Based upon what i've read here: How To Buy Directly From Taobao:The Complete Guide 2020 It seems as though i'll need to go through a 3rd party. Has that been the case for you? I've set up an account.
I don’t think so unless that is the shipping thing I mentioned. I’m not sure exactly what is going on other than I usually place an order then I get a notice to either pay the balance or another one to pay additional shipping from the warehouse. Whatever the case, it always ends up cheaper than buying from most other spots but that may be different now with shipping restrictions. There is a thread in the 3P thread about taobao.
The figures reminded me of something I'd seen before over my years in the hobby. John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Memory Bank: The Adventures of Metal Man (Zee Toys)
There's a guide here on the forum: Buying Transformers on Taobao I personally would wait to see what kind of prices stores like Show.Z bring, particularly as the figures are preorders at the moment, and not expected to drop till just before the end of the month.
I believe I'll do just that (and wait for you to let us know lol. No pressure ). I'm actually designing my own 3cm figures so that should keep me occupied until these are released.
Same. I was really young and didn't know what they were until much later in life. Good generic bots and sci fi dudes that look like toys. I'm a sucker for such things. I'm not a big fan of well established I.P.'s .
Questions: Has Rihio said anything publicly regarding the green figure shown next to the others in the lineup? Can someone who can read the Chinese text tell me what it says next to the capital letters '' PP '' in the 2nd picture? I'm trying to determine if they are referring to the plastic type used in the figure construction or to something else. *minor regret for switching from Mandarin to French language studies
Thank you That's precisely what I assumed and why I asked. Polypropylene is an interesting choice of polymer for production of these figures. In most cases PP doesn't accept common cheap superglue or adhesives. There are a few name brand bonding agents that apparently will work as PP adhesives but I haven't used them yet (expensive) and I'm not sure how strong the hold will be at this scale. When I saw PP instead of ABS I was a bit surprised. However PP is cheap and common , ex. shampoo bottles for example, so i understand why they chose it. I've made some figures out of PE in the past and they held up well so PP should be fine.
Suntzu28, can you tell which plastic Takara uses on their dianauts and how brittle is PP? I ask that because the KO dianauts made by MFT are very brittle. They can crack or break easily at the joints. They are definitely of an inferior quality compared to the original dianauts made by Takara (they are cheap, but also kind of crap, they are not worth the saved money in my opinion). So I wonder if Rihio's mini-figures will present the same issues... I hope not...
There are too many variables to know for sure but based upon my experience customizing them and working with low grade plastic injection (Polyethylene and Polypropylene) i'd guess either: * low grade ABS with a heavier mold release agent residue on the body (as evidenced by the softer plastic and waxy feel) or * Polypropylene (as evidenced by the softer plastic and resistance to dollar store super glue) For reference plastic soda bottle caps are often made of a softer waxier PP. Laundry detergent caps are made of a more brittle PP in my experience. I have a Gundam Micro Wars pilot, Takara Dianaut and MFT Dianaut in front of me now. You could say i'm a micro action figure fan lol. The Gundam Micro Wars plastic feels smoother (velvet comes to mind lol), bends easily and is resistant to superglue when adding articulation. That suggest soft grade PVC to me from experience. The MFT KO Dianaut plastic feels waxy, bends less easily than the PVC mentioned above and is resistant to superglue when adding articulation. That suggest low grade ABS or PP to me from experience. The Takara Dianaut plastic feels more dry to the touch, is more stiff than the plastics above and, from memory, easier to superglue when adding articulation (even when gluing metal to plastic with added wheat flour). That suggest higher grade ABS with less mold release residue to me from experience. Besides...it's Takara. With their prices the mold and plastic quality should be higher. With all of that said ... I'm still looking forward to the RiHio micro figures. The Rihio figures are referenced as "about 3cm". Gundam Micro wars are "about 3cm" measuring at 33mm compared to a Dianauts 29 to 30mm. That ever so slight increase in size potentially adds a bit of bulk to the ball and shoulder stems. That means your shoulder stem on a Dianaut = 1mm compared to a 1.1 to 1.2mm stem on a Gundam Micro Wars figure. There are other reasons PP can potentially be adequate / better polymer than ABS at this scale that. Especially if it's a waxy type. Larger diameter = more plastic = more forgiving to stress with a softer plastic (often) = less of an issue with white stress marks where the body and shoulder stem meet when bent (most of the time). Gundam micro wars are slightly bigger and softer i.e. forgiving when bent. Takara plastic is stiffer but i wouldn't trust it to repetitive bends at this scale.
