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[Zombine]

Thanks to Snaku from ActionFigureGAF:

HEADS UP FOLKS!! I have received some feedback regarding the restrictions imposed on Bandai from selling their Star Wars kits outside Japan. Apparently the directive and pressure is from Disney themselves, and not from Revell or any other party as indicated from other forums and posts. In fact, Disney may be beginning to apply pressure on other Japanese Manufacturers involved with Star Wars merchandises to restrict their sales to only within the country, and may include other items such as PVC figures, statues, toys, etc etc. Hence depending on the company's agreement with Disney, we can expect more stuff to get pulled out of the overseas market later. I can't reveal my source due to legal reasons but I can tell you they are dependable - and very worried about their sales and profit margins. In the event this rule is applied nationwide (since I still see a few shops selling them) the only option is to get Kit Hunters from Japan to get them for you. Look for my notes section to see who these people are. If you are residing in Japan and not affiliated with any shops there but are willing to help, please let me know and I'll include your contacts there.

UPDATE: Apparently I just found out the original contract between some of these manufacturers and Disney did state that the merchandise were indeed for sales within Japan only. Somehow these got through to online shops that didn't know about this rule. So now we have a lot of very unhappy vendors there as well as very unhappy fans outside Japan.

UPDATE II : I have been asked to list down all the effected merchandises. Unfortunately I don't have a list given to me. The only ones I know for sure were the Bandai kits since I am more into model kits. But if you were to look at Hobby Search's Japanese site and compare it to the English site, you can already see some of the things not model kits related there (at the Japanese site) missing from the English site. As for other brands like SH- Figuarts, Kotobukiya, etc etc, I have no idea if they too will be effected. I was only told Disney is applying some pressure to have these Japanese Manufacturers comply with their agreement

Well...this really fucking blows. For the uninitiated, Hasbro holds the primary toy license for Star Wars in the US, and with that they have been notorious for cheaping out on the materials and sculpts that they use for their figures. Then, along came Bandai and they started to hit home runs left and right. For example:

Hasbro:

Bandai SH Figuarts:

The difference in quality is night and day, and I was willing to pay a premium for the better looking figures. Amiami.com has since removed their preorders for all Bandai Star Wars figures, and it doesn't look like they're coming back.

 

[Infinite]

Wow that really blows. Disney gonna Disney.

 

[Banjotanooki]

What a great time to be living in Japan.

 

[Saya]

Wow! The Bandai one looks amazing and the Hasbro one likes a cheap Chinese knockoff.

 

[Slayven]

Well Figurarts always above the stuff stacked 10 on a shelf.

I am sure they will have a "Legends" or whatever version for 75 bicks too.

 

[Jaeger]

What fucking bullshit.

 

[Scavenger]

Fuck off Disney. I want the Boba Fett model kit from Bandai.

 

[KoruptData]

This affect Sideshow Hot Toys?

 

[Usobuko]

Cultural dominance.

 

[NEO0MJ]

This affect Sideshow Hot Toys?

Hot Toys is in Hong Kong, and I'm sure Sideshow will do all it can to get them to the states.

 

[Jaeger]

Habros toys are total garbage now. I don't want them and you can't make me buy them Disney. Its time for fucking change. With your nonposable ass pieces of plastic turd.

 

[Can Crusher]

I guess Hasbro just thinks they are making toys for kids but Bandai has a different audience.

 

[HazySaiyan]

Yeah good luck enforcing that one. It may get harder to buy stuff but it won't be impossible.

This affect Sideshow Hot Toys?

Well Hot Toys are from Hong Kong and they're in a different market anyway so it won't be affected.

