TOY Mobip #7: Strike Witches Yoshiko PVC Figure - Preorder

From the Manufacturer
Imported from Japan! A new concept in poseable figures, Aoshima's Mobip line of figures use multiple ball and swing joints and molded PVC, creating a soft, easily adjusted body that can adopt virtually any pose. Plus, the clothing is molded with flexibility in mind, so that costumes do not impede the posing of the figure while conveying a sense of texture. The lead character of the anime and light novel series Strike Witches, Yoshiko is the latest character to receive the Mobip treatment. Made of PVC, she stands roughly 5 1/8" tall and comes with replacement hands, feet, clothing, hair, and facial expressions, allowing you to create the pose and the look you want. Display stand included.
Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late May 2010 at JPY3800 or US$39.90 from NCS.

TOY Final Fantasy XIII Play Arts -Kai- Odin Action Figure Preorder

Imported from Japan! Square Enix's Play Arts -Kai- figures are an improved version of their popular Play Arts action figure series. With a larger scale, a greater attention to detail, more articulation points, and additional parts, these are their finest action figure yet. Based on Final Fantasy XIII, the highly-anticipated role-playing game coming to the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 in Spring 2010, this deluxe action figure recreates the Odin summons from the new game. The chief Norse god, Odin transforms from a human-like god into an impressive horse that can be summoned by Lightning, the game's primary character. Preorders ship in July.

TOYS Obama 8-inch Plush - Preorder

From the Manufacturer
Hug him, and squeeze him, but don't call him George! It's President Barack Obama, the leader of the free world, and he's now an 8" tall lovable plush, designed by Mark Hundly. Packaged in a cute happy-mean-style blue lunchbox, complete with the Presidential Seal, this is one President that everyone can agree on - he's cute! Limited to 500 pieces. Scheduled to ship in March 2010.

Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late March 2010 at US$25.90 each. Although the production of the Obama plush is limited to 500 pieces, NCS doesn't expect any shortages.

NEWS General Updates

SR Shooting Historica Vol. 4 Announced Yujin has started preorders for the fourth Shooting Historica gashapon toys and we'll open up our own reservations tomorrow. We were surprised to see the "Legend Silver Hawk Burst" ship from the recent Darius Burst in the set since we assumed Yujin would be releasing the toys in some sort of chronological order. At least the "Flint Lock" from Xexex is in there along with the "X-002" from X-Multiply.

Winds of Change in Japanese Wholesale Wholesalers in Japan have started changing the way they do business and credit appears to be in jeopardy. In the past 20 years that we've been buying from Japan, deposits were only required for big games such as Dragon Quest VII or Final Fantasy XIII but wholesalers are now asking for deposits on all releases. We're assuming a bunch of businesses went out of business in the past year which is forcing vendors to tighten their credit terms and/or eliminate them entirely. NCS won't be affected by the change but it's a signal that times aren't good in Japan.

Wii GTI Club World: City Race - Import Preorder

From the Publisher
GTI Club World: City Race is based on the latest arcade iteration of the long-running series, and charges the player with racing a series of compact cars around a series of cityscapes across France, the UK, Italy, the US, and Japan. Everything about the game is geared towards searing speed and intuitive handling, with players tussling with CPU-controlled cars or their friends through busy streets as they attempt to be the first past the winning line.
Every stage has been designed for total freedom, with secret short cuts to find and steep hills and hairpin bends designed to test the player’s skill. Control is everything, and the Wii game enjoys beautifully balanced control systems that allow users to slide deftly around corners, whiz through extremely tight alleyways to bypass the other cars, and perform handbrake turns to shave vital seconds from lap times. In addition to the twelve cars from the arcade version, Konami is planning to add four more licensed cars to the mix, each offering different handling and acceleration balance.
GTI Club World: City Race offers two key solo options, with Arcade offering a straight replication of the coin-op, while the new GTI Quest is a tour of the world, with a series of key objectives. Multi-player elements also play a massive part in the game, with the arcade game’s four-player mode faithfully recreated via a split-screen mode and online via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection’s online capabilities. Online, the game can be played as either a straight racer or as a series of fun sub-games including Bomb Tag and football.
Everything about GTI Club World: City Race has been designed to give the player a feeling of sheer speed and total control, and users can also add a personal touch to their car via the extensive customization features in the game’s Garage section. Preorders ship on February 25, 2010.

TOY Black*Rock Shooter Black Blade Version - Import Preorder

From the Manufacturer
Back again with a new weapon - a blade as black as the darkest night. The popular character illustrated by huke is back again, but this time she is wielding a 'Black Blade' instead of the previous 'Rock Cannon'. In even more contrast to the original figure, this new version has a much lighter feel to it - as she can be seen removing her jacket with her free hand, as she stands on a much more compact base compared to before.

Enjoy a whole new side of BLACK ROCK SHOOTER. Figure is sculpted to 1/8 scale (23cm or 9.05" tall). Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late April 2010.

TOY Ikkitousen Extreme Kanu Maid Version - Import Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» The next time a barbarian stays at the Hotel Gansevoort, he might muster up the temerity to request a maid with blue hair who wields a jaw-splitting spear. Someone who'll wear a frilly white dress with a design that'll undoubtedly infuriate feminists. The dress must reveal her thighs as well as her posterior without any effort because barbarians don't like to strain their necks... or their imaginations. For her benefit, she must have a strong punch and be willing to kick like the dickens when the gratuity the brute hands over isn't enough. Similar to pimping, cleaning ain't easy.
If Kanu Unchou ever applies for a job as a maid for a barbarian guest, she might look like the waif seen to the left. The outfit is frilly enough, the hair is blue enough, and her thighs are easy enough to spot. R-Line's rendition of Kanu is sculpted to 1/7 scale and measures 24cm (9.44") tall. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late March 2010 at JPY8500 ($109).

TOY Gintama Clock - Import Preorder

NCS Preorder Synopsis
«©NCSX» Clocks with missing numbers aren't user-friendly because when it's 9:45AM and you're in a mad dash to get to your place of gainful employment, quickly glancing at the number-missing-clock might leave you guessing. The dialogue in your head might go something like this:

Self: "Did I see 9:45AM or was it 10:45AM?"
Self: "If it's the latter, I may be bidding adieu to my job"

Cospa's Gintama Clock hides numbers. It's user-unfriendly. The only redeeming quality about the clock is the artwork of the white-haired Gintama grasping a cup of concoction that looks like some kind of frozen treat. Each clock measures 25cm (9.84") in diameter and its face is covered by a hard plastic shell. A single "AA" battery powers the clock. Preorders are welcome to ship in mid-late March 2010 at JPY2500 (US$35.90).