I need photos! Photos of figures!

Well, the Tamashii Nations Event is well under way, and there seems to be quite a few new announcements. The problem? We don't get to see most of them. At least not until the event is over and Bandai decides to share. Instead we mostly just glimpses and sketches of what's to come. Of course, I hesitate to update without solid pictures, but I can only wait so long.

What we did get to see was full pictures of new SH Figuarts Lunatic and H-01, which are more then exciting just in and of themeselves.

But wait, what's that standing behind H-01? Yes, it's the glorious Crapsuit figure we've all been hoping for and dreaming about. We'll just have to keep waiting, though, to see more then just his calves.

 

So why am I showing a picture of One Piece Chibi-Arts you might ask? Well, look off to the left and you'll see why. Chibi-Arts Kriem, complete with Mad Bear! This is the best picture we've seen of her so far, which is just enough to wet our appetites. 

What's worse then just having a glimpse, though? No pictures at all, of course. Reports say that we have Kotetsu and Barnaby Chibi-Arts coming, but everyone seems to cooperated with Bandai's request for no photos of these two. Word is they'll both come with their own plates of fried rice and Kotetsu has his own little bottle of Mayo. Here's an artist's rendering:

 

I'll update this post as soon images are released, I'm burning up twitter just waiting for them.

We also had open-face helmet versions of Wild Tiger and Barnaby announced, but we don't have a lot of information about these yet. The fan reaction has been decidedly mixed over the quality of the faces.

Oh, and not from Tamashii, but there was also another merch announcement spotted. A mini blanket with Crapsuit and Bunny plushes, and a glove holder chain! Personally speaking I'll probably skip these, but actual Crapsuit and Bunny plushes? All my Stern Dollars.

Hope to see ya~ soon with pictures!

1st EDIT:

Our first glimpse at New Arts Wild Tiger. I hadn't mentioned him yet because we didn't have any firm information on him, but now here's are first look in all his glorious, lit up, 30cm. That put him at just under a foot in height, but that's not all. Apparently there is also a New Arts Kotetsu, which has been described as 1/6 scale casual clothes Figuarts. 

So far, here's the list of new figures, quite a few we haven't seen yet:

S.H.Figuarts Lunatic

S.H.Figuarts H-01 

S.H.Figuarts Wild Tiger Crapsuit Version

S.H.Figuarts Wild Tiger 1 Minute Version

S.H.Figuarts Barnaby Brooks Jr Prototype Version

New Arts Wild Tiger

New Arts Kotetsu T Kaburagi

Chibi-Arts Kotetsu T. Kaburagi

Chibi-Arts Barnaby Brooks Jr

Chibi-Arts Kriem

Second Set of Deformeisters w/ Kotetsu (in interview suit), Barnaby (in interview suit), Nathan, Karina, Keith (with John), Ivan, Antonio, Pao Lin, Kaede, and Lunatic

2nd EDIT:

Little late on this, but only a few new images have surfaced as of late.

Better pictures of the New Arts figures. Contrary to some earlier reports, word is that Kotetsu's clothes are indeed fabric as opposed to plastic. Interestingly enough, this picture was taken down only a few minutes after it was posted on twitter, but of course once it's on the internet its there forever.

And here's Chibi-Arts Kriem, complete with Mad Bear and tea cup. Looking down you'll also see what appears to be the top of Bunny's glorious mane. Hopefully with the event wrapping up they will finally release quality images of all the new figures. This waiting is killing me.

3rd EDIT:

I've been so consumed with the Tamashii event that I forgot to add a few items that have been added in the last few days. Nothing major but of course it's always worth mentioning new items.

 

Two new straps from Cospa, which will be on sale early at Jump Fiesta next month. They'll be available for general sale February 12th for just 840 yen.

 

A Girl's French Tunic will be available in January for 3360 yen. Not much else to say about this instead that's it's a pity I'm too tall for most Japanese girl sizes, even long ones.

 

They've released the sale and price information of Kotetsu's beads, and sadly they're a bit bit on the high side due to the use of real amethyst. They'll be exclusive to Bandai's premium store, retailing at 6800 yen a piece.

