Darth Vader Mania

There sure are a lot of Darth Vader figures running around these days.  Lets have them battle it out, and see which Vader is truly the Lord of the Sith(s).

The contenders:

S.H.Figuarts Darth Vader

Manufacturer: Bandai

Price: 5500 Yen

Height: 155 mm

Revoltech Darth Vader

Manufacturer: Kaiyodo

Price: 5500 Yen

Height: 170 mm

Mafex Darth Vader

Manufacturer: Medicom

Price: 4500

Height: 170 mm

Black Series 6" Darth Vader

Manufacturer: Hasbro

Price: 19.99 USD

Height: approx 165 mm

Not included: Variant Play Arts Kai Darth Vader and Movie Realization Darth Vader (both are too redesigned).  Also, Bandai's model kit, as this is an action figure battle.

We will compare them based on several criteria.

1.) Price

Winner:  Black Series
Even without factoring in import pricing and shipping, the Black Series Vader is the clear winner at 19.99 USD.

Loser: S.H.Figuarts & Revoltech

Even though they are tied for most expensive, SHF is the shortest and Revoltech has so few accessories?  Not a lot of plastic for your buck.  (Unless you count the 1st-run exclusive stand SHF comes with.)

2.) Size/Scale

Winner: Revoltech & Mafex

Both are 170 mm tall, accurately portraying actor David Prowse's huge stature at 1/12th scale.

Loser: S.H.Figuarts

Too darn short.

3.) Accessories

Winner: S.H.Figuarts (with caveat)

If you count the 1st-run exclusive base, then this is a clear win for SHF Vader.  If not, most are pretty comparable, except for ...

Loser: Revoltech

With no severed arm and no Anakin head, Revo loses this category.

4.) Look (YMMV)

Winner: Mafex & S.H.Figuarts

If you're going for screen accuracy, Mafex looks the most like the films.  If you want a little more stylized, SHF is the way to go.

Loser: Black Series & Revoltech

Black Series looks almost as real as Mafex, but the helmet is oversized and Vaders' lenses are too reddish.  Revoltech looks strange, with a squished face and lumpy, segmented cape.

5.) Posability

Winner: Revoltech

Based on Revoltech's history, joint tech and the official photos of Vader, it is obvious this Dark Lord is the most flexible.

Loser: Black Series

With far fewer joints, the American contender just can't cut it.

6.) Announced/Released Star Wars Figures

Winner: Black Series

There are already dozens of Black Series 6" figures out, with many more on the way, including in-scale vehicles and creatures.

Loser: Mafex

Only a Mafex Stormtrooper to keep Annie Skywalker company.

7.) Size of Figure Line

Winner: S.H.Figuarts

As one of the largest figures lines in the galaxy, SHF Darth will fit in with the hundreds of figures Bandai has done in this line.

Loser: Mafex

Darth Vader can mix it up with Spider-Man and some Batman characters, but that's it.

OVERALL

S.H.Figuarts: 3 Wins*, 2 Losses

Revoltech: 2 Wins, 3 Losses

Mafex: 2 Wins, 2 Losses

Black Series 6": 2 Wins, 2 Losses

*1 win based on 1st-run exclsuive

Those results align with what figure I pre-ordered (SHF, obviously) but many of these categories are pretty subjective.  I'm sure they're all great figures.  A lot of which one you should go for depends on how you weight the categories.

The Waiting Game`

The amount of time between first seeing a Japanese action figure announced, to having it in your hands (especially if you live outside of Japan) can be quite astronomical.  Let's look at some examples, for figures I have personally purchased.

My first example is an extreme one: the notorious Armor Plus Kongou no Shuu from Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (or Kento of Hardrock, for you Ronin Warriors fans).  He was first seen at a figure show in February of 2011, but not released until April of 2013.  That's over two years!

Tamashii Features 2011

It's worth noting that, as Shuu is part of a 5-man team, he was announced along when his teammates were.  He was the final one to see release, meaning he had by far the longest delay between announcement and release.  Bandai could have released them closer together, however, but perhaps they wanted to wait for fans' wallets to rebound.  Whatever the reason, waiting over two years is just ridiculous.

Here's a more recent example.  S.H.Figuarts Darth Vader.  First shown at Tokyo Toy Show in early June of 2014, he just saw release a day or two ago.  About one month shy of a year between his first sightings and release.  Now, as an American collector, we have to tack on the several days or weeks for it to ship to my house.

Lord Vader's first appearance

I think this is too long.  Far too long, in fact.  The best time to release a figure is when those looking forward to it are at the peak of excitement.  The memories of opening it and first posing it will be so much more positive.  For most collectors, however, the hype for a figure spikes much earlier than a year after announcement.  By releasing them so much after-the-fact, toy manufacturers are shooting themselves in the foot.  Less excitement means less buying, and those that do buy them will remember them less fondly, hurting future business.

So, why do they announce figures so far ahead?  I have a few ideas.  Hype is also built up through cross-promotion.  S.H.Figuarts Darth Vader was probably announced when he was in order to ride the hype-train that Star Wars Episode VII is generating.  Another factor in this case is competition.  Several other manufacturers were announcing Star Wars figures at this time, and Bandai did not wish to be late to the party and come across as ripoffs.  Perhaps companies like Bandai are overzealous, constantly overestimating how quickly they can develop a figure from prototype.  

