First-Ever Gundam Online Expo Set to Take Off in U.S.A. on August 21-30, 2020

Posted by Justin D Williams

The global phenomenon Gundam is making franchise history with today’s announcement from BANDAI NAMCO Collectibles (Bluefin) of the first-ever GUNDAM ONLINE EXPO  in the U.S.A. Together with fellow BANDAI NAMCO Group companies SUNRISE INC. and Bandai Spirits, Bluefin will present this official Gundam-only digital event over 12-days commencing on August 20, 2020. The GUNDAM ONLINE EXPO will showcase over 60 event exclusive figures never-before available in the United States, including not only GUNPLA World exhibit exclusives but also THE GUNDAM BASE exclusives – both of which until now were previously only available in Asia. The GUNDAM ONLINE EXPO event exclusives will be released in two waves at 6:00 pm Pacific on both Friday, August 21 (Group A) and Sunday, August 23 (Group B) on Premium Bandai USA with free shipping on all orders over $150.00 USD. All sales will end on Tuesday, September 1 at 11:59 pm Pacific.

In addition to event exclusives, GUNDAM ONLINE EXPO attendees will get a chance to visit THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO virtually via augmented reality. This experience will include a tour of GUNPLA WORLD Ver.MG, a special exhibition celebrating GUNPLA’s 40th Anniversary and the MG series. This exhibit features:

• MG Lineup Exhibit. The entire MG series lineup, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, gathered and displayed in one place.

• GUNPLA Evolution History. An exhibit of valuable materials from the BANDAI HOBBY CENTER where GUNPLAs are created.

• Giant GUNPLA Timeline. A timeline chock-full of the 40 years of Gundam and GUNPLA history.

• Package In-depth Analysis. A detailed analysis of how GUNPLA packages are create.!

• Modeler Masterpiece Exhibit. A display of "MG" masterpieces created by famous modelers

• Reveal of the Latest MGEX Brand. A sneak peak of he Unicorn Gundam from the latest MASTER GRADE EXTREME brand.

And that is not all, the GUNDAM ONLINE EXPO will also offer special video content like instructional sessions on painting skills with professional modeler Katsumi “Meijin” Kawaguchi aka “Master Kawaguchi” as well as interviews and panels featuring Japanese guests (to-be-announced) from gaming, voice acting, merchandise and animation. 

For schedule details and the latest event information, visit the official GUNDAM ONLINE EXPO website at en.gundam.info/onlineexpo.

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NEWS: Fate/Grand Order Crypter/Zadoc Zemlupus - by Kotobukiya

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From the popular mobile game Fate/Grand Order comes Crypter/Zadoc Zemlupus!

This figure was faithfully re-created just as he is in the game, from the creases of his clothes to his piercings and the rings on his fingers using Kotobukiya’s expert craftsmanship.

Even with his gloomy expression as he grips his chest in a show of weakness, his strong personality and sense of purpose come across with this figure.

Product Specs
Crypter/Kadoc Zemlupus

Size: around 266mm
MSRP: $149.99 (plus tax)
Availability: December, 2020
Copyright: ©TYPE-MOON / FGO PROJECT
Pre-Order Bonus: Extra face piece

More Info: http://en.kotobukiya.co.jp/product/product-0000003766/

From Fantastic Beasts to Undercover Corgis from Squishables Plush (Toy Fair Everywhere 2020) (Copy)

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Squishable has a huge variety of plush dolls - from micro sized bunnies that you can clip to your bag to massive hamburgers you can lay on while watching tv.

The cutest one that had me do a double take is the Undercover corgi. It looks like an avocado plush doll from the back, but turn it to the front and you see a corgi's face sticking out of it! It's actually 2-in-1 where you can pull out the corgi from its avocado disguise.

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There are many plush animals working "undercover" in this series, from corgis in unicorns to bunnies in cupcakes. There are about 20 different models with removable disguises.

Squishable's Comfort Food series come in all different sizes and shapes, from triangular pizzas to long hotdogs and rounded pink donuts. Really, you can have a lot of fun playing around with these shapes (especially with the big oversized ones).

