The Soul of Chogokin Thread

[LigerPrime]

Originally Posted by eriku

Yeah, I've heard that but I don't know how true it is. And besides, almost ALL toys are released in Hong Kong before anywhere else, so that's why sellers there have them before other places. That's the benefit of being in the country where the toys are made!

Yes, although the toys are available in HK first, I would like to clarify one thing - the toys that are available first are the ones "meant" for the Japanese market. Then subsequently (maybe within a week), the one available for the HK market are released.

With regards to the differences in QC between the HK and Japan toys, its very difficult to spot the differences in the SOC line but the differences (particularly the colours) in the products can be sometimes seen in the SIC line (which is based on the "infamous" Masked Riders).

A couple of import shops I know, prefer the Japanese products because of the apparently lack of QC problems for toys meant for the Japan market. However, I would like to stress that I'm not saying that the toys are problems free.

[eriku]

Originally Posted by LigerPrime

Yes, although the toys are available in HK first, I would like to clarify one thing - the toys that are available first are the ones "meant" for the Japanese market. Then subsequently (maybe within a week), the one available for the HK market are released.

With regards to the differences in QC between the HK and Japan toys, its very difficult to spot the differences in the SOC line but the differences (particularly the colours) in the products can be sometimes seen in the SIC line (which is based on the "infamous" Masked Riders).

A couple of import shops I know, prefer the Japanese products because of the apparently lack of QC problems for toys meant for the Japan market. However, I would like to stress that I'm not saying that the toys are problems free.

If that's the case I'm sure I got Japanese market releases then, since the SOCs I've gotten from HK were available the moment they were released. Regardless of which versions I have (is there really any way to tell from the box?) they are beautiful SOC masterpieces and have what I would consider to be perfect QC, parts fit, paint etc. On every single one of my SOCs I can't imagine how any aspect of their assembly or finish could have been done better.

And how would we know that BBTS doesn't get the HK versions to sell to people? It certainly takes them a long time to get their stock in, so they'd have plenty of time to wait for the HK versions. And again, is there any way to tell from a box if it's meant for the HK or Japanese market? I find this whole thing rather curious.

[eriku]

Gads...as if to prove how well made they are, five SOCs I had on a shelf just plunged to the floor after the shelf gave-way. I heard the horrible crash and then witnessed the sight of Xabungle, Walker Gallier, Zambo Ace, Lightan and Leopaldon lying in a pile of twisted limbs and pieces. It was about a 5-foot drop onto carpeting. Although Gallier came apart, Leo's head popped off and Xabungle exploded into dozens of bits, nothing was broken or harmed and everything popped right back together. Phew!

[LigerPrime]

Originally Posted by eriku

If that's the case I'm sure I got Japanese market releases then, since the SOCs I've gotten from HK were available the moment they were released. Regardless of which versions I have (is there really any way to tell from the box?) they are beautiful SOC masterpieces and have what I would consider to be perfect QC, parts fit, paint etc. On every single one of my SOCs I can't imagine how any aspect of their assembly or finish could have been done better.

And how would we know that BBTS doesn't get the HK versions to sell to people? It certainly takes them a long time to get their stock in, so they'd have plenty of time to wait for the HK versions. And again, is there any way to tell from a box if it's meant for the HK or Japanese market? I find this whole thing rather curious.

Check behind your SOC boxes...if the toy is meant for the HK market, there should be a sticker saying...Bandai HK or something like that. The sticker is ususally "shiny" and is pretty small.

The timing of releases while is used most of the time, may not be reliable as the above one! My bad, in my rush yesterday, I forgot about the sticker thingy.

Originally Posted by eriku

Gads...as if to prove how well made they are, five SOCs I had on a shelf just plunged to the floor after the shelf gave-way. I heard the horrible crash and then witnessed the sight of Xabungle, Walker Gallier, Zambo Ace, Lightan and Leopaldon lying in a pile of twisted limbs and pieces. It was about a 5-foot drop onto carpeting. Although Gallier came apart, Leo's head popped off and Xabungle exploded into dozens of bits, nothing was broken or harmed and everything popped right back together. Phew!

Dude, me thinks you got off lucky! I don't think my Ideon or Dancougar will survive such a fall! LOL! Put them in a cupboard or shelf.

[eriku]

Originally Posted by LigerPrime

Check behind your SOC boxes...if the toy is meant for the HK market, there should be a sticker saying...Bandai HK or something like that. The sticker is ususally "shiny" and is pretty small.

The timing of releases while is used most of the time, may not be reliable as the above one! My bad, in my rush yesterday, I forgot about the sticker thingy.




Dude, me thinks you got off lucky! I don't think my Ideon or Dancougar will survive such a fall! LOL! Put them in a cupboard or shelf.

Yeah, luckily it was my smaller SOCs on the shelf so gravity didn't hurt them as bad. I'd never put the big boys on something less stable than a table or the floor. I hate to imagine what would happen to Dancouga after a fall!

I'll have to check out my boxes for those stickers, thanks for the info!

[Chosen]

Originally Posted by eriku

And how would we know that BBTS doesn't get the HK versions to sell to people? It certainly takes them a long time to get their stock in, so they'd have plenty of time to wait for the HK versions.

It probably has nothing to do with waiting for the cheaper Hong Kong reissues, but with using slower bulk shipping methods so they don't cost as much to ship to the US, or something of the sort. Not all of the SOCs would be guaranteed to get HK reissues shortly after their release (or reissue) and there's no particular reason BBTS would need to wait when people are willing to get it for the prices offered in their preorders.

There also tend to be certain releases of HK SOCs with unique extras that can't be found with the Japanese release. I've never understood the precise reason for this, but it happens. Examples include small metal figures of human characters, different clear bases for the figures, or alternate versions of figures related to the character (like a clear colored Gaiking action figure in the MSiA style).

[eriku]

Out of all of my SOCs, only Iron Gear has a silver 'Hong Kong' sticker on the back. I guess this means little to me since Iron Gear is one of the most solid and well made toys in my entire collection. Plastic quality is great, parts fit could not be better, joints are perfect, paint is absolutely beautiful and spotless. I really can't imagine any aspect of it being better. Another curiosity is I bought this from a HK seller the same day it was released in Japan...so if HK releases come later...??

Are there any documented incidences of HK SOC toys being of lesser quality, or is it more of a paranoid assumption based on other toy lines and then passed on to SOC by association? The reason I wonder is that I've been collecting these things for a few years now and I've never come across any forum postings where someone complains about having a lesser-quality HK version of something.

It reminds me of the Korean Sonokong vs. Japanese versions of Transformers where they're the same exact toys for different markets but some people insist that the Korean versions are of lesser quality based on the fact that they're cheaper, even though most people agree that there is no difference at all. I wonder if it's a 'well it's cheaper so it must not be made as well' mentality. ie: all in the mind.

I'm not strongly opposed to the concept, I just have a lot of doubts and so far going by my own experiences it seems like much ado about nothing.

[Chosen]

Originally Posted by LigerPrime

With regards to the differences in QC between the HK and Japan toys, its very difficult to spot the differences in the SOC line but the differences (particularly the colours) in the products can be sometimes seen in the SIC line (which is based on the "infamous" Masked Riders).

I don't collect SICs, but I have heard of the occasional problem with the Hong Kong versions. I've never been able to properly investigate it, but some of the Hong Kong versions of sofubi kaiju seem like they don't have all the paint apps of their older Japanese counterparts, but I can't prove it and there was only enough evidence to suspect one or two kaiju at the most.

[ambushbug74]

Where is a good place to buy these? I've been contemplating a Gunbuster or Ideon.

[LigerPrime]

Originally Posted by eriku

Out of all of my SOCs, only Iron Gear has a silver 'Hong Kong' sticker on the back. I guess this means little to me since Iron Gear is one of the most solid and well made toys in my entire collection. Plastic quality is great, parts fit could not be better, joints are perfect, paint is absolutely beautiful and spotless. I really can't imagine any aspect of it being better. Another curiosity is I bought this from a HK seller the same day it was released in Japan...so if HK releases come later...??

Are there any documented incidences of HK SOC toys being of lesser quality, or is it more of a paranoid assumption based on other toy lines and then passed on to SOC by association? The reason I wonder is that I've been collecting these things for a few years now and I've never come across any forum postings where someone complains about having a lesser-quality HK version of something.

It reminds me of the Korean Sonokong vs. Japanese versions of Transformers where they're the same exact toys for different markets but some people insist that the Korean versions are of lesser quality based on the fact that they're cheaper, even though most people agree that there is no difference at all. I wonder if it's a 'well it's cheaper so it must not be made as well' mentality. ie: all in the mind.

I'm not strongly opposed to the concept, I just have a lot of doubts and so far going by my own experiences it seems like much ado about nothing.

To answer your question...the QC problem can come in various forms such as bad paint jobs, joints (either too tight or too loose) etc.

The reason why there's been no major complaints is that most of the time toy owners in HK would simply "exchange" the toy.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is I'm not saying that the SOC meant for the Japan mkt have "no problems" or that the HK versions have major problems but on the whole, it appears that the toys meant for the Japanese mkt appear to have less QC problems.

I would like to add to the example, Chosen gave. For me, it would be Gundam Fix toys. Most of the time, I would find more QC problems (such as bent parts, paint smudges) on the HK versions as compared to the Japanese versions.