Panda No Ana kickassery: If anyone gets a line on these, let us know! http://www.takaratomy-arts.co.jp/specia ... index.html
Anybody know anything about the company? Seems to be a subsidiary (or line from) Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. ... Or T-ARTS. Or something. http://www.takaratomy-arts.co.jp/specials/pandanoana/ Shark tempura toys?
Everything about these and the promo is amazing. Combat Tapir ... that alone made my jaw drop. So cool.
Huh, second Tapir sculpt I've seen this week, strange. This one (and the rest) are much better IMO...
It's all new to me, too - a friend passed me someone's IG post a couple of days ago and I was only able to start digging for info this morning. I just confirmed that the imprint itself is a new gacha line for adults from Tomy - here's a few pages of blog blather: http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2139225945111032101 Sounds like they're well promoted and hep, but I've still no idea of how scarce they might be.
These are gacha toys, so pretty smallish, so-so quality, and plentiful. But like all gachas, probably some chases exist so its time consuming to keep spinning until getting the full set.
Just took a look at the company's site ... Green Green Army is the coolest but several of their gatchas are fun too (along with some possibly NSFW suggestive ones.) Cute sleeping/sunning animals, tempura sharks, and the Statue of Liberty in various poses among others.
Although I don't really have a desire to own them, I'm pretty fixated on these group shots of the sleeping critters: Relaxing, indeed. I quite like their fake crayons, too: Old news.
Last night I saw on youtube a Japanese toy collector's reviews of two of these. They come in the UFO/crane game like bubbles. One review was of a sleeping animal on his back and you could see the reverse side was flat and without detail and you could also see that the quality was "so-so" just as maxaltoman has suggested. I still think they are cute and I imagine the price is relative to the size/quality. The sleeping one was the calico cat or the fox, I can't remember. The other review was one of the tempura sharks, which doesn't really look cute at all, but the collector appeared to be just as excited with both toys.
If any Japanese connections happen to be reading this, consider me down for a substantive contribution to repeated pulls at the gacha machines and a trip there, if one can be identified. The sleepers are cute, but I definitely want to build a Green Army.