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From magical creatures like unicorns to the not-so-magical (but truly adorable!) fluffy bunnies, Squishable is bound to have something to fit your plush needs.

More info: https://www.squishable.com/
Event: Toy Fair Everywhere

NEWS: Fate/Grand Order Caster/Anastasia Figure by Kotobukiya

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The next servant to be summoned to Kotobukiya’s figure lineup is from the popular mobile game Fate/Grand Order - Caster/Anastasia in her Stage 1 outfit. Poised and graceful, Anastasia displays the refinement of her position as the Grand Duchess of Russia.

Both her hair ornaments and clothing have all been faithfully recreated using Kotobukiya’s expert craftsmanship, and her fluttering hair and cape show movement of cold air flowing through her as she stands on a base of frozen soil.

Product Specs
Caster/Anastasia

Size: around 233mm
MSRP: $199.99 (plus tax)
Availability: November, 2020
Copyright: ©TYPE-MOON / FGO PROJECT
Pre-Order Bonus: Extra face piece

More Info: http://en.kotobukiya.co.jp/product/product-0000003765/

'Robotech' 35th Anniversary Marathon to Air On PlutoTV July 25th-28th | All-Star Panel Discussion + Feature Film

In celebration of Robotech’s 35th Anniversary, FilmRise is partnering with Pluto TV and Robotech production company Harmony Gold USA to stage a Robotech marathon for fans nationwide. The marathon will stream for free from Saturday, July 25th through Tuesday, July 28th on Pluto TV’s ‘Anime All Day’ Channel 675, the series dubbed in English or in Japanese with English subtitles. 

In addition to the 85-episode TV series, the marathon will also include a brand-new Robotech panel discussion featuring the main cast members from the English-language series (Rebecca Forstadt, the voice of Lynn Minmei, Melanie MacQueen, the voice of Lisa Hayes, Tony Oliver, the voice of Rick Hunter, and Dan Woren, the voice of Roy Fokker). The grand finale will be in the form of the Robotech movie, Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles (2006).

Full marathon schedule is below: 

• 7/25: Robotech marathon starts on Pluto TV’s Anime All Day channel (Ch. 675)

  • 7/25 at 7:30 AM EST: Original Japanese version will air in its entirety with English subtitles

  • 7/27 at 1:30 AM EST: Original US English dubbed broadcast will air in its entirety

• 7/25-7/28: Robotech marathon continues on Anime All Day

• 7/28 at 8 PM: Panel airs, moderated by podcast journalist Casey Lau and featuring voice actors from the four main cast members of the English series:

  • Rebecca Forstadt, the voice of Lynn Minmei

  • Melanie MacQueen, the voice of Lisa Hayes

  • Tony Oliver, the voice of Rick Hunter

  • Dan Woren, the voice of Roy Fokker

• 7/28 at 9 PM: Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles airs on Anime All Day

• Stock up on some snacks, blast your AC, and get ready to marathon Robotech all weekend! 

Watch Dogs 2 and Rainbow Six Statues -by Purearts

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Purearts statues are like Gucci designer bags; both are top end goods. Since our coverage at Toy Fair back in February, they've introduced several new products with the most creative (at least in my opinion) being Watch Dogs 2.

There are two statues in this series, one of Marcus and another of Wrench. They come with additional parts (like different hands) and can be displayed either by themselves or merged into a connected statue. But here's where it gets exciting - you can form a seamless merge with Marcus in three different places; left, right or top!

It's a brilliantly set scene with both guys standing around a wall of graffiti. What Purearts has done is design the artwork on that wall to form an endless loop (like a background image tile on a computer.) It looks unbroken if you place the Marcus statue to the right, left or above Wrench (the one place you can't put him is below.) So in theory, you can pick up several of these statues and daisy-chain them from left to right ad-infinitum! Like I said, brilliant - it's one of the cooler ideas I've come across. You can pick up both statues as a set and save $100 in the process.

Rainbow Six Siege statues are now here to sate its huge e-sports community. The first two are Ash and Smoke in 1/6 scale, with 1/4 scale statues on the way (of who, they wouldn't say). These are highly articulated, posable, and will come with their signature weapons and arsenal like in the game. Smoke will, of course, have his grenade too.

