Yep, didn't go after all of them because of that...

At least I have Gaim locked down.

But that's still some very disappointing news.

I guess Hibiki has no chance on getting a retail release in the US as well. I guess the license holder may saying no to Rider figuarts now. I know our fan base is very small, but some people like buying stuff at retail then online.

I don't know about that. They still solicited Chalice and he's out after Gaim and Baron. It's only the series Gaim they specifically mentioned.

I sure hope it's not everything from here on out...

I wonder if it's something as simple as the fact Gaim is still airing. I don't see why that would affect anything, but knowing how complicated licensing deals can be, it might be a factor.

Didn't they release Wizard pretty soon after it's release?

Good question. I have no idea, honestly. I'm not usually too up to date on Bluefin releases. I was just tossing an idea out there.

:(

Hopefully they won't be ridiculously priced at Anime Expo...I was just planning to pick them up from Bluefin there.

Right now I'm just holding out hope that everyone will get enough stock in of Gaim and Baron that I can grab them. Honestly they're the only two Riders I absolutely have to have from Gaim.

Well, barring Duke for... obvious reasons.

I wonder if it's a problem with supply, I mean Bandai clearly lost all control on the AC line not being able to meet the demand and maybe they fear the same will happen again with the Figuarts, without also agreeing to supply a third party supplier with stock as well.

Bluefin said it looks like no even though they haven't received a yes or no, so there's a small chance that things may change. Really sucks though as I was planning to get Zangetsu and Gaim from Bluefin on Amazon as I missed the preorders, and it's more convenient. Looks like I'll have to get Zangetsu somewhere else.

Also, does anyone know where I would get Imperer after he's released? Will Nippon-Yassan or Anime Export get a small amount or do I have to stalk Mandarake? I'm not that worried about his aftermarket price since I think (read: hope) the only people who want him are completionists or people like me who really like the design. I just don't want him to end up like Gai and have to pay crazy aftermarket prices.

THey have been releasing everything that is retail for KR for as long as I know. They have done at least OOO and on.

That didn't stop them from doing Fourze or Wizard.

Sometimes some of the middleman sites will have extra stock of web exclusives after their release available for the same price previously offered. I picked up Sharivan, White Wizard and the Den-O two-pack from NY after each was initially released and didn't have to pay a markup for any of them.

I don't know how often that happens though. Mandarake or possibly Jungle may still be your best bets.

Again, as I said when Wizard was brought up after I first made the comment: I'm not usually too up to date on Bluefin releases. I was just tossing an idea out there.

Given the recent quakes, in sure it's more a matter of protocol than worry. Even minor quakes probably cause their government to go into defense mode, forcing companies to adhere to natural disaster laws, disrupting shipping. It's just a theory. But I have nothing invested in these overseas orders so.....

So what's all this Bluefin/Gain talk? Does this mean just Gain is getting canceled for local release, or all Figuarts? Cause I'm still waiting for MMPR Blue & Yellow. Although I'd be up for Gaim, and really waiting for Femme and the DekaSwats, all I really need is to complete my MMPR team. It's been a 20 year wait for figures like these, and I'm not going out without a fight.

Bluefin requires a license to sell each series. eg they need the Fourze license to sell Fourze figuarts and they need the Wizard one to sell Wizard figuarts. so if they can't get Gaim they can't sell Gaim figuarts but they are still free to sell figuarts from licenses they already have.

The only real reason they couldn't get Gaim's license is because someone else is trying to obtain the license in North America or that Toei and Bandai Japan are not letting them have it for whatever reason.

I still find it somewhat odd...why haven't they gotten back to Bluefin on Gaim, when there were no troubles in the past with Kamen Rider licenses?

Bears repeating again, but all of the current woes between Bluefin and the Kamen Rider Gaim Figuarts are specifically tied to licensing for new shows. Any Kamen Rider series from the past is unaffected, especially the various Showa series, but things like Hibiki and Blade are just fine and should not ever have a problem. Definitely not a case of not enough supply, and Bluefin isn't canceling support of Figuarts (what?).

As I explained before, it's all down to Toei being overly cautious with whatever ridiculous deal is currently in place regarding new television series. For new shows, Bluefin has to have permission from Toei to release their Figuarts here, ie. confirm that it doesn't contradict or interfere with any other licensing in North America. That means Toei wants confirmation from its licensing partners that there's no interest and Bluefin can proceed. If said company is too preoccupied or otherwise absent to answer such a request, Bluefin and Bandai are stuck.

If you've been paying close attention to announcements for the past couple years, you'd notice that the slowest Figuarts to be confirmed for release are the new main Riders, particularly Wizard. Wizard was the worst before now, plus extra-confusing thanks to the Strike Robe bonus, but that's another story. Once the main Rider is confirmed though, everything else from a new series that's a retail release is business as usual, once Bluefin and Bandai have the go-ahead.

