This French Doll (Cerberus Project) Kanu figure has a long history, starting life as a resin kit before moving last year to mail order limited PVC release and finally to full distribution in this alternate black and white color scheme. Like the Pearl Black Ryomou before her this kit is a glimpse back in time at French Doll’s craft before he fully matured as a sculptor, but nonetheless has so many charm points that I couldn’t pass her up - not to mention being the only castoffable entry in the Cerberus Ikkitousen lineup thus far. Read on for a look at how UArt managed with their latest PVC conversion:

Hot on the heels of their nekomimi Kanu Griffon has announced the second PVC conversion of a resin kit they had for sale at the recent WHF Ariake 18, the Morikawa Hiroaki-sculpted Kusugawa Sasara (school swimsuit maid ver.) from To Heart 2. This PVC incarnation is scheduled for release in September at 6,720 yen retail and 1/7 scale (precise size undisclosed); this kit follows Griffon’s Maaryan-senpai as the second in their “To Heart 2 swimsuit series”. Gallery below:

Moeyo! Akibajin Blog posted a review of Resinya’s camisole-clad Louise from Zero no Tsukaima today, and along with it the surprising revelation that she is castoffable (albeit unofficially so). According to Moeyo’s documentation the castoff procedure isn’t exactly easy, but her dress is removable without irreparable damage; the censorship in the post makes it impossible to tell for sure, but he says that her upper half (while contoured) is not painted to indicate deliberate castoff readiness. The figure was originally released in late April at 6,980 yen with a sculpt from Kazuki and is now available through standard distribution channels such as Play-Asia. (no more)

Online shop Web Omocha brings the surprise announcement this evening that the next figure in rookie maker Miyabiya’s lineup will be Bible Black’s Minase Yukiko. Like Imari Kurumi and Takashiro-sensei before her she’s sculpted by Souden Sonamae, and is scheduled for release in September at 1/8 scale (20 cm tall) and 5,670 yen retail. Her halter top and skirt are both castoffable. Update: full image gallery below:

First scooped here back on April 10th, figure maker Movic today opened preorders on its official site for their Hankyuu Ibuki and Hankyuu Ayame PVC figures from manga Asu no Yoichi!. Ibuki’s sculpt is from Saitou Heel (Love Love Garden), and she’s scheduled to retail in August at 1/8 scale (19 cm tall) and 5,800 yen retail. Ayame’s sculpt is from Tanaka Masanori (Jet Stream), and she’s due out in September, likewise at 1/8 scale (19 cm tall) and 5,800 yen. Figure images below:

Three minor bits of figure news today: first is word from Kotobukiya that their plug suit Ayanami Rei will be reissued in September at 7,140 yen, 1/6 scale (20 cm tall), and with a sculpt from Shirahige Tsukuru. Preorders for the reissue should be open soon.

Next, online shop Ganbo Store has announced that preorders for a limited color version of Happinet’s armored Kanu Unchou will open officially at noon on May 22nd. We can infer from this that regular edition preorders will open around that same time as well, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for those in the next week or two.

Finally, Hobby Japan is reporting that their magazine-limited Jingai Makyou Didii will be shipping on May 21st. Those who ordered via Play-Asia or another proxy service can expect their deliveries to ship around that time. (no more)

We conclude our coverage of last week’s World Hobby Festival Ariake 18 Final with an overall “meta” look at the event. If you’ve been wondering exactly what WHF is or why it was canceled after nearly a decade of successful operation, this is the post for you:

We first brought news of the new “just a desk” figure brand Gift a month ago when we saw the prototype of their Toda Satoshi (Yume no Kagutsuchino Koukoku)-sculpted Saber unveiled at a Akiba Blog.

Today the maker’s representative and sole employee Kanegon follows up his earlier coverage with a look at the kit’s color resin prototype, as painted by sculptor Toda himself. A clear view of the face won’t be revealed until Hobby Complex Osaka on May 25th (and in the hobby magazines scheduled for release on the same day), and there are no details of the PVC release yet, but from the visual evidence available this is looking like a pretty stunning kit. More on this in our Hobby Japan coverage toward the end of the month; for now, one of Akiba Blog’s pictures is reproduced below:

A Suzumiya Haruhi franchise Nintendo Wii game was announced to be in the works on the official Haruhi anime site as early as last year, but only a couple of days ago were the details confirmed - it’s a “story+dance sim”, scheduled for release within the year. Amazon already has a page up soliciting email addresses if you want to find out precisely when preorders open, as it seems this will be a hot item - not in the least because the special edition will be accompanied by a Revoltech Fraeulein Haruhi action figure, as reported today by official Revoltech Express blog. Unlike Kaiyodo’s earlier collaboration with Kadokawa in the release of Fate/stay night Realta Nua for the PS2, this Revoltech Haruhi will apparently be not just a bust but a full Fraeulein series figure. We’ll keep an eye out for further news on the project, especially any word of an individual release apart from the game.

