Weird to see these classic Bear Model sculpts getting the Medicom re-issue treatment. I wonder if this is the first time BM have done this? I'm not aware of this happening with Medicom before . . . .
^ Don't forget the midi Minya! Makes sense, though, now that they're Medicom's house sculptors for so many other licensed lines. And, y'know, on accounta the Vinyl Wars project. What a kick it would be to see new colorways of their Ultraman Ace and Spectreman toys! In thinking about it, they did do several from the Spectreline a few years ago, and colorful versions of Gaira and Sanda, too. edit: Whoa...
^^ Oh yeah, i wish i'd picked up the new Lion-Maru sculpts when i had the chance at retail . . . and those versions of Gaira and Sanda look great too.
I guess there are worse problems, but so much is coming out so fast. I tallied up my want list for what is available and nearly fell over! Hard choices will have to be made.
Medicom's production lately has definitely been staggering. I am happy they have risked a little by 'testing the market' and stumbled across what seems to be an evidently very productive and profitable market for them. From just a few years ago where there might be one or two releases of 'classic sofubi' I would really want to buy, as you say, now it is choosing just the most special from a whole series of excellent toys. The only real downside/complaint I see to all these new toys is the still limited availability for most of them to overseas customers.
Every month they got new pre order, really want them all. old mold reused. new collector got a chance to get an old sofubi
Can anyone tell me how the Medicom Collabs with other companies work? Do these companies like Anraku, Bear Model, Ilu Ilu, etc..make their own toys and Medicom bankrolls, promotes, and sells it, or does Medicom use the original molds and use their own factories and just gives them a %. Any insight or knowledge would be great and interesting.
When I worked with medicom I ordered the vinyl for them and created a paint sample and then sent them the vinyl and paint sample and they painted the run, though they did ask me several times to paint the run but I had no time to do it myself. So pretty much option a for most cases, though I'm sure there are always exceptions or different methods with different makers.
Does Medicom have their own factory in Japan now or do they have all the small sofubi shops tied up with all this output?
Did anybody score this secret (?) halloween "Sour"? I'm not sure what to make of this page, except that it's probably sold out? Or is it still coming up? http://www.mandarake.co.jp/information/2015/11/02/21sby02/index.html
Long gone.. looked like a medicom Japan only drop, I think. Good to see on one yja already too though.
BTW, in case anyone still has not yet preordered, there are some stores stateside that offer selected preorders (and for cheaper too!).
I love the new astro mu design but what is keeping me off it is that I can't stand batteries in toys, always have me worry bout leakage problems over the long run (or that I must always remember to remove the batteries which itself) and that the voice electronics might fail over time.
There are no batteries in Astro-Mu toys, so nothing to worry about there. The push buttons on the front/ back of the doll moves a rod inside the body, that nods or shakes the head. All the tanks came with a key and are wind-up.
Ahhhh thanks for clarifying, I was reading the English description and thought that there are voice functions lol.
Oh nice! That guy is fantastic. I really like the way he came out, quite nice details and colour + bonus vinyl cape . I think he would have been just a little better with more of an standard 'vinyl toy' pose, versus the action figure way he is handled now [I think I just like the old fashioned look], but it is all personal preference. Next to the vintage guy it sure makes a lovely duo.
