It does sound like a cult group, doesn't it? And looking at their website, all of their other projects are creepy loli-con "bishojo" figures, too...!

BTW, the Toy Warehouse has a shot of your plushy Tachi IN ACTION on the index page:

[www011.upp.so-net.ne.jp]

And speaking of Shirow mecha, don't forget that l'il tank that could, BONAPARTE!

[pony-hp.web.infoseek.co.jp]

Hotcha, those figs are SEXEH! The Bonaparte tank, is he a robot or piloted, or both, ala Fuchikoma?

> The Bonaparte tank, is he a robot or piloted

Fugly, if you'll examine the photos on the linked page, you'll notice that next to the Bonaparte figure is a larger-scale figure of the hatch on top of the Bonaparte, open, with a figure coming out of it.

To answer the "or both" part, I'm pretty sure the Bonaparte has no artificial intelligence.

Man, watching the new Appleseed just drives home how the best Shirow designs never get the toy love they deserve.

That Bonaparte toy and the Tachi plushes are pretty close, though.

But both fuchi/tachikoma's are piloted, but ALSO have AI. Which is why I was confused. Anyway, thanks paul.

Dominion doesn't have AI. It has catgirls instead.

...gah. I hate catgirls (met way to many "fans"). How is tank dominion, as a whole? Better/worse then GitS? Goofier/serious-er?

A whole lot less serious. Whether that's better or worse is a matter of opinion...

Ooh...I'll have to rent it. I like goofier anime, usually. I don't like weird, dark, gloomy stuff. What can I say, I'm a wimp.

Dominion is like any old cliched american cop movie except the police have tanks and the hero is a girl.
Whether you enjoy it or not depends on how much you like the kind of movies that have a shouty "burst a blood vessel a minute" commander characters

If you can find it, in my opinion, the original manga is much better than the animated versions.

Mmm...I like manga far more then anime (usually. Cowboy Bebop is an exception) so I'll try to find the manga. Then again, my shitalicious nearby hollywood has some on vid...I think.

Reset the world?

[page2.auctions.yahoo.co.jp]

Is that one of those model kits but, fully painted up? Or is it something new? Looks GREAT.

Oh, and without spoiling any BIG surprises, what kind of mecha are in the 2nd Gig? More Spidertanks? Landmates?

I've seen a picture of the team using large green Tachikomas, more similar in shape to the Fuchikomas of the comic.

Cool!

Roger Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> cae wrote:
>
> > So, unlike the bulk of Japanese cartoons that
> I've been exposed
> > to, Ghost in the Shell has a comprehensible,
> enjoyable
> > storyline?


Stand Alone Complex is not as boring as Gasaraki or Patlabor. It does get long-winded at times, but over all not too shabby.

It's a good Anime, but not enough for me to run out and own the DVDs.

The next-to-last episode of GITS: SAC Season 1 finally reveals what the AI Sentai Tachikoma song on the Be Human CD is about. The lyrics:

---

Even when we're alone,
we're in the plural,
though we have no gender.

Tachikomans fight for justice!
Tachikomans are the symbol of peace!
We love to laugh and are sentimental slobs!
Fights or pranks, bring them on!

We don't have lives of our own,
but we super AIs will save yours!
One day, we'll get the Ghosts we long for!
Oh, we might robots represent the hopes of us all!

AI Combat Team Tachikomans!

---

During the song, the three Tachikoma fighters appear with captions:

Tachi Blue: The one with the blue body is ablaze with righteousness!
Tachi Yellow: The one with the yellow body routs his enemies!
Tachi Silver: The one with the silver body slays wickedness!

I'm surprised we haven't seen any toys of Tachi Yellow and Silver yet.

Any word on that Happy Go Lucky Smile Time Corporation die-cast Tachikoma?

"Any word on that Happy Go Lucky Smile Time Corporation die-cast Tachikoma?"

No! I'm hoping they'll have something on display at the upcoming C3 Hobby Show this August, though.

The toy's totally out of the scope of the creepy "moe" stuff that company usually produces, so it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see it get canned.

I see this as akin to CM's corp move from PVC's to high end toys and they pulled that off pretty well.
I really hope that the little metal Tachi makes it out.

We need a Tachi with hard, solid plastic eyes that pop in and roll around : )

Pics of various chara hobby limited Tachikoma toys,

[www.hobbyjapan.co.jp]

Not sure how you go about getting one of these mind. :(

Awesome, this is what I hoped they'd do!

18,000 yen?! Holy crap! Are they all limited or just the repaints? Do the other versions appear in the anime? I don't remember them at all, but I've only seen a couple episodes. I like the yellow and blue versions. The silver is nice because it looks to be more than a repaint with some original pieces.

If anyone finds out where or when to order these, please post the information. I really want one or two! Thanks!

I think most of these are pack-ins with Hobby Japan books, like this one listed at HLJ:

[www.hlj.com]

Maybe those high-priced ones are limited editions? I already pre-ordered one above, we'll see how the toy is, but I'm really not expecting anything more complex than a gashapon.

It would be nice if they sold them separately, though. In six-packs. As Myles said, if you have any info please post it.

Yes, the yellow and silver Tachikomas do appear in the final episodes of season 1, and I guess that clear one is using the active camouflage.

Picture of the season 2 Tachikomas, courtesy of sweet, sweet 4chan:

haha I was JUST coming here to post those pics! Man those look killer I cant wait until this comes out here :)

If they make a green 2nd Gig Tachikoma, I want it to have a spring-loaded feature that launches a tiny worried-looking Togusa missile out of the top hatch.

-Paul Segal

"Oh, the anger is never far, never far." -SteveH

Here's that stealth Tachikoma from last week's Wonderfest:

I absolutely hate show exclusives. BASTARDS!

If diecast Tachi sells (and I can't imagine that it wont) then do you think they'd be brave enough to tackle some of the bigger bits of hardware, namely the movie tank and that scorpion jobby from an early episode of SAC.

Fort Max Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If diecast Tachi sells (and I can't imagine that
> it wont) then do you think they'd be brave enough
> to tackle some of the bigger bits of hardware,
> namely the movie tank and that scorpion jobby from
> an early episode of SAC.


Shirow is such a big influence in not only written word but mainly for his BEAUTIFUL designs its a shame there aren't any more items outside of a few GITS figures and Intron Depot statues that celebrate his work.

[pony-hp2.web.infoseek.co.jp]

Here's a rough translation on the articulation:

As for mobility, as for the hand joint on side axial mobility. The wrist part turns. As for foot joint vertically axial mobility. The ankle is the ball joint. The connected part of the cockpit turns, the wire catapult of both sides turns. Angle of the foot which was seen from before being vertical, not opening to the letter of ハ is イマイチ

I want a Tachikoma toy but I want one with a rounded butt. Those rectangular ones are just icky.

---------------------------------
I don't really care - I'm just bored, is all.

What, no mention of this 1/24th scale WAVE kit? Or did I skim over it?

[www.hlj.com]

I've never been that keen on the Tachikoma (but I'd like to get this), I do want a Fuchikoma, and why someone hasn't brought out a R/C Bonaparte....aarrggh.

---------------------------------------------------
* * *I writ more because I know more..usually.* * *

Finally got around to opening this:

[www.hlj.com]

The Tachikoma is nice. Styrene, glossy, articulated in all the right places. Stands about 2" tall and 3" long.

The book that comes with it is very good. 66 mostly color pages showcasing every mechanical design from the series, including the upcoming green Uchikomas (I may have translated that incorrectly).

Aww, cute. Cell phone strap: