【Blog】MARVEL INVISIBLE WOMAN ULTIMATE BISHOUJO STATUE

This is ARTFX Yamashita. Long time no see! Today, I’d like to introduce this product: MARVEL INVISIBLE WOMAN ULTIMATE BISHOUJO STATUE Release Month: October 2024 This is a recreation of the June 2011 MARVEL BISHOUJO STATUE INVISIBLE WOMAN. That’s right–not a reproduction, but a new, commemorative product in 1/6 scale to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the BISHOUJO series! Let’s start with a basic character introduction. A member of the Fantastic Four (Marvel’s first ever Super Hero team), Invisible Woman’s real name is Dr. Susan "Sue" Storm Richards, or Sue Richards. Like her other teammates, she gained her powers after being exposed to cosmic rays during an experiment in space. Her ability was initially to make her own body invisible, but later she was also able to generate a force field and use it for defensive attacks. The original product was sculpted by Gotaro Takeuchi. Even today, details like the sculpt of the muscles and metallic shading on the body are still classic features that haven't faded with time. Thirteen years have passed since then, and we once again faced Shunya Yamashita’s illustration and took on the challenge of bringing Invisible Woman to life with our current figure manufacturing technology. However, this was not just a mere resculpt–it was the creation of a completely new product! When bringing her back to life once more, we decided to increase the scale from 1/7th (approx. 23cm in height) to 1/6th (approx. 30cm in height) out of respect for the original product, and also because we wanted a larger canvas to showcase the technology we’ve cultivated up until now. In numbers, this may just be one level up, but when you line them up like this it’s actually a difference of around 7cm, which feels much bigger than anticipated! Let’s take a look at the hair! Each lock of hair can be sculpted out with more detail and expression than ever before thanks to the larger, 1/6 scale. We can also combine both clear materials and pearlescent materials together to create a sense of lightness from her blonde hair fluttering in the wind. You can see the transparency of her hair especially well from this angle. Additionally, the details in the printing of her blue eyes have also been made into 1/6 scale, which provides even more depth and expression to the statue. Before, we experimented with the “gyokugan system,” which is a technique used with Japanese dolls where the eye and face parts are made separately, and the eye parts are inserted at the back of the face part. The eye area of the previous 1/7 scale BISHOUJO statue was comparatively smaller to that of anime figures, since these statues were made to have a more realistic facial balance. We utilized this technique in an attempt to solve the printing issue, as it was difficult to convey the depth and curvature of the eyes and the details in the irises with such limited space when printing directly. With this new 1/6 scale, the size of the eyes has increased from around 4mm to 9mm! Not only can we print the eyelashes, but we can even print the shadow of the eyelids falling on the eyes, and also print large and small highlights to recreate the luster and glow of the irises! Her lips, which have a gentle smile, have a soft pink color with a sense of fullness, and we were even able to recreate the details in her mouth, such as her teeth and tongue. While this kind of detailed expression can inadvertently make the figure look unpleasant, at the hands of the incredibly capable sculptor, jonji, we were able to achieve the perfect balance for this statue. Even the corners of the mouth have been upgraded, so that the sculpt reflects a sense of dimension from multiple angles, making yet another feature that we hope you’ll check up close. The costume on the original product was a dazzling contrast of black and stunning metallic blue, but this time, a close-up view of the new statue clearly shows the updated parts, such as the expression of each muscle, the transparency of the clear parts for her fingers and tips of her hair, and the textured surface treatment on the neck and waist areas. In particular, the “4” mark on her chest has been recreated with more dimension so that it pops out more, which brings the statue closer to the illustration. The base has also been made more transparent to better recreate her force field. While the first product is an homage to Mole Man from the original comic “Fantastic Four #1” that was published in 1961, this new statue has a marble-like pedestal, reminiscent of a historical sculpture that would be displayed in a museum, with a luxurious atmosphere that perfectly matches this piece. Up until now, I’ve focused closely on various aspects of the figure, but when it comes to a statue like this, it’s of course important to look at the full picture! Just like the old quote that they often reference in Japan, "God is in the details," I think one of the best ways to enjoy this statue is to alternate between looking at it up close and farther back. Take a step back and gaze at this statue from afar, then come closer to inspect the details. I hope that you’ll be able to experience this piece as the culmination of the history of the BISHOUJO series, as well as the future it holds going forward. As I mentioned earlier, the BISHOUJO series is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year! Add this commemorative piece of the series history to your collection today! © 2024 MARVEL What is the BISHOUJO Series？ The BISHOUJO series reimagines characters from popular comic books, games, and movies from a Japanese perspective and transforms them into unique “BISHOUJO” style statues. Based on art by illustrator Shunya Yamashita, the series aims to provide figures inspired by Japanese art to fans throughout the world. Since release of the first BISHOUJO statue in 2009, the series has continued for fifteen years and will continue for many more! Keep an eye out for more exciting additions to the ever-expanding BISHOUJO world! ▽OFFICIAL WEB SITE

2024.04.04

[THE KING OF FIGHTERS ÁNGEL] An In-depth Look at this Captivating Fighter!

Thanks to everyone’s continued support for the SNK BISHOUJO series, we are happy to announce that Ángel is the fifth character joining the lineup! Many fans were pretty hyped over her reveal, but for those who haven’t seen her figure yet in person, we’re happy to present an in-depth look into this newest entry! This figure is based on her first appearance in THE KING OF FIGHTERS 2001 that is illustrated in the familiar style of Shunya Yamashita! Point 1　Bringing Her Iconic Pose to Life △ The original illustration that the pose is based on. The iconic pose of her unique fighting style Perfunctory♥ is brought to life! Her confident and carefree expression and playful pose bring out Ángel’s personality! You can almost hear her voice lines! ♪ Compared to the original posture, her upper body is raised and tilted to her left so that even when looking at the figure from the front, the viewer can easier see her form. Point 2　Recreating Her Signature Jacket and Outfit By using the latest sculpting techniques, we brought the classic design of her outfit to life. We carefully selected the material to bring out the texture of her leather jacket and chap-style pants. The sculpt of the figure is really exciting and shows off her stunning form! Point 3　Creating the Perfect Finish To try and recreate a white, transparent appearance with her hair, we used the technique of painting over clear parts for the first time in the SNK BISHOUJO series! The end of her hair is finished with a gradation to give it more of that transparent feeling. We made sure to properly paint areas that were could not be seen easily. Even the inside of her boots is painted as well! Point 4　Capturing Her Captivating Form We were careful in recreating her charming physique by defining her waist and legs. In addition to the sculpt of the muscles in her abs and thighs, take a look at the details in structure like the collarbone and spine! Point 5　Representing Her Home Turf, the Mexico Stage △The Mexico Stage served as the concept for her base.  The base of the figure is recreated from the area around the museum in her home country, the Mexico stage.  We made sure to recreate the texture of the uneven surface, wear, and chipped off corners of brick tiles. Stay Tuned for the Sixth Character in the Lineup! During Kotobukiya Collection 2024 in February, the newest character in the SNK BISHOUJO series was announced! Some of you already figured out who it is! We are working hard at developing her figure so please look forward to the next update! ♪ 【Special Feature】 Behind-the-scenes Story of Ángel’s Figure Photos The person in-charge for the product photos was our very own ARTFX Yamashita, a familiar name among our blog readers! We have a special behind-the-scenes story about her figure photoshoot from him! Greetings, I am ARTFX Yamashita. When I saw the paint master of her figure, I wanted to take her photos because I thought I could make use of my expertise. Although I say this, a professional photographer did the actual photography, and I just gave out directions from the back. I was impressed how a pro was able to emphasize the proportions of the figure in the photos. For example, this photo that everyone saw when her figure was shown during Kotobukiya Collection. When we were taking this photo, I said “Her stomach is visible when taken from this angle, while we’re at it, can we shine a blue light on her?” There were some pretty vague directions, but the photographer got the perfect angle while I held up a blue cellophane sheet. The shot that left the deepest impression on me was when he mentioned, “I think we can go for a bit more exposure so let’s try getting this part out of focus…” and we ended up with this photo here. As you can see, bringing the area below the face out of focus creates a photo that leaves more to the imagination. It turned out really great, but unfortunately it was deemed too sensitive to be posted on X*. Looking back, I should’ve been more direct with my concerns, and I’m still a little sore over what happened. *Unfortunately, it got tagged as sensitive content when posting it on X, so we ended up not using it… ©SNK CORPORATION ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

2024.03.15

Emma-chan Senpai Model Kit: Now accepting pre-orders!

Hello, Producer Kameyama here. Pre-orders for Emma Koishikawa, aka Emma-chan senpai, are now available!     As announced on the live show, there will be multiple versions of Emma-chan! 1. Emma Koishikawa【ST. IRIS GAKUEN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER CLOTHES】 2. Emma Koishikawa【ST. IRIS GAKUEN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER CLOTHES】 LIGHT EDITION 3. Emma Koishikawa【ST. IRIS GAKUEN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER CLOTHES】DREAMING STYLE WONDERLAND PRINCESS 4. AFTER SCHOOL ANGEL ＆ DEVIL'S TEMPTATION SET We'll start by taking a look at number one, the standard version of Emma. *Please note that the product is not called "standard version." Emma Koishikawa【ST. IRIS GAKUEN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER CLOTHES】 (Standard Version)   The standard version includes "twisted torso" and "knees to chest" parts to recreate the various classic poses of the SOUSAI SHOJO TEIEN series. This version comes with everything you need to have fun with Emma-chan senpai. There are three different skirts, "standard," "flowing," and "knees to chest." The white line on the skirt comes as a separate part for the standard and flowing skirts. Just note that the white line on the knees to chest skirt is not pre-painted. *All parts except for the facial expression parts are not pre-painted. *The white frills are recreated with separate parts for all three types of skirts.     All characters up to now have come standard with three heads, but Emma will come with two. However, as the head for the twintails and bun hair parts is the same, she is still able to sport three different hairstyles.     Includes four bang parts. She also comes with bangs with a headband for the wavy hairstyle and without a headband for the twintails and bun hairstyles. For the headband bangs, there is a version that works with glasses. For the headband-less bangs, there is a version that works with accessories. The kit comes with five different hair accessories, so have fun mixing and matching.     The kit comes with the four pre-painted face parts shown in the photo, with an additional four unpainted face parts. The expression decals allow for faces such as looking forward, looking right, and looking left.     These parts are exclusive to the standard version and are not included in the light version. To truly show Emma's dainty size, we gave her parts that make sitting with knees to chest possible. The illustration on the package was newly created by En Morikura! Emma Koishikawa【ST. IRIS GAKUEN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER CLOTHES】LIGHT EDITION   This is a smaller kit with fewer parts. Same as the standard version, the kit includes two head parts. The kit comes with two skirts but does not include the knees to chest skirt. The package features a full-body illustration of Emma.    These are the pre-painted face parts. The kit does not come with the pre-painted disgusted face included in the standard version. However, decals can be used on any of the four unpainted face parts to create the disgusted face.   AFTER SCHOOL ANGEL ＆ DEVIL'S TEMPTATION SET   The AFTER SCHOOL ANGEL ＆ DEVIL'S TEMPTATION SET is a limited edition item and is only available in limited quantities from select retailers. The kit includes Emma-chan senpai's absolutely beloved red dragon HEXA GEAR, Agnirage . In the original HEXA GEAR Kit Block, it's a giant 1/24 scale model, but for this set, it has been shrunk down to be Emma's own model.     These are the included items. Including attachments for the flying base, the mini Agnirage is made up of 10 parts.     It comes in solid red with articulated wings and legs. The kit also features two mini figures of the angel and devil that are always tempting Emma in the four-panel comic strips. Their parts come in red, skin color, white and black plastic. This set crammed with all of Emma's favorite things even comes with her favorite food, potato chips, a bottle of soda and a game controller!     Users can enjoy recreating the scene of Emma playing with Agnirage like an action figure.     The set also includes two new face parts. This is the proud wink face. I went with a kind of dancing pose. I don't think Emma from the audio dramas would actually ever do this, but it's super cute♪     The other new face part is the bold face. For this face, we imagined what Emma would look like when she's showing off her model kits or after she'd just destroyed Kanata-kun (Madoka's little brother) in a game, haha. DREAMING STYLE WONDERLAND PRINCESS   Emma Koishikawa【ST. IRIS GAKUEN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER CLOTHES】 DREAMING STYLE WONDERLAND PRINCESS This Dreaming Style series kit features an Alice in Wonderland-inspired color scheme. *The trunk is part of the separate kit AFTER SCHOOL TRAVEL TIME .     This is the four-panel birthday comic strip drawn by Ragho♪ All the second years in their Alice-inspired outfits are so cute♪ I kind of want to make a DIY apron and headband to recreate her outfit.     I've made a list of all the differences between the Dreaming Style kit and the standard version. • Blond hair. These parts are also a little darker than Ritsuka's blond hair. • Different eye color. • Alice-themed outfit with an entirely blue color scheme and white collar. *The color balance is different from the standard St. Iris uniform. • Paler skin (Megami Device Skin Color C. The same skin tone as YOMI.) • Includes discontinued braided bangs (also available in a glasses-compatible version). • Different colored St. Iris school bag. And that's just to name a few! *The background card will be sent with the product for Kotobukiya shop online purchases or given at the register for physical purchases in Japan. *The background card is a Kotobukiya shop exclusive in Japan.     One of the best things about this kit is the two additional bang pieces that don't come with the standard version. This is the first time one of the bangs will show the character's forehead, so check it out if that's something you've always wanted!     As for the face parts, the kit comes with the same four included with the standard version. But! With a different eye color. We thought a lot of users would want to pair the blond hair with blue eyes, so for the first time in the Dreaming Style series, we changed the eye color. (We had to create two whole separate paint masters for the standard and Dreaming Style versions. It was so much work...)     The Dreaming Style kit also comes with a newly drawn A3 background card of Emma's room. Until now, we've always done massive B2 background cards of things like the ocean or pools, but this card is about half that size. The background shows us the room that Emma's always drawing and assembling model kits in. I wonder if anyone can name all of the model kits displayed on her shelves...? Also, when you purchase the standard version of Emma at the Kotobukiya Shop, you will receive a special Emma's room "blank Ver." background card! In the blank version, there is nothing displayed on her walls, so you can freely decorate her room! My suggestion, get Bukiko's desk and place it in there to give Emma an actual desk to make models at.    Let's see what kind of scenes users can snap with the background cards. *The background card will be sent with the product for Kotobukiya shop online purchases or given at the register for physical purchases in Japan. *The background card is a Kotobukiya shop exclusive in Japan.     Look, users can even have two of them hanging out together. (Scenes of Emma-chan senpai getting along with Ritsuka)     I took a ton more super cute photos, so take a look! This one is Ritsuka dancing as she pretends to be Emma. They're wearing the same uniform but there is a whole 17mm difference between them. That's 17cm if they were full-scale. What a difference!     Emma “Why do I feel like I'm being watched?” Madoka “...😏”     Madoka can't help standing out even when she's hiding away. The disgusted and upset faces are so fun! They can be used in so many situations.     Emma "A suspicious person! Come out, my Another!" Man, Emma's so nice, she even makes sure to include an ad for the new model! Preorders for Novice, the third character in the Megalomaria Unlimited Universe series are open! For more info, check out the Megalomaria Unlimited Universe blog. *EN translated editions to be uploaded soon!     To end things off, I got all four of them to take a group photo. There was a big gap between Emma's announcement and release, but she's finally here! She's the first character in season two, so we really poured everything into development. Display her next to the first years in your collection! I hope everyone keeps up the incredible support, keep an eye out for a separate blog post with all of the different combination examples!   Planning: Kameyama P © KOTOBUKIYA   ▼ Audio dramas are available on the Official YouTube channel! (Available in Japanese only)  

2023.12.12

YOMI Black Canvas — Pre-Orders are Open!

Hello, Producer Kameyama here. Today, I would like to showcase our new YOMI【Black Canvas】 model kit, which pre-orders open on October 26. It is scheduled to be released in May 2024. *For customers in Japan, this kit is exclusive to the Kotobukiya Shop and can be pre-ordered on the Kotobukiya Online Shop or at our physical stores Kotobukiya Tachikawa Main Store, Akihabara Store, and Osaka Nipponbashi Store. *For customers overseas, this is a limited edition item and is only available in limited quantities from select retailers.     YOMI is who Koyomi Takanashi would have been if she hadn't grown up as a bookworm but a band kid. This model is part of what you might call a Megalomaria "rebuild" series.     The design is based on a "what if...?" scenario and, unlike normal Koyomi, sets her in her second year of high school. In this world, she is a member of a girl band that's a hit with the kids, Black Canvas.     The YOMI kit does not include the WEAPON UNIT05 LIVE AXE guitar pictured in the image. Check out the weapon unit kit sold separately if you want to see YOMI play the guitar.     The girl band called Black Canvas first appeared in episode 20 of SOUSAI Radio. The episode featured a "what if..." scenario that followed what would happen if Madoka had become a band girl and pursued a career in music.     Madoka took the stage name YUKI and was super cool and nonchalant. Once again, this hypothetical scenario was used as a base for the creation of YOMI.   The reason why we decided to release YOMI was because there was a gap in the release schedule. Which is to say, we had some time before the release of Emma Koishikawa, a completely new model being introduced in SOUSAI SHOJO TEIEN Season 2, so we came up with this variation kit.     The base kit is Koyomi Takanashi【RYOBU HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER CLOTHES】, but her clothes have been altered to look like her own casual clothes rather than her uniform, which is the most notable feature of the whole kit.     Her new skirt also features box pleats in place of regular pleats.     One of the best aspects of the blazer school uniforms is that, unlike the distinct sailor uniforms, they are quite plain and can look like casual clothes simply by changing from a ribbon to a tie. To go with the raised left shoulder body design, the tie has been sculpted to look like it's blowing in the wind. However, these two are not the only newly sculpted pieces. The model also features a choker with the sliding feature that proved to be a hit in the Swim Style kit. The joints in the torso have been specially designed accordingly.   [Detail Showcase by Koyomi!] ① Slide the ball joint backwards for a better angle looking up. ② Slide it forwards for a better angle with the chin tucked and looking down. *Adjust the ball joint to be in the middle when the model is in a standard pose. We installed this ball joint as somewhat of an experiment since the collar and neck joint can’t be separated like the Summer Clothes version. This helped keep the collar bones nicely sculpted! *Above is an explanation of the neck slide feature in the Koyomi Takanashi 【Swim Style】 kit.     Also check out the wristwatch. The watch is connected to the hand part, but in order to make the length of the arm look natural, we slightly shortened the forearm. The kit comes with special right and left forearm parts for use with the wristwatch. The wristwatch can be worn on either side.     For the skin color of this figure, we went with the paler Megami Device Skin Color C over the standard skin tone used across the FA Girl series. With this, users should be able to enjoy a new variety of combinations. *The skin tone differs from Madoka Yuki TOUOU HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER CLOTHES Black Canvas. We took photos of the combinations with the Megami Device kits as well, so we will show them off in the next blog post.   Accessories YOMI does not come with the Half-up and Braid hairstyle parts, schoolbag, book, or glasses that were included with the original Koyomi.     Instead, we have included a total of 13 different hand parts, including the idol and "gyaru"-esque hands from the Ritsuka Saeki 【ST. IRIS GAKUEN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL WINTER CLOTHES】 kit.  The hand parts are molded in PVC, which lacquer-based paints can easily peel off of, making them super versatile and easy to work with.     Another staple of Koyomi is, of course, her glasses. For those who love her glasses look, we've included a set of sunglasses molded in clear black plastic.     Instead of her usual loafers, she is also rocking a color variant of the sneakers first introduced in Madoka Yuki【TOUOU HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER CLOTHES】 Black Canvas.     The face parts are the same as those in Ritsuka Saeki【Swim Style】 but the eye prints are all entirely new, giving the face a whole new impression. Base aspects such as the number of eyelashes is based on Koyomi, but have been arranged in a way to give her slanted eyes. The pupils have also been made red to better match the outfit.     As the producer, my theme for YOMI's expressions was "cheeky." I wanted to give her a personality that was a complete 180 from her usual serious and gentle honor student character. Combined with the huge range of hand parts, don't you think YOMI looks like the cheeky younger member of the group?     And this time, all of the eye prints except for the scheming eyes are looking either left or right. Unpainted faces and decals can also be used to make new eyes that look forward. That said, when the model is looking sideways, it looks as if she is looking into the camera, so try creating this look with other models as well! Change to Pre-order Limits For customers in Japan, this item is exclusive to Kotobukiya stores, meaning that you can't buy it anywhere else. Since it includes so many new parts, we are sure that many fans will be looking to buy multiple. As such, we have decided to set the pre-order limit to "three (3) per person" for purchases on both the online store and at physical stores. For customers overseas, this is a limited edition item and is only available in limited quantities from select retailers. There will be no purchase limit on any kits that you may find in-store after release, however, with that said, there are currently no plans to rerelease the kit in the future. In our next post, we will be looking at combining YOMI with Megami Device kits!   Planning: Kameyama P YOMI Illustrator: En Morikura © KOTOBUKIYA © KOTOBUKIYA ©Masaki Apsy ©Toriwo Toriyama   ▼ Audio dramas are available on the Official YouTube channel! (Available in Japanese only)  

2023.10.25

[Interview] Geralt turned BISHOUJO!? Introducing the all new The Witcher BISHOUJO series.

