If only they were 1/12 or "6". I've always wondered why Figma never made more GI figures considering how much of a cash cow GI is. Their Mona figure was actually pretty well received and very good for its price compared to their other figures.
Mona was* pretty expensive? I mean, it wasn't Altria Pendragon, but $90 is nothing to scoff at. But yeah, kinda weird they didn't make more, maybe they thought that Fate was enough? I don't know if they regret not making more, but I'm sure* they regret making those Princess Connect Figmas, since the first 2 didn't perform too well to the point where the third was given the "Limited Stock" treatment. And the male protagonist is still missing, but I'm sure they're not gonna make him sadly...
While Japanese brands had always been very slow to react to the market (they start making figures only 2-3 years after a game becomes popular - look at Blue Archive or Nikke), I personally suspect Mihoyo is the problem. Mihoyo probably refused to license out most of the Hoyoverse characters which also includes the Honkai series. As for the reason why, I could only speculate because I don't know the answer. Part of it, figures are probably not their major focus and Apex has their hands really tied trying to do everything from arknights to azur lane, but the main reason is probably protective policies in China itself, where they want local Chinese brands to make the figures instead of letting the Japanese do it. It is similar to the automotive industry. If you make your own national car, how do you compete with imports that may be better in quality or reputation? You either heavily tax imports, or you subsidize your own domestic products. If you apply the same protective concept to anime and game merchandise, my best guess would be the Chinese limiting the IP they license out to any non-Chinese brands for similar reasons.
@@julianx2rl Mona was around 65$ on release and it even remained that way for awhile in the aftermarket, even now i can still find them for 70-80$ so i'm not sure where you got 90$ from. Sure 65$ isn't pocket change, but this time it actually felt like you were getting what you paid for and it was one of thier better releases imo. Oh yeah definitely RIP to priconne.
Modern figmas have horrible qc and are very expensive. They also have outdated articulation. You are right there are plenty of better options out there.
And then Dread Samus happened. Even waifus such as Sophia F. Shirring have double joint on their knees, there's also TotK's Link on the way. And Sumire has a way cleaner face print than any Figma based on a person before it. Figmas are about to get a whole lot better, returning the status quo back to normal.
That is the problem i'm having with the figma line. Back in early 2010s it was already a problem. I bought 6 figmas, and 3 of them had paint issues. That is 50%. 1 in every 2 figures had an issue. It was unacceptable. It wasn't a minor qc issue like a small paint bleed in detailed parts. My Figma Black Gold Saw had a deep giant scratch across the waist and i was really pissed. It has gotten worse since then as the Good Smile conglomerate which includes Max Factory kept chasing product quantity and sales numbers, and consumers can't do anything about if if they want an action figure of their favorite characters because Figmas are the de facto standard. Looking for accessories? Ready made dioramas? Extra parts? They are all designed for figmas.
I feel there are still exceptions to the outdated articulation claim, cuz the jujutsu kaisen line was actually pretty good. They are still expensive tho
I Just bought mine And it's nearly here~ you sorta beat me to it of being one of the first to figure reviewing this figure! LMAO But seeing this is like wow I am so hyped for my copy!
I love Qiqi. This articulated figure of her looks wonderful. But your final thoughts basically summed up my opinion of this figure line. I will likely continue to purchase figma of characters I like, unless Arctech takes off in years to come. I do appreciate the competition it offers, however. Thank you for the in-depth look and analysis.
I personally think Arctech would be full of Hoyoverse characters and those from Chinese origins later on, like maybe arknights and azur lane stuff. In this sense, Arctech will never catch up to Figma in variety simply because it does not feel like they will bother with characters of Japanese origins as much.
Arctech averages 16,000yen each, but it is 1/8 scale. It''s like a scale figure with joints and extra parts, and when you look at it this way, it appears to be better value in many ways. Granted, this is Qiqi, a loli character, so she appears a bit smaller than a typical 1/8 scale. Other characters under this product line are considerably taller.
