SH Figuarts Riot Control Stormtrooper
 

SH Figuarts Star Wars the Force Awakens Riot Control Stormtrooper

http://news.toyark.com/wp-content/up...rooper-005.jpg

A Storm Trooper without his blaster is like Batman without his cape. Hasbro included them with their riot control two pack. I can't imagine this selling particularly well...

I guess it largely depends on if we see these storm troopers also wielding a blaster. Perhaps the Hasbro ones had it wrong?

I don't think it's going to matter either way. Judging by the reactions on Facebook and Twitter, army builders are going to buy these up easily.

Can anyone recommend a Japanese source that offers direct international shipping? I'd like to eliminate the middleman for some of these Japanese products, and hopefully save some money in the process. Foreign exchange is getting brutal for me, shopping as I do from outside the USA.

I've got Captain Phasma and Kylo Ren pre-ordered through a seller on eBay name Autofittings and he ships internationally.

Since they were pre-orders, i haven't actually received anything yet. However, i did pre-order something and cancel it through the same seller in the past, and he responded and quickly refunded my pre-order.

Nippon-Yasan. Have to pay up front, but they get all of the Tamashii Web exclusives. Shipping is a little expensive, but I've gotten every item from them. Anime Export is killing me lately with their fuck ups.

Thanks guys! Will check both out. Never heard of that Nippon-Yasan before, but it seems to have a decent online reputation.

Edit: I need to backtrack on my original comment about purchasing Figuarts at BBTS. My main problem, regardless of where I shop, seems to be the brutal added cost of foreign exchange.

For the record, I'm very happy with BBTS and still shop with them and EE and ToySource, among others. :D

Wow. It appears that this trooper may actually be badass:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7bh...layer_embedded

Funny how we get this glimpse around the same time that pre-orders begin for the newly-announced action figure. You'd almost think it was planned. :p

I don't care. I'm pre-ordered. :D

I've had no issues with NY as far as receiving products and them keeping preorders. Their prices are what they are, if you get in early, they're not bad, but later on as they sell out on figures they jack the prices. For instance on the Shadow Troopers, I got in at 6200 or 6300 yen, now they're 7500 yen.

Generally this doesn't happen to web exclusives, because Bandai's preorder window is open a long time. Following the release of these figures they might jack the prices, but they pretty much keep the web exclusives at the same price during the entire preorder phase.

They carry all of the web exclusives though, so that's basically the only thing I use them for.