DSC_0347
You know your product is doing well in the marketplace when you start inspiring competitors to develop their own "not quite the same" take. One such product would be the Cu-Poche line from Kotobukiya.
Cu-Poche is a line that was clearly meant to compete with the reigning champion of the SD (Super Deformed) figure market, the Nendoroid line from Good Smile Company. Started in mid 2013, the line seems to still be active, but with releases numbering in the high hundred or so and not the 800+ releases that have graced the Nendoroid catalog.
While both lines do feature SD characters, the Cu-Poche figures are taller than their Nendoroid counterparts. Collectors of Nendoroid will know that there are several Nendoroid bodies, and the one that Cu-Poche competes against would be Nendoroids with the action bodies, having articulation rather than replaceable limbs.
With releases in both these lines being approximately 4,000 yen in 2013, what makes a Cu-Poche different and is it better or worse?
Using my sample Cu-Poche entry (Saber, again), I decided to do a bit more digging.
Like a Nendoroid, this set comes with several expression plates, relevant accessories and hands to utilize these accessories, and a dynamic stand.
Saber specifically comes with I believe it's Excalibur, the scabbard, an energy effect, as well as her Invisible Air sword (it's hard to make out on the photo, but take my word for it the various etchings on the coloured blade are on there too).
A comparison between this Saber and a 2013 action Nendoroid shows that while both have very similar points of articulation, the Nendoroid has at least one additional point of articulation just under the chest. Otherwise, they're pretty much a one to one comparison though that one missing point is a doozy. Both feature articulated ankles, but neither has fully articulated wrists.
The figure has several points of articulation on the skirt to allow for greater posing options, though the front flap only hangs onto the body through a very shallow groove, which causes that flat to come detached quite easily. I also found that her left shoulder pad came off quite consistently when posing.
Due to the slightly larger size, I found that handling the accessories and the hands of the Cu-Poche to be a significantly less maddening experience in comparison to the Nendoroid.
Paint work on the Saber is pretty good, with minimal overspray and bleeding even in some of the more detailed sections of her outfit. Decal work is solid as well, with the only hint of her Kobobukiya heritage being a slightly rough finish on the finer details of her hair.
So other than being slightly bigger, what else does a Cu-Poche offer?
Well, you may not notice this, but Saber is actually free standing in most of her photographs. There is no Nendoroid that I've ever owned that would actually allow you to do this.
So what sorcery allows for this? The answer is - magnets.
Cu-Poche have have magnets embedded into the soles of their feet which allows them to hold a vast array of positions while on their base. While the stubbiness of these figures doesn't exactly allow for the most elegant of poses, you can still coax some pretty neat stuff out of the figure.
The dynamic stand works as you would expect - there's a hole on the back of Saber, and you plug it in to suspend your figure in the air.
The actual arm itself looks very much like a Nendoroid arm. I guess the design is public domain?
So in the battle between Nendoroid and Cu-Poche, who won?
It appears that even today, the pricing between the two lines are very similar. The body hasn't changed, so Nendoroid still win the articulation game. My desire to go balls deep into either line is very limited as overly cute things are more of an accent piece in my collection rather than being the focus.
While each product line will inevitably have licenses unique to them, but given the same character I surprisingly would have to say I'd lean towards Cu-Poche for the magnets and the overall easier handling of the parts.
Naturally, with things I prefer over others, I don't see too many classifieds up selling this line, or even the Nendoroid cousin line, Parform, which I hope to get a hold of one day to do some analysis.
This is all just a nice way of saying I wouldn't hesitate to pick these up if I find them for a good price, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the next one to show up here.
DSC_0347
You know your product is doing well in the marketplace when you start inspiring competitors to develop their own "not quite the same" take. One such product would be the Cu-Poche line from Kotobukiya.
Cu-Poche is a line that was clearly meant to compete with the reigning champion of the SD (Super Deformed) figure market, the Nendoroid line from Good Smile Company. Started in mid 2013, the line seems to still be active, but with releases numbering in the high hundred or so and not the 800+ releases that have graced the Nendoroid catalog.
While both lines do feature SD characters, the Cu-Poche figures are taller than their Nendoroid counterparts. Collectors of Nendoroid will know that there are several Nendoroid bodies, and the one that Cu-Poche competes against would be Nendoroids with the action bodies, having articulation rather than replaceable limbs.
With releases in both these lines being approximately 4,000 yen in 2013, what makes a Cu-Poche different and is it better or worse?
Using my sample Cu-Poche entry (Saber, again), I decided to do a bit more digging.
Like a Nendoroid, this set comes with several expression plates, relevant accessories and hands to utilize these accessories, and a dynamic stand.
Saber specifically comes with I believe it's Excalibur, the scabbard, an energy effect, as well as her Invisible Air sword (it's hard to make out on the photo, but take my word for it the various etchings on the coloured blade are on there too).
A comparison between this Saber and a 2013 action Nendoroid shows that while both have very similar points of articulation, the Nendoroid has at least one additional point of articulation just under the chest. Otherwise, they're pretty much a one to one comparison though that one missing point is a doozy. Both feature articulated ankles, but neither has fully articulated wrists.
The figure has several points of articulation on the skirt to allow for greater posing options, though the front flap only hangs onto the body through a very shallow groove, which causes that flat to come detached quite easily. I also found that her left shoulder pad came off quite consistently when posing.
Due to the slightly larger size, I found that handling the accessories and the hands of the Cu-Poche to be a significantly less maddening experience in comparison to the Nendoroid.
Paint work on the Saber is pretty good, with minimal overspray and bleeding even in some of the more detailed sections of her outfit. Decal work is solid as well, with the only hint of her Kobobukiya heritage being a slightly rough finish on the finer details of her hair.
So other than being slightly bigger, what else does a Cu-Poche offer?
Well, you may not notice this, but Saber is actually free standing in most of her photographs. There is no Nendoroid that I've ever owned that would actually allow you to do this.
So what sorcery allows for this? The answer is - magnets.
Cu-Poche have have magnets embedded into the soles of their feet which allows them to hold a vast array of positions while on their base. While the stubbiness of these figures doesn't exactly allow for the most elegant of poses, you can still coax some pretty neat stuff out of the figure.
The dynamic stand works as you would expect - there's a hole on the back of Saber, and you plug it in to suspend your figure in the air.
The actual arm itself looks very much like a Nendoroid arm. I guess the design is public domain?
So in the battle between Nendoroid and Cu-Poche, who won?
It appears that even today, the pricing between the two lines are very similar. The body hasn't changed, so Nendoroid still win the articulation game. My desire to go balls deep into either line is very limited as overly cute things are more of an accent piece in my collection rather than being the focus.
While each product line will inevitably have licenses unique to them, but given the same character I surprisingly would have to say I'd lean towards Cu-Poche for the magnets and the overall easier handling of the parts.
Naturally, with things I prefer over others, I don't see too many classifieds up selling this line, or even the Nendoroid cousin line, Parform, which I hope to get a hold of one day to do some analysis.
This is all just a nice way of saying I wouldn't hesitate to pick these up if I find them for a good price, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for the next one to show up here.