  Appearing as a pleasant surprise, it was announced that The Witcher would be the newest addition to the BISHOUJO series. After opening pre-orders for the first character, Geralt, the highly requested Ciri was announced at Anime Expo 2023 and is now open for pre-orders. Today we are here for an interview with the product planner about the series’ features and highlights, as well as new information on The Witcher BISHOUJO series!   Q1. The Witcher is joining the BISHOUJO series! The BISHOUJO series is a product line from Kotobukiya that launched in 2009, with illustrator Shunya Yamashita in charge of all the concept illustrations. This series was launched with the concept of reimagining popular characters from around the world from a Japanese perspective and transforming them into unique “BISHOUJO” style statues. At that time, it wasn’t as popular as it is now to enjoy international works just as they are, so I’ve heard that fans both in Japan and overseas were surprised by the stylization into a Japanese design. So far we have introduced more than 200 different BISHOUJO statues to the world, and are approaching our 15 th anniversary next year! ▽ For details, check out the official page of the BISHOUJO series.   Q2. Why did you choose characters from The Witcher to reimagine into BISHOUJO? The BISHOUJO series lays focus on the international market, but to my surprise, it had never featured a series from the highly popular, classic fantasy genre. I simply started to think how cool it would be to create the details and textures such as the thick, heavy leather and armor with our latest technology. This is not limited to The Witcher, but fan art with creative reimagination and redesigns of characters is very popular among fans overseas, including countless beautiful female versions of Geralt! The words “bishoujo transformation” may seem like something “Japanese,” but this time we wanted to turn the spotlight onto the international scene and would love for people to get to know it more!   Q3. Geralt is originally a male character. Is there anything you do differently in the “bishoujo transformation” with a character that is originally female? Geralt is a legendary witcher that is, as you said, originally a male character, so we wanted to make sure her physique was well built. We also considered the character’s age and made the statue to have a calm atmosphere.   Q4. From a product planner point of view, was there anything you asked for when commissioning Shunya Yamashita for the illustration? We definitely wanted to include the “fantasy world with swords and magic” motif, and asked for a pose where she can be seen casting Igni. On top of that, we also wanted a pose that would look good when displayed together with Ciri.   Q5. Is the design from Shunya Yamashita just one illustration? We usually ask for illustrations of the back as well when the design is created from scratch. We were provided with thorough information on the designs of armor and weapons for these characters, so this time we only needed an illustration from one angle. The pose turned out really well and even looks good from angles that are different from that of the illustration. Q6. Geralt is created with super fine details, such as the textures of the outfit and the designs of her swords. What parts of the statue did you focus on most and/or would like users to see up close? Each of the leather parts are textured differently. There are many kinds of leather, so we checked the official designs very closely and adjusted the statue accordingly. The sword on her back is very large. Posing the character as if she were going to pull out the sword was great to show a cool scene, but made it difficult to adjust it to the features of the sword.   Q7. Do you have any stories from the sculpting phase? Yoshiki Fujimoto was in charge of the sculpts of both Geralt and Ciri. Both statues have many various kinds of equipment. Each item is arranged carefully and proportionately into the sculpt while considering aspects such as their materials and thicknesses, how they would fit to the body, or alternatively how they may float or hang away from the body or other parts. I can’t imagine the time and effort that was put into this process. We also made sure that Geralt’s face wouldn’t come out too cute. I was surprised at how such small changes of detail make a huge difference, bringing out that dignified look. I'd really like people to look closely at parts like her brow and cheekbones! They have a very different feel compared to previous BISHOUJO statues. I'd like to thank Fujimoto-san here again for his hard work and millimeter-level adjustments.   Q8.  Pre-orders are currently open for the second character, Ciri. What can we look forward to? You may be surprised, but the illustrations and sculpts of Geralt and Ciri both started at the same time! Ciri has just as many items as Geralt, and we made careful adjustments to ensure we retain the feel and atmosphere of her in-game. The statue is currently being painted with continuous focus on expressions of textures as we did with Geralt, so please look forward to it!   Q9. Finally, can you give a comment to fans of The Witcher? “Geralt reimagined into a beautiful woman!?” I know many of you were very surprised to see this happening. Although in a female statue, we are working on developing the statue with great respect to The Witcher series. We hope it will be there by your side as you enjoy the games!   The first in the lineup, THE WITCHER BISHOUJO GERALT, and the second, THE WITCHER BISHOUJO CIRI, are currently open for pre-orders! Statues of Geralt and Ciri introduced in the interview are currently available for pre-order! The pre-order deadline for Geralt is Sept. 19 (Fri)! The deadline for Ciri is Oct. 3 (Tues)! *This deadline is for retailers in Japan, and for those residing outside of Japan, some retailers may open their pre-orders past this deadline. There is no guarantee she will be available after we’re sold out of initial production, so if you want to make sure you get yours, don’t forget to pre-order before the deadline! GERALT and CIRI statues are available for order and purchase at the Kotobukiya online shop and your local retailer! Please check our shop list for a full list of local retailers. https://www.kotobukiya.co.jp/en/international-retailers/ ■THE WITCHER BISHOUJO GERALT http://bit.ly/GeraltBishoujo ■THE WITCHER BISHOUJO CIRI http://bit.ly/CiriBishoujo   Final Thoughts We asked quite a number of questions to the product planner of The Witcher BISHOUJO series. What did you think? Thoughts behind the first steps into the fantasy genre, the amount of focus and work put into each and every detail side by side with the sculptor, are all things that you can only read here! The Witcher BISHOUJO and the BISHOUJO series as a whole will always be working hard to bring you all kinds of products and content. Please look forward to future updates!   © 2023 CD PROJEKT S.A. All rights reserved. CD PROJEKT, the CD PROJEKT logo, The Witcher, and The Witcher Logo, Geralt, and Geralt of Rivia are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of CD PROJEKT S.A. in the US and/or other countries. The Witcher game is set in the universe created by Andrzej Sapkowski in his series of books.

2023.08.29

Pre-Orders are Open for Ritsuka Saeki [Swim Style]! ♪

  Hello everyone! This is Kameyama, the producer of SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN. Pre-orders for 「 Ritsuka Saeki [Swim Style] 」 are currently open! The kit is slated to be released this December.     This completes our lineup of Madoka, Koyomi, and Ritsuka all in swimsuits! Ritsuka is the tallest of the three and also has the most mature proportions. In this new kit, her pareo can be removed, and is designed to be taken off when using the parts for the sitting pose.     Check out the image here for a complete rundown on what comes with the kit.  In addition to the seven basic hand parts included, this time two newly sculpted parts have been included as well!  The four facial expression parts are also all newly done (Madoka and Koyomi came with three new, and one reused).     As usual, you also get a number of pre-painted parts. Besides the facial expression parts, the shoulder straps of her swimsuit and the straps of her sandals are already painted for you. A simple out-of-the-box assembly will give you a model that looks very close to the images! We used the seated pose parts to create this cute example.  We decided to come up with something showing her after slipping and falling.   During our live stream, the sculpt of her abdomen attracted a lot of attention from the fans in the audience.  Even Honoka Kuroki, the voice actress who plays the role of Ritsuka, said, "Wow, she’s really worked out her abs!”  This image was created by the pros over at Vaistar studio as usual, but I thought they really nailed this one. It reminds me of something out of a photo album for a pop idol!   Here's another fun shot! Madoka is in a cute and youthful polka-dot bikini.  Koyomi is wearing a white one-piece with a beautiful one point ribbon.  Ritsuka has on a simple bikini and pareo, which really show off the quality of the material.  Each has their own distinctive look going.   For Ritsuka's hair in this shot, we used the bangs from the swimsuit version (with a hibiscus hair ornament) together with the loose bun which comes with her winter clothes to create a very adult look.  In addition to this hairstyle, the winter version also comes with 13 different hand parts, including a too-cute peace sign version and a number of hand types that allow you to set her in idol-style poses, so you can mix and match her in dozens of different ways.   This time, we’re also offering a special bonus if you buy the kit at a Kotobukiya Shop, so be sure to keep that in mind when ordering.     The main blue color here matches Ritsuka's swimsuit. Now let's take a look at the Dreaming Style edition, a Kotobukiya limited item.     Saeki Ritsuka [Swim Style] Dreaming Style Innocent Bloom is planned to be released in January 2024. *It will be released after the standard edition. For overseas users, *This is a limited edition item and is only available in limited quantities from select retailers. The pure white bikini and pink pareo make for a super kawaii design!     What’s more, white is a very useful base color if you’re considering painting the model to create an original design!     Ritsuka's swimsuit version also includes fixed-pose leg parts, and if desired you can portray her with her knees bent deeply.     The hair color is the same as Madoka Yuki 【Touou High School Summer Clothes】Dreaming Style Milky Marine pink, so the bangs can be replaced.     I used Madoka's long hair and body for this one. This makes her look a little younger than the usual Ritsuka.     As usual, we’ve included a B2-sized background sheet in this Dreaming Style kit, newly drawn. *The background sheet will be sent with the product for online purchases or given at the register for physical purchases. *The background sheet is a Kotobukiya shop exclusive in Japan.     After Madoka [daytime] and Koyomi [evening], now we have Ritsuka [night]. The theme for this shot is the very enviable "watching fireworks from the poolside at a resort” setting, something a well-off girl like Ritsuka might get to experience. This setup works great with After School Madoka's Well-Deserved Summer Vacation Set .       Here’s a fun shot with her wearing the knit hoodie by Azone used in a previous image. She looks so cute pulling on the collar of her hoodie with her hands like that!  It’s also great the way you can see the string of her bikini through the neck.    This is a mix-and-match example of combining parts from multiple kits.  The theme is a very simple “all white.” With all these different parts available, you can create your own original character as you please! Now we’re going to take things a step further and show you an example that combines parts not only from other SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN kits, but also from Arcanadea !      Lumitea , who is an angel-style Dears, looks great in the pure white outfit!   Previously I tried combining parts from Madoka's swimsuit version, but I think Ritsuka might be a better match for Lumitea .  I was also able to successfully put on Koyomi's straw hat. The background you see here is from the Madoka Yuki [Swim Style] Dreaming Style Sunny Sky kit.     This image here looks like a slightly elevated shot taken from a drone.  I think it looks like a scene from a movie!       For this of course I used the barefoot feet parts.  The toes are not movable, but there are 3 different styles included.  Put on whatever set matches what you have in mind for your own shots.   In this image, we wanted to suggest a photo shoot featuring gorgeous twin sisters.  I really like the contrast between the black and white.  The black swimsuit is Koyomi Takanashi [Swim Style] Dreaming Style Black Swan , and the head is Lumitea ReACT-A.   We also took some shots of the "ReACT-A" version alone.  "Lumitea ReACT-A" comes with two different hair colors, so it is easy to set up your preferred style.     （The "Lumitea ReACT-A" with the（＞▽＜）expression is also super cute, so we’re standing by for your orders (shameless plug)!     We also tried a slightly more powerful scene!  Is she playing beach volleyball with Velretta ?     So as you can see, I tried a lot of different ideas with Ritsuka Saeki [Swim Style]!     SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN, Arcanadea, and Frame Arms Girl all have the same 5mm neck joint diameter, so you can play with various combinations.  Definitely give it a try!   The new catalog for SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN will soon be available, and it will contain not only out-of-the-box build images of the primary kits and "How to" tips for plastic models, but also posing ideas, customization examples, and more!  Be sure to grab a copy. That should about do it for today.  Thanks for reading this far, and we’ll see you again next time! Planning: Kameyama P © KOTOBUKIYA ©maxim   ▼ Audio dramas are available on the Official YouTube channel! (Available in Japanese only) ▼ Check out the official SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN website! (Available in Japanese Only)  

2023.06.20

Introducing Bukiko Kotobuki [Wakaba Girls’ High School Winter Clothes]

Originally published in Japanese on April 5, 2023 Hey everyone! This is SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN’s promotions manager. Two products related to Bukiko Kotobuki [Wakaba Girls’ High School Winter Clothes] have been released! I’ve got a lot to tell you about Bukiko, since she’s been released as a plastic model kit, and I really hope you’ll consider building this kit after learning more about her!   Two Different Types of Kits for Bukiko!   One is the standard edition: Bukiko Kotobuki [Wakaba Girls’ High School Winter Clothes] It comes with Bukiko herself and accessories such as her phone, nippers, and school bag. The other is the limited edition: Bukiko Kotobuki [Wakaba Girls’ High School Winter Clothes] Modeler’s Edition Think of this as a deluxe version of the kit that comes with everything in the standard edition, plus a bob hairstyle, a work desk and chair, tools and paint, 1/10 scale Stylet, a large hobby knife (*), and Frame Arms Girl (“FA Girl”) compatible face parts. *This accessory can be used to recreate the key visual from the FA Girl anime when posed with Hand Scale GOURAI. It is not an actual tool. *The package design of the standard edition and the limited edition are different.   See the following guide to see which kit suits your needs! ー I want Bukiko! ⇒ Buy either the standard edition or the Modeler’s Edition ! ー I want Bukiko with a bob hairstyle ⇒ Modeler’s Edition ー I want her in a sitting pose ⇒ Either the standard edition or the Modeler’s Edition ー I want to change her facial expressions ⇒ The same expression parts are included in both the standard edition  and the Modeler’s Edition. ー I want face parts that work with FA Girl plastic models ⇒ Modeler’s Edition ー I want to pose her sitting at the work desk ⇒ Modeler’s Edition ー I want the large design knife ⇒ Modeler’s Edition ー I want a 1/10 scale tiny Stylet ⇒ Modeler’s Edition   Please be careful that you’re ordering the kit you want!   Bukiko Kotobuki [Wakaba Girls’ High School Winter Clothes]   ●  Scheduled for release in September 2023 |  Product page Personifying her namesake with our company name, she’s a hard-core hobbyist with plastic models in her blood! In the FA Girl anime, she helps Ao, a newbie modeler. You might be surprised to learn that the character “Bukiko Kotobuki” has existed since 2014. This is before the release of the FA Girl anime. She was originally introduced as the PR ambassador for our Kotobuki Nipper! Animator Satoshi Koike designed the character for us. What kind of character is Bukiko? | Character Design: Satoshi Koike And now she’s made her big debut in the FA Girl anime! The plastic model kit features this anime version of Bukiko. “Bukiko Kotobuki” anime version | Character design: Kosuke Kawamura The cute round face and mischievous expression from the anime version of Bukiko have all been sculpted into a model that loses none of her charm! Given her origins, Bukiko and nippers are, of course, absolutely inseparable. This kit comes with two pairs of nippers! That means you can skip the old “double peace” pose and show her off like this, doing a “double nipper!” *The nippers come in green only. The blades have been painted in this image. Even her smartphone case is designed with a nipper motif! Bukiko’s originality shines through in every detail. *The smartphone and its case are sculpted as a single piece. *The smartphone comes in white only. The phone in this image has been painted for illustrative purposes. She comes with a total of five facial expression parts: smug, poking tongue out, grinning, crying, and smiling. The way her mouth is portrayed is quite unique, and really brings out the personality of Bukiko that we all enjoyed in the anime! Of course, unpainted versions of the same face parts and expression decals are also included, so you can create your own looks for Bukiko, too! In order to reproduce the more rounded, soft contours of her face, the design of her face parts differs from that of Madoka, Koyomi and Ritsuka, and also somewhat from that of Ao. There’s no interchangeability between Bukiko and the previously mentioned first three characters. However, it is possible to exchange facial expression parts between Ao and Bukiko, so you can enjoy trying things like this: Currently M.I.A. Producer Kameyama’s Model Mix-and-Match! “Bukiko and Ao each have their own facial parts’ design standard. Bukiko’s face has a more rounded chin, so it’s not a perfect exchange, but I’m happy to report that I was able to swap their face parts.”   The uniform is made in all the colors you see, except for the black lines and the gold buttons on the sleeves and back. The six gold buttons that run from her chest to her tummy and the checkered skirt are all pre-painted, so even without coloring it yourself, the model will look great! (Producer Kameyama posted a whole article on how he painted Ao; click here to see his work) (Currently available only in Japanese.) The school emblem on the back of the collar can be reproduced with the decal that comes with the kit. There is a 3mm hole in the center of the back for mounting with the display stand. Bukiko’s stand is a fresh spring green color. *Product includes parts from Bukiko Kotobuki [Wakaba Girls’ High School Winter Clothes] Modeler’s Edition only. Other parts/products shown are not included. She has a special skirt and parts for her waist and thighs, making a seated pose possible. And don’t worry, even the skirt for the sitting pose comes pre-painted in the checked pattern. Bukiko’s sitting pose is sculpted with her legs apart so she can also be posed sitting cross-legged. Feet parts without shoes are also provided, so she can be posed in indoor settings. She looks great sitting backwards on her chair. The slightly unorthodox position matches well with her naturally chill personality. Note that the chair is not included in the standard edition. You’ll need to buy the Modeler’s Edition to get this accessory. Twelve different pairs of left/right hand parts are included. In addition to the nine types included with the Ao kit, three new types were created just for Bukiko: a grabbing hand, a hand for holding nippers to allow recreation of the opening of the anime, and a hand compatible with holding an airbrush! You’ll need to pick up the Modeler’s Edition of the kit to get this airbrush accessory, however. It is not included in the standard edition. Her school bag features “Sana-chan”, the mascot character from HEXA GEAR, made possible by an in-house collaboration here at Kotobukiya! The zipper on the school bag is sculpted as a separate part in silver, so it looks really great even when just assembled out-of-the-box. *Products in this image have been painted and modified for illustrative purposes. *The Sana-chan part is made in one color (cream) in the actual product. *The school’s emblem on the bag is recreated with the included decal. How about a cute dance pose with Ao? (The microphone and tambourine come from After School Ritsuka’s Karaoke & Recording Set (released July 2023), which goes great with Bukiko, too!) Although the two girls are wearing the same uniform, most of the parts were newly sculpted due to the difference in their body shapes. Our team put a lot of effort into accurately recreating the anime version of Bukiko, and we feel pretty sure that fans will be pleased with the result! We look forward to your pre-orders for our namesake girl, Bukiko Kotobuki!   Limited Edition: Modeler’s Edition   ●  October 2023 Scheduled Release |  Product page This is a deluxe edition kit. In addition to the contents of the standard edition mentioned above, the Modeler’s Edition comes with all of the other parts and accessories listed here! Unpainted Face Parts Compatible with Frame Arms Girl: Smug, Poking Tongue Out, Grinning, Crying, Smiling x1 Each Work Desk x1 Set Desk Chair with Wheels x1 Set Airbrush Set x1 Set Airbrush Cable x1 (To be cut to the desired length.) Brush x1 Paint Bottle (Large) x2 Paint Bottle (Small) x2 Frame Arms Girl Stylet (Unarmed Mode) x1 Display Base x1 Set Decals (for Compatible Expressions) x1 Sheet Large Hobby Knife x1   Since Bukiko loves to build models, you want to provide her with a working environment, right? The desk drawer can actually be opened to store nippers, brushes, and other small parts. Large and small paint bottles (2 each) are included, and the bottles are made with clear plastic, with the lid in silver, so you can paint them any color you like The airbrush set parts are made in multiple colors, and come with an air hose that can be attached. You can cut it to the desired length.   The height of the chair is actually adjustable in three different levels. That way you can change it to fit other SOUSAI characters of different heights and seated poses at just the right height. The parts are individually sculpted in color.   Here we have a plastic model painting a plastic model…! This should be a very familiar sight for modelers, right? The wild pose of her legs is so cute, with all that Bukiko charm! In her left hand, Bukiko is holding a “1/10 scale Stylet.” It’s very small at just 1.5cm! This piece is made in just one color, so you can try your hand at painting it.   The kit includes hairstyle parts with her pigtails down, as seen in the public bath episode of the anime. It is a simple bob cut, so it will look great with other school uniforms such as Touou High School and Ryobu High School. Also, in one of the key visuals from the “FA Girl” anime, GOURAI is carrying a hobby knife, To recreate this scene using the Hand Scale GOURAI, a large hobby knife is included in the kit. Here’s what it look like when actually held: *Product includes “Bukiko Kotobuki [Wakaba Girls’ High School Winter Clothes] Modeler’s Edition” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. ↓ I’m sure many of you have purchased the Hand Scale series to pose with Ao like this! We hope you have fun trying to recreate scenes from the anime at home! *Product includes parts from Bukiko Kotobuki [Wakaba Girls’ High School Winter Clothes] Modeler’s Edition only. Other parts/products shown are not included. She comes with five expressions: smug, grinning, smiling, poking tongue out and crying. 5 pre-painted expressions + 5 unpainted parts + 5 unpainted expression parts compatible with Frame Arms Girl for 15 face parts in total!   Facial expression parts and decals compatible with the Frame Arms Girl plastic models are also included. You can have a lot of fun enjoying the various combinations possible with your favorite FA Girls! We look forward to your pre-orders for Bukiko Kotobuki [Wakaba Girls High School Winter Clothes] and the Modeler’s Edition! For overseas users, check out this page for a list of our international distributors!   © KOTOBUKIYA ©KOTOBUKIYA / FAGirl Project   ▼ Audio dramas are available on the Official YouTube channel! (Available in Japanese only) ▼ Check out the official SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN website! (Available in Japanese Only)

2023.04.05

[Interview] From robots to BISHOUJO! Discovering the unique charms of the TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO series.

