Greetings everyone! Sorry for the delay in posting (week and a half.. -.-;;), unfortunately, Spring Break snuck up on me, with Easter and what have you. Next time, I'll be SURE to remember the holidays.. PROMISE! ^_^;;

In any case, this week we're going to start looking at the Gashapons that BSSM and PGSM have to offer! Starting with the NEWEST to the OLDEST of the Gashapon's. So, let's get started!!


What they look like: The first Gashapon's we'll be looking at, is the PGSM Gashapons. Most people wouldn't consider them as such, due to what they are. But they are in fact, considered "capsule" items, as originally they DO come in Capsules. What is a "Capsule" you ask? A Capsule is actually something quite similar as to what you get in a gumball machine. Only as a fully round ball, and typically MUCH larger than what you receive in any of the North American machines. Typically they are 1/2 clear, and the other 1/2 a varied color. Inside, you'll find the item (sometimes assembly required) in a small baggie, with a little pamphlet of all the other items you could obtain.
In this case, we had 2 kinds of PGSM Gashapons. The first being the electronic toys. We had a good bunch of miniature electronic toys; Light up wand, Light up Senshi Phone, Light up Brooch, and interchangeable Jewelry Star Bracelet (Tamborine, and Luna Phone Sold seperately in BOXES). When I say "Electronic" I mean essentially, they lit up. Press a button, and voila! They lit up! They aren't really for anything more than collectables.. and really weren't that well made. Most of them coming apart or not working at ALL. But, they did make GREAT cake decor: http://www.star-lights.net/images/kittiepink/1.jpg , as you can see on the cake I made for my daughter. (Image hosted by Star-Lights.net)

Now we also had 3 more capsule sets.. 1. PGSM Keychains, 2. PGSM Gashapon Figures, 3. PGSM Magnets. All of which, I think are pretty self explanitory. Though, the keychains are adorable this time around, giving a good deal of detail in them. The Gashapon's leaving us wanting much more than what it had to offer (hence, the 'real' figures), and the magnets simply adorable pieces as well.

But the one on EVERYONE'S list when PGSM came out, was the bracelets, necklace, and brooches with earrings inside. These items were HOT on the list, and hard to find because of it! The earrings were simple clip on's, replica's of the one's worn on the show (which, incidentally, if you look CLOSELY, you'll note they were clip on's as well. ;)). The brooches having just as much detail on the rims, as those on the show as well. Making them PERFECT size for cosplay purposes!! (For kids that is) The bracelets were a combination of Aluminum (my best guess considering the light nature, and flimsy metal) and plastic. They are quite detailed too, perfect for the child cosplayer. And finally, Sailor Moon's necklace, which was made of the SAME material as the bracelet.

Unfortunately, if you're looking to use these items, save your money. The paint on the items come off so very easily, and being a cheap metal and plastic, well, you get what you pay for. You at one point, could find the items at $3-$5 each. Now, being so rare, I've seen the necklace go for a good $20 or more alone. There is the occasional set that pops up on ebay, where you can try your luck at winning the entire cosplay package for $20. But more often than not, it goes for around $30-$40 or more. Personally, each item looks to be about $3-$5 in worth, at the very most. But be ready to pay a whopping $10 per item or more, should you be looking for them.
You can still find the keychains, Gashapons, and even the magnets at MOST Anime shops online, and easily on ebay yet. Some being as low as $5 for the entire set, but typically up to $5 per each item as well.

All in all, these items are a great addition to your Sailor Moon collection. A must for any PGSM collector, but definitely something that could be passed up as a cosplayer. You probably could make something much better out of sculpey 3 clay if you really put the time and effort into it. But, if you're like me, and like to go official.. these are likely going to be on your list as well.

Well, that's all for today! Next week, we'll take a look at the BSSM Capsule Figures, and wrap up with the BOXED Gashapon's floating around out there. ;) Thanks so much !! Take care everyone !!

Greetings everyone! I know last week I said we're going to look at UFO plush. Unfortunately, I made a bit of a TYPO. We're going to be looking at various BSSM PLUSH .. UFO being a big portion. Apologies. ^_^;; In any case, there are 3 types of plush; American, Bandai & Banpresto. Today, we're going to look at all 3!

What they look like: Well, Bandai plush are typically ALWAYS in a box, unless otherwise noted. Bandai plush are actually QUITE detailed, and well made. Though, they have that round face, and BIG chin going for them, they are quite adorable! These particular plush typically came in 1 of 3 types of packaging. Either singally, as a Chibi Moon and Sailor Moon set, or an entire senshi set. Prices for these items ranged anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 yen or MORE (that's about $60-$100+). The boxes were themed with the characters, and series that they were released for, in a colorful means. The backs, revealing the OTHER plush you could collect from that particular series. Their clothing was made out of cloth, and their eyes were typically made of hard plastic. However, because their outfits were made of a felt like material, it comes as NO surprise that some of these sets were a bit damaged by the adhesive Bandai used for some of the finer details on the item.