There are two possible bright sides to the current issue! First, even if Gaim and Baron don't get a Bluefin release now, the licensing gets cleared up later and in time for a reissue. It doesn't fix the bonus stand/backdrop issue but it would alleviate some of the problem. Second, if Bandai's production run was still larger than a Japan-only mass release in anticipation of a Bluefin release, this might be a repeat of the brief, added supply of the SHF Iron Man and War Machine when Bandai Asia had to call off their releases. I know there was something about AmiAmi having purchased additional stock of the two which made them a little easier to order following the initial rush, before the pair disappeared for good.

As for why Toei's partner(s) (...such as, you know, Saban) have stalled this long, that would require internal knowledge none of us have, and not even Bluefin until they have a concrete answer for us. It's not a guarantee that Gaim is getting an adaptation or official subs or anything like that. It could simply be carelessness or an inability to contact just the right person to get a straight answer.

Bandai just uploaded this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QG4y_7-wayk

Hibiki looks great, I look forward to getting him.

If Saban were looking to adapt a Kamen Rider show, Gaim does make the most sense. There's a lot of usable rider footage without civilian characters hanging around in the background of most fights and it's been incredibly popular in Japan.

But I'm not sure it would have the same success with a US market. Even the Japanese were unsure about the whole fruit thing at first, it's mainly been successful because of how well written it is, not just because of the absurdity of the lockseeds. Bringing it over with the same level of tact they use to handle Power Rangers would probably be a disaster on par with their first attempt to adapt Kamen Rider.

I think it's more likely just a supply and demand thing. Gaim has been so popular that stores are even selling out of the AC figures, which usually shelf warm pretty hard. Figuarts are obviously going to be even more popular than those, so allocating a portion of the stock to the US with its niche fanbase, when Japanese stores are having trouble getting them, doesn't make much sense and they could just be waiting for initial pre-order numbers before confirming one way or another if there will be enough for overseas.

Bluefin has announced they'll be carrying roborider and leangle.

Saban adapting Gaim won't surprise me given how Gaim just got a crossover with ToQger. Bluefin said nothing about the Gokaiger/SMF figuarts yet. I guess we might see the Gokaigers release as a metallic paint set soon. Makes me wonder if we will get the Kyoryuger figuarts or not next year in the US. I hope there's enough fan support for them.

I doubt Bluefin will release the Gokaiger or Kyoryuger Figuarts, really. They've been showing off the Gokaiger (along with DekaRed) for a while with zero information and I'd say they'd be far more likely to plug Zyu/MMPR exclusives over the Gokaiger ones.

Agree. They'd have to make a new production in order to release them because that's how it happened with Shinkenger/Samurai. They can't really do current teams because of the whole web exclusives thing.

Leangle will be a must buy, but I'll pass on Roborider. I need to save up to import the Gaim stuff once I finish the Blade riders.

So i've got a question, just how big is a SHF compared to a normal 6 inch figure?

They're about 5 inches tall.

Thanks.

Whoop whoop! I finally scored a cheap Fourze Module Set 5, finishing those out. I'm doing my victory dance!

Leangle is a definite buy for me as well. He's my favorite design out of the four main riders. I plan on getting all of them, but he's definitely the one I want the most. Now if only we get a Glaive SHF :lol

Of course the ironic part is that I haven't made it past episode1 of Blade (I found it extremely dull and boring), yet I love the suits to death :lol

Thanks! Looks like I'll just have to save up and watch Jungle/NY. :)

Cool

Actually, they're closer to 6"

An interesting update on my situation:

Nippon-Yasan now has Kyoryu Gold currently in stock for shipping again.

They neglected to respond to my last message regarding the ticket I had already opened with them. I opened another ticket asking about the in stock Kyoryu Golds, hoping they might get to that ticket.

If I don't have any response or my order isn't shipped out by Friday, I'll likely just suck it up, cancel my order, and lick my wounds.

Try sending them a message via Facebook. sounds odd but I had two open tickets and an e-mail with them about my kyoryu green/blue that went ignored but not only did they respond to the fb message they shipped my order. Of course it could be a coincidence or just the smart assed nature of my message.

Actually, FB messaging is the better way of getting through to those ignorant fools, and yes I would call them ignorant at this point cause of two cases, I'm SO glad that I can find better alternatives for exclusives now.

Past my current orders I already have placed that are out of Bandai's preorder range, I'm going back to Yokatta. Saving a few bucks per item isn't worth the hassle and stress that all of this has caused me.

I just sent a message through Facebook regarding everything I've already said in both my tickets, so hopefully I'll finally get a straight answer. Thanks for the advice.

Huh... You're right. I was going off of memory, having none on hand. I just took a look at a group shot I took a bit ago of my Blade next to a Star Wars 6" Maul and Maul's only slightly taller.

They'll probably do metalic versions for San Diego again.

Well...more like 5 1/2. But yeah.

On Jungle, what does B-Grade actually mean? I know what is says, but what can I expect? I know Mandrake has ridiculous standards, but if it's been removed from the packaging and displayed does that mean parts of the item could be missing, or damaged or whatever? Because Jungle in their terms of conditions basically absolve them of all responsibility the moment you've paid for the item so it'd SUCK if I bought a broken toy with half of the accessories missing.