One Piece Key Chains - Featuring Chopper!

Here's something for all you One Piece fans out there, One Piece Key Chain figurines from Cube, featuring Chopper in various facial expressions!


This set features 7 different variations and 1 secret figure, and each of these 6 centimeter tall figures go for USD 4.90 each. Head over to Play-Asia to collect them all. For more details, click here for the product page.

Play-Asia's Easter Egg Sales - 20% OFF In-stock Items

Just in case you missed the previous sales on Play-Asia, here's your chance to redeem yourself with Play-Asia's Easter Egg sale. There will be 20% off of every "in-stock" item so here's your chance to grab video games, especially Japanese import games, limited edition consoles, figurines, gashapons at discounted prices!

For further details, visit Play-Asia's sales page over here. Sales period ends on the 31st of March, so hurry!

Mario Kart DS Gashapon Figurines Back In Stock!

These Mario Kart DS Gashapon figurines are now back in stock at Play-Asia. The Mario Kart DS Racing Collection EX from Yujin consists of Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, Bowser, Donkey Kong and Princess Peach.


Retailing at USD 2.90 each, Play-Asia ships the figurines randomly, so you wouldn't know what you'll be getting, although previously specifying 7 figurines in an order would yield a full and complete set (no duplicates).

Interested? Check them out over at Play-Asia. Check out my gashapon section for my completed collection.

Spotlight: Zelda Sound Drops Gashapon Collectibles

First, we had Yujin's The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass Figure Collection Gashapon, and now, Bandai has released the The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass Sound Drops Gashapon collection.


What's a sound drop? Basically these key chains sized collectibles have a button each, whereby pressing it will emit a unique sound from The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass video game. There are 6 different designs to collect, and like most gashapon (capsule toys), these are limited in availability.

Interested? Zelda fans wouldn't want to miss out on this. Click here for purchase details at Play-Asia.

Old and New Shmups with Gradius Vic Viper Model Kit and Gashapon!

I've been playing abit of Nanostray and Gradius III lately, just to get a feel of how different shmups (shoot' em up games) are, now and then. Having gone through like 30 minutes of each (most of the time spent replaying levels since I, technically, am bad at this sort of games), the thing you would notice is that how similar these games are.

It's a classic case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". With all its 3D sheen, Nanostray looks like it had Gradius as its template. Even the enemies felt similar.

With that said, I really liked the weapons system in Gradius III, which is editable, and I had an easier time playing Gradius than Nanostray.

You might be wondering how would I be playing Gradius III, given that I don't have a Nintendo Wii (Virtual Console) nor a penchant for PC based emulators. I'm using SNemulDS loaded onto my R4DS to play SNES games like Gradius III on my Nintendo DS.

On a side note, Nintendo should introduce a Virtual Console type of service with that DS Vision thing that they are introducing. Now that's what I would call value.

Back to the topic of shmups, rabid fanboys would want to sit up and notice this gashapon (capsule toy) collection this coming February 2008. Known as the Shooting Game Historica - Classic Fighting Planes Trading Figures collection from Yujin, it features planes from games such as Gradius V, R-Type Final, Darius and Gradius II! Click here for more details.


And before I forget, pre-orders are open for Gradius Vic Viper model kit. I would really love to have one of these:


Click here to pre-order one as well.

Of Mario Plush Toys and Discounts - Nine Over Ten 9/10 Holiday Shopping Guide

If you were to ask me where to get Mario related plush toys in the Klang Valley, I can give you a few pointers. There's a stall at Midvalley's lower ground floor opposite Kenny Rogers that sells them. There's also another stall at Sunway Pyramid, located at the floor below the cinema, towards the new wing.

However, don't ask whether these are original merchandise or not, because having set eyes on one of the mushroom plush toys sold at the Sunway Pyramid stall, I don't really care.

Speaking of plush toys, here are some to look out for:

• Final Fantasy Plush Doll: Chocobo (Santa Claus Version)
• Final Fantasy Plush Doll: Chocobo (Black Mage Version)
• Mario Party Plush Doll: Toad
• Mario Party Plush Doll: Bowser
• Mario Party Plush Doll: Princess Peach
• Mario Party Plush Doll: Yoshi
• Mario Party Plush Doll: Luigi
• Mario Party Plush Doll: Wario
• Mario Party Plush Doll: Donkey Kong
• Mario Party Plush Doll: Mario

The Mario Party plush toys are being sold at a discount at Play-Asia, so don't miss it. And yes, these are official merchandize.

