

Miku with her fried rice!

It’s been awhile since I’ve taken photos that haven’t been for a product review.

006

MikuLuka Leek Tuna Plate!

When it comes to Luka, you just have to include tuna! Let’s try this one with a little bit of wasabi…

　　　　　　　＿＿＿
　　　　　／ ⌒　　⌒＼　　　 “This is also delicious!
　　　／　（≡）　（≡）＼　　 There is such a lot of tuna as well!
　　／　 ///（__人__）/// ＼　　The chopped up nori on the side is great as well.
　 |　　　　 `Y⌒y’´　　　　|　　and really blends the tastes together perfectly!”
　　＼　　　゛ー ′　　,／　　
　　 /　　　　ー‐ 　　ィ

007

Luka with her tuna!

It really is so much fun to take pictures together with the figures! Plus they become an important memory to remember at a later time!

010

The Project mirai concept art!

These are all the actual materials from Sega, that the cafe is borrowing! Thanks Sega!! There are all sorts of illustrations of costumes and the like that were used in the Project mirai game.

012

“Aku no Musume” and “Aku no Meshitsukai”!

Rin & Len have such detailed costumes! You can even see the little textures on their outfits! I’m pretty sure these would be a mission to make Nendoroid Petites out of… 😛

011

“Mousou Sketch” and “Kimi no Taion”!

The designs really had the lovely Nendoroid feeling about them even at the design stage. From this point, the illustrations would be changed into 3D models by Sega, they really all came out spectacularly…

Gakkun from the manufacturing team and I would then look at all the 3D images, and say things like “It’s really cute… can’t you make it cuter though”. We went through every costume just like that until they were all up to the cute standards of Nendoroids.

I remember commenting on the “Mousou Sketch” and “Kimi no Taion” models as well – I really loved them, so I went particularly strict on them to make sure they were as perfect as possible! Thanks for all you hard work, Sega!!

013

“Sakasama Rainbow”!

Even the little accessories are all carefully detailed on the designs!! All these details went into the Project mirai models!

014

There are even storyboards!

This is from the opening theme, ‘Yumeyume’! I really want to compare the storyboard to the final video sometime…

016

This is where Miku opens the door!

I really loved the opening, so I’ve watched it a number of times. It’s amazing to look at the storyboard and then see what the final product looks like. The opening is running on the monitors at the cafe, so those who haven’t seen it can take a look right at the cafe!

015

KAITO!!

017

The original work for “Happy Synthesizer”!

018

Original illustrations!!

This is by Ryuuichi Makino from the animation production company, AIC! These rare illustrations can only be found at the GSC Cafe! (well, at the moment :P)

035

There are also figures on display!

A variety of Vocaloid figures from GSC and Max Factory are all on display for customers to enjoy! Photos are welcome!

019

The secret back room!

Station Yamada and Akiyama were up all night preparing things the day before the launch! They were then waiting here in the back room to make sure everything ran smoothly on the opening day. They look really highly strung in this photo for some reason…

Thanks for all the hard work guys!

020

Ren-kyun at the entrance!

I had to rudely ask for a photo for the blog! 😛 Apparently the staff cosplay was only for one day… they should have kept it going much longer!

021

Adorable shop cards!

These are all free to take home! They are sitting at the front desk, so just grab on your way out!

022

3900 Yen! ((((ﾟДﾟ))))

All that for just 39000 yen!!! It’s a miracle! I can live on with Miku by my side!

Now it’s time to move on to Suidoubashi!!

023

The Tokyo Dome City Hall!

Today (8th March), the Miku Live Party 2012 was being held right here!
GSC also had a booth up on display!

025

This was the sales corner!

We had quite a lot on sale, but there were so many visitors that almost everything was sold out by the end of the evening! Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth!

024

The latest prototypes on display!

A couple of figures including Tony’s Luka Megurine and Miku Hatsune: Cheerful Ver. were on display with lots of people taking photos! Luka in particular seemed very popular – and with good reason!

026

The Live Starts!

Miku-san was right there in front of our eyes!! Look at all the green glow sticks as well!

The box we were in was smaller than the previous event, but it was a booth with seats, so it was actually easier to see than before! Everyone was so exited, which really added to the atmosphere!

Here are a few pictures from the live! (`･ω･´)ゞ

028

030
031

027

033

032

034

029

Overall, it was very similar to last year’s Miku-Pa, but the location and set were very different which gave a nice new atmosphere to the event! It was great to have attended!

