that is one thing about cronic that attracted me to this line is the short runs and one offs i havnt been collecting cronic for to long but have been able to still pick up some key pieces and one offs for not much money plus i love the paint apps even on the production pieces plus i love seeing people cronic collection because non of them will ever be the same so many variations and just when you think you see a kick ass piece there always a new one that can compare to it
i think this works both way. most folks that don't collect cronic don't do so precisely due to the short runs and one-offs. it may make it stressful to collect cronic especially if one is into zyurais or mavs. also the strange looking sculpts also just don't appeal to some folks. Nonetheless, to me, that Cronic is a master of paints, PS and now the customs is undisputable. i like to see a huge army of the same figure, in this case, the zyurais!
Naoki's paints are amazing at times. Its been very cool to see how his limited runs evolve in terms of paint design. I don't find any excitement in his characters though. To each his own..
Naoki is the master of vinyl spray. For those of us who've been into his stuff for a while, that's always been the key. I'd say there a few others: Kaji-san (Blobpus), Nagata (Max Toy), and maybe one or two others in the same league. Cronic collecting is about finding key figures/versions you like and just focusing on those. I don't think there are many completists. I tried for a while but my collection got too huge with all the new characters, so I pared down a bit this year. I think Naoki is doing *exactly* what he needs to do - some *show-only* exclusives, show/retailer combo runs, homepage exclusives, store exclusives, short-runs, regular sized runs, one-offs...perfect mix up. Yeah, you need to check the sense of entitlement at the door, since you're just not going to get everything you want. Nature of the beast. But that's cool. Like Selekta Nips said, one of the cool things about Cronic collecting is people can build unique collections. To that I'd add you know you're going to get top quality, since Naoki does all the painting.
One more Black Parade figure. I love the way this Bakurasu turned out. Perfect colors for the figure, and a hardcore weapon that matches the character really nicely. This shot gives a good look at the back pinstriping and the weapon: Dark brood:
Damn andy. You've been scoring some INSANE Cronic pieces lately. Always love the Black/Red color combos.
Awesome. The Baku is the only Cronic fight fig I collect, and this one is spectacular. The blunt weapon totally fits the personality of the sculpt. I aspire to someday have my own one-off/rare/ultra-limited Cronic toys to show off! For now I'll just remain a wanna-be. One of these days I'll be at the right place at the right time.
No doubt. Time and luck (and money lol) is what it's about. I really wasn't a Baku fan in the early days. The colors and designs just weren't working for the figure. Took Naoki a solid year to get a feel for the character and start punching out some kick ass designs. The last six months have been like giiiiod daaam! for Bakurasu. He's also quickly becoming one of my favorite Cronic figures.
All those crazy weapons really take these Cronic figures to another level. I don't know if they are original weapons that he created or customized mash-ups, either way, I have to say Naoki did a pretty incredible job of stylizing the weapons in a way that really fit well with the characters and designs of his figures. And of course as always, excellent execution.
Yeah.. that was my favorite piece from Black Parade shows. I think Cronic's figures look so nice with weapons. I would like to see them being cast in vinyl and and packaged with his production run pieces.
Best Bakurasu ever made, hands down. Nice score, Andy... I have to agree with all the points made on the production runs, metallic paints, etc. I took a major break this year, sold about 40 pieces and focused on a few other lines. I only picked up a few Cronic pieces here and there but once the style shifted again it pulled me back into it. Then the BP event happened... My collection is much more concentrated at this point which makes it much more enjoyable.
update on my Cronic shelf. pretty garden variety stuff, nothing like some certain members collections (andy and james, coughcough) but I love it. someday I'll be in the right place at the right time and score my own one-offs and exclusives! *shakes fist* that being said, many thanks to the SBers who have helped me to score some of these great pieces. couldn't have done it without ya.
Watchootalkinbout willis? You've got some great Bakurasus, Doromes, and Dorogamis in there. Diggin' the Ankoron love too! One offs or not, they're solid pieces!!
thanks andy! I'm proud of what I've accumulated thus far, and I know it's only going to get better. I'm excited to see what 2009 will bring for Cronic collectors.
