News ► KINGDOM HEARTS 3D Play Arts Kai + Kingdom Key Keychain in PREVIEWSworld

[Sign]

Back in February, the KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [Dream Drop Distance] Sora and Riku Play Arts Kai were officially revealed. Since then, collectors and fans worldwide have been eagerly waiting for further details from Square Enix's own merchandising division as well as various websites in order to learn when exactly they'd be able to bring these impressive figurines home. While updates have been made on the Japanese side, there hasn't been any news overseas for quite some time, until today!

Thanks to the-seeress-yeul, we've learned that the June and July 2013 issues of PREVIEWSWorld's Previews catalog features the long-awaited Sora and Riku Play Arts Kai everyone has been waiting for, with the added surprise of a pewter Kingdom Key keychain now back in stock!

 
Click to enlarge! | Images used with permission

KINGDOM HEARTS 3D [DREAM DROP DISTANCE] PLAY ARTS -KAI- SERIES TWO From Square Enix. The long-awaited return of Kingdom Hearts to the Play Arts ~KAI~ line continues with this second wave lineup from Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance].This time Sora's and Riku's looks are based on their appearance within the worlds submerged in sleep. They must awaken these slumbering worlds to pass their Mark of Mastery exam in the newest installment of the Kingdom Hearts saga. Each figure comes with alternate sets of hands, three (3) Keyblades, and a display stand! Scheduled to ship in October 2013. Sora: Kingdom Key, Ultima Weapon, Sweet Dreams Riku: Way to Dawn, Divewing, Unbound NOTE: Available only in the Western Hemisphere. Play Arts ~KAI~: $79.99 (USD)

KINGDOM HEARTS: SORA'S SWORD PEWTER KEYCHAIN Square Enix's Kingdom Hearts series has been one of the best-selling role-playing video game franchises of the past decade, mixing as it does the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy, and this keychains of Sora's Keyblade Sword is perfect for any devotee of the game! NOTE: Available only in United States, Canada, and U.S. Territories. [Amazon]

 

[kupo1121]

There are many things that I have to say shocked the pants off of me with this announcement, the biggest being...since there hasn't been a JPN announcement for these figures, are these the first NA exclusive SE-official KH merchandise ever (the stuff at Hot Topic was licensed by Disney, not SE)?

And boy do these come with a pricepoint that could make people everywhere weep. $80 PER?!?!? I mean, considering I guess without the 2 other keyblades and the display stand, the figure would still be $60, I'm not shocked it is $80 but I can't help but feel like that's one hefty price for these figures >_<

I'm so glad that the KH figures are finally coming with stands! It is really annoying that we cannot pose the figures we buy anyway we want without a stand (you have to have both feet firmly planted without one) so I was considering buying some but I'll probably wait down the road for that.

Finally, the keychain doesn't interest me one bit but I'll definitely be picking up these figures and I would bet quite a bit that they'll be released first at NYCC like SE did with the Jack Skellington, Christmastown Sora, and KH2 Mickey figures (which incidentally happens in October).

 

[Sign]

There are many things that I have to say shocked the pants off of me with this announcement, the biggest being...since there hasn't been a JPN announcement for these figures, are these the first NA exclusive SE-official KH merchandise ever (the stuff at Hot Topic was licensed by Disney, not SE)?

There has, I think, but the announcement they've made wasn't on as wide a range in comparison. They basically stealth edited their e-STORE (which few people actually check) and the merchandise there is only available in Japan. We didn't realize it until at least 2 weeks after the fact unfortunately, so we opted against an update.

But they'll be available in Japan on August 9th for 7,800 yen (more or less $79.99).

And boy do these come with a pricepoint that could make people everywhere weep. $80 PER?!?!? I mean, considering I guess without the 2 other keyblades and the display stand, the figure would still be $60, I'm not shocked it is $80 but I can't help but feel like that's one hefty price for these figures >_<

I'm so glad that the KH figures are finally coming with stands! It is really annoying that we cannot pose the figures we buy anyway we want without a stand (you have to have both feet firmly planted without one) so I was considering buying some but I'll probably wait down the road for that.

