Hello Kitty Calculator

LCD calculators are cheap. When walking through Shenzhen in southern China, a visitor may pick up an LCD calculator for about a dollar. Similar calculators are given away for free by companies with their obtrusive advertising stamped somewhere on the device. While such calculators have little value, Hello Kitty kalculators have marginally higher worth. With a simple facial structure where the eyes are almost level with the nose and a shiny patina, the Hello Kitty model draws the eye to its recognizable shape and metallic style. Unopened, the calculator looks like a candy dish but the Kitty face lid flips open to reveal a simple number cruncher underneath. In stock and new orders are welcome.

Gundam 1/12 Scale RX-78-2 Figure

For the Gundam fan who already has everything, Bandai throws a new toy figure into the holiday wish list. Bandai has started preorders for a 1:12 scale posable Gundam RX-78-2 toy which measures 59" tall and 35.43" wide. The weight of the Gundam clocks in at 35kg or 77.16 lbs. Fully assembled and ready for posing upon delivery, the Gundam toy is equipped with a shield and a laser rifle. Please note: Attractive female model standing next to the Gundam is not included.

NCS is accepting preorders at JPY333,334 or US$3500 per unit for delivery in mid December 2006. Please note this item is dimensional weight and NCS recommends shipping only with UPS Ground within the United States. Any air shipping service will cost around US$300 due to the large crate that this item ships in.

Pokemon Pearl / Diamond Plush

The latest Pokemon games for the Nintendo DS have sold impressive numbers and a number of merchandising tie-ins have already reached market. To expand the Pokemon market a little more, Banpresto has announced a new set of plushes which feature strange looking creatures including Naetoru which is positioned dead-center in the product photo. Each plush measures 15cm tall and preorders are scheduled to ship in mid-late March 2007 at US$9.50 each.

General Updates

Mai-Kinoto HIME aka My-Otome HIME Due to a late release for the PS2 Mai-Kinoto HIME game in Japan (just shipped last night), please note that this week's import shipments are now re-scheduled for Monday of next week. There's a chance that we may receive the shipments tomorrow but based on tracking information this morning, it's highly doubtful.

Playstation 3 Japanese suppliers have not finalized our preorders for the PS3 yet but an update is expected tonight. We'll post some news tomorrow concerning stock allocation and any price changes. The Playstation 3 situation is similar in the USA where North American distributors are reticent on confirming stock allocation. Although PS3 games have already started shipping, distributors still aren't clear on how many PS3 units they'll receive and be able to distribute to the market.

XRGB-3 Upscan Converter All backorders for the XRGB-3 will ship on Monday of next week and new orders are welcome. Unlike the easy availability of the XRGB-2+ in its heyday, the XRGB-3 is only being reproduced in small batches.