ThreeA Popbot TKYO InterYo & DIYs

Ah... I wonder why it took me so long to get a review done for these figures. Maybe it is that the thought of reviewing a total of twelve 12" figures being a little too stressful for my faint heart. When these figures were sold, I actually struck a deal with a friend to split them up equally. I would get the TKYOs (red suit, Yos here on) and two InterYos (OG and Ono heads), and he will get the rest. I thought it was quite an even split, since we both liked the Hornets (yellow suit) more, and for taking the Yos, I will get the InterYo (IY here on) OG head.

Later, the DIYs were announced and again, we decided to split it evenly. This time I will get the Baka and Astroboy head. At the point of sale, how the DIYs looked was never revealed. Later, when these figures shipped, we were surprised by how the DIYs were deliberately designed and fell in love. We then bought another DIY set off the local secondary market to complete our split sets. Then, along the way, I picked up 2 more IYs and traded a Yo for a Hornet. This summarizes the winding path I took and explains how I have what I have today, as reviewed herewith.

The boxes of these figures are huge, as they are packed lined up shoulder to shoulder in each box of 4. If you bought the set of 12, the 3 boxes would've been enclosed in a huge sleeve and shrinkwrapped. I wonder how my wife remained conscious when she saw me carry the huge box into our tiny little flat. Woman has a strong heart... well, strong enough to compensate for the faint one I have.

The DIYs are my favourite and so my pics are centred mostly on them. I really like how different shades of white and cream are adopted for this colourway, which is the 1st time 3A went out of their way to paint DIY figures. Normally, they would've been primed in a monotonous white ready for customization. This time though, the eye slits and mouth are painted black, and an off-white cream colour is adopted for the hair, shoes and glove fingers. All in all, very nicely done.

All these figures come donning their immaculate track suits with no weathering done. Each is equipped with a microphone and two katanas. Being in a band, I thought it was quite boy-bandish that they are all vocalists. Alas, I guess it is a reasonable deduction that band instruments might be quite a boring undertaking for a design company like 3A to 3D model and manufacture. If you are interested, I am sure eBay has many 1/6 instruments to offer...

The shoes are also something of a breakthrough for 3A, since they are made with real fabric and not cast in plastic. Even the shoe laces are individually slotted through the holes punctured through the tiny holes in the shoe, an undertaking that only the staff at 3A can perform. Really, these guys have dexterity that are off the charts and well worthy of Stan Lee's personal visit in his Superhumans show. In short, I really marvel at their craft. It has been commented that these shoe appear a little out of scale and chunky on the figures. Personally I think they are quite suitable in a funky, punky sorta way... chunky funky punky... what the...

You will notice immediately that each of the 4 in the band sports a different headsculpt. I think it is to commemorate the first four TK heads every produced by 3A to date. They are also numbered (on their singlets underneath the suits) according to their sequence of appearance. At No.1 we have the OG sculpt which was first introduced in the form of Kenshiro, Hideo, Yoji, Blanco and Negro, released in 2008. No.2 and 3 are headsculpts helmed originally by the TK Heavies Nasu, Soh and Kato released in 2009. Finally we have the Baka headsculpt that was released in 2010. These headsculpts were also announced to have retired and never to be used again in future TK releases.

There are some variations though. For example, the OG and Astroboy headsculpts come with mustachios, and there are some fancy sideburns painted on the OG's. I thought the mustach painted on the OG resembles a crown icon, much like what is often drawn in A. Wood's sketches above the TK's heads.

Interesting to note, when these figures were dropped, collectors scampered to pair up with other collectors to split the set so that they won't have to end up with 16 of more or less the same figures. Almost always, the OG head will be snatched first. This is really testament to the fact that the original A. Wood designs have always been the most liked and well received by fans. The reissuance of the OG WWRp MK2 Brambles, impending release of the WWR MK2 Bertie that was teased, the usage of the MK1 Square as Taipei and SDCC 2013 exclusives, and most recently the announcement that the OG TQ shall be the next TKlub gift, all seems to suggest that 3A is finally beginning to appreciate this fact and cashing in on it! I feel that no harm is done with reissues as it gives fans an opportunity to get something they missed out earlier on (a win-win situation), though I would attribute the reluctance of 3A to reissue OG stuff to the fact that it implies that their more recent offerings have not bested their original counterparts. Well, personally I can really see why OG stuff are almost always hotter than things they are offering today, but at the same time, I can see the company's constant struggle to improve. They probably set too high a benchmark for themselves.

