Excerpts from Interview with Hiddy of Secret Base

I've thought about what it would be like if Hiddy just ended the fight figure line. And how collectors and after market prices would react. Maybe some of the lesser liked figures would gain some popularity as the line would no longer be produced.

 

i should probably note that I only typed up the juicy bits. The actual article is longer and Hiddy is more positive and upbeat in some of the other parts.

 

NOW u tell us

 

I just wanted to bring this interview back up to the top after 10+ years for anyone who missed it. Seemed timely.

 

This is oddly accurate to much of the climate in today’s collecting, only it’s obviously reached much broader audiences.

 

Does Secret Base still make toys, aside from the figures they make for Super7?

 

They do, just a lot of licensed stuff, like Felix the Cat, Spongebob, Ghostbusters, even Kanegon and Rat Fink.

 

No kidding. Even with Pop Vinyl collectors, that line rings true. “Some of them just want things in limited runs and do not care about the toys really.”

Edit: Now I’m having to deal with people flipping special flavor Kit Kat bars, of all things.

 

Necromancy time

They seem to be forging ahead with the recent large scale Astro Boy, and Pushead production is still happening although that perhaps doesn't evoke the Secret Base brand as much. Hoping the Astro was enough of a success to encourage more ambitious sofubi concepts.

That said, the line in OP about Secret Base not being a "Kaiju toy" brand still holds true. Besides Astro Boy, what do you think would be attractive properties for them to pick up, which are still close enough to the roots of the hobby to be interesting?

For example Pokemon has happened already, and imo was a good brand fit, but a bad sofubi fit. Maybe Gundam?

 

Mazinger, Astro boy, kanegon. SB is making the kaiju, it’s just a small part of what they do. And they are still releasing plenty of Pus and mobstyles fight figs. This is why artists and designers should not do interviews, they never hold up well a decade later.