 

Lastly, Cozy Wave is trying to entice buyers with a bonus set of  scrunchies included with their perfume. Not an item with itself, but still worth noting.

Did You Hear That Sound Earlier Today?

It was the sound of a thousand wallets crying out at once.

Your eyes do not deceive you, that is indeed a set of rather a alluring bed sheets featuring either Kotetsu or Barnaby making their best seductive poses. Sadly they wont be sold as a set, either as a marketing ploy or just a plain act of cruelty. They are also Animate exclusives, so you'll need to contact a shopping service on top or the hefty 10,500 yen price tag. Still, they are hard to resist.

A little more on the obtainable side is this set of matching cushions, still sold separately but at slightly more reasonable 3150 yen. Both sheets and cushions will be out on January 28.

I should mention that our friends over at This is Sternbild beat us to the punch on covering these, but I can't blame them for wanting to be on top of this story.

The other big news is we got our first sneak peak at G.E.M. Kotetsu, and check out that level of detail.

Sadly he was a no show at today's MegaHobby Expo event, so we'll have to wait until JumpFiesta for more information and hopefully a look at Bunny. What we did get was a good look at the unpainted CharaFortune Plus mini figures. Can't wait to see these finished!

Also at the event, though we don't pictures yet, they also announced a T&B themed chess set. Something for our more cultured bros.

In the more near future, very near in fact, Chibi-Arts Dragon Kid goes up for preorder on the 24th of November. She'll be out in April, but we'll get to fight over her in just a day or so.

 

A few other news and notes, but the next T&B character song album has received a name that pretty much pretty much confirms it's all Hero character CD: BEST OF HERO. Sadly it's been delayed until February, but the OST was also delayed and we know well that turned out. SANDY BEACH SANDY BEACH

Last but not least, This is Sternbild is organizing a Christmas event! Be sure to stop by and get all the details, including a wonderful prize up for grabs!

See ya~

Oh Wait, You Can (Actually) Have DARKNESS BUNNY

Tamashii Nations has finally released the terms of the web sale for DARKNESS BUNNY yesterday and much to our relief it appears that, along with the Crapsuit and Bunny Plush swing tags, he will be made to order. While you'll still need to contact a shopping service or a proxy buyer, he wont be nearly as a scarce as was first feared and should be available a more reasonable, retail price. The down side is that it could take up to six months for the web shop orders to be fulfilled, though we have a similar wait length between preorder and shipment for the standard Figuarts. We'll keep you updated on when web sale will officially commence.

On the new products front, Bandai Namco Live show aired earlier today and showed several new items along with giving us a better look at some items that were announced earlier this week.

These hoodies will be out in January at 3900 yen apiece. It's unknown yet who will carry them, there's a chance they may be a Bandai Fashion Net exclusive.

The first ski hat, the one with the adorable pompom, will be 3500 yen, while the second is a reversible one with Wild Tiger on one side and Barnaby on the other other. It'll be 3000 yen. They'll both be out in February.

With all this fried rice talk, it was only a matter of time that we would get aprons. We don't have a solid release date on these, but expect them early next year.

Along with the Lunatic blanket that was spotted at the Hero Awards, we'll have two others to choose from. Like the Lunatic one, they are smaller lap blankets that will retail for 3000 yen. 

Speaking of the Lunatic blanket, here's a better shot of the pattern. Now we just need official neck ties.

Not shown on the show but appearing for preorder on Animate are a set of six shot glasses depicting various scenes and quotes from the show. We don't have a good idea of what the secret one will be, but my money is on a princess carry.

In site news, the overhaul is complete and all the listings are up to date along with images. If you have any trouble with the links be sure to let me know.

I'll have special update tomorrow, so hold tight for that. Until then, see ya~

Good Rice Needs Good China

Oh Tiger, forgive me. I did an news post and forgot the most important thing.

The rice.

