The 5 Most Promising Figures From Winter WonFest 2013

Chariot Black Rock Shooter Nendoroid

I didn’t like this winter’s WonFest (Wonder Festival) 2013 very much. From companies that weren’t ready and showed mostly cardboards with pictures, to tons of figures that weren’t painted yet, to companies that keep producing rehashed figures of the same brands. Not to worry though. These faults made the best figures around all the more attractive, and I’m here to offer you my pick for the 5 most promising figures from WF2013. Plus a couple of extras!

Demon King (Good Smile Company & Kotobukiya)

Our first figure is in fact a duo! The demon king (maou) Nendoroid from Good Smile Company and the demon king 1/8 scale figure from Kotobukiya. Both example the demon king’s cuteness and her other…assets. The Nendoroid has no release date or estimation as of know. The Kotobukiya figure will be released “in 2013”. A small sign set alongside the figure stated that “the prototype model creation process is currently at 70% “. To me this seems to mean that after they apply colors it’ll be ready to go.

Maou3 Maou4
maou1 maou2

 

Chariot with and her Merry tank Nendoroid (Good Smile Company)

Also from Good Smile Company comes the Chariot Nendoroid – the next addition to the well-received Black Rock Shooter TV Nendoroid series. Chariot comes with her “tank” (looks more like a spider to me). The colors and design are spot on and I can’t wait to get my hands on this little beauty. It’s high time that Chariot and Strength receive some well-deserved attention (more details on Strength below). Chariot’s release date is TBA.

Chariot Black Rock Shooter Nendoroid

Fate/Zero Lancer and Fate/Zero Archer 1/8 Scale Figures (MegaHouse)

Remember when we first saw Fate/Zero’s rider during MegaHobby Expo Autumn 2012? Well, rider was released this month and now we have a glimpse at the upcoming lancer figure that we’ll be able to add to our collections in late May. You can preorder it now. Frankly, it’s quite baffling to see how much time it takes to make one of those. I’d have thought the market will be overrun by Fate/Zero figures by now, but by and by Saber is the only one getting some (pun intended). MegaHouse’s lancer (Gilgamesh) figure is still in the pipeline and while it was shown this time around it might take some time before we’ll get to see it on store shelves.

Fate/Zero Lancer Mega House Fate/Zero Lancer Mega House2
Fate/Zero Archer Mega House Fate/Zero Archer Mega House2

 

Other Honorable Mentions

In this bonus part I’ll address some figures that deserve an honorable mention but didn’t quite steal the show.

Belldandy with Holy Bell

I never cared much for the Oh My Goddess! franchise. But credit where credit’s due – this 1/10 scale figure of Belldandy is impressive. The details are stunning and the color scheme (while risky for an anime figure) show a lot of respect for the source material. Why is it just an honorable mention then? Well, I already said I don’t care much for the franchise, plus at 1/10 it’s not that big and it costs a whooping 19800 yen ($211 as of today). If you must have it you can preorder Belldandy here (the figure comes out in August). I for once will be saving my pennies (well, yens actually) for something a little more affordable.

Belldandy with Holy Bell

Ultra Detailed figures of Link and Mario by Medicom Toy

I’ve previously wrote about the Ultra Detailed Link figures from Medicom Toy, and it seems some Mario figures will be joining them soon. They aren’t an impressive set by any means (they won’t be the centerpiece of your collection, that’s for sure) but I’m fairly certain these will sell their fair share in Japan and in the West. After all, these are Mario figures. And who knows; Maybe we’ll get Metroid and Pikmin figures from Medicom Toy in the near future.

Mario figures by Medicom Toy

Strength Nendoroid Petite and Strength 1/8 Scale Figure from Good Smile Company

More BRS figures are always big news. But just take a look at the Strength Nendoroid Petite below and you’ll understand why it’s not up there alongside the Chariot Nendoroid. This time around GSC missed the spot. This figure isn’t cute, nor is it as heavy or turtle-like. Granted, this is only a prototype but I doubt GSC will scrap the entire design at this point. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

Nendoroid Strength
Speaking of Strength, rumor has it there’s a 1/8 scale figure of Strength in the way. GSC hasn’t commented on such a figure yet but a listing appeared a couple of days ago on AmiAmi for one. It could be an honest-to-god mistake, except this listing actually has a picture of said figure*. Fishy, isn’t it?

*Note: the Strength image in question is in fact a picture of the 2011 1/8th Scale Strength -animation version- figure. This does not rule out a future new Strength figure, but an image of such a figure (if such a figure does exist)  is still nowhere to be found. A big thank you to Maia Kasoya for pointing this out.

 


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