Thursday, March 22, 2007

Mana Kazama 3D Mousepad

In the Yakin Byoutou 2 animation, nurse-in-training Mana Kazama is an innocent young woman who just wants to help her fellow man. Mana signs up for an internship at a hospital and is charged with taking care of a deranged patient named Wataru Mizukawa.
In his previous life, Wataru was a doctor who suffered unrequited love towards Ren Nanase of the original Yakin Byoutou. After Wataru discovered Ren's corruption at the hands of the sadistic Ryuji Hirasaka, he went mad and was admitted to the hospital. When he meets Mana, he notices her strong resemblance to Ren and plans his twisted machinations...
Similar to the Rio 3D mousepad that was released a few months ago, the "3D" portion refers to the "bosom" that protrudes from the mousepad. The pillow-like appendages are supposed to help to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome. The mousepad measures 240 x 290 x 45 mm and the bosom contains soft filling for a plushy feel. «photos»

Dots Start Set

Tomytech eases off the Dots (.S) licensing parade and goes back to the basics with a simple collection of pegs and pegboards. Although the Dots Start Set is unattached to any one franchise or theme, the massive amount of pegs included is enough to create a diverse assortment of objects, characters, caricatures, and stylized pixel art. Each kit includes eight peg boards, eight connecting joints, and a whopping 2,240 pegs spread out in a spectrum of 17 colors.

Funchi Frog Legs

Last week, the first batch of Funchi were hopping upwards and plummeting down like bombs. This week, the Funchi leap around like frogs. When they don't leap, they just kick their legs out in energetic fashion. That's right, these funchi have legs. Made of a thin rubber membrane, the legs are connected to an air sac which in turn is connected to green airline tubing with pump. To make the funchi move, depress the hand pump and the legs will pop out in lively fashion. While we were able to get some of the funchi to hop forward this morning, the red one leapt backwards. After the initial leapt, the funchi tend to scrabble around... «photos and video»

Gun X Sword: Full Action Max Dann Figure

When Van of the animation Gun X Sword needs to crater armored foes, he calls upon the mighty robot dubbed "Dann of Thursday." By performing a few stuttered gesticulations, Van summons Dann who zooms into the battlefield from somewhere high above. Van then enters Dann's chest cavity, positions himself for piloting duties, and maneuvers the acrobatic robot like a champ. When fighting, Dann dashes to and fro like a whirling dervish with lanky legs and carries a thick-bladed sword which may be twirled around like a baton.

Max Factory's Full Action Max Dann of Thursday figure features an articulated and posable Dann which measures an impressive 31cm or 12.20" tall. Along with the main robot figure, a sword attachment is included which may be gripped in Dann's clenched hands. Since Dann is articulated, the mech may be positioned into different action stances. Additional items inside the packaging include an extra pair of hands and a base for display purposes. The sculpture is by Tuyoshi Hamazaki. Pricing is set at JPY13000 or US$125 from NCS. All preorders will ship today and new orders are welcome to ship this afternoon.

Mon-sieur Bome Collection Vol. 16 Repaint

Kaiyodo releases another Oni Musume figure repaint under the Monsieur Bome label. Fans of the Bome sculpts may recall that Oni Musume kicked off the series with Vol. 1 where the she-devil wore tiger print skivvies and sported a healthy head of red hair. The repaint of Bome Vol. 1 featured Oni Musume with blue hair...

The original version of Monsieur Bome Vol. 16 featured Oni Musume with red hair and yellow tiger print wisps of clothing. The Vol. 16 repaint gives her a light purple do and white tiger print threads. In the sculpt, Oni is on all fours and drops an arm lazily around her weapon of choice. A pair of ivory-ish horns protrude from the top of her head and seemingly match the waves of her hair. When viewed from a head-on stance, Oni Musume reveals a generous amount of cleavage. The kind that's pushed together like a package of Drake's coffee cake.

All preorders will ship today and new orders are welcome to also ship this afternoon. Pricing is set at US$39 each. «photos»

Perfect Piece 1/20 Scale Tachikoma

Tachikoma generally garners love whenever a new toy is released. Megahouse tests the level of affection in the marketplace with a new 1/20 scale Tachikoma which measures roughly 13cm tall and is crafted from ABS plastic. Metallic paint is used for the body to give the Tachikoma a shimmering sheen that is bound to catch the eye of collectors and woodland animals alike.
Features on the Tachikoma include rolling wheels under the legs, properly formed gun turrets, a pod which opens up to unveil the winsome Motoko Kusanagi inside, and pincers that are molded to look like the pincers we know and love from GITS. Accessories included inside the package include a wrench for Motoko to use, a gunmetal-colored gunpod, and an open book replica so the Major has something to read. «photos»

Real Action Heroes: Ghost Rider

American actor Nicolas Cage portrayed Johnny Blaze when the Ghost Rider movie bowed on February 16, 2007. To tie into the cinematic debut, Medicom releases a Real Action Heroes figure which features the flaming Ghost Rider who is, as the comic book declares, the Spirit of Vengeance.
Ghost Rider wears leather duds with chains hanging haphazardly over him and sports spikes which are mounted on his shoulders, wrists, and boots. Equal in height to most other Real Action Heroes figures, GR measures 30cm or 11.81" tall and the leather jacket is authentic. The inner flap of the box reads as follows: "The figure costume follows the actual leather suit in the movie, even to the texture of it's material." Two extra hands and a mounting base are included for display purposes. «photos»