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hi guys thread dig-up as i'm in japan and some insight into places mentioned previously!
Ikebukuro: 2 department stores had almost nothing, 2 items (demolisher and something else)
Kiddyland Harajuku: Decent stock of everything but way over-priced compared to what else I saw
Yobodashi-Aki (level 6): Overpriced
Random stores in akihabara: Well priced, will pickup buster prime for about 6200 YEN, MP Thundercracker for 6100 and some other bits and pieces in the coming week!
Are there any sightings of G1 stuff , loose or otherwise? Just curious...Quote:
Originally Posted by k.wong23
Probably some encores hanging around. Usually original G1 are in niche shops and Pricey!
Jetfire, k.wong23,
I'm visiting Tokyo during the first week of the new year. Is there any places that you can recommend that I should go to check out Transformers, based on your trip there?
Any tips would be great and much appreciated. :D
My post earlier in this thread has got you covered!
Quote:
Originally Posted by kurdt_the_goat
liege, yeh i'd say theres actually a fair amount of G1 scattered across different stores in akihabara, but ye it is priced the same as ebay it would appear, sometimes slightly more?Quote:
Originally Posted by liegeprime
Quote:
Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon
like kurdt mentioned, you should have a look at his map of Akihabara. I'll mention that you should visit the area on kurdt's map where "GAMERS" shop is. Be sure to explore all the levels around there :)
Mandarake is also worth looking at on that map.
If you get a chance, have a visit of TOYS R US sometime, they have beast wars, encore, alternity and various others e.g ROTF and have certain items on clearance. The only one I actually went to was in Odaiba, but Odaiba itself is great for sightseeing/shopping!
Hope that helps, if you have any other questions shoot!
I'd say print out that map, and possibly pictures of the storefronts will help you out. All the cool TF stuff in Akihabara is in walking distance. And try the back alley shops not mentioned on the map, I found a bunch of cheap henkei not neccessarrily from toy shops, more like Red Dot Akihabara or Crazy Akiba's.
I may be back there in January myself.
Thanks Jetfire, kurdt, k.wong, for all the kind responses.
This is mostly going to be a sashimi, good coffee, good chocolates and sightseeing trip with my wife (with a day of Tokyo Disneyland thrown in, heh).
I'll squeeze in some TF time if I can but I know what you guys mean when you say the prices are like eBay and sometimes more. I think I certainly have more places that I can cover given the limited time I'll be there.
Jetfire, when will you be there? I'm going from 1 Jan to 10 Jan. :p
Not sure yet. Tentatively January atm. I went there is September for 2 weeks to train people in the software I work with. They have asked me back in Jan for 3 weeks.. might happen, might not but their asking for quotes so it is looking more likely. No dates confirmed.Quote:
Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon
keep me posted mate!
Damnit! I found _NO_ Transformers when I was in Akihabara! Where the hell were all these stores in the 90s?!? (>o<)
guys，quick update
went to akihabara yesterday. it was VERY awesome.
- scored a Raiden giftset C9 box (complete paperworks, missing 2 small green clips) for AU$780.
- MIB Lightfoot
- MIB Carb
- MIB Doubleclouder (C9 box, complete paperworks and C9 toy) - AU$280.
I also saw MISB (Jap boxes) Springer, Broadside, Snapdragon, Beachcomber, Wheeljack and more....
MIB Overlord complete in C9,5 box (nicest Ive seen so far....
Insane!
Did you take any pics? Would love to see these sitting on a store shelf.
All the good places on my map of Akihabara don't allow photography :(
Wow! Are they all tagged with the insane price as well? :pLooks like you're in heaven!Quote:
Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon
they are all pretty high prices, but cheaper ｔｈａｎ ｅｂａｙ．Quote:
Originally Posted by hanprimus
Ｉ ｆｏｕｎｄ ａｎｏｔｈｅｒ Ｍａｎｄａｒａｋｅ ｉｎ Ｓｈｉｂｕｙａ ｗｈｉｃｈ ａｌｓｏ ｓｔ ｏｃｋｓ ａ ｒｅｓｐｅｃｔａｂｌｅ ａｍｔ ｏｆ Ｇ１ ＴＦｓ． Ｗｉｌｌ ｕｐｄａｔｅ ｆｕｒｔ ｈｅｒ ｗｈｅｎ Ｉ ｒｅｔｕｒｎ．
Ｉ ａｍ ｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒｉｎｇ ｔｈｅ ＭＩＳＢ Ｓｎａｐｄｒａｇｏｎ ａｎｄ ＭＯＳＣ Ｂａｃｋ ｓｔｒｅｅｔ ｉｆ Ｉ ｍａｎａｇｅ ｔｏ ｍａｋｅ ｉｔ ｆｏｒ ａ ｒｅｖｉｓｉｔ．
Ｄｏ ｙｏｕ ｇｕｙｓ ｔｈｉｎｋ Ｈｙｄｒａ （ｒｅｃｏｌｏｕｒｅｄ Ｄａｒｋｗｉｎｇ） ｉｎ ｉ ｎｄｉｖｉｄｕａｌ ｂｏｘ ｉｓ ｗｏｒｔｈ ｇｅｔｔｉｎｇ？ （ｔｈｉｓ ａｎｏｔｈｅｒ ｏｎｅ Ｉｍ ｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒｉｎｇ．
I can't answer that for you, but if you did, that'd take one more item off of the collective collection...
