Figma

figma Series

figma Series Logo
Originally Released	January 2008
Produced by	Max Factory
Distributed by	Good Smile Company
Series Creator	MAX Watanabe, Masaki Apsy
Specifications	Painted ABS&PVC non-scale articulated figure with stand included. Varying heights.

The figma (フィグマ) series is a Japanese action figure line produced by Max Factory and distributed by Good Smile Company. The product series is developed by the CEO of Max Factory, MAX Watanabe, as well as Masaki Apsy, and focuses on creating highly articulated hand-sized figures with a focus on popular anime characters.^[1] Each figma is sold with various accessories such as exchangeable faces, hands and other optional parts.^[2] Occasionally figma figures are based on other subjects such as characters from the Japanese voice synthesizing software, Vocaloid^[3], to the popular Nintendo game series such as The Legend of Zelda^[4] and the Metroid series. There have also been a few figma figures based on real people, such as a figma of Michael Jackson from his "Thriller" music video.^[5]

History

The first figma was a special edition Haruhi Suzumiya based on and bundled with the PS2 game, Suzumiya Haruhi no Tomadoi. It was released on January 31, 2008 with the product code SP001. Later in 2008, the first mass-produced figma, Yuki Nagato from the series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya was released.

The figma series has now surpassed its 300th release. To commemorate the release of the 200th Figma, GSC announced on their web site, a 2.0 version of the popular vocaloid, Hatsune Miku ^[6]

Specifications

figma #153: Link was released in late 2012.

The figma series is an articulated series of figures made from ABS and PVC. Each figure includes a special stand that is used to hold it up as well as create varying poses. The height of the figures are around 13 cm, but vary depending on the height of the base character. Prices also vary, however most figmas are between 3000 and 6000 Japanese yen.^[7] Each figma usually comes with a number of different expressions and optional extras which can be switched out any number of times. Parts can also be traded between different figma figures, allowing collectors to swap parts and create unique combinations. A flexible plastic is used in areas likely to be hindered by poses.

The figma motto is Yoku ugoku, kirei (よくうごく、キレイ) which translates into 'Moves well, looks good', which sums up the main purpose of the figma series. According to the official site, the concept of the series is summarized by the following four points:^[8]

• Allows for both beauty and poseability: The figma series is designed to not only be highly articulated, but also well-sculpted and nice to look at.
• Unique customization for every character: Each character is designed separately and in proportion with the original designs.
• Hand-size figures: figmas are made about the size of a hand for ease-of-posing and display.
• Use of the unique figma joints: The figma joints are highly precise and allow for great torque, allowing collectors to easily create the poses they desire.

Figma Products

There have been a number of figma related products and product lines, as described below.

figma Series

The primary figma series has been split into three different variants:

• Normal edition figmas with three-digit product codes, such as 001
• Special edition figmas with three-digit product codes preceded by SP, such as SP001. These figmas are usually bundled with a video game, manga or DVD.
• Limited edition figmas with three-digit product codes preceded by EX, such as EX001. These figmas are sold at events such as Wonder Festival, a semi-annual event hosted by Good Smile Company. They are also sometimes released via mail-order or through online orders., but never through standard store sales. A current listing of all figma products can be found on the figma website and the Good Smile Company website.^[9][10]

di:stage

The di:stage is a display unit which was specially developed to display figma figures in more enjoyable ways. The base unit is a 10 cm x 10 cm stage with multiple joints to create different landscapes on which to display figma figures, this base unit can also be expanded with additional purchases.^[11]

ex:ride

The ex:ride series is a set of vehicles that can be ridden by figma figures, including bicycles, motorbikes, water bikes and more. Each set of vehicles is assigned a number preceded by 'ride.', for example the first release was 'ride.001'. A special series of ex:ride figures that come from specific series was also created, which are instead preceded by the 'SPride.'. The special vehicles come from series such as Fate/Zero, GANTZ and Fireball Charming.

figma vehicles

The figma vehicles line is a set mostly dedicated to the vehicles of the anime Girls und Panzer, which focused on the Panzer IV Ausf. D (Type D) configuration, a World War II-era medium battle tank that was driven by the main cast of the series. The tank is not officially scaled, but the size is roughly of a 1:12 tank model kit. It is pre-built, with some of the minor parts (like tools and extra track sets) that needs to be attached to the kit. The figma version of crew can be fitted inside without any modifications to the figures themselves. The first vehicle, the Panzer IV Ausf. D "Finals" version, was released on October 2015, with the price of ¥14,800 (Before Tax). The second vehicle, which is a variant of the first model, the Panzer IV Ausf. H Spec, will be released as an exclusive to Wonder Festival 2016.

Reception

Rob Bricken, reviewing a Lelouch Figma figurine for Anime News Network, described it as "the perfect marriage of accuracy and poseability".^[12] He later described the figma line in general as "[one] of the most prolific (and reasonably priced) anime toy-lines around".^[13] In 2008, three figmas were among the top ten 'toy and hobby' items sold on Amazon Japan.

References