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Post by cracker on May 5, 2014 14:35:58 GMT -6
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Apr 25, 2014 15:35:52 GMT -6
What I wanna know is (and forgive me if this has already been answered and/or is apparent and I've just missed it) is the HG series still in production? Are they still making new characters and/or sets? There are many characters I'd love to see join the HG ranks. I don't know for sure, but I had assumed that HG series had ended. The last full HG set, HG 23, was released a few years ago. Recently, though, Bandai put out a HG Special series which was a combination of previously released HG and DG figures. M5 posted an image, located on the first page of this thread, that show Bandai is re-releasing Dore and Neiz from the HG EX line under the heading "HG Special DragonBall Z Movie Edition". That shows that the HG line is not entirely dead , but not being released nearly as frequently as it was (about 3-4 new waves a year). Although we have only seen four of the figures from the upcoming 'HG Special Movie Edition' (usually there are 6-8 figures per series), to me it seems that because that series and the HG Special are comprised of previously released figures, it is unlikely that we will get new figures from HG line. @m5jagdragonpanzeriv - Awesome job on the info. Incredibly informative, as usual! burdocksan - Yes, HG 16 Gohan comes with the clear base with prop.
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Apr 24, 2014 14:15:15 GMT -6
Woah. Thanks for the tip. One more question - are these figures available as boxed sets or churned out individually from the Gashapon machines? In case of the latter, do the sealed bags have the series' catalog? Any recommended places/Ebay sellers where I can get them? You can buy either complete sets or individual figures from various online retailers. The catalogs are separate from the sealed bags, but are included in each gashapon capsule. (The picture below just uses the AA battery as a size reference. It's not included in the capsules ) As far as where to buy gashapon, I've always gone with ebay. I've been collecting HG figures since they came out in 2003 and have just gone with which ever seller had the best price, so I can't recommend a specific seller. Like Bran mentioned, amazon is another good place to for complete sets. They only have a few different series available, but the prices are good. Your average complete set for HG figures would probably cost you $30-$40 with more expensive sets running $60-$80. For the more expensive sets (HG 20 part 1 and 2, HG 10, DG 1-4) you may find that buying from Yahoo Japan Auctions, paying for a deputy service and international shipping still might be cheaper than buying from an ebay seller.
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Apr 23, 2014 16:37:27 GMT -6
BTW, this may be a bit OT - is there any way to identify fake/bootleg gashapon figures? There really aren't that many bootlegs HG sets out there. After a quick search on ebay, the four sets below were the only bootlegs I came across. An easy way to tell if the set is bootleg is that the figures will be mounted to circular colored bases. Also, paint lines might be sloppy, there might be some warping of parts, or colors might look weird. Figures that come with clear stands are authentic. If you are buying figures unassembled, still sealed in plastic bags they would be authentic. If the figure includes the paper catalog of the series it is from, it would also be authentic. The later HG series included gold and bronze figures with black plastic bases. These are also authentic.
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Apr 18, 2014 13:37:46 GMT -6
Are all gashapons loose, without boxes? And where is the best place to get the whole sets? I see them on eBay from Hong Kong, and they look fine, but I'm not sure if there's a cheaper place. Gashapon come in plastic capsules from vending machines, so they would be without a box. The figures inside the capsules come sealed, unassembled, in plastic bags with paper catalogs showing the figures available in that series. The HG EX series of figures were the same style of figures, some of them repainted HG gashapon figures. That series came in boxes. From my experience, ebay has always been the place I've gone to for whole sets of HG gashapon figures. Amazon has a few sets for sale at good prices, around $25 to $34, just search "Dragonball Gashapon" or "Dragonball HG or DG". For series that are more expensive like HG 20 part 1, HG 20 part 2, HG 10, and some of the DG sets, you may find it cheaper buying from Yahoo Japan auctions, paying the deputy service and international shipping. If you are particular about the coloring of your figures, the HG SP figures are repaints from previous series, but tend to have more vibrant colors than their first releases.
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Apr 16, 2014 19:46:45 GMT -6
Attachment DeletedThese are the two figures from the top row. I color corrected the image to the what the shades of purple actually look like. I don't have the two figures in the bottom row. Thinking about it, the two in the bottom row look like they might be a similar shade of purple as the HG 21 Sauzer (I don't know about the HG EX Sauzer). Maybe Bandai made those two Cooler figures that shade to match the members of his squad?
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Apr 16, 2014 1:44:57 GMT -6
I don't think that the different figures are supposed to represent different appearances of Cooler, I think it is just a matter of changing the color to re-release the figure to help fill a series' line-up. To me, the top row is closer to what I think of Cooler looking like, with the top left, HG 11 Cooler, being the closest in color to his appearance in 'Cooler's Revenge'. If you want a matching set, I'd go with the bottom two from the SP Movie and EX series. If you want a set that is closer to the depiction in the films, I'd go with the top two, but know that their purples don't match as closely as the bottom two do.
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Apr 10, 2014 1:10:29 GMT -6
My hg set 23 finally came today, thanks cracker for finding it cheap. So I spent about twenty minutes cutting the multiple bags open and putting the figures together. And I was like "you... bastards! More tiny figures I have to paint!" The set also came with this gold Gohan I don't particularly like (what's the point of it?). And what is this black thing? There's also done sort of funny looking comb-like clip in there too...? Glad the figures arrived. I always enjoy getting new HG sets and putting them together. My HG 23 set also doesn't have paint apps on the back, so it's not just your set. The metallic figure was a style carried over from HG 20 Parts 1 and 2 where each figure had a metallic counterpart. HG 21 and 22 also have a metallic figure included in each set. It seems like a way for Bandai to have 6 figures in a set while keeping production costs low by only sculpting 5 new figures for the set. The black thing is just a stand for the gold figure. The "comb" clip is to connect the stand to other HG stands.
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Apr 5, 2014 4:44:54 GMT -6
One of my favorites has always been SSj Trunks testing SSj Goku. The HG 19 Goku you have labeled as him teleporting Imperfect Cell, I believe is actually from when Goku defeated Kid Boo. Attachment DeletedAttachment Deleted
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Apr 3, 2014 11:49:32 GMT -6
Thanks, Bran! Congratulations to all who received promotions.
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Mar 23, 2014 18:04:20 GMT -6
I also have those six Keshi which I'm assuming are from the same series? @m5jagdragonpanzeriv, I also have a few of these figures and don't know exactly what series they are from. The copyright markings on the back of the figures indicate that they were made by a company who's name starts with a "B.", so I always thought they were Bandai, though it could be Banpresto. According to Dragonball.wikia they come from Diorama Keshi Series. The description says, "This unique duo pack keshi series features characters along with a background image that is a cardboard fold-out, allowing the Keshi pieces to stand on top of the base and have a unique background image depicting the atmosphere in which the scuffle took place." Since the info is from a wikia I don't know how reliable it is or how accurate the name of the series is. I don't think I've ever seen a full set or the fold-out background images for these. Branjita those images are awesome!
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Mar 23, 2014 17:05:19 GMT -6
Branjita the last three images aren't showing up
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Mar 18, 2014 14:48:00 GMT -6
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Mar 12, 2014 18:35:29 GMT -6
Maaaaaan, that is crappy that the seller glued the bases to the figures. Annoying that you'll have to repaint it, but at least it's not too much work. Plus, after you paint it you'll probably end up with a figure that you're happier with.
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cracker
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Post by cracker on Mar 5, 2014 18:39:37 GMT -6
The prototype is sitting in a box somewhere at JAKKS, with all the other DragonBall prototype/photomasters. I imagine the box is stored somewhere like this: I don't know for a fact why they changed the head, but I think it was at the request of FUNimation.
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