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

(C) Crypton Future Media, Inc.

March 8, 2012 by Kahotan

Miku Hatsune : Cheerful Ver.

The Cheerful JAPAN! project has been going for a year!

As of the 11th March, it will have been a full year since the earthquake and tsunami. I hope that over this year those affected by the disaster have managed to get back on with their lives. My heart goes out to all of you. I believe there is still a huge amount of work to be done in the areas that were hit, but there is more and more progress each day.

Good Smile Company has been working together with other companies for the past year to run a charity project to donate money to help relief efforts, and we thank everyone who has purchased any goods that were a part of the project – know that you’re helped in the restoration of Japan!

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!

This is the last Cheerful Product! Let’s take a look!

001
Cheerful JAPAN! Part 11:

Miku Hatsune : Cheerful Ver.!

The final product to join the Cheerful JAPAN! charity project is a 1/8th scale figure based on the winning illustration from the Cheerful JAPAN! feat. Miku Hatsune Cheerful Illustration Contest. The illustration was titled ‘Cheer Up!!’, and was illustrated by bun150. She is wearing a cheerful cheerleader’s outfit, and has a huge smile across her face to help spread the cheer all over the world!

015

This was bun150’s illustration!

She’s so adorable!! The illustration really fills you with energy just by looking at it! That twisted body and long flowing hair are also absolutely stunning!

003

Let’s take a look at her front!

　　　　　　　　＿＿_＿
　　　　　　：／　　　　＼：
　　　　：／　..:::─::::─ ＼：　　　”What a magnificent design…”
　　　：／　 ..::<●>::<●>　＼：
　　　：|　　　　　（__人__）　　|：
　　　：＼　　　　｀ ⌒´　　 _／：　　　
　　　：ノ　　　　　　　　　　＼：

You can’t see the front side of her on the illustration, but on the figure you can see the design is complete, and you can look from any angle you like! The first time I saw her from this angle I could hardly contain my excitement… I just love the way she is designed!

005

A close up around her her stomach!

The cheerleader’s outfit has a very high waist line, giving you tons of skin to enjoy! Plus even though she is wearing a skirt, you can make out the outline of her body through it perfectly!

004

This is how she looks from the back!

This is really a figure that you can enjoy from absolutely any angle. Plus the giant speaker seen in bun150’s illustration is used as a base for her!

006

My favorite shot!

　　　　　　　　　＿＿＿_
　　　　　　　　／　　　　＼
　　　　　　／　＼　　／　＼　　”Those who read the blog often will
　　　　　／　（●）　（●）　　＼　　 probably know just why I like it so much!”
　　　　　|　　　（__人__）　　　|
　　　　＼　　　` ⌒ ´’　　　／ヽ
　　　　　　（ヽ、　　　　　/￣）|
　　　　　　 |　｀`ー――‐”|　　ヽ、.|
　　　　　　ゝ　ノ　　　　　ヽ　ノ　|
　￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

002

Such a lovely smile!

She has a nice young look about her, and the big ribbon in her hair suits her so nicely!! Plus even zoomed in as close as this, you still get a really dynamic feeling from the way she is posed!

007

Twin-tails and pompons!

That subtitle almost sounds like the name of a song. 😛 A look from above gives us a good indication of just how incredibly the hair has been sculpted! (I was really scared it would snap if I touched it, so I got Hiro-san to help me out…)

I’m absolutely certain this is going to be a nightmare for the manufacturing team though – there will be so many tiny parts to work with! 😛

010

She even makes use of clear plastic!

As you can see on the original illustration, Miku has see-through parts to her outfit – all of which have been added using clear plastic on the figure, including the soles of her shoes! I think it’s a really cute idea for a design.

009

Plus, tomorrow the 9th March…

Is the release date for ‘Quarterly pixiv vol.8’!

As a bonus included with the magazine, a Nendoroid Petite of Miku’s Cheerful ver. is included! The detail on the little Nendoroid is so incredible it’s hard to believe that it’s actually just a Nendoroid – don’t miss out on her if you’re a fan! The magazine also includes Crypton’s wat-san and some inside info about Project mirai!

008

Both displayed together!

It is so adorable to display the big and the small versions together! Plus the Nendoroid version can stand without the need for her stand – the twin-tails can hold her up perfectly!

