Samurai Gattai DX Shinken-Oh

Again, a fellow rangerboard member posted the news on the arrival of DX Shinken-Oh at Ng's Collection yesterday. Haha, there's lesser competition this time round. Well, the price isn't really consumer-friendly... Anyway, in order not to lose the chance to get it, I called the Uncle first thing around noon to reserve one.

Too close, there's only one box left after I bought mine. Yeah, the price tag is quite hefty at S$115.00 for a primary mecha (7500 Yen). Blame the Yen Inflation! Normally, one can look to pay around S$75-S$95 depending on the series.

Still, I guess it's worth it because it is probably the only Bandai Japan Batch that the Uncle is going to import (collector's ego) plus I think Shinken-Oh is well-deserved. After watching 2 episodes for Shinkenger, I find the Origami(s) quite fun and nice; Shinken-Oh is also quite cool-looking. However, I wouldn't say the same for the Auxiliary Origami(s), so I will probably go for the Bandai Asia Licensed ones as the cheaper alternative...

Speaking of Bandai Asia, the Uncle will be getting DX Shinken-Oh from Hong Kong 2 weeks from now. Price-wise, I predict that Uncle Ng will be selling at around $95 considering that the DX Decade Driver (Belt) for Kamen Rider is S$110 for the Bandai Japan Version and S$85 for the Bandai Asia Licensed.



At the same time, I have also gotten the reserved ShodoPhone Holder at S$23.00 so I won't be going down to CSC this Sunday anymore. *Evil marketing gimmick for a phone-type changer and a respective holder.*

Useful Note: Uncle Ng uses a conversion rate to Japanese Yen of 0.016.

Bits of Economics: My demand for Super Sentai Mecha is inelastic! LoL~

Tough Collection Year: 2009

This year is definitely going to be a tough one for tokusatsu collectors! For most obvious reasons, it's the economic recession and the more direct Japanese Yen (against Singapore Dollar) Inflation impact.

Production units for these toys are expected to be in lesser quantities, and also the higher retail prices. On average, one should expect to fork out at least an extra S$10 more than usual for an item. This is especially taxing if you look at the many things for the entire series!

Economics aside, both the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai Series seem to be very attractive for both domestic and international fans. For one, this year's Kamen Rider Decade is the 10th anniversary series for the Heisei Era. Also, the Samurai Motif for Samurai Sentai Shinkenger this year is exceptionally appealing to hardcore Super Sentai fans who saw last year's Engine Sentai Go-Onger a fiasco in terms of tradition and loyalty to the franchise.

Quite a number of collectors couldn't get the DX Decade Driver (Belt) from CSC already! Probably the same for the ShodoPhone and its Holder! It's not going to be easy to get one's hands on DX Shinken-Oh given the price and quantity imported.

Advice: "Act Fast!"

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger - ShodoPhone

Luckily, I managed to snatch up the last ShodoPhone at Ng's Collections! It was only 12pm by the time I rushed there; any delay would be bad news!

Well, a fellow Rangerboard member posted the news yesterday which attracted alot of replies, hence the implied popularity. Limited supply and excess demand = high market price! LoL~ There were only 8 boxes brought in due to the high yen inflation rate, as well as the fear of bringing in excess stock and limited demand e.g. Shift Changer.

Actually, the last box wasn't in a very good condition so I hesitated for awhile. Then I asked the Uncle if he would get in more stock instead... He was unsure and replied that he is probably looking at the Bandai Asia alternative... However, he was kind enough to give me another one in good condition which he reserved for another customer! Thanks alot! Being a regular customer helps sometimes! LoL~

Anyway, I got it at S$57.00 (as opposed to the usual S$50.00 per changer) and have asked the Uncle to reserve the Holder for me which I will be going to get next week. It isn't going to be cheap; S$25.00 for the Holder alone! *Sigh*