Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Shooting Game Historica Gashapon - New, Sets Sold Out

Yujin appeals to the shmup collective by releasing a gashapon collection which fetes the shooters we've known and loved through the years. Why hasn't anyone done this before? We're not sure but the adage "Better late than never" might apply here. The five games and their attendant ships featured in the Shooting Game Historica set are:

R-Type featuring R-9A Arrow-Head
Image Fight
featuring 0F-1 Daedalus
Gradius
featuring Vic Viper T301
Gradius 2
featuring Metarion
Darius Gaiden
featuring Silver Hawk (Note: Either Blue or Red Version)

There was an unequal quantity of red and blue Silver Hawks so we'll include either version in each set. There are no color variants for the other ships but please note that the boxed version of the Shooting Game Historica toys which are scheduled to ship in February 2008 will feature color variants for four of the ships.

Please note that there was a shortage of two ships in all of the cartons that we received from Yujin. There was not enough of the "R-9A Arrow-Head" and the "0F-1 Daedalus" ships to create enough complete sets to fill all of our preorders. We will contact customers by email within 1-2 days if we are unable to fill your preorder - there aren't too many but it still stings.

We have asked our Japanese distributors for additional supplies but we won't know if there will be another shipment available for us until the end of December 2007. As mentioned earlier, Yujin will re-release the same toys in February 2008 which will be packaged in cardboard boxes and may be viewed though this preorder link. View the NCS Photo Gallery.

Ragnarok Online USB Cup Warmer Set - New, In Stock

When engrossed in a late night session of Ragnarok Online, caffeine really isn't needed to keep a player awake. The excitement of slaying Poring and exploring the game world is enough to keep the Sandman away. However, if you're the type who enjoys a warm caffeinated beverage for that extra buzz, System Service is at your... service. Plug the cup warmer into an available USB port and then dock the included Poring-faced 10cm cup on top of it. The cup warmer keeps the beverage nice and warm with no muss nor fuss. It's also useful if you fancy a warm cup of milk or maybe a creamy mug of Ovaltine.

Dr. Slump Super DX Dekai Unchi Cushion - New, In Stock

Banpresto knows its audience. Year after year, the company publishes Super Robot Wars games, manufactures hundreds of plushes, and peddles pretty much every toy under the sun. Since Banpresto is innately in tune with the market, they've announced a very large cushion which is based on the Mr. Slump Unchi-kun character who lives in Senbe Norimaki's toilet. Measuring a massive 30cm or 11.81" tall and nearly as wide, Unchi-kun is colored pink and is blessed with a facial expression that only select members of the general population can appreciate. All preorders and new orders will ship today at US$33 per plush.

One Piece POP Neo-2 - New Import, In Stock

It seems that every time a Portrait of Pirates series is released, vendors in Japan can't keep them in stock for long. The POP toys have earned the love of fans and toy collectors thanks to the high quality of each figure and the careful attention to detail. NCS sold out of the original POP Series 3 last year but we still get requests for restock from customers around the world.

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npresto accedes to the cries of clamoring One Piece fans by re-releasing the One Piece Portrait of Pirates Series 3 figures. There's a character change in the line-up however. The original release of the One Piece POP2 figures in 2005 consisted of Sergeant Major Tashigi, Portgas D. Ace, and Nefertari Vivi but the Major has been removed in favor of the blue-haired cyborg named Franky aka Cutty Flam. The figures are sculpted to 1/8 scale and measure approximately 23cm or 9.05" tall.

Vicky & Viking Boat Model Kit - New Import, In Stock

Children and adults in Germany, the Netherlands, and Japan have been entertained by Vicky the Viking and his escapes since the 70s when Runer Jonsson's children's book was adapted for television. Vicky is a young Viking lad with blonde locks who's neither strong nor especially seaworthy but he's an invaluable asset to his Viking cohorts thanks to his quick mind and snappy ideas.

Japanese manufacturer Aoshima celebrates 23 years of Vicky the Viking by releasing a figure set (8 characters total) and a Viking Boat model kit. Please note that snap-lock assembly, simple tools, and plastic cement are required to put the boat together. The set is limited to only 500 pieces in Japan and pricing is set at JPY6000 or US$58 from NCS. New orders are welcome.

Kinu Nishimura 1/6 scale Mai Shiranui - New, ALL GONE

Earlier this year, there was a bit of a panic because Max Factory opened and quickly closed preorders for the Kinu Nishimura Mai Shiranui figure which would ship on August 31, 2007. Those who missed out on the original preorder howled that the preorder window was too short and their outrage was palpable. Repeat: Palpable.

However, the cries of a thousand toy collectors were heard and Max Factory subsequently announced a second production of the figure which would ship from the manufacturer on November 30, 2007. After waiting for months, our collective wait is over and all preorders for the Mai Shiranui figure will ship this afternoon. The cardboard boxes that held our shipments of Mai Shiranui filled up major square footage yesterday and we're glad to be shipping pretty much everything out today.

The version of Mai featured in the Kinu Nishimura sculpt by Takeshi Hamasaki is the Capcom vs SNK 2 version with fair brown hair and big doe-like eyes. Mai measures 300mm or 11.81" tall and wears a willowy red outfit which drapes well and reveals enough skin to get voyeurs ogling. She's got legs that go on for days. When Mai's done with fighting, she can sign up with the Rockettes and kick it up with the other girls.