Sailor Moon, Japanese Warlord Darth Vader, Spider Man, and Goku walk into Grand Central Station. No, it’s not the start of a cheesy joke. These heroes and villains came together to celebrate Tamashii Nations’ 10th birthday.
The Tamashii Nations 10th World Tour took place last weekend, and toy enthusiasts got a close look at the newest toys and figures. The weekend-long event, which took place at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Station, celebrated the 10th anniversary of Japanese toy and collectible manufacturer Tamashii Nations/Bluefin with popular releases, upcoming products, and cool displays. These new toys each represented popular and classic characters to titillate anybody’s inner nerd.
As one of the most popular line of figures from Tamashii Nations, Dragonball and Dragonball Z toys were featured prominently at the event. Guests and spectators were greeted by a large statue of the mystical, wish-granting dragon, Shenron, and a giant Goku statue posed to blast his signature Kamehameha Wave.
The Z-fighter lineup included several statues by Figuarts ZERO EX. Characters such as Majin Buu and Goku in his many Super Saiyan forms stood ready for battle with detailed set pieces and slick-looking energy decorations.
The lineup of DBZ figures was insanely larger by comparison. Poseable SH Figuarts figures of Super Saiyan 3 Goku, Beerus’ loyal companion Whis, and classic Saiyan baddie Nappa were just a few of the new figures launching soon and were among many of the popular products of the Dragonball line thus far.
Along for the celebration was a new line of Star Wars products. While detailed figures of faithful robot buddies C-3PO and R2-D2 were displayed prominently as upcoming SH Figuarts releases, the real Star Wars showstoppers featured classic villains as you’ve never seen them before.
Darth Vader and other Star Wars baddies sported some new looks as Japanese warlords. The Movie Realization Samurai General Darth Vader figure stood threateningly with Japanese battle armor, and even comes equipped with a plastic lightsaber katana. Joining him on the Japan-era Dark Side were bounty hunters Boba Fett and Jango Fett with their own Movie Realization figures and prototypes, the upcoming Yumi Ashigaru Storm Trooper Storm Trooper Figure with a bow and arrow, and the upcoming Movie Realization Samurai Darth Maul Figure, all set for release this summer.
Several other familiar franchises made their appearance at the event as well. Figuarts kept the hype train rolling as they displayed some fabulous new Sailor Moon figures, statues, and toys.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe presented its newer and upcoming heroes in personal detail.
Ninja from Naruto came out of the shadows with a new figure lineup. From nostalgic anime making a comeback to fantastic iterations of classic characters to so much more, it was impossible not to find something to geek out about at the Tamashii Nations 10th World Tour.
In the center of the venue, attendees could get a hands-on experience with some of the newer products at the Try Me section. As showrunners tested and demonstrated the toys at the booth, fans could combine the Soul of Chogokin GX-72 Megazord from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, pose Street Fighter characters Ryu and Chun-Li in front of a special background for some realistic action scenes, and do much more with the toys on display.
The Retail Counter was open for those who wanted to continue the fun at home. Many of Tamashii Nations popular products were up for sale, but items exclusive to the World Tour event, including SH Figuarts products such as the Iron Man Mar VI and Hall of Armor Set, Ryu figure, the Dragonball Xenoverse Hero and Trunks figures, and the Soul of Chogokin GX-72 Megazord were also available.
Overall, the Tamashii Nations 10th World Tour was a paradise for anyone who loves to collect, admire, or play with some of their coolest toys. Here’s to another decade of toy and action figure awesomeness, courtesy of Tamashii Nations.
