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BANDAI SPIRITS Co. Ltd. (President Hiroshi Sakakibara) is holding the ‘METAL BUILD EXPO’ at the TAMASHII NATIONS STORE TOKYO in Akihabara, Tokyo until July 6. The purpose of this pop-up event is to introduce consumers to action figures that pursue the ultimate. The brand has reached its 15th anniversary since its launch. To commemorate this, certain areas of the directly managed stores are exhibiting past products to showcase their history, highlighting features through a quiz-style experience, and offering concentrated sales of the products. One of the features given to METAL BUILD is the design arrangement. That is a feature added so that you can enjoy posing play by coming up with your own story. The other products handle offer the value of reproducing anime scenes. Therefore, the products look the same as in the anime. METAL BUILD is different from this. BANDAI SPIRITS is conveying this information from the venue.
In order to offer that play experience, METAL BUILD incorporates the functions of the Chogokin series, namely the sense of weight and the wide range of motion. The number of parts used totals several hundred. This allows even the movement of muscles and joints to be represented. For example, Evangelion was structured with the back composed of four parts, allowing for detailed poses while maintaining its characteristic hunched back. Moreover, the material of the joint parts is zinc alloy, which is highly durable. This choice of material also contributes to a weight comparable to a 360-gram thick steak and to the sense of solidness held by the robot. By incorporating these, They made it an action figure that is easier to pose in the imagined positions compared to other products. The expression ‘a brand that pursues the ultimate’ indicates that it is the top tier among the action figures it handles.
Strike Freedom Gundam is a hit product! The new product is Hatsune Miku resembling Kikaider!?
The start of that brand was with the release of ‘OO Gundam Seven Sword’ on March 26, 2011. After pursuing the commercialization of Gundam for three years, in 2014 they expanded their range by introducing Full Metal Panic, in 2017 the Mazinger series, and in 2019 robot figures of Evangelion. Furthermore, starting from the 2021 release of Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru, in addition to the originality created by the creators, design arrangements were also added, such as a difference in coloring for Ryujinmaru and a transformation feature for Ryuo Maru. Since 2023, They have been working on further evolving originality through collaborations with copyright holders and creators. Among them, representatives from BANDAI cited the ‘Strike Freedom Gundam,’ released in November 2015, as a hit product. Since products of this brand are in the high-price range, there is a limit to the production volume per batch, and it seems that there is not much difference in the sales volume of each product. However, considering the number of times they are produced again, it is said to be the Strike Freedom Gundam. It has been decided that this Gundam figure will be released in June as a revival version with a package change and an added support pillar (tax-included price: 38,500 yen).
On the occasion of its 15th anniversary, METAL BUILD has decided to expand its product range beyond just robots. The first in the series is ‘Kamen Rider Zero-One,’ scheduled for release in May (tax-included price 33,000 yen). And the second in the series has been decided as ‘Hatsune Miku’ (release in October, tax-included price 33,600 yen). This Hatsune Miku has been given a bold arrangement that is significantly different from the usual design. The overall appearance matches the character, but the legs and back have mechanical parts exposed like Kikaider. Moreover, products modeled after the female body shape are the first for this brand. This Hatsune Miku can be displayed in poses that make use of the brand’s features, such as singing intensely and sitting in a way that highlights the supple qualities unique to women. Among the products scheduled for future commercialization (Saint Seiya: Sagittarius Seiya, Digimon: Omegamon, Knights & Magic: Ikaruga, Godzilla × Mechagodzilla: Type-3 Kiryu), there are no items with female body shapes included. At this stage, BANDAI SPIRITS introduces unconventional products, aiming to expand the potential of the brand.
