They actually let me cancel and refunded me, so... that was easy?

Oh wow, didn't sound like their policy let you do that. How'd you make it happen ?

Methinks SOME of these dealers come to this site to check....

Blanket policies are just there to protect business from bad practices. At the end of the day, a place like Tokullectibles is run by individuals who are perfectly capable of making reasonable exceptions.

Not to mention Tokullectibles isn't like...a faceless company like some other retailers are. From personal experience and what I've heard they're very open to helping out their customers. I went to ask about when SS Ixa was shipping back at the start of the year but noticed I lost my order confirmation email. They were nice enough to let me know the situation, re-send me the email and set up an account for their site so I can keep track of my orders.

Basically don't let the listed policies stop you from reaching out and asking directly about something first.

And, as someone who runs a store that has official policies, let me also suggest that you go in with the acknowledgement that you're asking for help, that you need a favor. I'm much more willing to bend a rule for someone who knows I'm taking a hit (eating a preorder, doing extra work) than I am for someone who starts throwing around threats and statements about Being A Good Customer or whatever.

On top of what everyone else just said, I just laid out my concerns given the widespread problems with Black and the fact that the showroom piece they have of Tiga is showing signs of developing the same issues. Basically I just phrased it as a request rather than a demand.

Pretty much that. Also I was aware of my bargaining position so even if I had opted to go the Entitled Asshole route- which I don't, because I deal with this stuff for a living and wouldn't visit that upon my worst enemies- I didn't have the clout to do so considering I've only been using their service since this February.

Basically just following two of my three golden rules: Be polite, and be professional.

Factory sample of Grand Zi-O from the latest blog entry

http://tamashiinations.blog.jp/archives/9731064.html

https://livedoor.blogimg.jp/t_n_blog...f/8f840d25.jpg

https://livedoor.blogimg.jp/t_n_blog...7/a76c0810.jpg

https://livedoor.blogimg.jp/t_n_blog...4/64445152.jpg

The statues do look so good

Yowza that is gorgeous. I really don't even like Zi-O that much, but that suit is just so beautiful.

The unpainted belt sticks out like a sore thumb, but outside of that? Man, the sculpt looks great!

The things I didn't notice. He has lavender finger pads and there's a third clock arm on his head. Neat sculpt all around, sad about the ridewatch, though. Guess the pricepoint is all that sculpt, huh? Woulda been neat to see his weapons, though.

Looks great! Not interested, but looks great regardless.

I don't think he comes with any weapons, SHF Upgrade is offering the Girade
https://tokullectibles.com/products/...i-o-girade-set

I wish the SHF Upgrade sword came with the stickers too, but I'm ready to print them on my own.

How exactly do you print stickers anyway? Do you need like a special sheet and printer or something?

Sticker papers. Tho, of course you have to cut them out yourself.

The sculpt is great.
But now I need to know something.
Why the heck isn't Tamashii Nations at least giving us stickers?
They did just that for the model kit....

Because... Bandai Hobby is a different branch from Tamashii Nations Bandai? I mean, I know they used to, like Type Formula, but idk man. Guess they only do it for newer sculpts like Dragonic and X-Swordman and not for previously revealed ones.

Well...one could think that at least the different Bandai branch would communicate a bit more x)

Yeah I think Bandai got a lot of heat for the stickers in Type Formula, so they probably shy away from it now. It's unfortunate because specifically stickers made for RideWatches are much easier to apply than those Type Formula ones because they sit inside a recessed area rather that go across a large curved surface like Formula.

For my own stickers I print them on clear sticker paper:
https://i.imgur.com/oeViNiP.jpg

This helps get rid of that white edge you see around regular sticker paper after its been cut; and personally I think it add a bit more depth, like the image is a tiny screen. You don't need a special printer, it's just the paper and some careful cutting.

I think the stickers from SHF Upgrade use a vinyl printer and sticker, which would be more durable and have better resolution, but at this scale, passable approximation is good enough for me.

