GUH-HUH! Fans rallied for months on #BanjoMondays to draw attention to the franchise, and First 4 Figures listened! It’s taken a few years, but after the small teaser last week, the big day is finally here: the F4F Exclusive Banjo-Kazooie Statue will finally be revealed and go up for order today! Stay tuned for the LIVE Recap where we’ll learn all the details, as well as get answers to our deepest questions from First4Figures CEO Alex Davis & Tsoek Cheung!

Notices & The Week in Review:

• Making of Banjo Kazooie Statue Documentary is 1 Hour 9 Minutes 17 Seconds long
• Banjo-Kazooie Exclusive Statue will go up for order at the end of the Q&A today
• Sonic Boom PVC pre-orders will close next Friday; that line is going strong and F4F hopes for it to continue going further
• Crystal Dragon pre-order is still going strong for 2.5 more weeks
• Alex hasn’t had a chance to go through the numbers yet for True Form Mida or Guts–will aim for next week
• It will have been two full years from the 10K announcement of Fullmetal Alchemist to the first pre-order this fall
• Guts was announced in December 2016 and he only went up for order in April 2018
• Activision reveal was in April 2017 with Spyro pre-order in July 2017
• Metal Gear Solid reveal was August 2017 with Snake PO in September 2017
• 35K Reveal was Rare in December 2017, with Banjo-Kazooie PO opening today (7 months later)
• If F4F announces their 50K reveal right now, there wouldn’t be anything to show for a long time–similar to Berserk or Fullmetal Alchemist after announcement
• Alex thinks 3-6 months before the first PO is the ideal time-frame for announcing the next license acquisition; won’t be tied to reaching 50K in the OCC because Alex would prefer to announce things during that ideal target time-frame rather than too early or too late
• The more Alex talks about the Mini Crystal Dragons (in Silver), the more sense it makes to do them. Things would have to line up, but it’s definitely something F4F would look into doing if allowed to do so by the licensor.
• Mini Crystal Dragon could spark a little mini range that First 4 Figures could do: Would collectors be up for Minis like this?
• Alex spotted some issues with the Crash Bandicoot statue at the factory today and requested they big fixed; just minor things like the moss and the shininess of the Wumba fruit
• Spyro looked absolutely ace at the factory today
• Solaire sword is now made of die-cast, whereas before it was bendy on the prototype
• Would collectors like to see a die-cast armory?
• Alex is concerned that the Praise the Sun Solaire statue will bend backwards if something isn’t added underneath it because the statue is hollow (for the light-up feature); thinking of adding some sort of rock to the base to keep him from leaning backwards; would rather be safe than sorry
• Still need to do some more tweaking on the Midna Definitive Edition display case
• Extensively testing the Fighter Kirby replacements to make sure they won’t have any issues
• Shovel Knight Green Variant will be coming
• Factory will be able to start production on Shovel Knight and Aku Aku Mask soon
• Snake is deep into production
• Received Taki samples in the office today; looking lovely and easy to assemble; smooth production and should be ready to ship soon
• 1:1 Samus might be nice!

On Temptation Thursday Polls and The King of the Ring:

• Wipeout TT: 59 ‘Yes’ Votes; Still at the starting line
• Vampire Hunter D TT: 141 ‘Yes’ Votes; More ‘Yes’ than ‘No’ Votes, but still needs 600+ more votes
• Sailor Moon TT: 384 ‘Yes’ Votes; 67.1% ‘Yes’ Votes
• Alex is surprised to see how well the Animal Crossing Villager TT poll is doing–but it’s a Nintendo piece, so it still needs to be much, much higher
• No King Dedede TT until Warp Star Kirby launches
• Would we want to see variants of the existing Katamari statues?
• Hollow Knight TT Next Week! “We did the Shovel, do you want the Hollow? And we’re doing the Skull…!”
• Divinity: Original Sin TT in 2 Weeks!
• Code Geass TT in 3 Weeks!
• This week’s hashtag is #F4FBanjo
• King of the Ring Match #5: Metal Sonic vs. Pac-Man; Metal Sonic wins with about double the number of votes as Pac-Man
• Very likely no OCC group member will correctly predict and win this King of the Ring; will try to finish this round off quickly and then start fresh with a new bracket

The Q&A!:

• • How many people are there in the F4F office? “It depends! There’s two right now!”
  • First 4 Figures will be at GamesCom the whole time
  • Will get new Aika poll done next week
  • Alex was like “Fuck yeah!” with Simon Belmont, but was really disappointed when it didn’t do so well; there’s always things that can be improved on
  • A banjo can banjo a lot
  • F4F wasn’t offered the opportunity to do a Banjo-Kazooie PVC like the Totaku line being done by ThinkGeek; very very different to F4F’s items, so they can live in harmony together
  • If you want F4F to look into PVCs for Banjo-Kazooie, let them know; would probably do it like the Amaterasu PVC where a much larger upscaled resin version of PVC BK would be made (unless there would be tremendous demand for the PVC to sell tens of thousands of pieces)
  • Alex does not feel confident enough in the SD line to show it to Nintendo (since only two figures have been revealed fully in the line so far)
  • Alex won’t tell us what the top 3 most likely next statues in Zelda Twilight Princess line are
  • Don’t know what Rider Link will cost–far bigger than Link on Epona, but looks amazing
  • Soft PU resin used for the main on Rider Link’s horse so that it doesn’t break
  • Alex would love to do a Guardian sword–loves light-ups
  • Expected Artorias SD to be ready in Q2; not happy with the problems with the electronics at the factory that delayed it
  • Solaire SD should start production next month
  • Dante is still being tweaked; still needs some work–was originally made 3-4 years ago and needs to be enhanced to modern standards
  • No Yakuza updates
  • Simon Belmont is the most underrated statue that First 4 Figures has made to date according to Alex
  • Banjo-Tooie and Banjo-Kazooie both have a special place in Alex’s heart
  • F4F is not just sending out E-Mails to anyone who bought Fighter Kirby EX–they do not all have the Death Lean, so they’re not all being replaced; contact CS if yours has a defect
  • Gabriel Belmont from Lords of Shadow is still at the 3D stage; expect a PO maybe next year
  • Alex absolutely played Banjo-Kazooie back in the day; his favorite level is Rusty Bucket Bay
  • Absolutely having thoughts of anime PVCs to grow awareness of F4F Anime and looking into it
  • Was thinking today that Shovel Knight variants should be released in pairs every six months; would then be able to start thinking about doing Specter Knight and Plague Knight if F4F knew collectors would get behind more color variants being released over time for characters from the game; this could make projects from independent games like Shovel Knight viable even though one or two variants wouldn’t sell enough
  • Alex: “Dabid has been reading my bloody mind! Amazing!”
  • F4F would be very selective about any pieces that would be done with chrome; chrome pieces might not be 100% perfect–it’s about expectations
  • If it had been updated, the pre-order calendar for the next several months might possibly look something loosely like this (“Get out of my computer, Dabid!“):
    –Banjo-Kazooie
    –Spike
    –Warp Star Kirby
    –Blue Kirby Warp Star Kirby Variant
    –Psycho Mantis
    –Spyro PVC
    –Mimic
    –Alphonse Elric
    –Phoenix Wright
  • Like the idea of doing a mini range in metal; don’t regret bringing up the idea of Mini Crystal Dragons
  • Waiting for Sega feedback on Sonic & Tails diorama
  • Yakuza would definitely have a Definitive Edition; needs to have a DE to be viable
  • Will do what they can to hopefully get support for Jin & Fuu
  • Crystal Cloak Alucard will be done
  • Conker has already been submitted and is HUGE
  • Don’t have the LE numbers for SD Solaire yet
  • Warp Star Kirby looks good–just a few elements being tweaked
  • A lot of people thought the Banjo-Kazooie teaser trailer for the statue was for a new game and voiced their disapproval in the comments for the video; still the most-watched F4F video ever
  • Factory is really slow producing Okami Life-Size Bust
  • Legend of Spyro series is on pause; Activision wants the message to be about the Reignited version for now; will look at this again in about a year
  • Alex still doesn’t think anyone wants the Sparx & Egg statue
  • Mumbo-Jumbo was #1 and Gruntilda was #2 in Banjo character poll before the license was announced, but numbers are far too low; F4F will likely run a new character poll during the next two weeks of Banjo hype
  • Plushies are not forgotten
  • F4Games currently does not have a new Banjo-Kazooie game in the works. =P
  • 250+ viewers watching the stream right now
  • Alex found out that Chock said he hoped Alex wasn’t going to the toilet for a #2 last week from reading the recap (“Dabid, I appreciate that!”)
  • Alex quite likes the idea of doing multiple-colored Jinjos from Banjo-Kazooie
  • Spyro PVC release–don’t have an estimated month just yet, but working hard on it
    