Discovering the unique charms of the TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO series! An Interview with the Product Planner   The first in the new TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO series, OPTIMUS PRIME , was released in January 2023. Now that pre-orders have started for BUMBLEBEE , the third addition to the series, we decided to sit down with the product planner and talk about what makes the series so special, and where it is expected to go in the future.   Q1. Can you start by telling TRANSFORMERS fans what the BISHOUJO series is all about? The BISHOUJO series is a product line from Kotobukiya that launched in 2009, with illustrator Shunya Yamashita in charge of all the concept illustrations. So far we have introduced more than 100 different BISHOUJO statues to the world! This series was launched with the concept of reimagining popular characters from around the world from a Japanese perspective and transforming them into unique “BISHOUJO” style statues. At that time, it wasn’t as popular in Japan as it is now to enjoy international works as they were released; I’ve heard that fans both in Japan and overseas were surprised by the stylization into a Japanese design. ▽For details, check out the official page of the BISHOUJO series.   Q2. So what inspired you to turn THE TRANSFORMERS robots into BISHOUJO characters? The fact that I, the product planner, like THE TRANSFORMERS is a big influence, but we’ve had a connection with Hasbro since we did the MY LITTLE PONY BISHOUJO series, and Hasbro themselves also suggested it. △ The MY LITTLE PONY BISHOUJO series  that served as part of the inspiration for the TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO seris.   Q3. In the process of turning a robot into a human character, are there any points that you pay special attention to? 　 The posing and the clothing are the key points we focus on when trying to capture the original character’s essence. We take care to make sure we get this right, because if the original and unique qualities of the character are removed by the BISHOUJO style, then it becomes pointless. On top of that, we try to design the outfit so that it wouldn’t feel out of place if it really existed. We try not to make things too fantasy-like. When planning, the foundation for the design is the silhouette and color scheme—traits that allow the characters to be identified even when squinting. (I encourage everyone to try squinting when looking at TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO characters.)   Q4. It can be very difficult to express a character’s personality and details as a BISHOUJO character; what sorts of techniques do you use to bring that out? This is a feature of THE TRANSFORMERS itself, but I think it’s cool how AUTOBOTS transform into working vehicles and DECEPTICONS transform into weapons (of course, there are exceptions…). We’ve tried to preserve this concept in the BISHOUJO series. OPTIMUS PRIME and BUMBLEBEE are dressed in a way that practically announces that they are defenders of justice, heroes, and friendly. They come to the rescue almost in a casual way.   In order to give MEGATRON a tough, military look, we put in several design details characteristic of military uniforms, such as a garrison cap, tie, and epaulets.   Compared to the other two, BUMBLEBEE is younger and smaller, so we made her outfit more youthful. I like the new/retro fashion combination we did–a distinctive and modern hoodie coupled with the loose socks on her cute, rounded feet!   Q5. So now that you’ve completed reimagining OPTIMUS PRIME, MEGATRON, and BUMBLEBEE into BISHOUJO characters, was there any character or points in the process that really stood out for you? Definitely OPTIMUS PRIME…! MEGATRON has the image of a soldier and gives off militaristic vibes—a speciality of Yamashita—so the concept came out pretty quickly. But I had a lot of trouble with OPTIMUS PRIME. I think we were able to finalize it thanks to Yamashita providing us with many ideas, plus we incorporated the opinions of TRANSFORMERS fans within the company. Personally, the most troubling part was trying to recreate the antenna’s feel with the “loose buns and slightly messy hair” concept. But as a result of that effort, this arrangement is one of my personal favorites! I think it’s a great hairstyle for OPTIMUS PRIME, who has a bit of a careless streak. Everyone on THE TRANSFORMERS development team also advised me to include a container of some kind in the design, and I think that it makes the character even more like OPTIMUS PRIME.   Q6. What characters from THE TRANSFORMERS series would you like to see as a BISHOUJO statue in the future? Any ideas? Well, if we’re talking about the first generation, it would be SOUNDWAVE and SHOCKWAVE! If it was from a live-action film, BARRICADE and BLACKOUT are very appealing. I especially like the animated series, so it would be interesting to create a BISHOUJO with the stylized feeling of that animated series. I’d like to give it a try.   Q7. Finally, could you offer a message to all the fans of THE TRANSFORMERS series? I expect that many of you may have learned about Kotobukiya’s BISHOUJO series from TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO. The BISHOUJO series has enjoyed a long run, and will be celebrating its 15th anniversary next year. Up until now, we’ve put together many collaborations, involving wonderful or what we thought were overlooked properties that aimed to draw renewed attention to them by using BISHOUJO. I am thrilled and honored that we’ve been able to add THE TRANSFORMERS to this lineup. We will definitely be announcing new TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO going forward, so we would be very grateful for your support!     Pre-orders are open for TRANSFORMERS BUMBLEBEE BISHOUJO STATUE! Pre-orders are now open for BUMBLEBEE, which was mentioned in the interview above! The order deadline is March 28 (Tue) for retailers in Japan! For those residing outside of Japan, some retailers may open their pre-orders past this deadline. There is no guarantee she will be available after we’re sold out of initial production, so if you want to make sure you get yours, don’t forget to pre-order before the deadline! ▽ Click here for pre-orders! TRANSFORMERS BUMBLEBEE BISHOUJO STATUE https://www.baitme.com/preorder-kotobukiya-transformers-bumblebee-bishoujo-statue-yellow-ktsv344   And we have great news for fans who want to display OPTIMUS PRIME and MEGATRON together!   OPTIMUS PRIME and MEGATRON statues are available for order and purchase at the Kotobukiya online shop and your local retailer! Please check our shop list for a full list of local retailers. https://en.kotobukiya.co.jp/shoplist/ TRANSFORMERS OPTIMUS PRIME BISHOUJO STATUE https://www.baitme.com/preorder-kotobukiya-transformers-optimus-prime-bishoujo-statue-red-ktsv330 TRANSFORMERS MEGATRON BISHOUJO STATUE https://www.baitme.com/preorder-kotobukiya-transformers-megatron-bishoujo-figure-purple-ktsv332 Both products will be unavailable as soon as pre-orders and sales stock run out. If you’re looking to display the entire series, order now before it’s too late! ▽ Interested in learning more about our BUMBLEBEE statue? Check our blog post with all the details! (Available in Japanese Only) https://www.kotobukiya.co.jp/kikakugai/kikakugai-303609/   Final Thoughts Were you able to pick up on the charm of and the attention to detail to the TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO series? The TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO series was born from a unique collaboration of the product planner and Kotobukiya’s in-house TRANSFORMERS fans. Shunya Yamashita’s brilliant illustrations have really brought the characters to life! We plan on continuing to bring you more of the BISHOUJO series, including, of course, TRANSFORMERS BISHOUJO. Be sure to stay tuned for future developments! TRANSFORMERS and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. © 2023 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro.

2023.01.31

SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN Blog: Pre-orders Open for AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET!

Originally published in Japanese on January 12, 2023   Hello everyone! This is SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN’s promotions manager. We’re excited to announce that pre-orders for the latest item in our After School Series, Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET open on January 13. We’ve been showing off the sculpt of the kit at events and introducing it a bit on Twitter and during live streams, but today we’d like to show it off on the blog.   *Shipped products will include decals for the karaoke tablet and laptop screens. ■ Included Items Ritsuka Saeki Dazzling Face (Pre-Painted) x1 Ritsuka Saeki Dazzling Face (Unpainted) x1 Ritsuka Saeki Sobbing Face (Pre-Painted) x1 Ritsuka Saeki Sobbing Face (Unpainted) x1 Headphones x1 Set Recording Mic x1 Set Mic Stand (Straight) x1 Set Mic Stand (Tabletop) x1 Laptop x1 Set Mixer x1 Set Karaoke Mic x1 Karaoke Tablet x1 Maracas x2 Types Tambourine x2 Cables x2 (For use with the headphones, recording mic, laptop and mixer. To be cut to the desired length.) Expression Decals x1 Karaoke Tablet / Laptop Screen Decals x1   The set includes all the karaoke items that are essential (?) for a high school girl’s daily life, as well as authentic recording equipment. On top of that, it also includes two new face parts for Ritsuka!   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. The girls can be seen here, singing into the mic, livening things up with maracas, and queueing up the next song on the tablet. *Decals for the screen of the karaoke tablet are included; the design is currently in development.   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. A tambourine is also included. (Wow, tambourines in both hands! Impressive…!)   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. If you look closely at the maracas, you can see that the left and right ones have different expressions on their cute little faces!   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. With the right posing, you can even create a convincing rock vocal scene like this. Let her shout as much as she wants!   Here’s the recording equipment; a laptop, mixer, headphones, and tabletop stand with recording mic. Decals for the laptop’s monitor are included.   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. We’re going live!　 ＼ON AIR／ Definitely feeling a radio club vibe! You often see people working off a tabletop like this in actual radio recording sessions.   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. ▲Here’s Koyomi Takanashi, efficiently taking care of an audio problem.   The included cables can be inserted into the jacks in the mixer and connected to the laptop, headphones, and microphone. In addition, the knob and switch of the mixer are molded as separate parts, so they can be turned and repositioned. Water slide decals for the laptop monitor are also included.   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. “Today, I’d like to try eating some crystal candy♪ Ok, here we go!” (munch, munch, munch…) Madoka might want to do some kind of ASMR show that lets her eat lots of candy! By the way, the base of the headphone’s ear pads are articulated with ball joints, so they can be adjusted to fit the characters’ heads.   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. The mic stand also comes in a straight, stand type. I’m sure many of you have seen voice actors, singers, and pop idols using this type of equipment during recording sessions.   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. ▲Ritsuka Saeki seen in a recording for one of those famous unedited performances on YouTube.   This is getting pretty exciting!   *Product includes “AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET” parts only. Other parts/products shown are not included. Two new facial expression parts are included for Ritsuka. The “dazzling face” holding the microphone is based on the expression drawn by En Morikura on Ritsuka’s birthday in 2021.   The “sobbing face” is an expression that has not been seen in any of Ritsuka’s previous face parts! The normally confident, hard-working Ritsuka, who always seems to be in control, is on the verge of tears! We really like this one since there’s so many ways you can play around with it. Both expressions come pre-painted and unpainted, and decals are also included. With the decals you can adjust her line of sight to the left or right. AFTER SCHOOL Ritsuka’s KARAOKE & RECORDING SET is available for pre-order from Friday, January 13th! Reservations will start at 11:00 am on the Kotobukiya Online Shop. In addition to the Kotobukiya Shop, the set will be available from other general retailers and e-commerce sites as well! For overseas users, check out this page for a list of our international distributors! Don’t miss out on your chance to pre-order!   © KOTOBUKIYA ▼ Audio dramas are available on the Official YouTube channel! (Available in Japanese only)  