Ｉ ｃａｎ ｓｅｅ ｔｈａｔ ｈｅｒｏｉｃ＿ｄｅｃｅｐｔｉｃｏｎ ｉｓ ｕｓｉｎｇ ａ Ｊａｐａｎｅ ｓｅ ｃｏｍｐｕｔｅｒ． ；）
heroic decepticon is back at base with lots to report and some unexpected finds to unveil! More on this soon... :D
*giggles like a school girl in anticipation* :DQuote:
Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon
kurdt_the_goat and jetfire, thanks again for the tips and the map for TF hunting in Japan. It is much appreciated (if you guys, or anyone on the Board, goes to HK, I will be able to return the favour with info of similar quality! :D ).
Transformers-wise, it has been a great trip and I managed to fill many holes in my collection.
***
Video Clip of a Mandarake Store (yes, I slipped one by them for the team... erm the Board I mean).
***
after sorting through hundreds of pics, here's one taken on the hotel bed on the night I acquired them (no, I didn't sleep with them).
http://inlinethumb32.webshots.com/43...500x500Q85.jpg
Raiden Giftset.
I still can't believe how minty this is for the asking price. 3 of the 6 sticker sheets are unused.
http://inlinethumb37.webshots.com/39...600x600Q85.jpg
***
More to come.
Hah! I'm guessing they let you sneak that clip since you offloaded so much dosh into their registers ;) Maybe now Goktimus will believe G1 toys can be found in Akihabara! Where'd you find the other Mandarake not shown on my map?
There's a Mandarake in Shibuya (which my wife found through a HK guidebook on Tokyo).
And then, there is their main store at Nakano Broadway. Mandarake occupies 3 levels of this 4 storey building. The amount of stuff in this store is staggering and definitely beats the Akihabara one in terms of scope, quantity and "vintageness" (amongst other things this place has vintage anime sketches and cells and also lots of vintage US comics!). It's a little confusing to navigate the store, and I think a solid 4-5 hours will be needed to comb the place in detail.
I found the Nakano store from their website while I was in Japan. This is a full list of all their stores - Mandarake Stores in Japan. Clicking on each link will lead you to a diagrammatic map.
Both the Shibuya and Nakano stores are less than 20mins by train from Shinjuku station which was near where I stayed.
Damn, i should have looked at that website sooner! Which store is your video from? I guess they all look similar-ish, enough so that i thought it was the Akihabara one anyway. 4-5 hours combing would have my wife pulling out her hair! (it'll grow back:)
yup. vid is of the Akihabara store (where I splashed the most dosh in your words, heh).
I went to Nakano on the day I was due to fly out and so only spent 1.5hours there. Fortunately, my wife acted as my second pair of eyes and pointed out the TF stuff that I missed in my excitement.
She's very in tune with my TF collecting and knows what I like and wouldn't like and what I have and do not have. So it was an epic fail on my part when I wanted to buy the individual Jap box Contructicons at Nakano (as an upgrade to my Devastator), when she said hey "you already have these, buy something else you don't have".
Very nice purchases heroic_decepticon!
Nice pickup HD, loved the clandestine video too!
I was in Akihabara when Beast Wars was still out... and at that time I never saw these stores (and I was actively hunting Transformers). Either they weren't there or perhaps they were but didn't stock Transformers (and thus didn't garner my attention)... or maybe I was just unlucky and didn't come by these stores despite my efforts. :( :(
Here's me on one of my numerous TF hunting expeditions in Tokyo:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...kuro_makku.jpg
On this particular day I went to Ikebukuro where I'd just purchased Rhinox vs. Shadow Panther (the versus set is inside that blue plastic bag I'm carrying). Ah, memories.
ladies and gentlemen, I am very happy to present my Tokyo G1 specific report in the following chapters, each packed to the rafters with photos (yes, I slipped one pass them more than once!) :D
Enjoy!
~ HD
PS: Goktimus Prime, would like to hear what you think the title of the "TV artbooks" in Chapters 4 and 5 should be translated as.