Over all this is truly something of value to collect. Although most people have no IDEA of the value of these particular items. Especially in box! These items are truly rare amongst the fandom, as most people took theirs out of their box to cuddle and snuggle. Unfortunately, decreasing their value. Personally, out of ALL the plush I've seen for BSSM, these are truly the BEST. They're quality made, with attention to detail, and not as deformed as the UFO's. Though, because of it's low popularity, you can look to snag a set up for as little as $25, but don't be fooled, there are a few out there that know the value of these items, and you can look to spend the Yen value or more. Trust me when I say you WON'T be dissappointed with these! They are truly a great collectors item.

The American UFO's, What they look like: What can I say about these that you probably already don't know? Modeled after the Banpresto line of UFO's, these were released by 2 companies. Irwin, and Bandai. Though, our boxes weren't as well decorated, or sealed like the Japanese versions. These were actually made using a nice average quality material, with a fair attention to detail. The inner scouts having a bit more attention than the outer (which of course, saturn being missing!). The hair on these, MUCH different from the Banpresto versions though, with the longer haired characters having their hair STUFFED with fiberfill. Which gave it a full look, and an annoying means of cuddling with them.

Overall, these are adorable plush. Made from a company that had money to do so, made the quality of these rather nice. The cost of these were actually ranging from $2 to $15, depending on who you were looking for, and where you went. Nothing really spectacular about them per se, but certainly a joy to collect. Unfortuntaely, unless you can find a collector, the chances of finding them in their boxes is rather slim. Be prepared to pay anywhere from $.99 to $10.00 or more per doll. Chibi Moon and the outer scouts being amongst the rarest of them all.

Banpresto UFO's What they look like: Finally, Banpresto plush. We had quite a run of these!! Covering a good lot of characters in the series! These plush are nothing to scoff at! Ranging from your basic felt fabrics, to that silky fabric and even vinyl in their plush. It's really quite astonishing the amount of care and detail that Branpresto put into these, for a UFO machine!! Though with there being SO many per season, and so many variations, it's quite difficult to collect every single one. Banpresto also made variations of the UFO's in towel hangers, slippers, and an erray of other types. Each with as much care as the last. They're quite adorable, and came in NO box. Instead, they only have a HANG tag, that most easily lost over the ages.

The Banpresto plush have a good quality to them. You can look to pay anywhere from $.99 to over $100 for a single one! The rarer versions being those of the Amazon Quartet, and Stars! They're definitely worth having a few in your collection if you have a mild interest. They're quite colorful, and most definitely a high desired item amongst the community.

Well, that's all for this week! Next week, we'll begin our extended look at the various Gashapon items, Capsule figures, and more. Hope to see you then!!!

Alright, so I've been asked this so many times. "How do you know what's official, and what isn't?". Well, there's a really easy way to tell what's official, and what isn't! Even if you don' t have the original box!! And in this special post (because I was sick. -.-;;), we're going to discuss that, to make you, the collectors, better collectors, and more importantly, wiser one's. ;)

There is a VERY easy way to tell if your item is official if you have a box. You see, Sailor Moon was actually licensed to ONE company at the time to make all of it's toys! And that's (say it together now) BANDAI. 90% of all toys you find for Sailor Moon are BANDAI created. Typically, the "BANDAI" logo is seen at the bottom right corner of your box, no matter what it is. And if you have that, you KNOW it's valid!

Another good means of checking if something is Valid (alot of silverware, and kitchenware were made too you know!), is the "TOEI" sticker! This sticker was placed on items that were for one, inspected by TOEI, and on official merchandise for Sailor Moon. Now, being a STICKER, there were a lot of products out there that had them on it.. while others that should of, didn't. Need I say more? heh.

Now, don't have a box for your item? Very simple way to fix this! "BANDAI" always had a nice printed logo on the toys that they made. Even today it still remains true for not only BANDAI but many many many other companies out there too! Just take a look around! Sometimes you'll find it on the battery compartment.. sometimes IN the battery compartment. Chances are, if it isn't there, is IS a fake!

