My Nendoroid Kaito has finally arrived!
Well, cos I’m cheapo, I selected the cheapest shipping method :P lol~
Many of you have already received him a week ago, right? The actual buying (or should I say “hunting”) process was a lot more exciting than finally receiving the product ^^;;; ooo~ the adrenaline rush. I feel kinda silly now but I’m definitely glad I got him at the normal price.
How did you feel when he arrived? Anyway, I’ll do a proper, detailed review later :P
Update 14 August 2010.
Finally unboxed oniisan (elder brother) of the Vocaloid family! XD
Standard Nendoroid boxed packaging. Kaito is about 9.5 cm tall and his additional parts include 2 extra faces, 2 extra arms, 1 extra leg, a popsicle, scarf and base stand.
The paint job is pretty clean and crisp. There’s a nice pearly sheen on Kaito’s white coat. Kaito’s design is relatively simple I suppose. I didn’t like the smell of the inks and it was different from the usual ink smell I expected. It wasn’t that strong but I was idiotic enough to hold Kaito closer and take a deeper sniff to ascertain if he was the cause of it after opening the box OTL. I hope I didn’t kill any of my brain cells in the process lol~
Kaito’s basic face is similar to all the other Nendoroid Vocaloids, looking like such an innocent, cutie pie. Besides his arms and legs, his hands are removable so that you can use parts from other Nendoroids as well. Notice that the hands are not in proportion to each other? For the sake of cute. We shall forgive. Lol~
More close ups of Kaito’s cute body parts :D Notice again. Size of his fists. Is the bigger fist for the purpose of a more dramatic effect?
Most nendoroids have limited articulation, only around the neck, shoulders, legs, wrists and waist. And most of them can’t stand on their own without help. Kaito needs his base to stand too. I put him lying down to take these shots. That’s the happy face Goodsmile ball-joint on the left.
Here is Kaito’s manly (lol) and determined face and wearing his scarf.
imacatlover I share your feelings about this happy face too. This face reminded me why I felt so upset for letting him go due to budget constraints the first time he was released. Aww… gimme a hug big brother~
Worth the hype? Definitely. Kaito -IS- very charming indeed. I mean everybody expected him to be quickly re-released like the other vocaloid nendoroids, such as Miku, Len and Rin after his first shipment but we were all wrong. And Goodsmile sure made us wait.
Now that I look back, I realised I’ve forgotten how many times over the past 2 years that I fought back the temptation to buy him for 3 times his retail price each time I saw him on sale. For a normal release, he was so much more difficult to obtain than actual limited releases OTL.
The trouble and excitement I had to go through to finally secure him during the recent resale now adds a sense of collector’s achievement and thrill to the mix.
Kaito has become a legend in my figure collection journey. lol~
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I never have that money buy that ……………. T^T
@Suzuki: aww… *pats*
@plank-chan
…………………………..
:c
i want a gakupo nendo!!!!!!
he would be so happy with two kaitos!!!!! Dx
@Shirokaze: Hopefully! I’ve been wishing for Gakupo nendo for the longest time OTL;;;
@ponytale OMG I’m even seeing some Kaito x Kaito twincest happening here! <3
@Shirokaze: good luck with mom! We all deserve this Kaito!
@planck-chan: XDD oh my! lol~ <33
plank chan, i feel ur pain
next week ima go beg mother for money Q.Q
would do it right now.. but we just had a fight, not the best moment to ask for money xDDD
i must get this kaito rrrr
doesn’t matter if i already have the older version!
GAKURAN IS A MUST!!!!!!!!!
@Shirokaze: I agree! GAKURAN IS A MUST!!!!!
I hope that by the time the orders open, you and mummy would have made up XDD
OMG, a Support version for Kaito! And he looks awesome, the extras are wonderful! A new body with gakuen outfit, blue pompoms, fans, red headband! Now that I ordered Len, those extra parts would be lovely to display them together! But I’m so, so broken after spending with Konoe plush, and also Len, and my normal orders (Gakuen Chiral and Starry Sky sweets 2)… dunno what to do, and have to decide fast, til Oct 27th!
