Figma News Fridays 1/10/14

The first Figma News Fridays of 2014! There was no FNF last week…because there was no news! We rarely have a week without news, but as a heads up, next time this happens, I’ll make a post saying so on the Facebook page.
This week had a fair share of news to make up for it which includes a preorder and some pesky exclusive items. So let’s get started!

Monday

Amy Release Date Announced

Amy will be released on January 17th!

And accompanying her release announcement is some sample photos form Max Factory.

This box isn’t bad…

If the colors appear dulled, keep in mind that sample photos aren’t always of the best quality.

Oooohhhh She looks great! But my mind has been made up, and I must resist!
Unless I *ahem* happen to watch the show.

Armin Arlelt Previewed and Confirmed Exclusive
Armin was announced and shown sculpted a while back, but this is our first time seeing him painted.

So far every Shingeki figma has come with the same accessories, so it’s no surprise that Armin’s are the same as well. Cloak, gear, gas effects…good, but not great.
With no diversity in accessories, SNK figmas have to shine with their faces, and Max Factory did a pretty good job with Armin.

We have freakin’ angry

and freakin’ terrified.

Good choices for Armin, and I like that even his fighting face shows signs of uncertainty since Armin is not the bravest soldier on the battlefield. These faces also provide great fodder for photo abuse.
The only reasonable complaint I have is that the sculpt on his hair could be better. In fact, there is a lady on my local news who has hair just like that. Not good, Armin

Now to address the titan in the room: yes, Armin is exclusive. I was almost certain that he would not be since exclusives are usually revealed closer to the event, but that was not the case this time. And although this will make Armin a little harder to get, I can understand the decision from a business standpoint since in spite of being a main character, Armin is far from being the most popular.
Like all Wonderfestival exclusives, Armin will first be sold at the event in Japan, and then on a made to order basis at GSC’s domestic and international online shop. So as long as your country is on GSC’s shipping list(and most are), Armin can be yours. I’ll post more information regarding ordering from GSC when preorders open which will be in February after the event. And if you miss preorders, there’s always secondhand shops!

He’s priced at 4286 yen.

Wednesday

Shimakaze Preorders Begin

From the popular browser game ‘Kantai Collection ~KanColle~’ comes a figma of the destroyer class ship, Shimakaze!
•Using the smooth yet posable joints of figma, you can act out a variety of different scenes.
•A flexible plastic is used for important areas, allowing proportions to be kept without compromising posability.
•Three expressions are included: a standard expression, an embarrassed ‘damaged’ expression and a confident expression.
•Three different sized versions of Rensouhou-chan cannons are included, the largest of which is articulated!
•The five-tube torpedo launcher on her back can be attached and removed.
•An articulated figma stand is included, which allows various poses to be taken
She costs 5800 yen and will be released in May.

Aaaaaand she’s gone! That’s right, Shimakaze went the way of the Scouting Legion and sold out faster than a female titan(what’s with me and titans today?)! This was not unexpected since the same happened with the nendoroid and Kan Colle is huge in Japan, but she was sold out fast!

And to make it even better, it turns out that due to licensing issues, Shimakaze cannot be offered on GSC’s international shop which is sad since orders from the shop include a really cute bonus for one of Shimakaze’s boat buddies.

It’s an extra face for Rensouhou chan.

Darn. This is the best GSC shop bonus so far in my opinion. I hope they don’t keep including awesome things because ordering from GSC’s shop is expensive.
Anyway, because of the previously mentioned license issues, this little exclusive accessory will have to be Japan only.

This brings up something which I’ve been contemplating since the SNK figmas started selling out. Would you all like me to post an alert when popular figmas go up for preorder? There’s no way to tell for sure if something will sell out quickly, but for figmas like those from Shingeki no Kyojin and Kan Colle where we’re pretty sure, I’d be happy to post something on the blog’s Facebook before or when the preorders start.
And one other thing. 5800 yen?! Sure, store discounts bring the price down to the 4000’s, but figmas used to be 2500 yen! Are they made with gold now? And why won’t that stop me from buying them? I need an intervention!

That’s all for this week! Will you have Amy on the way soon? What do you think about Armin, and did you manage to sneak in a preorder for Shimakaze? I’ll be back next week with more figma news!