001

Cheerful JAPAN! Part 11:

Miku Hatsune : Cheerful Ver.!

■ She will cost 10000JPY. Delivery in Japan is free.
■ For each sale made, Good Smile Company will donate 2000JPY to aid relief efforts in Japan.

Please take note of the following if you want to order:

[Purchases Within Japan]
This product can be ordered from the following stores:
Please see their respective home pages for more information.・GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP: http://cheerful-japan.ecq.sc/
・GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP Mobile:　http://cheerful-japan.ecq.sc/

■ Orders can be placed between 9th March 2012 (Fri) from 11:00 until 28th March 2012 (Wed) at 20:00.
■ Delivery within Japan is free of charge.
■ Delivery will be in August 2012.
■ Five figures per person will be available.
■ Payment will be via bank transfer or credit card. Cash-on-delivery will not be an option.
■ Products will be made to order. Please order within the dates specified above.
■ If you have any questions please email shop@goodsmile.jp. Japanese only.

[Overseas Sales]

・GOODSMILE ONLINE SHOP: http://cheerful-japan-global.ecq.sc

■ Orders can be placed between 9th March 2012 (Fri) from 11:00 until 28th March 2012 (Wed) at 20:00.
■ Five figures per person will be available.
■ Figures will be made to order.
■ Figures will start being sent out from August 2012. (Delivery time varies depending on location)
■ Payment must be done via credit card or Paypal. Please see http://cheerful-japan-global.ecq.sc/help for more information.
■ Your credit card will be charged on order, and not when the product is sent. This is due to the donation taking place before products are delivered.
■ Shipping will be charged at 2000JPY to all countries.
■ You may be charged additional fees such as import tax and customs duties when buying from overseas. Please be aware of this before ordering.
■ Payment will be in Japanese Yen.
■ Please mail shop.overseas@goodsmile.jp if you have any questions. English only please.

Orders will be taken at the GSC Online shop from 9th March at 11:00 and continue until the 28th at 20:00.
http://cheerful-japan.ecq.sc/

And now for some notices!

The Nintendo 3DS game…

“Miku Hatsune and Future Stars Project mirai“ goes on sale today!

Nendoroid versions of Miku and friends will all dance and sing for you! Good Smile has been very involved with the production, and SEGA have been very helpful with so many things! I’m confident to say the game is a load of fun!! It’s filled with lots of love from Vocaloid fans, so if you’re a fan you are bound to enjoy it!

And from today, the Akiba GSC-Tetsu Cafe…

014

Is a Project mirai cafe!

What kind of cafe is it going to be? Akiyama-san has been wandering around there, so I decided to ask him!

　　　　／￣￣＼
　　　／ .ー　　ー＼ ← Akiyama
　　　|　　（●）　（●） |　　
　　　|　　（__人__）|　　　　”It’s a cafe that’ll bring a smile to your face!
　　　|　　　｀i 　i´　 |　　　　　 Plus the menu is super cute!
　　　|　　　. `⌒ 　 }　　　　　　There are even limited edition goods!”
　　　ヽ　　　　　　　}　
　　　　ヽ　　　　　ノ　
　　　／　　　　　　ヽ　

Oooh, sounds great!

Lemme see some pictures!

012

This is the drinks menu!

Drinks based on Miku and Luka’s image colors! They have ice-cream in them, perfect for the upcoming warm months! Plus a coaster is included with each drink you order!

013

Next is the food menu!

These are also based around Miku and Luka! They look absolutely delicious… each food order also comes with a paper place-mat that you can take home!

　　　　　　／￣￣￣＼
　　　　　／　─　　 ─ 　＼　　　”I wanna try it…
　　　／　 <●> 　<●>　　＼.　　 Maybe I should head there now…”
　　　 |　　　（__人__）　し　　|　　
　　　＼　　　｀ ⌒´　　　　／　
　　　／　し　　　　　　＼

So… by the time you’re reading this, I’ll probably be in the cafe trying some of the food! 😛 I’ll have a review up on Friday! (`･ω･´)ゞ

Another notice!
The Black Rock Shooter anime airing on noitaminA…

016

Now has a special page to itself!

The anime is getting more and more exiting with every episode!
From today and for the next month, we’ll be passing on some special info about the series!

Comments from those involved, never before seen images and other things that should be interesting for fans of the series… be sure to check it out!

