Nendoroids?

[Taken by mishumishi. There's so many of them!]

What are Nendoroids? I had no clue at first what they were neither until I started noticing them more and more in toy/comic book shops such as Forbidden Planet and Elizabeth Center Mall in Chinatown. They also started popping up through the internet and I finally got a hold of one on my birthday as a present; it was Misa from Death Note. That's when I got hooked...



It's difficult to really describe what these things really are. I find that Wikipedia has a great description of what they are:

"Nendoroid (ねんどろいど) is a brand of small plastic figures, created by the Japanese Good Smile Company. Nendoroid figures are usually replicas of an anime or manga character and are commonly used as collectors items or toys. They are roughly 10 cm (4 in) in height, depending on the character they were made to look like. Normally they are made in a chibi or super deformed style, with a large head and smaller body to make them look cute. Their faces and body parts are movable and interchangeable, giving them a range of different expressions, postures and items to hold." -Wikipedia

[Taken by EdwardLee. Gotta love BRS Nendoroid! I want one so bad D:]

This explanation pretty much sums it up. As stated above, Good Smile Company is the creator of these figures. Aside from being hilarious chibi versions of your favorite anime/manga/video game character, they are popular because of the craftsmanship put into them. Each Nendoroid was carefully designed, sculpted and painted all by the hands of talented Japanese toy artists as apposed to being manufactured through a factory. That's why they are so nicely detailed~

[Taken by -Ayako-. This is a great way to store all those small Nendoroid pieces.]

My most favorite aspect about Nendoroids is the fact that they have interchangeable pieces, allowing one to have several poses as apposed to just one. This is where it really gets fun. You can display your Nendoroid in one pose and if your bored of that one pose, change it up the next day. The pieces are also interchangeable amongst ALL of the Nendoroids, so you can have one wear the body parts of others. Only draw back is trying not to lose the pieces. They are so small, and loosing one piece just throws the whole character off. I once thought I lost Miku's leek; which is her signature item! Without it, she just wasn't the same. Luckily, I found it after several weeks of looking, in my sock drawer (don't ask me how it got there, I really don't have a clue o_o;)

[My second Nendoroid, Miku Hatsune. She's incredibly photogenic.]

Nendoroids range around $35-$50 dollars, and even more depending on where you buy them and how rare/exclusive they are. I normally buy all my figures at Hobby Search where I'm sure to get a non-bootleg version. And trust me, you don't want bootlegs, they look horrible...They're super shiny/glossy (For example, the image bellow this is a fake Miku, while the one above is real) See the difference? Try to avoid ebay sellers and Chinese wholesale stores. Trust me, it sucks paying full price for a bootleg figurine when you could of gotten a nicer/official one.

[Fake/Bootleg Nendoroid. See how glossy she is?]

There's not much more to say about them (Even though I know some bloggers would go on and on about the subject ^^;) They make great collectors items and look amazing; who wouldn't want to own one? Plus, they're just so much fun! Enjoy the rest of the pictures I've found online, including a few of my own

[Taken by XPLMY. Posted it for the cuteness factor x3]

[Taken by broken.ombrello. Haha! Now this is creative.]

[Taken by S1Charade. A nice comparison between a regular figure and a Nendoroid.]

[Taken by neo_valkyrie. To think there are small items like these to compliment them ^^;]

[Taken by Jadenes. Nice shot!]

[Taken by kodomut. K-ON!]

[My Azunyan hiding in my mother's violets x3]

[Taken by Yukihana~. Poor Miku D:!]