@@EXkurogane - These things on average are just 6 cm taller than a Figma, and the amount of plastic being used is not a primary factor over the price of an action figure. If it was, then Necas would be crazy expensive, or even the Pop-up Parades. It's always been about the assembly, engineering and paintwork. And yes, the paintwork on that thumbnail looks hella clean, but it's almost twice as expensive as Figma Mona, which itself was already overpriced.
@julianx2rl A 1/4 scale bunny figure definitely doesn't use twice as much materials as a 1/7 scales, and they are often simpler figures, but they can cost up to twice as much. This is because size is often just an excuse to hike prices. The bigger it is, the more premium it's supposed to be. Same logic with cars. The amount of material is really insignificant because materials is the cheapest part. The actual problem is the number of parts. The more separate parts a figure has, more more steel flask molds needs to be made. That's responsible for the cost. That's why action figures like figmas has been increasing in price faster than scales if you look at the percentage or rate of increase. Now with this increased number of parts in mind that needs to be manufactured with tight tolerances so that moving parts are neither too tight or too loose, if Chinese brands can offer action figures at scale figure sizes, while offering articulation and extra parts at scale figure level paint quality, the price is more than justified. While more expensive than figmas, they are still cheaper than many scales at 16000yen.
@@EXkurogane - I agree with everything there, when you compare the price to that of an 1/8 scale figure, then yes, Arctechs have a bigger value because of the individual parts that the action figure needs. However, when it comes to the question on the thumbnail... probably not, and the price isn't even the only reason. Scale is a very important factor for an action figure, way moreso than for scales, because a big appeal of them is to be posed together. So if the plan was to try to use the scale as a means to justify the price, then they pretty much shot themselves in the foot, because if the price didn't turn away a potential buyer, then these not being 1/12 probably did, since that's what most collections are made out of.
@@julianx2rl the thumbnail is designed that way for a reason. It's to attract people to watch it, except, it's technically not a clickbait at the same time because i will actually answer that question at the end of the review. It's a technique a lot of successful youtubers use. The way i word my video titles and design my thumbnails, there's a specific formula to it.
I pulled a Qiqi Lost fifty-fifty At 90 pity, not even Keqing And now I'm out Of primogems 🎶 notes: Qiqi is not expressive enough because she is a zombie character she just have a plane blank face all the time (easiest paint job of their life who ever did it 😂) the coconut accessories is her drink of choice you can even put her together with Ganyu and you can have an in-game joke because the community have a head canon that she gets her coconut milk from Ganyu because fans give her the nickname Cocogoat😅
Do you have a side-by-side comparison to any Genshin 1/7 scale figures? To me, the only thing that puts me off this figure is its 1/8 scale. No other Genshin figures are of this scale except the upcoming Hilichurls from this same line.
The engineering and scale is closer, but they probably picked Figmas because of the aesthetics. Snail Shells are mostly cyberpunk while these are more fantasy-based.
I have been paying attention to Snail Shell Studio for a while since their name started appearing in WonFes. They do 1/12, 1/9 scales too and they even have 1/6 stuff coming. Very interesting.
I don't even play Genshin impact. But man, I wish they released a HuTao action figure. The only character that I really like, and it is so little the quantity of scale figure or merchandise that character has.
It has been a long running joke by now, that for a game that exploded in popularity a couple of years ago, on the merchandise especially figure aspect, there are not much stuff for reasons that we can only speculate. Every Wonder Festival we got since then the big winners would be like Azur Lane but the big loser is undoubtedly Genshin Impact
Glad it turned out great, especially the paintwork but cancelled in the end because I am a lazy person and I wouldn't be changing the poses at all to take advantage of the extra parts and features..
You wouldn't want to keep changing poses too frequently either because it is really a hassle. Not only that, this is a review of a new product. We don't know how durable they are in the long term, whether they become loose too quickly if played with too often.
I really wish there was a character action figure line with the articulation of a model kit, or even a straight up model kit line of popular characters. Action figure lines will never appeal to scale collectors because of joints anyway so i dont see the point in aiming for that market. The articulation in this is kinda disappointing, but I have some hope they will continue improving instead of basically regressing like figma.
