Monday, October 01, 2007

Disgaea 2 Palm Figures - In Stock

Due to continued delays with our Japanese shipment of Disgaea 2 Palm Figures, we have stocked the USA version today for our preorders. The toy figures are exactly the same as the Japanese versions but the packaging is in English. Each figure is packaged in a black plastic bag which is then encased in a transparent plastic container. We will honor the original pricing of US$65 per factory box of 12 for our preorders but we are raising the price for new orders to US$70/box.

Fire Mario 50cm Statue - Preorder

Earlier this year, NCS stocked a Super Mario statue in regulation-issue red and blue plumber's duds which measured 50cm (19.68") tall. NCS espoused about how Asian households and businesses would place a Maneki Neko aka Fortune Cat near their entryways to welcome fortune and prosperity into the premises. We then compared the Maneki Neko to the Super Mario statue and made our sales pitch. The Mario statue sold like gangbusters to shops and customers around the world who wanted to increase their level of prosperity. Sort of.
Following on the success of the first Mario statue, manufacturer Wecle Ats has started preorders for a Fire Mario variant which also measures 50cm and is decked out in a white and red plumber's suit. The new Mario shares the same sweeping pose as the original and mimes the same expression. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late November 2007 at JPY19800 or US$215 from NCS. Please note that the statue will ship in a dimensional weight carton of 23 lbs and NCS recommends only shipping by UPS Ground within the US or USPS Airmail to our international customers.

MGS 20th Anniversary Ultra Detail Figures - Preorder

Konami's Metal Gear 20th Anniversary celebration continues with a collection of five "Ultra Detail Figures" featuring four versions of Solid Snake and one rendition of Raiden as follows:
» (A) MGS2 Solid Snake in blue and black outfit
» (B) MGS2 Raiden in gunmetal grey body suit with sword
» (C) MGS3 Solid Snake in black combat uniform
» (D) MGS4 Solid Snake in black Octocam outfit
» (E) MGS4 Solid Snake as old guy with white hair
Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late February 2008.

Star Wars Animated Lifesize Statue: Leia - Preorder

In the opening scene of the 1977 Star Wars film, Princess Leia Organa is a member of the Rebel Alliance and is ferrying stolen plans for an uncompleted Death Star to her compatriots. When her starship comes under attack from an Imperial cruiser, Leia hides the plans inside a droid designated R2-D2. She then launches Artoo with a robot named C-3PO onto Tatooine, a desert planet where the plans eventually reach the Rebel Alliance through an unlikely confluence of events.

To celebrate Leia and her considerable weight in the Star Wars mythos, Gentle Giant has announced a life-size fiberglass Leia statue which measures 155cm or 5' 1" in height. The Princess looks resplendent in white and the hair-donuts on the side of her head add the right amount of royal reckoning to her majestic appearance. Leia carries a laser blaster in her left hand and shows a good amount of leg in her step-gingerly pose. A Japanese version of the Leia Statue will retail for JPY238,096 (about US$2000) but we're going to supply the USA version which is a more reasonable US$789. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late May 2008 and shipping charges are expected to be roughly US$115 by UPS Ground.

Hokuto no Ken Balance Game - Preorder

Who amongst you is strong enough, agile enough, and brave enough to take hold of the Hokuto no Ken Balance Game and whip it around like a ping pong paddle? Release your grip on ego and use all of your god given skills to attempt to balance the ball that's tethered to the Hokuto no Ken fist + wrist. There's about 1.5 feet of slack on the string so that the ball will move freely as you toss the fist around. The goal is to send the ball swinging so that it gets perched on the pointed index finger of the Hokuto no Ken fist. Once perched, the ball lights up as if by magic to serve as your "prize" for being so athletically gifted. The fist measures 18cm in length or approximately 7" from index finger to wrist.
Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late January 2008 at US$15 per fist + wrist + ball.

Omaezaki Lighthouse 1/150 Scale - Preorder

Between 1870 to 1876, a Scotsman named Richard Henry Brunton constructed 26 lighthouses across the coastline of Japan to ensure the safe passage of shipping vessels. RH Burton would later be known as the "Father of Japanese lighthouses" for his accomplishments. The first lighthouse to use a rotating lens to sweep across the expanse of the ocean was Omaezaki Lighthouse which began service on May 1, 1874. To commemorate the lighthouse's 133rd year of operation, Zacca Pap has announced a 1/150 scale recreation of the lighthouse which measures 16cm (6.29") tall and houses 5 color leds to light up in green, blue, purple, yellow, and red. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late December 2007.

Tachikoma 2008 Calendar + Trading Figure - Preorder

Movic continues their assault on the wallets of the Tachikoma fan base with a 2008 calendar which is bundled with three exclusive figures. The monthly pages of the desktop calendar feature the Tachikoma in various situations that are somewhat interesting to look at. If they're not to your liking, you can make colorful origami with the pages.
In addition to the monthly calendar action, three PVC renditions of Tachikoma are included in the package - a blue regulation issue model, a rare yellow Tachikoma with racing stripes, and a cherry red model which looks like a piece of malformed jellybean sculpture. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late October 2007 at US$25 per calendar package.

Devi Gachapin & Devi Mukku TV Chair - Preorder

There's an old nursery rhyme which starts with "Little Miss Muffet..." and ends with her running away from a spider. Back in the day, the word "tuffet" referred to a little clump or mound of something. The "Devi Gachapin TV Chair" sort of looks like a green tuffet that's designed to be sat upon.
Short, stout, and yet sturdy, the TV Chair can apparently hold up a good amount of weight. We're guessing that only persons 50-100 lbs need apply since a larger individual would probably cause Devi Gachapin's seams to rupture and release its plush filling. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late January 2008 at US$20 each.

Japanese Import Outlook

NDS ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat Nintendo

Osharena Koinu DS MTO
PS2 Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor Bandai

GuitarFreaks & DrumMania V3 Konami

Jikkyou Powerful Pro Major League 2 Konami

Shinseiki GPX Cyber Formula: Road to the Infinity 4 Sunrise
PSP Gundam Battle Chronicle Bandai

Minna no Golf Ba Vol. 3 Sony
Wii Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor Bandai

Jikkyou Powerful Pro Major League 2 Konami

USA Release Outlook

NDS Crash of the Titans Sierra

Holly Hobbie & Friends Majesco

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night Sierra

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Nintendo
PS2 Crash of the Titans Sierra

NBA 2K8 2K Sports

NBA Live 08 EA

The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night Sierra

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe Activision
PS3 NBA 2K8 2K Sports

NBA Live 08 EA
PSP Hot Pixel Atari

NBA Live 08 EA

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe Activision

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow EA
Wii Dave Mirra BMX Challenge Crave

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe Activision
X36 FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage Empire

Project Gotham Racing 4 Microsoft