Thanks for that. I knew they were moving to a new warehouse, but that was the last I'd seen anything. Looks like I'll just move over to Toku Taku for my new preorders. I'm sick of the awful communication they've had in recent months.

I don't remember Figuarts preorders being this difficult to get. It appears AmiAmi and HLJ stopped taking preorders for the Drive and Machine Chaser Figuarts in under a day. I haven't been buying these for all that long; is this normal?

Not even a day; try seconds or minutes. It's always been that way for the Riders since I got in a few years ago.

Ami Ami and NY are Japanese sites, so you have fans pre-ordering things faster then we could do since they are in a different time zone as us. I doubt the Drive SHF will be super high on the after market like what happen with Gaim. Drive is not as popular as Gaim, so I doubt scalpers and importing fees on sites like Big Bad Toy Store will sell them for super high prices.

BBTS - usually my go-to for Figuarts - didn't solicit Drive or Chaser. (Their prices are also variable; their preorder price for the Gaim Pine/Baron Mango set is outrageous, but Gaim Kiwami Arms seemed reasonable to me.)

*looks at the Luke Skywalker figuart that is coming soon*

So what's the release date for Blue Beet again? I was wondering when NY will start shipping him out?

The payment due date isn't until the 20th from N-Y. I'd expect the 24th is a likely release date.

Bandai's site has Blue Beet's release date as the 23rd
http://p-bandai.jp/tamashiiwebshoute...em-1000090775/

That's due, in part, to Gaim Kiwami being a retail release while the two-pack is a web exclusive. Their prices on non-Bluefin web exclusives that they actually have to import has always been really pricey.

With Drive & Chaser, presumably they're not sure they can actually get any? With Bluefin unable to acquire the license for Gaim (and unable/unwilling to get the Drive license, since they're dropping toku-related Figuarts anyways), they're left importing them directly like web exclusives and they haven't always had the best of luck for non-Bluefin stuff they have to acquire themselves. For a long time any of their Showa Ultra-Act listings were taken with a grain of salt since they wouldn't always be able to fulfill them (until legal roadblocks were cleared and Bluefin could get them).

Given that Kiwami Arms was reported with a lot of QC issues, I think the prices drop seeing that the demand for him is not very high.

Hey, I'm not into Gaim, but even I don't like Kawami that much. And what kinda name is "Kawami"? Kachidoki, now that's where the action is! :p

Hey! >:|

Kachidoki is the better figure though. And so far my favorite Gaim Figuart next to Melon Energy. Lemon I can't judge because mine's still not here.

But I was disapointed with the Kiwami release too. It's not the QC issues since mine's okay, but things like the visor and the thick plastic on the chest that clouds the design underneath. And the cape is meh.

I would understand anyone who passes on this and gets Kachidoki for a super Gaim instead.

Ah, thanks for explaining that. I'm still in the midst of my (very slow) learning process. I definitely have'n't managed to calculate the cost-effectiveness of acquiring these from other sources.

BBTS actually did finally put up the preorder for Machine Chaser and the Ride Chaser today (they spelled both "Mashin.") They never - as far as I know - put up a preorder for Gaim Kiwami Arms, but he appeared in their store one day (a couple of days after I'd broken down and bought a more expensive one off Amazon.)

I don't think the implications of the "Bluefin is done with toku" thing really sunk in for me until now. *shiver*

Isn't Mashin the correct spelling?

It's written on my Break Gunner-box that way, so I would say yes.

As far as I'm aware, yes. It's a Japanese pun, I believe.

Ok, I was just wondering why the consternation with that spelling.

Horray for Blue Beet almost being out.

Yes! He looks amazing.

Yeah like Akiba said its a pun. The kanji for Mashin means "demon" or something, which goes with the whole reaper thing he has going on.

Yeah I'm still not pleased with this even though we've known it for quite a while now. Every time I'm reminded of it my blood boils.

I would say it's being done for no good reason. But maybe their is one. Bluefin's adamant stance against saying anything regarding it is just as infuriating though.