  • Will find out what the next SD will be very soon
  • There is nothing to update about regarding Wind Waker just yet
  • Classic Amy Rose appears to be an unpopular variant based off the TT poll results–TTs never die; will get her done if there’s overwhelming support for her
  • Yes, need licensor approval for Day One card art
  • Not going to go into whether or not there will be a Spike Definitive Edition
  • Have learned from the mistake of Fighter Kirby EX–it won’t happen again
  • Tests done now before shipping statues: Drop Test; Vibration Test to see if packaging is tight enough; Heat test inside polyfoam to make sure there’s no deformation in polyfoam; Assembled in Oven Test — If this had been done, Fighter Kirby Death Lean would not have happened ; Keep lights on light-up statues on for X amount of time
  • Alex wouldn’t bet on whether Alphonse or Phoenix Wright would be up for order first if he were a betting man; it’s up in the air
  • Samus Varia Suit is in production–don’t have a shipping date just yet
  • Next new PVC will be shown at Gamescom
  • Will seriously consider releasing Mini Crystal Dragons–could be the birth of a whole new line of statues
  • Bayonetta guns are deep in development; some movement on Bayonetta statue
  • Ridley has been submitted to Nintendo for approval
  • Phoenix Wright will be submitted today or this weekend to Capcom
  • Need to do more work on potential Mini Crystal Dragon Pack
  • Edward Elric 3-D approval is done; PO will be next year
  • There are different factories all over China producing F4F statues
  • Would be happy to do lots of variants of the existing Katamari Damacy statues; won’t do King of the Cosmos
  • Alucard is coming along well in production; nothing ahead of him in production at the factory he’s at, so he’s ahead of schedule
  • Factory pushed Sonic 25th back; should arrive in the US in August now (next month!)
  • Alex gets a lot of PMs, but when he adds new people as friends, the alert that they’re now connected on Messenger also pushes all the PMs down in Messenger; if Alex misses a PM, you may have to reply again to get his attention
  • Redline anime? RTF. (Rally the fans.)
  • The material used for Alphonse is probably 10 times than used for Dracula; Alphonse’s leg probably uses as much resin as all of Dracula
  • Will not show Alphonse at Gamescom

F4F Banjo-Kazooie Statue Reveal:

• This section will be filled in during the stream today prior to the Banjo-Kazooie EX pre-order opening up. We’re almost there, bird-and-bear fans!
• Textured nose with smooth muzzle, whiskers on the side and bulbous eyes
• Worked very closely with Rare on Banjo-Kazooie
• Nose has a nice shine to it; you can see see Banjo’s tongue inside the mouth
• Shark tooth on Banjo’s necklace is hanging down as per the reality of gravity because of the pose that Banjo is in
• Banjo’s belly is smooth; there’s shading on the hands and detailing on the fingernails
• The edges of Banjo’s fur can be quite sharp, so be careful; wanted to have the fur taper off
• Stitching detail is replicated faithfully on both the outside and inside of the backpack part of the statue; Rare logo is nice and golden and cute just like it should be
• Stitching on the shorts; nice texture as well; lots of details on the shorts and belt
• A lot of fine detail and texturing went into Kazooie’s wings; very difficult and a lot of work to get right
• Why did we go BK in this flying pose? Screen-time. Kazooie is normally hidden away in the backpack unless Kazooie is doing the trot. Wanted to do the statue in a way that Kazooie wouldn’t be hidden away or looking in an opposite direction from Banjo.
• Will go into a lot more detail in the Making of Banjo Kazooie Documentary coming up shortly when the Pre-Order for BK opens.
• Originally there was a Flight Pad base, but collectors and Rare agreed that a Jiggy base would be more representative of the video game
• Doing a lot of tests to make sure that the base swoosh will definitely hold Banjo-Kazooie statue up without leaning; very difficult engineering-wise
• Sea of Thieves Bear and Bird Figurehead DLC code will be given free to buyers of the First 4 Figures Banjo-Kazooie statue (both regular and exclusive edition)–did not increase the price; DLC was not paid for by DLC
• Banjo’s face is absolutely perfect–Rare has been all over this statue to make sure everything is perfectly proportioned and bang-on
• Shark necklace is correctly colored to the promotional art for the game–Rare was very specific about the color of the necklace

The Banjo-Kazooie Exclusive Edition Details:

• Banjo-Kazooie Exclusive is a Chrome-Plated Golden Jiggy Base!
• Much easier to do chrome plating on a smooth resin piece like the Jiggy base than on Lucky Cat Mario
• You also get a metal chrome-plated jiggy and a metal music note with the Exclusive Edition! Note that these are made of metal and not resin!
• Have had conversations about mass-producing Mini Jiggys and Notes (since there are many in-game)

Pre-Order Details:

• Banjo-Kazooie Pre-Order Opening Up on the F4F Website after the Q&A completes
• 12 Month Flexipay Payment Plan available for both regular and exclusive versions of Banjo-Kazooie
• Regular Edition: $429.99 ($43 Deposit due when ordering); $33/month on 12-month plan
• Exclusive Version with Chrome Base; Gold Jiggy & Notes and Sea of Thieves DLC:  $429.99 as well!
• Shipping Costs for Regular and Exclusive are the same (will ship in one box): $45 USD to the US; EU/Austria/Germany/Sweden/UK/France $45 USD; Canada $65; Australia/NZ $105 USD; Asia/Japan $85 USD; Other Regions $125 USD
• Estimated release date is Q4 2019
• Validation Day for Day One Editions will be Tuesday July 10th
• Low numbers will be up for grabs, as this is the first statue in the Banjo-Kazooie series

…And that’s it for this week! Sound off, bird-and-bear fans! Who’s planning to order a Banjo-Kazooie statue, and are you planning to go after the Exclusive Edition or the Regular?