2023.01.12

ARCANADEA Blog: Velretta is here! And so is our out-of-the-box product review!

Originally published in Japanese on November 28, 2022   Hello everyone! It’s been a while! This is Baron of Potatoes of the Kotobukiya Plastic Model Team. At long last, the second release of the ARCANADEA series, Velretta, will go on sale tomorrow! ※For overseas users, check out this page for a list of our international distributors! In today’s out-of-the-box build, I’m going to show you: ◆ The model’s amazing features ◆ Points to watch out for during assembly Also, key points in the review will be accompanied by Yuruletta-chan (drawn by ARCANADEA’s promotion staff!) so keep on the lookout for her! Just like last year’s Lumitea assembly blog post (available in Japanese only), this entry is pretty lengthy! I hope you’ll stay with us through the end!   Content Menu ◆ Normal Mode! ◆ Customizations with Lumitea ◆ Wilize Mode! ◆ Impressions and Further Information   Normal Mode! ■ Opening the box! The box itself, featuring foil printing, is a beautiful work of art all on its own! Once again, necömi’s illustrations are almost too good to be true! I could say so much more about the box alone, but let’s move on to the contents! If you’re curious about the box, check out this tweet!   Like Lumitea, Velretta’s kit allows you to assemble her in both regular appearance “Normal Mode” and combat form “Wilize Mode.” Although Vel-sama is a bit smaller than Lumitea, she has a tail, four wings and a large skirt, making for lots of runners and plenty of volume! Amazingly, there are 10 pre-painted parts! They are just gorgeous, painted in navy blue, light purple, and gold.   ■ Head Parts The hair parts use 3mm connections for the side bangs and the chignon at the back of her head, so it would seem that there are many hair-styling options available!   The ear parts use the same system as Lumitea, so they can be interchanged! And the side bang hair parts are moveable thanks to the ball joints, giving plenty of freedom to adjust her expressions! That will be a big help when posing!   And let’s not forget those big horns! Despite being small parts, they are gorgeously painted in two colors…!     The engagement ring is designed to look like a crown! And its grooves can be secured with the horns, preventing it from falling or slipping out of place! That’s convenient! The design also plays a role in the function… amazing! Is that design on the back of the ring a snake? I’d like to learn more about that…!   And now for the face parts! Four facial expressions are included, just like Lumitea! Her lively expression makes it seem as if she’s about to start talking; it’s hard to decide which face to choose…! Which one is your favorite? Of course, the face parts are interchangeable with Lumitea’s! Be sure to see the customization examples in the second half of the article!   ■  Torso Parts Next, let’s take a look at the torso parts! The number of pre-painted parts is unbelievable! The necktie parts are painted in three colors: navy blue, light purple, and gold! The ribbon at the base of the tail and the gold parts for the lower chest are quite small and easy to lose, so be careful when removing them from the runner! I recommend putting masking tape on the parts before cutting to prevent them from flying off! The painted parts work very well, and the coloring is as good as that of a fully-assembled figure product, even though this is just out-of-the-box! The back has a hexagonal joint, so it will be fun to customize with parts from the HEXA GEAR series as well as Lumitea! Her tail is connected by a 3mm joint, and the ribbon at the base is also pre-painted, despite being such a small part! Vel-sama is so adorable!!   Also, the shoulder joints can be swiveled, so they can be turned quite a bit forward!   The skirt has a 3mm joint connection and two 3mm connection points for “Wilize Mode” providing plenty of opportunities for customization!   The tail part features joint articulation at the base and has two rotation points, allowing you to customize the pose without compromising the appearance! The demonic sculpt is so cool!   ■  Arms Parts The arm parts are disassembled into several fine parts! The hand parts are newly sculpted and designed to look devilishly sharp, which is really cool!   The gold rings on the arms and white sleeves are separately colored; this is a very colorful kit, molded in four colors!   New angled wrist joints are included to avoid interference with the sleeves! This is an innovative new design that will really help when posing her!   ■ Leg Parts The thighs have the same pop out design as Lumitea’s! When I saw the dark blue pattern on her thighs in the illustration, I wondered how it would be sculpted, but it has been beautifully reproduced thanks to very clever parts separation! Observing how the model has been assembled from individual parts is one of the most interesting aspects of building plastic models!   The legs have the same structure as Lumitea’s, so while they maintain their beauty when extended, the range of motion can be expanded by pulling out the joints, allowing the legs to bend sharply. Of course, the ankles and toes are also movable! The feather decoration on the ankle ring is also connected by a 3mm connection!   As with Lumitea, Bachi-P’s special base is included! This time it’s molded in clear purple, a perfect match for Velretta’s image! Makes me wonder what color bases we’ll be getting in the future!   One of the features of her normal mode is the large umbrella! It’s heavy, but as you can see in the picture, there are support parts that can be connected by 3mm connections, so it can be easily held up!   You can assemble it as it is without any problems, but the drill-like part at the tip of the umbrella is pretty sharp, so it will be easier to assemble it if you protect your hand with a tissue or something!   And with that… Normal Mode complete!     Devilishly cute!   You can easily see the benefits of the movable side bangs and newly-designed wrists! What’s more, the large umbrella and other features unique to Normal Mode are really fun to play with!   Let’s take a look at her side by side with Lumitea! Angel and devil… white and black… the contrast between their respective designs is interesting! Lumitea is about a head taller. It’s more fun when you have more characters, isn’t it? Lumitea looks so happy!   Customizations with Lumitea   Lumitea and Velretta have interchangeable face and ear parts. Let’s try it out! Here is a shot of Velretta with Lumitea’s smiling face and ears attached. She’s so cute… I’m blown away…! She’s transformed from the mischievous Vel into a fluffy beauty!   For Lumitea, I swapped out Velretta’s open-mouthed smile and ears! She looks more like an elf or a vampire than a devil! Velretta has several distinctive features, such as her slightly visible fangs, and her pointed ears, so there’s a big change in the appearance when these parts are swapped! I’m sure I’ll want to play around with swapping parts every time a new Dears comes out…! Of course, the other three faces can also be swapped, so users can try them out for themselves! Her snickering face is fabulous…!   Wilize Mode!   Now let’s take a look at what everybody’s been waiting for: Her Wilize Mode!   Let’s get right to it… ■ Transform!   Ta-daaaah!! Velretta! Wilize Mode!!! In Normal Mode, she had cute little devilish wings, but in Wilize Mode, she has four large wings, pointing up and down! Her skirt changes dramatically as well, expanding her silhouette! And her right leg and left shoulder are now armor-clad, so her defense seems to be pretty high!   Impressions and Further Information   My impression of Velretta is that there are so many colorful pre-painted parts that even straight out-of-the-box she looks great, and the kit will give fans more than enough to enjoy! Also, as mentioned in my comments for each section, most of the connections use 3mm joints, so you can easily rearrange the parts even of just this kit alone! Of course, it will be fun to customize the kit with M.S.G series parts or other Kotobukiya products too. I’ll put up examples of my work in a blog post like I did with Lumitea  (available in Japanese only) when I have something good! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s original Velrettas! By the way…the images in today’s blog were taken with a Toruhako, Kotobukiya’s photo booth product! The underwater background that was included was perfect for capturing Velretta’s atmosphere! It’s easy to carry around and prepare for the shoot, so I recommend it to anyone who wants to experiment with scale model photography but doesn’t have a lot of space…! Unfortunately, the lottery-based order window has closed, but we are considering offering it to the public, so please keep an eye out for further announcements. Thanks for reading all the way through to the end! See you next time!

2022.11.28

Say Hello to Emma Koishikawa!

