The Long Wait for the Celestial Spirit Mage is Over

Good Smile Company's 1/7th scale Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail has been officially launched on their website. Official promo images were made available and she will be up for preorder today, 26th of March 2013. Scheduled to be released on August 2013, but we know that's only a tentative release date since GSC has a history of delayed releases. Anyway, I'm glad that the price isn't so expensive as I have expected. She will be retailed for 8,800 yen, about the same price range of other GSC's 1/8th scale figures.

On GSC's official website, it's description states: 

"Open!! The Door of the Water Bearer!!! Aquarius!!!"
From the popular manga and anime series 'FAIRY TAIL' comes a 1/7th scale figure of the beautiful celestial mage, Lucy Heartfilia! The figure is based on the cover illustration of the 9th volume of the manga, which features Lucy in a lively pose holding out a key in her hand with her skirt fluttering about. 

Certain parts are also removable for a slightly different pose, but no matter how you choose to display her you'll always be able to enjoy her energetic personality!

"Certain parts are also removable for a slightly different pose" naturally means that her clothing can be cast-off, meaning that we can reveal her inner garments. Not a surprise actually, since we already seen some images showing those slits on her shirt and skirt. But perverts alike will be glad so know that it is confirmed :)

My stomach's filled with butterfly as soon as I saw these official images. It's the first time that we've seen a close-up shot of her Fairy Tail insignia on her right hand. She is looking absolutely gorgeous. I can't say much  anymore 'cause I'm loving everything that I'm seeing here. If this figure will become a hit, we shall be expecting more female Fairy Tail characters from GSC. I'm crossing fingers for male Fairy Tail characters, but not holding my breath.

Below are the Product Details

• Product Name: Lucy (るーしぃ)
• Series: FAIRY TAIL
• Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
• Category: PVC
• Price: 8800円 (including tax)
• Release Date: 2013/08
• Specifications: Painted 1/7th scale PVC figure with base included. Approximately 210mm in height.
• Sculptor: MASA
• Please note that the photos shown may differ from the final product.
• Paintwork is done partially by hand and therefore each product may differ slightly.

Preorders are now up at Amiami, Hobby Search, HLJ, Animarket, Hobby Frontier and Figmation

Figuarts ZERO - Super Saiyan Son Goku Preorder Announcement

Bandai sure is keeping the best for their web exclusives. Figuarts ZERO - Super Saiyan Son Goku will be released on August 2013 for 3,150 yen as Premium Bandai Web Exclusive, which means another Japan-only limited editions. Preorders starts today, 25th of March 2013 at 16:00 (JST).

This figure release was first seen at the Tamashii Nation 2012 event as an exhibit back in October, along with Figuarts ZERO - Frieza. These two are the first Dragon Ball Kai characters known to be released in Bandai's Figuarts ZERO line. Well, known at least  for now, since this product line has a history of disappearing/cancelled character releases in the past, like Bleach's Gin Ichimaru, Naruto's Akatsuki's, etc.

Back to Super Saiyan Son Goku. I find the pose and facial expression very plain. He could have been in a drawing power bent knees position with mouth open as if he were shouting. It doesn't look appropriate next to Frieza which has a very dynamic mid-air jumping/flying pose. But regardless of the pose, the overall look and feel of the figure is top-notch. I like the battle damaged look and ripped clothes. That translucent hair looks fantastic, fitting to a glowing Super Saiyan effect. Adding those lightning effect parts, this release is amazing. I hope the mass production release will stay the same.

If I didn't know that this is a Figuarts ZERO, I could've mistaken this as a 1/8th scale figure. But of course this is a Figuarts ZERO line, in which releases looks very high quality on those promo images. But anyway, this is a must have for every Dragon Ball fanboys and fangirls alike. I hope Bandai will continue releasing more Dragon Ball Z characters in the future, but not a Premium Bandai Web Exclusives please.

As mentioned, this item will be released on August 2013 for 3,150 yen. A Premium Bandai Web Exclusive item which means to be doubly expensive to us living outside Japan. I that case, I'll have to start looking for the most acceptable deal for this one.

Hot Toys: Iron Man 3 - 1/6th Scale Iron Patriot Movie Masterpiece

Less than two months to go and we'll be seeing Iron Man 3 in theaters. As expected, product merchandise based on the film has been flooding the internet already. And what's better to see those Iron Man Armors than in Hot Toys 1/6th scale Movie Masterpiece format. The first Iron Man 3 armor to get that treatment is the Iron Patriot, an upgraded version of the War Machine.

Earlier announced is the Iron Man 3 Mark XLII 1/6th Scale under Power Pose series which isn't too exciting since it is just a semi-fixed pose figure. It's still good though, but Hot Toys are known to produce great articulated movie-accurate action figures, so why not get it in it's full glory. There's also a non-armored Robert Downey Jr. announced earlier, but I ain't interested in that. What I want are armors.

GSC Lucy Heartfilia's Updated Colors

We got some new shots of Good Smile Company's Lucy Heartfilia. This was a part of the exhibition at Tokyo International Anime Fair 2013. It's interesting that they have changed Lucy's boots color. Remember when we first saw her colored prototype back in Wonder Festival 2013 Winter? The color of her boots are black. But now they have changed it to shiny brown.

I never actually noticed the color of her boots in the anime, but after googling her image, I saw some pictures of it black but sometimes it's brown. Maybe I will see the Anime again later to check on it's color. Well, for me it doesn't really matter actually, as long as they keep the overall look close to the manga and/or anime.

No pricing or release date revelation up until now. But I believe it would be announced be very soon. So Fairy Tail fans, keep checking this blogsite and our Facebook Page for future updates on this lovely figure. Getting her will at least immortalize Lucy in our shelves since the Anime broadcast will be going on hiatus.

Update (2013-03-25): Finally! She’ll be up for preorder starting tomorrow, 26th of March 2013

Figuarts ZERO - Dr. Hiluluk and Chopper Release Announcement

We broke an announcement earlier on our Facebook Page that Figuarts ZERO - Dr. Hiluluk and Chopper will be released on July 2013. Today, Tamashii Nations website officially announced this release along with their promo images.

We've seen Dr. Hiluluk's prototype from some exhibitions more than a year ago. I thought this will become another one of those disappearing Figuarts ZEROs. It's great to see him now getting a release date. And this time, they threw in Tony Tony Chopper to be sold as a two figure set. A set more like Coby and Helmeppo. And this Chopper isn't anything that we've seen before, it's a totally new Figuarts ZERO.

Bandai made a safe decision by releasing the teacher and his student as set since there aren't too may fans of the Dr. Hiluluk. By adding in the cute human reindeer that is loved by many, this set has become an interesting collectible. Dr. Hiluluk's importance as a One Piece character should be supported by Chopper by his side right? So this set made a good sense.

The only problem that I have with this is Chopper's grin. I don't like this expression. It's better if they made him in a cautious expression, showing his distrust to humans before. More like his expression when he first saw Luffy on Drum Island. Anyway as I have mentioned, this is still an interesting collectible. You think we'll see Dr. Kureha in Figuarts ZERO form sometime later?

Below are the details of this Figuarts ZERO set.

Figuarts ZERO - Dr. Hiluluk and Chopper

• Price: 3,675 yen
• Release Date: July 2013
• Material: PVC, made ​​of ABS 
• Height: 75mm approx (Tony Tony Chopper) 
• Height: 170mm approx (Dr. Hiluluk)

No preorder schedule announcement yet so just keep following this site and our Facebook Page for any further announcements regarding this item.

Update (2013-03-28): Preoders starts 3rd of April 2013 at 16:00 (JST)

Update (2013-04-03): Preorders are now up at Amiami, HLJ and Hobby Search.

1000 Words: Greetings from Fishman Island

I was just trying to give life to my POP Sailing Again - Nami (Crimin ver) photo by doing some editing in photoshop. After a total of about 6 hours of trial and error, it turns out like this.

Princess Shirahoshi's Re-issue Moved to April 2013

Sad news or good news for those who haven't gotten their POP Sailing Again - Princess Shirahoshi yet. According to MegaHobby - Megahouse's official website, the re-release of this POP has been moved from the original March 2013 release to April 2013 (see the preorder announcement here). It's not very often that MegaHouse made decisions like these, specially on POPs. But it happens with every manufacturers, and of course, this company is not an exception.

Comparing to Good Smile Company's frequent changes on their release schedules, I say this isn't too bad at all. Plus, this is only a re-issue, so it's probably not of a big deal. That's only my opinion of course, since I already got mine during it's first release. But for those who are eager to get their hands on her, another month of waiting maybe too long for you. Well, all I can say to you is that - it's worth the wait.

New Release Photo Review: Figuarts ZERO - Basil Hawkins

Officially released last Saturday, 16th of March is Figuarts ZERO - Basil Hawkins as Bandai's follow-up to their Supernova Figuarts ZERO series. Figuarts ZERO - X Drake was also released on that same day, but today we're just going to look at some early shots of a Figuarts ZERO - Basil Hawkins's retail release.

Judging by these photos, Bandai surprisingly produced another well done Figuarts ZERO. I was actually convinced that Bandai doesn't care with the quality their releases given their crappy releases in the past. I'm not really looking forward to this release, actually. In fact, I didn't even prerodered, Drake and Hawkins. But upon seeing these images, I am quite sure that I'll be getting at least Basil Hawkins sometime soon even if I had no intention of completing the Supernovas in Figuarts ZERO form.