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Purearts took me by surprise by saying they have a costume designer from the movie industry taking lead on the clothing. Unlike the majority of statues in the industry that paint everything on resin, Purearts makes a concerted effort to make these larger scale statues as real-to-life as possible by designing and using actual cloth and other textiles. Cool, huh?

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In the realm of Cyberpunk 2077, they've finished the sports bike - and it looks pretty awesome. Not only that, but it actually works. The wheels spin around, the headlights and brakes light up, and the bike itself is made of die-cast metal. Ths size is 1/6 scale, same as the figures. It will be available in three different sets - with a female rider, a male rider, or with both riders.

Master 9Eyes (by Daytoner) was introduced at the last Toy Fair, but is now available outside of its original kickstarter campaign. There are two versions; the first being a 1/12 scale made of vinyl, and the second a 1/6 scale made of resin.

The larger 1/6 scale is heavier due to size and material, so it's got a rectangular base and newly designed metal legs (replacing what used to be resin ones.)

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In the pipeline is Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Animus Eivor. The prototype is currently being finalized, but pre-orders will start at the end of July so the product can ship when the game is released in November/December. It isn't clear yet if this statue will be available as male or female - or both. Purearts tell us that Ubisoft has decided to use the same body for both sexes. What might end up happening is an inclusion of 2 heads which you can switch around at will.

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Finally, there's the pipe-dream in the form of Star Wars -A New Hope Stormtrooper. Licensing issues prevent it from being sold in the Americas (the damned mouse house owns everything these days), but if you live anywhere else, you've lucked out.

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This 1/3 scale model is a recreation of the original Stormtrooper design by Andrew Ainsworth (who still holds the rights outside of the Americas.) Hardcore fans will truly appreciate how this product is modeled to the original, with every flaw and imperfection replicated as closely as possible. While casual Star Wars fans probably won't notice those details, it'll still be an awesome statue to mount on a pedestal for anyone to admire.

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More info: https://www.purearts.com
Event: Toy Fair Everywhere

GeoMag Goes Green with 100% Recycled Plastic (Toy Fair Everywhere 2020)

Directed & Produced by Young Jeohn

GeoMag is a STEM toy company making construction toys using magnetic rods and spheres. In fact, they're the original magnetic construction company with two very unique aspects:

1. Everything is designed and manufactured in Switzerland

2. The majority of their products are authenticated by stem.org

If you know anything about the Swiss, this means their products go through highly rigorous quality checks and must jump through hundreds of different compliance checklists to meet STEM's high standards.

Their latest product line, which just rolled out to the US this week is called the Green Line. It's aptly named "Green" because the whole line is made of 100% recycled plastic. So not only are GeoMag the first makers of magnetic construction toys, but also one of the first to use 100% recycled plastic.

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Their rods have a patented design with magnets on each end, which are connected by a metal spine. The result of this genius is a very strong connection when a closed circuit is made (example: a triangle is made by connecting three rods and balls - or a square from 4 rods and balls.) You can sort of compare it to turning on a lamp - it only works if there's a closed circuit for electricity to run through.

It's crazy to imagine, but the level of magnetic strength is so high that GeoMag built a massive staircase (one story high) using rods, balls and panels - and successfully had someone walk on it!

The Mechanics line uses magnetic motion to teach science and physics - without any need for motors or batteries. They have a Gravity line that uses gravitational forces to make movement, a Compass pack using Earth's magnetic field, and even a Canon pack that uses repelling forces and gravity to simulate a kind of canon.

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Finally, GeoMag carry a Pro-L line, which use magnets that are 33% stronger than any other line they carry. They also have polarity marks, cutting down your time to build any structure since you can visually detect which ends to connect at a glance. This line of product only come with silver rods and teal colored panels, giving it a professional look.

So there you have it. If you like building things and are up for learning some useful sciences along the way, Geomag's got you covered.

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More info: https://www.geomagworld.com
Event: Toy Fair Everywhere