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

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

(C) bun150 / Crypton Future Media, Inc.

February 2, 2012 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Snow Miku : Fluffy Coat Ver.

Snow Miku has arrived in Japan!!

001

Yesterday, we went to the warehouse to take a look!

All these boxes piled up are filled with Snow Mikus to go to WonFes and Sapporo Snow Festival. I’m glad to see they’ve all arrived safely, so today I’ll be doing a review of her!

003

Nendoroid Snow Miku : Fluffy Coat Ver.!

This is the Nendoroid made each year in commemoration of the Snow Miku sculpture being made at the Sapporo Snow Festival! This year loads of outfits were submitted to the website Piapro, and then the most popular was selected by popular vote on WonHobby TV 10!
This year’s Snow Miku design was submitted by Nanaka! ヾ(･∀･)ﾉ゛
She is a very fancy looking fluffy jacket, and even gems on the ribbon in her hair!

002

This is how the packaging looks!

She comes with three expressions! Along with a number of cute Nendoroid parts to play with! The standard expression makes it look like she is looking around and enjoying the snowy scenery around her! (Personally I love the way her eyes look…)

004

This is how she looks from the back!

Takanon was in charge of the sculpting for this Miku – just look at the way the twin tails curl in! Such lovely sculpting! The snowflake prints on her hair are also beautiful. The previous two years the snowflakes were silver, but this time around they are silver and blue for a little change!

005

Her base has LED lights!

The base is shaped like an ellipse and has three different holes to place the arm to hold her in. That also means you can display three Nendoroids on it! (As long as they use arm stands)

006

The top of the base can be taken off!

The top is also made of a very fluffy soft material – unfortunately it doesn’t come out very well in the photos. 🙁 It also has a few silver bits mixed in to make it look a bit more like snow! Gakkun really put his heart into this little base! The material is quite delicate just like real snow, so do be careful when handling it!

007

Alright, let’s move onto the optional parts!
First up, a smiling face and mike stand!

Nanaka’s spade-type microphone has also been included! You’ll see just why it’s called that a little later on 😛 She also comes with bent arms and bent legs for left and right allowing for some different poses!

008

A worried looking Miku!

A cute, unsure expression across her face with red cheeks! Lovely! It’s so cute I could look at it all day… plus as you can see the mike can be removed from the stand and placed in her hand!

009

Holding the spade with a surprised face!

The mike can be transformed into this spade! Miku can then hold it… but what is she going to do with it?

010

She’ll make a Snow Sculpture of herself!

It’s a Nendoroid Petite sized ice sculpture made from half clear plastic! It’s not completely white as that would just look strange, and it’s not completely clear so that it still has a slightly cloudy, icy look! The production team never cease to amaze me! Thanks everyone!

014

Plus her head and arms are posable!

Unfortunately the hips and legs are not posable so you can’t pose her that much, but at least you can move her around a little bit! You practically get a whole extra figure as an extra!

011

Let’s try the lights out!

The white background makes for a rather bad picture, but the clear Miku really looks beautiful when lit up! You can recreate the Sapporo Snow Festival right in your own home!! If you remove the top of the stand the lighting becomes a lot stronger as well – it’s up to you how you want to use it. It looks best to have the LED lights at the edges of her twintails and her legs.

The ribbon on her head can also be removed, but it does leave a small hole where it should connect on. I didn’t forget to put it on for this photo, I swear! 😛

012

You can also light up Snow Miku herself!

If you want to light up Miku instead of the ice sculpture – it also looks great like that! Snow Miku’s hair is also made from clear plastic so it lights up very nicely! It looks like she is singing on her very own snow stage.

For those that think the base is too big – don’t worry as she also comes with the standard Nendoroid stand which you can see in the photo below.

013

Nendoroid Snow Miku : Fluffy Coat Ver.!

The packaging also has a lovely sparkling effect! A box very befitting of the gorgeous Snow Miku!! The box is the same size as the Snow Miku box from last year – a little bigger than the standard Nendoroid boxes.

For more information, you can view the following links: (Japanese).

– Product Information –
http://www.whl4u.jp/products.html

– Event Sales –
http://www.whl4u.jp/buy_kaijou.html

– Web Sales –
http://www.whl4u.jp/buy_web.html

– Good Smile x Tetsujin Cafe –
http://www.gstjcafe.jp/

Plus you can also grab her at CYPTON’s SNOW MIKU 2012 booth at the Sapporo Snow Festival! I’m definitely headed to Hokkaido to join in at the festival! I can’t wait!

