Designer Toy

All posts tagged Designer Toy

REVIEW – REAL X HEAD RYUSEI NINJA

Posted by Mighty Mike on June 3, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a Comment

Real X Head is a small Japanese company run by Mori Katsura, who makes vinyl toys. Over the years, there have been a number of figures and variations released, as well as collaborations with other people or stores. One such collaboration is with the store Ichiban –Boshi, which sells new and vintage vinyl toys.

Name: Ryusei Ninja
Line: Ichibanboshi Ninja Gaiden
Manufacturer: Real Head X Ichibanboshi
Released: 2006
Price: First released – unknown, now – $50-$60 MOC
Scale: 5.5 Inches in height.
Accessories: One eye patch

I became aware of the Ryusei Ninja when thumbing through the excellent ‘Tokyo Underground 2 Toy and Design Culture in Tokyo’ it really is a great book and I cannot praise it enough as it has made my trips to Japan so much easier than if I was relying on some unhelpful internet guide with Google maps links. (You know who you are.)

Even though there was a very cool photo of some Ryusei Ninjas in the book, I never actively searched for them until my third trip to Japan.

I ended up buying a black version which sparkles in the light and a flesh-coloured version on that trip. Since then, I’ve added a glow in the dark one and the subject of this review, the clear grey Ryusei Ninja to my collection.

SCULPTING

This is a category where the Ryusei Ninja stands out! It is cast in a semi-clear grey vinyl material and looks awesome! The details can be a little hard to make out at first due to the dark material, but the sculpting, as expected, is top notch! There are some great details on the face, including a star in the middle of its forehead and some solid work on the chest armor/torso with some good details added to this part of the figure. The arms and legs look great too. With an uncoloured version, you can really appreciate the details a lot more.

PAINT

Seeing the figure is cast in clear grey vinyl, there is no paint to talk about.

ARTICULATION

The figure has a grand total of three points of articulation: swivel neck and swivel arms. That’s it. You can still get a couple of nice poses out of him.

ACCESSORIES

The Ryusei Ninja comes with an eye patch which in most cases, all Ninjas will come with this accessory.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

There are none at all – this is an adult designer toy after all. It is made very well, so there are no issues with it.

PRICE

I picked this particular Ryusei Ninja up from a neat little website called Vicious Fun, they carry a large range of vinyl figures and the prices are quite good too. If you aren’t living in the USA, it’s best to send them an email to make your order, as the shopping cart can be a little troublesome.

The Price I paid was around $50 USD and that’s what I would expect to pay for this kind of figure, considering nowhere else had this particular version – worth every penny in my opinion!

OVERALL

I think the Ryusei Ninja is a very cool looking vinyl figure! It looks really cool in my display cabinet with a number of other vinyl figures next to it. The best part is that there are a number of variations and colours so you can always find something you like. I would recommend picking up one if you can, as they are too good to pass up!

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This page copyright 2026 Mike’s Toy Blog. All rights reversed.

REVIEW – REAL X HEAD PHEYAOS MAN

Posted by Mighty Mike on May 16, 2026
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , .

Real X Head is a small Japanese company run by Mori Katsura, who makes vinyl toys. Over the years there have been a number of figures and variations released as well as collaborations with other people or stores. One such collaboration has been with Onell Design, firstly with smaller 4” sized figures like Pheyaos mini and secondly, with the larger 8” sized Pheyaos man. Onell’s character Pheyden and RealXHead’s Mutant Chaos have been merged together in a very interesting and awesome way that has created a very cool looking toy.

Name: Pheyaos Man
Line: N/A
Manufacturer: RealXHead
Released: 2015
Price: First released – 5,800 YEN. Now – at least 90,000 yen
Scale: 8 Inches in height.
Accessories: None.

It might be a bit sacrilegious thing to say for die-hard Real Head fans, but this particular Pheyaos Man is a kit-bash of sorts, mainly because I don’t know if anyone does kit-bash Real Head figures or not. This particular figure started its life as the so called “UBIOS” Real Head figure which you can see here. I’m pretty sure I bought him from Mandarake Shibuya back in 2015.

 I just wasn’t a fan of the head. I absolutely loved the paint application on the body and wanted to turn him into a Pheyaos Man instead. It took a little bit of time to find a Pheyaos head that would be suitable and a change of neck scarf as well, fortunately Mandarake would happily buy the spare parts too! So, nothing goes to waste so-to-speak haha.

I’m pretty happy with the final result and now have an absolutely unique Pheyaos Man in my collection. The only thing I’m contemplating, is perhaps painting the eye so it is brighter and stands out more.  

SCULPTING

This is one of the standout categories for Pheyaos Man, even though he uses the Chaos Man body, with newly added weapon arm and new head, it is still a very impressive amount of detail. There is detail all over the figure and it is balanced out very well. For me, the head is the coolest part, the combination of Pheyden and Mutant Chaos looks awesome! The doll eye is once again reused and really helps the head sculpt stand out. You can definitely tell there are two characters merged together. The new weapon arm is very cool too and looks very organic. It’s as if Mutant Chaos is done sampling and now ready to fight! Overall, it’s a great figure and an instant classic for me!

