Monday, May 1, 2017

NYC Gunpla Builders Meetup at Kulu Desserts


As if Saturday wasn't awesome enough with Tamashii Nations in town, Jordan and I got invited to a local Gunpla builders meetup in NYC (thanks, Poh!). I honestly wasn't sure what to expect - I am quite the casual Gunpla builder and didn't have anything painted to bring, so I brought along my snapped Origin Zaku I just for fun.




The meetup was held at Kulu Desserts in Elmhurst, NY with ample table space for us Gundam enthusiasts to spread out and share our work. Kulu Desserts features lots of yummy food like dumplings, pudding, and bubble waffles (I really must try one next time for sure). They also offered free Thai tea (YUM!) drinks to the builders, which I thought was really sweet of them.



Overall, the atmosphere of the meetup was awesome. I felt right at home and was welcomed right away. I didn't realize it at first, but the owner likes to build gunpla too! He had an impressive case of models he has built, including some gorgeous Saint Seiya ones. My favorite though, was of course the Kulu Custom RX-78-2. :) If you're in the area, definitely check them out, especially if you're a Gundam fan!

One of the greatest aspects of the gunpla hobby for me is seeing all of the finished models and how different they look! Even the same exact kit can look totally different painted by someone else. In that respect, it is sort of like the doll community, where one doll sculpt can look completely different, even though the base is the same.

Check out some of the amazing kits I got to see:

 Two Grimgerdes: left by Raymond Liu, right by 00gundamreviewsv2 (ED).

 Gundam Berith by Blindmech Plamo, Gundam Heavyarms - I did not get the name, I'm sorry!

 Black Tri-Stars Zaku II, Zaku II Head by Squee's Workbench, Gusion Rebake by Rxsunahime.




At the event, they raffled off a generous amount of P-Bandai kits and everyone who brought an assembled model got to take home a Petit'GGuy in the color of their choice (pink, blue, yellow, or red)! I think little Garma has claimed the Petit'GGuy as his own. They look so cute together, don't you think? I will have to turn it into a Garma Zabi Custom Petit'GGuy now. :)


Be sure to check out the rest of my photos from the event on Facebook!

I want to thank our friend Poh as well as Hangar Bay Toys for sponsoring the gunpla prizes and of course JaySon of Kulu Desserts for hosting the lovely event. Seeing so many amazing models has once again inspired me to keep building. Thank you for such a fun time and hope to see you all next time! ♥

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Tamashii Nations World Tour New York City 2017


This weekend was a real treat for fans of toy lines like S.H. Figuarts, Robot Spirits, and Daruma Club. Tamashii Nations held an amazing exhibit on Saturday and Sunday showcasing their dozens of toys from series such as Dragon Ball Z, Gundam, Sailor Moon, Saint Seiya, and more. NYC was only one stop on their 10th Anniversary World Tour roster, which started last year in Sao Paulo, Brazil.



Taking up a massive corner of Grand Central Terminal, the show featured a rather gigantic Shenron and the dragon balls looming over the exhibits. Even better? Shenron was joined by a life-sized Goku action figure. That's right - action figure. Goku had joints!





The amount of figures they had on display was impressive for the space they had. Figures were grouped by show or movie, with a mix of figures that had already been released and were going on pre-order. Lighting in the cases are fairly decent too, which each case featuring a different layout and setup. I thought that was a nice way to keep each display looking fresh.



In addition to Japanese characters, they also had a wide variety of non-Japanese characters including Star Wars samurai figures, super hero samurai, and Marvel characters from Suicide Squad. I haven't seen much of these figures in person, but needless to say, the Stars Wars ones were wicked cool.


There was two retail counters for both days, one for pre-orders and non-exclusive items and another for exclusive items you could only purchase at the show. The photo above show all of their show exclusive items:
  1. S.H.Figuarts SON GOKOU KAIOHKEN Ver. 
  2. THE ROBOT SPIRITS <SIDE MS> MS-06 ZAKU II MASS PRODUCTION MODEL ver. A.N.I.M.E. ~Real Type Color~
  3. SUPER ROBOT CHOGOKIN SHIN MAZINGER Z GOLD Ver.
  4. SAINT CLOTH MYTH GODDESS ATHENA -ORIGINAL COLOR EDITION-
  5. SAINT CLOTH MYTH APPENDIX GOLD CLOTH OBJECT WORLD TOUR Ver.
  6. S.H.Figuarts BODY-KUN / BODY-CHAN WORLD TOUR Ver.
  7. TAMASHII STAGE WORLD TOUR Ver. 
  8. DARUMA CLUB WORLD TOUR Ver.

