Welcome to this week’s pre-order roundup! Last week was Golden Week, and it was so barren that there weren’t enough figures to scrape together for a roundup. To make up for it this week is a doozy, packed to the brim with pretty ladies. There’s some game-related beauties, a few long-awaited releases, several (themed!) re-releases, our usual dose of Nendoroids and figmas, and a figure so bad it looks like it time-traveled from 2004. So hit the jump to check them out!
AlphaMax
Date Wingfield Reiko | 1/6 | ¥9,800 | October | NSFW
Leah: It’s great to see Tony Taka’s art getting more attention outside of the Shining World stuff: his ero art is stunning, as Reiko clearly proves!
Stephen: I’m glad more of Tony Taka’s doujin work is now getting figures and Date here looks great, so it’s a win for everyone!
Bandai
Zessica Wong | Figuarts ZERO | ¥4,000 | August
Laura Bodewig | AGP | ¥7,800 | August
Leah: Bandai failed to wow me this week. Zessica pushes the tacky line too far for me, and Laura’s price doesn’t at all match the size or quality.
Stephen: Bandai keeps proving they have no clue how to price figures. That said, these will still somehow sell out.
Beat
Manaka Komaki Regular & White Versions | 1/6 | ¥8,800 | August | NSFW
Regular: AmiAmi | Hobby Search
White: AmiAmi | Hobby Search
Leah: I shouldn’t like this, but I do: I have Beat’s Tamaki and am quite fond of her, and I think Manaka would make a good companion.
Stephen: Manaka, while very sexualized, actually was sculpted quite well here and if she’s anything like the Beat Tamaki, she will come out great.
FREEing
Utao Kuga | 1/8 | ¥8,800 | August
Leah: Cute, but kind of pricey given how itty bitty she’s going to be on release. That plush though… I want it!
Stephen: As Leah said, cute, but pricey. I’m still debating on ordering this one.
Gift
Saber Lily (review) | 1/8 | ¥9,800 | September | Re-release
Leah: This is a re-release I didn’t see coming! You can check the review for our full opinion on her, but in brief: she’s far too expensive, but given how she sold out originally and most definitely will again you don’t really have a choice if you want her.
Stephen: Such a great opportunity for those who want this figure and missed out on her before! She went quite fast the last time and is a truly great figure, so if you want her, don’t let the chance pass again!
Good Smile Company
Princess of Crystal | Nendoroid | ¥3,500 | September
Gakupo | Nendoroid | ¥3,500 | September
Leah: Two cute Nendos: and a boy one too! Good Smile has really given us a lot more variety recently when it comes to Nendoroids, I honestly can’t picture these two being released even a year ago.
Stephen: Good Smile Company is on a roll with Nendoroids of characters that are 1) actually adorable and interesting instead of more dumb schoolgirls and 2) are of characters people actually want. It’s awesome to see a seemingly never-ending stream of great Nendoroids coming out and these two are most certainly not an exception.
Griffon
Kureha Touka | Figutto! | ¥4,800 | August
Seena Kanon | Figutto! | ¥3,800 | August | Re-release
Toyosatomimi no Miko | 1/8 | ¥7,000 | July | Exclusive
Leah: I have Seena and really like her, so of course we’ll be getting Kureha (though why the price bump?). Miko I also really love, I am such a sucker for animal ears and hers are quite unique.
Stephen: The figutto line is actually quite well made, so Kureha is a welcome addition and Miko is quite adorable, but in these pictures, she just looks unfinished to me.
Kotobukiya
Yusuke Urameshi | 1/8 | ¥5,800 | September
Leah: I am not really feeling the Yu Yu Hakusho line personally as I have no connection to the show, but I know a lot of people who are fans and it’s nice to see Koto taking on so many cast members (and at such a low cost!).
Stephen: I really love that Kotobukiya is making the whole cast of Yu Yu Hakusho and I can’t wait to collect them all. Yusuke here looks quite amazing!