PAINT

This particular figure features some absolutely amazing paint applications! I love the red colour it has been cast in, in my opinion it is an excellent red tone, with metallic red highlights and black and sliver to compliment it. The black lines across the figures body really bring the overall design to the next level for me. It just makes the figure look so damn cool. When paint application and design are a big part of these types of figures, it’s great when you can get one that speaks to you personally and inspires you creatively when you look at it.

ARTICULATION

Pheyaos Man has six points of articulation: head, arms, elbows and waist. All these joints are swivels and can be rotated 360 degrees. For this type of figure and the material it’s made out of, this is a great amount of articulation for the larger size toy. You can get a good number of subtle, yet expressive poses. Don’t get me wrong, this toy isn’t super articulated, but it’s not meant to be; even with just the arms down by its sides, in the so called “museum pose” it looks cool. It just has that cool factor about it.

ACCESSORIES

No accessories for this figure, besides the scarf/neck wrap if you can even call it an accessory. Like most Real Head figures this one is pretty damn awesome just by itself, so it’s not a big deal we don’t get anything else!

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

There are none at all – this is an adult designer toy after all. It is made very well, so there are no issues with it.

PRICE

I thought back in the day, (Circa 2012-2014) that Real Head figures could be a bit pricey, but as of at least 2024 the price has skyrocketed for the larger types of figures. I’m assuming it’s because of international demand? Because Mandarake has increased their prices dramatically. Now, I haven’t checked Yahoo Auctions Japan recently, to see if the trend is the same there. But they sell out at those high prices on Mandarake, so, you are going to have to be a high-roller to afford some of these figures now if you really want them. The average is 90,000 – 150,000 Yen, you’ll be paying quite a lot for them now.

OVERALL

Real Head’s figures always have that cool factor about them. If you don’t get it right now, like me when I first went to Japan and would look at the figures for sale, don’t worry, eventually you’ll understand what makes them so cool once you come across a design you like, in a colour way you like. However, in this current price climate will it be affordable for you or not? I can’t say. If anyone knows why the prices are so high now, it would be great if you could shed some light on the reason. If you can find yourself a Pheyaos Man you like and are happy with the price, don’t hesitate to buy one. You won’t regret it, once you have the figure on your display shelf. He’s an excellent modern sofubi figure and one you should have in your collection.   

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This page copyright 2026 Mike’s Toy Blog. All rights reversed.

REVIEW – REAL X HEAD/GOCCODO BEAR OTTOMAN (BEAR OSMAN)

Posted by Mighty Mike on April 14, 2020
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , , , , , .

Bear Ottoman (Bear Osman) is made by Real X Head, which is a small Japanese company run by Mori Katsura, who makes vinyl toys. Over the years there have been a number of figures and variations released as well as collaborations with other people or stores. Bear Ottoman is a larger size 8” adult sized figures from Real X Head, which is in collaboration with Goccodo and have proven very popular variant with Sofubi collectors!

Name: Bear Ottoman Taipei Toy Festival 2016 Exclusive
Line: N/A
Manufacturer: Real X Head/Goccodo
Released: 2016
Price: First released – 6000 – 10,000 YEN (guestimate)
Scale: 8 Inches in height
Accessories: None.

I bought this particular Bear Ottoman or Bear Osman online about a week ago, it’s not really an exciting story as it was pretty much a case of add to cart, wait to see if it was in stock and then pay kinda order. However, my journey to obtain a Bear Osman I was really happy with has spanned a  few years since I started collecting Real Head figures.

I originally wanted to obtain a “Crazy Colours” version of the character, as at the time, this was the colourway I liked the look of the most. But, understandably, had no luck trying through various channels (I knew this particular figure would be very hard to track down regardless) and resided myself to being happy owning a grey and black Bear Osman.

That was until I noticed this particular variant online, in my opinion, this one even eclipses the crazy colour one, so much so, I have no desire to own it anymore, I’m quite happily satisfied with this one now it’s in my hands.

SCULPTING

I’ve talked about the base body of this type of figure plenty of times before in previous reviews do I’m not going to repeat myself again and again and again. It’s still a great body and has held up well over time. The new parts here are the head and right arm, which are unique to Bear Ottoman.

The Head sculpt is just outstanding. The amount of fine detail is simply amazing, a lot of work went into this head and it is easily one of my favorite head sculpts from Real Head, the bear claw-like arm is awesome too, there’s also plenty of great detail there as well, with finely sculpted hair all over it.

PAINT

This is one thing about the figure that determines for me whether I like it or not, the colour scheme and design of the paint application. For the longest time, I had a Bear Osman which was molded in grey plastic and had a black rub over the top. It was pretty cool and really showed off the details in the sculpting, but was still quite boring to look at.