 

[Rootbeer]

I do not yet believe this is entirely true, and if it is in fact true it seems to only impact model kits not figures. So let's tone down the speculation and hearsay. We already know that lots of Japanese-made items for Star Wars and Marvel are hard to get in the USA unless you go through import retailers so this is not new and has been ongoing for a long time. You can still order the Star Wars Figuarts on amiami.com to a USA address, for example. Some are saying these new stricter enforcements only impacts sites like Big Bad Toy Store which sell import items which may be true, but again we need some more solid information. Also BBTS is still taking orders on some SHF Star Wars items such as the Biker Scout. The post in the OP has no sources or reference links about this and comes from a facebook post with nothing to substantiate it.

Amiami.com has since removed their preorders for all Bandai Star Wars figures, and it doesn't look like they're coming back.

It's not true, they are still listed. Figuarts Obi Wan is on still there for example. Most others are just sold out because they sell fast.

I've read that if this is true it is currently regarding model kits not figures... so far? It might be too early to know for sure just yet


Anyway, this entire ordeal is bullshit of the highest order and a slap in the face of the loyal customers who are propping companies like Hasbro up. They act like just because you import a few items here and there that you aren't also buying Hasbro items. It's not true, most people buy both if they are importers. This is only hurting the fans. If this comes to pass we need to get organized. Social media can accomplish a lot these days. Time to leverage it.

 

[Haloid1177]

Lol the Hasbro Kylo is better than the Figuarts one anyway. Stupid hard plastic robes kills articulation. Should have used Luke as an example.

So does this mean BBTS won't carry them but I can still order from AmiAmi or HLJ?

 

[Jaeger]

Lol the Hasbro Kylo is better than the Figuarts one anyway. Stupid hard plastic robes kills articulation.

What? You seem to didn't even GLANCE at the figure by the sounds of this.

 

[vagabondarts]

This really sucks for importers. Hopefully it's not actually happening. In the force Friday thread, several people preordered the Kylo Ren and the stormtroopers...

I think the biggest loss would be missing out on those sweet model kits

 

[Faiz]

Not terribly surprised.

Still terribly disappointed.

 

[Big Dog]

Saw this discussion about Bandai model kits yesterday. Was hoping this wasn't true. Now other companies have no reason to make higher quality products in their regions. Bummer.

 

[Roders5]

Does anyone here have any of the bandai spaceship model kits? I was thinking of buying them, guess I shouldn't wait too long.

 

[Dr_Boris_Goltz]

Post more comparisons!

 

[Shiina]

Speaking of Japanese SW merchandise

 

[LiK]

gonna have to find online import sites who are willing to circumvent this. there should be some out there. kinda sucks Disney is doing this.

 

[Vanillalite]

People should be less pissed Disney is blocking things (duh!) and more pissed Disney went with Hasboro in the first place.

 

[Tizoc]

Speaking of Japanese SW merchandise

I need this....

 

[matt360]

What a great time to be living in Japan.

Yup. Time to set up shop.

 

[Samus4145]

So we should expect to see cancelled pre-orders?

 

[Fmal]

I'm surprised Hasbro cares. Aren't most Figuarts like $60+? Nobody is going to buy their dumb kid a $60 toy for them to chew on when they can go to Target and grab a shittier, cheaper version instead, and any adult that still collects toys is probably obsessive enough about it to the point where they'll buy both Hasbro and Bandai stuff just to complete their collection.

 

[Subterranean]

This better not affect me getting my Kylo Ren I already ordered from Japan.

 

[PdotMichael]

Well, the Hasbro one looks like toys for children. I'm shocked!

 

[sixteen-bit]

That's a shame.

 

[Kenshin001]

Is this a good business opportunity for someone living in Japan?

 

[Werewolf Jones]

omfg. Just release it internationally then.

 

[NEO0MJ]

People should be less pissed Disney is blocking things (duh!) and more pissed Disney went with Hasboro in the first place.

You wanted Mattel to handle it?! Madness.

 

[Snaku]

So far it seems just Bandai's 1/12 scale models have been removed. Hopefully the SHFs remain available.

Wow! The Bandai one looks amazing and the Hasbro one likes a cheap Chinese knockoff.