And now, we move on to some colours:

You must know that the InterYos were only available for purchase through sets. Meaning, you can't buy the set of 4 IYs individually. To get them you must also buy the Hornets and Yos as a set. This is where I feel 3A is really strong at: marketing. This dangle-the-carrot-method has later been adopted as the TKlub and AKlub marketing campaigns as described in the first few paragraphs of this review.

Somehow, the Interloper colourway comprising of various shades of grey are very appealing to 3A collectors, probably owing to the fact that greyscale colourways are typically used for limited exclusives and surprise drops. Well, they are more soothing to the eye I suppose, as compared to the stark red and yellow, which really relies on personal preference. 3A knows this for a fact and tries to capitalize on it by making it unavailable for individual set purchase.

Sometimes I really wish that 3A will take a simpler approach towards sales, and just let fans buy what they want to buy without jumping through any hoops (think surprise drops) and making them buy things they don't really want in the first place... Shit is already made to order, so there won't be any losses incurred. But, a profit-oriented company will definitely not stop at "making no loss" and strive for "making more money". Such is the sad way of life.

The DIYs were only announced after the onslaught of the 12-figure set sale of the Yos, IYs and Hornets concluded. Here's a thought: If the DIYs were fully revealed and available for purchase as an individual set along with the 3 other colourways, I think most would've just gone for the DIYs alone and not have to spend so much money to acquire everything...

Almost forgot to mention that each colourway comes with a printed booklet that is supposed to contain some art work. Well, you really need the artistic sense of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo to even begin to fathom what goes on in these booklets. Only the one that came with the DIYs sports more recognizable sketches and comics done by A. Wood. Personally, if the omission of these booklets meant cheaper prices, I would've gone for it.

End of the day, I think that these figures are quite fun to have around. If you have the space for it, I think it would be rad to display them all in various different poses. Even if you are a boring guy like me who poses figures standing shoulders to shoulders, they will form an interesting and colourful backdrop lined up on your shelf.

Alas, I think I might just be keeping the DIYs and will seriously consider selling the rest. I can only hope that I manage to break even.

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ThreeA Popbot Tomorrow King Oroshi

 

Oroshi, which means "Downward Wind" in Japanese, is actually a repaint of Waza (means "Technique" apparently), a Thailand Toy Expo 2013 3A Exclusive. He is also the 1st of the TKlub, short for Tomorrow King Club, a marketing campaign by 3A. Basically, you have to buy all of a certain number of TKlub figures to be entitled to a free gift, ie. If you buy TK1, TK2 and TK3, you will only need to pay for shipping for FG (Free Gift). Oroshi is the 1st of 3 TKlub figures that will entitle you to a Tomorrow King Mook (Magazine + Book) that is supposed to contain all TK art to date. 

Some say that 3A's being nice for throwimg something free as a reward for people who bought all the figures. I think if the company is "being nice", they ought to just make the Mook (or any FG) available for purchase by people who didn't buy all TKs. Truth is, the Mook will not be available through any other official channels for purchase, so... essentially, it is a marketing strategy. Dangle the carrot and make 'em collectors buy more! Collectors are not given any option to pay and buy just the FG, even if they like it but hate the TK1, 2 and 3. This brings us to the crux of how this system will work: do you like all that 3A has to offer, or will u be forced to buy crap (a relative term, mind you) that you don't like, for the sake of getting the FG? Clearly, 3A has much to gain from this system, so perhaps it is not that they are being totally nice. They didn't have to do it? Well, only they will know whether such a system will reap more profits in the long run.