My final theory is one I really hope is untrue.  Maybe by showing off a future figure so early, a toy company can gauge fan reaction, and, if negative enough, abort a figure before it has cost too much to develop.  While this might avoid a costly failure of a figure, it also greatly seeds mistrust between consumers and companies.  Even though almost all figure announcements say something to the effect of "Display Only" (meaning the figure is not guaranteed to be made) everybody knows what the strong implication is.  If you show a figure, you are expected to sell it.  By announcing later in development, a toy company would be forced to follow through on their word.  That would require much more cautious planning on their part, however.  That means less "experimental" figure announcements.  So maybe the price of such diverse figure offerings is long wait times and the occasional canceled figure.

I'd rather receive less figures, but at the height of my excitement for them, than have more to choose from, but get them over a year later.  How about you?

amiibo Part 2

Despite many of the complaints I have with the Super Smash Bros. line of amiibo, I have purchased several.  They are of fairly high quality, and likely the only Smash Bros. figure line we'll see in our lifetimes.  There are other "meta-Nintendo" lines, most notably Jakks Pacific's World of Nintendo line, but I appreciate that these amiibo are specific to Smash Bros.  The particular versions of the costumes, as well as the poses, are lifted directly from Smash Bros., with the Smash Bros. symbol as their base.  The problem, exclusively in America, has been in getting them.

I have been fairly lucky with my amiibo hunts.  I, apparently, like popular characters, because only a few of the ones I've wanted are considered "rare".  The few rare ones I did want, I suppose I was in the right place at the right time; I was able to easily pre-order them in my local Toys R Us.  There are more coming out I desire, however, so, hopefully, my luck will not run out.  I have several theories as to why they are so hard to collect here in the US.  Here are some of them.

Nintendo is a family company.  They are not accustomed to, nor interested in, pandering to collectors.  They are targeting younger audiences by flooding shelves with the characters most popular with kids (Mario, Kirby, Yoshi, etc) while ignoring some of the great characters from their more mature games.  Their sales numbers might back this up.  Mario always sells well, while the few Fire Emblem figures ever made might not have.  I hope the data from American amiibo sales do not reinforce this idea.  After all, if you ship less Marths, you'll sell less Marths.

Nintendo of Japan is proud.  Nintendo of Japan, like many, many older Japanese game companies are either completely mystified by Western tastes, or more likely, look down on them.  This pride lead them to foresee American amiibo shoppers as unsophisticated - simply wanting flagship mascots of children's games.  While it is true, Americans love Mario and the gang, the amiibo debacle has also re-proven that Western gamers have complex taste in games.  This pride could also be blamable for the breakdown in communications.  Nintendo of America has said almost nothing regarding the shortages, and I believe, a big reason is that they know very little of Nintendo of Japan's plans or ideas.

Nintendo is inexperienced in merchandise.  First, I will admit that there has been, literally, thousands of Nintendo-related toys released over the decades.  What I am referring to, specifically, is Nintendo's lack of experience in handling the manufacture, shipping and marketing of figures.  They have always licensed their merchandises out to other manufacturers, but with amiibo, they have taken on much of the responsibility.  And, frankly, they don't know enough yet to satisfy the myriad of consumer types around the world they have.  They completely missed the mark when predicting sales in the US, made too few of some characters and too many of others, and have shipped them in batches so small, they only exacerbate rather than relieve the situation.  Even retailers are frustrated with Nintendo, hurting relationships a more experienced company would already have cemented.

Nintendo is gun shy.  As this is their first real foray into collectibles, they likely erred on the side of caution, preferring to under-produce than over.  Figures not selling and sitting on shelves would have been costly for them, as well as edged out future shelf space for the next series of amiibo.

Nintendo is, maybe, an evil genius.  The amiibo situation greatly resembles the original Wii shopping madness.  Is Nintendo under-shipping to drive up demand?  For the case of the Wii, it worked quite well.  People were going crazy over it and, I believe, people that never would have otherwise bought one did for two reasons.  One, people who would have otherwise never heard about a console release learned of the Wii from news reports about its scarcity.  Two, people who were on the fence about buying one, when confronted with the chance to acquire one from the insanely low supply, felt pressured to get it now, or miss out forever.  Perhaps Nintendo was trying to recreate this fever with amiibo.

Hopefully, collectors who missed out on their favorite characters will get a chance in the future.  But with more and more amiibo being announced every month, I doubt it.

amiibo Part 1

Me and my fellow Smash Bros. fan friends were very excited for Nintendo's new toys-to-life series, called amiibo.  The initial line of amiibo are based on Super Smash Bros. for WiiU/3DS, a brilliant move, as Smash Bros features characters from throughout Nintendo's considerable history.  The initial prototypes looked great.  The promised gameplay sounded fantastic.

But, upon release, my friends and I were in for disappointment.  The first thing I noticed was the released versions were not as brilliant as the prototypes.  Now, as an action figure collector, I am very used to this, with regard to paint quality and sculpt accuracy.  The difference that bothered me, however, was the stands.  The prototypes boasted small, round, and clear tubes to hold aloft the flying or jumping characters.  The actual stands were much thicker, square and all sorts of different translucent colors.  I understand the thickening of the stands; these are family toys and stands the size of the prototypes would likely snap in a 4-year-old's hands.  But why show such a drastically different stand?  Did you actually believe you could have produced them that way?  I suppose, since this is one of Nintendo's first forays into figures, that can be forgiven ... lack of experience.  Far worse than the size however, was the decision to make them colored.  Clear plastic is perfect for stands, it minimizes their appearance, adding to the illusion the figure is gliding or hovering.  By making them brightly colored, they draw attention, rather than hide it.  For the Link figure, in particular, they chose to have a pee-yellow colored stand drip from between his legs down to the base.  It really looks like a power stream of urine.

