There are all kinds of collecting hobbies and each has its own charm. Whether the target is precious watches, coins, stamps, moomin mugs, or even collecting and recording their observations of birds, all are important and beloved hobbies for their enthusiasts. For Otaku, collecting figures, doujinis or even keychains from his favorite character is an equally natural option, everyone chooses the most suitable for themselves and sometimes relaxes while looking at their collection!
In this essay, we limit the topic to figures, returning to other collectible topics in the future if possible. When viewed quickly, the figures may look similar in the pictures, but there are many things to consider. Here we try to introduce the hobby and tell you exactly what it is all about, this can open up the hobby a bit, especially for the person considering starting.
Fakes
As with precious watches and works of art in general, there are counterfeits in circulation about the figures. Here are a few authenticity factors that you can use to verify that this is definitely an original and licensed collectible. If a figure is too cheap to be genuine then it is usually a fake, and like all fakes it has nothing at all collectingvalue. At this point, we would like to emphasize that although Finanime only supplies genuine licensed products, there are many ways to engage in live life. We do not accept illegal copying or distributing them in any form, but there are a wide variety of collections and collectors from different backgrounds and we greatly appreciate all enthusiasts!
Listed below are a few authenticity factors that you can check without opening the box; if one or more of the premium figures you acquired as new and genuine are missing, beware - it could be a fake. Game prizes do not have these and that is why it is difficult for a layman to identify their fakes. On the other hand, Game-Prize figures (see below) are already affordable anyway, and counterfeiters understandably focus on premium figures.
Box – figuurin laatikko, tässä harrastuksessa se ei ole automaattisesti poisheitettävä vaan olennainen osa figuurin keräilyarvoa (pois lukien game prize -figuurien laatikot). Väärennöksien laatikoissa on huvittavan usein jopa kirjoitusvirheitä, laatikko on selvästi heikkolaatuinen tai puuttuu kokonaan jollain selityksellä. Yleisin selitys on ”kuljetuskustannukset”.
Seal - the sealing tape on the lid of the box of more valuable figures is usually the manufacturers' own round tape which can no longer be put back in place after removal without any traces of opening being visible.
Authentic sticker - The boxes of premium figures almost without exception have a small sticker from the manufacturer or Hobby Japan, usually a hologram that is difficult to counterfeit. The label may also bear a unique serial number.
Price If something sounds too good to be true. that's also usually the case.
The Good Smile Company also publishes warnings about counterfeits on its official website, as well as pictures that could identify the counterfeit. As an example, the popular Re: Zeron Rem figures are full of fakes.
Photos: © Good Smile Company, note that in Japan, a circle means “ok” and a cross means “no”.
The most common types and product families of figures
These figurines are intended as prizes to be won in arcades from slot machines. Because of the winning mechanism of the machine, the product must be able to withstand heavy drops and the figure is also manufactured and packaged with this in mind, with the outer box designed to absorb the impact. It is also worth noting that the category is further divided into two sub-categories, the basic awards and, shall we say, the special awards - the special awards line is named by manufacturer (e.g. SQ, EXQ, SSS).
Perustasolla pakkauksessa harvoin on läpinäkyvää ikkunaa ja kannet sekä pohja on suljettu tavallisella teipillä, sinettejä ei käytetä juuri koskaan näissä figuureissa. Tässä luokassa laatikko on ”vain” tuotepakkaus jonka tehtävänä on suojata sisältöä kolhuilta. Laatikon sisällä figuurit ovat suljetuissa muovipusseissa jotka toimivat varsinaisena avaamattomuuden ”sinettinä”. Erikoispalkintojen laatikoissa voi olla valmistajasta riippuen jo ikkuna ja figuuri saattaa olla blisterissäkin. Game Prizen houkuttavuus on sen edullinen hinta, vastapainona työn jälki ja yksityiskohdat eivät yleensä kestä tarkempaa kriittistä tarkastelua. Näitä tuotetaan massoina, käsityön osuus on minimissään.
Pop Up Parade (Ichibansho, Conofig, Trio Try It, Luminasta, etc.)
A new line of figures from Good Smile Company (Ichibansho is the equivalent of Bandai, Conofig Aniplex), with the aim of bringing affordable yet high quality figures to fans. Of course, it doesn't reach the level of scale figures, but the price/quality ratio of Pop Up Parade is undeniably excellent. The Pop Up Parade figures have no joints and rather sparsely interchangeable parts, the poses are static. Assembling the Pop Up Parade is usually just a matter of attaching it to a stand.
Premium category of figures - we use this category to cover all premium figures from manufacturers, including those without scale. In practice, scale figures are between 1/4 and 1/10. The scale figures of well-known and skilled manufacturers are almost invariably a first-class work, from design to painting. The boxes are basically sealed, have an authentication sticker and the figure is securely blistered. These figures are static, meaning they have no joints - some come with replacement parts to change position, look, equipment or clothing.
Again, the product family launched by Good Smile Company, Figmat is a standard scale and the position of the figures can be changed in many ways with the help of joints. Figmas are also usually supplied with a wide variety of alternative parts and their parts are widely compatible with each other. Figmas are high quality and painted.
Nendoroid and Nendoroid Doll (Cu-poche et al.)
Nendoroids are Chibi versions of their characters, the collection is launched by Good Smile Company. They are articulated and the parts are quite compatible. The Nendoroid Doll series is, as the name implies, closer to the doll - the body of the figure is basic and the clothes are wearable, made of fabric. The ends of the Nendoroids are generally compatible with the Nendoroid Dolls. Nendoroids are high quality and painted.
The figures in the Play Arts series are Square Enix's articulated “action figures,” as in Figmo, the articulation brings tremendous opportunities for presentation in countless positions, but also sometimes challenges due to the visibility of the ball joints. Bring Arts is closer to Figma, Play Arts is already a bigger collection and gets closer to scale figures.
Garage Kit
The Garage kit is a “assembling scale model” of the world of figures, a figure that can be assembled and painted; without, however, a construction set (cf. building kits). The figure is delivered really unpainted in parts, so the final look is completely in the enthusiast’s own hands. Garage kits are available in all price ranges and are generally more affordable than pre-assembled and painted figures in the same size range.