Header and banner images by Freezasaurus. Many photos by me
Hi everyone! Welcome to ResetEra! This will hopefully be your home for news and discussion and showing off your collection of video game, anime, and other figures, whether PVC, resin, scale, articulated/action figure, nendoroid or what have you.
This type of community had a history of pushing the limits on the previous forum, and I'd prefer if we didn't get into that here. There are other places for content that falls outside the guidelines of this forum. No lewd stuff. Behave and follow the rules. As those rules become clearer, more specifics will be added. If it wasn't ok at the previous forum, assume it's not ok here. That includes disrespectful discussion.
Update 11/24/17:
Some statements have been made by site admin:
Where should I buy my figures to save money and ensure that I am not being sold a bootleg?
AmiAmi.com -- For unreleased figures, this shop usually has some of the lowest pre-order prices around, and will be sure to get you your pre-ordered figures ASAP when they release. This store does not allow cancellations, so if your finances are uncertain or you need more flexibility, you'll want to choose another option. AmiAmi also has a small relatively selection of used figures. AmiAmi will allow you to batch up all of your figures within a calendar month to combine shipping.
HobbySearch -- Similar to AmiAmi, but usually slightly more expensive. Allows cancellations.
Tokyo Otaku Mode -- This site came on the scene a few years ago out of nowhere thanks to a grant from the Japanese government's "Cool Japan" program. They ship their figures in bulk from Japan and then ship in the US domestically out of a warehouse. This means they are fairly slow. However, they have a points program that is very lucrative if you keep an eye out for specials and bonus opportunities. Prices can be somewhat higher than other stores, but its fans will tell you that you can more than make up for the difference with the points, even to the point of earning free figures.
Big in Japan -- Did an awesome figure just get announced that's of your favorite character that you've been waiting to see for years?! Did your heart drop when you saw it will be sold exclusively at some Japan-only website that won't ship outside of Japan!? Well, Big in Japan specializes in selling these types of exclusive figures. You'll usually have to pay a little bit of a premium, and you'll want to get your order in ASAP, but they nearly always come through. They also sell general release figures and have reasonably priced proxy buying and package forwarding services.
Hobby Link Japan -- This is the first site I ever used to import something from Japan (it was some 1/144 HG Gundam SEED model). Needless to say, they've been around and importing Japanese good for a very long time. They have a neat "private warehouse" feature where they will hold your items for up to 60 days, allowing you to batch up and combine orders for optimal shipping costs.
Amazon.com-- Amazon is a double edged sword. There are a lot of bootlegs on Amazon, but more and more these days Japanese figure manufacturers are starting to sell their figures on Amazon.com, either through US distributors like Bluefin or directly themselves. Kotobukiya has been selling their popular Bishoujo and ArtFX lines this way for several years. Good Smile Company and Max Factory have started to sell directly here too, particularly with western friendly properties like the Legend of Zelda. Be smart about buying here, and ask your friends in Figure Era if you're unsure!
Mandarake - This is a Japanese chain of used enthusiast goods. You will not find new figures here, only used (though frequently unopened!) ones. If there's a figure you missed, checking in on Madarake often is one of your best bets. It helps if you know or can find the name of the figure in Japanese, since their English and Japanese listings are not always synchronized and cross referenced properly, though they have been getting better about this in recent times.
BigBadToyStore -- This is a great site to get Hot Toys and other western figures. They allow you to cancel your own orders, have flat-rate shipping options, and are generally easy to deal with. Some of the pricier items require down payments. Their selection and pricing of Japanese figures has been improving lately as well.
Sideshow Toy -- In addition to making super awesome, large scale, resin figures that you and I probably can't afford, they also are an authorized US seller of Hot Toys figures.
Entertainment Earth -- This shop specializes in collectibles of all kinds. Low (FunkoPops) to high end, comic and movie collectibles, statues, figures, toys, replicas and more. They have a huge inventory and offer free shipping on items over $100.
Last edited:
