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There's a lot to consider here. Sometimes things that were produced
in great numbers, like Daikumaryu, can still rank very high because
the demand for them is also high. While a character like Green Ghost
C-3 was produced in small numbers but isn't very popular. If something
is on this list you can be fairly certain that you could NOT just
go out and buy it at the drop of a hat. They turn up very infrequently
(if ever) and when they do they are snatched up in a second, or
they have a price tag which almost makes them impossible to touch. |
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This is based on what turns up the most and we've all seen offered very frequently. The Getta Robo Go was released in 1991 which probably plays into this. It's everywhere. I've seen it on ebay at least 10 times in the past 2 years. That's even where I got mine just the other day. The other characters were either produced in such huge numbers or just aren't very sought after which makes them turn up so often. Take Getta Poseidon for example. Getta Robo G was a popular show so they made tons of these jumbos, but for some reason that I will never understand, Poseidon was the runt of the 3 three characters. Those two things combined make 'ol tank legs a very easy acquisition. Personally this is one of my favorite characters. | ||
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If we narrowed this listing down to Popy only, a lot of these would be in the top 10 easiest to find. Depending on who you talk to they might still be considered common. Regardless, if you wanted one of these jumbos and had the cash ready to spend, you wouldn't have to wait too long to find one. |
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| Getta I, II, & III |
What's rare? That's a big question. People write in to me all the time asking how rare a particular jumbo is. Maybe they saw it for sale and want to know if they should rush to get it or if they can wait till next time. Maybe they have one and want to sell it and want to know where to start. I don't know what the exact motivation is but it's a damn common question. A lot of people also write in saying they want to start collecting jumbos and need to know where to start. Sometimes they don't ask. They just say " I'm going to start collecting jumbos, I'd like to start with Doublas M-2, please tell me where to find one". As if it's that easy. HA! So, the question remains.. What is rare, and just how damn rare is it?
I've talked with Matt and Tom about this on several occasions.
It's Obviously something we are all curious about, so let's see what we
can do about putting together a line up. First of all this is based solely
on opinion. Based on what we've seen, how soften we've seen it, and where
that was. Some pieces are easier to come by in some parts of the world
and harder in others. This is by no means law. Just three jerks consolidated
opinions. Also this only relates to Japanese jumbos (Original Japanese
jumbos that is, so Uni-fives, Shoguns, and other jumbo like robots are
not taken into account).
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| Doublas M2 |
So there you have it. In our humble opinion. Like I said, this is not law and it might not even be accurate but it's what we feel is correct at the moment. Our answer might be different next week but for now that should do the trick. Through the three of us might disagree on the exact placement of some of these jumbos on the lists, one thing that we do agree on is that you can't really set up a blueprint for collecting jumbos. You can't make a list and decide to buy those jumbos in that order. It just doesn't work. You have to grab what comes along as it does, because in many cases, you might not get the chance to get it again later.
P.S. MATT'S DUMB OPINION
So now you're starting to get a feel for what's rare, what's not, and
how to get started. (Some of you may even be wondering, how the hell do
you STOP? Answer: fat chance, sucka.) Whatever your personal affliction,
Sean's excellent overview here should serve you well as a general guide.
Speaking personally, my little contribution to these lists was based almost
exclusively on one specific factor: how often I've seen a given piece
in toy stores in Japan. (I head over about twice a year on average.) This
doesn't mean that the number-one "easiest to find" JM is necessarily EASY
TO FIND, dig? Remember, these lists are comprised entirely of toys that
were never, ever officially released in the good ol' US of A. Or Europe.
Or anywhere else besides Japan. It just means that, should you find yourself
prowling the used-toy markets of the greater Tokyo metropolitan area,
you're apt to stumble across one of these guys first. Nothing more, nothing
less. And let me say this: it's a LOT easier to place the first ten or
so than it is the rest; I've only seen some of the tougher-to-find specimens
in pictures. So if you've got hard evidence that we're wrong on any of
this, please don't hesitate to drop Sean a line and tell him he's stoopid.
(Seriously, we welcome the feedback.)