I think this marketing tactic is quite effective, probably because it worked on me! When Waza was announced, here are my thoughts:

1. New headsculpt, not bad but not much of a breakthrough, just more hair.

2. Parka again? Wasn't Kyoku supposed to own "the last of OG Oya styled jacket"? Oh! The pockets are different.

3. Standard issue swords again...

4. An event exclusive? Ok...... Glad it is something I can live without.

Then when Oroshi was announced, I still bought one. All because I wanted to get the TK art mook. As though it is not enough that fans are encouraged by the TKlub system to buy at least one, A. Wood decides to throw in some chase variant. "Make 'em suckers buy multiples so we can sell more and make more money!!! For the fun of it, cause surprises are soooooo fun!!!" he says. So grey (think Loper) and black limited chase variants were thrown in at random. Only not totally random cause 3A hooks up "long time supporters who has been there since day 1 and spent loads a money and time on 3A" by ensuring they score the chase variants. On one hand, it is nice to know 3A looks after their own, and on the other, it is a little sad knowing that I will never make it into this inner circle. I probably don't have the time and capacity to do it either. It isn't fair you say? Well... the real world is hardly fair... and for me, scoring a chase is like striking lottery. Sadly, in all my 30 years I've never had any luck with lottery so I know my chance of scoring a chase is next to zero (literally, since I bought only 1!). Alas, I have seen people who bought 3 and scored 3 black variants, and folks who bought 3 to get 3 normal ones so... I'm good.

 

Wow! A good half of the review is spent and I haven't even started on the figure yet!? Well, I wish I can just say "Oroshi was dropped on 27 March 2013 and it was shipped on time for a change" but, truth is a lot of things happened for this first TKlub release. I feel that an understanding of these things is quite essential in appreciating the figure in full. And now, the figure...

Oroshi is packed in "old style packaging", which actually meant how the first TKs were packed back in the days of Yama, Naga, etc. A simple shoe box, secured by a big piece of sticker (which is the box art) wrapped around the whole box, then shrink wrapped. This actually means that you will have to cut the box art sticker to access the figure... but fear not; armed with a pen knife it can still be done quite neatly.

Straight out of the box, Oroshi is all dressed up in his attire and all you have to do is equip him with his swords. Jokes aside, the pockets are not the only things different with the jacket. First things first, the figure sports the slim shoulder body, and so the jacket is tailored for it. Let's talk about the improvements first: this new jacket has Velcro straps for sleeve ends, a detail that I like quite a bit. Also, a wire has been inserted in the hood trimming for some poseability. Not that there was anything wrong with the old design, but this wire does come in handy. One minor issue I had was that the pouch on the back that you used to be able to find on the classic Oya jacket has been omitted; you can't slot the swords in like as though the TKs are sporting rabbit ears. So go ahead, slot 'em katanas into the belt and off you go.

The T-shirt shows a square logo with chesse like cut-outs and reads "Wish we had met last life", "The D.I.Y.S". It is usually never clearly spelt out when it comes to 3A, but a safe guess is that the D.I.Y.S is referring to the TKYO band group of 4 that was previously released (as reviewed here by yours truly). Evidently, the slim shoulder body isn't really a looker without any shirt on, but man, the articulation on the shoulders are pretty crazy. The hinges really go in almost all directions. One thing I liked about Oroshi is that the quality of joints is really good. They are adequately tight, but not too tight, and he can hold up most poses real well (not that I am really good at posing figures).

3A recently admitted that they made a mistake for missing out on the left bicep tattoo that reads "VIC40" that was shown in the promo. They declared that replacement bodies with the tattoo decals applied on will be compensated to all who bought and received the normal version. I wonder why they bother, since probably only A. Wood knows what the tattoo means, and nobody really noticed it was missing. Still, I applaud 3A for their willingness to correct their mistake. I know the same can't be said for many toy manufacturers out there (I recently had issues with Original Effect and their poor QC for Viola, and was saved only by the reputable retailer that I purchased her from... long story). I hope that with a new bod on its way, people will be more encouraged to whip out their spray cans and dyes to customize their Oroshis into the Lopers / Black Variants that they never got. Tsk...

An astute friend of mine then remarked, "so... they have a record of who gets the normal and who gets the variant?" Well... as I said, 3A did give some select individuals special privileges. Of course, while they have a list of do-gooders to distribute their candies to, surely they will never compile a black list of haters that shall never receive chase variants! ***insert evil laughter*** I digress.. my imagination always gets the better of me...

BTW, if you haven't handled 3A figures before, I strongly encourage you to strip the figure down to its bare body to feel totally like a perv and get a better understanding of how the articulation works. First, it helps prevent you from twisting the arm too forcefully by too far and eventually breaking it. Secondly, it helps you understand the full potential of the figure's articulation so you can make some dynamic poses, photograph them, and share them with the world!!!