I don't think the new Saber figures have stickers for their WRB. It looks like tampo printing. TBH I don't think it looks all that great/accurate; and since decals aren't a thing they do all that much, they should have just left it blank. Good intention, missed execution. They probably decided to color in the WRB now since Saikou needs so much tampo printing anyway for the armor

https://livedoor.blogimg.jp/t_n_blog...b/6b8500e1.jpg

https://i1.wp.com/tokusatsunetwork.c...6548.jpg?ssl=1

ShiShiLeo, what brand of sticker paper have you been using ?

Yeah, it's tampos and at that very smudged ones. I actually like how Dragonic Knight's looks a lot despite the inaccuracy, but Saikou's here doesn't look fantastic.

I'm personally skipping the Saber SHFs but I think clear stickers would look good on top of those tamp WRBs. Basically just adding dark lines and details over top of the awkward colors used.

Well hopefully we're soon getting to see some of the Riders where the blank books are less of a problem.

If they are in the weapons, not visibly displayed in the belt at all times, I don’t care if they're left blank or not.

I will say I definitely prefer them doing this to leaving it completely blank. It's annoying that there's still stipulations and that Figuarts, the line known for its extreme dedication to accuracy; somehow can't get the decals right here in a very obvious way... but frankly it's still better to have something there.

I think it was Grease or Cross-Z Charge that really blew me away with the tampograph printing details. Those really set the bar for sharp graphics and now we're here it just feels so lacking.

I also thought Zi-O was going to be an exception, because it admittedly used a lot of tiny detail in small places, and then Zero-One didn't have that much printing needed, but now here we are with Saber and they definitely need it.

I'm definitely picking up Buster no matter what, but I am thankful his book isn't as apparent.

The problem is that people spent a crazy amount of money for the two previous Rider lines.
Tamashii is just cutting costs here.

SHFUpgrade have a wired Brave Dragon skirt now!

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/R9...LYtQBA=s1000-c

At this point you've spent more money on trying to make Saber look better than Saber himself! :lol

We're only missing an alternate holster piece so that it's possible to sheath another Seiken and perform Saber's Iai finisher.

Edit: Oh yeah, and a LED sword for the "Full Potential" Seikens.

Has any of you guys got any breakage with your SS Kamen Rider Black?
I've heard online that the quality wasn't especially good and there were some tearing on the "organic parts"

I don't own a single Figuarts but from what I've heard the new SS Black is HORRENDOUS.

Cracking is apparently commonplace due to the way the rubber is placed over the joints. Seriously, rubber should NOT be placed over moving hinges or parts!

A shame because the whole figure looks pretty good. I recommend just going with the SHF Black renewal which still looks good for its age.

Heh, I already have that one.
Guess I'll have to wait for a huge price drop.

Talking about Kamen Rider Black figures, I got a huge problem with my Shadowmoon.

The right hip became extremely loose, and I'm like, never ever touching that figure. It was at a point where the whole articulation broke. I had to replace the whole socket with another one. I used one of my spare first version Kamen Rider Nigou... I was pissed.

These kind of breakage makes me wonder why I even bother collection action figures...but hey, I'm still here. That must mean something. x)

No but I only have him in a museum pose and he will stay that way.

I know the feeling, but usually I really like what I'm getting with Figuarts. The QC is rather solid overall, in like 7 years now I had one breakage and one figure with floppy joints.

And I bought - a lot :lol

For the Kamen Rider series, yup, I'm mostly satisfied with what I get.
I think I might be way more selective than you, but yeah the only breakage that wasn't due to my negligence is with Shadowmoon ( I broke the antennas of Kamen Rider 3, had to glue them, same problem with Gaim)

I wouldn't even call SS Black horrendous cause the posed shots I've seen him in look absolutely stellar on-top of the gorgeous sculpt and paintwork. It's just the drawbacks that come with this new approach to trying to design a seamless sculpt that hold it back.

The figure looks beautiful, but it's the fragility of it that makes me afraid to spend so much

Heya I have ALWAYS used hot water/blow dryer to make sure the joints move without breaking, it’s not worth it to not do this beforehand

Except this isn't some type of classic plastic. Doing this might actually hurt it.

This helps with tight plastic but SS Black's issues come from tight joints and rubber overlays. Hot water and blow dryers won't fix torn overlays.

Guys might wanna check your Completes, the packaging might bend his face,

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1trA5BV...jpg&name=large