Max Factory
Aya Kagura | 1/7 | ¥7,800 | August
Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen | figma | ¥3,500 | September
Leah: FINALLY, Aya! I’ve been waiting so long for this cutie, her figmas (particularly the Morning Coffee version) are some of my favorites. Eila I love too, this was a really solid week for Max Factory. Recently, though, it kind if seems like they can do no wrong.
Stephen: I can’t believe that I’m finally seeing Aya for order as it’s been so long since we first saw her! Eila looks cute as well and I love the Strike Witches figmas, so I doubt we’ll have any problems with her either!
MegaHouse
Yukiko Amagi | 1/8 | ¥7,600 | September
Konohana Sakuya | 1/8 | ¥9,800 | September
Leah: I have so so many issues with Yukiko’s body sculpt (elongated torso, chunky shoulders, weird legs, nonexistent waist) but there’s no way I am passing her up–and really, with Konohana Sakuya behind her on a shelf no one is going to be paying any attention to Miss Yukiko.
Stephen: Yukiko and Konohana Sakuya are such a great pair and I can’t wait to add them to our Persona figure collection.
Note: MegaHouse had 2 other releases this week (P.O.P Boa and G.E.M Kaburagi) that sold out instantly–we did manage to snag Kaburagi though!
Phat! Company
Caster (review) | 1/8 | ¥7,800 | August | Re-release
Leah: Another Fate/Stay Night related re-release! Caster seems quite hard to find already, so this is such a great chance for fans. You can check out our review for the full rundown, but I was very pleased with mine despite a few flaws.
Stephen: Caster is such a unique figure that I think a lot of people overlooked, but now, with her re-release, it’s the perfect opportunity to pick her up if you regretted not getting her.
ques Q
Nanoha Takamachi | 1/7 | ¥6,600 | October
Leah: This Nanoha doesn’t really do anything for me: she’s cute as a button, but it’s like something is missing. Their swimsuit Kirino had so much personality, which I find Nanoha really lacking in.
Stephen: With such a saturation of young swimsuit Nanoha figures, this one just falls completely flat and feels like overkill.
Toys Planning
Sylvia Van Hossen | 1/8 | ¥8,800 | July
Leah: Pretty much everything about this figure is bad. The sculpt looks like it’s from 2004 (as does the paint), the price is horrifically high, and the release month is as bad as it gets. The pose and idea are kind of cool but this release is kind of…. pathetic. I wish a better company had taken this on.
Stephen: I don’t even know what’s going on here.
Wave
Yozora Mikazuchi Short Hair Version | 1/10 | ¥3,800 | November
Yukimura Kusunoki | 1/10 | ¥3,800 | November
Leah: I found the first version of Yozora just… really bad, but this one is SO cute! Funny how a very simple sculpt change and an outfit color swap can totally change my opinion on a figure (which kind of reminds me of DDs–if only we had that customization option with PVC). Yukimura too is adorabe–the Boku wa line has been hit-or-miss for me but these are definite wants.
Stephen: Both Yozora and Yukimura are adorable; for once we actually have some expression and unique poses and sculpting in the Beach Queen line again and it really shines through on these two solid releases!
Well, that’s it for the week after Golden Week! Are any of you thinking about picking up either of the re-releases or did something else strike your fancy? Also, were you able to snag one or both of MegaHouse’s limited releases this week? Let us know in the comments below!
The only figure that really strikes my fancy this week is Freeings Utao Kuga and Kukuri. She looks really good and that plush is awesome, but she’s so damn pricey…gah. However, I collect figures of shows and characters I like first and foremost, and this is probably the best we’re going to get from Kamisama Dolls (A+’s Kukuri is insanely expensive for such a small fig, so that one’s out) so I’ll probably order her in the end. Let’s hope she lives up to expectations.
I’m also hoping Utao comes out nice, she is definitely on my maybe list. FREEIng is an odd company: all their 1/4 scale stuff is great but the smaller figures seem to be a bit of a gamble. Their BlazBlue line was just… not that great, but their 1/8 Bridgett is amazing!