calling out a request to get any/all information on this stuff. if you have weapons, images from reference books, anything is appreciated. Trying to work out a project with Sanjeev and getting some CAD models for reproductions, and we need flat images with an item for scale. right now i only know of a couple weapon/villain pairings, (snake + staff, eel + short scythe(?) , weasel + long scythe, cat + sword(?) ) who knows. lets get some photos and discussion flowing! break out your vintage reference books and share anything. thanks in advance for your time and knowledge

Don't want to be a wet blanket, but you're not planning to make exact repros, are you? Good intentions aside, once they get into the wild, they can easily be mistaken or misrepresented as original. Causes a lot of problems with Star Wars and other lines.

I know how tough Arashi weapons are to come by, but that's part of collecting the line. In my opinion, I say just leave it be.

Ive heard comments similar to Andy's from some SW friends. Cant that just be fixed by branding the weapons? a little mark here or there to help people identify them. that could help, no?

Because of the size of the weapons, that isn't always easy. But even if there's a small mark or the color is changed or the material is different (or softer or harder) than the originals, the bigger issue becomes when the weapons/figures change hands a few times and are resold. Then, insufficient info, descriptions, or photos take not only the weapon, but the whole figure down a rabbit hole, and people think they have something legit, though it isn't. That's when things get kind of ugly.

I'm fine with having no weapons for Arashi villains. They are really tough to find, but like I said it's part of the line, and it adds to the mystique.

Not Ninja Arashi but similar

i know what you mean, and nothing is set in stone at all right now.

at this point i am just curious as to what weapons came with which toy, and if there are any photos out there.

for me its a selfish hope and aesthetic thing. i love my toys without weapons, but its also why i want to find boots and belts for my vintage kamen rider toys, and why others have reproduction missles and astro myu parts etc etc. things can always go awry if taken into the wrong hands, but im just hoping for a fun project that can help others out if they want to go down the same route./end rant

I hear what you're saying andy but I think the project is a good idea. It's not like they are being mass produced and if like you said there is a marking or color change, I don't see the harm. Sanjeev making a few for friends is a non issue IMO. Besides most vintage collectors KEEP their toys, and you would know better if the toy was changing hands. I doubt anyone would be so shady as to try an pull that off (at least no vintage collectors I know). Also you could wait a lifetime trying to find an accessory for a vintage toy. I rarely see just vintage accessories coming up for auction. Hell I'd love to get a mask made for my Giant Ultra Ace and Giant Thundermask.

Anyhow, here is my only Ninja Arashi weapon. It's the sword and scabbard that come with the bootleg Ninja Arashi (smaller guy with the medical cross on the bandana):




EDIT: Oh wait I do have a snap belt for the bootleg as well?

I think this is a great idea, and as had been said already, these are going to be just a handful made, and those will most likely never leave the hands of the original buyers since we are all collectors who appreciate fan-based projects like this and fellow lovers of the medium.

I am definitely in to support this project in any way I can guys, but unfortunately don't have any original weapons. That pic I threw up in the Yahoo auctions thread was just for this kind of reference so we could all share the info on the accessories we rarely get a chance to see.

I have complete respect for folks who are staunchly anti-repro. Heh...it's funny: we've had this same debate over at TBDX a number of times...extensively. As you can imagine, repro-ing robot parts is generally WAY easier (and as it turns out, more common) than the weird geometry found in most sofubi.

My stance is kinda what gatiio said: as long as you can *tell* it's a repro with a quick visual inspection, I'm cool with it. Can some unscrupulous person try to "hide" the brand or otherwise try to pass off the repro as legit? Of course. But that happens ALL the fucking time with vintage Japanese toys. That's just how it is. :/

At the end of the day, to me, they're just fucking toys...so anything that restores or enhances their "play value" for me is a win. For example, back in February, Ralph posted the flat pattern for the Yonezawa standard-sized Ogon Bat cape. It'd be DAMN easy to reproduce that thing just by cutting up a black vinyl shower curtain and adding a snap-button from a fabric store, right? Near-perfect replica of the original accessory. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but I'm probably *not* going to do that--instead, I'm likely gonna cut the pattern out of shiny black silk (or make some sort of layered thing with black on the outside and red on the inside!). That way, I get the experience I want out of enjoying my toy...and there's pretty much no way anyone's ever gonna pass that off as an original cape.

Similarly, if we're talking Ninja Arashi weapons to be 3D printed, there's pretty much no way in hell they could be passed off as originals. 3D printed material is about as far from the original plastics used in making these accessories as you can get. The cheapest 3D printed material (stuff I use all the time for making accessories and whatnot for toys) is a sort of laser-fused nylon powder called "polyamide". It has a sandy texture, but it's tough as nails, dirt cheap, and perfect for weapons and other stuff that gets a lot of rough handling. A brand or other mark isn't even necessary for this stuff given the grainy surface finish. [This is the same shit my Nitto Karakasa display stand is made outta.]

Just my two cents. I think this could be a very cool opportunity for folks, but I'm open to further discussion...

Id love to have a snake cane and Naginata for my guys. The reference book photos I have are really small and wouldnt work at all for this purpose.

This is the best I can do for Majin Sai's Naginata. Its not flat but you can get an idea how big it is.

I guess there's a different vibe with these lines and SW collecting. I've never been a fan of repros or re-releases, even when the color is changed. Anyway, got my 2 cents out there and am fine holding the minority position.

Oh, I totally agree with you in terms of the SW stuff Andy, I just see this differently - but I am not sure I can explain it in a sensible way. But the Star Wars stuff really does tick me off, one of the biggest PO for me was the reissuing of the classic vehicles (and of course, all the parts and accessories for them) right off the Kenner molds. Yes, I love that they (Hasbro) were trying to bring SW toys to a new generation of fans - and of course make bucketloads of money - but the vintage pieces are actual very obtainable, which for me I think makes all the difference with the reissues or copies. And, for what it's worth, their whole sale model didn't work for the most part, and I think that was reflected in the way they approached things since some of the past lines.

Example, I have no issue at all with those unpainted rocket-firing Boba Fetts floating around. They are high quality replicas, obviously NOT the vintage issues, and are cool toys. But making new lightsabers, helmets, etc = totally uncool.

It may be a fine line of hypocrisy, but so be it.

Teeny-tiny weapons for teeny-tiny toys, collected by a teeny-tiny fanbase of nerds with the desire to enhance their collections by a teeny-tiny proportion . . . It's not gonna kill a kitten or cure Cancer either way so knock yerself out!

Actually, if a kitten chokes on a repro weapon...

Good point, well made . . . scrap the project!

Ain't no shame in your game, Andy. It's a perfectly valid position. Nekrodave, the Jumbo Whisperer, is staunchly anti-repro...even though, in all likelihood, he's got more than a few repro bits here and there in his massive collection.

I don't know jack shit about Star Wars toys, but I can see that being a much more active secondary market, where there's a lot of supply and a lot of demand. In that case, yeah, there's naturally gonna be a MUCH higher incidence rate of shady sellers trying to pass off repro's as originals. Since the bits are smaller, it's probably easier to get away with crappier castings...

Anyway, I can get started on Majin Sai's yari (that's a yari, right? not a naginata...?) when I get some free time in my schedule. Do we know if that bootleg sword of Chris's is actually similar to the original one or not? Either way, I'm less inclined to do Hayate's sword because there are already plenty of 1/12 swords--even metal ones!--on the market that work perfectly (that's what I have!).

Awesome, thanks for offering to take this on. Yeah I guess it is a yari, I need to go back and re-read lone wolf and cub I guess.

Don't think it is Sanjeev unfortunately. I know it's the original sword that came with the bootleg because it was sealed in an unopened bag. It's not made to fit in the bootleg arashi hands and it's 8 inches long. Jonathan not sure if this is an original sword but I saw this in your pics (hope you don't mind me reposting it?):


Mixed hero shelf by XjaybirdX, on Flickr

Yes, that is an original sword in Jonathan's photo. The real deal is much smaller than the boot.
Here is a photo I took of my sword,

As far as I know this is the original sword. Ive seen the same one with him on a few different blogs. Heres a better photo if you want to try and draw it in CAD Sanjeev.

Thanks for all the input on Hayate's sword, guys, but I think I'm gonna skip it.

The problem is that 3D printing the scabbard will be a serious I FART A LOT: that long, narrow channel inside for the sword blade just won't work unless you're using the highest resolution printer (which is expensive...and will yield a pretty brittle piece).

Besides, like I mentioned, 1/6 swords work GREAT! They come fully assembled and fully painted...no fucking around. Just google "mononofu katana". Diecast blades even! Here's a pic I instagrammed last night featuring one:



The other characters' weapons, though, aren't otherwise available, so I'd be happy to design them...

That would be really generous of you, and extremely appreciated. i just want my weird animals to hold weapons!

Id love a set Sanjeev. Thanks for doing this.

No problem, guys!

I just need more pics...

So to summarize, I'm skipping Hayate's sword, I have Onibi Mamushi's staff, we have pics of Majin Sai's yari and Doku Utsubo's double-sickle-thingy (michael, I think that belonged to Doku Utsubo, not Majin Kamaitachi, like in the pic you PMed me).



That means we need pics of weapons for Mashira, Neko Mandala, and Majin Kamaitachi.

maybe they used the same weapon? check out this really lo res muddy photo from the show




looks like a double scythe...maybe if i squint my eyes... ha