I'd have to say that it was probably within the first 2 hours. There was a limit of 1000, and a limit of 2 per person per time in line. Yeah, so there were a few guys in front of me in line going for their second round of them before I even got mine. Mostly, they were dealers, who had access to things much faster than those of us that had to wait outside in the freezing-ass cold. Also the fact that Japan is a cash-based society, the line moved much more quickly than other lines of sale that I've been in. And given the sheer volume of people in Tokyo (not to mention the rest of the country), there wasn't a lot of room for error. I ran into another Transfan who got up there around 8:30 to wait, and I'm not even sure if he got one. Botcon seriously has nothing on Wonderfest. The sheer number of people is staggering. The line to wait? It was about 3 blocks long to my position (and I got there 4 hours early), and extended easily 3 blocks more before wrapping around and heading back towards the front. Oh, and the line was 4 people wide. I give the Wonderfest staff a lot of credit. They managed the population of a small town with no problems or hassles. That was a feat in and of itself.
Hopefully my source was able to come through for me and nab a Arcee so I don't have to pay the crazy aftermarket prices...
you know what would be cool, is if you could take the Trans scanning bits, and put them on a Shinki, and make those transformer girls with them
Man, I know we've seen him before, but I LOVE Takara's take on Classics Prime. I know a lot of people hate the chrome, but to me, that chrome bumper and grille, combined with the blue headlights and tweaked deco, make it look like a different and more substantial toy than the U.S. version. The rest of the Takara Classics don't do it for me quite so much. Starscream's painted face looks nice, as do the painted sides of his chest intakes. But man, his body color is really WHITE. Like, translucent skim-milk white. And the colorless nosecone in jet mode doesn't do it any favors. Maybe it'll win me over when I see it in person. Another weird thing... packed top-up like that, with the white stripes removed, Classics Bumblebee looks a LOT like an Armada or Energon Hot Shot. It's kinda freaking me out. Good thing I know there's a better robot mode in there. As for non-Classics stuff, pink Arcee is kind of a cool novelty, but I have no desire to own her... the original version is superior, IMO. I wasn't planning to order an Encore Meister, as I have the last reissue, but the fixed face and blue visor changed my mind; now he's a must-have. Drat. Trans-scanning figures.... uhm.... the less said, the better.
Takara's Henkei Convoy does look a lot nicer than I had thought he'd look. Already got Megs and Astrotrain on pre-order so I'll have to wait, but I'm definately picking up Convoy once I have the chance. Trans-Scanning Prime looks better than I thought too. True, he does look more like a traditional "action figure" than TF. I'm still digging the overall design though. Once more toy to add to the shopping list. Man my raise/promotion can't come soon enough!
What's going on at Jizai Toys now; I read Jizai Toys blog (right now, the site is down due to the problem on the server's end), and ATM they have no means to sell their kits because the kits are "one day copyright"* merchandise. (* Used for garage kits and fan made figures sold at events, it allows the kits/figures to be sold as officially copyrighted item on the day of the event only.) They seem to be at a loss as to what to do, because even though they can apply for the one day copyright permission for the next event, the kits have "Tomy 2007" moulded already so it will be the problem. I have no interest in those kits, but I feel very sorry for them
Tfans has an elaborate gallery up at http://tformers.com/article.php?sid=9071 Damn, Encore Meister and iPod Convoy look really sharp! Also, I feel bad for JizaiToys. It's a weird situation, I hope they find a solution.
Thanks for the pics. Encore Jazz has been preordered for a while now, and this just makes me even gladder I did it. Megatron is the only figure that I think is improved enough from Hasbro's version to order, and even he isn't grabbing me like I thought he would. So that's good, I won't be tempted to spend more money on figures I already have. I also would buy that Revolvtech Ultra Magnus and Shockwave if only they were official and going to be released at retail. Oh well.
Loving that G1 colors movie Arcee. The Transcanning look weird ... I guess I'll wait until I'm able to see it in person. Those two look pretty cool, but I hope it doesn't stop Kaiyodo from making both a proper Shockwave and an armored Magnus. And that "Roadbuster" looks amazing. Isn't there another Wonderfestival in the summer? Tell me about it! Last year I was vacationing in Japan during Wonderfestival Winter and man ... that's a line I don't want to do ever again. Nothing I've previously been to, whether Botcon or Disneyworld during the summer, could've prepared me for that. -airfox
Jizai Toys blog referees to the kits they have already made to sell for the event. They can't sell those even if they get another "one day copyright" for the summer event, because as I mentioned, they have "Tomy 2007" stamped already (the new copyright should be 2008). And I'm certain they have invested a lot to make those kits I really hope they can find some ways.
Hell, if they want to send me a Wheelie and Powerglide for free (out of the goodness of their hearts), I'm sure that the goodness of my heart would be compelled to send them an equitable charitable donation towards the development of future products.
Hey that transcanning figure looks awesome, except for the big Prime helmet in robot mode. Nonetheless, I had no idea protoform armor was included, I thought the plane figure by itself represented the protoform. I am dissapointed that it will be the price of a voyager, but look forward to it. It looks like it can be sold in the US(judging by the packaging), so I hope it is brought over, at least as an exclusive. Most likely to target. I hate how the knee articulation will be hindered in robot mode(same problem Leader Prime has), but the toy looks like it has a lot of playability.
I read that ... but I thought that wasn't such a big deal since neither show (this week's Wonderfest Winter or the upcoming Summer one) was/will be technically in 2007. I guess they can't even sell those as unlicensed stuff, 'cause they molded the copyright there. Hopefully it works out for them ... and if I can get any of those kits, better yet. -airfox
So glad I preordered Henkei Prime and Megs. So sweet. Also, Encore Jazz is now a definite MUST. He looks awesome! I have SS and Grimlock preordered as well, but eh.. I'm not sure about them anymore.