Greetings, SOUSAI fans! This is Kameyama, the series’ Planner and Producer. It’s the second year of the series, and we’ve got a new character to introduce! I'm writing this blog for those of you who haven't yet had a chance to see the live stream or the information we shared on Twitter. Just like Madoka, Koyomi and Ritsuka, this new character is designed by En Morikura, and her name is "Emma Koishikawa." Emma Koishikawa [ST. IRIS GAKUEN GIRLS’ HIGH SCHOOL] She attends St. Iris Gakuen Girls' High School along with Ritsuka and is a second-year student. Her dream is to become an illustrator, and she spends most of her days drawing like crazy trying to become one of the best artists in the world. She really enjoys "tokusatsu" shows (like those live action hero shows), video games, and anime. She loves big, cool things like mecha and robots, and is especially fond of red dragon robots and transforming mecha. She is a darling character with hair that’s gently waved, almost like a doll, but there are definitely some thorns to her personality.... She’s very small in stature and is quite self-conscious about it. If somebody tells her that she’s “so little and cute," they’re definitely going to be getting glares from Emma for quite a while. We’ve posted a detailed profile of Emma on our official site’s roster so you can read up more about her there. (The official site is offered only in Japanese.) Click here to check Emma's profile! Rika Nagae Date of Birth: September 28 Hobbies: Making sweets, cooking, piano & guitar, watching television Skills: Building plastic models, composing, singing Agency: Aoni Production Notable roles: Frame Arms Girl/Baselard Wataten!: An Angel Flew Down to Me/Hinata Hoshino Asobi Asobase/Olivia As you may have noticed, we’ve already posted a video in which Emma introduces herself. Rika Nagae ( @rikachimalu ) will be performing Emma’s voice for everyone.     Long-time fans of Kotobukiya may recognize the name "Rikachimalu"! As a voice actress, she also performs the voice of Baselard in the Frame Arms Girl anime. One of her hobbies is building plastic models, so we plan to have her appear on our YouTube channel in the future to show off what she can do! Definitely look forward to that! Emma will be appearing in voice dramas on YouTube, radio dramas on “Onsen,” (the internet radio station) as well as four-panel mangas on Twitter, where we’ll see her and the three first-year students expand their adventures together. (Contents listed above are only available in Japanese.)   This is how things look if we line-up our existing characters. Emma's height is set at 140cm, even smaller than Madoka (150cm). If released as a plastic model, she would be about 14 cm, which would be closer in size to Megami Device models than to those of FA Girl.    Compared to the other three, Emma’s personality seems a bit more colorful and expressive. Her eyes almost seem to sparkle when she talks about her favorite things, but on those mornings that she doesn’t want to head to school, her face will get all droopy as she grumbles "I don't wanna go!” Moments like these really show off her character. I’m sure we will see many more amusing moods from her in the future, so we’d love it if you could show her your support! So that wraps up our introduction of our new, 2nd-year St. Iris Gakuen Girls' High School character, "Emma Koishikawa." But she’s not the only new character that’s coming! Stay tuned for some other 2nd-year classmates of Emma to make their appearance as well! Thanks for your support of “Year Two” of SOUSAISHOJOTEIEN! Planning: Kameyama P Character Design: En Morikawa © KOTOBUKIYA   ▼ Audio dramas are available on the Official YouTube channel! (Available in Japanese only)

2022.02.12

Commemorating the release of Lumitea! I will review the product basics!

Merry Christmas! Hello! I'm in charge of PR for Arcanadea! Today is [Christmas Eve]! How are you all doing...! ...Well, let's make a plastic model... On December 22nd (Wednesday), the first [Arcanadea] "Lumithia" was finally released ! It has been very well received, and we apologize that it has become difficult to obtain. In January 2022, we have decided to announce the reproduction, so if you didn't get it this time, please give us another chance! As such, Lumitea is scheduled to be reproduced in [January 2022]. Isn't it! This article is recommended for those who This part of "Lumitea" is amazing! point Be careful here when assembling Lumitea! point I would like to introduce you. "Yurumitia" will appear everywhere, so please keep an eye out and take a look at the points of interest ! I received Bachi-P's hot baton pass, so I would like to do my best to write a blog! ⬇ Then go ahead! ⬇ Click here for the menu on the page! Start with normal mode! Let's switch to Willize mode! Next time preview Start with normal mode! Opened! Last blog "Finally unveiled! After the Lumitea product package was released, many people responded on SNS, saying, "This box is thick from the first release...!" Lumitea is a kit that can be assembled by recombination of "Normal mode" in the body state and "Willize mode" in the armed state in one package . Especially in "Willise Mode", the wings are bigger and the armor around the suspension is increased, so the silhouette changes completely, so this amount of parts is a satisfying volume! Just by looking at it, you can see how well it fits together! head parts This is a runner with hair parts. Hmmm…. this is…! Even though he's a short-haired character, the parts are very detailed! ! ! That should be it... Look at this back hair part! In order to reproduce this three-dimensional effect, [8 parts] (excluding the base part) are also used... You can really see how serious the designer is...! There are many sharp and pointed parts, so be careful not to poke your fingers! And the part that I wanted to tell everyone how good it is! That's the ear! please look! Split this part! If there is one left and one right, it tends to be a very small part, but what a one-piece! Even those who want to customize their ears will appreciate this! We are waiting for the sample! And don't forget face parts! Lumitea comes with 4 facial expression parts! One up! What do you think! The fineness of the eyes of this tampo printing! The image of the eyes of Mr. necömi, who drew the character illustration of Lumitea, has been incorporated into the plastic model as it is! To borrow the words of an in-house developer... "There's a universe in your eyes..." terrible! I talked too much with just my head. Next! Next! body parts Don't worry about parts around the torso! The gold and white parts around the hip joints are pre-painted parts , so it's a good point that the details can be improved even with just the unassembled parts! The golden texture is also luxurious and very nice! The 4 parts on the front side of the skirt are also articulated! (Details will be explained in Willize mode!) And here is what I want to raise as a discerning point! ! Another painted part is this neck ribbon! When trying to color-code paint on a very detailed part, the size makes me a little nervous... but it's okay! The factory workers have finished it with beautiful paints, so even a "non-kneader" like me can feel at ease ! leg parts It was also introduced in the past Arcanadea live stream, [Arcanadea] Introducing the first knee joint mechanism! I will introduce the internal structure by removing the parts on the front side of the thigh! The second image above is the parts used for the knee joint. While keeping the leg lines beautiful when the legs are extended, the range of motion can be expanded by pulling out the joint parts when bending the legs ! When you bend your legs like this, you pull out the axis, so there's a lot of clearance! And your feet are amazing! In order to reproduce the standing pose of the illustration as it is, the gold on the tip and the black on the sole are color-coded. Be careful when attaching the legs! The parts around the waist are very delicate and the hip joints are quite stiff, so be careful not to damage the parts when assembling! It was easier for me to attach the skirt part by holding down the base of the skirt part as much as possible and pushing the bearing of the hip joint diagonally upwards! * This method is not guaranteed, so please try the method that is easy for you. Don't get me wrong... Did you notice the image above? That's right! I forgot the gold thigh ring! ! ! ! ! ! Don't forget everyone! engagement ring parts When talking about Arcanadea, you can't miss this part! yes! [Engagement ring parts]! This part does not have a pin to fix it, so it will be fun to fix it with a little ingenuity! There is a dent like this on the back of the ring, but if you put a kneaded eraser on it and put it on your head, it will be stable! Please try it! * Please note that leaving it as it is for a long time may lead to parts damage. display base parts The plastic model of the Arcanadea series comes with a special display base ! The base of the arm can be selected from a cylindrical type and a ball joint type , so you can use it according to your preference! It's a point that makes me a little happy! Here are the 3 images above... you get the idea... Each motif of [Seraph], [Demonic tribe], and [Phantom beast tribe] appearing in the Arcanadea series is designed! Furthermore, this exhibition base. There is also a behind-the-scenes story that Arcanadea Producer Bachi-P himself created it using CAD. You can do anything... it's amazing! and…! Normal mode complete! Let's move around a little and play! Posing with a sharp face is fun, but this "funny smile part" is the cutest and irresistible! Let's switch to Willize mode! Well, next is the true value of the Arcanadea series! Let me introduce you to Willize Mode! First of all, don this! ! ! I tried arranging the parts list when switching to Wirise mode! Since there are so many parts, the image will change completely when you transform into Wirise mode! leg armor parts (Hey, it was hard to line up...!😅) This color coding! I'd love to! I want everyone to see it! And I want you to team up and experience it! The greatness here that you can understand by assembling! I thought, "Are you going to color-code that much?" wing parts Everyone please wait! The part that many people are most interested in in Lumitea is probably the [Wings]! You can already feel the three-dimensionality and dynamism that makes you feel like you're about to take off from the runner! The number of parts is 8 parts except for the base of the connection part. I think that it may be a little small, but the movement is amazing ...! This is a point that I would like you to experience for your hands! And finally...! Transform! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Birthday! ! Lumitea! Willize mode! ! ! I think you'll be able to feel the powerful and solid feeling that is different from the beautiful curvaceousness of the normal mode! As for the movable parts of the legs, the 4 parts on the front side of the skirt are movable, so the legs have a good range of motion! The action pose is also as you like! Let's have some fun! The wings give it a great sense of depth! When I was taking pictures, I thought that Lumitea looks great no matter where you take it, so let's take a picture when it's finished! I'm sure you know how much fun it is! Next time preview I've been writing a blog so far after receiving a hot baton pass from Bachi-P, but in this flow, I have to pass the hot baton to the next person in charge...! So next time notice! Next time, Kotobukiya's [that person] will introduce an example of a modified model using "Lumitea"! Kotobukiya's in-house genius of recombination , if you say interesting examples , that person! I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of examples will pop out! It will be updated around mid-January , so don't miss it! Well, thank you very much for your long time! See you next time! Well then ~~👋 © KOTOBUKIYA

