Monday, June 29, 2015

International Tokyo Toy Show 2015


I didn't know at first the International Tokyo Toy Show would be taking place the weekend when I was in Japan. I only found out just days before departure and you can't imagine how excited I was. This would be my first overseas toy event. The public days of the event was from 20 - 21 June 2015 and admission was free!


I got there about half an hour before opening time on the Sunday and long queues had already formed. There were several groups of queues and I had to join what I think was the fourth group located near the east halls. The event was held in the west halls. The crowd management was superb. There were many marshals directing the queues and human traffic. It took me around 20 minutes to get in. I didn't want to spend to much time here as I wanted to visit other places of interest so I only made one round of the exhibition. 


I noticed that there were many kids and families. Sometimes I forget that toys are meant for the kids. That really shows at this event. The kids got to try out all the wonderful toys and at several booths were given a toy or prize from the promoters. You should see the delight on their faces. I should have brought my nieces to the event. 

One such instance I just described was at the Lego booth. The kids were given a Lego City pack which they had to build at one of the tables. Once the set was built they could take it home. Very cool!



I would have taken more pics of the Lego booth but the Hot Toys booth which was just across from it caught my eye. In addition to Hot Toys the booth also had Hasbro, Mattel, Funko items and more.


There was no new Marvel Hot Toys figures on display. I was hoping to see Scarlet Witch and Vision. The newest figures on display would have to be the Iron Man Mark 43 and Captain America from Age of Ultron.


























The Hasbro Marvel display was more interesting.


They had the Marvel Legends Avengers 5-pack and the Hulbuster series on display. Both have a July release date. 


The Hulkbuster BAF didn't look as impressive in person compared to the pics when it first appeared. It seems smaller and it's very plastic looking. I'm not liking Vision much as well.



Here's something new. Packaged figures of the DC Multiverse Deathstroke, Batman Beyond and Detective Mode Bane. I'll probably just get the first two.


And also the 66 styled Batman.


Here's a quick look of the Funko display and Star Wars.



Moving on to the Bandai booth.


I love the setups and displays. There's so much to see!



The Star Wars Bandai Shokugan look cool. I'm liking the Stormtrooper and Darth Maul. Some of them are already available in stores. There was also a giant display of Star Wars model kit items but photography was not allowed for that unfortunately. 


S.H.Figuarts Avengers! Can't wait to get that Hulk.


The S.H.Figuarts Hulkbuster looks much better than Hasbro's. If not for the high cost I would have pre-ordered it. I'm starting to have second thoughts now.


The Gundam display was awesome! There was near 200 Gundam on that wall.


A number of new Gundam were showcased.



Including the exclusives for the upcoming Art of Gundam Exhibition happening in Tokyo in July. More information on that here.


Here's a couple of shots of the Dragonball display.


























The TakaraTomy booth now where there was a massive queue which snaked round the exhibition hall to go in. It took me around 20 minutes to enter.


I didn't know a lot of the products on display. They looked cool though. I like the dolls props.




Here's something I did know, Transformers.


The TakaraTomy versions of Robots in Disguise.



Q-Transformers collection.


Q-Transformers Hello Kitty Crossover. If I recall correctly there should also be an Evangelion crossover coming as well.


The Masterpiece and Combiner Wars display. No sign of the Masterpiece Ironhide which was announced during the Buyers Days unfortunately. 


Got a good look at Tracks though.


And also of the G2 Bumblebee.


I'll probably be getting the TakaraTomy Devastator.


The Tokyo Toy Show Transformers exclusives were sold out by the time I hit the sales table. I didn't need them but it would have been cool to buy an exclusive overseas. 



Zoids! Now this brings back memories. I used to play with them back then.



It's the 40th Anniversary of the Pop-up Pirate. I didn't realise the game has been around that long. I think I still might have one of them somewhere.



Just a look at some of the other booths. I like how well all of them had been done up. Very attractive presentations. I like the backdrops and dioramas.




The following is the face of Anpanman, a character who's very popular with young kids in Japan. An anpan is a bun usually with red bean paste filling. The character would sometimes pinch a piece from his head and offer it to other characters to eat. I saw lots of toy products based on him.



You can view the full gallery here:

Tokyo Toy Show 2015



This was my first overseas toy event and I enjoyed the experience. I loved seeing the giant, colourful displays. Also the statues and props. We don't usually see the booths decorated as much at local events. The number of products on display is incredible. The event is very kid friendly which is nice to see. In addition to trying out the toys, there are shows and performances for them to watch. They are also given door gifts and can win prizes by participating in booth activities. 

That's it for my visit to the Tokyo Toy Show. Thanks for viewing!

2 comments:

herobrinehuntermc said...

how long did u spend thr

Jason said...

Maybe about 2 hours. I would have liked to have stayed longer but it was my first trip to Japan and I had other things on my itinerary.