×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more
You are welcome to look at the talkback but please consider that this article is over 11 years old before posting.

Forum - View topic
Astro Toy - Riobot Gurren Lagann




Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
EnigmaticSky



Joined: 06 Aug 2011
Posts: 750
PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 2:04 am Reply with quote
The quality of this figure pierces the heavens!

...Sorry, that joke had to be made at some point. ._.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Mesonoxian Eve



Joined: 10 Jan 2012
Posts: 1858
PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 11:08 am Reply with quote
I sure would like to know what's going on with the figure industry to push figures in boxes which are far larger than they need to be. I can't disagree shipping charges are getting higher because of it.

I wonder how local retailers are taking to these boxes, given many shops in Japan are small. I've seen many pictures of "mom and pop" stores lining Akihabara and they sure don't look big enough to accommodate all these huge boxes.

I've not seen Gurren Lagann yet (hush you), but I do like the design of this figure. The price-per-size ratio isn't that bad, when you consider the cheaply made figmas go for half the cost for the same height (and those stands are [bleeping] horrible).

As I've said before: quality and price go hand-in-hand, so it's not surprising to see such a good appreciation for this figure. Sentinel has been doing some good things of late, and I've been keeping my eye on them. Looks to me they want to give Alter a run for its money.

Excellent, because we need more quality to offset the crap that's out there.

Another good review.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Aynslesa



Joined: 08 Feb 2012
Posts: 199
PostPosted: Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:46 pm Reply with quote
Beautiful, just *beautiful*. I haven't branched out into mecha figures yet (the Gundam Wing model kits of 10+ years ago don't count, they don't even sit in my shelves anymore due to them not being able enough to handle the apparent earthquake that is me walking past them), but if I do this one is definitely on my list. Of course, by the time I do it'll probably be gone, or I'll have to pay three times as much for it on Ebay... Maybe I should just get one for a friend. >.> Then *they* can display it, and I can look at it with a silly grin on my face.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
PlatinumHawke



Joined: 02 Nov 2006
Posts: 204
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 8:14 pm Reply with quote
Mesonoxian Eve wrote:
I sure would like to know what's going on with the figure industry to push figures in boxes which are far larger than they need to be. I can't disagree shipping charges are getting higher because of it.


For one it's for advertisement. Much like how some TVs have demo picture settings quite a few figure boxes have been getting more elaborate to pop out at people. Kinda sucks for us non-Japanese fans who get stuck with EMS because the thing can't fit into a SAL box, but thems the breaks in this hobby.

Also some collectors view the box the figure came in just as important as the figure itself. Even minor dings or scratches to a box warrant not inconsequential deductions to the price tag on the 2nd hand market. Maybe not as much as the figure itself, but just the same. People can attest to getting something from Mandarake and wondering where the damage on their "damaged" box is.

Getting back to the figure itself, easily the best looking Gurren-Lagann action figure in terms of sculpt, paint and just about everything else. Along with the biggest price tag. But that's Sentinel's game. I think the price tag is justifiable in that you're only really getting one of each big giant robot -- barring any massive alterations -- so you may as well go for broke.

I can't wait to get my hands on their Zone of the Enders toys.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime
Mesonoxian Eve



Joined: 10 Jan 2012
Posts: 1858
PostPosted: Wed Nov 28, 2012 9:55 pm Reply with quote
PlatinumHawke wrote:
For one it's for advertisement. Much like how some TVs have demo picture settings quite a few figure boxes have been getting more elaborate to pop out at people.

Interesting, because I've noticed how the box art is more prominent than the figure, which is hard to see because it's behind plastic that distorts a clear view, usually.

"INTEREST: Anime Figure Industry Boxes 1/8 Scale Figures In Life Size Boxes" is an article I don't want to see.

Quote:
Kinda sucks for us non-Japanese fans who get stuck with EMS because the thing can't fit into a SAL box, but thems the breaks in this hobby.

I don't use SAL (Slow As 'L). With the industry constantly pushing back release dates, shipping costs are going up. I try to combine orders into one shipment, but now it's getting irritating. Combined, the shipping cost could have been reasonable, but these oversized boxes now command higher prices because EMS is based on size and weight.

I think I'll ask Hobby Search to start shipping my stuff without the box. They can keep it and sell it to make up for the loss on the damaged boxes.
Very Happy
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
davecabrera
ANN Columnist


Joined: 28 Feb 2010
Posts: 132
PostPosted: Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:17 pm Reply with quote
From a domestic sales POV I understand the big boxes. The one for GL is really gorgeous and would absolutely look attractive in a store display. Could you pack it tighter? Sure. But a lot of these companies, especially the small ones like Sentinel, probably aren't thinking much about international sales. I mean, the weak dollar is the whole reason the price is so tough to begin with.

Bandai on the other hand, all their boxes have been super-small for the last couple years. Even that extravagant Saint Seiya box from a month back was extremely efficiently packed together.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group