@planck-chan: I’ll definitely try to get this version of Kaito :D The gakuran outfit is fabulous! There are so many other Nendoroid characters that can use it. So it is a must <333 Try your best to grab him too ok?
Your upcoming orders sound so awesome too! You're going to enjoy them a lot I bet! (But our poor bank accounts OTL)
theres a rumor that he will be re-released o.o
@Shirokaze: That’ll be great isn’t it XD Thanks for the headsup. I’ll watch out for it too.
DDD: W-well, you can look at the price of the auction and if there are any bids on it, I suppose.
Ah, I’ve seen those sellers before! o: I’d generally scroll down to check where the seller is located before placing a bid too. Not just because of bootlegs but shipping from China/Hong Kong or another country to Japan is pretty costly. x_x
@Luvi: The scary thing is… those bootleggers listed that they are shipping from Japan! So you won’t be able to tell from that whether they are legit or scammers from that information *_*
o: They do? Then again, I’ve never encountered any bad sellers from Y!J before…
@Luvi: Yep they do! I’ve tried to bid on a nendoroid figure once and the system stopped me cos it was blacklisted. I went to read reviews about that seller and true enough, there were a number of complaints that they sell bootlegged figures. We tend to let our guard down cos it is Yahoo Japan but scarily, bootleggers (probably from China) have also found their way there too.
lol same here! XD If I didn’t remember wrongly, you could also get them to tell you what that particular auction is for before you place your bid. o:
Ah. It shouldn’t be too difficult to fix though. Some light sanding with 2000/2500grit sandpaper, airbrushing, and a very light layer of matte coating should do the trick. :3 Or you could take him down to one of those hobby store that does touch-ups if you’re not too sure.
@Luvi: yep I was too impatient :P that’s why I suffered the consequences. One thing I like about them is that they also have a seller blacklist system. If that particular seller received complaints such as selling bootleg products, the system will stop us from bidding.
:D ooo thanks for the tips! I’ll see what I can do with that pesky bump on his head keke.
Ouh. D: I used Crescent for awhile in the past, but stopped after I found a more personal agent. She helps her VIP customers send in those “lucky draw” postcards in magazines and stuff. XD And the lack of real-time bidding has helped me save a lot of money too. 8D;
By the way, I couldn’t help notice the line across Kaito’s hair on the front. Is that reflection, or a scratch? DD:
@Luvi: yeah, I did quite a number of impulse buys when I first started using them cos of real-time bidding. I was practically bidding for a few items every other day OTL. I was like a child at candy land. So many rare BL items that were out of reach suddenly seem to be available! But I’ve learned some self-control since then, save for a few mishaps (those misread auctions) ^^;;;
Yeah you noticed huh :3 That’s a reflection, not a scratch. His cast wasn’t smooth, that’s why :-\
D: I always try to read the description thoroughly before bidding for items above 3000yen. Sometimes, when something seem suspiciously cheap, I’ll just contact the seller to confirm. XD
You can normally pull out your bid if you contact the seller directly though. o: Do you bid for the items yourself or through an agent?
@Luvi: Yeah I should have been a lot more careful. I’m bidding through a middleman Crescent that has self-bidding service. I signed up for an account at Yahoo auctions but it doesn’t allow bidding above a certain amount if you don’t have a linked bank account or something? Most of the time the bids go way beyond that and there are a lot of Japanese words in their FAQ I didn’t understand thoroughly so I gave up for now :-\
But, but! They’re also a good place to hunt for cheap nendoroid and figma parts! :D So I don’t have to buy the full set just to get one accessory or expression. Or neko mimi. 8D
@Luvi: Indeed XDD and you have to be more careful then! But you’re so lucky tho’! I’ve made a few dumb purchases on Y!A before cos I misread the Japanese description and when I found out, I couldn’t pull out of the bid in-time already ( T~T)
… You know, I almost did pay 200 odd bucks for Kaito. XD And it was on the day BEFORE the news on his re-issue. Good thing I got out bidded. OTL
@Luvi: lol~ you’re one lucky girl~ auctions are dangerous for you lol lol~ XDD
oh my godness these pictures are just to cute i really love the onnichan pic! You need to take more pictures of your figures like this! ;v;
Kaito is very cute figure! I am now on the journey to collect him. (lol watch this take a good two years are more.;;)XD
my favorite kaito face would be the happy face~ :D
@sigma: yeah… it is such a cute face, makes me wanna go kyyyuuu and hug him tight. It’s no wonder he is so well-loved. Yeah lol~ in two year’s time, he may be re-released again XDD
Totally worth the buying! I got mine from HS and luckily there was a 50% off shipping promo at that time, then he came by EMS, less than a week! When I got him, I was so busy with tests and reports that let him on box, but since I was free of the work, I opened him… and instantly fell in love. His blueness is so wonderful, love the degrade painting, the pearly jacket, his big eyes and his happy cute face! He’s an “old” model compared to the new nendos which have more accessories, new base stand more flexible, but his cuteness is overwhelming! I’m pretty glad for this acquisition cos he was my#1 wishlisted item but his abusive prices always put me away from him… now I’m praying for a Len re-release (do you have a Len? he’s on his box yet?) to make Kaito (and me) happy!! For now Sebby is having fun with him… until Bocchan arrives – and maybe it’ll be a love triangle? =D
And loved your pic as always, the first one is so nice, Len by his side would be perfect!
