There are times when a toy explodes into popularity by riding off the the momentum of the series from which it came from. There are other times when the toy finds success by virtue of its design and aesthetics. The subject of the review — Max Factory’s Figma Drossel — is an exemplary case of the latter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMyZ07QgTP4
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think Fireball was ever significantly popular amongst audiences. It is a 13-episode series of CGI shorts produced by Disney and Toei featuring Drossel, a sassy robotic duchess, and Gedächtnis, her hulking quadruped robot servant. The series is quite surreal, full of loopy dialogue chock-full of strange references and puzzling puns, while the setting is always a giant room within Drossel’s manor. I cannot speak for the Japanese anime community, but asides from the initial remarks on Drossel’s striking similarity to another certain pigtailed gynoid, Fireball received little attention in the English-speaking anime community.
Of course, with the announcement of Drossel’s Figma treatment, there was a boom of interest. Regardless of whatever reaction (or lack thereof) Fireball received, toy collectors were quickly captivated by the initial promo shots of the Drossel Figma. Not only did the character’s sleek design and striking blue eyes catch the attention of collectors, Drossel marked a rare departure from the Figma line’s often criticized tendency to release only schoolgirl variants. Thus, for the first time even strict fans of the Revoltech line of robot action figures were taking interest in Figma.
As the result, the rabid demand for this toy caused the initial release to slip through my fingers while I was still contemplating the purchase. Thankfully, indecisiveness did not afflict me a second time as I quickly secured a preorder of the initial re-release, which was also quickly gobbled up. When Drossel finally arrived at my doorstep around two weeks later, I had the pleasure of being able to discover the source of the toy’s burgeoning popularity — a pleasure I intend to share with you.