The look of these figures is only half their appeal.  You can tap them on your console and bring them to life in the game.  But, as amiibos were getting into people's hands, me and my friends hopes were dashed again, as their functionality was strange, unfun and obscured.  Firstly, you could not play as your amiibo.  You could only spar with it, fight alongside it, or watch it fight alone.  Not a huge deal-breaker, but putting time and effort into strengthening a character would be best enjoyed by playing as it, as any RPG can tell you.  They also claimed the figure would learn from the events of the battles it was in, specifically.  That you could teach it moves and counter-moves by showing them it.  It is very unclear if this is the case.  There is no way to tell how or what your amiibo has learned, or if there is any more to the "learning" system than the amount of time it has fought.  You can only gauge its strength by its level, 1-50.

By level 50, the amiibo is very, very intelligent.  This excited me and my friends; something challenging to strive for.  But, we were, again, quickly disappointed.  As it get higher in levels, it also get stat bumps, making it stronger, faster and tougher than the version of that character the player can play as.  This isn't good design - its SNK Boss Syndrome.  Making something harder by giving it unfair advantages isn't fun to overcome; it feels cheap.  I wanted to be defeated by my amiibo's honed technique, strategy and skill.  Not its ridiculous stats.

All of these problems only arise if you can actually get an amiibo.  There have been horrendous stock issues regarding amiibo since the first day of their release.  These isssues have largely been restricted to the US.  Nintendo has been notoriously tight-lipped as to why, but in Part 2, I'll give you my guesses.

Boxes

When I first starting seriously collecting action figures, I always held onto the boxes they came in.  I kept the original box, all the plastic trays, and even the twist-ties.  I'm not sure why I kept them.  Perhaps it was because they were very well made.  Bright colors, see-through windows, and on the back, a bunch of cool shots of the figure in various poses.  Maybe it was just another way to scratch that collector "itch", or maybe I was feeding my packrat tendencies.  A sense of, "If I throw it out now, I can never get it back ... and I can always throw it out later."

Well, later eventually came.  As my collection grew, the pile of boxes grew even faster.  As a box must contain a figure, it is usually bigger.  I tried breaking them down in a way that preserved them, but it was no use.  I threw them all out in one big dumpster.  The accessories contained in them were put into hobby trays (usually used for beading, I believe.)

I was surprised by how little loss I felt, after trashing them.  In fact, opening up the closet space they took up was a big relief.  Now, I throw away a figure's packaging as soon as I'm finished opening it.  After all, the figure is what I'm after anyways.  And making more room means more room for more figures.

Now, some people never even open their figures.  This practice has always befuddled me.  Even despite my attachment to boxes (as admitted above), I still do not understand collectors who do not open their toys.  I do not judge them - whatever makes them enjoy their collection is just fine, and some figure boxes are incredibly well made and good-looking.  I, however, just want to pose and display the figure so much, I can't fathom keeping it locked away.

In the 90's, children's toys from decades past started to make waves in the secondary market.  Star Wars toys from the 70's, rare transformers from the 80's, and hundreds of others were fetching huge prices on eBay and at friendly local comic shops.  This lead to rampant speculation by adult collectors, buying up toys they predicted would be valuable in 10 or more years.  These collectors were planning on selling the toys eventually, so keeping them in the box made sense - a figure in original packaging is worth much, much more than loose.

Does this feed into the reasons collectors nowadays don't open their toys?  A sense of lost value?  It is a one-way ticket.  Once opened, a toy cannot become mint-in-package again.  I guess it's about loss aversion.  You might want to play with the toy, but can't bring yourself to incur a perceived permanent loss in value.  I suppose this is the same mentality that caused my reluctance to throw the boxes away.

How about you?  Do you open your figures?  Why or why not?

Glossary Part 3

Here is the third in my ongoing glossary series.

Action Features (aka gimmick)

Action features, more commonly called gimmicks in Japan, are interesting things a figure can do, beyond be posed or equipped with accessories.  Many lines used them extensively, either all sharing one gimmick, such as Transformers, or using a different one on almost every figure, like Masters of the Universe.  I'm only listing one relevant to modern adult collecting here.

"Lifelike" Action Features

Light-Up.  A simple gimmick, a light-up feature is when a switch on the toy "lights up" and electronic light.  This can really add life to a figure, making it seem much more real, despite being inanimate.  My limited edition Robot Damashii Gundam 00 Qan[T] actually has a blacklight emitting base, while the figure itself is blacklight reactive.  This creates quite a spectacular effect.

Sound Effects.  While uncommon in collector toys, some figures emit sounds or sayings when you press a button on the figure.  This breathes life into the figure by making it appear as if the toy was alive enough to speak or make sounds.

Moving part.  Many figures, especially in the 80's and early 90's has part thatmoved automatically under certain conditions.  Squeezing the legs of a Super Powers Batman, for example, would cause his arm to perform an uppercut punch.  Other examples include: being able to fire a spring-loaded missile, using a rip cord to spin around or even walking (often through the use of wind-up techniques).  These types of features usually come at the cost of poseability or realism.

Toys-to-Life.  I touched on this in a previous Glossary, but this is technically an action feature.  This is when a toy can interact with an electronic medium, such as video games, like amiibo.  I suppose old 80's TV-interactive toys, like Captain Power, count as well.

"Technical" Action Features

Transforming.  The aptly named Transformers line of toys pioneered this gimmick, and continue to master it into today.  I don't have any official Transformers, but I really enjoy a transforming toy.  That fact that action figures can be posed in many ways multiplies its appeal (at least, to me) over a static figure.  There's just more ways you can display it.  Transforming gimmicks take this to the next level.  Ultimately, a transforming a toy is just posing it in an extremely different pose.  You get multiple figures in one, increasing the toy's potential while saving shelfspace!

