2014 X-Plus Vinyl Figures Discussion Thread

[HBCoffin]

Hello everyone, just joined the board strictly for my newly acquired interest in X-Plus figures. I've been collecting kaiju/sofubi since 2007, though my toy collecting habits as a whole predate that mark by well over a decade. I have quite an extensive collection with a fair amount of variety between series (both mainstream and independent), but I have always focused on toys in the vein of the original Marusan/Bullmark figures vs. the more hyperrealistic toys commonly produced by Bandai. I was only recently introduced to the X-Plus line during a recent visit to a shop out of town. I was quite intrigued-the essence of hyperrealism with a level of quality like no other in a material I was familiar with-this was enough send me on a hunt for my first figure.

I managed to find myself a Diamond reissue Mechagodzilla at a local comic shop and decided to throw down the cash (was happy to find it at retail and not at a markup). This was the same model that caught my eye during my previous viewing. Unfortunately it had the lean I've read about which has plagued the majority of models on the market, but it was a simple fix. Trouble aside, I was more than happy with my purchase. Since then I've been eager to find more.

Thanks to a comment posted by someone here on this board (thank you, whoever you are), I found that Hastings carries Diamond reissues from time to time-luckily enough there's one about 40 miles out from where I live. I made a trip there earlier today and was able to find a lone 1954 Godzilla sitting beside another Mechagodzilla. I decided to go ahead and grab it while I had the chance. This thing is huge! It's unfortunate as I prefer to keep the core of my collection behind glass to ward off dust, but my current shelves (IKEA Detolfs) are too small to support this Godzilla and probably many other models in the line. I'll have to consider an alternative if I want to continue collecting these figures.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the upcoming Diamond reissues. This is an excellent line of toys and I'm just sorry I didn't come across it sooner.

Sorry if this isn't the proper place for introductions, but I figure this is probably where I'll spend most if not all my time on this board.

[mikenes]

Welcome and I am happy to know that you have joined our ranks in collecting!

[HBCoffin]

Welcome and I am happy to know that you have joined our ranks in collecting!

Thank you!

[Leunames]

Hello everyone, just joined the board strictly for my newly acquired interest in X-Plus figures. I've been collecting kaiju/sofubi since 2007, though my toy collecting habits as a whole predate that mark by well over a decade. I have quite an extensive collection with a fair amount of variety between series (both mainstream and independent), but I have always focused on toys in the vein of the original Marusan/Bullmark figures vs. the more hyperrealistic toys commonly produced by Bandai. I was only recently introduced to the X-Plus line during a recent visit to a shop out of town. I was quite intrigued-the essence of hyperrealism with a level of quality like no other in a material I was familiar with-this was enough send me on a hunt for my first figure.

I managed to find myself a Diamond reissue Mechagodzilla at a local comic shop and decided to throw down the cash (was happy to find it at retail and not at a markup). This was the same model that caught my eye during my previous viewing. Unfortunately it had the lean I've read about which has plagued the majority of models on the market, but it was a simple fix. Trouble aside, I was more than happy with my purchase. Since then I've been eager to find more.

Thanks to a comment posted by someone here on this board (thank you, whoever you are), I found that Hastings carries Diamond reissues from time to time-luckily enough there's one about 40 miles out from where I live. I made a trip there earlier today and was able to find a lone 1954 Godzilla sitting beside another Mechagodzilla. I decided to go ahead and grab it while I had the chance. This thing is huge! It's unfortunate as I prefer to keep the core of my collection behind glass to ward off dust, but my current shelves (IKEA Detolfs) are too small to support this Godzilla and probably many other models in the line. I'll have to consider an alternative if I want to continue collecting these figures.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the upcoming Diamond reissues. This is an excellent line of toys and I'm just sorry I didn't come across it sooner.

Sorry if this isn't the proper place for introductions, but I figure this is probably where I'll spend most if not all my time on this board.

