In the past several years, collecting anime figures has grown from a relatively obscure hobby (at least outside Japan) to one that is so popular that it’s hard to imagine that any anime fan doesn’t know about it. I myself started collecting anime figures a few years ago, before the appearance of sites like figure.fm and Tsuki Board (now MyFigureCollection), and I have seen how many people have gone from making a single purchase to owning a collection rivaling that of some stores.

So what is it that drives people to collect little pieces of plastic that cost way more than they’re worth? Everyone has their own reasons, but there are some common ones that many collectors can relate to. High quality figures were almost non-existent over a decade ago, with most anime figures being of the same quality as action figures you would find in the toy aisle of a department store. Now many of the anime figures are sculpted with incredible detail; where there was once a big glob of plastic is now a delicate ribbon or a keyboard with actual keys sculpted in. The impressive amount of detail that goes into anime figures these days has impressed a lot of fans and started them on the path to figure collecting.

Another reason I’ve come across is that there was one anime character that they liked so much, that they thought it would be cool to own a representation of said character. In the past, it wasn’t likely for anyone to find a figure of their favourite characters unless it was from a very popular series. This all changed in the last 10 years with a huge influx of new figure manufacturers. All of these new manufacturers mean that you can find figures for just about any anime character you can think of, making available merchandise that fans would not have been able to obtain.

In my eyes, the biggest contributor to the prominence of anime figure collecting outside of Japan is good advertising and marketing. Some of you may have heard of Danny Choo, the man that built a small empire around advertising anime merchandise online. Without him, anime figures may not have gained the exposure they did online and collecting them might not have become such a popular hobby.

Whatever the reason for getting into anime figures in the first place, the people who collect them treat their hobby very seriously. Some collectors will keep their figures in fancy display cases to stop the dust from gathering; others will never open the box in order to keep its value; and still others will have entire rooms filled with figures. Check out the gallery to see some impressive collections. If you collect anime figures, what got you started with your hobby, and how much time and money have you spent on it?

All images copyright of their respective owners, found on MFC.

Last year the Sapporo Snow Festival sold an exclusive nendoroid Snow Miku figure which attracted both Miku and nendoroid fans. The figure itself was based off of the original Miku nendoroid, but with a few alterations to the colours and design in order to make it look more suited for a snow festival.

This year they’re at it again and will be selling another exclusive nendoroid. People who aren’t virtual diva fans may not be happy to hear that it’ll be a Miku nendoroid again, but I’m sure Miku lovers would be more than overjoyed to get their hands on one of these. This year’s Snow Miku is the “Play” version. Unlike the first Snow Miku sold last year, the Play version isn’t simply a repainted original. The Play version comes with a pair of snow-themed headphones, a pair of mittens, and a scarf. I know, that’s not much of a change from the previous version, but this one will also be a lot more flexible.

Good Smile Company, the manufacturers of nendoroids has been adding more joints to them recently, and that means there are exponentially more poses you can make with them. The Snow Miku Play nendoroid is one of these new releases that now have joints in their elbows and knees, allowing for a greater range of poses, and possibly enticing enough otaku to buy another Snow Miku. Seeing this makes me wonder what the Sapporo Snow Festival will come up with next year; a Snow Miku wearing a tuque and eating a snow cone perhaps?

Bakemonogatari fans will be happy to know that the 1/8 scale figure of Nadeko Sengoku by Good Smile Company (GSC) is now available for preorder at most figure stores. This is no doubt one of the most anticipated figures of the series if not the most. Nadeko is one of the more popular girls in Bakemonogatari so when GSC decided to make a figure of her, they knew it had to be outstanding. From the promo shots, it doesn’t look like they are going to disappoint.

For the design of the figure, GSC based it on the artwork found on the cover of volume 4 of the Bakemonogatari blu-ray. What’s impressive though is that they also managed to include some things from the background such as the pillars and autumn leaves with the figure. Nadeko can be displayed in two ways: either wading in the water, or standing on top of her base. While the original cover art shows her in the water, I know many figure collectors would be upset if Nadeko didn’t come with the rest of her legs. That’s why GSC gives the option of displaying her either in or out of the water.

Nadeko was sculpted by Hironori Tokunaga and comes at a price of 9800 Yen. She is scheduled to be released in January, but considering how well Nadeko’s arc did in blu-ray sales (Bakemonogatari vol. 4), I expect preorders for this figure to sell out long before then.

When it comes to collecting anime figures, I am by no means the biggest collector around, but I do have a sizable collection. Every now and then I will get someone asking me how and where I buy my figures, so I thought I’d write a short guide to buying anime figures based on my experiences. If you are relatively new to the world of anime figures, these tips should help you on the right track.

Buy From Reputable Shops

Many first-time figure buyers end up buying bootlegs simply because they can’t tell whether a store is legitimate or not. Sometimes buyers may not realize they’ve bought a bootleg until they see an authentic figure up close, and by then it’s too late to return it. Generally, stores that sell figures for less than MSRP are selling bootlegs unless they have a special promotion or the figure is on clearance. If you aren’t sure what the price should be, check the manufacturer’s website.

Stores to avoid are those based in China and Hong Kong. I shouldn’t have to mention this, but avoid Ebay like the plague. I have seen many figure collectors complain about bootlegs that they bought from Ebay sellers with ratings of 99-100%. In contrast, three highly recommended stores are: AmiAmi, HLJ, and Hobby Search. All three of them are based in Japan so they get new releases relatively quickly, and they have reasonable international shipping costs. Some American-based stores include:  Big Bad Toy Store, Kid Nemo, Robert’s Anime Corner Store, and Toylet. For European-based stores, check out Nihonju and Archonia.

Preorder Your Figure

If there’s a figure that you really want, there’s probably a good chance that a lot of people really want it too. This is why, if the figure hasn’t been released, it’s a good idea to preorder it. Unlike toys, which are continually manufactured to meet demand, figures are released in limited quantities and when they sell out, you’re going to have a tough time getting your hands on one. Some stores also offer discounts for placing an order early.

Shop Around

Not all stores will sell the same figure for the same price, so it pays to take a look at some other stores before hitting that checkout button. Don’t forget to take the cost of shipping into account as well. Stores that aren’t based in Japan may have higher prices since they need to import the figures, but they may also save you a bit on shipping depending on where you live. The Japan-based stores also cater to Japanese customers so they’re more likely to be sold out of popular items.

Check The Bargain/Clearance Stock

If there is a figure that you want, but it doesn’t seem to be selling well (ie: it’s still in stock in every store several months after its release), then you might want to hold off buying and check the bargain/clearance stock to see if it ends up there. Be careful not to wait too long though, because the figure may just be selling slowly and end up out of stock before you know it.

Used Figures

Some people may not want to buy used figures, but sometimes it’s the only way to get a figure that has long been sold out. If you’re not sure where to look for used figures, I would recommend the sales section of myfigurecollection.net or the classifieds section of figure.fm. Both sites have communities of figure collectors so when they sell a figure, it’s not likely to be a bootleg. Once again, I would not recommend going to Ebay to buy figures unless the seller has actual photos of the figure and not just promo shots. If you have photos of the actual figure, it’s easier to tell if you’re getting a bootleg or not by comparing it to photos from figure blogs and myfigurecollection’s extensive gallery of bootleg figures.

This information should help anyone looking to buy their first anime figure online get started. If other collectors have more to add, feel free to leave a comment.

Petits come with their own set of accessories and have movable joints like their counterparts. One major difference between petits and regular nendoroids are that petits can not change faces while the regular ones can. Usually having more parts for anime figures is a good thing, but if you’re one of those people that can’t decide on which ones to use, then a petit might be better than a regular nendoroid. Another advantage with petits is that they usually come as a set rather than individually. This is a big bonus to people who like to have complete sets of figures rather than just one or two. Sometimes these sets also have a special theme, like the recent Lucky Star nendoroid petits dressed as characters from Street Fighter, which are not released as regular nendoroids.

The main downside to petits is that due to their size, the overall quality of the figures is lower than regular nendoroids. Naturally, fewer details like pockets in jackets and buttons on shirts can be added to a figure that’s 2/3 the size it normally is. The paint quality also suffers a bit because sometimes it’s just not possible to place tiny dots or lettering in an area that only measures about 1mm². With these differences, it’s easy to see why some prefer one over the other, but they are both very cute types of figures.

Many companies have taken the opportunity to cash in on the recent Eva craze, one of them being Yamato, a figure production company. Earlier this year, they announced that they would be employing the skills of Shunya Yamashita and Mitsumasa Yoshizawa (a.k.a. Reflect) to produce a figure of Asuka Langley Soryu, one of the main heroines of Eva. For those of you not familiar with the anime art and figure scenes, Shunya Yamashita is a well-known artist that has worked on the Final Fantasy series, Valkyrie Profile 2, and produced a number of anime-styled artwork. Reflect is a figure sculptor who worked on the Capcom Girls Collection lineup of figures and has sculpted figures based on Shunya Yamashita’s art before.

I’m sure many Asuka fans were delighted to hear the news, and from the images posted on Reflect’s Blog recently, they won’t be disappointed. I’ve seen a lot of Asuka figures over the years and I can tell you that you won’t find many that are as impressive as this one. Yamashita has designed Asuka with his own take on the plugsuit, making it more revealing than the original one and adding high-heels, giving her a more mature and sexy look. As for as I can tell from the angles shown, Reflect has also managed to keep her proportions and small details true to Yamashita’s original illustration. Asuka’s face was also done to look more realistic, rather than keeping with the large anime eyes and pointy nose that most figures tend to stick to. If you are planning to get her, you might want to start saving up early. This figure will only be available from Yamato’s online shop and will retail for ¥12,000 (~$120), which is definitely on the high-end as far as figure prices go.

Those of you not familiar with anime figures might wonder what’s so special about this one. Although the popularity of the character does play a big role in selling anime figures, the quality of the figure is also taken into consideration. Unlike dolls or action figures, a lot of detail is put into anime figures. I think this is obvious when looking at how Fate’s hair has been sculpted to look like it’s blowing in the wind. Her body proportions also seem to match what is shown in the anime, which is (from what I’ve seen) harder to achieve with characters wearing tight clothing. From the sample images, Alter also seems to have done a good job with the paint. Some figures don?t have many layers of paint on them so the colours look uniform, making the figure look bland. On the other hand, figures that have been painted well will have different shades of a colour (you can see this clearly on the black stocking on Fate?s leg).

With so much attention to detail put into this figure of Fate, it’s no wonder that her starting retail price is a whopping 12,800 yen (~130USD), double the cost of the average figure, but I’m sure that won’t stop devoted anime collectors and Fate fans (speaking of which, are there any here?).

The figure is scheduled for release at the end of August 2009.