Combining.  These are toys that are initially separate, but can combine into a larger figure.  Combining figures share many of the benefits of transforming toys.  Like transforming toys, they multiply the potential of a figure, giving you many more ways to pose and display them.

Interchanging Parts.  One of my favorite gimmicks, interchanging parts gives you a whole new level of customization and pose potential.  This is when the parts of some figures, for example, the cockpit pods of my ES Gokin Aestivalises, can be switched between multiple figures.  You can take the pod of the ground-type Aestivalis and place it inside the air-type, and visa versa.  With toylines that have multiple ways of interchanging, you can really explode a figures potential for customization.

Ecchi Figures

Although I am a Japanese toy collector, I am not a collector of ecchi, ero or any kind of "sexy" figures, which are a sizeable chunk of the figure market in Japan.  I have no problem with such figures existing and I do not judge those who buy them.

I'm an action and adventure fan.  The types of franchises that excite me are usually sci-fi, fantasy or heroic, which often lack ecchi themes.  So, when I purchase a figure to support something I like, it has a low chance of being an ecchi figure to begin with.  However, many fictional universes crossover between the two, so there are still figures of properties I appreciate that are quite sexy.  I still tend to avoid these figures, and here's why:

Looking at or posing a figure evokes memories of the franchise by being recognizable characters from it.  They also evoke a similar sense of style.  A figure from an action movie will evoke a sense of action, simply by its nature.  An armored techno-samurai looks fierce and cool on a shelf, regardless of knowing the source material.  The visceral sense of a figure is delivered though it's style, pose and form, in addition to what show, game or book it came from.

Sexy figures, therefore, evoke a sense of eroticism, just by being erotic to some degree.  Eroticism is not bad, and can be felt powerfully through many mediums, including figures.  However, it is not a feeling I'm interested in, with regard to figures.  I'm interested in cool, action-oriented and fierce looking characters.  They are often sexy too, but, if the feeling of sexyness overpowers the sense of action in a figure, I quickly lose interest.

There are other feelings a figure can bring out that I tend to avoid, such as comedy or horror.  These are not nearly as predominant as sexyness in the Japanese figure collecting industry, but I do not collect them for identical reasons.

HG Gundam Amazing Exia Build Report

For my birthday a friend that knows I think Exia is one sexy Gundam got me one of the Build Fighters version gunpla, HG Gundam Amazing Exia.  Here's a report of me building it.  Please excuse the poor photography.

Cover of the Manual

Some of the awesome features I'll be building!  Anyone know how to rotate pics in blogger?

Starting off with the head - very similar to Exia, but a different "V" fin.

Now we're cookin'!  The intakes on either side of the green circle on his chest (the GN-Drive) can lock in place, making the torso feel very solid, or disconnect for more mobility.  Very cool feature.

Bottom half.  Let's connect!

The base unit.  Very flexible, with cleverly hidden double-jointed knees.

His GN-Sword.  This is very similar to the Exia Repair II's sword, but with a different buckler that can ...

Emit a very long beam sword!  Or ...

Become a beam gun, or ...

Fold into a physical sword, with a green GN blade.

More weapons and accessories.  The fins on the shield can retract.

Here's the all-new Amazing Pack, which transforms this kit from a slightly different Exia into Amazing Exia.

It can transform itself, resembling a bird.

I attaches to Exia's back, replacing his GN-Drive's position.

Fully armed.

The Pack's wings separate into huge arm-blades.

And that's HG Gundam Amazing Exia.  A fun build, and the final figure has many gimmicks and interchangeable parts.  Definitely a great gunpla.

Bandai's Build Fighters Strategy

I completed my HG Amazing Exia kit today: I will do a build report later today.  While building it, I noticed some interesting things.  I don't watch Build Fighters (this Exia was a gift), but I do know that the kits consist of old Gundam models from previous shows with new parts.  It's actually a quite clever system Bandai has created, here's a list of some of the more ingenious benefits:

They are leveraging their incredibility huge catalog of Gundam designs on children too young to recognize them.  The target demographic of Build Fighters is younger than the average Gundam fan.  It is likely that they are unfamiliar with the majority of Gundams vast, vast history.  Reusing tried-and-true designs on the next generation is a safe bet and saves on designing new ones.

They are invoking nostalgia in older fans who might find Build Fighters childish.  Seeing as the show itself is targeting younger demographics, by bringing back old designs with new variations, they can rope in fans familiar with the Gundam's original show.  Gunpla fans loyal to, say, Gundam 00, might be interested in Build Fighters to see Exia in a new light (such as Amazing Exia).

They are reusing old sprue molds.  Designing and tooling sprue molds is very expensive, likely the most pricey part of creating a new Gundam kit.  By modifying old designs, most of the sprues in Build Fighter kits are actually the same as the kit they are revisiting.  While building Amazing Exia, I noticed many parts were identical to HG Exia and some parts in the sprue went unused, as they are only for Exia, not Amazing Exia. 

Because in the Build Fighters universe the characters are actually using customized Bandai gunpla kits to battle, the show encourages viewers to embrace the gunpla customization hobby.  This is taking the "action figure tie-in show" model to new heights.  Instead of say, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the show is more than a 22-minute advertisement for the action figures.  Fans will buy the kits to recreate their favorite characters, but also to be like them.  They can not only have a Gundam from the show, they can actually do what they see the characters onscreen do, a gimmick many tie-in shows can't replicate.  Yu-gi-oh type shows do this as well.