As the blog states, Oroshi's headsculpt will "retire and never be used again"... I never thought I would say this but I actually think it is a pity since, in hand, I actually like this headsculpt. It looks like something you will see if Baka suddenly jumps up into the air very quickly, or if there is a pretty heavy downward draft... HEY! There you have it! The origin of the name "Oroshi"! ***drum rolls, smacks the cymbal***

I know what you are thinking... Eew... Purplish maroon hair and shoes...? Yucks! Well, I had that reaction too initially but like most things unexpected, they did grow on me. If you really hate them so much, they really are just a few masking tape and a spray can away from your favourite shade of green. ;)

Oroshi's forearm popped out when I was trying to pull out his glove and put his jacket on. Not a big issue, but a pretty interesting detail. This will make spraying the forearm easier if you are thinking of implementing some customization. If the tattoo had been designed to be on the forearm, I wonder whether replacement forearms will be compensated instead of the full body. Heh... well, it is what it is so kudos to 3A.

 These shots are so static... Gonna try some dynamic posing.

End of dynamic posing, and back to boring standing poses. Heh...

Final verdict? I enjoyed the figure a lot. Turns out it wasn't just a necessary expenditure to acquire the TK mook that I thought it would be. I had fun posing it with all the tight joints. If you hadn't bought yours yet, don't worry... I expect that they will flood the secondary market since rich folks out there must have bought multiples of them in hopes of doubling or tripling their chances of scoring a chase... suckers... Wait a couple of months when the hype has died, probably with the release of TKlub 2 Nage figure, and we shall see how far their prices shall dip...!

As the saying goes, the clothes make the man, and the newly tailored jacket does look really nice on the slim body. Being a black parka that is preceded only by Yama's, it adds some warmth to the sad gloom of knowing that I will never afford the Original.

Unless I strike lottery.

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ThreeA Popbot Tomorrow King Shogun

On 20 December 2012, the Shoguns were dropped on Bambaland for purchase. While there were 6 variations of the same figure dropped that day, only 3 were advertised prior to sales:

Shiho, which means "All Directions", sporting blue hues and a member of the 7 Bones crew,

Tsuki, which means "Thrust", with grey hues almost akin to a loper except with a normal skin tone, and

Gorei, which actually refers to the commands being shouted out in a dojo when sparring. He is the brightest of the 3 with an orange shirt on and fancy painted eyes on his helmet.

The other 3 variations are the DIY and Light & Shadow 2-pack that were dropped at random... Those so-called secret drops. I managed to pick up a DIY but sold it off shortly after... so I am left with the 3 that are reviewed herewith.

Adhering to the storyline that the TKs are actually clones, the Shoguns' faces are similar to the usual TKs, except that they are clean shaven with only a short pony tail left behind. This treatment of the head really makes them look like monks, and they almost always remind me of the protagonist in Avatar, The Last Airbender.

The Shoguns seem to be a blast from the past, as they sport outfit that are relatively more primitive to their TK brothers earlier released. The most striking feature in their get up is the left shoulder armour and apron that hangs waist down, on both the fronts and backs of the figures. The shoes are something new too... at least for me. They do remind me of those covered shoes that Crocs is famous for... Shirts with one long sleeve is not uncommon when it comes to 3A, but for once I felt that the design is justified: the long sleeve is on the left arm on which the armour is strapped on, so it could actually be in place to minimise abrasion. The armour is symmetrical and I have seen people flipping it to the right shoulder, but... following the argument of the long sleeve reducing friction it just doesn't make sense to me to do that.

The right arm sports a short sleeve and from the design (and promo pics), it is not hard to gather that this is the sword welding arm. The sleeve is actually longer than in the photographs here (covers the elbow hinge) but I felt that it will look nicer if it was shorter (yup don't care if the joint is exposed) so I flipped the trimming inwards to shorten it. A sword welding arm should be less encumbered, even by a sleeve, I thought...