2021.12.24

ARCANADEA Blog: Lumitea Product Specs Overview

Originally published in Japanese on May 27, 2021 Hello everyone! This is Ba-chi, the producer of ARCANADEA. Did you catch the promotional video we released last week? What did you think? The warm comments we received from everyone really thrilled the entire staff here. Thanks so much! Perhaps the part that was most surprising was…   The Dears can eat food! Unlike the characters from Frame Arms Girl or Megami Device, the Dears are living creatures, not robots or Battle Hobby kits, so wouldn’t it be great if there are fun food-related episodes in the upcoming stories? Also, as you can see from the new video, they are the same size as characters from FA Girl and Megami Device, so there may be something related to this in the future…or maybe not? As suggested in some of the comments we received, it will be interesting to see battle scenes, how their real world changed after the explosion at the research institute, and other aspects of this world. We hope to bring you all that and more as things develop, so we look forward to your continued support! I’d like to bring together many of the bits of information that we’ve been releasing on Twitter and at various events, and bring you a comprehensive overview of the first release of the series, Lumitea. Some of the images are appearing for the first time here, so be sure to read through to the end!   Product Specifications   ■  About the Size Let’s start with the size. Although the model is described as NON-scale, the height is planned to be close to that of FA Girl, slightly taller than Gourai and about the same size as Stylet.   This photo gives a good idea of the width of the model when the wings are folded. Note the range of motion in the wings; they can fold over and cover the front side of Lumia (short for Lumitea). It had been a while since I last handled the paint masters of GOURAI-KAI and STYLET XF-3, and I’m impressed at how great these models still are. The overall volume, sculpt, articulation, and customizability of the new model are all on par with these; and to think that Arcanadea exists thanks to these girls reminds me of the greatness of Nouchi’s planning and Shimizu’s sculpts. (I’m too embarrassed to praise them in person, so I’ll just write it here; they probably won’t see it.) I strongly recommend building one of these models if you haven’t yet. If you build Lumia after building these other girls, you’ll be able to appreciate the techniques that were passed down to the new model…or something like that. I guess… lol   ■ Facial Expression Parts Speaking of techniques that were passed down from the FA Girl series, the Arcanadea series parts will come with four different types of facial expressions pre-printed with tampography! The four expressions we’ve created range from faithfully reproduced expressions in the original design materials to cute looks full of personality. Which is your favorite?   ■ Focus on Articulation By changing out certain parts, the model can portray either non-combat “Normal Mode” or the combat “Wilize Mode.” The Normal Mode features a simple and light design. But the most interesting point is the leg joints, which feature an all-new design! By incorporating pop out type double joints, the slender beauty of her legs is maintained when they are straight, as there are no visible joints or raised surfaces for articulation when viewed from the front. When posing the legs, the joints can extend out to provide a sufficient range of motion, allowing the knees to pose into virtually any position. So one of the model’s key points is definitely the way we’ve achieved both form and function! And while we slightly changed the model’s pose in the images above, take another look at the waist from the photo above: For the sake of clarity, I removed the parts behind the waist, but did you notice? The feather-like skirt, which extends from Lumia’s sides down to her waist, has front pieces that are independently movable! This allows Lumia’s legs to be posed in various positions without the skirt interfering, expanding your creative possibilities for posing! While it is a small point, this is the kind of detailed sculpt that you can expect to enjoy with the models of this series. I really hope that you will be able to obtain one soon and enjoy both the sculpt and articulation.   ■ Connection Points Wilize Mode is for combat, so the model wears decorated armor. The characteristic wings are also enlarged creating a striking change into a model with an overall pure, sparkling appearance.   In Wilize Mode, the number of hard points has increased making more armor combinations possible. Depending on the tactical situation, the large, decorated armor on her legs can be moved to her shoulders, for example.   As some of you have already noticed and mentioned, and as we’ve shown in some of the images, her iconic wings emerge from the magic circle on the back, and the connection points for the magic circle part and the main body use the same shape that’s in our HEXA G-R.A.M System. If the connection point on the back were to connect with the large wings—or any other upcoming parts—via a round joint, the weight of the parts could cause them to easily rotate out of position to either side, so this was an area we needed to make especially rigid. So it was necessary to create a polygon shape that would not rotate and could be firmly fixed at an angle. Since we had enough space in the design, we sort of adopted the HEXA G-R.A.M standard on the spur of the moment, as it would reinforce both strength and interchangeability. Some folks have pointed out this link to our HEXA GEAR products in the comments, but those who also enjoy the world of HEXA GEAR can rest assured. Currently there is no relationship between the two series. We just hope you’ll enjoy the even greater possibilities that this part’s interchangeability provides. As for the connection joints for other accessories and decorations, you’ll find the familiar 3mm joint that is also present in other Kotobukiya original plastic model series, allowing for great customization.   ■ Mixing and Matching I am sure many of you are already thinking of various ideas for customization, so I’m only going to share two examples to avoid spoiling the fun. As we have already shown you in some previous images of the sculpt reveal, you can simply make your favorite girl into an angel! I mean, a mecha girl in a bunny suit as an angel? She’s perfect !   With a little help from our M.S.G parts and HRESVELGR=ATER, we have a half mecha-girl design! I think stuff like this is fun! What’s more, two additional neck joint parts are included—one for FA Girl and one for Megami Device—so if you happen to have built either of those, you can enjoy customization with them as well. The diameter of the ball joint for Lumitea’s neck is the same as those used in the FA Girl series, so some characters can be swapped as they are. Lumitea’s neck is designed a little shorter than characters from FA Girl, so the neck joint parts for FA Girl compatibility are slightly longer to fit some characters.   I had Gourai’s anime version head on hand and swapped it with Lumia, only to be surprised at how natural the combination came out.   ■ The ____ can also be customized! Well, we are almost at the end, but I’ll leave you with this last pair of images. Did you notice the difference between the two? If you figured it out right away, that’s pretty amazing! You have great potential as a Dearmaster!       ・・・       ・・・・・       The answer is “ears!”   The theme of Arcanadea is “Science Fiction x Fantasy,” and there are many different species in fantasy settings besides angels and demons, right? Some species have different ear shapes, some wear ear ornaments, and going forward some may even wear earrings or cuffs that match those of their masters, right?? So, with that in mind, the Dears’ ears have been designed as separate parts. For now, due to the shape of their hair and facial contours, we can’t guarantee that all characters will have fully customizable ears, but we thought that if we could make the ears as interchangeable as possible, it would help the owners of each model to bring out their originality in yet another way. By the way! You know that cute demon-style character we revealed in an illustration we posted the other day? The one with the slightly pointed ears that have a heart decoration… They fit perfectly on Lumia, too! Keep your eye out for more images coming in the future!     So, did you enjoy our introduction of new information and images covering Lumia’s features? — Yes. — Yes, I did. — I can’t wait for her to arrive. — That’s all I’m thinking about now! To be perfectly honest, I feel the same way as everyone else does! Even I’m a little scared of handling this paint master – there’s only one in the world! ※ This photo with Lumitea on his shoulder was taken with a Kotobukiya employee who just happened to be around!   That’ll be all for today. Thanks for reading! Ba-chi   ※For overseas users, check out this page for a list of our international distributors!   ■ Check out the official ARCANADEA website! (Available in Japanese Only)   ■ Click here for the official ARCANADEA Twitter account! (Available in Japanese Only) © KOTOBUKIYA  

2021.05.27

ARCANADEA Blog: Introducing ARCANADEA, a Plastic Model Kit Series by Kotobukiya!

Hello everyone and thank you for visiting our blog. My name is Shohei Chiba, and I am in charge of planning and producing our new series, ARCANADEA. In product blogs and at hobby events, many folks refer to me as “Ba-chi,” so please feel free to call me by that name! My new project Arcanadea was announced at Wonder Festival 2020 Winter. I regret that I can’t say much about it at this point, but I would like to share a little bit about how this project came about, and what we have planned for the future. And while this is just a blog post, I would also like to share a few words from a special guest, so I hope you’ll take the time to read through to the end. Now let’s get started by showing you our first key image! As the Japanese text in the graphic explains, Arcanadea is a new fantasy-themed character plastic model kit series! In this blog entry, I’d like to tell you a little bit about how this project first started, and its overall theme. These days I’m working on plastic models of characters, but before I joined the Planning Team, I was a CAD sculptor for plastic models as a member of the Sculpting Team, and primarily helped design licensed robot-related products. After that, I helped with sculpts for the Frame Arms Girl series (hereafter “FA Girl”), and when the anime project launched, I worked on checking the show’s visuals at the production studio as well as working to promote the show. So, from sculpting, anime production, to planning and development, I’ve been involved in the character plastic model industry for at least five years. I think I probably have the broadest experience among those in the Planning Team. Among these experiences, the most important for me was the Frame Arms Girl anime. Up to that point, plastic models were just something you built, painted according to the package or illustration, and then displayed in your favorite pose. However, when the anime aired, I felt a change in the community and its culture. Not only did we have users that were plastic model fans already, but we now had fans that would pick up the hobby for the first time after gaining interest through the anime. In addition to social media, we have had many opportunities to see our fans’ creations at events and Niconico live streams. Many would send us incredibly creative pictures of their characters blending into their daily lives; photos of their characters in interesting locations they visited, cute clothes or rooms they made for their characters… We even saw a photo of FA Girl models at the Arc de Triomphe in France. Some fans made special cases to bring their creations to events, and a few even came to visit us with characters peeking out of their shirt pockets. I could clearly see that the users were enjoying the series not just as a product or a work, but also as a character, as a partner of their own. This turned into the main catalyst for this project: To create something where users could feel a strong “connection” or “bond” between themselves and their characters; something they could become more deeply immersed in. And that is what led us to the theme for this project: Will you engage with me? When one thinks of the word “engage, ” something that comes quickly to mind is an engagement ring, or in other words, a marriage engagement or contract with your partner, right? Note how the title logo for Arcanadea also includes the rings that one might associate with this theme of engagement. Of course, this word has other meanings as well! It can mean “to draw in,” “to become involved in,” and in military terms, “to fight against” or “to battle.” So just like the word “engage” itself, we want to develop this series to contain these various elements. By “drawing in” as many users as possible and for them to find captivating characters to “contract” with—whether it be to fight together or to develop a bond—we hope to make this series enjoyable in a variety of ways and become a part of our users’ lives. To launch this series, we will start with plastic models, but of course, our aspiration is to create something big enough to grow into other genres as well! While I’m a bit hesitant to say this myself, with this new Arcanadea series, we are planning on creating a world and setting on a vast scale! The main character designer who will be building this new world with us is necömi , a prolific designer of VTubers (virtual YouTubers) and illustrator for light novels, mobile games, and more! Twitter: https://twitter.com/necomi_info Tumblr: https://necomiinfo.tumblr.com/ We have received a comment from necömi, which we would like to share with you below: Hello, my name is necömi and I am an illustrator!   I usually work on character design and illustrations, but this was my first time working on a plastic model project and to be honest, there were many parts that I found difficult.   However, it was a lot of fun to develop my concepts while actually handling and playing with Kotobukiya’s plastic models, and I think I was able to create designs that are both fun and expandable!   I look forward to creating characters who will be great partners for everyone who plays with them, and I hope you look forward to meeting them!   necömi   This is the first time that we’ve worked together, and we are getting along great as many of our outside interests are also very similar. I will often make some wild or ambitious requests, but necömi always happily accepts and creates fascinating characters one after another at an unbelievable pace! In addition to the character shown in the key graphic, we’ve already come up with many other fascinating characters, and I look forward to sharing them with everyone soon! Since this was the first entry, I focused on the background and theme of the project, but in the next post I would like to talk about the project’s fantasy genre as well. Thanks for reading this post. I’ll wrap it up here today, and I hope everyone is really looking forward to our new series Arcanadea!   Ba-chi © KOTOBUKIYA

2020.02.09