The new parts that are used to customize old kits are also sold separately.  This means collectors who already own a Gundam that has been upgraded in Build FIghters, can still have something to buy, without getting redundant kits.  In fact, the "add-on" variation kits can be applied to numerous old models, not just the one depicted in the show.  This further fosters the Gundam cusomiztion hobby, giving kit-bashers new tools to work with.  Bandai also sells brushes, paints, glue and all manner of gunpla supplies, so increasing interest in the hobby greatly profits them.

I do not believe these ideas are bad or overly tricky.  I think it is an intelligent, well-thought-out plan that benefits both Bandai and their fans.  What do you think?  Let me know below.  

The Battle Against Counterfeits

Some people are not bothered by counterfeit action figures, considering them to be a cheaper alternative.  I am not one such person.  It is an illegal, immoral, and, frankly, aggravating practice that, before I knew how to combat it, was the bane of my collecting life.  To prevent the pain any readers of that early pain, here's my guide to avoiding buying bootlegs and, if you might have already, how to identify them.

The best way to avoid counterfeits is to learn how to avoid places that sell them.  Online, this means eBay, for the most part.  If there are stores that sell counterfeits, I have never encountered them.  Some sellers on Amazon look suspect, so do your homework before ordering from them.  In a previous post (find it here) I go into how to tell if an eBay listing could be a counterfeit.  I'll go over it again:

1.) Check out the seller.  Check the seller's history and feedback on eBay and search the web to see if anyone has listed them on a bootlegger's blacklist.  Myfigurecollection.net has some, but they occasionally fall out of date.  Just because a seller is not listed on a blacklist, does not mean they are okay.  They change names often.

2.) Check the listing.  Even if the seller's ID checks out, scan the listing.  Look for codewords that mean bootleg: HK Version, Chinese Version, China Version, or Special Edition.  If it says it is new, but does not have a box, it is almost assuredly a bootleg.  Compare pictures of the item to official pictures.  The inferior plastics used in bootlegs warp and bend easier, and the paint applications are often much more unsightly.  Also, if the price is just too good to be true, it is probably a fake.

3.) Avoid Hong Kong or China.  I never buy from sellers from either of these countries.  There are legitimate sellers living in these areas, but there also hundreds of bootleggers.

4.) Search for similar bootlegs.  If there are pictures online of a bootlegged version of a figure, you can use that to compare to the item you're interested in on eBay.  Myfigurecollection.net notes if there are known counterfeits of a figure, with links to uploaded pictures.

5.) Ask the seller.  They will sometimes be honest and say it is a bootleg, although they will most likely use a term like "HK Version.  If the pictures on the listing are not of the specific figure you will be receiving, ask for some.

Avoiding brick-and-mortar fakes is similar.  You cannot check their past history, but if the figure is open, pre-assembled or looks low-quality, it is likely a fake.  You can always just ask.  Some stores sell a mix of legitimate and bootleg figures.


But what if it's too late?  How can you determine if a figure is a bootleg?

1.) Look at the figure.  Bootleg figures are sometimes obvious.  Are the colors incorrect, blurry or off-center?  Has the plastic warped, bent or melted?  Many bootlegs are acutally manufactured by the original manufacturing plant.  They simply continued to create figures after the official order was fulfilled, and sell the excess themselves.  This is why they often lack boxes (which are made elsewhere).  They also use inferior materials to save money, and this is where the obvious bootlegs happen.  Another way noticeable counterfeits are made is by casting an original and then replicating it.  These figures will lack detail (from the casting process) and will sometimes be pre-assembled and glued, when the original is meant to be assembled by the buyer.

2.) Ask the seller.  If you threaten action against them on eBay (or whatever) they will often admit it was fake, and send you a refund.  I have occasionally had to get aggressive, but they usually acquiesce.

3.) Get help online.  Check if others have posted pictures of their fakes.  If nobody has, post high-res pictures on a forum, asking other collectors who own the item to compare it.  Boxes are a great thing to compare too, they often differ greatly.  For the figure, compare paint colors, quality and detail.  For boxes, compare the pictures printed on the box (they often re-create them with bootlegs) for clarity and contrast.  Check all the printed text for differences.  Boxes can also be of different glossiness.

There you have it, good luck collectors.

Where to Buy Part 3: Auctions

Let's complete the "Where to Buy" trilogy with a look at secondhand auction sites.  (Part 1, Part 2.)  If you really can't find what you want online, you might have to resort to a auction site.  Also, as a lot of items are secondhand on these sites, you can find them for much lower than MSRP.

Auction Sites

Mandarake (http://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/) - Mandarake is a chain of used otaku goods stores in Japan.  They also have a online storefront for selling items and running auctions, and they ship internationally.  This is a great place to find old, hard-to-find or obscure otaku good, including figures.  It is difficult to use, if you don't speak Japanese, because, even though the website is translated, the item listings are not.  Unless the word is originally in romaji (such as "figma"), you'll have to copy-paste the Japanese name into the search field.  (Myfigurecollection.net is a great place to copy from.)  When ordering or bidding on items, they ship from the brick-and-mortar stores, so combining shipping depends on where the item is currently stocked, which lsited in the item listing.  I have never used their auction feature, but I understand is similar to eBay.  They also feature live auctions, which are similar to real-life auctions, but online.