I was wondering what's the exact height from her shoes to her neck? I am looking to find something which is 4 inch in height, and this looked like a good candidate. Let me know if you can. Thanks
Not sure if its been touched on before and its irrelevant to the video but I pre order Hu Tao springy figure and its intended to be in my car with full blasting Sun on it. Is there anyway to make it last longer, keeping it from deteriorating faster?
Any chance you can go over the albedo starexva studio figure in your next figure weekly feature? I pre-ordered the resin 1/4th but know very little about the quality.
That is the advantage Figmas and SHF had for being there first. For setting the standard. Now, with all spare parts, accessories and pre-made dioramas, etc being made at 1/12 at default, it becomes hard for any newcomers to catch up.
They're too damn big to even be in the conversation for usurping figma. This is in Play Arts Kai's territory, to which I would say Arctech does it better. Especially for half the price.
The figure is out of scale with figma and to makes matter worst f they keep making more figure like tall or medium character paired up with a short character its going to look out of place seing a short character as the same height as the tall and medium character like a Mcfarlane figure.
That is the advantage you get when you are the default standard in the action figure market, in which figma is. Because everyone has your product, you can do whatever you want and people are still forced to buy figmas for parts compatibility. In this regard I'm glad Chinese brands are coming up with their own product lines to show what quality should be like, even if it meant the early stages of the product line won't be a smooth ride simply because other brands had a head start.
If only they were 1/12 or "6".
I've always wondered why Figma never made more GI figures considering how much of a cash cow GI is. Their Mona figure was actually pretty well received and very good for its price compared to their other figures.
Mona was* pretty expensive? I mean, it wasn't Altria Pendragon, but $90 is nothing to scoff at.
But yeah, kinda weird they didn't make more, maybe they thought that Fate was enough?
I don't know if they regret not making more, but I'm sure* they regret making those Princess Connect Figmas, since the first 2 didn't perform too well to the point where the third was given the "Limited Stock" treatment.
And the male protagonist is still missing, but I'm sure they're not gonna make him sadly...
While Japanese brands had always been very slow to react to the market (they start making figures only 2-3 years after a game becomes popular - look at Blue Archive or Nikke), I personally suspect Mihoyo is the problem.
Mihoyo probably refused to license out most of the Hoyoverse characters which also includes the Honkai series. As for the reason why, I could only speculate because I don't know the answer. Part of it, figures are probably not their major focus and Apex has their hands really tied trying to do everything from arknights to azur lane, but the main reason is probably protective policies in China itself, where they want local Chinese brands to make the figures instead of letting the Japanese do it.
It is similar to the automotive industry. If you make your own national car, how do you compete with imports that may be better in quality or reputation? You either heavily tax imports, or you subsidize your own domestic products. If you apply the same protective concept to anime and game merchandise, my best guess would be the Chinese limiting the IP they license out to any non-Chinese brands for similar reasons.
@@julianx2rl Mona was around 65$ on release and it even remained that way for awhile in the aftermarket, even now i can still find them for 70-80$ so i'm not sure where you got 90$ from. Sure 65$ isn't pocket change, but this time it actually felt like you were getting what you paid for and it was one of thier better releases imo.
Oh yeah definitely RIP to priconne.
Modern figmas have horrible qc and are very expensive. They also have outdated articulation. You are right there are plenty of better options out there.
And then Dread Samus happened.
Even waifus such as Sophia F. Shirring have double joint on their knees, there's also TotK's Link on the way.
And Sumire has a way cleaner face print than any Figma based on a person before it.
Figmas are about to get a whole lot better, returning the status quo back to normal.
That is the problem i'm having with the figma line. Back in early 2010s it was already a problem. I bought 6 figmas, and 3 of them had paint issues. That is 50%. 1 in every 2 figures had an issue. It was unacceptable. It wasn't a minor qc issue like a small paint bleed in detailed parts. My Figma Black Gold Saw had a deep giant scratch across the waist and i was really pissed.
It has gotten worse since then as the Good Smile conglomerate which includes Max Factory kept chasing product quantity and sales numbers, and consumers can't do anything about if if they want an action figure of their favorite characters because Figmas are the de facto standard. Looking for accessories? Ready made dioramas? Extra parts? They are all designed for figmas.
I feel there are still exceptions to the outdated articulation claim, cuz the jujutsu kaisen line was actually pretty good. They are still expensive tho
Deppends on you want to buy it or not.
I Just bought mine And it's nearly here~ you sorta beat me to it of being one of the first to figure reviewing this figure! LMAO
But seeing this is like wow I am so hyped for my copy!
I love Qiqi. This articulated figure of her looks wonderful. But your final thoughts basically summed up my opinion of this figure line. I will likely continue to purchase figma of characters I like, unless Arctech takes off in years to come. I do appreciate the competition it offers, however.
Thank you for the in-depth look and analysis.
I personally think Arctech would be full of Hoyoverse characters and those from Chinese origins later on, like maybe arknights and azur lane stuff. In this sense, Arctech will never catch up to Figma in variety simply because it does not feel like they will bother with characters of Japanese origins as much.
Oh yeah, I forgot this brand was a thing.
But weren't people complaining that Figmas are too expensive? These are even more expensive!
Arctech averages 16,000yen each, but it is 1/8 scale. It''s like a scale figure with joints and extra parts, and when you look at it this way, it appears to be better value in many ways. Granted, this is Qiqi, a loli character, so she appears a bit smaller than a typical 1/8 scale. Other characters under this product line are considerably taller.
@@EXkurogane - These things on average are just 6 cm taller than a Figma, and the amount of plastic being used is not a primary factor over the price of an action figure.
If it was, then Necas would be crazy expensive, or even the Pop-up Parades.
It's always been about the assembly, engineering and paintwork.
And yes, the paintwork on that thumbnail looks hella clean, but it's almost twice as expensive as Figma Mona, which itself was already overpriced.
@julianx2rl A 1/4 scale bunny figure definitely doesn't use twice as much materials as a 1/7 scales, and they are often simpler figures, but they can cost up to twice as much. This is because size is often just an excuse to hike prices. The bigger it is, the more premium it's supposed to be. Same logic with cars. The amount of material is really insignificant because materials is the cheapest part.
The actual problem is the number of parts. The more separate parts a figure has, more more steel flask molds needs to be made. That's responsible for the cost. That's why action figures like figmas has been increasing in price faster than scales if you look at the percentage or rate of increase.
Now with this increased number of parts in mind that needs to be manufactured with tight tolerances so that moving parts are neither too tight or too loose, if Chinese brands can offer action figures at scale figure sizes, while offering articulation and extra parts at scale figure level paint quality, the price is more than justified. While more expensive than figmas, they are still cheaper than many scales at 16000yen.
@@EXkurogane - I agree with everything there, when you compare the price to that of an 1/8 scale figure, then yes, Arctechs have a bigger value because of the individual parts that the action figure needs.
However, when it comes to the question on the thumbnail... probably not, and the price isn't even the only reason.
Scale is a very important factor for an action figure, way moreso than for scales, because a big appeal of them is to be posed together.
So if the plan was to try to use the scale as a means to justify the price, then they pretty much shot themselves in the foot, because if the price didn't turn away a potential buyer, then these not being 1/12 probably did, since that's what most collections are made out of.
@@julianx2rl the thumbnail is designed that way for a reason. It's to attract people to watch it, except, it's technically not a clickbait at the same time because i will actually answer that question at the end of the review. It's a technique a lot of successful youtubers use. The way i word my video titles and design my thumbnails, there's a specific formula to it.
I pulled a Qiqi
Lost fifty-fifty
At 90 pity, not even Keqing
And now I'm out
Of primogems 🎶
notes: Qiqi is not expressive enough because she is a zombie character she just have a plane blank face all the time (easiest paint job of their life who ever did it 😂) the coconut accessories is her drink of choice you can even put her together with Ganyu and you can have an in-game joke because the community have a head canon that she gets her coconut milk from Ganyu because fans give her the nickname Cocogoat😅
The secret to cutting clear parts is a glass file. You can get a cheap one for about 6-10 bucks. Probably my most used gunpla tool.
