Starting this thread here as there are a few Unbox releases I imagine we might discuss on sb that fall outside of our various forum headings- designed in HK and made in China, for example, like Chairman 666's Nutipati, or that fucking amazing "Crystal Bowie" thing, the provenance of which I'm still fuzzy on. I ordered Nutipati- my first Unbox toy- and am eager to receive it. I thought it was interesting that "phthalate-free soft vinyl" was specified in the description for it- first time I've seen that used in their listings, and made me wonder if there have been some quality improvement advances over earlier releases. I recall Spungee saying that the JKM Three Witches stunk to high hell when he got 'em... that aspect is definitely a dealbreaker for me, in considering their stuff. From what I have seen and heard of their customer service and involvement, I have to think that they are aware and working on it. Would love to hear input on vinyl quality/characteristics from anyone who picked up a Nutipati (I assume the online release is still in transit to most buyers) or a mini Mockbat at DCON.
I love my nutipati. No smell. Very soft vinyl. Should have grabbed another colorway at dcon but I was tapped. I have two other toys from unbox. Harder vinyl then the nutipati. No smell. Great quality. Crystal Bowie? Link?
Unbox's pics... was done for an outfit called Kingdom Come Studyo... I'm uncertain as to whether it's actually been offered for sale anywhere yet, or where. Doesn't seem to be one Unbox will offer direct.
Nutipati arrived here this morn, my first Unbox toy. The pros: wonderful header art; undeniably cool, fun sculpt (the mask is just incredible) with 5 points of articulation (they erroneously said 4 in the store listing… certainly looked like 5 in the pic, glad to find it is); looks completely boss in the trans and frosted vinyls. Cons: well, it’s basically all about the vinyl… it’s very soft, which is not so much a problem for me in itself- but man, does it smell. I just picked it up again and fumes hit me as I held it about 16” from my head. Also left a slight-yet appreciable residue on my hands upon removal/initial play/posing. I’m consistently impressed with Unbox’s projects- aesthetically, engineering-wise, the artists they’re partnering with, their apparent work ethic… but I have to say that as a first experience, the disparity between hand-pulled JP sofubi and this material is a bit discouraging.
Hello Ungawa222 I saw your message and felt compelled to write to you and allay any concerns about the materials we are using. We ensure that we only use the best & safest materials available on the market & actually source all our own production materials directly from the best supplier in the industry rather than relying on factory supplies. It is our responsibility to ensure that all out products are as safe as they can be & devoid of carcinogenic materials or anything that could be harmful to health long term or otherwise. The odour and residue is definitely a bit of an odd one as I have had no other reports but I am happy to replace the figure if you want? We know that our output is considered inferior due to our geographical location but such feelings just make us work twice as hard to make the best we can. If you or anyone would like to know how we make our stuff, who we use or why we are mad enough to do it please drop me a mail! Thanks!
Hey Dan, Thank you for taking the time to reply here! I appreciate it, and I’m sure others do, too… in general, your good rep when it comes to communication precedes you! Also, to reiterate, I have much respect for the projects you're doing… you deserve endless praise for the mini Mockbats alone! (And I am assuming those were done in a somewhat different (harder) formulation of vinyl than the Nutipati, which may negate at the outset the issues I have brought up here). My impetus for posting the comments about the Nutipati here was to get input from other sb folk who are mainly/entirely JP sofubi collectors who bought the same release. Back in the 90s/early 00s, during my Garage Kit building days and before I returned to my childhood love of kaiju, I also collected a few action figures from the likes of McFarlane, Art Asylum, Mezco, etc. All were made of a rather soft PVC, and I would liken the smell of Nutipati to the smell of those figures- less strong, perhaps, but same characteristics. Over the intervening years of collecting JP vinyl almost exclusively, I’ve never encountered that particular smell/level of offgassing- which I like, because I live in a place where it’s winter pretty much 6 months of the year, so indoor air quality is important to me. It is odd indeed if mine is the only report of this thus far- even up top, you can see that Saint of Spinners notes his had no smell. As for the residue, let me say again it was very slight- a thin but appreciable layer of “slipperiness” on my fingers. I found it less concerning than the smell, actually. Thanks for your offer of returning/exchanging him- I will hold off for now, leaving him displayed here on my desk at work to “air out”, and see how that goes. Such a great-looking, unique toy. I look forward to insight here from any other Nutipati owners, too! Mike
Hey Mike Thanks for the feedback & the support. We used exactly the same process for both Nutipati and Mockbat (the same techniques used in Japan but at a small family run outfit that has manufactured soft vinyl figures for Bandai over a few decades) but the figure's form and the artist's preference for the 'finished feeling' dictates the end result. I'm not the best at explaining the technical intricacies as the other half of Unbox is the one with the engineering background but i hope that makes sense!
Yo. I only collect JP vinyl . Picked up the purple/ blue Nuttipatti and a yellow Sexual Yokai Chimera (actually ordered clear, but received yellow). Blown away by the quality on both of these figures. BLOWN AWAY! No air bubbles. No mold boogers. Just clean consistent, beautiful vinyl. The Chimera figure is very close in consistency to modern sofubi. Straight up, you can not tell the difference! The Nuttipatti is ever so slightly different in consistency. Just a bit squishier/ more rubbery. They both have no smell. I have been very reluctant to pull the trigger on non-JP vinyl. I am happy I did, I love both of my unbox figures! Solid work Dan!
My mixed-parts lab mice & more recent SMD5 Star Eater all turned out great , especially the Star Eater. No issues that i can tell ... looking forward to mini-mockbats ( fingers crossed for green or glow ) , as well as Sextopigon.
I'm flattered. Now that I've gotten that outta my system - Good move on starting this thread, Mike. There have been many interesting but repetitive discussions about Unbox's soft vinyl compared to sofubi scattered across the threads and it's about time that there's a reference point for this information. I'm also quite pleased with the few Unbox soft vinyl toys that I've purchased.
Over the last couple of years I've had enormous boxes of both freshly pulled blank Japanese vinyl and Unbox vinyl delivered. I can say without a doubt that in my experience the Japanese stuff had a much stronger smell to it. All the Japanese stuff I've received had that distinct vinyl funk scent we all know pretty well. Seems like the softer the vinyl is the more it smells too. Though it all mostly goes away eventually. The Unbox stuff though always has almost no smell at all. And I'm talking giant factory fresh boxes with packed with triple digit amounts of toys. That has been my experience so far.
Thank you for the feedback, it's very insightful and I am glad things are mostly positive! I'm very happy to keep checking in if any other questions arise but I am also respectful of the fact that Skullbrain is predominantly a forum for Japanese toy collectors and will therefore try to concentrate any communication regarding our output in this single thread.
Very humble of you Dan. I think alot of people would be surprised by how much genuine sofubi is actually produced in China, with that tid-bit omitted from marketing. I think many of the toys you guys produce fit the Skullbrain aesthetic, and I feel most here don't really care if a toy is made in China or Japan if the quality is there. All the Unbox toys I have, I can say are great quality.
For the record, I would never dismiss a toy out of hand because of where it was made- I try to go with my experience, not fashion or collecting rules du skullbrain. I started this thread because, as Joe said, so much of what Unbox produces would seem to fit with tastes here, yet doesn’t fall neatly into one of our categories. The whole JP-vs-Chinese vinyl thing is a separate-but-obvious/immediate element of discussion, when it comes to Unbox. Historically, I have basically had an experience completely opposite what Waterbear describes above… my JP vinyl has never had nearly the degree or strength of appreciably “chemical” smell right out of the package (or after being stored in a closed container) as the Chinese vinyl (that is to say, toys I know to have been made in China) has had. Hence the bit of trepidation/associations with country of origin I had built up. Having said all that, it’s apparent that Unbox/Dan have a strong commitment to quality and improvement, and I appreciate that. Dan, if you’re still reading: I noticed that, with the Nutipati listing (no longer up), you went out of the way to mention that it was phthalate-free soft vinyl. It was the first such note I saw in an Unbox store listing (admittedly, I don’t read them all). Can you tell us, was this reporting on a new material improvement, or was it something that has always been true of your products, and the mention was just spurred by customer inquiries behind the scenes?