eBay (ebay.com) - Chances are you're familiar with eBay, so I will go over some of the non-obvious, figure-realted aspects.  First and foremost: BEWARE COUNTERFEITS (aka bootlegs, fakes, HK versions, etc.)  There is an epidemic of counterfeit figures being sold, and the majority (online, at least) takes place on eBay.  While it is impossible to know beforehand if an item will be counterfeit, there are several actions you can take to minimize the risk.  First, use a seller you trust, that has perfect or near-perfect feedback and/or you have googled.  There are lots of blacklists on the internet for sellers who have delivered fakes.  Secondly, avoid ordering items shipping from Hong Kong or China.  There are a lot, but I avoid them all; I've been burned too many times.  Some are legitimate, but it's too high a chance for me.  Thirdly, check pictures.  If they use stock photos from the manufacturer, ask for a photo of the specific figure you're bidding on.  Check it against other photos online.  Fourth, check around to see if there are bootlegs of the item you're considering.  If there is no record of bootlegs anywhere on the internet (especially myfigurecollection.net), then you should be okay.  Finally, scan the listing, or ask the seller to make sure they say it is 100% legit.  I have had several sellers admit it was an "HK Version" (which just means counterfeit - this is not a "variant") and several swear up-and-down it wasn't a fake - even though it VERY obviously was.  I plan on doing a post about telling if an item you've received is fake in the future.

Yahoo! Auctions Japan (http://auctions.yahoo.co.jp/) - In Japan, Yahoo! Auctions is far more popular than eBay, so this is the site to use if the above two have let you down.  It does not have an English version, so non-Japanses speakers have their work cut out for them.  You can use a friend, google translate, or Buyee (which is linked to, in English, on the landing page for Yahoo! Auctions Japan or go to http://buyee.jp/?lang=en).  I have never used Buyee, but it looks easy to use and fairly priced.  In most other ways, it mimics eBay's system.

Where to Buy Part 2: MIddlemen

Time for Part 2 of my "Where to Buy" series.  Last time, I went over the "Big Three" online Japanese figure stores.  Today, I'll be writing about the mysterious world of middlemen.  These "middlemen" sites are for hard-to-acquire figures.  That, usually, means exclusives.  These figures can be exclusive to manufacturer's online stores, conventions in Japan and/or lottery-style sales.  Here are the top three I use.

Middlemen

Big in Jap (biginjap.com) - This webstore lists exclusives with a preset price in Yen (which includes the manufacturer's price plus a middleman commission).  The upside of this style is it is super easy to search for, find and pre-order figures.  The downside is it can sometimes take time for them to put them up for pre-order.  If they don't list it, you can email them to act as a proxy service and buy it for you, with a commission, of course.  You can pay when you pre-order, or when the item releases.  Using as a proxy is slightly cheaper than Yokatta.

Yokatta Shopping Service (yokattaweb.com) - Yokatta is very simialr to Big in Jap, but requires payment for the figure upfront (fees and shipping when the figure releases).  They also do not have a checkout system.  They simply list their stock and if you want one (or an item they don't have listed), you email them and they get back to you with price and availability.  They will even go to an event to pick up a figure for you.  In my experience, they list less items than Big in Jap, but are faster to list figures.  Yokatta is the only service I know that will bid for you on Japanese auction sites (for a fee, of course).  They also offer a discount when proxying multiple items from one manufacturer.  Between Big in Jap and Yokatta, I'd say a tie.  Check both and go with the lower price.

Rider Proxy (riderproxy.com) - I have never used Rider Proxy, but I have heart okay things about them.  They use a cart/checkout system and are also available to email with items not in their webstore.  Prices seem similar to the above.  Whenever I visit their site, it is very glitchy, which makes me feel uneasy about using them.

Where to Buy Part 1: The Big Three

Continuing on a theme of reviewing websites, here are where I buy Japanese toys and why.  These reviews only take shopping experience into consideration, not the associated blogs, communities, or newsletters.

The "Big Three"

AmiAmi (amiami.com) - By far, this is the site I use the most.  They usually have the lowest price for any given figure.  They are occasionally beat out by HLJ or Hobby Search, but it is rare.  Their shipping tends to be a bit higher, but they are still worth it.  You can save on shipping a little by using their "Combine Orders by Month" feature.  When pre-ordering, you can apply this feature to a figure.  Each month, all figures you pre-ordered in this fashion will ship together, which is usually cheaper than shipping them all separate.  It also requires very little work on the customer's end.  You simply pre-order whatever figures you want, and once a month, they'll send you a shipping payment request, and, once paid, a shipment of everything that released that month.  The biggest problem with AmiAmi is that there are no order cancellations allowed.  I have heard rumors that you can beg for one and they will allow it, but too many times and you will be blacklisted from their site.  Could be true, could be internet gossip.  They are also, in my experience, one of the quickest to sell out of popular figures.  Their mobile site is great, very easy to use.  They accept PayPal, credit cards and, apparently, cash-on-delivery.

Hobby Link Japan (hlj.com) - My second favorite site.  Good prices, and have great clearance sales throughout the year.  Much of the staff is English speaking, so customer service is easier to deal with for non-Japanese speakers and their item descriptions are much easier to read.  They do seem to be writing less detailed descriptions these days, however.  Their method for making shipping easier and cheaper is their "Private Warehouse".  When you are completing an order, you can select (on a per-item basis) if you want it shipped immediately upon release, or placed in your Private Warehouse.  If you choose Private Warehouse, the figure will not be shipped to you until you login and choose to have it sent, or 60 days have passed since it was released, whichever comes first.  When choosing to have it shipped, you may combine all released items in your Private Warehouse into one shipment.  It requires a bit more active care than AmiAmi's "Monthly Combine" feature, but allows you to combine 60 days worth of figures, rather than one calendar month, which ends up being much more useful.  They send email reminders when an item is about to be automatically shipped.  They accept PayPal, credit card, or (and this is what I use) PayPal Billing Agreements.  With this agreement, you connect HLJ to your PayPal account, and when a pre-order of yours comes in, they automatically deduct the total from your PayPal, ensuring you receive your figure as-soon-as-possible.

