Welcome To Chuck's Anime Shrine! Anime Shop, Anime Fan site w/ AMVs, Anime Art, and more. One of the longest running anime sites.

 


Chuck's Anime Shrine Home Page


Anime News and Site Updates

Anime store with Figures, DVDs, manga and more

Anime Music Videos and other cool vids

Anime Art Gallery

Anime Music and sounds

Flash animations

Learn about the owner of this site. See con pics and other stuff.










 
Anime News | Anime Blog | Anime Forum | Podcast | Contests | Guest Book | Links | Site Map



Chuck's Anime Shrine Blog
Subscribe to Chucks Anime Shrine Blog  

anime blog updates
Anime Topics
Anime Figures
Video Game Topics
Gadgets
videos
Japan topics
Otaku Items
Other topics
 
Add to Google Reader or Homepage 
Add to Pageflakes 

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Ghost In The Shell: S.A.C. 2nd GIG Motoko Kusanagi 1/7 Scale PVC

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory

Finally out in the states is Alter and Vice's Motoko Kusanagi figure. This 1/7 scale figure really looks identical to Motoko in Ghost In The Shell 2nd GIG. Runs about $80 though but I wouldn't mind having it in my collection. Here's her offical description:

"Major "Motoko Kusanagi" is a fictional Japanese character in Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell anime and manga series. She is a cyborg in the employ of 'Public Security Section 9', a fictional division of the real Japanese National Public Safety Commission, as the squad leader. 'Motoko Kusanagi' is a 1/7 scale (8 1/2" tall) PVC figure and comes in a window box with a custom base for display. This is the first collaboration project between the well known production company, 'Alter' and "Vice.'"

Labels: , ,


Sunday, May 11, 2008

Gundam SEED Destiny 2: Lunamaria Hawke Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory



Here's another Gundam figure that came out last week. This is one for the sexy anime girl fans and gundam fans alike. This figure of Lunamaria Hawke from Gundam Seed is part of Bandai's Excellent Model series and as the name states, its an excellent figure. It's a 1/8th scale figure so it stands roughly 5-6 inches tall. I might add this one to my collection as well. Didn't think Bandai did the whole cute anime girl thing but they do and like the Gundam figures, they do it well.

Labels: , ,


Saturday, May 10, 2008

Sengoku Rance: Suzume 1/8 Scale PVC Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory

Not too long ago, this simply gorgeous figure of Sengoku Rance's Suzume went for pre-order and she is definitely going to be part of my personal collection. Made by the masters at Kotobukiya, this 1/8 scale figure also is a bit of a cast-off too. Won't be out in the US till late October so I guess I got myself an early birthday present. Check out the pics below and you'll see why this figure is a must have.

Labels: ,


Friday, May 9, 2008

Gundam 00: Fix Figuration Exia Gundam Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory

Just released last week in the US is this Exia Gundam by Bandai. This work of art is a 1/144th scale figure of the famous Gundam from Japan's top series as of this posting date. Like others in this Bandai line figures, you also get different weapon and hand configurations to pose the gundam in lots of cool ways. Not bad for a $40 Gundam.

Labels: , ,


Sunday, May 4, 2008

Haruhi Suzumiya: Figma Mikuru Asahina Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory

If you thought the Yuki Nagato Figma figure was great, here's some pics of my personal favorite of the three Suzumiya girls, Mikuru. the figure I believe is already out in Japan or going to be in the next month or so. Here in the states though we have to wait till August or September. The Figma figures are just great the way they can be posed in many different cool poses. Even funnier when you pair them up with the other figures as you can see with Mikuru. She's definitely being added to my computer desktop here.

Labels: , ,


Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Ikki Tousen: Cerberus Ryomou Shimei Black Maid Outfit

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory


Uart does an amazing job with this 1/7th scale figure of Ryomou Shimei. Scheduled to arrive at my dealer's on Friday, I'll probably snag a few of them. Hopefully the paint job on the mass productions are just as good looking as the pics here. Uart has a good track record and their figures tend to be just as good as Good Smile Company's. She'll probably go right next to my Fighting Sonsaku piece.

Labels: , ,


Monday, April 28, 2008

Vocaloid: Miku Hatsune 1/8 Scale PVC Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory


Set to arrive in the US in November 08 is the beautiful Miku Hatsune figure by none other than Good Smile Company. If I'm not mistaken, pre-orders of this figure in japan has sold out and for all good reason. Miku is at the moment one of the most popular anime characters in Japan and she's found in many different commercials, specials and the like. Provided are some images from my product dealer. I'll be sure to keep one for my self along with the Nendoroid version too ^_^.

Labels: , ,


Saturday, April 12, 2008

Beat Blades Haruka Takamori 1/8 Scale PVC Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory


Check out this 1/8 scale figure of Haruka Takamori from the hit adult series, Beat Blades Haruka aka Choukousennin Haruka. This one is created by Alter and will run you about $85. For us here in the states, unless you buy from overseas, it won't be here till late October. I too would love to add in in my own personal collection. It's just beautiful and I guess I can wait. I will be putting it in the store for pre-orders if you are interested. For now, just oogle over these pics.



Labels: , , ,


Sunday, March 16, 2008

Ikkitousen Kanu Unchou Dragon Destiny Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory



Here's an extra treat for today. Here's some pics of the best Kanu figure to date. This one is not available in the states nor is it ready for pre-order as of this post but once it is, you can bet I'll snag one for myself. This is a work of art in all aspects and in price. At about 20000 yen or roughly $190, she'll cost a bit. Thanks to Danny Choo for originally posting about this amazing piece.


Labels: , , ,


Huge US Anime Figure Release...and More

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory

Hi everyone! Really sorry for the delay in messages. This post will explain a bit why. As of a few days back my anime dealers just noted to me that a huge range of high anticipated figures came out for the US market. These figures include the Freeing Haruhi Bunny figure, Freeing Mikuru figure, the new Figma Yuki Nagato figure, El Cazador de la Bruja Nadie figure, the new Yamashita Petra figure..... you get the picture. Its March Madness if you own an anime biz like I do so I've been busy 0_o.... Also I still work a 9-5 job on a part-time basis (hopefully gone for good by Sept ^_^) and lets not forget my health marketing company that's soon to release a revolutionary water drink that can basically the closest thing to a Final Fantasy Elixir in all respects (no joke). For the meantime, check out these pics of the newest figures to arrive in the USA and expect to see updates in the store too.







Labels: , ,


Monday, March 10, 2008

Ikki Tousen Sonsaku Hakufu Cerberus Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory



Here's a great Ikkitousen figure; the Black dressed Sonsaku Hakufu Cerberus figure by UART. This recently arrived in my store this week and I its worth talking about. This figure of course looks great from every angle and is actually rather large. The box is about 14 inches long and the figure is roughly 9-10 inches tall. I wasn't able to keep any that I got in my first shipment since they sold so fast. The pictures you see are the stock photos and I'll gladly do some pics of my own once I can snag one. If you are a fan of Sonsaku, this figure won't disappoint. From what I can tell this is not a cast-off figure but that doesn't matter. There's a bit of fan service in this one from certain angels if you are into that. As you can see from the pictures, the figure looks smooth and fine-tuned, just simply great detail. The only negative I can find might be her teeth. Her eyes, face and body are definitely Sonsaku and thus will be on my display some time soon.





Labels: , , ,


Monday, March 3, 2008

Tifa Lockhart Version II Resin Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory



Got some more Tifa goodness for you all. Since 2002 I've had the luxury of having this Tifa figure as the centerpiece above my computer here before me. This one is the version II model that came out all the way in 1997 and is in my opinion the best looking Tifa figure to date. The this about it is that it is made of resin which compared to PVC is much more fragile. I recently purchased the Aeris (Aerith) model from the same line but she died... I mean got busted along the way because of how fragile resin can be. Above and below you can see pictures I took with a photo tent and my Kodak Easyshare camera. Expect a figure gallery section soon that will show off some of the figures I kept for myself. This one and Mirei being my favs. I also have just took pictures of the resin Yuffie figure that stands right next to Tifa on top o f the computer desk. That'll be for a future post.

Also, I do promise to make better pictures than these. They are ok but can be much better.

Labels: , , , ,


Sunday, March 2, 2008

Yamashita's Arisa Figure To Get An Encore

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory



Shunya Yamashita's Arisa figure was a huge hit here in the US and in Japan. It's become very tough for even anime store owners like me to get one. Good news is that Yamato is making a new Arisa in the form of a color variant. She won't be out in the US until late July or so. Which Arisa do you like better? The first one or the newer one? More on her here.

Labels: , , ,


Sunday, February 24, 2008

Wonfes 2008, Anime Figure Fanatics Rejoice

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory


As many of you might know, Wonfes is just about over and if you are like me, stuck in the still anime-starved-states, you'd wish you were down there. This is the perfect place to view all the upcoming figures from companies like Good Smile Company. To keep up to date with all the cool stuff, check out Japan's top blogger, Danny Choo's site as on all the great pictures...well, actually looking at New York time compared to Japan time, things are ending or just ended a few hours ago. The picture above also via Danny Choo. Expect more figure posts soon as more cool stuff eventually comes to the US.

Labels: , , ,


Saturday, February 23, 2008

Final Fantasy XII Artifacts Gabranth 1/1 Helmet

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory


The instant I saw this item displayed by my dealers, my jaw dropped to the floor. Of course I was amazed by the $999.99 price tag. I've never even sold a Swarovski crystal worth that much, let alone a videogame item. Final Fantasy XII fans have already seen Square-Enix come up with wallet emptying figures (in a good way) but this one takes the cake. This helmet which is a wearable (I believe) 1/1 scale was made from FRP fiber reinforced plastic utilizing the CG data from the game. Its exact to Gabranth's helmet more than any other prob ever created. I'm a big fan of anything Final Fantasy but if I get this for myself too, I'll probably not go cosplaying with it. I wouldn't want to lose or damage this one. Check out more info on it here.

Labels: , , , , ,


Gorgous Art of Shunya Yamashita Karin Bust

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory


Wow! Not since Shunya Yamashita's Mirei-San have I've seen a figure this beautiful. As most of you know I'm a big fan of Yamashita's work. Collected many of the recent figures my favorites being Shii, and of course Mirei-San; she sits right on the right end of my desk. This one will be on the left side. As you can see from the images, this one captures Yamashita's signature cute and erotic look. The blue-purple hair, the tribal tattoos are a perfect balance of sexy and violent strength that only Japanese artists are able to create. Check out some more info of her here. As for now, enjoy these pictures.

Labels: , , ,


Saturday, February 16, 2008

Shunya Yamashita's Revoltech Fraulein Pocco Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory



Some of you might be familiar with the Revoltech Fraulein line of figures. These are Kaiyodo's newer line of jointed figures that are intended to be just as artistic as the non-jointed pvc figures. One issue with jointed figures as one could guess is that the ball joints usually take away from the beauty of the figure since they tend to be eye sores. Most American figures suffer very badly from this and also a few of the Japanese figures too...mainly the cheap ones manufactured in China.

The Fraulein line recently released the Rei Ayanami figure and the on mentioned here is the Pocco figure. What's so great about this one is that its designed from a character by the famous artist Shunya Yamashita. If you are familiar with his Arisa, Mirei-San and Sera-Chan figures or his work in general (like I am), this figure would excite you. Sculptor Enoki Tomohide managed to keep Shunya Yamashita's cute and sexy theme.
Like the other Revoltech figures, she comes with 20 points of articulation and accessories to pose her in many different form. These sure beat those wooden human model figures used by artists. Check more details on her here.

Labels: , , ,


Thursday, February 7, 2008

The Rest of the Haruhi Suzumiya Bunny Figures

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory


Got some great news. As of yesterday one of my dealers opened up pre-orders for the remaining Haruhi Suzumiya bunny figures for their statside release. Already as of next month or in April the Freeing Haruhi and Freeing Mikuru are coming to America. The rest of the figures, Yuki and Tsuruya are set to arrive sometime in July-August.
If you haven't heard about these figures, they are made by a company called FREEing and they are rather large 1/4 scale models of the Haruhi Suzumiya girls in bunny suits. They also have certain "squishy" parts too along with very delicate (and real) fishnet stockings. There size and quality is what makes them rather high in price at above $100. If anyone is interested in pre-ordering, check them here. For some pictures of them, check them out above and below this post.

