MINDStyle Hikari Starter Kit

[Chemo_Nchicago]

Is there any where to still buy these?

I have an unopened one I'm willing to part with.

[Warner]

Yeah I agree it's probably because they aren't well known "characters". Some pieces like the Kappa hikari or the Oni are probably completely lost on people who don't know where they're from. With Pops you have that "cute" element but with the hikari price point it probably isn't cool enough for most. But to each his own, and better deals for me!

[mohawkjones]

It's crazy but the price of the SDCC figures continues to drop - which makes me think a lot of people bought them up just for the possibility of resale.

I picked mine up for $175 including shipping- which really isn't much more than the original price. There is a set up RIGHT NOW set to expire in 4 hours for only $150 + 15 shipping- pretty good deal if you ask me...

That's a great deal if it goes for that price. That's pretty much cost + shipping. I was lucky enough to get mine at the gallery, but even if it drops below $150, I have no regrets and loved the experience of the gallery as well!

The SDCC gallery was crazy impressive. Seeing all the Hikaris out on the display is what moved me to ditch pops (with the exception of all things Iron Man) and go full force with Hikaris. I had been in the fence for a while as the Hikaris display so much nicer and have a more "artsy" appeal to me but it was the gallery that changed my mind for sure. To the point I just listed all of my Pops on eBay over the last few days (shameless plug there) to focus just on Iron Man and Hikaris in my collection.

[mohawkjones]

Yeah I agree it's probably because they aren't well known "characters". Some pieces like the Kappa hikari or the Oni are probably completely lost on people who don't know where they're from. With Pops you have that "cute" element but with the hikari price point it probably isn't cool enough for most. But to each his own, and better deals for me!

Exactly! The combo of licensed character and cute factor drives the pops line. The Hikari, with the higher price point and less traditional look appeals to a different market. I an loving the fact that I can jump into the Hikari line at a much more reasonable price point than I could with Pops.

[Stoatmaster]

Hikari are a bit mysterious, from a sales perspective. I hardly ever see them in stores, and you kind of have to know what you're looking for online. How many people even know there's a LE100 clone trooper Hikari only available but buried deep on Gemini's site? One of my recent favorites, the pearl star skull, was a LE88 exclusive to a Thai toy store and as far as I can tell never publicized. For a casual collector, it must be very confusing, and prices being all over the map adds to that. For example, there are still LE100 yellow clone troopers available for $125, and yet a green LE100 trooper just went for almost $340 on eBay (wow, just wow). People are picking up the cheap Hikari at $20-30, though, and that might be a hook to get people interested. Perhaps the transformers, skeletors, and LE3000 turtles are serving a useful role.
Another issue is that the items themselves don't fit neatly into a clear category. At their best, they are definitely in the realm of pop-art, and some of the recent additions (dragon King, Glub glub, star skull) seem to be embracing that. With that in mind, and though the packaging is great, I wish they would clutter the windows less with stickers and stop including the tag. Might not be structurally sound, but having windows on all sides would be nice, too. The best of them are beautiful and are worthy.
For those into characters and cuteness, the $80/$50 retail pricing is too high, but most can be had at $50/$30 with patience. I guess what I'm saying is that it's still not clear to me if Hikari are trying to come across as high end pops or as something more artsy. I personally hope they become more the latter, as I don't care about characters and am in it entirely for aesthetic. Which brings me to a last Hikari issue - they don't photograph all that well (for example, I haven't seen one in person, but I'm sure the frosted Groot looks a lot better in person than in the unflattering photos - the Groot mold is really excellent).
All that said, I still can't believe the very underrated LE88 Kappas are sitting forever on eBay at $100. At least the Glub Glub's have been selling a tiny bit higher.
Sorry for the rant. I spend too much time thinking about Hikari...

[Peachtree]

I agree Stoat, they really are strange, as one site can have say for example, mythos skeletor for $60 whereas amazon has it for literally $15. I agree with you, I would prefer to see more artistic, original characters. I hope Funko continues to work with Ron English, as he is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists and I would love to see maybe some of his grin or alien artwork in Hikari form.

[eastWOLF]

Simple, hikari isn't for the caual collector.

[Galacticat]

I am sincerely tempted by the low edition Hikaris despite myself. Just not willing to pay $200 for a figure I don't know or recognize- so I guess that probably goes for a lot of people.

I did see the LE100 Troopers on Gemini. One was only $79 although it appears to have sold out now. I was sincerely tempted except that I am not such a fan of the Troopers that I need any of them if I don't have any other SW figures. Plus there have been what- 100 different colorations of the same Trooper mold? More? While it might be fun to try and collect ALL of them and have them all set up - it is too great of an undertaking for me I think.

[xmaldigolax]

Yeah, Hikari are a big expense. But if you keep an eye out I am sure you can get a better deal than the regular cost, especially from HT during hot cash time with the popular lines (marvel/star wars).

I resisted Hikari for a while, but when you see them online, versus holding them in your hand....it is true love (wow am i even talking about Hikari anymore )