Thank you for all your knowledge. What I know is that I never had a Takara dianaut cracking, breaking or falling apart while manipulating them, and I use them often in different toy lines. In comparison, I had much more than a couple of MFT KOs literally cracking and breaking. The problem seems to happen more often with those sold as a set of individual figures (maybe those are the ones discharged by the factory but sold on ebay?). Anyway, the problem made me much more reluctant to buy MFT stuff. I hope that will not be the case with Rihio (I will give a try for sure). I never got into Gundam Micro Wars, but I do remember some people complaining of parts cracking in the mini figures around the joints, at least in the first releases.
MFT's dianauts coming broken is likely their due to their assembly line's (lack of) workmanship, e.g. All that plastic flash and nubs getting in the way of joints, rough handling, bad aim, etc. That's where KO makers would save on cost. RIHIO's dianauts will come on runners and need to be assembled yourself, so you won't have this random issue (depending on your skill at assembling teeny weeny parts)
Weird, all of my MFT Dianauts feel pretty much identical to the authentic ones. Never had any break or crumble. I’ve never bought the individual pilots though, just the ones that come packed with mechs. I’m looking forward to the Rihio pilots and just ordered a set on ShowZ. Haven’t picked up any of the mech sets yet but they are on my long list of things to buy.
^ Thanks for the heads up. I just preordered as well. I was going to say it was pricey but i'm not buying many (any?) toys these days *and* i like supporting the smaller companies that make the product collectors want so...whatever. Regarding the MFT Dianauts... i should compare the troop bag Dianauts to the figures that come with power suits. There may be a difference. I've not really had problems with either type until recently ( i ripped one guys arm off). For my purposes (customizing) they are worth the price. I can't complain. This is the first time i've ever read this on a forum or on twitter. Where did you read this feedback? It's really hard for me to imagine a Gundam Micro Wars figure breaking. They don't feel cheap but they definitely feel light and pliable. Damn near gummy
Maybe it isn't PP plastic after all ? I say "maybe" as some of the other information looks a bit off heh. Maybe they were reading this thread... [Pre-Order] Rihio Multiabyss Mecha Pilot Set of 45 Figures
I had only one case of breakage involving a MFT pilot that came with mech but I had at least four or five cases of breakage involving individually bought MFT pilots (from ebay). That's why I suspect there is something shitty with MFT pilots that are sold individually on ebay. Some arrived already broken but others broke while I was (gently) manipulating them. It is not just a case of assembly line. Because of the inferior material, the joints cannot stand normal play. On the other hand, zero problems with Takara mini figures. Well, you get what you paid for I guess. As I said, I didn't get into Gundam Micro Wars. I was following the news on twitter when they first came out and then I decided the line was not for me. I do remember seeing some complaints at the time. I tried to recover some old news, but it is hard to find (especially because I don't know japanese or chinese), but maybe that is a good sign that problems are not widespread (?). I did recover this https://twitter.com/omega158560178/status/1194489185719046144 -> maybe the problems are more about things not fitting well rather than breakage.
In case someone wants to see a size comparison (found on twitter): Gundam micro wars pilots have too big heads. On the other hand, I guess dianauts' hips don't lie . Hopefully Rihio's mini figures will be just fine . They do have an excellent opportunity to make a great impact and prompt up their name.