Today I received the WORST quality new "Soft Vinyl " toy that I have ever owned, and straight from Unbox. If you purchased the latest Nuttipatti (green and red), I sure hope it doesn't have the black burn marks, the shrunken leg, the areas of uneven drip runs, areas covered in a dirt / mud like substance, and a whole slew of tiny trash particles infused within the vinyl that ranges from what looks like dirt, to unknown black specks, to what very well may be a tiny piece of cardboard. There are also a few bubbles in the vinyl around the waist, which I would forgive, except that the other problems point to whomever is responsible probably not caring enough to try to not have them. The vinyl is also super soft and squishy, which I liked at first, until I tried to move any of the joints. It drove me crazy trying to get the legs parallel to one another because the joints stick and parts bend before they move. Then when they do move, it overshoots where you were trying to position it (I had to get them equal to photograph the length differences between the legs and it seemed like an almost impossible task). There is a reason why sofubi has been the quality standard, and this blotchy vinyl moving from glossy clear to a matte cloudy film here and there throughout doesn't come close. I actually like the smell though, Ha. In fact, the smell triggered a memory of those clear vinyl ghosts that would come with the Ghostbuster action figures of the 80's. In fact, that seems to be a very similar vinyl to this, also squishy with those glossy to matte areas throughout (I have some of the ghosts)... Expect pictures to come (you can imagine that there are a Lot of em). I really like this design in this version and was happy to add it to my collection, But if you like the pictures of the Nuttipatti online, just download 1 of those. It's much more fulfilling. I guess I jinxed myself after my nice comment yesterday. I can't imagine that they'd be much different, but I do hope that you other Nuttipatti buyers at least don't experience my plethora of quality control issues. It would still be a fun toy if it weren't for those problems listed in the first paragraph. I mean, the quality rivals Mexican bootlegs. But no more Unbox purchases for me no matter how this plays out. Who could after a purchase like this?.
Yikes, sorry to hear about that -- Hope you get sorted! While I cannot comment on Unbox's output, as I have yet to own any, I do have the first release yellow body / clear headdress Nutipati and he did arrive quite funky. I just gave him a sniff test after months of being on display and the clear vinyl definitely still has some mild stank on it.
Damn, that stinks JP.. Now that you mention it mine also had some sort of black char material clumped on the head. Although I was able to take a knife and scrape it off.
For the record. Have one of the clear blue (rainy day) mask with milky purple peanut versions and on closer inspection can't find a single flaw in the vinyl. The articulation in the arms and waist are smooth. One leg is slightly shorter than the other but I didn't run into the same positioning or standing problem.
Want to trade? Congratulations though, Connell. Yeah, bud, I was pretty excited about this guy. 1 of my only toy purchases this holiday season. I'm curious to hear from others who purchased this same version. I can't imagine it being just the one. It doesn't work like that. Edit: Oops, I missed your post, Bo. Thanks, man. And congratulations on getting that off! Mine is cooked into and around one of the holes on the head.
JP, disturbing to read of your issues with the red & green version. That pugpie chimed in to talk of having to use a knife to scrape "black tar" off his is concerning too. For the premium prices we pay for these toys (Nutipati was $95 shipped, for me), these are things one shouldn't have to deal with upon receipt. My blue & purple, thankfully, had no such crud or short limb defects. Very interested to see your photos, too, JP. Dan, would still love to hear your input on my phthalates question above, when you can. Lastly, I must say... I had my Nutiapti in a fun, slightly bent-forward/bowing position. Put him in that yesterday, and he was very fully, solidly balanced. (As JP notes, though, the material requires some dedicated fine-tuning to achieve a desired position: the soft vinyl makes the parts bend as its slightly tacky finish makes the joint components resistant to easy/smooth turning.... frustrating interplay, that.) Anyway, this position held for 24 hrs here in my climate-controlled office… and then apparently the soft vinyl deformed/feet gave just enough, and he was flat on his face... unable to hold a pose he was absolutely solid in yesterday, a pose which you could and should absolutely expect a toy like this to be able to hold. It must be said: this (and the tacky joint-futzing) would not have happened with trad sofubi.
Hello! Sorry, I have been away and it all seems to be going wrong! Boon Velvet & Pugpie , I am really shocked to hear about your figures as all the items pass through our office and something like that should of been picked up? Can you possibly send me some images at unboxinfo@gmail.com please? I'm very happy to send replacements or full refunds. This is very weird! Thanks Dan
Your swooping in is appreciated, Dan, I'm sure! What of the phthalates question I posed above? (Sorry, maybe you're crafting that separately and I am rushing you, jumping the gun... )
No problem! I'm still here but forgot to answer! The reason the phthalate free statement was made on that particular figure was because of the use of clear materials which are sometimes not quite as child friendly from other manufacturers. As I mentioned to the other chaps, if anyone has any issues with our work please contact me directly. We are a small company with high standards and I would appreciate the opportunity to rectify any problems & continue to push forward. Thanks
