Oh dang those are awesome. Can't wait !


Yeah wtf, 3000 for a hayabusa?!? I would feel like a total shit bag selling one for that price.

Oh jeez, not green too! Here we go again...

Incidentally, HappyBag is about the most suitable and awesome name I could come up with.

Indeed.

The green vinyl looks nice but I'm all about the paper. I wonder when we'll see the other three figures depicted on the insert? According to the sketches we're still due a caterpillar, a rabbit and an elephant with a head knob.

ooohh, yes, i'd love those books! Must. start. mule. needed. want. post.

Amen!

ack!! now I really need a mule.

The top robot guy is from Chibira-kun, episode 38. I couldn't find any images unfortunately, but you can just make him out with Pochi Pochi in the background in the photos behind. His name is Gebageba (ゲバゲバ).

The second figure is driving me crazy. I know I have seen him before, and it has been nagging at me for days.

Speaking of Chibira-kun though, I am not going to bother posting links anymore, but here is my theory with Mandarake. Each time a Buta figure passes through, it seems to me they up the price the next time. Supply and demand I know, and it is working for them, but for non-Japanese collectors with limited budgets, we are pretty much out of the game.

I always thought mandarake was like a consignment shop and also buys directly from a seller?
Just what I got from the pricing.. I'm sure plenty of folks know for sure how things work there.

specifically I've seen fairly recently with buta aghiras... one went for 10,000.. then I think it was a few days later one went for 6,000.. and now the one for 25,000

the prices vary so much, maybe it depends on shop location

Shop location does play a part of it, that's for sure, but it isn't consignment. The stores have clerks who buy stuff from you directly, and gauge the price based on their knowledge and experience. For everything else they seem extremely fair pricing wise, and much better deals can be found than YJA or other shops, for example. But the Buta figures are the one exception I have noted for this. Constant increase, and above par with other sales.

interesting. so are you sure that the sellers are not trying to get what they paid or are trying to flip them, and the buyers know how the market is and are willing to pay alittle more for them?

That's fiendish!

this could be the situation in some cases I would think.

I love buta no hana toys...but I'm just waiting for prices to come down! let the big spenders have their fun! I just want a few pieces anyway.

It's just how it is. If you didn't get that older Butanohana you wanted before the Gargamel Thrashout show in the summer 2009, prices are going to be sky high. Only exception would be new releases which seem to be made in greater quantity. That show was the tipping point. Before that only a few older releases were hard to find or went for ridiculous money:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30116&hilit=butanohana

Not trying to justify the prices, nor am I saying older Butanohana is really limited in number. Collectors do hold onto these toys and the price is just reflecting how little of them make it back into circulation that's all.

You can do what I do, just forget about older releases, wait for him to stop making these minis, and hope some new sculpts (i.e. Zazahn) come along down the road. I'm actually thankful Butanohana is not making the regular sized toys at the moment. Gives my wallet a nice break.

Chris, I think you mean that it gives your wallet a chance to be used for vintage toys instead. Our wallets never really get breaks, they just switch focus.

Precisely. Been trying to get the monkey off my back for years. Big fail on that mission.

I wish Buta would reissue or revisit the larger Goji sculpts. The toys were a nice mid-size and had sort of a high-quality Kingzaurus feel to them. I wonder what happened to the older Buta toys- seems like a lot of them went out of production permanently after 2006-07. Maybe the molds wore out?

Oh man that would rock

I always thought it was licensing. Afterwards, he went on a long streak of what seemed like Tsuburaya only with the exception of Matango (surely I'm forgetting others). Don't get me wrong, I'm a Buta fan and an avid collector - I just don't happen to collect Tsuburaya toys.

The two Godzilla sculpts from years ago, and the Oodako are my favorite things to ever come from Buta. I was really excited to see him go Toho again last year, but quite disappointed to see only one Godzilla sculpt being produced, and a new one at that. I'd be delighted for him to produce some other years/versions of Godzilla, or bring the old mold back. Maybe one day we'll see others, too, particularly a Frankenstein vs Baragon set would be quite appreciated followed by dreams of Jet Jaguar, Sanda & Gaira, and last but not least: Hedorah.

Buta Hedorah? Count me in

LOL, every few years this comes up (will he make this?) and we all still have the same wish lists. Still hoping for:

Zazahn
Sanda & Gaira
Hedorah
Frankenstein

Matango was on there, but I'm so happy I got to scratch that one off

Booska for me

I'd have to agree that all of the above would be nice to see, and to just add a couple that I think Buta would KILL --- MechaniKong and Gorosaurus!

It's funny, for all the sculpts that Buta has issued the only licensed Toho toys are Godzilla '62, Godzilla '66 & the Radon bird, Godzilla '67, the Gorilla & mini Gorilla from Greenman, Griffon, Matango and Oodako. Not so many percentage wise.

Toho fantasies aside, I can't be alone in wanting more Ultraman '66 sculpts, can I? How great would Buta's take be on Greenmons or Jamila? Germominon or Neronga? The three faces of Dada? A set with Dodongo and the Mummy? Gyango, fer kristsake! I'm crying just thinking about it!

Y'know, I'm not that in love with his Matango. Maybe it's the paintjob... at any rate I'd love to see the toy in a darker vinyl and color scheme.

would be soo insane

I actually was blown away by the matangos paint app once I got it in hand. but I could always use another..

Hey guys! Well, I think it's time to stop lurking in here and start posting occasionally! I look at this damn thread everyday after all

Regarding the mandrake stuff - I can't say I hold it against them to move prices up - even though it makes things hard to buy for us 'normal' folks. Thing is, I almost NEVER see Buta stuff when I go into the Tokyo Mandarakes, and when I do it's so pricey . But I guess it's never there because they can sell it so easily at just about any price they want!

I'm really digging the robot proto. Looks like a super fun toy!