Check out as well the extensive Toys & Figurines section at Play-Asia.

How Did I Spend My USD 10 Voucher at Play-Asia.

I don't usually like keychains, for they are bothersome and more often than not, difficult to put up for display, unlike figurines. But once in a while there would be an interesting trinket or two that would catch my eye and its not everyday that I get to spend a USD 10 voucher courtesy of my favourite online retailer on all things videogames and collectibles: Play-Asia.com.



Yesterday I ordered a Gameboy Advance SP keychain which has an accompanying cartridge (The Legend of Zelda). There are other GBA keychains as well, with different accompanying cartridges such as Ice Climber and Super Mario Bros. Click here for the entire list.


I've also ordered one of these Legend of Zelda Minish Cap Figure Gashapon keychains. I didn't order an entire set, the reason is already mentioned earlier in this post. Anyway, what would I do with an entire set of 7 keychains? One would suffice.. and besides, I only had USD 10 to spend.


And to top it off, I bought another Dot-S puzzle. This time it features that old Namco game, Mappy. It's gonna complement my existing Zelda and Bomberman Dot-s Puzzles. Click here for the entire list of Dot-S puzzles available on Play-Asia.

There you have it, my way of spending a 10 USD voucher and paying a little extra to cover up the difference. I didn't buy any video games this time, because I figure that I already have enough games to keep me occupied and I would certainly want to focus on other things... e.g. running.

Do note that each purchase from Play-Asia comes with a USD 5 discount voucher (well, most of the time), applicable for your next purchase over USD 50. Click on the links above if you are interested in any of the items I ordered, or head over to Play-Asia.com. I've also 3 USD 5 vouchers in hand, so do drop a line if you want one.

Having Another Go At Link, Zelda, and Friends

For Zelda fans out there, the Legend of Zelda Minish Cap Figurine Gashapon collection is now back in stock in Play-Asia.

Unlike the latest collection which features characters from the game Twillight Princess (my review here), this collection features Link and other characters from the GBA game and consists of 6 + 1 secret figurine.

For more information and purchase details, head over here.

Fancy Zelda Gashapon?

Fans of the Zelda series from Nintendo better be prepared with their credit cards/Paypal funds as Yujin's The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess Figure Collection Gashapon is now available for sale on Play-Asia! Click here for details.

Stuff for Sale

I just ordered an entire set of Mario Kart DS Racing Collection Part 2 Gashapon from Play-Asia for USD 14.94 earlier today (details here). Some of you may have recalled that I've ordered the same set from eBay on behalf of a friend for double that price several weeks back. I guess the wait finally pulled off.

This new set consists of Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, Bowser and Donkey Kong. This purchase, however, will leave me with duplicates of Mario, Luigi and Bowser, as they already exist in Collection Part 1. I'm putting up Mario and Luigi for sale at RM 8 each and I would preferably sell them off as a pair. Afterall, they are brothers, aren't they?

Since I've already got the ball rolling, I'm also putting up my duplicate set from my Animal Crossing Houses collection for sale. The items for this duplicate set are still under wraps but which set am I refering to? Answer: The set on the lower left corner boxed in Red (otherwise known as the PMS Mole, I mean, Resetti set):

This set is going for RM 10, but please note that all prices quoted here are do not include the shipping price. Or maybe I should sell these guys on eBay...hmm.

More Gashapon? And More Cooking Oil

If you do a search on the Nintendo DS Lite and cooking oil on Google, you'll probably find my blog in the top 10. Here, try it by clicking on this link. Read my original prank on a friend on how to clean the DS Lite with cooking oil over here.

March seems to be the month of Mario related gashapon, soft vinyl figures and plush toys. I've already covered some in my previous post (here) but the following collection just showed up on Play-Asia.

The Nintendo Super Mario Character Keychain collection features Mario, Luigi and Yoshi but unlike previous collections, these figurines look like they are made out of plastic, not cloth. Selling at USD 2.99 each, they are cheaper too and that is probably the main reason I just bought them! Purchase details can be found here.

