Preorder Roundup: 2011.1 Edition

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Periodically, I like to take a look at new figures that are available for pre-order. This isn’t intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a selection of new releases that I personally find interesting or notable.

It’s been quite a while since my last preview post. The year up to now has been pretty quiet for me, as relatively few preorders have managed to grab my attention in any meaningful way. In fact, I think Arshes Nei is the only figure I’ve ordered this year that opened in 2011 prior to the summer Wonder Festival. Predictably, the Wonder Festival unleashed a slew of interesting new figures that are now vying to get in my wallet.
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New Release Roundup: 14-Nov-2010 Edition

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Periodically, I like to take a look at new figures that are available for pre-order. This isn’t intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a selection of new releases that I personally find interesting or notable.

It’s been a quite a while since my last preview roundup (three months!), so this week I’ll try to catch up with all the notable releases since August.
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New Release Roundup: 8-Aug-2010 Edition

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Periodically, I like to take a look at new figures that are available for pre-order. This isn’t intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a selection of new releases that I personally find interesting or notable.

It’s been a while since my last preview roundup (over a month!), so this week I’ll try to catch up with all the notable releases from the past month or so.
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New Release Roundup

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Periodically, I like to take a look at new figures that are available for pre-order. This isn’t intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a selection of new releases that I personally find interesting or notable.

Wave – 1/8 Aisaka Taiga [China Dress Ver.]

  • Character: Aisaka Taiga
  • Series: Toradora!
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 190 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Wave
  • Price: 6,500 yen
  • Date: Nov. 2010
  • Link 1: Dengeki
  • Link 2: Tokyo Hunter
  • Link 3: Nihonju
  • Link 4: Otacute

Toradora! fans will be pleased to note that Wave will be releasing another Taiga figure later this year. I haven’t watched this series yet, but it’s near the top of my “planning to watch” list and I definitely want to get a Taiga figure at some point. This particular Taiga looks interesting, but it should be noted that it’s yet another JP mail order exclusive, so I’m not too eager to jump through those hoops for a figure I’m only on the fence about.

On a side note, I believe this is the first time I’ve written about a figure from Wave. They seem to do mostly 1/10 scale stuff, which is smaller than what I typically go for. I’m curious as to what level of quality they typically deliver.

Kotobukiya – 1/10 Hanshin Tigers Lum-chan [Repaint Ver.]

  • Character: Lum
  • Series: Urusei Yatsura
  • Scale: 1/10
  • Height: 160 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Kotobukiya
  • Price: 3,900 yen
  • Date: Jun. 2010
  • Link 1: Kotobukiya
  • Link 2: AmiAmi (JP site only)

I usually use “1/10 scale or smaller” as grounds for instantly disqualifying a figure from further consideration, but I felt like this rather unique Lum figure was at least worth a mention. One can only guess that the marketing department over at Kotobukiya made a thematic connection between Lum’s trademark tiger-striped bikini and the popular Japanese baseball team the Hanshin Tigers and this is the result.

Curiously, AmiAmi is only making this figure available through their Japanese site. The figure shows up via search on the English site, but attempting to pull it up results in a message that the figure is not available. Hmm… 😕

Alter – 1/8 Akiyama Mio [Festival Ver.]

  • Character: Akiyama Mio
  • Series: K-ON!
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 210 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Alter
  • Price: 6,800 yen
  • Date: Aug. 2010
  • Link 1: Alter
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Alter’s “Festival Version” Mio is now available for preorder. I previously covered this figure as part of my Winter Wonder Festival write-up.

My feelings about this figure haven’t changed drastically since seeing the coverage of said event. I certainly like this Mio better than Alter’s previous attempt, but we’ve already seen hints of a very similar, but better (IMO) Mio from Max Factory.

Between this and the Max Factory version, I’ll wait for the latter, but what I really want to see is a figure with Mio in her ending sequence outfit. I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record on this last point. -_-

Alter – 1/8 Amae Koromo

  • Character: Amae Koromo
  • Series: Saki
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 230 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Alter
  • Price: 6,800 yen
  • Date: Aug. 2010
  • Link 1: Alter
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Here’s another figure I previously covered as part of my Winter Wonder Festival write-up.

As with Mio, my impressions of Ms. Koromo really haven’t changed since the show. I really dig the Alice and Wonderland attire, which is the main selling point of the figure for me. There’s also the loli aspect, which could be a negative for some. This is a pretty tasteful figure though, so I’m not particularly bothered.

Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that this figure will be one of the first victims of this year’s budget. At this point, I think I have enough funds for about two more figures and I already have those funds earmarked for GSC’s Tohsaka Rin and either Max Factory’s Mio or Append Miku. I’m toying with the idea of selling one or two figures out of my collection this year, which could free up funds for Koromo. We’ll see.

