Books for costume fans

Continuing the theme of books costume fans would dig, we start things off with Figure Maniacs. This is pretty similar to the Replicant series of magazine/books (mooks). The main difference is that FM is a little bit more expensive and likes to show off more figure skin than Replicant.


Capcom Design Works is a must have, even for fans who already own the excellent Capcom Illustrations book. A few pieces do overlap, but there are tons of great, great never seen before art. Beware; there are bootleg versions of Capcom Design Works floating around. How can you tell the difference? The printing quality is not nearly as good, although it may be hard to know unless you’ve seen what it should look like. I bought one straight from a Kinokuniya bookstore to be sure.


I had a good laugh when I first saw the Rumble Roses 3D Photo Album. Yes, it comes with actual 3D glasses! It showed up at my local bookstore a while back and against my better judgment, I caved and purchased it. The book contains a good amount of CG art that has never appeared anywhere. There is a Rumble Roses Best Shots book that has a lot of the same pics, but I don’t own it so no problem there. Should you really buy it? All I know is, it sells out quite frequently. The store is up to their third restock of it.


Weapons sometimes add a thing or two to the look of a costume, so Arms magazine is worth a look. It’s a monthly look at the latest in soft air pistols (sort of like BB guns except they shoot soft plastic balls), as well as a few real guns, and media that feature weapons like movies, anime, and games. One issue had an extensive look at the guns in Metal Gear Solid 3. They’ve added a section about a year ago (maybe longer) where they dress up a model and she poses with various guns.

Rachel, Reiko, and Valkyries?

I had requests for pics so here they are! The two-volume Valkyrie Profile Materials books. With the upcoming PSP port and original PS2 games coming, I imagine there will be other great books released.


The fantastic art is featured heavily in the first volume.


The second book has more story and game information bits, but still plenty of nice visuals. Well worth it if you can find them at a decent price, or at all I guess.


Kotobukiya released three cool looking 1/6 scale Ninja Gaiden figures about a year ago. I was tempted to pick up at least Ayane, but didn’t and wasn’t that enthusiastic about the Ryu or Kureha figures. Now they are finally getting on the ball and releasing the fantastically costumed Rachel figure! She really should have been in the first wave. Needless to say, I’ve already pre-ordered mine (the figure is currently set for a May/June 2006 in store appearance). You can buy the import one earlier, but it’s going to cost you anywhere from $70-90 depending on shipping. The domestic release goes for $40, cheaper if you pre-order at some online shops now.


The updates keep coming on the official Rumble Roses XX site. The latest set of pics show off the better muscle detail, but more importantly the lighting that highlights them. This will be key in making whatever outfits are in the game look extra snazzy.

Chapter 42.6: Tragic Miscommunication and Rumor

My wife and I stayed up late last night – she, later than I – watching developments in West Virginia on the news of the trapped miners. We were amazed and pleased to hear the reports that twelve had been found alive. It truly sounded miraculous. I was most impressed with the woman whose uncle was believed to be the only one who’d perished. She was surprisingly calm and articulate given the situation, not distraught, and she seemed genuine in her happiness for her neighbors whose loved ones were reportedly safe.

As a reporter, I was a bit curious why there were no reports from officials at the scene. Everything seemed to be happy relatives, which makes for emotional television news, but is hardly authoritative. Rather than voice my questions at the television, I decided to go to bed. My wife stayed up, hoping to witness the promised march of all the survivors into that little church. She picked my book up off my chest, waking me somewhere around 2:30, and we went to sleep.

On the train this morning she called me with the awful news: all but one of the miners were dead; the lone survivor was in critical condition. The information that had been relayed from the command center had been tragically incorrect. Rumor had spread like wildfire, igniting every tender hope in that West Virginia community, and spreading through the television to the hearts of viewers. Now, my heart aches for those people whose emotions were so terribly torn asunder after hours – indeed, days – of agony. I can only imagine the pall that has fallen over that area.