Update: Famitsu has posted further details on the Haruhi Wii game, including images of the Fraeulein Revoltech Haruhi figure which are reproduced below:

Announced shortly after the original set went on sale (review pending), news on the second series of Medicom’s Chouzou Queen’s Blade Collection Figures has been sparse since last fall. An update over at the official Medicos blog breaks the long silence with a photo of the set’s Echidna prototype, and the news that she’ll be accompanied by Tomoe and Menace when released this coming October. The Tomoe and Menace prototypes will debut in Hobby Japan magazine; we’ll be keeping an eye out for them along with further news on this set as it becomes available. Image below:

We speculated on the fate of Griffon’s catgirl Kanu Unchou (nominally from Ikkitousen) back when she was announced in resin just prior to WHF Ariake 18, but I didn’t expect a PVC incarnation to be announced nearly so fast. Griffon updated their official site today with precisely that: a listing complete with preorder for their Kanu Unchou (nekomimi ver.) PVC. She’s due out in August at 1/7 scale (11.5 cm tall), with a sculpt from Akiyama Akio and an 8,925 yen price tag. She’s accompanied by chibi Chouhi and Ryuubi mascots, and her skirt is almost definitely castoffable. Figure images below:

Wrapping up the meat of our pictorial coverage of WHF Ariake 18, we take a look at the coming PVC and resin releases of professional makers present at the event. Includes uncensored looks at Yamato’s Animal Girl Bonnie and Daiki Kougyou’s Sugimoto Anna, a gallery of Musashiya’s castoff Ikkitousen cold casts, and Kurushima’s “swimsuit” Kanu resin, among others:

Tezuka Osamu fan site News Rocket is reporting this morning that a Tezuka x Yoshizaki Mine “Collabolution” figure project has begun! The first figure to be produced in what is billed as an ongoing series will be a Fushigi na Merumo (Marvelous Melmo) set, featuring the title character in girl form and transformed adult form, based on Yoshizaki renditions of her original Tezuka design. The set is scheduled for release from Organic this summer at an as-yet undisclosed price. Images below:

Figure maker Yamato updated their official site yesterday evening with a listing for their upcoming Ryomou Shimei action figure from Ikkitousen. Part of their new VMF (”Variable Motion Figure”) series, she stands 23 cm tall at 1/7 scale, with 19 points of articulation, two pairs of exchangeable wrist/hand parts and a removable skirt. She’s scheduled to retail in August at 8,190 yen (tax included). The sculptor is not currently credited in Yamato’s listing. With her up at their official site preorders should begin shortly! High resolution image gallery below:

Amiami’s evening update today included a preorder listing for Solid Theater’s Himomizugi no Onna no Ko (string swimsuit girl) PVC figure. This is a figure we’ve been following closely, both for her obviously appealing attributes as well as her status as the first product unveiled by the Solid Theater brand since their acquisition by Movic; with her now available for preorder it seems the logistical transition went smoothly enough. As earlier reported the kit is based on the September 2006 cover illustration by Miwa Miwa of eromanga serial magazine Monthly Comic Papipo (月刊COMICパピポ), which has since ceased publication. The sculpt was produced by Shinano, who other than a few capsule figures and Solid Theater’s likewise Papipo-inspired Maid no Onna no Ko has been active primarily on the garage kit side ([ERO] Karen from Ai no Chikara and Sumire from Jokei Kazoku ~Inbou~ with circle Gankura). The figure is scheduled for release in August at 1/8 scale (20 cm tall) and 7,140 yen retail, with dress and front pieces castoffable. Full gallery below:

We wrap up our coverage of the garage kit side of WHF Ariake 18 with a final sweep through the day’s photo shoot, catching dozens of great figures that didn’t quite fit in anywhere else. A lot of sculptors worked really hard to make this final event one to remember, and all their hard work paid off:

Preorder listings went up this morning at Amazon and Moe Soul for Megahouse’s Blassreiter (Wikipedia) figure series, including the single bishoujo PVC announced in the lineup thus far, Excellent Model Blassreiter Elea ~Niθ Ver.~. As indicated by the title the figure was designed by Nitro+ artist Niθ (Nishii), and features a sculpt from Eye Up’s Kibayashi Norio. Her scale is unspecified (19 cm tall) and she’s scheduled to ship in late August at 5,775 yen retail. Update: full image gallery below: