Space Invaders 30th Anniversary Pinbadge - Preorder

Taito's celebrates 30 years of Space Invaders this year with a few games and an expected wave of products. Preorders have already been started for water bottles and keychains. Today, Taito offers the Space Invaders 30th Anniversary Pinbadges which are made of vinyl and measure 2cm or 0.78" in height. A total of 30 different pinbadges are offered in this particular collection and we'll sort them all out into complete sets so that collector's can get each and every one. Preorders are welcome to ship in late May 2008 at US$35 per set of 30 badges.

Super Mario Galaxy Super Ball Set - Preorder

The Wham-O Super Ball has been around since 1965 and we recall the olden days when kids used to throw one or more around in the schoolyard and smack the other kids in the face with them. Those types of shenanigans probably still go on today so Bandai has announced a set of Super Balls with Super Mario Galaxy figurines inside.

Each Super Mario Galaxy Super Ball measures 45mm or 1.77" in diameter so they're roughly regulation issue size. The Super Balls that are sold in the USA are approximately 1.66" in diameter. Seven styles are on offer including one which contains a Star and another which houses a Flower from the Mario universe. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late April 2008 at US$22 per complete set of seven SMG Super Balls.

Xenosaga Ep. III Twilight Xtra Hakaku Katariki - Preorder

Bandai has started accepting preorders for gashapon aka capsule toys based on the femme fatales of Xenosage Episode III. A total of four characters are featured in the new collection but each figure is molded in an original form and a variant form for a total of eight styles as follows:

» KOS-MOS ver. 3
» KOS-MOS ver. 4
» M.O.M.O.
» Shion

Preorders are welcome to ship in late April 2008 at US$30 per complete set of 8 figures.

Clamp in 3D Land Vol. 6 - Preorder

Five more characters from Clamp's properties find themselves sculpted into miniature figure form in the sixth Clamp in 3D Land collection. From the left of the top photo and moving to the right, the heroes are:

Kentaro Higashikunimaru from Gakuen Tokkei Duklyon
Umi Ryuuzaki from Magic Knight Rayearth
Kobato Hanato from Kobato
Kurogane from Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Akira Ijyuin with a bunch of sunflowers from Clamp Gakuen Tanteidan

Each figure measures ~5cm (1.96") and preorders are welcome to ship in late April 2008 at US$53 per factory box of 10 figures.

Elite Banana Banao Massager - Preorder

Work the kinks out of aching muscles with Banpresto's battery-powered Elite Banana Massager which is shaped like a... banana. Painted yellow and etched with facial features, the massager will relieve tension, release stress, and impart other forms of muscle-soothing magic thanks to its vibrating energy.

Preorders are welcome to ship in late May 2008 at US$16 each.

Relakuma Narikiri Poncho - Preorder

A barrage of preorders for products and plushes based on the Relakuma franchise have filtered in over the past couple of days but while we'll import them for our wholesale operations, we won't offer them for direct retail sale on ncsxshop. They're the kinds of toys and miniatures that sell well in a retail shop environment where buyers can browse, touch, and feel the products.

One product we'll test for direct web sales is the Relakuma Poncho from System Service which is a water-resistant raincoat that features a Relakuma hoodie and a conventional poncho design. While we would normally target such a poncho at the pre-teen set, the Relakuma poncho is specifically designed to fit adults. Repeat: adults.

Each poncho measures 90cm or 35.43" in length from the top of the hood to the bottom of the garment. Two colors are available for preorder: A brown version and a tan variant. Preorders are welcome to ship in late May 2008 at US$25 per poncho.

Macross VF-1A 1/60 Scale - Stock Clearance

Today's sale offer: New and factory sealed Macross VF-1A toys from our original shipment dated April 30, 2002. The cardboard boxes in our warehouse still have the original UPS shipping labels on them which helps when we research origin dates and all that other good stuff.

Each package contains a fully assembled and transformable Macross VF-1A toy, a Transformation Guide, and two sheets of decals to affix onto the Valkyrie to make it look pretty. Pricing is set at US$53 which includes "free" UPS Ground shipping within the continental United States. -Photos

General Updates

Japan Back from Holiday Most Japanese suppliers returned to work last night but there's not much going on this week. Normal news flow should resume in the next few days as everyone gets back into the usual routine.

Springtime in New York City Temperatures are headed to 66° F today. The average temperature in January is about 38° give or take a degree or two. Insects will probably be hatching or emerging prematurely this afternoon since they'll be fooled into thinking spring has arrived.