Hobby Search (1999.co.jp/eng/) - This store is very good, but I rarely use it, unless the above two are out of stock, or Hobby Search has several items releasing around the same time for cheaper.  They can combine orders by month, the same as AmiAmi, but, unlike AmiAmi, cannot also include in-stock items.  They have a useful, but confusing, "Order Recombination" feature, that lets you move around pre-orders into different order numbers, but despite that, they will still only combine orders by calendar month.  Hobby Search uses a loyalty points system.  One point is equal to one yen, and you earn 3% of a figure's cost as points.  So a 1000 yen figure gives 30 points, which you can apply to future orders to reduce the total by 30 yen.  They also have a great mobile site.  They accept PayPal, credit cards and Paypal Billing Agreement.

News Site Reviews

I mentioned in my last post that I might do an article reviewing some of the news sites I follow.  Well, here it is.

TAG Hobby (taghobby.com) I followed the toy blogger Cybergundam here from his old blog.  I believe it's a Hong Kong blog, but mainly focuses on Japanese toys.  TAG stands for Toy Anime Game, and they report on all three.  I only follow their toy news, so this review only applies to that third.  My favorite site these days, they seem to have the most comprehensive coverage of upcoming announcements and releases.  Their show coverage is nothing to sneeze at, either.  As it is written in Chinese (I assume) I have to use the decent amount of English they write in or the numerous large pictures they post.  4/5 Ninja Stars

Tomopop (tomopop.com) A relatively new site, Tomopop is related to Destructoid.  Like Destructoid, their articles are kinda mish-mashy, meaning they cover random bits from around the web.  Lots of inaccuracies and missed headlines, it's nonetheless got a good community and some really fun reads.  I wouldn't use it as a main news source, it's much better as a fun place to read up on latest trends.  2/5 Ninja Stars

AmiAmi Blog (amiamiblog.com) This blog has been around for awhile in Japanese, but is now in English too.  Not a great news site for catching all the upcoming toys, it has some good reviews and daily Japanese toy/anime/game news in batch updates that are easy to digest.  They also do a weekly illustration, which is kinda cute, if you're into that.  2/5 Ninja Stars

CollectionDX (collectiondx.com) They really only do reviews, which are quite good.  But as a news place, they're terrible.  1/5 Ninja Stars

Gundam Century (gundamcentury.com) A very good news site from Indonesia, but in English.  Not quite as thorough as TAG, but very similar.  3/5 Ninja Stars

GunJap (gunjap.net) Focused mainly on gunpla and, to a lesser extent, plamo, they still have news about other toys sometimes.  They also feature great finished models, including customs, which are a fun way to break up the toy announcements.  2/5 Ninja Stars

Mechanical Japan (mechanicaljapan.com) A Mexican site written in Spanish, they, nonetheless, have some great news and reviews.  (Pictures do most of the heavy lifting for non-Spanish speakers.)  They also have impressive show coverage.  3/5 Ninja Stars

Neko Magic (nekomagic.com) Focuses on Bishoujo figures.  Has some of, if not THE, best show coverage I've ever come across.  I follow for that reason alone.  Be advised, however, they usually post show pics a few days later than other sites.  3/5 Ninja Stars

Plasticity (plastikitty.com) Plastikitty is very similar to Neko Magic, but seems to update much less often.  2/5 Ninja Stars

Hobby Search Blog (1999.co.jp/eng/blog) A translation of the Japanese Hobby Search Blog, they eschew wide coverage for in-depth previews and reviews.  Expect lots of pictures (many taken by the blogger) and opinions.  2/5 Ninja Stars

Prize Get! (http://prizeget.livejournal.com) This blog starkly updates with the latest prize toys from Japan, but is incredibly thorough, with links for every item.  Great for covering prize toys, but obviously not good for much else.  3/5 Ninja Stars

Japanese Figure News

Years ago, it seemed much simpler to get pretty much all the Japanese figure, action figure and model kit news one could need in one easy place.  Ngee Khiong.  I never noticed this guy miss a toy; if he did, I suppose it wasn't one I would be interested in anyways.

In the wake after Ngee Khiong shutting down (a few years ago) my way of getting news has become much more complex.  I basically rss a TON of Japanese toy news sites (TAG Hobby, Tomopop, Gunjap) and stores (HLJ, AmiAmi, Hobby Search).  I even rss shows, games and books I like on My Figure Collection.  All-in-all, I have about 60 sites I follow.  TAG Hobby seems to be the best, but it definitely misses some announcements.

As not local, non-Japanese speakers, what are people doing to keep track of what's coming out in the world of Japanese toys?  Although I couldn't live without it, I know rss is actually fairly unpopular.  Forums?  Stores?  Luck of the Internet gods?  I'd love an all-in-one spot to pop onto for 20 minutes, instead of scrolling through hundreds of posts, most of which are redundant, every single day.

Tomopop showed promise in the past, but they seem to simply disseminate Japanese sites, and not terribly well, often getting details wrong.  Maybe I should do a post listing and reviewing the sites I follow.

Post your toy following habits below; let's figure this out.

Iron Men

Tamashii Nations's Age of Ultron figures went up for pre-order today!  Were you able to get yours?  Of course, Iron Man has been up for pre-order for awhile, and is supposed to ship any minute now.  But wait!  There's an newer, cooler, higher-numbered Iron Man armor with this latest batch.  That's (A) awesome, because he looks much cooler and means we'll have a mid-movie upgrade, (B) almost predictable given the ridiculous rate they come out with new Iron Man variants with and (C) kinda a jerk move on Tamashii Nations's part.  They sold the Mark 43 armor as if it was Iron Man's only suit, far ahead of all the other figures.  This way, those who pre-ordered it would have little or no time to realize that if they wanted the iconic, final (I presume) Mark 45 suit from Age of Ultron, they'd have to get another yet another Iron Man figure.  Intentional?  I really don't know, but it is curious that they released the Mark 43 so far ahead of time.  Let's break it down:

In Bandai's defense::

--- The Mark 43 is a redeco of the Mark 42, making it easier to produce, and therefore, quicker to release.

--- I did have time (albeit a small window) to cancel my Mark 43.

--- It might have been part of the licensing deal with Marvel to keep the Mark 45 under wraps as part of the film's hype engine.

Now, a bit more incriminating:

--- The release for Mark 43 is far ahead of the rest: 3-4 months.

--- In all the promotional shots, they showed the Mark 43 alongside the rest of the cast, as if it was Tony's main suit.

---- They had a shadow of the Hulkbuster (presumably the Mark 44) in the announcements of the Avengers line, leading potential pre-orderers to assume that was all that was left in the series.

All said and done, I bet Tamashii Nations (Bandai) didn't try to swindle its customers, but I would believe either way.  I'm sure some of you won't mind at all and get both armors, but I think deceiving through pre-orders is pretty shady.  (See my previous rant, also about Avengers pre-orders.)  So many Iron Man suits ... 

Action Figure Glossary Part 2: Western Toy Companies

Welcome to the second part of my ongoing Action Figure glossary.  Here's Part 1.  I do these with the hope that a shared vocabulary can foster better discussion.  Like Part 1, this will have a focus on adult collector action figures, not toys in general.  This is by no means comprehensive, but I'll try my best.

Western Toy Companies

DC Collectibles - DC Comics' collectibles division.  Previously known as DC Direct until 2012.  They have numerous collector-quality action figure lines, mostly based off DC comics, video game and TV show characters.

Diamond Select Toys - In 1999, Diamond Comic Distributors, who distributed comics to thousands of brink-and-mortar comic shows, created this company.  Their line of "Select" action figures are most often 7", detailed figures with intricate bases.  They also make the ubiquitous Minimates series and character coin banks.

Funko - Starting with their line of bobbleheads, Wacky Wobblers, Funko has quickly risen from its small beginning in 1998.  They also make the incredibly popular Funko Pop! series and make this action figure-centric list because of their more recent Legacy line, detailed 6" figures from an assortment of IPs.

Gentle Giant Studios - Focused on 3D scanning props and actors to make incredibly accurate statues, they have also dipped their toes in action figures, mainly by scanning nostalgic 6" figures and scaling them up to 12".

Hasbro - Constantly vying for the top spot with Mattel, Hasbro has more successful toys for boys lines, including Transformers, GI Joe, Marvel, Star Wars, Nerf, My Little Pony and tons of others.  Their recent acquisition of the rights to Disney dolls (which Mattel used to have) could be very big for them.  Starting last year, they began a really cool initiative with SuperFanArt (defined below).

Jakks Pacific - Since 1995, Jakks has made children's toys.  Occasionally they make collector-quality figures, such as some of the figures in their new World of Nintendo line.

LEGO - Makes building sets using their iconic LEGO brick.  Recently made headlines for surpassing Mattel and Hasbro, largely due to the success of the LEGO movie.  They have, in the past decade, opened up to much more licensed IPs (after the success of their deal with Star Wars) increasing market share.

Mattel - Usually considered the biggest toy company in the world, Mattel, maker of American doll, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price and many others, is actually slipping to LEGO and Hasbro.  Generally considered to more successful with toys for girls.  (I hate gender-labeling toy demographics, but that's how it's done.)  Their action figures include Masters of the Universe, WWE and DC Comics.

McFarlane - Named after popular comic book creator Todd McFarlane, this company rode the popularity of its Spawn comic tie-ins to quickly become a huge innovator in Western toys.  One of the first to make highly detailed action figures with appeal for young and adult collectors.  Started in 1994.

Mezco - Largely focused on their cute designer toys, the Mez-its and their creepy Living Dolls line, they, on occasion, make collector-quality action figures.

NECA - Stands for National Entertainment Collectibles Association.  They specialize in adult collectible action figures, with many characters featured from properties not intended for children (R-Rated films or video games too old for children to remember, for example).

Sideshow - A higher-end collectibles company, they make statues, props and action figures, usually of the highest quality and a matching sticker price.  They now distribute Hot Toys' figures in the US.  Most of their action figures are 1/6 dolls from a huge list of licenses.

SuperFanArt - Hasbro and Shapeways' 3D-print-on-demand fanart licensing initiative.  Basically, fans can upload 3D models they created of specific Hasbro properties (My Little Pony, Transformers, GI Joe and few others) and, pending approval, sell them on Shapeways' website as officially licensed figures.  Possibly the future of figures?

Toynami - Founded in 2000, Toynami is an American toy company focused on producing Japanese properties for Western toy markets.  They occasionally make Western toys, such as their Futurama line.  Mostly stylized statues, they have been known to make action figures.