I want to get into the really cool toys and stop being a hasbro/mattel bitch.
My interest is mostly 1/18 GI Joe, looking for all the cool figures on that scale, for example the revol minis of Solid snake and Cyborg Ninja I want them so fucking bad but they are like $60 a pop.
Problem is I don't know shit about what sites to browse for releases and where and how to buy the really cool figures when they come out etc how to setup your alerts so you can pre-order or order on time before they disappear into the scalper market, what are the best companies, what are the best reviewers, best practices so you don't miss on your favorite figures and all that.
Can you help a bro out?
>>5530640
For imports: AmiAmo, Hobby-link Japan, CD-Japan, Nippon-Yasan (only use this for japan exclusives, they charge out the ass for shipping), MyKombini, Anime-Export, and Mandarake are all legit stores.
>>5530695
*AmiAmi
>>5530695
do this sites have like alerts to warn you when a product is for pre order? how do you keep track of all of them if the answer is no?
>>5530640
>but they are like $60 a pop
Oh my sweet son... It's only the beginning. Collector toys are an expensive habit. Usually they're worth the cost, though. The difference in quality with paint, general detail, articulation, accessories, packaging, when you've got one in hand, it's like, whoa, you'll never wanna go back.
>>5530702
Use figinstock.com, AmiAmi is the only one I know of that has a built in tracker
>>5530713
Thanks buddy, this is a supreme tip.
>>5530695
also, do these stores accept paypal?
>>5530640
For revoltech, figma, etc etc they are gonna cost $50+ each, no matter what. Expect to pay out the ass for high end japanese goods.
I got the mini Snake, Ninja, and Medicboss. All are fucking outstanding.
>>5530723
Yes.
>>5530722
NP. I wish someone had told me all this shit when I first started.
>>5530640
Protip: You're going to have to pay those prices for quality figures. There's no way around it.
>>5530703
I couldn't agree more anon OP has no idea what he's in for
>>5530640
You should boy it at that price, before you know it they will be at $100 each.
>>5530640
Gunpla is usually 8 to 12 for a High Grade and 30 to 40 for a Master Grade, and there's no paint or glue required. Painting will make it look better though for sure.
>>5531901
I started buying stuff a year ago and now it's a 150 dollars a month every other month.
And I'm only figurarts and smaller stuff.
Plastic crack
>Revol Mini Snake costing that much
What? I got mine for like, 30 a year ago. They've doubled in price?
>>5530748
All the revolmini Snakes share the same problems of the completely fucked facial sculpts. Revolmini Gray Fox seems pretty cool though, fun to go with Revoltech Raiden
>>5531949
>Gunpla is usually 8 to 12 for a High Grade
No way man. HG are more like 15-25. Several up to 30+. Only the IBO stuff is 8 to 12, and that's only if you can find free shipping usually.
>>5532063
I mostly buy HGUC from HLJ and they aren't that expensive. Only Psycho and Messala are 30 plus and those are huge.
And it's still the best bang for buck
Here's a babbies first rundown of your standard Japlastic toylines from a fellow beginner collector.
Keep in mind, this is only my basic observations so just use these a quick indicator, not a deciding factor.
As for websites to buy from, AmiAmi is your best bet, with Mandarake a good second. Avoid Amazon if at all possible as it's scalper central, eBay can be alright if you know the bidding game.
As for actual toylines, in no particular order:
>Revoltech
Quality construction figures with a focus on high levels of articulation, wide range of franchises from east and west with common rereleases. Expect to pay anywhere from $30-$50 on a recent figure.
>SuperHeroic Figuarts/Monsterarts
Another good quality line with a focus on articulation and accessories, these are more limited to your traditional Action characters as the name implies. Has a more consistent "coverage" of a series (DBZ has, like, 30 figures), but rereleases are less common so these appreciate quickly. $30-$50 range.
>Figma
Your go to for accurate depictions of your waifu, and japanese cartoony characters in general. Less well articulated, but with good build quality and accessories. Intended more for display than for articulation. Prices on these really run the gamut depending on release and popularity.
>Nendoroid
The sexier younger sister to those crappy Pop vinyls, Nendos are tiny (a LEGO keychain is a good comparison) with limited articulation, but each one comes with multiple accessories. Like Figmas, these appreciate by a ton, but only run around $40 if you get them while they're hot.
>NECA
If you're a fan of classic American media with classic American action figure designs, these will work for you. Very high focus on accuracy, sacrifices some build quality and articulation but makes up for it with accessories and tons of rereleases/retools. NECA is a good stand in when other, more expensive figures are out of your reach. Price range varies pretty widely.
>Play Arts Kai
kek
>>5532073
Cont'd
>D-Arts
Bandai's own unique game of torturing you. D-Arts combines Revoltech's articulation with Figma's lack of rereleases and rapid appreciation. Thankfully, they're being overtaken by more humane toylines. Depending on the popularity and age, a D-Arts can be anywhere from $30 to over $100
>Kotobukiya
Kotobukiya stuff ranges pretty wildly from figures to model kits to "do it your own damn self" Garage Kits. If you can't find it anywhere else, try Kotobukiya. Due to this, their prices vary pretty widely [and some appreciate like crazy] but I haven't seen a Kotobukiya over $40-$50 dollars.
>Robot Damashii
If you love mecha but are afraid of working with model kits, RD has you covered. These are some really great, autism-accurate figures and surprisingly easy on the wallet if you stay on top of new releases. Right now the newest RDs are running about $30-$40
>Chogokin
Something of a little brother to RDs, the only thing I really know of Chogokins are that they're smaller than your average scale figure and fairly inexpensive. In my understanding, these are a good alternative to harder-to-find or lower quality Revoltechs or Robot Damashiis
Well, that about covers everything I know of. Feel free to correct anything I've gotten blatantly wrong, or add more info. Good luck OP, #legalizeplasticcrack
>>5532091
nendos are 10cm tall. figma/shf are 15cm so 6inch. shf is souchaku henshin figuarts.
lemme try my take:
>Revoltech
built for action poses. (hunchbacks, forget neutral poses) horrid sculpts. often cartoony proportions. fuckhuge clicking joints that won't allow any soft tuning.
they're not utter shit just overall toyetic and very cheap looking.
>souchaku henshin Figuarts
a good balance between looks and poseability. toku shfs are excellent usually. other releases (anime and such) tend to be worse than figma, recent releases are on par.
>Figma
saber and miku: the toyline featuring an assload of highschool girls. solid build, okay/eh poseability.
they have some non anime releases but it's better to avoid those. looks vary a lot between excellent and halfassed.
kinda the opposite of shf.
>Nendoroid
uguu moe deformed crap that gets way more love from goodsmile than figma. not very poseable, as off model as you can get.
>NECA
great sculpting, horseshit articulation, horrid qc problems with every release. absolutely skip on early predator figures.
>Play Arts Kai
do not buy anything from this line unless you have brain problems or at least the character wears a mask or helmet.
>super action statue
great sculpt, articulation anywhere between excellent and okay. paintjobs tend to be shit. derpy eyes and skintone errors are very common, so are other qc problems.
>armor girls project
as expensive as play arts, as bad as the worst shf figures. if you can find one under 50, that's a good deal.
>>5530640
If you like joes you might want to check out acid rain. Same scale and military figures but much higher quality
>>5532203
No offense, but you sound like you have a stick so far up your ass you can taste it
Are there any toylines you'd actually recommend?
>>5532210
What's a good place to get these guys?
Been wanting them forever and always put off. Now i fear the good ones are impossible to find.
>>5532221
I wasn't trying to upset you. it's just better to know the disadvantages than listening to fanboyism and praise.
I'd recommend:
>Revoltech
Raiden. best revo I have. can do normal poses, insane amount of articulation. just a few clicking joints. there are 2 versions, the white one is worse looking.
the new skeleton from the takeya line, everything I wanted from a skeleton, allows a ton of customization too.
>SHF
I'd recommend this line in general, especially the rider renewals: kabuto, decade, hibiki, black.
the first order stormtroopers have the best torso crunch I've ever seen.
>Figma
also a line I'd recommend. they're decent, just a matter of taste. berserk armor gutts is the best I own but it's really expensive.
most of the time the figma releases I'd want turn out very bad. it doesn't help that they cut down on accessory count so they can sell a deluxe version in their webshop.
>Nendoroid
not a fan of deformed stuff. hoppou and ryuujou are the ones I've seen, both comes with a lot of stuff, I'd recommend these two
both are fairly new, easy to find.
>NECA
never had any luck with neca and gave up a long time ago on them. recently bought their dante which came out after 5 years, it was a mistake.
>Play Arts Kai
a horrible line. crap articulation, unreasonable price, low accessory count. okay sculpts but the paintjob always ruins it. they're really ugly. don't buy them.
>super action statue
most of their stuff is jojo, I wouldn't recommend them in general simply because of how bad the quality control can be.
when you find one without issues it's the best thing however. part2 joseph joestar, jonathan joestar, star platinum, killer queen are probably the best of the line
>armor girls project
overpriced. they look like the worst figuarts. get musashi if you want to try it. she was 150 bucks originally, goes for 50 now. she isn't bad honestly but far from great.
submit to your desires
>>5530703
>The difference in quality with paint, general detail, articulation, accessories, packaging, when you've got one in hand, it's like, whoa, you'll never wanna go back.
This is a complete lie and you only believe it because you need to justify the price you paid.
Most toys aren't worth the price you're paying EXCEPT for the fact you like the character and/or the features the toy has.
The last time i was blown away with an action figure was back in 2005 with the Microman line and how crazy poseable they are. And that was with $5 figures.
For vehicles and the like, 21st Century Toys die-cast 1:18 vehicles blew me away with all the little working details that i never saw before in playsets or other vehicles. Acid Rain's stuff comes pretty close to 21st Century's attention to detail, but are they worth $100+ feature per feature? NOPE.
That said, I will pay out the ass for toys that interest me, but I'm not going to lie to myself that they're worth 200%-10000% more than cheaper toys. At best, they're 50% better.
Did i mention i really like this mech? Highly recommended, if you can afford it. I'm buying my third and can't wait for the variants
I guess you could check out the 1/18 general >>5489247 but there isn't really anything new besides Kickstarter projects
>>5530723
Yes, but NOT paypal credit...that is if they all use foreign currency. then again i consider that a good thing
>>5532091
>Chogokin
>Something of a little brother to RDs, the only thing I really know of Chogokins are that they're smaller than your average scale figure and fairly inexpensive. In my understanding, these are a good alternative to harder-to-find or lower quality Revoltechs or Robot Damashiis
This is a troll post, right?
OP, if you like karate bugmen look Shodo Kamen Riders. They are in scale with GI Joes
>>5532421
I thought it was too at first, but note that his post says
>from a fellow beginner collector.
So...maybe not? But yo, to the guy who wrote those posts: I appreciate you trying to help someone out, but in this case you're doing more harm than good. There is so much hilariously wrong with your descriptions. Stick around and learn a little before your run your mouth, and let someone more knowledgeable do this job for a while.
>Nendos are tiny (a LEGO keychain is a good comparison)
>SuperHeroic Figuarts
>NECA...makes up for it with accessories
>Chogokin...little brother to RDs...small and fairly inexpensive
Kid you have so, so, much learning to do.
>>5533733
to be fair, the SuperHeroic Figuarts thing was pretty clearly a joke
Other than that, yeah, that anon needs to lurk more
>>5534111
....was it tho? I mean, it doesn't seem very funny or jokelike to me, it seems feasible that a newbie might think that's what it stood for (especially since he says the line is full of "Action characters as the name implies"), and it's part of a post that's rife with ignorance and misinformation, soooo...
>>5532091
>Something of a little brother to RDs, the only thing I really know of Chogokins are that they're smaller than your average scale figure and fairly inexpensive. In my understanding, these are a good alternative to harder-to-find or lower quality Revoltechs or Robot Damashiis
Am I being memed on? Chogokins typically run for stupid prices unless they're SRCs and tend to be ginormous.
>>5534142
FYI if anyone is still confused but is afraid to ask. The S.H. in figuarts stands for "Simple style & heroic action". It also comes from an old precursor line called "Souchaku Henshin", which I believe was a Kamen Rider line.
>>5534163
Also, they were WAAYYY before RD was a thing
>>5534174
Keep in mind though that despite being what inspired the name, "Souchaku Henshin" is not the actual name of the line in any way. A rough translation of Souchaku Henshin is "transformation armor" which makes sense for the original Kamen Rider line, but not for S.H.Figuarts as we know them today. It's simply an inspiration/predecessor to the current S.H.Figuarts name
OP, your enjoyment in collecting such things will greatly depend on your propensity to spend money, the amount you have to spend and you being able to hold yourself back and wait for sales / ability not to commit suicide when that 15 dollar figure gets scalped and sold for 500+ on the second hand market and the original makers have no plans on re-releasing.
At least you're into the much easier to adapt to market of figures.
Dont get into collecting cho/gokin figures if you want to keep your sanity.
>>5534416
gone
