[This review also appears in my currently-absurdly-out-of-date-but-slowly-getting-back-up-to-date concert blog.]
I picked up my Linkin Park Nendoroids at the Post Office on Saturday morning. It was a nice (for taking pictures) overcast day, so I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out to my building’s stoop to take some pictures. Some things you should know:
I do not speak Japanese. After my experience assembling the Nendoroids, however, I’m fairly certain that “nendoroid” is Japanese for “choking hazard.” Because everything down to Mike’s and Chester’s little microphones is a separate piece. Initially I thought this was cool, but after knocking Rob’s drum set over like a gigantic drunken rockstar for the millionth time, I found myself wishing that perhaps a few of the pieces came welded together.
Another thing you should know: Assembling these figures is not for the faint of heart. You have to pop their heads off to put their guitars on their bodies. You have to impale the guys with the plastic stands that keep them from falling over, and it’s a tight fit, so as you’re pressing the stands into their backs with the full force of your thumb, other body parts start falling off. You’d think Chester would be the most fragile, yet Mike was the one that kept falling apart on me!
Rob’s situation is particularly alarming.
I think this is a picture Phoenix took of the guys playing with the nendoroids in Japan. One hopes they gave the set to them pre-assembled and perhaps even glued together. Otherwise, the experience may have been traumatizing.
Once you get the figures together, though, they’re about the cutest things I’ve ever seen! In real life, Mike looks less like he’s dressed like a contestant on Top Chef than he did in some of the advertisements I saw for this set.
I don’t know if there’s something wrong with my Phoenix, or if I just haven’t figured out the correct way for him to wear his guitar, but it’s kind of stuck in mid-air, live-action style right now!
Chazzy Chaz and Brad both look awesome. Initially I’d wished they’d made Chester with his shirt off, but I’ve since decided that half-naked nendoroid is perhaps not a good look.
I was particularly impressed with Joe. His figure definitely has the best detail. The LP records on his turntable actually move, and I love that they gave him A Thousand Suns-era hair, even if they didn’t give him an A Thousand Suns-era fu manchu!
And, of course, there’s Rob with his million-piece drum set!
All-in-all, these little guys are completely awesome! They’re available here. (People in the U.S. and probably anywhere outside Japan beware: Shipping is approximately the price of your first born!) Get them while you can!!!
