I'm not really into the ball-jointed stuff but the quality and care put into these versions is incredible. A good example of how beloved and enduring these characters are . . . . Anyone seen the live-action 'Kitaro' and its sequal 'Kitaro And The Millennium Curse' ? . . . they are such boisterous, zany fun !!
okay, i'm not really sure about this one, other than knowing who he is... anyone have any ideas as to what it is? a keychain?
Finally completed the Bandai 1986 set . . . . now to pick up a few more of the Sunguts figures The English translated manga by D&Q has been delayed to April i think. Banadi 1986 Set by The Moog Image Dump, on Flickr
^^ Thanks, i started collecting them at the end of 2011 . . . got stuck when i couldn't find some of the rarer ones (or i just didn't want to pay too much) and then completed the set with a big job-lot recently. I like the fact they are Bandai made in Japan not China . . . not that it should make a big difference but it kinda does to me.
Amazing man, and very impressive you were able to collect the entire set in a [relatively] short period of time too. I have seen some of the rare ones pop up here and there (but not at all often) and I haven't seen any collection of the entire series all together like that. Truly awesome.
Fantastic! Can't really say much more than that. Congrats on completing the set...must be an amazing feeling!
Cheers. diceone completed the set not that long ago . . . he was one of the guys on Flickr that drew my attention to how cool these figures are. Thanks, and yeah, I'm really glad i can finally put them all together on a long shelf and enjoy 'em for years to come!
Banadi 1986 Set by The Moog Image Dump, on Flickr[/quote] So good! I've been thinking about trying to get a set of these together myself, but I've got other, bigger fish to fry in the interim. Thanks for letting us live vicariously through your lovely photo!
Nice. Respect. I see you have the small medama oyaji that comes with kitaro. That is often missing. I'd say skip the sunguts stuff. Not that it isn't nice - but the vinyl and paint are different than the Bandai originals. So they may not work for you on the shelf. I've got an elite vampire that looks a bit odd in the group. Sculpts are spot on, material and paint is much more matte. HOWEVER the linden toys versions are IDENTICAL to the finish, sculpt, scale and material of the Bandai. I'd definitely give them both a go, there are plenty of sunguts fans here to offset a piece if you end up like me. Congrats and thanks for posting vintage in this thread again! EDIT - This is my current display w kitaro. There are two of the Linden pieces in the back row. Which are awesome. Elite vampire doesn't really get any shelf love right meow.
^^ Yeah, i have the Linden Tsuchikorobi with the GID candle. I never made the connection before but you are right - the Linden sculpts are very much the same style as the vintage Bandai in every way. I wonder if that was intentional? Its a pity the Linden stuff is quite pricey or I'd have a lot more by now!
I think it is reasonable to assume that Linden, given the quality and lineage of the Kitaro toy lines, and their own knowledge and expertise that it is EXACTLY what they were going for. Plus when you license character images, you have to meet the standards of the style guides for the label. So I'm sure what bandai, sunguts, and linden are held to has bench marks and guides you have to meet. Otherwise they wouldn't be "kitaro" toys right? But, what better way to help insure purchase than to continue an already perfect line? At the festivals/trade shows the Linden stuff is priced reasonably. Especially when you consider how small the runs are, and how high the quality of the end product is. ¥4800-¥6200 usually Same as the average price of the vintage Bandai stuff in box from 1985-86 So far they have made 3 Mizuki/Kitaro pieces. Eromodoki Tsuchikorobi Sazae Oni With a couple color variants of each. I'm currently looking for the first release sazae oni. I hope they continue to offer it up.
^^^ yeah, the retail price is fine . . . but like a lot of small-run stuff the secondary market prices go a bit mental. An average of double the retail is what I've seen. I will be looking out for all the Linden Yokai but i suspect it will take time and patience to score them at reasonable prices!
yeah, it was well worth tracking them down. I've arranged them all on a long shelf like a Yokai police line-up.
So here is something I was randomly wondering about. It may apply just to the Kitaro figure, but has anyone noticed variations in the figures from the 80s Bandai line? I guess not too many people here have them, but for example, I noticed that they seem to have changed the type of vest Kitaro has a few times during the production. It seems it came in both yellow and orangish colours (could be some fading issue, but doesn't seem like it), as well as being both smooth and 'quilted.' Here are just some sample pics of what I mean. Smooth yellow vest______________________________________Smooth orange vest 'Quilted' yellow vest______________________________'Quilted' orange vest Anyways, I just found it interesting and was just curious about it. The one have is yellow colour, with the patterning, but is a very thin paper-like material (Dice looks like yours it the same too), but Joe's looks like it might be smooth. The plastic one looks like it would be much more durable. Just thought I would share this since I was thinking about it.
^^^ Well spotted . . . mine is quilted. The material is quite thin and relatively fragile. Speaking of this set . . . I'm curious why two of the larger pieces have 'fake' money slots on their backs. I've noticed this on the large RxH fortune cat as well. Why would you sculpt a fake coin slot when the figure isn't a bank?
Yep, thanks for the close-up pic, you beat me to it. That is the same as the one I have too. I love the 'realistic' aspect of it, but it is just a shame it is so fragile on a toy that you expect to be played with. I am surprised there aren't a ton of 'naked' Kitaros out there. I have seen the filled in bank thing a few times too, and figure it is just something that was toyed with initially (no pun intended) but eventually scrapped somewhere along the lines after having he molds already made. That, and they don't make great banks!