This particular Bear Ottoman is quite the opposite it has a pretty electric colour scheme and it really pops. I also love that it has been cast in phosphorescent (glow-in-the-dark) vinyl which adds another layer of cool to the figure. (I do love me some glow in the dark figures!)

The paint is expertly applied and has some really nice blending and airbrush work. I really love the pink/blue and black colour choices too, it really contrasts well with the phosphorescent vinyl.

ARTICULATION

The larger sized Real Head figures all have the same amount of articulation, which tends to be the following: Swivel Head, Swivel shoulders, swivel waist and swivel forearms.

For the type of figure, this is it’s a good amount of articulation. You can pose the figure a bit, but normally the “museum pose” is the default pose I keep my figures in. It’s just nice to have the option to pose it differently if you wanted instead of this being a solid statue type of figure.

ACCESSORIES

No accessories, unless I would want to include the vest he comes with. It’s pretty cool looking and beefs up the torso a lot. It’s a really nice touch and I think really makes the figure stand out from the rest of the Real Head figures I have that have the same body.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

There isn’t anything to worry about with these types if figures.

PRICE

Here’s the part where it can get a little crazy, especially if you are buying Bear Ottoman on the secondary market and to be honest if you are looking to buy one of these figures and not living in Japan, this is the only way whether its from toy reseller stores or Yahoo Auctions JP the price mark up can be quite high.

Even this particular Bear Osman wasn’t cheap and being an exclusive to a toy show not even held in Japan, you know you are going to be paying a lot of money to get one unless you went to the show. So be prepared to spend big when acquiring this particular figure type.

OVERALL

I really wanted a Bear Osman in my Real Head collection I was really happy with and this one is it. I can finally stop my searching and feel satisfied that I have a really amazing variant of the Bear Ottoman character after a few years of searching (or waiting perhaps) for one I really liked.

The price for this particular character is normally quite high, so if you want one, make sure you are happy with the paint application and are comfortable with the price you paid. Even although I paid a bit for this figure I am really happy with it and it’s one of my prized vinyl figures now.

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This page copyright 2017 Mike’s Toy Blog. All rights reversed.

REVIEW – KONATSU NEGORA

Posted by Mighty Mike on March 4, 2011
Posted in: Collectible. Tagged: , .

Negora is a small Godzilla like feline originating from Japanese company KONATSU and also produced by American company MAX TOY CO.

Name: Negora
Line: N/A
Manufacturer: Konatsu/Max Toy Co.
Released: 2010
Price: 3,150 YEN – MIB
Scale: 4 – 5 inches height
Accessories:  N/A – Max Toy Co version comes with a fish.

In a recent trip to Japan, mostly for family business, I will always make time for toy hunting, Being in Japan how can you not resist the urge? I’ve found a fair number of good places to visit, mainly through toy guides found on the internet or the very helpful Tokyo Underground by Super 7.

It was during one of these outings – to Sibuya  and the Mandrake store there, while browsing through the many soft vinyl figures on display, (mainly looking for Ryusei Ninjas) that I came across this Negora. I’ve only just recently gotten into Japanese soft vinyl figures or Sofubi, so I had a little bit of an idea what there is available from companies like RealxHead etc, there’s some pretty cool stuff out there, if you can find it!

I liked the design and being a cat person I decided to pick this one up (Btw I did end up buying a black Ryusei Ninja for 1,200 YEN too)

SCULPTING

The figure is very nicely sculpted, I would have to say in an anime style, there is some nice detailing on the stomach and around the face as well as other small sections on the figure, It’s in a standing pose with it’s arms outstretched and mouth slightly open.

I quite like this sculpt, its very cute and the two tails and Godzilla like scales or “ruffles” as I call them along the back are very cool! The tails do a great job of keeping Negora upright.

PAINT 

Negora is cast in a white base colour with greys and blacks added to most of the body to mimic fur patterns, according to the back of the box, translated by my always helpful wife, that the patterns are created by the fish that Negora eats.

There is some yellow for the eyes, red mouth, striking blue and red for the scales on the back, as well as pink for the nose, ears and paws. All the paint is expertly applied and there is no slop at all.

ARTICULATION

there is only one joint here and that’s a cut waist which swivels 360 degrees it adds a little play value and doesn’t look  too out of place, I don’t find it too distracting.

ACCESSORIES

Nothing. It would be nice to have a fish for Negora, But this isn’t a Max Toy Co version.  

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS

Not really anything I can think of, unless you somehow scratch the paint, this is one rock solid toy.  

PRICE

3,150 YEN was fine by me, it’s roughly 35-45 AUD and no shipping costs because I bought it back in my suitcase – always a good thing 


OVERALL

I really like Negora, It’s a fun little toy which not only looks cute, but won’t take up too much space either, the hard part can be getting a variation that you like, I missed out on a X-Ray version from Max Toy Co. But still really like this one. If you are like me and getting into soft vinyl figures, at least one Negora should be in your collection!