News from Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine)...:

Title: Maid Café Girls, Nana and Momoko
Scale: 1/35
Injection plastic
Illustration: P. Petelin
Sculptor: A. Gagarin
Number: 35186






Cheers

These girls surely know how to cook

In an economically challenging market,I take it that most commercial companies do some kind of research before producing their figures,this in turn means that MB actually thinks that there is a target population for these figures.This brings me to my actual question:Who does paint these subjects indeed?I am not trying to be disrespectful,I just would really like to know what is the motivation behind releases like this one.

Oda.

I think it is targeting the Japanese market. Scale modelling is popular in Japan and Japanese modelers/collectors are crazy about this kind of cute girls/animation characters.

The following link is a Chinese toy/collectible news site but the majority of the news is about toy figures of Japanese brands.
http://www.taghobby.com

The site also has a section about Japanese female character figures
http://www.taghobby.com/?cat=162

Why not Mimi and Ivet?

nana is a character of manga comics ... I also believe momoko


... I did not feel the lack, perhaps as said it is for the Japanese market

And these ones - even new, same scale.
Number: 35187






Cheers

Eating at a Maid Café is the new thing for Japanese visitors. Young attractive ladies all dressed in this fashion will attentively serve you and cater for your appetite !! Beats the cat café I suppose.
The other kit is indicative of the crazy fashion sense of young Japanese girls. Now you know why Japanese boys stay in their bedrooms with PlayStation for company.

Across Asia this type of characters are very popular and sure MB with thease 2 figure think about that huge market

Wonder whose photo they stole for the box art this time. LOL.


Steve

Well, my only problem with them, is that they are not released until December.

I'll be buying both set's and am overjoyed at there release.

I produce and paint 1/32 figure's for Slot-Car scenic's and will really enjoy
being able to paint such pretty colour's.

I have liked J Fashion for year's and although some is way OTT most is
a pleasant distraction from the Western Norm. Talking Western, I kike
cowboy / girl fashion too.

Some may think of me as 'sad' but I enjoy painting civilian figure's as
the colour's and clothing is so much more diverse than Military.

Japan is the greatest love of my life.Its history,its culture and I'd dare say everything about it.But this is not.It is a fashion I do not understand and the depiction of so young and innocent looking girls in skimpy/naughty attire comes dangerously close to what I would call inapropriate.I know that there is a great market for these figures in Asia and by the Japanese standards these MB releases are quite modest.The Japanese companies produce much more "hardcore" (if I may use such a term) renderings of manga/anime characters.I do not see how MB is going to "navigate" in waters that are already filled with hundreds such figurines.Personally I will wait until they return to their 1/32 historical subjects (I have all their Napoleonic figures and I hoped that they would try their hand at other subjects in 1/32 in plastic,i.e medieval,renaissance etc.They have achieved a high standard of production and the prices are very low,should companies like MB decide to go 1/32 historical they might just cut a big "chunk" off the historical figure market).Sorry guys but I think it is a most unfortunate choice for such a good company.

Oda.

Oda i think Manga/Anime was maybe a "Fashion" 30-40 years a go now after more then 3 decades cant be called any more "Fashion" is part of the Pop culture in Asia and around the world,and is not only pretty girls,i love "Porco Rosso" ,some is master piece,but i igree some is on the edge i a see few even over...

Why not think about MB's decisions from another angle, profit from selling girl character figures in Japan can be used to finance making new historical figures? As being in the scale model business for a couple of years I know if customers are not crazy about your products, you won't make good profits. If they just like your products and buy them rationally, the business won't thrive. If you can target a market where customers buy with passion and a little bit of irrationality, you will be successful.

Oda.... "It is a fashion I do not understand and the depiction of so young and innocent looking girls in skimpy/naughty attire comes dangerously close to what I would call inappropriate"

Well, that comment made me go and look again at the figure's !

I find it difficult that someone could make that comment about these two set's of figure's. I see no sexuality implied as in many more expensive resin figure's. They hardly have bust's and they are well covered.

I hope they are a big success for the company and that they and other's will produce more variety along a similar line. I'd love some "Cowgirl" & "Roller skate" waitresses. Then maybe a selection of 1960's "Mod" girls.

I think it's great that a company like this is risking a lot of "set-up" money to explore a new market area.

Good on them.

Michael.