The World of Gashapon Capsule Stations
Being an Otaku means no matter how old you are, you are always young at heart.Collectors are spoilt for choice when it comes to Japanese merchandises. There are so many types of toys to collect; badges, cards, keychains, gashapons, figurines, wallscrolls, Nendroids, Dakimakura, etc. The list is endless. For myself, I started collecting small Gashapon vending machine since 2006. In those years, Yujin released quite a few series of Disney vending machines with popular characters such as Lilo & Stitch, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, etc. Isn't it interesting to get a gashapon machine inside a bigger gashapon machine?
Let's see some of my gacha collections that I have amassed through the years.
This is a complete set of ONE PIECE Capsule Stations from Bandai. The height of each machine is about 9cm; figurine included. I like Tony Chopper the best. It is interesting to note that not only is the build quality excellent, the toy is functional. When I turn the small knob clockwise, it produces a firm clicking sound and a very small capsule toy is released. See more detail of the parts here.
The Dragonball Z series is my favourite. I love the combination of blue and white colours. Characters are (from left to right) Goku, Karin, Shenron, Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, Goku and Trunks.
Next is the line-up of Keroro Gunso Sergeant Frog Capsule Stations by Bandai. I love how neat the entire set looks as each of them are white in colour.
Thomas The Train Capsule Stations
Teacup Dogs from Sanrio. Aren't they adorable?
Pokémon Capsule Stations from Bandai. I've bought them loose from some resellers.
These are a certain "Halloween - Type" Japanese characters known as the "Gui Tai Lang"
Next up is the adorable cuties from Sanrio. Keroppi seems to be the cutest!
Here are the colourful Disney Gashapon Machines. They are from the various series. When they were released, I bought many duplicates.
Who likes Rilakkuma?
This is a very special Capsule Station that is gold-plated. I bought from a toy shop in Suntec sometime in 2007 for 20 bucks. This Capsule Station was on display on a shelf behind the cash register. I thought it was not-for-sale and there was no price tag. When asked how much, the staff mentioned $20 and I just grabbed it without hesitation. I think this machine is very rare now.
In a quest to expand my Capsule Stations (CS) collection, I surfed ebay, taobao and Carousell to find similar collections. I chanced upon this Pokémon CS in Carousell. What is unique about this CS is its size. It measures 13 cm in height and is about 4 mini CS put together (or palm size). The back of the machine says U-Mate 2006. This gives a clue of how old this machine is. Still in a very pristine condition though.
Another special Capsule Station that I had found in Carousell is this Masked Rider CS. This is slightly bigger than the Pokémon one above, standing at 16cm. It has a bulky and cubic feel. Although I'm not a fan of Masked Rider, I know this is a rare find. Indeed, a check behind the machine says "Banpresto 2002". So the age of this machine is about 13 years! Perhaps even older than some of the readers here.
Finally, my favourite toy is this Giant Orange/Yellow Capsule Station from Bandai. The height is about 33cm. Like the miniature ones, I can turn the knob and it releases the gacha toy. The build quality of this machine is excellent. I had bought it from Uncle Ng's shop sometime in 2007 in China Square Central. As in all Bandai's stuffs, once they are released and sold in limited quantities, they won't manufacture anymore. My regret is that I didn't buy the white version and now I can't find it anywhere else.
This is how big the machine is. Keroppi is tiny compared to this Giant.
Keroppi can even fit into the hole.
Woah. so cute
ReplyDeleteGashapons are gifts to the world. They make me so happy
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ReplyDeleteThe white 1/2 Capsule Station from Bandai is for sale again.
ReplyDeleteYou can get it for example on ebay. Most other shops already ended their pre-orders.
So if you want one, maybe you should crab one of these ;)
Momo, thanks for the information. I didn't expect Bandai to re-produce them again.
DeleteDoes anyone know where you can get these mini capsule stations or any re-releases?
ReplyDelete