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[Barrow Roll]

Yes.

I've posted about my feelings on the company's design aesthetics before. If not in this thread than one of its predecessors

I don't think they have hit at all when it comes to adapting third party IPs. Most examples of 'good' PAK figures I've been shown suffer from their adolescent sensibilities of making them cooler, edgier and debatably tasteless.

I'm all for companies making stylised versions of characters that speak to different sensibilities but when you look at Play Arts stuff it is usually just a few small changes that makes the whole product slightly look off from the original design. It's not different enough from the thing it's based on to warrant the changes.

It has the opposite effect of impressing me. They go into great detail and over emphasise parts of the character but those details are wrong. So why even bother? It would be better if they were to go for more abstract changes where the details don't matter. Especially in a collectors market where details are everything. Offer something different not something which is overtly detailed but fundamentally off in lots of little irksome ways. Especially when there are cheaper, more accurately detailed offerings, like the DC Direct versions for example.

Obviously these products aren't aimed at me and what I look for in a collectable. But I am compelled by their faults to comment when I see them.

Well you're entitled to your opinion and I appreciate you taking the time to properly articulate them.

I think they've absolutely knocked some figures out of the park, Deathstroke, Cyborg Ninja, Halo 2 Master Chief just off the top of my head, but I won't deny their shortcomings. I think for a lot properties they really are the best you can get for what's available. No one has made a better Garrus or Female Commander Shepard figure than PAK yet, and their Assassin's Creed and Halo figures blow away McFarlane's offerings. I think they do alright, but it definitely pays to wait for reviews. Their prices are also getting ridiculous, but realistically every company has has raised their prices in the last few years, although perhaps not quite as steeply.

On an unrelated topic, I got my payment request for Figma Lucina from Amiami, the night before I leave for PAX so that's not super ideal, but I'm glad it's finally coming out! Another for the Smash Bros display.

 

[Shadow Ranger]

Hovering like a hawk on the Mondo TMNT sale. Fuck this is nerve racking.

They look awesome. Wish I could afford them.

As for PAK, they really have gone down hill for the most part. Far too expensive and just not visually very appealing. Their new Cloud looks quite good, but I've always found their FF efforts to be much better. I also liked their Batman variants for the most part; the Arkham versions not so much (part blame WB for the initial design). The other 3rd Party variants have not been so appealing, though.

The figures in recent years leave much to be desired in paint application, articulation and sometimes QC. A real shame.

In other news, Figman's Hulk looks quite cool. Less articulation than SHF but the face sculpt looks way better (in the scans floating about).

 

[Haloid1177]

PAK hate always amuses me. Their Variant lines are supposed to be ridiculous in design. That's the goal. When they want to make accurate figures, like Cloud or Master Chief, they nail it. They also nailed the Arkham Knight Harley too. And if you order from Japanese retailers instead of BBTS or Amazon the prices are pretty reasonable. $80 for their Arkham Knight shipped seemed about right.

 

[LiK]

Yes.

I've posted about my feelings on the company's design aesthetics before. If not in this thread than one of its predecessors

I don't think they have hit at all when it comes to adapting third party IPs. Most examples of 'good' PAK figures I've been shown suffer from their adolescent sensibilities of making them cooler, edgier and debatably tasteless.

I'm all for companies making stylised versions of characters that speak to different sensibilities but when you look at Play Arts stuff it is usually just a few small changes that makes the whole product slightly look off from the original design. It's not different enough from the thing it's based on to warrant the changes.

It has the opposite effect of impressing me. They go into great detail and over emphasise parts of the character but those details are wrong. So why even bother? It would be better if they were to go for more abstract changes where the details don't matter. Especially in a collectors market where details are everything. Offer something different not something which is overtly detailed but fundamentally off in lots of little irksome ways. Especially when there are cheaper, more accurately detailed offerings, like the DC Direct versions for example.

Obviously these products aren't aimed at me and what I look for in a collectable. But I am compelled by their faults to comment when I see them.

You're generalizing quite a bit when it comes to their quality. PAKs get too much shit even when they make good figures. Their entire Halo line is fantastic as well as most of their Mass Effect ones. They obviously have paint issues and face sculpts can be a mess for certain specific lines (Resident Evil in particular). But the majority of their Final Fantasy figures and Kingdom Hearts figures are pretty spot on and well made. I own most PAKs since I've been collecting them for a while and saying all of them are bad is just plain wrong.