Now, there are exceptions to this rule! You see, Bandai may have had a hold on their BOXED plush, but another company was the major manufacturer for the UFO's you see lingering around. And their name is "Banpresto". I'm sure you've seen their logo somewhere before! It's a little mask, that looks like, well, Tuxedo Mask's.. mask! heh. They were the OFFICIAL makers of all the UFO plushies you found in those nifty little machines. So don't worry! If your plushie doesn't say BANDAI on it, it likely will have that little mask logo, or even the name on it. ^.^

Finally, one FINAL company that is recent to the PGSM fandom. POPY. POPY is the little logo with the "P" on it, that looks like someone drew over a few times. It's yet another company that has been named slightly "official". Though, I will say, I have a POPY brand jewelry bracelet, and the official Bandai one. POPY's quality is VERY low.. and it's almost as if it was intended for grocery stores. ^.^;;

Now, the EASIEST way to find the fake? Look at the item. Look closely!! If you'll notice, there is a "Eternal Tiaru" that is floating around a certain auction site. Take a look at the official one, and then that one. You'll notice the main big difference, that, if you're paying attention to BSSM, you'd see as well. The rod.. is PINK. The rod is SUPPOSED to be grey! This is a BIG thing with most companies out there! They try to cut costs whenever possible, and often leave out details thinking no one will notice! Well, BE the one to notice! You'll find this more often than not with CLOTHING and other cloth items! Please, look carefully, remember the coloring, and ensure that everything is the way it should. Often, you'll find they've colored Jupiters hair blue, or Mars' fuku Purple! The closer you look, and the more questions you ask.. the better off you're going to be.

Finally.. if a deal is too good to be true, chances are it IS. You're always in your RIGHT to ask questions, request pics.. and if you think someone is scamming you off with a pic.. ask something specific.. like, for them to take a picture with their thumb on the upper left corner or something. This way, you'll KNOW that THEY are taking the picture of the item they ACTUALLY have on hand! Never go with a picture that's too far away either! Ask for close up's.. and don't fall for that "it'd be too blurry" routine. You're not looking for the individual hairs in Sailor Moon's bangs. You're looking for coloring! And if there is NO box, be sure to ask if they can take a picture of the logo on the item itself! Or the tag! If they dump the deal after asking for the specifics, then chances are, it wasn't real to begin with. Don't get discouraged.. And as a final note.. don't leap for the first one you see. Take your time, save your money. Chances are, it will come again. Just be patient. ^.^

Good luck to all you collectors out there! Be you new or old.. I wish you the best! If you ever have a question on if something is real or not, you're welcome to e-mail me ^.^. Take care everyone!

First off, I would like to apologize for my absense. Unfortunately, illness struck me but HARD, and I've been quite ill for the past 5 weeks. -.-;; Now that I'm FINALLY feeling myself again, let's get back to business, okay? ^_^

Last time, I promised we'd take a look at that Star locket (per popular demand). I've never let ya down before, and I'm not about to now!!! So, without further talkin' here's that star locket!

What it looks like: Well, here we have a fairly nice box. Small enough to fit the locket, and with very few images of the scouts on the sides. Generally, you'll see this in either Japanese, or Chinese. Sometimes, I've even heard you can find it in Korean. The basics? They're all pretty much the same. Upon opening the box, you'll see the locket attached to a rather cheap chain. It's just small enough to fit barely over my head, so it's obvious this was not meant for adults. ^_^ (Sorry, I HAD to try!) It's shiney, and quite adorable. When you pop that plastic painted top, you'll see that familiar moon, in a circle, ready to go around. On the back, you'll see a very basic music box wind up to get this puppy started!

What it sounds like: Upon winding this very carefully, you'll hear the lockets song playing. At first, it plays rather fast.. as with most music boxes. And then, as it slows down, it becomes a bit more familiar. The sound quality is about as good as it gets for a music box. :P

What it does: No brainer here! That little moon goes around and around, until you close the top. At which then, the music stops as well. You can clearly see that the moon is glued to the rather cheaply looking pink circle in the center. Nothing really spectacular.

So, all in all, very very short summary. But, short doesn't always mean bad, right? EHH!! wrong. I paid $4.00 for mine. Incidentally, I got what I paid for. Mine was brand new, mint in box, etc. This piece is really lacking. Although, the locket really didn't have too much going for it to begin with. The flaws are numerous, starting from the basic wind up in the back. Not that I'm all for batteries.. but, it winds up in a few winds, leaving children far too much room to break it before they get a chance to hear it. If you've ever wound a clock too tight, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

The appearance of this piece really is lacking as well. Though, it DOES look like the cartoon version, they could have done so much better with this piece! A nice light when you open it, maybe even better means of moving it.. and a small battery might have been better.

All in all, my daughter gives this a 3 out of 10 whopping stars. It's not much fun to have, unless you're using it to cosplay. If you're looking to obtain this item, watch out!! People are insanely bidding in the 3 digit amounts for this!! Don't be dissappointed. We had a HUGE rush of these coming out, there'll be more.

There is ONE locket however, that is WELL worth it!!! And that is the PINK star locket, made by BANDAI Japan (there are a TON of phonies out there!!!). It's VERY rare, and I've only seen ONE myself. Being that, I would be on the lookout to spend a HEFTY amount on that one. Otherwise, I can't see paying more than $9.99 for the others out there. Likely more for the Japanese versions.