VOCALOID Figure Collecting: Where to Start

Nendoroids

Nendoroids are pose-able figures based on chibi styled versions of characters. These figures usually come in at about 100mm and aren’t to scale.

They come with a plethora of parts that you can use to customize them and put them in various poses. There’s always at least one other face plate available but it’s more common to have two extra face plates.

In addition to the faces that allow changes in expression, extra parts often depend on the VOCALOID being depicted. Nendoroid Gackpo Kamui comes with swords, an eggplant he can ride, and different arms to allow posing him with his swords.

Snow Miku 2014 came with various arm parts, an extra lower body that allows her to sit, two capes, a hat, and various props including Rabbit Yukine.

These extra parts are exchangeable between different Nendoroids and lead to unlimited options as one’s collection grows.

Due to this and the pose-ability of Nendoroids, many people photograph their Nendos in a variety of situations. And as more Nendoroid More products such as the pajamas and even wedding dresses and tuxedos are released, these figures will continue to become even more customizable.

Nendoroids are quite a bit more expensive than the Petites and Nendoroid Plus figures, usually retailing anywhere from 3,000 JPY (before tax) for a simple Nendo such as Snow Mikudayo up to over 4,000 JPY for more complex Nendoroids like Snow Miku 2014.

There are some that reach a higher price but this is the amount you can generally expect to pay.

Pros

Pose-ability. Nendoroids are some of the most pose-able figures out there, only beaten by figmas. The heads and legs are always ball jointed to allow a wide degree of movement. The arms are usually limited to forward and backward motions at the shoulders while the lower body can be rotated left to right. However, there are rarely any knee or elbow joints and their wrist “joints” are the same as the shoulder ones.

The lack of elbow and knee joints is often remedied by extra parts, however, and some Nendos like Snow Miku 2015 have ball-jointed shoulders.

“Hidden” Joints. The lack of certain joints also makes a cleaner looking figure. One of the biggest cons for figmas is that their ball joints are often very visible. Nendoroids don’t usually have this problem as their enlarged heads can hide the neck joint and the leg joints are usually hidden by their clothing. The shoulder and wrist “joints” aren’t as noticeable due to not being ball joints. This creates a figure that looks very clean despite its mobility.

SOME Are Freestanding. Though most Nendoroids aren’t, the Hatsune Miku Nendoroids often have this special feature thanks to their long locks. Many of the Miku Nendos are capable of standing without the support of the square base and connecting arm so long as their hair is positioned in a way that supports their weight.

Nendoroids of other VOCALOIDs usually aren’t able to do this and there are a few Miku Nendos that can’t be supported by their hair.

There may be certain accessories like Gackpo’s Eggplant that allow a Nendoroid to be posed without the stand but most don’t come with such a prop.

Customizable. Every part of a Nendoroid can be swapped onto other Nendos. Would you like KAITO to wear a school girl uniform? Just stick Nendoroid KAITO’s head onto a body wearing the uniform. Even face plates and hands are all compatible with other Nendoroids. The possibilities are endless.

Easy to Obtain. Almost every VOCALOID Nendoroid is available in Good Smile Company’s global online shop for pre-order before the release. The money is never taken out of your account until the product is ready to ship so you also have time to save up should a Nendoroid be released that you really want.

In the event that a Nendoroid isn’t in the global shop due to various reasons, online shops like AmiAmi allow pre-orders. The only time obtaining a Nendoroid is difficult is when the Nendoroid isn’t being sold in Japan. At those times, it’s often being sold to a very limited set of countries. Thankfully, this doesn’t happen often.

Should you miss a pre-order, you can often find people selling used Nendoroids in almost perfect condition online.

The only time a Nendoroid is difficult to obtain is if it is from the Family Mart lotteries. Even then, they can usually be found for a decent price during the lottery so long as you aren’t looking for the “Last Prize”, a Nendoroid with a special design. Every Family Mart only gets a single “Last Prize” to be given out as the last prize in the lottery.

Good Character Selection. In addition to the KAITO, Rin, Len, and Gackpo Nendoroids show, there are many Miku Nendos. There’s also a Nendoroid GUMI, Nendoroid Lily from anim.o.v.e, Nendoroids of the Append models of Rin and Len, and even Luka and MEIKO Nendoroids.

Middle

Chibi Style. Due to the higher price of Nendoroids versus the Nendoroid Petites, some people aren’t fond of the Chibi style. With the Petites, they find the style to be alright since the price is lower.

However, there have been several people who have said they don’t want to spend around $40 USD for a chibi.

Cons

When They’re Not Freestanding. The Nendoroid base seems to be the only con everyone can agree on. When Nendoroids are unable to stand on their own, they need to be supported by a base.

Though there are ways to work around this for photography, it’s not recommended that you use workarounds when simply displaying your figures. It’s best that they have as much support as possible because their large heads make it very easy for them to topple over.

Small Parts. Although some find it easy to manage the tiny parts of Nendoroids, others find it extremely difficult. Getting hands to hold accessories or even switching out hands, or posing a Nendoroid a certain way can prove very difficult for those who lack the ability to handle small objects. And should you be unlucky enough to drop a part, good luck finding it!

In addition, these small parts often lead to breakage if one isn’t careful. If something doesn’t want to come out, don’t force it. A hair dryer set on low is your friend when it comes to stubborn Nendo pieces. Always be gentle with your figure’s parts.