Cospa (Resinya!) – Non-scale Aegis [Heavy/Normal Armor Versions]

  • Character: Aegis
  • Series: Persona 3 / Persona 3: FES
  • Scale: Non
  • Height: 265 mm
  • Width: 350 mm
  • Depth: 260 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Cospa (Resinya!)
  • Price: 16,000 yen
  • Date: Sep. 2010
  • Link 1 (Heavy Ver.): Resinya!
  • Link 2 (Heavy Ver.): AmiAmi
  • Link 3 (Heavy Ver.): Hobby Search
  • Link 1 (Normal Ver.): Resinya!
  • Link 2 (Normal Ver.): AmiAmi

Resinya’s Aegis from the the Persona 3 series is now available for reservation. I previously wrote about this figure for both the Wonder Festival and Miyazawa Model Exhibition events earlier this year.

One unexpected change you’ll notice about this figure versus what was shown at the tradeshows is that Aegis will come in two versions that are basically identical except for the fact that she’s wearing a vest and helmet in one version (i.e., “Heavy Armor Version”) and nothing extra in the other (i.e., “Normal Armor Version”). AmiAmi lists the armored Aegis as the regular edition and the other version as a limited edition.

My thoughts on Resinya’s Aegis are still very much mixed. On the one hand, this figure is a deliciously detailed and large version of my favorite character design from the Persona video games. On the other, my last experience with Resinya was a bit of a letdown, so I’m reluctant to fork out big bucks for Aegis sight-unseen. Even if that wasn’t the case, the budget crunch I described above would still apply.

Re-Release: Alter – 1/8 Yagyu Jubei

Finally, for those who missed her the first time around, Alter is re-releasing Jubei from Hyakka Ryoran. Other than a new release date of Aug. 2010, all the same details as before apply, so you can check my original preview and review posts. FWIW, I grabbed Jubei on the first go round and felt like she was one of my best purchases of the past year.

Sometimes I wonder how and why manufacturers decide to re-release certain figures and not others. 😕

New Release Roundup: Late Mar. 2010 Edition

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I wanted to have my Saber Lily review ready for today, but evidently it’s just not going to happen. You’ll have to make do with more previews instead. *sigh* -_-

Alter - 1/8 Momohime

  • Character: Momohime
  • Series: Muramasa: The Demon Blade
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 210 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Alter
  • Price: 7,800 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Alter
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Preorders have started for Alter’s Momohime. I think she looks even better in the official photos than she did at Wonder Festival, last month. It looks like she’ll have a switchable forearm in case you want to display the sword unsheathed.

I’m planning to pick up Momohime even though the budget’s getting pretty tight. I don’t have any particular attachment to Muramasa: The Demon Blade, but this figure looks too good to pass up.

Good Smile Company - 1/8 Misaka Mikoto

  • Character: Misaka Mikoto
  • Series: To Aru Kagaku no Railgun
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 180 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Good Smile Company
  • Price: 5,524 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Good Smile Company
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

GSC’s new Mikoto figure looks rather mundane next to some of the other figures they’ve pushed out recently. As such, she’s probably going to appeal primarily to fans of the To Aru series. I haven’t see either show, but they look like something I’d like to watch eventually.

I do find it interesting that GSC tucked shorts under Mikoto’s skirt rather than the typical pantsu. I imagine this it some kind of nod to her character design rather than a concerted effort to be different, but it’s nice to see all the same. Also, the clear base shown in the preview shows is probably a good indication this this figure won’t be getting the fancy base treatment GSC has been doing of late.

Kotobukiya - 1/8 Senjōgahara Hitagi

  • Character: Senjōgahara Hitagi
  • Series: Bakemonogatari
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 215 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Kotobukiya
  • Price: 6,800 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Kotobukiya
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Here’s the final version of the Hitagi figure Kotobukiya showed off at WF2010W. I definitely like GSC’s version better, but I guess Koto is technically first to the market with a scale Bakemonogatari figure. I like the motion conveyed in Hitagi’s skirt, tie, and hair, but the tentacle thing is just creepy. -_-‘

PS: Somebody needs to hurry up and license this show!

New Release Roundup, Mid-Mar. 2010 Edition

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I don’t have any new reviews ready yet and there have been several interesting new releases since my last roundup, so I’m doing this post earlier than usual. February’s roundup was kind of lengthy anyway, so maybe this is for the better. ^_^’

Alter - 1/8 Clalaclan Philias ~Armor Ver.~

  • Character: Clalaclan Philias
  • Series: Shining Wind
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 215 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Alter
  • Price: 9,800 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Alter
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Alter showed off their upcoming Clalaclan figure at WF2010W, but she really didn’t catch my eye for whatever reason until I saw these official release photos.

