truth be told, I haven't bought much of anything lately. I've been pretty disappointed in most of the new releases coming out from most of the companies. too many new sculpts, not enough creative colorways, stuff looking like it's been phoned in in my opinion. just too much of the same. I've whittled down to focus on older stuff I'm still after, as well as just other kinds of toys that I'm after. old stuff makes me much happier than new stuff these days it seems.
collecting toys is NOT a social responsibility...its basically, a hobby. hobby=lots of money. there's always the option to pass up or say no. funding this vicious, but addicting, hobby is a bit of a challenge for most of us. ballers or non ballers. i understand the predicament of loyal fans to a particular company/sculpt, but in the end, buying what you really like is what will matter. ...and , yes , this 'toy addiction monster' will be so hard to tame...
I think the biggest shift may be because kaiju companies/designers have moved from a show/shop based release style to a (mostly) Internet release model. A couple of years ago, most Real Head, Cronic, etc was totally show/shop based. It was often tough to get RxH released and extremely tough to collect Cronic. Now Cronic is working closely with Max Toy, and Super7 gets nearly every Real Head, Gargamel, Secret Base, etc. Plus Real Head has his own shop, meaning he'll probably put out more stuff on a regular basis there, and that stuff will also be sold online through Super7 and the distribution networkers, We've also seen a ton of exclusives through "new" kaiju players like Rotofugi, Ningyoshi, etc. Plus Kaiju Taro has really amped what they have and have made it super easy to order from them. So I think this is about is the growth of pachi kaiju collecting in 2007 coupled with kaiju makers finding direct (or nearly direct) channels to collectors. I think 2008 is going to be a pretty intense year!
Just a follow up thought. We're seeing a lot from the main players, but that includes some of the best versions yet of their main characters. A few recent releases: - RxH Black Chaos with Green rub - Gargamel clear mini Hedoran set - Cronic Hobby Complex Zyurai Asu and Maverasu - Secret Base FHP Skull Captain All top shelf pieces.
Have to agree. Getting hold of a lot of stuff seemed a lot harder even just a year ago. And Im quite new to Kaiju. I have really noticed a definate switch into overdrive w/ product recently. Releases so far this year are off the hook and there doesn't seem to be any lull in sight. Production quantities seem slightly larger because of demand and online promotion (nothing wrong with that) but it means you really have to justify grabbing something straight up or waiting a bit. Then you have the roots stuff, Bwana, Koji's and Franks customs, le Merde etc. Ya gotta be on that stuff (have cash put aside to pounce) or be very lucky later on to pick up on your misses. And as Xoconstle said there is the vintage stuff. Damn ....On top of that..bills don't stop and life still goes on. But then that toy you ordered arrives and it's all good.
baller = highballer, big spender, deep pockets A person who spends a lot of money on a purchase or regularly is a baller. A non baller is a person without that sort of budget. I think manmachine meant that collecting in this hobby can be difficult no matter what your toy budget is.
Well, horrible 90s reference aside, I think the increase in Japan production versions, combined with artists' runs and store exclusives is reaching the point of overload. While not so long ago, you would wait for the next release from a small handful of toymakers- with, heaven forbid, sometimes a month between successive releases- now it seems like there are multiple RxH and Blobpus releases each month, not to mention the addition of new faces such as Vinyl Junkies, Hukkokudo, Ilanena, etc. etc. Who can keep up with the release schedule now? Even if you were only to buy Blobpus, it would still be a very expensive hobby. I think a contributing factor is the ingress of the 'megatoys' produced by makers like Shikaruna Koubo and T9G Museum, each piece of which can set you back $100 or more, assuming you're lucky enough to find one at retail. As a result, I find myself more and more often passing over great new releases- for example, the new Hedoran Bros. set from Gargamel- simply because I need to prioritize. The 'old way' (if there was one) seemed more manageable and fun, requiring a bit of patience, knowledge and cunning to score the goods. (Remember when someone found that unpainted green Mutant Head and no one knew what it was?) While I think I run the risk of re-telling the past through rose-tinted glasses, this mystique was part of the initial attraction of JP vinyl. Similarly, I appreciate the ethos of makers like EXOHEAD, Dream Rocket and Charactics who seem to deliberately reign-in their release schedule, but make it count with piece that leaves their doors. While the added variety is definitely good, sometimes it feels as though we're forced to pass over quality releases for the sake of picking up the next new, limited thing. I guess this is ultimately a function of the evolving JP vinyl marketplace. That being said, I wish I were a baller (and just a little bit taller). Thanks for the explanation, xoconostle.