– SNOW MIKU 2012 –
http://www.crypton.co.jp/mp/pages/special/snowmiku2012/

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

(c)Crypton Future Media, Inc.

January 30, 2012 by Kahotan

Nendoroid Petite: Racing Miku 2011 Ver.

GSR’s Yama-chan, who was on Friday’s live broadcast!

001

Although his real name is actually Tsukamoto. 😛 The reason he ended up being called Yama-chan is that apparently because he looked very similar to another person named Yama-chan, so the name ended up sticking for him as well. Apparently he also has some royal blood running though his veins… 😛

But anyway! Today we’ll be looking at this prototype figure!

002

Nendoroid Petite: Racing Miku 2011 Ver.!

From the Miku GT Project and in commemoration of the 2011 championship victory, Miku, Rin and Luka are all being released as Nendoroid Petite figures in a set of three to stand in cute poses on the winner’s podium!

The winner’s podium is also included! (`･ω･´)ゞ

This was drawn by GSR’s Yama-chan!

Oooh! Nice work!! Although I do ponder why the tires of the car have been removed! 😛 Also great work to the sculptor who managed to create such lovely figures from Yama-chan’s illustration!

004

This is how they look from the back!

As usual, I’m fairly certain the Nendo Petite series is going to bring tears to those in the production team! Look at the intricate details!! Just look at the tiny details on the hem of the skirt… I made a quick measurement of it and all three lines came to about 1mm.

The podium here currently uses brass wires to secure the Nendos in place, but the final product will make use of the usual Nendo Petite rods that hold them up.

003

A pull-back Miku GT Car is also included!

A pull-back car is one of those cars you pull backwards so that it can drive forward! The actual car on the final version will be a completely white car – but there will be decals included for you to create your own Miku GT car!

　　　　／￣￣＼
　　　／ .ー　　ー＼　← Yama-chan
　　　|　　（●）　（●） |　
　　　|　　（__人__）|　　”When you’re sticking on the decals use
　　　|　　　｀i 　i´　 |　　　GSR’s Decal Fitter for the best results!”
　　　|　　　. `⌒ 　 }　　　　　　
　　　ヽ　　　　　　　}　
　　　　ヽ　　　　　ノ　
　　　／　　　　　　ヽ　

Yama-chan… is an excellent salesman! You can find out more about the GSR Decal Fitter over here: http://www.goodsmileracing.com/products/gsr_mss/mss_02.html

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The normal stands are also included!

You can choose if you want to use the podium or the normal stands. That also means you can put other Nendo Petites on the podium if you like!

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Miku also comes with optional parts!!

A different expression as well as different arm parts! The expression is a much more serious looking one, and the arm part stretches her arm out to recreate the key visual pose! The more serious looking Miku is still so cute though!!
007

They are so tiny, but still so intricate!

Rin’s trophy and Luka’s champagne both make use of lovely clear parts! Even as tiny Nendo Petites the effort has still gone in to make them perfect! The trophy Rin is holding is the series championship trophy – the exact same design as the real one, but this one measures just 2.5cm! 😛
008

Nendoroid Petite: Racing Miku 2011 Ver.!

They will be on the GSC site as of tomorrow!
Please contact out partner shops if you have any sales or preorder queries!

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

(C)Yuichi Murakami / Crypton Future Media, Inc

January 22, 2012 by Kahotan

Miku Hatsune : Love is War ver.

I want to shout as well!! ヾ(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ﾉ゛
Today we’re going to be looking at the lovely Miku Hatsune : Love is War Ver.!

011

This is how the boxes look!

If you place the boxes of the two versions together it’s just big enough for Gakkun to sit behind! 😛

The left is the DX ver., and the right is the standard version!
The black and white contrast between the packages looks great displayed next to each other like this! The boxes are also a lovely high quality paper – you’ll feel for yourself when it arrives.

001

Miku Hatsune : Love is War ver. &

Miku Hatsune: Love is War ver. DX

From the popular song composed by ryo and produced by supercell with illustrations by Shirou Miwa, ‘Love is War,’ is this lovely 1/8th scale figure of Miku Hatsune! Her long flowing hair is blowing up behind her, her skirt is also flying up in the wind as she holds a megaphone in her one hand and leans over the edge of a railing, shouting out about her love! It’s a beautiful and dynamic pose that recreates Shirou Miwa’s original illustration perfectly!