Clalaclan definitely isn’t my favorite Shining Wind character–I’m embarrassed to admit that I actually thought her name was “Clanclan” previously–but Alter’s rendition is looking awesome in her full battle regalia. There are a lot of unique and interesting visual details to be had here, like the multi-layered skirt and diadem, but I particularly like the medieval shield, which is a relative rarity among anime figures.

There’s a pretty decent chance I’ll be picking this one up. ^_^

Kotobukiya - 1/8 Feena Fam Earthlight ~Royal Dress Up Ver.~

Here we have the completed version of Kotobukiya’s prototype Feena Fam Earthlight previewed earlier at WF2010W. The good news is she looks much, much better than I thought earlier. The bad news is she’s another Japanese online and mail order exclusive. -_-

I’m a bit conflicted on this one. Feena is rather high on my list of characters for whom I want a nice figure and Koto’s Feena looks pretty good from what I can see here. That said, this is a terribly expensive figure for its size and my (limited) experience with Koto in the past has been decidedly average. IMO, average doesn’t cut it from a 12,000 yen 1/8 scale mandatory-proxy-buy figure.

So, do I give Koto the benefit of the doubt or hope for another Feena?

Max Factory - 1/7 Seena

  • Character: Kanon Seena
  • Series: Shining Wind
  • Scale: 1/7
  • Height: 235 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Max Factory
  • Price: 6,477 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Max Factory
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Max Factory’s new Seena figure is–from what I’m reading–the first of four Shining Wind figures we should expect to see from MF this year. I’m not terribly exited about this particular figure–I think the outfit and pose are rather plain–but I am optimistic about the prospect of more Shining Wind figures from a top manufacturer like Max Factory in the near future. Personally, I’m hoping to see Xecty in her normal outfit.

New Line - 1/6 Revy ~Swimwear Ver.~

  • Character: Revy
  • Series: Black Lagoon
  • Scale: 1/6
  • Height: 260 mm
  • Material: PVC/ABS
  • Company: New Line
  • Price: 8,800 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: New Line
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

New Line actually managed to sneak their new Revy announcement last month after my February recap post, so I’m covering her in March. -_-

Black Lagoon initially flew under my radar, but it proved to be a great series once I got around to checking it out. Revy totally makes the series work and she’s a great character that deserves some great figure treatment.

Unfortunately, I have yet to see a Revy figure I really like and I think New Line missed the memo on this one. The bikini feels terribly out of character for Revy and smacks of blatant fan-service on New Line’s part, which is really too bad considering that their other Revy might well be the best one to date.

New Release Roundup, Feb. 2010 Edition

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Alter - 1/8 Nakano Azusa

  • Character: Nakano Azusa
  • Series: K-ON!
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 200 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Alter
  • Price: 6,800 yen
  • Date: Jun. 2010
  • Link 1: Official Site
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Alter showed off their upcoming Azusa figure at WF2010 and online shops started taking reservations for her a few days later. Azusa is probably my favorite K-ON! character design after Mio, mostly owing to her hairstyle. I would probably display her in Azu-nyan mode, but I’m always a bit leery of customizable bits on my fixed-pose figures these days after seeing too many unsightly gaps or loose parts on figures I’ve purchased in the past.

Griffon Enterprises - Tomoe

  • Character: Tomoe
  • Series: Queen’s Blade
  • Scale: Non
  • Height: 170 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Griffon Enterprises
  • Price: 6,400 yen
  • Date: Apr. 2010
  • Link 1: Hobby Search
  • Link 2: AmiAmi

When I first saw Griffon’s new Queen’s Blade figure on the Hobby Search page in a modest outfit and pose with no mention or images to suggest a cast-off ability, I was impressed. Figures from the Queen’s Blade series so often fall into the generic ecchi/cast-off/crap category that seeing something more normal is refreshing. Or at least it was… until I poked around further and found that the figure is does indeed feature a cast-off ability. Ugh.

Alter - 1/8 Senhime

  • Character: Senhime
  • Series: Hyakka Ryoran
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 205 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Alter
  • Price: 7,800 yen
  • Date: Jun. 2010
  • Link 1: Official Site
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Senhime is Alter’s latest entry in their line of Hyakka Ryoran figures. I have to admit that I really like the character designs for this series. They’re definitely fan service-oriented, but it’s not generic fan service.