PAKs have their own style and look and I like that. The only issues they really have is quality control in the factories.

Also:

I don't think they have hit at all when it comes to adapting third party IPs. Most examples of 'good' PAK figures I've been shown suffer from their adolescent sensibilities of making them cooler, edgier and debatably tasteless.

Please post examples before spouting such nonsense. The majority of their figures are faithful to the sources.

 

[Rootbeer]

Probably not gonna try for the mondo figures. I would be on it like a mofo if they were 1/12th scale though.

 

[Zombine]

LUCINA SHIPPING CONFIRMATION...WAT?

Is this real life?

 

[LiK]

LUCINA SHIPPING CONFIRMATION...WAT?

Is this real life?

didn't get the payment request yet but AmiAmi has it in stock. wow, finally.

 

[Rootbeer]

LUCINA SHIPPING CONFIRMATION...WAT?

Is this real life?

Saw it go in stock a few hours ago. Still no payment request cause my order has Figuarts Mk 45 iron man which is still not in stock, argh. That feeling when 5 of your 6 items are in stock and you are waiting on the last holdout... come on, Bandai! Figuarts Luke is in stock, where is that Iron Man at?

 

[Vooduu]

LUCINA SHIPPING CONFIRMATION...WAT?

Is this real life?

didn't get the payment request yet but AmiAmi has it in stock. wow, finally.

Yup, got mine this morning. Might replay FE:A now lol.

Figuarts Luke is in stock, where is that Iron Man at?

He's not released until this Saturday. BTW the figuarts Luke looks 10x better than the promo images.

 

[GentlemanCrow]

Please post examples before spouting such nonsense. The majority of their figures are faithful to the sources.

Isn't PAK a Square Enix subdivision? Of course their FF figures look right.

'Faithful' is clearly a sticking point here. For the third party figure I don't think they are personally. The embellishments usually employed clash with the original designs aesthetics of most third party figures. The narrowing of limbs, sharpening of angles, strange palette choices, finishes, etc. A general 'anime-fication'. A faithful figure would be a straight facsimile surely.

I would post examples but it hardly seems worth the effort. All their figures have the same general issues I mentioned.

 

[Rootbeer]

Yup, got mine this morning. Might replay FE:A now lol.



He's not released until this Saturday. BTW the figuarts Luke looks 10x better than the promo images.

Alright, two more days. Knew it had to be very soon.

 

[Fantomex]

Mark 45 Figuarts is Up for Preorder on HLJ!

http://www.hlj.com/product/ban996314

 

[EroticSushi]

Mark 45 Figuarts has already released in HK

 

[youbastards]

The colors of that MK45 Figuarts suit look really off. Shouldn't it be metallic gold instead of school bus yellow?

 

[Fjordson]

Play Arts is way up and down for me. Some of their figures are great, others are terrible.

I think a lot of their faces look awful and sometimes their proportions are all outta wack. But some of them I have, like MGS 2 Raiden or Halo 2 Master Chief, are really good.

They are getting a bit expensive, though. Like the MGSV Snake I have pre-ordered is over $120. Too much imo.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

The Civil War Iron Man is gonna be noice. Same for Scarlet Witch. And Cap. And Black Panther. And Spider-Man. And Hawkeye. And Ant-Man. And War Machine. And Black Widow. And Bucky. And Crossbones. And Baron Zemo. And Tuxedo Vision.

Jesus. That's a lot of Hot Toys.

 

[ChrisD]

LUCINA SHIPPING CONFIRMATION...WAT?

Is this real life?

I was coming here just to say this! How long has it been? I swear I was talking about this figure around Christmas!

 

[FiveElementNinja]

Man those Mondo TMNT Leonardo exclusive figures and subscription sold out fast.


Also, brace yourself. The Civil War sides were announced. http://io9.com/captain-america-and-iron-mans-civil-war-teams-revealed-1726914569

 

[Zombine]

I was coming here just to say this! How long has it been? I swear I was talking about this figure around Christmas!

A long, long time. I hopped on for the June date and had been waiting ever since. Preordered God knows when.

 

[Fjordson]

I wish I hadn't missed the Lucina pre-orders. Damn =[

 

[ChrisD]

I either just screwed up or simply made myself look crazy. I have more money in my bank than PayPal, what I had initially put the order under. So I figured, hey, I'll just use my Debit card. Went in, changed the payment option, and then went back. I clicked on the payment/shipping tab at the top of the page AFTER this fact, and read the line that says Debit Card use isn't suggested. Sooooo, I went back in and changed things to PayPal again. Now I'm waiting on the option to pay to pop back up.

Hope I didn't just mess up anything substantial. =X

 

[Diggeh]

After searching for so long, I finally got an authentic NECA Ryu for a crazy good price! He's absolutely perfect for any scaled Smash collection and quite possibly one of my favorite figures of ALL TIME now!

 

[Kipp]

After searching for so long, I finally got an authentic NECA Ryu for a crazy good price! He's absolutely perfect for any scaled Smash collection and quite possibly one of my favorite figures of ALL TIME now!

So cool!
I really need to get one or two NECA SF action figures.

How much do the authentic ones go for? Just wondering what kind of prices should be a red flag that I'm looking at a fake. You think these are these legit, for example?

 

[LiK]

After searching for so long, I finally got an authentic NECA Ryu for a crazy good price! He's absolutely perfect for any scaled Smash collection and quite possibly one of my favorite figures of ALL TIME now!

his face looks different than the one I got. is this a rerelease?

 

[Vooduu]

Man those Mondo TMNT Leonardo exclusive figures and subscription sold out fast.


Also, brace yourself. The Civil War sides were announced. http://io9.com/captain-america-and-iron-mans-civil-war-teams-revealed-1726914569

Lmao Team Iron Man gonna wreck.

Mark 45 Figuarts has already released in HK

Looks good but wish the yellow was more gold and silver darker.

 

[Diggeh]

So cool!
I really need to get one or two NECA SF action figures.

How much do the authentic ones go for? Just wondering what kind of prices should be a red flag that I'm looking at a fake. You think these are these legit, for example?

NECA Ryu hovers around the $35-$50 price range. I got mine for under $25 somehow. From what I can tell, as long as it's sealed and not loose from China you're good to go. There are some sealed ones with weird packaging and missing paint like this Ken, but those are obvious. Buying from a third party Amazon seller is a big gamble, but it might be worth a shot.

his face looks different than the one I got. is this a rerelease?

Don't think NECA will ever release these. I think I just finally got lucky with someone who didn't know the value/rarity of him.

It's a darn shame, too. Their Street Fighter figures are top notch. I'd like to get them all someday, but I desperately needed Ryu for my Smash collection. The scrawny SOTA Street Fighter 2 Ryu wasn't going to cut it.

 

[LiK]

Don't think NECA will ever release these. I think I just finally got lucky with someone who didn't know the value/rarity of him.

you need Gouken? I have a bunch sealed

 

[Kipp]

NECA Ryu hovers around the $35-$50 price range. I got mine for under $25 somehow. From what I can tell, as long as it's sealed and not loose from China you're good to go. There are some sealed ones with weird packaging and missing paint like this Ken, but those are obvious. Buying from a third party Amazon seller is a big gamble, but it might be worth a shot.

Good to know. Thanks!
Time to keep an eye out for Ken.

 

[Vooduu]

The colors of that MK45 Figuarts suit look really off. Shouldn't it be metallic gold instead of school bus yellow?

Had the same concern. Hopefully that's just the filter and lighting in the photo.

Take a look at this

 

[Fjordson]

Anyone see any sites with Lucina still in stock? Or will I just have to hit up eBay for $120.

 

[ChrisD]

Anyone see any sites with Lucina still in stock? Or will I just have to hit up eBay for $120.

See if they cancel my pre-order and snatch it from amiami

Actually don't do that, I don't want that to happen

 

[KoruptData]

I made a video of my collection. Figures and statues.

https://youtu.be/xJNZmCyjk1k

 

[Vooduu]

See if they cancel my pre-order and snatch it from amiami

Actually don't do that, I don't want that to happen

 

[Fjordson]

Lucina is still sold-out on AmiAmi so I think you're safe.

 

[Semblance]

Anyone see any sites with Lucina still in stock? Or will I just have to hit up eBay for $120.

Tokyo Otaku Mode for $68 shipped.

(I have not used them personally, but they're reliable from everything that I've read.)

$68 is kind of a lot for a figma but your other options (Mandarake, eBay) are guaranteed to be not fun.

 

[Haloid1177]

Picked up the NECA 1/4 Arkham Knight Batman today. Aside from one paint defect on the Bat symbol which isn't noticeable unless directly under a light source, the figure is amazing. I wasn't thrilled with their Origins Batman but this one is so much better, from sculpt to articulation to paint. I think that catches me up on all Arkham Knight toy releases to this point as well.