Although sadly neither Jordan or I got the Real Type Zaku we were hoping to get, we did take home a few of the commemorative goodies they had for sale, including Body-chan, the Tamashii Stage stand, and the World Tour Daruma. They were also handing out goodie bags with a free issue of Dragon Ball Super, a poster, card, and a flyer to pick up a free tote bag and sticker from participating stores nearby. I snagged my tote and sticker Kinokuniya. At the show they also offering a free Tamashii Nations membership card if you signed up on their website and with a purchase, members received a free white Daruma figure. 


The coolest part, though? Getting to ride the flying Nimbus (Kinton), of course.

Even though their stock did not reflect the sheer amount of people that attended, I think that this shows that our country is just as enthusiastic and dedicated to collecting Japanese figures as the rest of the world. My hope is that there will be more shows like this in the future. 

Please share this blog or leave a comment telling me what you thought of the show, what your favorite figure was, and what you would like to see more of next time for Tamashii. Personally, I want more Gundam figures!

See the rest of my photos on the Studio Miscast Facebook page, too!

Monday, April 10, 2017

Feature Shoot: Sakura Sunday with Sayla



Sunday, I finally got to visit Fairmount Park in Philadelphia to see the cherry blossom trees! I haven't been to their Sakura Sunday event in many years, so it was nice to finally go again and see all of the changes. (Thanks to ED for helping me with these photos!)




I put together a last minute outfit for Sayla, featuring a half length kimono that my friend's mom made for Nico many, many years ago. I recently found it and realized that it was the perfect color for Sayla, whose main color happens to be pink. I didn't have any proper obi lying about, so a flower pattern bandana from Target actually made a great makeshift one.


At the festival, they had a lot more vendors than when I was there last, including lost of anime ones. ED and I found the gunpla, of course. Lots of traditional Japanese merchandise including Daruma dolls, tabi socks, vintage kimonos, and more. I was surprised at the lack of Japanese foods available, however. I missed a lot of my Japanese festival favorites including taiyaki and takoyaki.



I picked up a lovely pink kanzashi (traditional Japanese hair ornament) hair clip early in the day, which really completed Sayla's look, I think. I also couldn't resist picking up some Sumikko Gurashi Rement blind boxes with ED as well. We pulled most of the good ones, I think!


Thanks to everyone I met up with and everyone who stopped for a photo of Sayla or to learn more about her. I can safely say I'm more in love with this doll more than ever. I am hoping that maybe I can afford another Dollfie Dream if VOLKS is at NYCC this October. Sayla needs a friend, don't you think?

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Feature Shoot: Get to Know Baby Garma


I wanted to start showcasing some of my dolls in a new blog series where you can get to know them - so first up? Baby Garma, of course!

Some of you may already know his older self, my SWITCH Taeheo, but did you know that they are both based off of Garma Zabi from the anime Mobile Suit Gundam? Someday, I hope to have his uniforms commissioned for both of them. Little Garma is actually based off of the Garma from the more recent Gundam the Origin series, which depicts him growing up and leads into the Garma we all know and love from the original series.


The Gundam franchise has always held a special place in my heart. It was my gateway into anime, dolls, and my love of Japanese culture. Garma is one of my all time favorite characters from the series - maybe someday I'll have other Yo-SD Gundam characters too? ;)

Baby Garma - although innocent - also has a curious and sassy side to him, which I think the Eddie sculpt encapsulates. He dresses very casual yet at the same time can wear a lot of adorable formal clothing (which I hope to get him more of in the future).


He likes ramen and udon a lot, playing with his Zaku toys, and imagining that he will one day defeat the Gundam. Outside adventures are his favorite and - of course, he loves flowers.

Have a question about Garma? Leave us a comment below!

Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Store Tours: Fabric Friends and Dolls


What's better than getting dolly goodies in the mail? Getting dolly goodies in person, of course!

Recently, I had the opportunity to finally stop in and see Fabric Friends and Dolls for myself! I was in Maryland visiting family and quite ironically, the shop was less than a half hour from where I was staying in Gaithersburg. I've been purchasing from them online for a while, but nothing beats buying doll items in person, that's for sure.



FFD carries an impressive amount of company items (including the company I take pictures for, Leekeworld!) and dolls. The owners are super kind and let you try things on your doll, sort of like VOLKS did when their LA shop was still open.



Items are sorted by company and size - oh my! It is easy to get lost in the sea of high quality Nine9 Style and Freedom Teller clothing sets they sell. I was so overwhelmed by their amazing stock and organization. It was hard to choose what to get! Stay tuned for a box opening and haul video featuring the Momoko doll I purchased here.


Check out my video tour of the shop!

Thank you to Iris for letting me film in the store and to the lovely doll owners and dolls I met: createdbymonsters, aggrosongbird929, and all the others (sorry that I missed you)!



If you'd like to visit Fabric Friends and Dolls, here is their information:

6836 Olney Laytonsville Road
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20882
(301)-740-8830
fabricfriends@comcast.net

Store Hours (to call):
SUN, MON - CLOSED
TUES - FRI: 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST
SAT - 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST

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