Well, SO-DO Chronicle is releasing a HardBoilder for W, right? So I think they could do a separate Faiz Chronicle release for the Faiz CyKill. I don't think they'd toss in Kaixa's bike or the Jet Sliger. A transforming bike (with Faiz Edge, I'd assume) feels like a pretty complete package.

I'm trying to think what I'd want out of a Faiz Chronicle release. (I mean, everything, but let's be realistic.) Assuming they do four figures, it'd probably be Faiz, Kaixa, Delta, Faiz Accel. A P-Bandai release for Faiz Blaster (with a bunch of accessories) with Horsepower, maybe Yuka and Kaido. (I don't think we'd get any SO-DO Chronicle Orphnochs, but it's nice to dream.) Either them, or the movie suits.

Going off of Akiba's suggestions, though, what I'd really want is all of the Ryusei kids and nothing else. Just a big box of every single one of them, with duplicates of the two mutants who couldn't stop fighting over the Delta Gear. I mean, I've never melted figures, but I gotta assume it's at least a little cathartic, right?

https://challengerscomics.com/images...g3u6o2_540.gif

I'm leaning towards them doing something similar to what akiba said with autovajin being it's own set. I do think it's more likely we'll get a horsepower and wolf orphanoc. I also feel like we might get more Den-o stuff like Gaoh, yuki, skull, g-den-o, and maybe some other odds and ends.

Edit: also I got the movie OOOs set for 5000 yen, that was nice.

Yeah, that's the (only?) good thing about P-Bandai SO-DO releases: it can be anything, in any amount, at any time. Two figures? Three figures? One random suit? At a point after another Chronicle series has started releasing? It's all up for grabs, as long as you're willing to pay an absurd amount for it.

Still, you know, I'm honestly glad they make them. I don't have it in me right now to pay more than $20 for a SO-DO figure, but at least they're giving me the option. I'd rather them make something and charge more than I want to pay, than them not make it at all.

I on the other hand have a problem where I enjoy collecting these dang things so will constantly try to complete my set (does not help that they put two of my favorite riders in a P-bandai exclusive set)

Yeah, it... I try not to get too upset at stuff like that? (I don't always succeed!) I wish a lot of scarce items were produced in ways that reduced their scarcity, but I also understand that if every item had to be produced in mass quantities for mass audiences, we'd get a lot less stuff.

It's rough, for sure. I was trying to get a complete set of Transformers Animated figures, and the only one I never got was a Minerva figure which was only produced for a BotCon customization class. It regularly sold for over $500. Unbuilt kits were several hundred dollars. I will never, ever, have a complete set of Animated figures.

But, like, that figure probably made the people who attended that class happy? And for folks that can afford the aftermarket price, they get to have that figure in their collection. It's not like Hasbro was going to make it for regular retail release and BotCon said Nuh Uh Mine. It happened because of that specific sequence of events, and I wasn't able to take part in them. (The main reason being that I wouldn't be interested in Transformers for another year.)

Anyway, I get the collector itch that makes you want to get every figure, and how the scarce releases feel... unfair? Inconsiderate? I don't want to put words in your mouth. But I get it, that feeling like you're fighting the manufacturer.

But, really, if they weren't able to do a smaller run of a figure, for a higher price, they wouldn't be able to do them at all, which is maybe unfair to the fans that can more easily afford them. Is it better that only some fans can have them, or no fans?

Capitalism is... y'know, it's a system that's got a flaw or two!

-nods- all good points.

Also, I've been really lucky lately and been able to find some of the p-bandai stuff on zen for a more reasonable price then elsewhere so that's been nice. (Currently bidding on a star from zero set, hoping to get it for around 7000 yen)

I think a lot of us collectors tend to judge our collections by the pieces we don't have, rather than the pieces we do have. It's not great, psychologically.

...Along those lines, I'm feeling like I've financially missed the boat on OOO ComboChange 1. I had a case on order from a vendor (I actually ordered it before I even knew what SO-DO was) that can't even provide an estimated release date for it. This happened before with them, for a Seihou Wizard, and it never arrived.

So, I thought, maybe I'll just get that case from Jungle, or Mandarake. HA HA NOPE. That thing is basically mythical now, with no proof in any storefront that it ever existed. US eBay prices are astronomical, all international offers, with prices ranging from $200 to over $500.

Am I just forever boned on this set? I'm looking on Zenmarket, and there's a box here or there but no cases/sets.

Wow I was just about to post about how I paid $30 for just the TaToBa SO-DO and I felt uncomfortable with it being so high- but now that I've read your post and checked eBay, that was a great deal!

Funny thing, I was having a conversation with a friend who is into mechanical keyboards. The parts for those things are super rare and in high demand right now. We collectors often do lament the cost of aftermarket goods and scalpers, but at the same time, one of the reasons we collect things is the perceived value we expect it to have/retain.

I dropped something like $34 on the Den-O Converge figure, making it the most expensive regular release converge figure for me, but now I see the prices for it are in the $100s (for a 2 inch figure!) That's all part of the fun and challenge of collecting. It has its ups and downs. Hopefully more ups than downs right?

Also how many of us would actually part with our collections if the right offer was made?

When I fell out of Star Wars, I sold all my micro machines for more than what I paid, and if I kept them to this day, I think they would've gone for even more!

For me, I don't know, I don't really think about the value? It's cool if I've got something rare, but I'm okay selling off stuff that doesn't connect with me much anymore. I've just recently offloaded a ton of older Transformers that were taking up space in my closet. It's all modern stuff, but there were some hard-to-find Unite Warriors and stuff in there.

I mostly... I need it to mean something? I need it to signify something about my feelings toward a brand, or to have some intrinsic aesthetic or tactile value. The financial value, it doesn't really enter my mind.

Still, to your larger point, the financial value of a collectible is a big part of collecting, and probably something that helps companies like Bandai bring certain products to market. A limited edition of a figure may make fans insane when it comes to locking in preorders, but that frenzy keeps Bandai producing weird Figuarts and SO-DO.

I'll keep my eyes peeled but they are kind of rare tbh. I think you can typically find a full set of 7 but they're kind of expensive.