***
Chapter 1: In which the purpose is unveiled
Chapter 2: In which we visit the Mandarake Complex
Chapter 3: In which we visit Mandarake (Shibuya)
Chapter 4: Mandarake Complex Akihabara Redux
Chapter 5: In which we visit Mandarake Nakano
Chapter 6: The Acquisitions
Chapter 7: The Japan January 2010 "Best Of" Tally
VERY very nice...people'd have a hard time topping that...ok, I admit it...I'm jealous!
Some of the prices shown are actually quite reasonable compared to ebay prices. Might have to consider changing my holiday later this year to include a stopover in Tokyo..... By the way HD, which place would you say is better stocked and priced, TF-wise, out of Singapore and Japan?
You found Transformers in Shibuya?!?!? AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHH!!! I searched everywhere for Transformers (just finding Beast Wars figures at the time would've made me happy) but I found _zip_. At the end of that day I really felt deflated and frustrated like this:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22..._nosuccess.jpg
...although my friend who accompanied me was delighted as she bought bag loads of clothes and shoes, which I helped carry (might as well since I had NO shopping of my own to carry!) ... and this was just after completing a major exam at Tokyo Uni; my friend and I decided to do some retail therapy. I was thoroughly untherapised dammmmnnnnit!
(T_T) Either these stores weren't stocking Transformers in the 90s or I was just unlucky and didn't notice them despite the fact that Transformers was the _only_ thing I was looking for. <insert.swear.words>
Very jealous of the finds you had.
Makes my trip to Singapore and what I saw there look pathetic..
Any larger pictures of the items in the stores - trying to look at the price tags.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 5FDP
Quote:
Originally Posted by gamblor916
Thanks guys! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by bboy-toransufoma
Yup. Like I mentioned, the prices are actually pretty reasonable. The C9 boxed Overlord with unused accessories and paperworks works out to be around AU$620. That's way more reasonable than some of the junk eBay sellers are peddling, not to mention their exorbitant asking prices.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fungal Infection
I'd say that Robo-Robo in Singapore could match each Mandarake in terms of G1 TFs (but not the collective number of TFs available in all the Mandarakes combined). Today, other than Robo-Robo, I'd be hard pressed to find another shop in Singapore with such a concentration of G1 TFs.
So because it is relatively easier to access and with such a concentration of figures, I'd say, at this moment, that Japan is better stocked.
I think that you can write off Hong Kong. Jgon recently went to most of my recommended shops in HK and came up zlich on G1 TFs.
hey dude, don't be so pissed off. To be fair, maybe there really weren't any shops stocking TFs in the early 90s. After all, G1 just ended and TFs are not considered worth much back then, and therefore not worth their effort to resell on the second-hand market (in fact, up till around 2000, TFs in Japan were going for relatively cheaper prices compared to the rest of the world).Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
It's been 20 years since your 1990 trip. I don't think its unreasonable to suggest to your wife that its time for a re-visit! And this time, you will be armed with the knowledge of where to go.
The larger pictures are too ungainly for web-viewing purposes. Let me know which photo you are interested in and I can email you a larger pic. :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Zippo
erm, I was in Japan in '97 (hence why I lot of my pre-Transmetal BW Transformers are Japanese). But yeah, I don't think G1 TFs were very popular there nor were many stores stocking them. I would like to believe that as it makes me feel better. :p ;)
nice stuff heroic, glad you had fun hunting! :)
I also just happened to stumble upon that mandarake store in shibuya while my gf had her nails done (how long were the flight of stairs down?? lol)
All of em :-)Quote:
Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon
Ok, I shall narrow it down for you..
Pissed me of that I went to that store 4 times, and only once were they open.. and they were closing so I only got a very rushed look at the place and didn't purchase anything from there.. The open hours on the door didn't seem to make a difference as I visited during the stated hours as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon
Maybe this year ...
The Japanese love their stairs. Must suck to be mobility impaired in Japan. :/Quote:
Originally Posted by k.wong23
You don't say! I felt like I went don't 4 to 5 levels, caught a whiff of sulfur and thought I landed in hell. I realised it was only B2 when I took the lift up.Quote:
Originally Posted by k.wong23
No offense meant but did you go to the correct side?Quote:
Originally Posted by Zippo
The guy actually has 2 shop units that are at opposite ends of a central walkway. If you go down from the escalator (next to the cafe/food court), he has one shop on the right and another on the left. The one on the left is the main shop; and he stores his stock at the one on the right, which is almost always 'closed' because he is in the left side shop.
I also have a good number of photos of his shop if want something to look at in the meanwhile :D:D
examples:
http://inlinethumb02.webshots.com/44...500x500Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/44...500x500Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb40.webshots.com/43...500x500Q85.jpg
Hrm, probably not then.
I'll have to check better next time I am there..