 

[dankir]

The Civil War Iron Man is gonna be noice. Same for Scarlet Witch. And Cap. And Black Panther. And Spider-Man. And Hawkeye. And Ant-Man. And War Machine. And Black Widow. And Bucky. And Crossbones. And Baron Zemo. And Tuxedo Vision.

Jesus. That's a lot of Hot Toys.

Hot Toys must of loved the fact that both Disney,Warner and Fox have something like 20+ movies coming out in the next 5 - 6 years which they will all create figures for. There's going to be so many figures its ridiculous and they're going to make soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much bank.

 

[Fjordson]

Picked up the NECA 1/4 Arkham Knight Batman today. Aside from one paint defect on the Bat symbol which isn't noticeable unless directly under a light source, the figure is amazing. I wasn't thrilled with their Origins Batman but this one is so much better, from sculpt to articulation to paint. I think that catches me up on all Arkham Knight toy releases to this point as well.

The AK Batman is so good. Insane detail and really good paint job.

One of the best Batman figs I've ever seen on any level and it's only $100. Crazy.

 

[dankir]

Next Hot Toys AoU figure incoming! Get your wallets ready!! Released today in HK

 

[EroticSushi]

From Facebook

 

[Shadow Ranger]

After searching for so long, I finally got an authentic NECA Ryu for a crazy good price! He's absolutely perfect for any scaled Smash collection and quite possibly one of my favorite figures of ALL TIME now!

Agh, I really didn't like the look of their Ryu. SOTA's was better, but barely. Heck, I'm in two minds to just sell my SOTA figures. They just aren't doing it for me... I want SHF to get the license... dreams...

And still nothing from Sideshow about my Raiden...come on. Was hoping it'd be here by next week.

 

[the3ye]

OK my first post here. Hype for Lucina -10000 and they shipped it today ><
She looks.... bad
http://futalog.com/s/353082459.htm

Uh... they had so much time to make her look great.

 

[Hagi]

I dunno she looks fine to me. Figmas usually look a little softer than the prototypes so maybe my expectations were already in check.

 

[paolo11]

Just ordered my Metal Build Gundam Amatsu Mina from BigbadToyStore. Will post pics once I get it.

 

[LiK]

OK my first post here. Hype for Lucina -10000 and they shipped it today ><
She looks.... bad
http://futalog.com/s/353082459.htm


Uh... they had so much time to make her look great.

Figmas are usually pretty great. some people made Link look like ass because of the lighting. not too worried about it. guess we'll know soon

 

[Diggeh]

Agh, I really didn't like the look of their Ryu. SOTA's was better, but barely. Heck, I'm in two minds to just sell my SOTA figures. They just aren't doing it for me... I want SHF to get the license... dreams...

And still nothing from Sideshow about my Raiden...come on. Was hoping it'd be here by next week.

Well, it's the closest you can get to Smash Ryu's render. SOTA figures are based on Street Fighter 2 designs and that Ryu is too scrawny and inaccurate to be the more modern Ryu in Smash.

Plus it's an amazing figure with insane articulation!

 

[youbastards]

I'm looking for help from any members in Texas or the west coast of the USA with a Hot Topic near them, there is a Hot Topic exclusive series of Nightmare Before Christmas Minimates with a 1 per case Glow-in-the-Dark Reindeer.

They are blind bagged, but from what I can see the reindeer should be pretty easy to "feel".

Please message me if you can help, I'll pay a little extra for your time and effort, and I'm located in the US.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Hot Toys must of loved the fact that both Disney,Warner and Fox have something like 20+ movies coming out in the next 5 - 6 years which they will all create figures for. There's going to be so many figures its ridiculous and they're going to make soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much bank.

My God. They'll have ridiculous amounts of popular figures for Marvel Studios properties alone... factor in the DC films, X-Men and Deadpool?

Hot Toys collectors be going broke.

 

[LiK]

My God. They'll have ridiculous amounts of popular figures for Marvel Studios properties alone... factor in the DC films, X-Men and Deadpool?

Hot Toys collectors be going broke.

Already broke. YOLO

 

[Haloid1177]

My God. They'll have ridiculous amounts of popular figures for Marvel Studios properties alone... factor in the DC films, X-Men and Deadpool?

Hot Toys collectors be going broke.

It's really only Star Wars and Marvel. I'm not sure how much focus they'll give to anything not Batman related from DC and they hardly ever do more than one figure from a Fox film.