#figure lines

Sometimes it's static and without joints, just like a Nendoroid Co-de. Sometimes, it has joints, like a Nendoroid Basic. After Nendoroid Basics have recently gotten more announcements, seemingly more than were in the Nendoroid Co-de line (for previously existing IP), I really thought it meant Nendoroid Light and Nendoroid Co-de were dead.

But I get it. I personally don't see the point in a figure without articulation, as a figure photographer. But there are so many Nendoroid collectors I hear say that they put their Nendoroids into one pose, and then forget about it. And what's more, they also say that assembling Nendoroids is too difficult and only gives them frustration. For those collectors, I can see the point of a Nendoroid Co-de and a static version Nendoroid Light.

Pop Up Parades used to be primarily about AFFORDABILITY. They were founded on all figures staying under $40. GoodSmile's website for their Pop Up Parade figure line, used to have affordability, front and center. It used to be how they'd always describe the Pop Up Parade figure line.

They used to always announce new Pop Up Parades, by advertising them as $37.99! The Pop Up Parade figure line used to be about affordability. They plastered $37.99 all over their announcements for the first batches of Pop Up Parade announcements.

They even posted an apology for when they had to raise prices to $43.99! But now the Pop Up Parade information website mentions nothing about affordability. I could forgive the price rising to $44. That's still cheaper than the Nendoroid average ($50).

And I was fine with them offering Pop Up Parade L size and Pop Up Parade XL. Sure, it was more expensive, I wasn't interested in that, and they were as big as scale figures, and I wasn't interested in that either. But for people who do like scale figures, they were still cheaper than scale figures, despite being a similar size to scale figures. And it was nice that they would have that option, even if it wasn't something I was interested in buying.

But now almost all the characters I'm interested in buying, get announced as L sized or SP, with no regular Pop Up Parade options. The old Pop Up Parade website mentioned how there was a demand for larger figures than the standard Pop Up Parade size. So I guess I have those fans to blame for ruining the whole point of Pop Up Parade. I bet these people that can afford an L sized and SP Pop Up Parade, demanding larger sizes, probably actually want scale figures, and likely can already afford scale figures. My problem is that the fans for larger, more expensive Pop Up Parade figures, seem to be becoming the only fanbase that Good Smile Company is starting to cater the Pop Up Parade line towards.

Suddenly, there were some characters that were ONLY offered in Pop Up Parade L size, Pop Up Parade XL, and Pop Up Parade SP/Special. Now, I understand that Pop Up Parade SP are for more detailed figures, and some characters just have more complex character designs, which can't stay under $44. And I am willing to pay $58 for my Pop Up Parade Viktor. But $90 for Pop Up Parade SP Arsene?!? $135 for Pop Up Parade SP Nutcracker Witch?!? Even $78 for Pop Up Parade SP Viktor, after tariffs?!??? That's way too much for a figure line, built on the promise of affordability (under $40).

Meanwhile, those of us in the mid-price range of figure collectors lose one of the few mid-price ranged figure lines: Pop Up Parade. I may as well go back to Banpresto, Taito, and Sega prize figures, marked up by American stores and the after-market. If Pop Up Parade is going to end up, with all the characters I like, only available as L and SP, then they may as well be the same as all the scale figures that I can't afford and skip buying by default.

And honestly, I'm already settling for Pop Up Parades, when I buy them. I prefer articulated figures, not static scale. I'd rather have chibi Nendoroids, than figures with characters to-scale.

The only reason I put up with Pop Up Parade figures, is because sometimes, they're the only (GoodSmile) figures of those characters. There is no other company making an Viktor Arcane figure to the quality that Good Smile is making. There is no one else making a Nutcracker Witch/Homulily figure. There is no one else making an Arsene figure as affordable AND accessible as Good Smile's Pop Up Parade. But I went into Pop Up Parades, willing to buy them because they were even cheaper than the average $50 Nendoroid. If they're not anymore, and they're not articulated, and they're not chibi, then why should I keep collecting them? Unfortunately, it's because sometimes they're the only figures that any manufacturer is making of certain characters. But at these prices, for a figure line that was founded on affordability, sometimes I feel like they're holding my favorite characters hostage. I don't want to pay as much as a scale figure---even a cheap scale figure! But sometimes, there's no other choice!

That being said, if Pop Up Parade makes a post timeskip Claude von Riegan figure or a Jayce Talis (last episode) Pop Up Parade, at normal size, not an L or XL, then I would be willing to buy even SP versions. I don't want to! I just want standard sized Pop Up Parades, that won't take up so much space, and at affordable prices! But no one else is making figures of these characters, and if Good Smile did it, then I'd have no choice. And for these 2 characters...I kind of wouldn't mind. As long as they're not scale figures, because those are definitely out of my budget range.