From any angle, I don't really notice any offensive paint application mistakes on this particular figure. It looks close enough to the promo images. His cape/upper garment seems to be painted with silver glittery effect, something that isn't seen on any of the promo images. I love how they painted that metallic thingy on his left shoulder. The boots are also well painted with glittery effect.

The best detail that draws my attention here are the straw voodoo dolls. I was worried before that they might screw up in this part. But it seems that Bandai has pulled-it off. It can be further improved actually, but this finish quality is on an acceptable level. The only thing that I don't like is the lack of detail on his pink sash. They should've put a little bit of paint shading on it.

The details are absolutely impressive or it just gotten past my expectations. Either way, this is really not bad for a Figuarts ZERO release. Having said that, I highly recommend this one whether you're a fan of the character, or a Figuarts ZERO collector like me. Retailing for 3,360 yen, he's still available at most retail hobby shops for and I believe he isn't going to be sold out anytime soon. So you can just relax for now and consider your budget. 

Yui Takamura ~Gekka~ Ani*Statue Is Getting A Re-release

Finally! After months of desperate hunting for a good deal without luck, here comes Kotobukiya to the rescue. This lovely figure is getting a re-release coming July of 2013 for the same release price of 8,400 yen. I just found her opened for preorder at Amiami just an hour earlier and guess what? She's already sold-out. Great that I had placed my order before it closes.

Yes, I know, July 2013 is the month of explosive releases such as POP SA-Maximum Limited - Armored Franky, POP Neo-DX - Shanks, two Xtra figures from Tsume - Naruto and Pain and some other interesting figures that I need not to mention here because of my frustration. But I just really need to have this totally lovable figure on my display shelf so I'll just have to endure the pain of losing a huge chunk from my bank account.

I always knew that she could be re-released sometime soon, but it's too soon that she coincides with the painful month of releases. Anyway, I'm still so glad that I finally have a way to own her at her. I hope Cryska Barchenowa ~Guren~ Ani Statue will also get a re-release. But not too soon Kotobukiya! Give me a few months to recuperate from my expenses and I shall be ready for your releases.

Sakura Haruno "Undefective Bonds" – HQS by Tsume

Tsume has done a few great Naruto High Quality Statues (HQS) in the past. These are Naruto Uzumaki Summon of Gamakichi, Gaara Shukaku's Hand and Art of Bang. Adding to this line-up is Haruno Sakura in her own statue entitled "Undefective Bonds". I don't know what that title really meant for the statue since she's standing on top of three Sasori’s puppets.

While the statue's detailing looks great and Sakura's appearance looks bad-ass strong here, I don't find the whole diorama appealing. To me it's looks somewhat morbid because of those puppets that looks like slaughtered humans. It's not pleasing to the eye and it does not fit Sakura's personality.

Yeah, I know, she really did beat Sasori on the manga/anime. But maybe it's better if they just made it less disturbing, like fighting face to face against Sasori or just simply punching a puppet. I don't know, maybe Tsume should have thought of something else. For the price tag of 279€, I find it too expensive for my liking. I'd rather be spending that amount on something else. This diorama statue is limited to 600 pieces only by the way. 

Great Deep Collection Premium - Punk Hazard

Bandai's One Piece Great Deep Collection doesn't usually interest me. They look nice but they're nothing but head display. But this latest offering from Bandai just got me hooked. This set features characters from Punk Hazard which includes Nami (Sanji Posessed ver), Tashigi (Smoker Posessed ver) and Monet.

While these collectibles are only heads, they sure captured Nami and Tashigi's expressions in Punk Hazard. Ironically, Monet looks lovely here without her creepy legs. I love her face and that translucent wing that she got there. I wish these three will come in MegaHouse's POP form.

I wanted to make this my first Great Deep Collection set, but guess what? They are Premium Bandai Web Exclusive which means it's going to be expensive outside Japan. Again, it's really frustrating. Why are you always making it hard for us living outside Japan, Bandai? Why make such really great items exclusive? We're also good customers and this is how you thank us?

So much for my heartbreak. I guess I'll just wait and find a good deal for this. Otherwise, I'll just wait for MegaHouse to release them in POP. Premium Bandai started accepting preorders today for this set which be released on August 2013 for 3,780 yen (tax included).

Figuarts ZERO Film Z - Aokiji Kuzan and Nami (8 year old Battle Costume ver)

The official promo images of Figuarts ZERO - Aokiji Kuzan (Film Z ver) and Figuarts ZERO - Nami (8 year old Film Z Battle Costume ver) were made available online as soon as preorder opens at Premium Bandai Web Shop. As expected with these two figures, they are indeed store exclusives just like the other Film Z editions of the Mugiwaras.

Aokiji is looking great here, depicting how he looks like and dressed like in the Film. It's really great that Bandai decided to release this character as he had played a major role in the story. He is holding a wine bottle on his right hand which is his signature item in the film. Alternatively, you can display him with an optional right arm that shows his devil fruit ability. I hope this figure will look as sharp and detailed in the retail release.

On the other hand, the 8-year old Nami isn't really impressive. I don't like that smile as I didn't remember Nami smiling while dressed like that in the film. She's mostly serious on the climactic battle as she wants to be turned back to her normal age again. The neck is too thin and long for a child. This one paled in comparison with the Grandline Children version of their 8-year old Nami. And guess what, it's the same pose. Bandai was really in a hurry releasing her and have totally forgotten being creative.

Premium Bandai Web Shop are now accepting preorders exclusively for these figures which will be released on September 2013. It is a follow-up to their first three sets of Figuarts ZERO Film Z Mugiwaras. They called this the fourth set since these two figures can be purchased in one set. 

Below are the details:

Figuarts ZERO - Aokiji Kuzan (Film Z ver)

Price: 4,200 yen

Height: approx 200 mm

Release: September 2013

Figuarts ZERO - Nami (8 year old Film Z Battle Costume ver)

Price: 3,150 yen

Height: approx 75 mm

Release: September 2013

One Piece FILM Z set (Aokiji Kuzan, Nami)

Price: 6,930 yen

Release: September 2013

They maybe shop exclusives but there are a lot of ways to get our hands on it. Though expect that it will be bloody expensive outside Japan.

Official Photos: POP Neo-DX Shanks

The Yonko and the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates in his third POP has been officially launched and preorder offers for this figure has already started. Along with it's launch are the release of these official images from its manufacturer - MegaHouse.

And what can I say.. Shanks is strikingly awesome in these images. That look pierces to anyone who are thinking of challenging him. As we have seen from the previous exhibits, the figure comes with three facial expressions and two right arms, one for holding a sword and the other for holding the legendary Strawhat. Unfortunately, we don't get too many close-up shots of those three different faces. The Strawhat that comes with it is unusual and not like the other strawhats that came with any Luffy's POPs. It has three slits that is stitched on top. I wonder when and where the strawhat get that damage.

To be released in July 2013, POP Neo-DX Shanks is now up for preorder for 8,400 yen but it is now available at Amiami, HLJ, Hobby Search and Animarket at their special price. Though it's most probably sold out on those stores before I can publish this post, except for Animaket which usually closes its preorder until the deadline. As for me I'll be waiting for Figmation's generous offer :)

Update (2013-03-07): Figmation has already put up their offer on their webstore. You can choose either the International or the Japanese distribution for a very great price offer. No need for downpayment if you're getting the International.But for the Japanese one, you'll need to pay in full for the figure and the shipping cost later upon it's availability.

New Release Photo Review: POP Neo-DX Shiliew

It's time for another photo review and we got shots of the newly released POP Neo-DX Shiliew (or Shiryu) here taken from a retail release courtesy of blog.livedoor.jp. This POP has been officially released yesterday, 28th of February.

Based on these photos, quality wise, it's superb. Everything you see on the promotional images is exactly what you will be putting up on your shelves. All the those tiny little details were executed properly and no critic eyes will be irritated. Posing wise, it may be kind of dynamic but I'm no a fan of it. Specially that left hand that looks weird. I prefer the other optional arm that seems to be reaching the sword scabbard. There are lots of impressive poses that can be done with a sword wielding character. Specially with this katana-like sword - nodachi, that's why I find this pose lacking in style.

Another thing that I don't like on this POP is the inclusion of the mini stand support for the cape. I understand that it's required so as to balance the figure or protect the cape from drooping downwards in the future. But can't they just do it some other way? Like putting the support on the main base? I'm sure there is some other way, right? Well, if they didn't posed him like this they wouldn't have this issue.

I don't hate this figure nor love it. I'm just somewhere in between. I didn't preorder this one and no plans of getting him anytime soon. Maybe later. This isn't the kind of fast selling POP. In fact this is still available at HLJ, Hobby Search, Amiami, Animarket and Otacute. So I'll just wait for some discounted sales at any of these stores.

For you who has preordered this POP and those who has received their copy already. This should be a great companion for the upcoming POP Neo-EX - Marshall D. Teach ver. 1.5. I'm sure you already have that in mind, right? And with POP Neo-DX Shanks and POP Neo-DX Benn Beckman, it will be cool to display them eye-to-eye, ala Marine Ford scene. Hope there will be more POP released of Red Haired and Blackbeard pirates in the future.