Think I've alluded to them before:
The recent prevalance of clear vinyl (which any fule kno goes yellow with time,
but which is for some reason ve-ry popular with AMERICAN collectors.)
The choice of ORANGE (usually clear orange) vinyl as a first or second colorway.
The sudden reappearances of the likes of Matango & the Suckfly.
(Not yet in clear orange vinyl I admit, but I bet it won't be long!)

*derp*

^ Best post evah ...

Apart from this one:

Gotcha Alice, thanks for the explanation.

Alice, I understand your cynicism, but have you thought about the flip side of the equation - that without overseas collectors, many of these guys would have a much smaller market? In that respect, is the 80/20 ratio a drain or a lifeline? And, how many of these guys would have blown up to this extent, providing seed money and the ability to produce many new toys, were it not for regular cash infusions from overseas orders? Just wondering.

Finally, and this is pure curiosity, in your dealings with sofubi makers (and speaking fluent Japanese as you do), have you detected bitterness among the sofubi makers because of the 80/20 split and reliance on overseas markets? Is there a general sense (aside from personal observations such as the popularity of clear and orange vinyl) among sofubi makers that creative decisions are being made to pander to non-Japanese collectors?

OK, as a new American collector in the scene, can I throw out one teensy tiny question?

Why is Orange vinyl something special? Do you mean orange like beige/flesh for a blank, or proper citrus-fruit orange? I think, aside from RxH blanks, I own one orange colored figure, the latest Elegab MPC.

That's it! Im only collecting orange and clears from now on then.




i think you have some good points alice but i like my aging yellow clears.

Really?

yes as far as the black joke thing goes.

@ Prometheum: I mean Orange. It used to be Super7's flagship color,
though I think that phase may have passed now.

@ Andy: Don't take the piss -
your Japanese is probably way better than mine & you know it!
And you're right, of course there's a flipside:
Wherever the resurgence of interest in sofubi has come from
it's been a godsend to the likes of Gargamel, Marmit and M1go
and inspired a lot of new makers to come forward as well.
It's just that as a lover of the 'oldskool kaiju'
I look at a lot of these new figures and find myself wondering:
"Who is the target market here?"
Is there any bitterness among the sofubi makers?
Well, I think Kozik's comments about the Bemon guy were probably a distortion rather than a fabrication.
I don't believe he was too happy in the beginning when all his figures started going abroad,
and for such shockingly high prices as well.
However, given all of the above, I think they're coming round, don't you?

@ Everybody: I want to stress again that all the above thoughts are JUST MY OPINION
and nothing to do directly with either Nag Nag Nag or Bouryoku Genjin,
about whom there will be an announcement next Monday or Tuesday.
(I need a couple of days to get my fallout shelter ready. )

Yeah my sense is the new sofubi makers are happy that at least somebody wants their stuff. I agree, if it weren't for manic foreigners bidding stuff up on YJA, hot-footing it to Tokyo, and importing figures for resale in other countries, most of these guys would still be hobbyists attending shows 3-4 times a year, or shop owners specializing in old school sofubi and selling their own figures on the side (which some still do).

But I also get the sense the sofubi makers would be happier if more Japanese collectors were into their figures. It's not by accident that Nakano Broadway and the various Mandarakes are the best places to get new sofubi - it's because those are the places most frequented by foreign collectors.

About old/new skool sofubi, I think, at least in some sub-segments, there's a meshing going on as the cross-pollenation of Western and Eastern monster styles continues. Guys like Paul Kaiju, Nagata, and Lamour are making their mark in Japan. To me, the intercultural monster mash is one of the most interesting outcomes of all this.

Well, I for one, will be feeling very self-conscious when I'm putting my clear Matangos on my shelf.

You got clear Matangos???

Don't crush my dreams.

be careful Alice is prone to throw beer when he gets all worked up.

I think clear (colored) vinyl looks amazing when it ages.

Pogue only collects the Château Cheval Blanc of sofubi.

I hope Glenn doesn't go on "vinyl tasting" his good year sofubis.

LOL

the lottery portion of this thread has been removed, as is our policy.

carry on...

Welcome back paranoia.
How I have missed you.

Never has there been a more appropriately titled thread--from just about every angle!

Legendary thread is legendary.

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