I didn't purchase any games this month, considering I splurged quite a bit from the Christmas to Chinese New Year season and I've not been playing anything except Animal Crossing and Mario Kart. This is about to change in the month of April as there are several purchases in mind which are:

• Custom Robo Arena - What's better than a game with robots? A game with customizable robots whacking each other silly in arenas of course. I love games that feature customizable mecha and one of my favourites is MechCommander 2 for the PC. Custom Robo Arena is currently available at Play-Asia (here)
• Konami Classics: Arcade Hits - This is a compilation of classic arcade hits from Konami, among the 15 titles included in this compilation are Yie Ar Kung Fu, Twin Bee, Track and Field and Contra! Did I mention that I really dig the box art? Konami Classics: Arcade Hits is also available at Play-Asia (here)
  
• Some of the titles that I'm planning to get on the second hand market are Castlevania: Potrait of Ruin, Meteos and Trauma Center: Under the Knife.
  

Nintendo Collectibles

It's a pretty interesting month for Nintendo related collectibles but I've yet to get any of them. First up is the Animal Crossing Character Keychain (Theater Version) collection. Released by Banpresto and featuring 8 characters from the game, it's pretty expensive (USD 4.99 each) compared to whatever Yujin has released in relation to Animal Crossing. Details on purchasing are available at Play-Asia (click here).

Next up is the nostalgia inducing Super Mario Bros keychain collection. These are by Nintendo and are selling for USD 4.99 each. Details on purchasing are available at Play Asia (click here)
I learned the meaning of a new term today while looking up the following item. The Japanese word "sofubi" stands for "soft vinyl" in English and it's used to describe the Nintendo Super Mario Bros. Sofubi Figure collection. This collection consists of the mushrooms featured in the game and while the Super mushroom is sold separate from this collection, the rest are selling for USD 2.49 each (note that they measure 3 to 5 cm in height).

Purchase details for the Sofubi collection can be found at PA (click here)
Pokemon fans would probably take notice of the Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl Nintendo DS Card Case by Banpresto.They are pretty unique as these card cases take the form of pokeballs which open up to show the card slot and a pokemon inside! Purchase details, as usual, are available at Play-Asia (click here)

New Header

I finally got to change my blog's header background image. Instead of the default background (with its hideous three dots), you now see 2 Be@rbricks instead. As a primer for new visitors, links to my reviews of Nintendo DS games, collectible items (such as gashapon), books and other miscellaneous items can be found on the left side bar.

Some Assembly Required - Animal Crossing Gashapon

My order for the Animal Crossing Houses, Figures and Accessories collection arrived today and it really is a mixed bag (both literally and figuratively). Having been no stranger to purchasing gashapon collections from PA, I was suprised that this time my order came with 2 duplicate sets.

However, it wasn't really a big deal since I already have the figurines from the missing set (I got them in a previous collection) and I only missed out on some furniture items. In addition to that, one of the figurines broke clean off its base and I'm guessing it was either due to the tightly packed packaging or the long transit. A dab of super glue should fix the problem.

Taken as a complete set, this collection consists of 4 sets of figurines with their respective houses and furniture and another 2 sets consisting of a pair of figurines each and their respective furniture (no houses). Fortunately for me, the missing set was one of the sets sans house.

As usual, the figurines are made out of plastic and are as detailed as the previous collection. Since this is my first collection which has houses and furniture, I'm pleased with the quality of said items.

The houses consist of plastic parts and wooden parts (might be very hard cardboad) that require some assembly but the main thing is that they come pre-painted. Included with each house are printed cardboard pieces that function as wallpaper and carpets for the interior of the houses. You might notice some of the designs as they are featured in the Animal Crossing game as well.

Aside from the roof colour and internal wallpaper, all houses share the same features with white picket fences and cute postboxes outside. It's a shame thought that they don't feature double storey houses :P.

Like the figurines, the furniture items are made out of plastic and carry the quirky/cute look that you see in the game. Some of the more interesting furniture items include the pineapple bed, LCD TV, watermelon chair and the chair from the snowman furniture set.

Problems related to the order aside, this is a set worth buying (and taking a risk for); the addition of furniture and houses alone pretty much makes this a shoo-in for any Animal Crossing fan.