Labels: ,


Saturday, December 22, 2007

Shuraki: Rize 1/8 Scale PVC Figure up for US Pre-orders

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory


Shuraki figures continue to amaze us here. The newest one to the bunch is Rize. Like the other figures this is an amazing anime cast-off figure. It's a 1/8th scale piece so it measures about 7 inches tall. It recently got announced that it will be coming to America in late June; April in Japan of course ~_~. Once I saw the figure on dannychoo.com I knew I had to get this one too. I do have this one available for pre-order here in my store but don't be surprised if they get back-ordered. Already all of the Needa figures have been sold-out for the first batch to reach the states. Red and Good Smile Company hit their mark with all of the Shuraki figures. I can't wait till more come in ^_^



Labels:


Thursday, December 6, 2007

Shuraki Needa Schuetlitch Figure coming to the US

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory



Just pre-ordered a bunch of these for the store. One of my anime dealers notified yesterday that this great 1/8th scale cast off figure of Needa will be coming to the US by the very end of April. Like all the other Shuraki figures, do expect this one to sell out very fast. There is even a limitation to what anime stores could buy! Not such a surprise for yet another work of art by Shunya Yamashita .

This one is rather unique with the war torn clothing and gun. After seeing photos of this figure on DannyChoo.com a while ago, I got to see how gorgeous this figure really is and yes I know some of you will also like the cast-off feature of course ^_^;

You can pre-order her here or wait till she comes to the US coast... if you are in the US.

Labels:


Thursday, November 29, 2007

1/1 Anime Figure Convention in Akihabara

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory


Starting December 2 and going all the way to December 14th in the Tokyo Anime Center in the otaku district of Akihabara, doll creator Paper Moon will be hosting an anime figure party. They will have on display 30 1/1 figures ranging from characters like Rei and Asuka from Evangelion, Saber from Fate/stay night, Sakura from Sakura Wars, and Al from Demonbane. They will even have some for sale at 200,000 to 480,000 (about $1,800 to $4,500). More reasons why I want a house in Japan.

As per Anime News Network

Labels: ,


Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Freeing Haruhi Suzumiya & Mikuru Figures Heading to the US

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory



For a while now these figures have been in Japan but I'm glad to say that these are both are finally coming to the states. If this is the first time you've heard of these figures then here's what makes them rather different than most other figures:
Made by FREEing these detailed beauties of Haruhi Suzumiya & Mikuru Asahina from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya are 1/4th scale figures. That means they are rather large at about 12-14 inches in height. Also, their fishnet stockings are indeed real (and very delicate) stockings.
Chances are they are going to sell fast but not for this x-mas season unfortunately (unless you want them shipped from overseas) . They are set for a late March, early April release. Harhui can be pre-ordered here. Mikaru here. Chances are I'll keep one of each for myself ^ ^;

Labels:


Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Revoltech Fralein - Evangelion Rei Ayanami PVC Figure Vol. 1

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory

The Revoltech figures are something else. This figure is that of Rei Ayanami who is of course from the hit series Neon Genesis Evangelion. Like other Revoltech figures from Kaiyodo, they have multiple points or articulation, but this one has the new E.L.F. concept giving it a more lively look and feel compared to most other jointed figures. Since Rei is wearing her body suit, this aids in covering the ball joints. It just has that lively look like many of the static figures have. This is a Volume 1 figure so expect some more from this line. She doesn't come state side until mid Feb 08 but you can pre-order her here. Check the Kaiyodo site too as the come up with more from the E.L.F line.

.



Labels: ,


Friday, November 2, 2007

Yuki Nagato Swimsuit Version PVC Figure

My Zimbio Arts & Entertainment Blogs - Blog Catalog Blog Directory

Another great Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya figure. This one is a swimsuit version of Yuki Nagato made by Alter. Saw it first on Dannychoo.com yesterday and as of last night I was able to pre-order a bunch through my dealer for the store. As you can see it looks simply amazing in detail and I'm expecting this to be sold out both in Japan and in America very fast. Yuki figures sell out very fast compared to the other figures. Personally, I prefer Mikuru and Haruhi over Yuki but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't keeping one of the figures when I get them. They are not in until mid-late April here in states, which is usually the case but we can wait (sorta).

You can pre-order her here but don't be surprised if they get sold out before arriving.