No consternation intended, I was just trying to be clear in case anyone tried to run a search. Also, thanks to those who clarified the pun; I hadn't been aware of it!

Just knew you'd chime in. :p

If Kamen Rider Sango gets a SHF then I wonder if Tamashii will reuse Shin Ichgio's mold like they have many times before or make a brand new one. Kamen Rider Sango is not a whole lot different from Ichigo and Nigo. I can't imagine he won't be that hard to make.

Why would they reuse a mold that's entirely inaccurate to how Sango looks? The raised up armor bits, the more devilish SIC-like asthetics, the broken chains on his wrists. It would require a new figure.

Seeing that they have a similar design I would imagine that they would reuse the same mold until you brought that up. I totally forgot about the broken chains for a moment.

I would definitely buy a Sangou SHF if they make one, the design looks really cool.

Now excuse me, I'm going back to the anticipation-camp for the Gaim 2-Pack and Blue Beet.

Anyone aware of another SHF checklist out there? The old link is gone.

I honestly have no idea what to do with Banana Arms now. If Mango Baron is just as good as it is while looking like THAT, it's easily going to become my default Baron.

Pine on the other hand will likely never leave its cardboard prison.

Not gone... Majhost is just being annoying and has been "down for maintenance" for... Two weeks? They do that sometimes...

But I do have a fully updated one. I can update my Flickr mirror tonight when I get home.

Well they all go in the cabinet so there's no "default" Baron for me, but Mango will go in front 'cause it's awesome. And I can't really put it on the stage anyways, since that's where the 4 main-designs and Kachidoki reside.

Pine grew a lot on me, a good part of it came from the upcoming Figuart. I dig the armor much more now, and the weapon with the little chain is even better than the one they used in the show. Give him a chance Tali, you won't pack him back once you got him out.

With Kuuga renewal coming and the Gaim V-Cinema coming out then I wonder if SHF Kuuga's final form (not the one from Decade), Baron and Zangetsu will get reissue soon? It would be a good time to reissue them in my opinion.

The figure has the added bonus of not moving. So Pines armor cant flap around all the time and look like a piece of crap :lol

I solve this conundrum by not displaying them all at once. I switch them out from time to time to amuse my Toku Buddy. I had fun putting together the tableau of the end of the final Gaim/Baron battle using Bandai's clever Baron design/accessories. I'm looking forward to having my Gaim Riders holding up closed lock seeds one week so they can be in their new forms the next time my friend is over. (Or maybe I'll get fiddly and have them go through "lock on" stages in the middle. Darn it, I wish that either Kiwami's energy lock seeds were removable or that Jimba Arms came with closed versions.)

what would your ideal revive version of Agito ground form entail.

I mean, ASIDE FROM THE OBVIOUS.

Here we go, one updated checklist mirrored:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7522/...d75636fc_o.pngChecklist Blank by Ektris, on Flickr

Once Majhost gets sorted out, it'll still be the more regularly updated source though.

Poseability as a whole would be something that would need to be re-worked. I like the old Agito/Kuuga hip system but it could use some improvement. Getting the proportions to look like the actor would also be cool. Really the big thing would be to make the shoulder pads not so gappy.

I would love if they pulled off the gimmick of having the extended versions of the horns fold in and out like the SIC, but I doubt they'll do that, Still it would be really cool to see that and it would make it seem more premium and definitive to me.

If they can't do the crest thing, I think it would be neat if they could add a swapable crest.

And JUST the crest... As much as I love having Optimus Prime ripping off Agito's face. :P

I have very limited shelf space in my tiny room, so I have to be... selective about who I display. Frankly I'm already close to drowning in SHF boxes as it is.

I'm not saying that Pine is bad or that I hate it, it just doesn't do anything for me. Granted the Pine Iron in this case is miles better than the flimsy weightless thing they used in the show, but still.

ow if I had a Jinba Gaim of some sort I'd really have a use for the Iron.

Abrams!