 

Due out in February, about the time fans estimate Kotetsu's birthday falls, Bandai is releasing a Wild Tiger serving set inscribed from Barnaby to Kotetsu. It was originally thought this would only be available at Animate stores, without a web shop sale, but luckily it's being sold through Bandai's premium store. You'll still need a shopping service, but at least it will be more widely available. There's also the possibility of a proxy buyer, like Tokyo Hunter, listing it, but be ready to pay a mark up for the convenience. They've also got the Poster Collection currently listed for those interested, along with Darkness Bunny and Figuarts Zero Kotetsu.

Movic updated just after my last news post, adding a stylish set of watches that wont quite rip your wallet like the Red Monkey collaboration sets will. They'll be due out in January at 2100 yen, and may or may not turn up at more accessible retailers. 

Added at the same time was four varieties of lip balm, which will be released right before Christmas.

 

Last but not least, we don't have any official information yet, but according the pictures this set of charms will be out in April. Eight different figures, including a 'secret' one (I see London, I see France, I see Dangerous Underpants). Most likely these will be prize items, but will probably turn up individually on Rakuten or possibly as an entire boxed set on Hobby Link Japan.

Blog wise, check the Miscellaneous Items section to get a preview of how everything will be listed within the next few days. It's taken a little bit of time to get pictures uploaded, tagged, sorted, and linked but the finished result should be much more convenient. With that out of the way we should get back to the normal cycle of updates and news posts.

Welp, back to work. See ya~

Coming Soon To A Theater (Probably Not) Near You

I really wanted to finish the overhaul and update before I did any new posts, but it's taking longer then I anticipated and I just can't hold off talking about the news any longer!

 

It's only appropriate that they promptly updated the 109 building to reflect the news that we'll be getting not one, but two movies in the coming year. No word yet on content or context, but new footage was shown at the Hero Awards that doesn't appear to correlate with anything that's happened so far. My knee jerk reaction, of course, was trepidation over no season two announcement, but as it began to sink in my worry quickly subsided. Production on a full season will take some time, many estimated that the earliest would be 2013, so it could very well still be in the cards. Lending credence is the word that the NEXT project will have at least 4 parts, with the Awards being first and the movies being second, which leaves two more glorious stages. It seems we're only on the precipice of everything they have in store for us.

On the Market front? As is only natural, the Awards booklet SOLD OUT during the first show in many places, and it's not surprising. For one, it's not T&B if it's not SOLD OUT, and for another it several brand new illustrations, including this gem:

 

Don't think about it to hard, there's no context for it other then what the artist dreamed up. 

A couple of new items also showed up on display for those waiting to enter the show. First is this set of massive posters, 1700mm (over 5.5 feet) in length, to be sold as a pair through Bandai's premium store. They're already on sale and retail at 4935 yen, and you'll need to contact a shopping service to pick them up when they come out in February.

 

This Lunatic themed blanket was also spotted, it hasn't appeared at any retailers yet but it'll be 3000 yen and be out in time to keep us northern hemisphere folks cozy this January. I'm hoping he's sewn it himself and it keeps you warm with the fires of JUSTICE.

 

A couple of items were revealed on the Bandai Namco's channel that I haven't had a chance to cover, the biggest one being a new set of Red Monkey collaboration watches, this time being two variations on Blue Rose. Expect the same price and sell conditions of the previous releases.

New iPhone 4/4S cases were revealed, all by artist Mori Chack. These will be out in February at 2200 yen. I'm not quite sure about how exclusive they will be, but they're currently only listed with Bandai.

They showed off Ivan's jacket quite a bit as well, complete with shu shu~, but nothing we haven't seen before.

 

Last, but certainly not least, we learned more details about the previously mentioned Valentine's Day cake. Along with the cake, which is layers of chocolate sponge cake, chocolate mousse, raspberry sauce, chocolate icing, are a set of figures depicting Kotetsu and Barnaby as bakers. The whole set sells for 4200 yen, and you'll have to talk to your shopping service about possible food shipping policies. Not something you want coming via SAL.

Concerning the blog, I'm working hard to add images for all the items, as well as cleaning everything up so everything appears cleaner and more user friendly. It should be complete in a day or so, as most of the grunt work has already been finished. Your patience is always appreciated and if you have ideas on what could improve the blog I'd be happy to hear. I couldn't do this without my friends on twitter, so thanks and thanks again to all of you!

As always, see ya~