Alright, I'm in a bit of a love-hate relationship with Bandai at the moment. On one hand, their last batch of announcements was one of the most impressive this year. But on the other hand, they still don't know how to distribute their products effectively.





Two nights ago, preorders opened for Bandai's three July SHF releases (Ankh, OOO ShaUTa Combo, and ICHIGO), along with some One Piece merchandise. The preorders opened at around 4AM EST at Amiami, and they sold out in less than five minutes. The same thing happened an hour later, when Amiami opened more as Hobby SEarch put up their listings. HLJ put theirs up at around 6AM and closed them about 12 hours later, but it's unknown if they'll actually be able to fill all those preorders.

So, what if you missed these ever-so-fleeting opportunities (and believe me, you're not alone - I'm still speechless at the fact that I was able to nab Ankh and Ichigo right as HLJ's orders opened)? First off, don't despair - you do have a few options left. Several of the smaller stores such as BigInJapan and Otacute tend to get them in at slower rates, and sell out at slower rates as well. As of this writing, BigInJapan still has Ankh and Ichigo (ShaUTa's sold out), and Otacute has yet to open preorders. There's also the slightly riskier option of watching HLJ/Amiami/etc. for new slots to open - they tend to open at random intervals, and there are also intervals when the figure's in-stock upon release. Lastly, if you're patient, you could wait for non-Japanese retailers to get them. For example, US distributor Entertainment Earth currently has the April SHFs for preorder at around Japanese price, and since they distribute products as well as selling them, most local comic/hobby shops would be able to get them upon request.

Anyway, were you lot able to get the preorders you wanted? And is anyone else getting a bit frustrated with Bandai's distribution? Sound off below!