I have two detolfs side by side in an impromptu "combined" case. This is an old photo (about 4 years old) so I've rearranged a lot since then, but when combined two detolfs can hold a fair amount of 30cm scale xplus. I have them displayed together with my marmit and pilot ace

[HBCoffin]

Thanks for sharing! I actually saw instructions for a mod like this just the other day. Currently all my Detolfs are just about packed to the brim with sofubi. I'd love to invest in a larger case, but living in an apartment I'm working with limited space. My wife and I are looking to move into a house within the next year if all goes well, so I'll be looking forward to that if not only to have more room for my toys (not looking forward to the moving process though).

I might just pick up a couple of larger shelves from IKEA to work with in the meantime.

[mikenes]

That looks impressive!

[HBCoffin]

So guys, i'm fairly... unfamiliar with his line, but what's the typical price range of these figures?

I'm new so forgive me for any misinformation, but I do my best to research thoroughly before I throw my money at anything.

There's two primary series I believe fall in line with the interest of collectors here; the Large Monster series and the 30cm series.

The Large Monster series, which average roughly 25cm in height pending on the character, retail roughly ¥9000- ¥12000 ($90.00-$120.00 USD) on average.

The 30cm series retail roughly ¥15000- ¥18000 ($150.00-$180.00 USD) on average.

There's others such as the Gigantic series which features larger figures that seem to retail upwards ¥30000 ($300.00) and misc. exclusives from distributer Ric Boy which feature gimmicks such as lighting effects that up the retail price of the related standard model.

As for the aftermarket prices, they only seem to go up once distributers have been drained of their supply. From there, I believe the same rules apply when it comes to collecting toys of any nature-if you're patient you can find some good deals, if you're impatient you may be losing money and in the process potentially hurt other collectors by inflating the aftermarket further.

[Viking Spawn]

Love the looks of your collection Leunames!

[HBCoffin]

Does anyone think they'll eventually reissue all the remaining kaiju from the 30cm series through Diamond (sorry if this has already been addressed)?

[Viking Spawn]

I sure hope so! I'm desperately searching for an X-Plus Megalon and Jet Jaguar!

[Leunames]

Does anyone think they'll eventually reissue all the remaining kaiju from the 30cm series through Diamond (sorry if this has already been addressed)?

If they do that, I hope the products are differentiated enough from the original Japanese releases. It would irk me to no end if Diamond reissues all the 30cm at a lower pricepoint than when I originally bought them from japan several years ago when the line was just getting underway. I don't think that's the case however...given the paint disparity between the Diamonds and the original X-Plus releases.

My ultimate hope for the diamond line is they start releasing sculpts X-Plus Japan has not done yet. Likely wishful thinking.

EDIT: Viking Spawn, Megalon and Jet Jaguar are both 25cm scale...so Diamond won't have anything to do with those in the foreseeable future, since they're only reissuing 30cm scale.

[HBCoffin]

If they do that, I hope the products are differentiated enough from the original Japanese releases. It would irk me to no end if Diamond reissues all the 30cm at a lower pricepoint than when I originally bought them from japan several years ago when the line was just getting underway. I don't think that's the case however...given the paint disparity between the Diamonds and the original X-Plus releases.

My ultimate hope for the diamond line is they start releasing sculpts X-Plus Japan has not done yet. Likely wishful thinking.

EDIT: Viking Spawn, Megalon and Jet Jaguar are both 25cm scale...so Diamond won't have anything to do with those in the foreseeable future, since they're only reissuing 30cm scale.

Understandable. I don't care if the paint differs from the original issues (unless the quality goes down significantly or it just feels "off" or untrue to the character), I just want a chance to get a hold of characters like Anguiras, Gigan, Gorosarus, and Baragon at a reasonable price.

The 25cm scale seem nice, but I think what drew me in to the line was the sheer size of the 30cm series. I might consider picking up one of the Large Monster models for a firsthand size comparison. The quality still seems top notch. Might actually be more suitable to collect these given my current living arrangement.

[Leunames]

If they do that, I hope the products are differentiated enough from the original Japanese releases. It would irk me to no end if Diamond reissues all the 30cm at a lower pricepoint than when I originally bought them from japan several years ago when the line was just getting underway. I don't think that's the case however...given the paint disparity between the Diamonds and the original X-Plus releases.

My ultimate hope for the diamond line is they start releasing sculpts X-Plus Japan has not done yet. Likely wishful thinking.

EDIT: Viking Spawn, Megalon and Jet Jaguar are both 25cm scale...so Diamond won't have anything to do with those in the foreseeable future, since they're only reissuing 30cm scale.

Understandable. I don't care if the paint differs from the original issues (unless the quality goes down significantly or it just feels "off" or untrue to the character), I just want a chance to get a hold of characters like Anguiras, Gigan, Gorosarus, and Baragon at a reasonable price.

The 25cm scale seem nice, but I think what drew me in to the line was the sheer size of the 30cm series. I might consider picking up one of the Large Monster models for a firsthand size comparison. The quality still seems top notch. Might actually be more suitable to collect these given my current living arrangement.

When it got underway (with the gargantua releases), the line was just entirely 30cm showa. So when I started collecting I knew I'd be in for the long haul since they were producing showa characters at a larger scale than had been done before. Then they branched into 25cm scale, and then they branched into hesei. The bulk of my xplus collection is 30cm Showa but I have a couple of 25cm pieces, with my only heisei being 25cm Bio Goji and Biollante. Right now I have about 32 total...the upcoming Gigantic 95 will bring it to 33.

I want more.

[Steph3dfx]

My new X-Plus figures has arrived !!!!!!!!!!







Dam 25 cm line with 30 cm Minilla, (since the ric boy 25 cm version is impossible to find alone this will do)





Altought a favorite amongst the fans, G-64 is far from my favorite Godzilla version but the X-Plus rendition is quite nice and a keeper.
My only grip is the invert tail pose, unlike the usual pose, the pressure point is at the tip of the tail so you need more space for this figure.

[HBCoffin]

When it got underway (with the gargantua releases), the line was just entirely 30cm showa. So when I started collecting I knew I'd be in for the long haul since they were producing showa characters at a larger scale than had been done before. Then they branched into 25cm scale, and then they branched into hesei. The bulk of my xplus collection is 30cm Showa but I have a couple of 25cm pieces, with my only heisei being 25cm Bio Goji and Biollante. Right now I have about 32 total...the upcoming Gigantic 95 will bring it to 33.

I want more.

Wow, with only a few 25cm pieces in your collection, do you collect all the limited variants and reissues on top of the originals? Would love to see a shot of the entire family.

Those new reissues look great Steph!

Last night I made my way down to another Hastings not far from here and came back with a nice little haul:



EDIT: I forgot to ask, does Rick Boy ship internationally or must I use a forwarding service?

[Steph3dfx]

I was so excited yesterday, I took lousy pics of my new x-plus figures. (Diamond release, G64 and Minilla, 30cm line)
So I took my Canon today and did a bit of photo editing.

G64, 89 and 99
30 cm line :





My complete collection so far :





My space is limited as well as my budget, but I just can't stop buying those damn figures.
Now I'm looking at 2nd Diamond the reissue of G54 and the just announced Diamond G62.
However I'm thinking about selling my 25 cm G62 thought.

[HBCoffin]

Great photos! The Diamond Godzilla '54 is excellent-I don't have room for comparison as I don't possess the original, but it looks great. Though I'm enjoying my GMK, I currently favor the '54-he just has so much character, and I absolutely love the texture.

When it comes to my collection, I typically go through biannual phases of expansion-I'll usually spend a few months at a time making heavy hauls then I'll take a break for a few and recover. I just recently started up again; it's unfortunate for my wallet that I came across this series now, but I'm glad I came about at the start of the Diamond reissues.

[SJM925]

For those who missed ordering form your LCS on the Varan reissue, there are 4 left in stock on Amazon at $151 and some change.

[mikenes]

There's 3 left now.

On another note, is it me or does it seem as if X-Plus will be producing a lot more of the Gigantic Series Burning Godzilla? AmiAmi and HLJ both still have it available for pre-order.

[HBCoffin]

There's 3 left now.

On another note, is it me or does it seem as if X-Plus will be producing a lot more of the Gigantic Series Burning Godzilla? AmiAmi and HLJ both still have it available for pre-order.

How do the pre-orders usually work? I was under the assumption they were running on a made-to-order system.

The Varan is also available through Entertainment Earth and on backorder through TFAW.