Forum - View topicSuper Plastic - Air Minagi Tohno Review
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tkwelge
Posts: 18 |
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Is there anything wrong with me for thinking what I thought when I read "nice box" under the "pros" section?
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hell_xtremedawg
Posts: 11 |
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What'd you think when you read "Nice box" O_o. Boxes are very important for displaying the product. *Remembers the huge pile of the 3 Air figures in akiba stores that somehow wouldn't sell last summer*
I think these figures are sculpted based on the game design, but they still look a little strange. But I bought them anyways 
Nice review, I'm liking this column 
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Kidder
 Posts: 188 Location: Bat country! >.< |
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I know this doesn't have anything to do with the Air figure, but where is that "robotic" panda in the Super Plastic banner background from?
I've seen it in random places before, such as on a t-shirt in the Densha Otoko TV series and I got a robo-panda phone stand as a freebie with a mobile phone I bought in Hong Kong. |
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hentai4me
 Posts: 1313 Location: England. Robin is so Cute! |
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I don't see how they can charge anywhere near that price for a figure painted as simplistically as that. I can paint, and have done so, to a better standard on a model around 1/32 size. On a larger one like that I can see difficulty coming in with shading and texturing large open areas, but careful use of dry brushing picks out the faintest moulding marks on the supposedly smooth areas. Dry brushing takes a very short time by the way so it's not like it takes any real time or skill to do.
I'd vastly prefer it if it were unpainted or pay a hell of a lot more if it were painted to a high standard. for a figure of that size I am looking at something like this 
I'm not really into the whole figurine and collectibles market but if they did turn out something either unpainted or to that kind of standard I'd be likely (ie: certain in some cases) to buy. |
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redcomet15
 Posts: 42 Location: I just don't know anymore. |
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But how long does it take to paint a figure like the one you posted? Time is money, and if figures such as those reviewed in this column were to be painted to meet the higher standard that you expressed, the price would increase dramatically. High-quality figures are already expensive; raising the price even more would just drive off the consumer base.
However, there is a market for people like you, who prefer to be more hands-on with their collectibles; many figures in Japan are released as unassembled, unpainted kits that the consumer has to put together himself. Maybe you'd be more interested in one of those? Personally, I don't have the skills or time needed to paint my own figures, so I appreciate the preassembled figures that companies put out. As long as you can find a good brand name and know where to shop, getting high-quality preassembled figures isn't too difficult. Here is a personal favorite in my collection: http://www.hlj.com/product/GSC96207 It may not be up to your standards, but it's good enough for me. Anyway, as for the column itself, I have to say it's quickly becoming one of my favorite additions to the site. It touches on an aspect of anime fandom that has been mostly neglected on ANN up until now, and it's nice to read others thoughts on a subject I take interest in. I look forward to reading future installments! |
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CrazyCanuck
 Posts: 104 Location: Canada |
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It's Panda-Z. In region 1 it came with the special edition of Panda-Z Volume 1 on DVD. I'm sure it was available in other ways elsewhere. Here's the full figure: 
A larger version of the image can be found at http://www.image-upload.net/files/4098/Panda-Z.JPG |
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hentai4me
Posts: 1313 Location: England. Robin is so Cute! |
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Thats a nice figure but it relies too much upon 'natural' shadowing, shine the light differently and it look less 'real'. Any chance of reviewing an unassembled kit or preferably unpainted but pre-assembled? (I've had one too many accidents with the likes of pin vices, saws and sculpting tools (for filling inevitable gaps) I know that pre-painted figures to a decent standard can be very costly, but considering how easily these figures can be produced they could sell both regular and 'deluxe' versions or even unpainted versions of the same model. I probably wouldn't buy this figure (but from other anime or a better sculpted and moulded one I might) but can it be THAT difficult for these figurine companies to release the same figure in three different formats? Regular, as in the article, unpainted as I'd be far more willing to buy, and deluxe, painted by either a professional or the same staff but with more time to do it. I assume that the models come fresh from the assembly line (or casting machine as is more likely the case) unpainted and are then handed to a team of who are likely part time art students (or something). |
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redcomet15
Posts: 42 Location: I just don't know anymore. |
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Aha, you have a very good eye! Indeed, if I had taken a photo of my figure sitting on my shelf and posted that instead, it wouldn't look as good as the "official" photo due to the lighting in my room. For reasons like that, I prefer to buy my figures in person at conventions or specialty stores. |
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adam16bit
 Posts: 4 Location: The Place With My Stuff |
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Virtually zero, as I'm not what you would call much of a model maker. (Unless someone can get me a really good model kit of the Vic Viper, then all bets are off.)
If cost is a factor, yes. Also you have to consider the size of the market, the number of potential sales, and if offering multiple SKUs of a similar item will in some way dillute the sales of the main item. It varies from company to company and territory to territory. The "do it yourself" figure market, at least that of which gets exported and more mass-market-oriented, seems to focus on "blank" figures like Microman and Kubricks lately. It's also my understanding that a number of these prepainted, preassembled figures begin life as items sold at conventions (like Wonderfest) as unpainted, unassembled models. Some of those edition sizes are really, really small, I was reading up on one just last week that had an edition size of 20. But these things are out there, they're just, well, not exactly within the grasp of your average non-Japanese collector. Unless you've got some really good contacts, a good online bidding proxy service, or a lot of cash to spend. --AP ANN's Toy Guy |
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tekwych
 Posts: 75 Location: New Mexico |
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Another great review Adam. You're right, at a $49.99 price point there needs to be more than a single, unarticulated figure, even at 1:8. a companion figure or second set of arms / head would have added a sense of value to the figure.
A point on window boxes. While they look great on a store self how many store shelves will these types of figures ever see? These figures are purchased through online web stores or through Previews, probably as a pre order as most Comic Book stores will no longer stock figures. Window boxes offer a greater chance for damaging the figure during shipping and cost more to manufacture. The windows look great but, for the way this figure will end up being sold in North America, are the wrong choice by the manufacturer. I would have preferred a sold box with the cost savings going to accessories or pack-ins. For those interested Winter Wonderfest has just concluded and a large number of pictures can be seen at: Anime News International and Cool Japanese Toys. I have started a thread in the Events section of this board. Keep the reviews coming. |
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