You can see just how big it is! (`･ω･´)ゞ

The exact size is written on the GSC website, but you can also get an idea of the size based on the comparison with the monitor and keyboard here. It’s really big! But even though it’s big…

The sculpting is absolutely fantastic!

002

Let’s take a look at the DX version first!

This version includes the huge speaker stand that was found in the background of the original illustration. Back when we saw the prototype I remember asking…

　　　　　　　　＿＿_＿
　　　　　　：／　　　　＼：
　　　　：／　..:::─:::::─ ＼：　　　”How in the world
　　　：／　 ..::<●>:::<●>　＼：　　 are they going to mass-produce this?”
　　　：|　　　　　（__人__）　　　|：　
　　　：＼　　　　｀ ⌒´　　 _／：　　　
　　　：ノ　　　　　　　　　　＼：

I really thought it was too complex! But it seems that the production team has managed to pull through a miracle! Even the unique texture on the speaker part which I thought would be one of the hardest to get right came out perfectly. Apparently it was applied by dabbing it on with a kind of sponge.

003

This is how it looks from the back!

The huge stand is made using 3D data, but the production team was quite troubled how to mass produce it nicely. It ended up very easy to put together and still looks absolutely lovely! The DX version was only available by web sales – but I’m certain everyone who ordered will be happy with the final product!

005

Just look how lovely it looks!!

I wasn’t sure if the pictures would do it justice, but the stand on both versions has a lovely look that really makes it look like cast iron. It even has a realistic rough texture!

The rough texture comes entirely from the paint work!

The fence in front of Miku can be removed, and you can put it side-by-side with the underside of the figure (which is unpainted), to compare the flat surface to the rough surface!

006

This is the standard version!

It does look a bit simple when compared to the DX ver, but even the standard version is rather impressive in size! The actual Miku figure in both versions is identical, but the smaller version is ideal for people who don’t have the space for the huge stand included with the DX ver. It’s also going to be available for standard retailers, so anyone can still pick this one up if they missed the orders last year.

007

Miku herself looks absolutely stunning!!

It’s absolutely incredible how similar the final version is to the prototype! I almost can’t tell the difference! I thought the same about the 1/8th scale Madoka the other day – it really goes to show just how fast the figure production industry is improving!

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The face is made up of two different parts!

I bet you never expected the face and mouth to be two different parts! If you put the two parts on the left together, you get the Miku face on the right! This allows the painting to be done separately to make sure that none of the colors run into each other. Extra work to make sure the figure comes out even better!!

008

The coloring on the arm cover is incredible!

I’m sorry you have to view this all through my shoddy photo work… but the arm cover, skirt and boots all make use of a lovely shiny black color! It has a kind of blue tinge to it that really makes it look great!

009

Miku’s beautiful curves!

She is posed leaning forward over the railing in a very sexy pose! Just look at those lovely thighs!!

The wrinkles in the skirt are also absolutely fantastic! (Plus they were apparently very hard to sculpt right :P) The way the skirt is picked up in the wind is also quite the sight for fans! ^^

010

The gradient on her hair is beautiful!

Love is War Miku is well known for the long hair flowing out behind her, and it’s lovely to see it in figure from! I love the way it looks! Shirou Miwa’s illustration has really come to life with this figure!

004

A nice close up of the front!

She really has been sculpted down to the finest of details, when you pick it up in your hands you’ll know instantly just how wonderful it is! Even zoomed up this close she still looks fantastic!

012

The DX version’s speakers come apart!

You could see Gakkun holding it in his hand in the first image as well – it’s really big enough for that to look realistic! 😛 Nendoroid Miku is can even hold the speaker! (It does need double-sided tape, though :P)

013

Miku Hatsune : Love is War ver. &

Miku Hatsune: Love is War ver. DX

The DX version will be shipped out on the 30th January!
Those who ordered it can expect her a few days after that, depending on your location.

The standard version will also be sent out on the 30th to both those who ordered and to stores!
Those who ordered it can also expect deliver a few days after that, depending on your location, and those who want to buy it can pop into our partner shops and grab one!

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

(C)Crypton Future Media, Inc.