Now I leave the pictures to do the talking:

Gashapon

Aside from games, there are quite a lot of Nintendo related merchandise out in the market, ranging from small figurines and plush toys to tumblers and lunch boxes. I'm more of a figurine (gashapon) fan and that was why I quickly made an order for the "Animal Crossing Houses, Figures or Accessories Gashapon (Theater Version)" collection when I received news that it was up for sale.

Basically the third in a series, this gashapon collection has 6 sets, consisting of figurines of characters from the game with the addition of houses and accessories such as beds, TVs, tables, et cetera. Because of this, each set sells for a higher price compared to the ones I got earlier (here).

Another gashapon collection that I've set my eyes on is the Gameboy Advance Cartridge Rubber Gashapon collection. Unlike the Animal Crossing collection, I have not made an order for this collection but experience has shown that these sort of stuff sell very fast.


Basically there are 9 gashapon in this collection; these are miniature versions of popular GBA game cartridges and are made out of rubber. It is fascinating how miniaturization works and at the same time retaining a respectable amount of detail to these gashapon.

If you are interested, click on the respective names above for purchase details at Play-Asia.com.

Got to Get 'Em All?

Gashapon (Capsule Toys)...once you buy one, you'll want to continue to collect them all. Previously I made the mistake of purchasing a single gashapon from the Animal Crossing collection only to find out that the collection sold out a couple of days later, preventing me from completing my collection.

So, when word got out last Sunday that gashapons from a new Animal Crossing collection were available for sale, I made an order for all 8 figures. Play-Asia's free shipping option is pretty fast as I received the package this morning.

These figures come in the same size and in the same stackable display cases as those from the previous collection (review available here). The difference is that the figures from this new collection are a tie-in to the new Animal Crossing movie released in Japan.

Out of the 8 figures, I can only identify several familiar faces, such as Tom Nook, Redd, Blathers and the cab driver. The quality of the gashapon is high and the figurines themselves are well painted, capturing the look and feel from their video game (or perhaps, movie) counterparts. My only gripe is that some of the figurines don't stay stuck to their display case bases. I use a tiny amount of water soluble glue to resolve this problem.

That minor issue aside, these figurines do look cool stacked together. There are nine in the picture as I included my previous gashapon with the rest of the set:

Get your own set of Animal Crossing Gashapons from Play-Asia (here)

What Came Karting Through the Mail?

I like Mario Kart DS just as the next Nintendo DS owner does. I may not race as well as WFC regulars but I sure love the game for its amazing racing experience and replayability. So when I bumped into Mario Kart gashapon on sale at Play-Asia, I quickly jumped at the opportunity to own the whole set.

The "Nintendo BOX Figure Collection Part 6: Mario Kart DS Racing Collection", as it is called, is produced by Yujin and consists of 4 different characters which are Bowser, Peach, Mario and Luigi. I managed to get the complete set and having seen the figurines up close, I must say I am pretty impressed with the attention to detail with Bowser and his thorny shell being an excellent testament to their quality.


These figurines come on wind-up karts with rubber wheels; push them backwards to make them go forward.

Each figurine costs USD 2.90 and it tooked a week to arrive at my place via free shipment. Ordering four figures does not gurantee a full set, unlike my case, as figurines are random. Get your very own set at Play-Asia.com (here)

Short Stuff

According to its Wikipedia article, a gashapon translates as a "trading toy". It's also commonly known as capsule toy due to the nature that they come in capsule dispensed from vending machines. Capsule toys have been around for as long as I've known and even when I was a kid, the neighbourhood sundry store used to have vending machines at the store front to entice kids to spent 20 to 50 cents a capsule.

Japanese capsule toys differ in a sense that the capsule toys are of higher quality and the price per capsule is certainly more expensive, ranging from RM 4 to RM 8 and more often than not, the contents are collectible items in a series. The vending machines can be found not in sundry shops, but in shopping centres, Japanese supermarket chains such as Jusco or toy stores such as Toys 'r' Us.

This little fella came along with my Electroplankton package and basically this is an example of how a gashapon looks like outside its capsule.

The reason for it being added to my package was that I needed to bring my order price to slightly above USD 50 (Electroplankton by itself was USD 48.90) in order to qualify for a USD 5 discount. This little fella cost USD 1.99.

This gashapon is part of a series featuring characters from the game Animal Crossing. All together they are 7 of them to collect.