The Shoguns carry only one weapon, which is a long sword. It is very, very long, but well proportioned in terms of width and handle length. I really like the narrow triangular section adopted for the blade, and coupled with a great paint app with gradation, it looks ready to slice someone's head clean off! I was surprised that the sword is pretty light to carry and faced no difficulty in posing them. The sword comes with a weathered sheath that hangs across the back of 'em Shoguns. I felt that the straps for the armour and sheath were kinda messy and overlapping right out of the box, so I took it apart and straightened them out... and in doing so I noticed that double rings were used where you would expect a buckle to be. It is a nice detail to use as it stays true to the archaic look of the figure.

The only modern feature on the figure are the two wires that run from the end of the sword handles. They attach on the other end onto what appears to be a compact battery pack... well... compact compared to what the Slicers are carrying. I like to think that the batteries only pack enough juice to charge their swords only once for the finishing move. I do, however, suggest not to insert the pegs at the ends of the wires into the corresponding holes on the battery pack. I did that for Gorei and the red wire got stuck... I did manage to remove it eventually but not after breaking... out in cold sweat. I swore the peg almost broke off and got stuck in the hole for eternity. Just tuck the wires into the same pouch used for the battery.

To sum things up, Tsuki is my favourite, followed by Gorei, and then Shiho... Unfortunately for me, the QC on the specimens I received are in the same order reversed. Gorei sports loose left knee, and Tsuki's left knee is really what i term near-dangling. It really limits the possibility if I can only keep him stable when his legs are straight, or when the left knee is bent to its maximum. It is that serious... Some people got their Shiho with off-centred goatee, and had to send them back to the hatchery for repairs. While 3A is A-list when it comes to remedying defects, I think they really should tighten QC further and avoid these issues altogether. Collectors will be surely be happier and I'm sure 3A will be glad to save all those time and money wasted on delivery and repairs.

I think the reason why I don't really like Shiho is because his skin tone churned up to be a pale bluish green, as though he is down with some serious food poisoning and has been throwing up all week. I bought him really just to complete the 7 Bones but at the time of writing this review, I'm really losing interest in this crew, and fast. Looks to me A. Wood's promise to complete the7 Bones within 2013 is another loada BS again...

It appears 3A has upped their game at the production front. The Shoguns were delivered within 7 months of order. They are still a couple months late but hey, they used to take 9 months for their shit to roll. I've just received Oroshi that was ordered in March, which makes 5 months, and surprisingly, they made it in time for 3rd Quarter! Frank, Nage and Pascha should be next as they were labelled as 3rd Quarter shipments too. WWRp Dropcloths, Blind Cowboy and EDOs will then follow suit and close off 2013. It's been a fairly good year... Looking forward to receiving these orders, especially Blind Cowboy!

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ThreeA Adventure Kartel Tracky Custard

I wasn't one of those who bought the original Custard that came with the Bleak figure. Needless to say, I didn't buy the Circle of Dark Natured Lab 5-pack. I guess I wasn't too keen on the Bleak, nor was I interested in a dog statue with no articulation... hell, I think I wasn't even interested in Adventure Kartel at all at that time.

Later I had the opportunity to see and handle this dog in person and man, it weighs well for a figure it's size. Somehow I always prefer figures that carry some weight, and, being made out of polystone, this dog fulfills this criteria to the utmost. Images of Tracky first surfaced on the blog I think... and it was dropped as a surprise with no warning at all. I'm glad to be lucky enough to score. Who could resist a Labrador dressed in a track suit...!?

Some people actually speculated that Tracky was released because there was excess of the labrador figures from the earlier release... To me it doesn't really make sense since 3A manufactures the quantity that is ordered. Guess it doesn't really matter. I like the figure and the only thing I don't really like is how the pouches were designed. For a dog I feel that the pouches should've been rotated 90° cause as it is now, facing side ways, all the contents will surely fall out when Custard starts running around 'em zombs and finger gang! New pouches that face up will surely beat what is given now, which really looks like leftover pouches that are recycled and just slapped on without much consideration.

All in all, nice piece. If you haven't got one and you're interested, don't pay exorbitant prices for it, despite the fact that it was a surprise drop. It is AK, so prices won't usually escalate too far from the retail price...

Another dog has been teased and this time it is a beagle. Well... think I might pass. I'm wondering now whether it is in line with what 3A does for an articulated dog to be designed and released. The best articulated dog I've seen so far is Timber that was released with Sideshow's Snake Eyes. Well, I just hope that 3A would do an articulated dog for a change, rather than another statue of a different species.

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