I’m liking Senhime’s outfit.  The neatly pleated skirt seems to be the visual centerpiece and the purple/red/black color combo works very well here. The one thing that I’m not so sure that I like is Senhime’s expression here. I’m guessing it’s part of her character, but the frown she’s wearing seems to suggest she’d rather be doing other things. -_-

Alter - 1/8 Sanya V. Litvyak

  • Character: Sanya V. Litvyak
  • Series: Strike Witches
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 220 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Alter
  • Price: 7,800 yen
  • Date: Jun. 2010
  • Link 1: Official Site
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

February seems to be the month for Strike Witches figures; two from Alter and one from Kotobukiya. I haven’t personally seen the series–though I do have the DVD set on order–but I have noticed that the series has been thoroughly vilified in the West for reasons I can understand, but don’t necessarily agree with. Regardless of how you feel about Strike Witches, you have to admit that it is at least unique from a character design standpoint. The moefication of girls as WWII fighter planes isn’t something you see every day, even in anime.

Sanya isn’t my favorite design among the Strike Witches characters–that distinction probably belongs to Lucchini–so I can’t say I was exactly looking for a Sanya figure, but I can see some appeal here. For one, I find the dark colors of Sanya’s outfit and her Striker Unit appealing. I also think there could be some value in the fact that this Sanya is probably going to be one of the tamer figures from the Strike Witches series, for someone who’s conscious about their figure collection.

Alter - 1/8 Miyafuji Yoshika

  • Character: Miyafuji Yoshika
  • Series: Strike Witches
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 255 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Alter
  • Price: 7,800 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Official Site
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Alter’s other Strike Witches figure for this month is a re-release of main character Miyafuji Yoshika. Sometimes I wonder how and why manufacturers decide to re-release certain figures and not others. I considered Alter’s Yoshika briefly the first time around, but ultimately decided to pass. Among the motley assortment of character in Strike Witches, I actually find Yoshika kind of plain. Sad but true.

Kotobukiya - 1/8 Erica Hartmann

  • Character: Erica Hartmann
  • Series: Strike Witches
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 220 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Kotobukiya
  • Price: 6,800 yen
  • Date: May 2010
  • Link 1: Hobby Search
  • Link 2: AmiAmi

As mentioned in the Sanya comments, Kotobukiya also got in on this month’s Strike Witches action with their own Erica figure. Like the others, Erica isn’t my favorite character design from the series so this figure doesn’t win any brownie points there. It also looks like stand Koto is using for Erica would be more visually intrusive than the minimalist metal pins that Alter is using. I’m not a fan of bases that have visible supports in the first place, so the less I see, the better.

Gift - 1/4 Minamoto Chizuru

  • Character: Minamoto Chizuru
  • Series: Kanokon
  • Scale: 1/4
  • Height: 400 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Gift
  • Price: 12,000 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Official Site
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

You’ve got love a figure that’s gratuitous in more ways than one. Outrageous outfit. Enormous size. Massive price tag. Gift’s latest is a 1/4 scale bunny girl who does all things in large proportions. ^_^

Kotobukiya - 1/6 Kousaka Tamaki ~Panic~

  • Character: Kousaka Tamaki
  • Series: To Heart 2
  • Scale: 1/6
  • Height: 210 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: Kotobukiya
  • Price: 8,000 yen
  • Date: Jun. 2010
  • Link 1: Hobby Search
  • Link 2: AmiAmi

It seems that Kotobukiya isn’t quite done milking To Heart 2’s Tamaki for their 4-Leaves series. Here we have the third 1/6 scale Tamaki figure in a similar crouching pose. This one features a slightly different sculpt with Tamaki in the middle of a wardrobe malfunction rather than supporting her bra using her mouth as in the previous 4-Leaves figures. Of the three, I think I like the look of this version the least.

FREEing - 1/8 Akiyama Mio

  • Character: Akiyama Mio
  • Series: K-ON!
  • Scale: 1/8
  • Height: 200 mm
  • Material: PVC
  • Company: FREEing
  • Price: 7,429 yen
  • Date: Jul. 2010
  • Link 1: Official Site
  • Link 2: Hobby Search
  • Link 3: AmiAmi

Yay! It’s another Mio figure!

Boo! She’s not wearing her ending sequence outfit! -_-

FREEing’s new Mio was one of the handful of upcoming Mio figures shown off at WF2010W. It’s hard not to compare her to Alter’s maid Mio, which I probably liked more between the two. I’m missing the musical references from the series here–Alter’s maid Mio is shown holding her guitar–which I think leaves Mio looking a little too generic. I’m also not particularly fond of the troubled expression she’s wearing here. Oh well, the wait continues…