Do you have a side-by-side comparison to any Genshin 1/7 scale figures?
To me, the only thing that puts me off this figure is its 1/8 scale. No other Genshin figures are of this scale except the upcoming Hilichurls from this same line.
you should try action figures from Snail Shell studio, that would be a closer comparison to APEX TOYS rather than figma
The engineering and scale is closer, but they probably picked Figmas because of the aesthetics.
Snail Shells are mostly cyberpunk while these are more fantasy-based.
I have been paying attention to Snail Shell Studio for a while since their name started appearing in WonFes. They do 1/12, 1/9 scales too and they even have 1/6 stuff coming. Very interesting.
I don't even play Genshin impact. But man, I wish they released a HuTao action figure. The only character that I really like, and it is so little the quantity of scale figure or merchandise that character has.
It has been a long running joke by now, that for a game that exploded in popularity a couple of years ago, on the merchandise especially figure aspect, there are not much stuff for reasons that we can only speculate. Every Wonder Festival we got since then the big winners would be like Azur Lane but the big loser is undoubtedly Genshin Impact
Glad it turned out great, especially the paintwork but cancelled in the end because I am a lazy person and I wouldn't be changing the poses at all to take advantage of the extra parts and features..
You wouldn't want to keep changing poses too frequently either because it is really a hassle. Not only that, this is a review of a new product. We don't know how durable they are in the long term, whether they become loose too quickly if played with too often.
I really wish there was a character action figure line with the articulation of a model kit, or even a straight up model kit line of popular characters.
Action figure lines will never appeal to scale collectors because of joints anyway so i dont see the point in aiming for that market.
The articulation in this is kinda disappointing, but I have some hope they will continue improving instead of basically regressing like figma.
Amazing Yamaguchi.
Yeah I bought mine from Big bad toy store and it just keeps getting delayed. It was supposed to be shipped back in December now its 2 months late
If only kotobukiya made genshin figures id throw them my wallet immediately.
I was wondering what's the exact height from her shoes to her neck? I am looking to find something which is 4 inch in height, and this looked like a good candidate. Let me know if you can. Thanks
i would really buy arctech figure if the decrease the size to 1/12 figurine... and arctech is a bit expensive 😭😭
yeah they are already encroaching into lower priced scale figure territory
You had me till you said lolli. Do a flip.
I'm here...
I hope Christie cate watching this
Not sure if its been touched on before and its irrelevant to the video but I pre order Hu Tao springy figure and its intended to be in my car with full blasting Sun on it. Is there anyway to make it last longer, keeping it from deteriorating faster?
Not recommended of course. They will be in full blast from your the sun and the paint will fade within a month of two.
Any chance you can go over the albedo starexva studio figure in your next figure weekly feature? I pre-ordered the resin 1/4th but know very little about the quality.
Starexva is a licensed figure brand, meaning, the quality is pretty much guaranteed. Especially at their asking prices.
doesn't scale with other figures, quality needs improvement (check PGR ones), also availability of the product, also costs too much
That is the advantage Figmas and SHF had for being there first. For setting the standard. Now, with all spare parts, accessories and pre-made dioramas, etc being made at 1/12 at default, it becomes hard for any newcomers to catch up.
They're too damn big to even be in the conversation for usurping figma. This is in Play Arts Kai's territory, to which I would say Arctech does it better. Especially for half the price.
The figure is out of scale with figma and to makes matter worst f they keep making more figure like tall or medium character paired up with a short character its going to look out of place seing a short character as the same height as the tall and medium character like a Mcfarlane figure.
That is the advantage you get when you are the default standard in the action figure market, in which figma is. Because everyone has your product, you can do whatever you want and people are still forced to buy figmas for parts compatibility. In this regard I'm glad Chinese brands are coming up with their own product lines to show what quality should be like, even if it meant the early stages of the product line won't be a smooth ride simply because other brands had a head start.
will not be interested in this type of figure until concealed joints become norm
For this character specifically, I don't see how they'd be able to do seamless joints other than with fabric materials.
Thx for content
Love