Yeah, I believe they mentioned that all the Play Arts would be released with stands now on Facebook.

 

[Cutsceneaddict]

I ordered my set from AmiAmi, so I believe they are available in Japan somehow. Really beautiful and detailed figures. So glad that they've finally made another one of Riku. They totally left him out of the KH2 set.

$80? Wow. That's quite a heavy price to pay. Normally articulated figures aren't beyond $30 or so when they're first released. I'm actually really suprised.

 

[kupo1121]

Yeah, I believe they mentioned that all the Play Arts would be released with stands now on Facebook.

$80? Wow. That's quite a heavy price to pay. Normally articulated figures aren't beyond $30 or so when they're first released. I'm actually really suprised.

Sadly for Square Enix it isn't -__- Just for reference, a basic Play Arts Kai figure nowadays starts at retail for $60 and those are just the figures themselves and maybe a stand. While I don't think 2 extra keyblades make up the extra $20, I can see that SE's products are only going up in price >_<

 

[Sign]

It's interesting how they're meant to be played with, but rarely does anyone actually do so.

 

[kupo1121]

It's interesting how they're meant to be played with, but rarely does anyone actually do so.

They are collectibles!!! lol Yeah, I sure won't play with them and I think when you're holding $80, the risk of breaking them is not worth it

 

[ajmrowland]

They are collectibles!!! lol Yeah, I sure won't play with them and I think when you're holding $80, the risk of breaking them is not worth it

Arguably so is the toy story collection but they're still toys.

Even with e play arts, I'd like to play a little with them. Maybe I watched toy story 2 too much but I sympathize with these pieces of plastic.

 

[Taochan]

It's interesting how they're meant to be played with, but rarely does anyone actually do so.

They're probably made with children in mind... to some degree. However, the pricing makes them far out of range for a child and unlikely for a parent to deem worth their money.

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

I don't like taking these kinds of things out of their box. What if I want to sell them? I want to play with them and pose them and whatnot, but they also look extremely nice in their boxes. If they were cheaper I'd probably buy two (one for playing with, one for collecting) but they are waaaaay too out of my price range.

And this is why I do not collect figures and stuff unless they are really special.

 

[ajmrowland]

Here's what I'd do: simply be very careful with taking them out. I've done it before with toy story and it does minimal damage to the box.

and now I just remembered there's a certain other kind of packaging that's far more likely to be the case in comparison to an actual box. *facepalm*

 

[Cutsceneaddict]

I don't like taking these kinds of things out of their box. What if I want to sell them? I want to play with them and pose them and whatnot, but they also look extremely nice in their boxes. If they were cheaper I'd probably buy two (one for playing with, one for collecting) but they are waaaaay too out of my price range.

And this is why I do not collect figures and stuff unless they are really special.

In my experience of figurine collecting, the figures often sell back for a hefty price--inside OR outside the box--so long as there is no or minimal damage to them and you keep the boxes. I like to take mine out of their boxes, carefully pose them, put them in my cabinet, and then put the box in a safe place in storage. If the figures later become unavailable or rare, they'll sell for very high prices, regardless of their MIB or "Like New" condition.

For example, I had two copies of the Cloud Strife Kingdom Hearts figure and wanted to sell one back on Ebay (I had received the 2nd one as part of a lot from a seller). The figure and box were in excellent condition, but part of the stand was cracked and had to be repaired by the previous seller. I made a listing on my Ebay account and mentioned the conditions of the different parts. Even with this knowledge, the highest bidder clocked in at around $80, a lot more than what I bought the figure for.

That being said, I know that times change, as do figurine prices apparently. $80 is quite the stunning price. Given the fact that this is a Sora and Riku figure we're talking about though, they'll probably sell for a lot of money, regardless of whether they've been removed from their boxes or not.

They do look nice in their boxes though. I have to agree. The good thing about Square Enix boxes is that they're easy to open and it's just as easy to place the figures back inside. It's easy to keep them in a "Like New" condition, so long as you don't sit on them or something xD

Just my two cents

 

[iDrops]

It's interesting how they're meant to be played with, but rarely does anyone actually do so.

I totally didn't used to play with them when I was little... I also didn't play with them with my myscene dolls...

I really want these figures, they do seem a bit expensive though. UK plz.

 

[Xuchilbara]

Wow. $80?

Considering that Ami has had these available for pr-order early this year and combined with the member discount, Americans would be better off ordering from Japan since the dollar has been strong lately.

AmiAmi is selling them for roughly $59 USD...

 

[Oracle Spockanort]

Thank you for the JPY being down right now ;A;

 

[Cutsceneaddict]

Wow. $80?

Considering that Ami has had these available for pr-order early this year and combined with the member discount, Americans would be better off ordering from Japan since the dollar has been strong lately.

AmiAmi is selling them for roughly $59 USD...

I noticed that when I ordered my set earlier this year. That's why the whole $80.00 thing really suprised me Definitely seems cheaper to buy from AmiAmi, all things considered.

 

[Claire-Farron]

Just Id add a little thought that came across me but didnt add to my Tumblr.
PREVIEWSWorld lists figurines and merchandise like that as individual prices for each figure if theyre from the same thing such as say Sailor Moon or Sword Art Online.

It is possibly that Sora and Riku are shipped together as a set if you order them from PREVIEWSWorld.

The only thing I havent seen listed seperately where they have more than figure are the Chibi Final Fantasy figures.

Another example is say a button set or set of plushies, they have in their magazine. You can't buy just one for say 4.99$. You have to buy the whole set for 4.99$.

 

[Chaser]

I don't know why people are annoyed. $80 is the standard the for Riku and Sora Tron playarts here. No doubt that will be more, but I thought it was known? Heck, I went into a store that sold this sort of merchandise in Sydney once, and I'm pretty sure there was nothing below $100.

 

[ajmrowland]

Yeah, they certainly have more value than a $50 set of plush dwarves that Disney tacked on to the price of the Snow White Blu ray.

though not much, if you ask me.

 

[kupo1121]

It is possibly that Sora and Riku are shipped together as a set if you order them from PREVIEWSWorld.

While I originally would be incline to believe this and I don't think the figures alone might be worth $80, I think both together are definitely worth more than $80. If they were actually packed together, I would think the figures would be around $100-$120, but not as low as $80

I don't know why people are annoyed. $80 is the standard the for Riku and Sora Tron playarts here. No doubt that will be more, but I thought it was known? Heck, I went into a store that sold this sort of merchandise in Sydney once, and I'm pretty sure there was nothing below $100.

I don't think people are surprised because they're comparing them to The Grid figures, I just think the idea of $80 a figure for the KH figures is kind of shocking since this is the first time the Play Arts figures have been listed for over $60. Now, considering this isn't directly from SE but a 3rd party seller, I can understand if the price might be different, but it seems like most stores are now listing them for around $80 too so I think the price is here to stay.

I guess you could consider it not too bad though if you take into account that the figures are probably $60 alone (even if they might not be as tall or detailed as some of the other in the Play Arts Kai line) plus the 3 other keyblades, the bigger box, and I'm assuming the box itself is the nice one like The Grid with the awesome flap in the front! Now I want to see the box as much as the figures themselves haha xD

On the topic of figure unboxing, I take the figures out of their boxes but at the moment I do not pose them and keep them in cases. I do plan to eventually pose them and I do keep the boxes for the future because you never know if I like the boxes in the future.

I think the reason people don't play with these figures are, because while they can be played with, if they break (and some of the arms feel really fragile) you just broke a $40-$80 figure...