@imacatlover: Yep, I love it! Your pic of Kaito will cheer up anybody who is feeling down! XD He is the first Nendoroid I’m putting in my display case. Everybody else are still in their boxes :P I’ll get Len out of his too now that oniisan is here XD
Woah… I can’t imagine anyone paying 200bucks for Kaito… but you never know.
Hehehe that’s such a cute shot! I can feel Sebby’s jealously bubbling under that arrogant look. XD Kaito and Len look so happy! But I’m glad he’ll have Ciel very soon too!
Yeah… Miku gets all the love. It’s one of the reasons I didn’t want to buy her Nendoroid (which was re-released at least 4 times) OTL ^^;;; They’re even making a super-articulated Nendoroid version of Miku too :-\
Me too. I’ve been eyeing that playhouse ever since seeing it’s pic on wonderfest! MUST MUST BUY! I probably try to get 2 sets of each if my budget allows. Too pretty and so luxurious looking. I definitely don’t have any space for it but I’m going to grab it anyway :P Ah~ I like that Riku too! It is one of the most beautiful versions of him out there ^^
@planck-chan: woah~ you’re so lucky! XD Yeah I have Len too and now that Kaito is here, I’ll finally get him out of his box ^^ I’m weird this way lol~ Hopefully they re-release Len again too so that you can also get him! Hahaha, Sebby just needs to bear with it for a while. His very own Ciel is going to come soon! XD
Thanks for the compliment and suggestion! I was holding Kaito in my hand. Looking at him, I was like… ah~ he is so cute X3 and my heart melted a little. Can’t help imagining him saying those sweet words to Len (and us lol~). Yeah I’ll take a nice pic of Kaito and Len together when I can XDD
Yay, thank you for liking it ^___^ I made the shot, and he looked so happy, that I had to post it! He colours nicely to my green room <3
Yeah, he really was that expensive! o__o;; I looked around ebay just a second ago, to see if they still had him around for ridiculously high prices, and right now he's between 100 to 150 USD… But and here's one Japanese dude who didn't get the nota of his re-release, and still asks the well known price of 200 USD for him! xD http://cgi.ebay.nl/Nendoroid-Figure-No-58-KAITO-/180478071392?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0#ht_2579wt_804 It's crazy! But who knows how long it will take, before people will start paying more than 100 USD for him, to have him…?