There really is no comparison.

 

[WadiumArcadium]

Habros toys are total garbage now. I don't want them and you can't make me buy them Disney. Its time for fucking change. With your nonposable ass pieces of plastic turd.

If you think the Black Series figures are non-poseable you obviously have no idea what you're talking about.

 

[Snaku]

If you think the Black Series figures are non-poseable you obviously have no idea what you're talking about.

To be fair, once you've played with a Figuart, the Black Series feels pretty non-poseable.

 

[Buddha Beam]

Some of Japan-GAF gonna make some bank on eBay if they play their cards right.

 

[Rootbeer]

There's still lots of star wars import items from Bandai on amazon.

If they really cared about stopping imports amazon can't be ignored as it's gotta be one of the biggest sources and also offers a path of least resistance (makes it super easy to order from any company around the world seamlessly and without currency conversion to worry about)

 

[WadiumArcadium]

To be fair, once you've played with a Figuart, the Black Series feels pretty non-poseable.

They're still not 'non poseable' though. You pay more, you expect a better quality product.

 

[Brianimaniac]

A Figuarts Kylo Ren is more than double the price of a Black Series Kylo Ren. No shit it's that much better when you pay that much more. Figuarts are 6" toys that cost $50. If that appeals to you, great, but Hasbro isn't going something wrong by going for a more mainstream audience with a $20 product.

I'm an adult that likes action figures, but damn. It's getting to the point where toy companies are actually being criticized for making things a kid might be able to get. That's so backwards.

 

[Snaku]

A Figuarts Kylo Ren is more than double the price of a Black Series Kylo Ren. No shit it's that much better when you pay that much more. Figuarts are 6" toys that cost $50. If that appeals to you, great, but Hasbro isn't going something wrong by going for a more mainstream audience with a $20 product.

Figuarts Kylo Ren was available for preorder on AmiAmi for $39. Less than double the price of a Black Series figure, but I'd argue that Hasbro is vastly overcharging for their BS figures. They come with almost no accessories, the paint apps are abysmal, the soft goods when used are a joke, character likeness outside of aliens and droids is atrocious, and the articulation is pitiful. SHFs may cost more, but I feel like I'm getting my money's worth. I always feel like I've been ripped off when I buy a BS figure.

 

[Brianimaniac]

Yeah, I'm totally off-base because there was a pre-order where you could get a Figuarts for one dollar less than double the price of a Black Series.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Hopefully this doesn't affect Figuarts. I really want the Phasma figure.

 

[Rootbeer]

Disney and/or Hasbro better start putting out high end figures if they want to block off the Japanese market from western buyers. I like Black Series and sometimes they can hold up to a Figuarts but in most ways they can not, especially paint apps which are very important on a figure. Elite Series is a joke compared to Figuarts too. They might look nice in the packaging but just wait until you open it up and try to pose it around. For an Adult Collector line it's an embarrassment.

 

[Seductivpancakes]

Hasbro's Kylo Ren's lightsaber looks like shit.

 

[CadetMahoney]

Is this a good business opportunity for someone living in Japan?

the real winners are the corps, dey be like:

1 manufacture artificial scarcity

2 idiots fall for it and start scrambling and hyping up demand for the products

3 profit

 

[onadesertedisland]

Hasbro does the same thing with Transformers. US gets cheaply painted versions, while Japan gets extra articulation and way better paint and plastics.

 

[Wanderer5]

I guess I see regarding Phasma figurearts. Least the black series one looks decent still, but if I get a good chance with the figurearts one, think I be willing to throw in extra dough for what will very likely still be a nicer figure.

 

[Wubby]

As far as I can tell this so far just really effects all of the plastic model kits from the new Force Awakens movie and not stuff from the older movies (or figures for that matter).

Probably Disney had to do after complaints from Revell who holds the model kit license for the States and is making their own line of (honestly relatively crappy) kits.

I will know a lot more in a few months...