i try to focus on certain things (sb ghostfighters, rxh chaos) and then very occasionally i'll pick something else up (dream rocket marnon). even with just focusing on that though, i'm broke since i don't earn much in the first place. i'm lucky in a way that i've never gotten into blobpus and alot of other comapanies, but catching up on old bxh stuff is almost the same.
I couldn't agree with you more skylar. I'm still pretty new to the kaiju game but I already see patterns. It's helped me stay really focused on what I want. I mean the appeal of getting away from western vinyl was that it became a joke and purely profit driven model. Quality went way down as companies would latch on to that one good toy and produce a kagillion colorways every week. Don't even get me started on all the platform toys either. Different colorways are fun and it's nice to sometimes have a "I finally got them all" attitude. What's NOT fun is when companies lose all sense of quality control and mass produce colorways purely for profit. I think 3 should be the magic number for any particular figure per year- tops. That said I really have not been into any new stuff at all- I think since I started I got one new figure (1/6 zag) upon release. I think I'm going stick with the collecting old m1's marmits etc and be on the look for stuff from Shikaruna Koubo, Kaijuken who are both tops on quality in my book. Chris
My feelings exactly. I'm still a fan of the things that got me into this (SB, Blobpus) but 1. After, say, the 6,000th B-pus or Brain colorway you have to draw the line and be very selective, unless you have unlimited $ or room, and 2. Most new sculpts just leave me cold - to me, they either look sloppy, or the appeal just escapes me altogether (Popsoda, Le Merde, most Gargamel). Heresy, I know, but that's just me. Add to that the fact that the few things I actually might get (the green Rangeas, for example) are made in such ridiculously low #'s that they're almost impossible to score for retail, and you've got an easy way to stay on budget. Most of my recent purchases have been M1/Bullmark glow reissues (relatively inexpensive and fun) or non-kaiju stuff like Biskup's Deathbots and Amanda Visell's elephants. Not the "coolest", I know, but IMO they're pushing the envelope in a different direction, which I like. Just my 2 cents.
I decide what I buy by putting a bandana over my head and having hiro spin me til im dizzy. I then grab the first I can before falling. Somehow I always grab the huge m1 booska.
i think people are appreciating the custom work over official releases. thanks to folks like koji, bwana, lemerde, dehara & lash to name a few. i've only been wow'd by a few official releases so far this year, like the blobpus dx series & the ningyoushi gold/black zag.
Nothing against customizers, but I don't identify Le Merde and Dehara as customizers. Aside from Dehara's vinyl releases, I see them more as artists. Their works don't have moving parts and seem designed to be viewed and displayed not manipulated.
Not this 'people' . . . production toys only! It's the only rule I've managed to stick to in 10 years of collecting. I slipped a couple of times but traded 'em or offloaded 'em at cost for some good toy Karma. That said, there may be some 'flexibility' at SDCC!
i agree, maybe dehara & lemerde aren't customizers, but rather makers of original designs/toys. custom painted versions, etcetera.
I say: -less new sculpts -less colorways that aren't themed or are one of the same 4 colors (green, purple, pink, etc.) just randomly sprayed on - so over it -less western toy influences -completely do away with graffiti influences thanks -more colors that are themed/influenced/rip offs/take offs on some other character -more skullbees forever and probably most importantly -return to the punk rock attitude/street culture influence please. thank you.
How does Kozik figure into this? Or the colour-changer customizers? Or is that filed under "less western toy influences" and "less colorways...just randomly sprayed on" ??