Ah, I know what you mean, though. When Kaito arrived, I was like "Oh, he's here…" And I wasn't that exited. I just was like, "Oh yeah, forgot I ordered him too" But when I opened the box, and put the big smile face on, the feeling of "OMG, I have my own Kaito ;w; *pinchs self* He's really here, and my Len finally has his oniisan!!! And best of it… I paid so little for it! ;w; Yaaay!" The hunt was definitly worth it! And look, Kaito is so much more colorful then Len and Sebbie *__* http://myfigurecollection.net/image/imacatlover1281102017.jpeg Sebbie will have to share Len with Kaito now, though! (My Sebbie and Len are BBF's xD)
Hmmm… I don't think the other Vocaloids get much love, anymore :/ As much as I love her, I'm getting kinda irritated at knowing only Miku will get a special Vocaloid treatment. I'm finally happy there will be a new figure of Len and Luka sometimes soon, but when I check Miku's figure page… She has more than all the other Vocaloids put together! v___v;;
But I am definitly going to buy the western Nendo playhouse *____* It will be perfect for Ciel and Sebastian http://myfigurecollection.net/image/kuroken9121281340557.jpeg Need to see where I'm going to put it, though! My room's getting pretty crowded with all these figures xD New one in the team is going to be the figure I've wanted since two years ago… Riku! <3 ;w; http://myfigurecollection.net/figure/4752
Aww! What makes you not excited? I’ll admit I like my Len alooot better XD. But when I got Kaito it was at a store so I guess I didn’t really have to search so much? I got him during the first issue though, so maybe that’s why I didn’t get the thrill of the hunt ;;
I remember when I got Kaito I was so determined to get all the vocaloids… but now I’m so whatever I’m just happy about having Miku, Len, and Kaito. Luka is tempting but… hm.
@imacatlover: Beautiful shot! XD That cheered me up instantly! *hugs*
Did he cost that much??? Gosh… I thought the going rate was about 100 USD. Hmm maybe I waited too long (SAL shipping) and my excitement from hunting him down had already died down. But after I unboxed him today, the happiness returned XD He is very charming indeed, especially that happy face. The cheeriest I’ve seen on any Nendoroid face. *big hearts*
Well, if Goodsmile decide that the vocaloid gang is popular enough to warrant a super articulation release (like the new Nendoroid Saber) we may have a better chance at more goodies. Otherwise, I guess I’m still contented and buy those Phat! Company and Rement accessories for them :)
Yeah, I’m also glad to pay the usual price for him too. Definitely a nice addition to the collection.
@Suimu: Maybe I was stressed up and tired by work when he arrived ^^ but now that I’ve unboxed him… yeah, I feel happy again. Well, I had the opportunity to buy Kaito the 1st time he was released but I was quite broke at that time. Thinking he will be re-released like the rest, I decided not to buy then… Oh was I wrong lol~ DX
If you had also gone through the recent hunt, you’ll understand what an emotional roller coaster ride it was. Lol~ Each time we found a store that opened for preorder, he was sold out within minutes. So it was like hopping from one store to the next in the hope of securing a copy! ^^;;; He caused a worldwide buying frenzy. Seriously.
Anyway, I also have Len too but he is still inside his box and Rin too. No Miku/Luka :3 Tempting to make a full set but… $$$ is a reality factor.
How did I feel…? *w* Awesome!
I’m really happy I got him for a nice price on CDJapan, cause he was usually around 250 to 300 USD on ebay, and I kept missing sales on Tsukiboard where he usually was around 80 to 130 USD. Waiting for him didn’t take long, cause I was on a vacation to France anyway, and when I got home, it took 3 days or so to get him…
When I got him out of the box and wrapping, and looked at him, while he was still boxed, he looked SO nice! I unboxed him, and immediately gave him his happy face and his ice-cream, and that’s when I really fell in love with him >w< He's so colourfull and cute! Really, I'm used to Sebbie's dark attire and Len's… yellow-ness? So blue makes a nice addition to the team, and that sort-off shiney coat of him is also really cool! The scarf is cute too, and the paint-job on his arms and coat are really well done. I can't seem to find any notable bleeds or anything.
The only thing that is a little disapointing is that he comes with so little goodies :c I mean, one face lookes like the face nearly every Vocaloind nendroid has, only more blue, and that other face is a little… odd xD;; I like his happy face the most, cause it has the power to make me smile too, haha! But I guess he IS a re-sale of an old Nendo, so I really should stop nagging about it. Only the new Nendo's have more goodies now, the old ones… :c
My final verdict would be: The happiness I got from him is sure worth the price I paid for it, but I think if I had paid 120 to 250 USD for him, I would have felt… less happy? Kaito is an nice addition to anyone's collection ^w^)b
http://a.imageshack.us/img835/4025/p10805062.jpg
I wonder how you will feel about him, though? Have you unboxed him already?