Howdy! Im Blowfish a german afficiando of figures,manga,anime and anything else that is hailing from the land of the rising sun.
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Di:Stage Review
Ive been pretty sceptical when Max Factory announced the Di:stage system since Ive had my fair doubts about it considering its usefulness and price.I nevertheless ordered 6 pieces of them when they were released and finally got around doing an review of them.Check it out after the Jump!
Di:stage is basically an action stage thats concepted for use with figmas,but it basically works with any small scale action figure.The basic set consist of one poseable arm for figures, 3 arms for speech bubbles/sound effects + addons,4 plastic pins,a vertical base connector,a horizontal base connector, four frame pieces and of course the stage itself.Theres also an di:stage extension set avaiable for further enhancement wich I didnt purchase.Both come at a price point of about 550 Yen which seems like a cheap price but youll have to keep in mind that youll need several sets to really use the advantages of the di:stage line.Like Ive mentioned before Ive ordered 6 di: stage basic sets and even those are far from enough to make any sophisticated stages.Lets say you want to make a very simple,straightforward stage where 2 figures are simply fighting each other…Youll need to buy 2 stages simply because you need 2 arms to pose your figures with…
I didnt find that idea too great and tried out the arm that figma figures come with and SHAZAM! they do work with di:stage but offer a smaller range of movement than their big brother.Id prefer to use one of those anytime over buying a second stage simply for another arm though.One thing I noticed while playing around with the di:stages is that a more than one figure per stage ratio isnt really looking good since it looks far too crowded.This means youll probably end up buying 2 stages even though you have an extra arm from your figma…
You probably already guessed where Im heading here but Max Factories di:stage system is quite an expensive product in the long run since youll have to buy several pieces of it to get any satisfying results.
Ill give another example to show how many di:stages you actually need for a very simple setup.Max Factory is offering some templates for use with their di:stage for download on the figma homepage.I thought that the release of the system would soon spawn many fan templates but sadly there havent been any noteable releases yet.I wish that the figma homepage would atleast offer some blank templates to make your own custom templates but nada.Lets say youll use the classic japanese home template for your di:stage.Youll need 2 stages for the floor and 2 for the walls.Thats already a whopping 2200 for a diorama that 2 figures can use.Lets assume youre doing a classroom diorama and its already adding up to 8 stages…
Theres the option to use thicker paper so that the walls stand up by themselves but I couldnt get this to work.The paper youre using for the templates has to be rather thin or otherwise it wont fit into the designated slits of the di stage frames.Another annoying thing I noticed about the templates is that Max Factory made them a tad too small and the dotted line that idicates where to fold the paper is actually visible on the floor.It could be that they fixed this issue with their 2 newer releases but the older templates have this flaw.
I know that this review has been rather negative so far but the distage has its merits aswell.The stage allows some kickass poses with your action figures that would be rather hard to pull of without it.The poseable arm has a adjustable claw thatll snuck nicely around the usual suspects like petit nendoroids,figmas,Revoltechs,Fräulein Revoltechs and probably Yamatos Figutto line.
In the end I can only say that I am still skeptical when it comes to the Di:Stage System.It simply isnt offering value for money in my opinion since youll need quite a few sets of it and those 550 yen do add up quite fast.Im pretty sure that therell be further addons to the di:stage line but right now I wont spend more cash on this.Right now Max Factory is offering some sort of cabinet set that well keep your action figures behind plastic besides the basic and extension set .I prefer my figures readily avaible to play around with but im sure some might find this interesting.
One of the frame pieces that keeps floor templates in place
Hakufu is testing out the stage
Speech Bubble Holder in Action
The Register Diorama in Actio
I wonder why it came without a wall
The Floor Template is too small to fits the stage >.<
Horizontal and Vertical Connector in Action
And combined
2 Stages connected
The Home Template pinned to the wall
Size Comparism
Some Queens Blade Action
Like I wrote those Stages look crowded pretty fast
Saber should start dieting…The di:stage arm was barely able to hold her up due to her weight ^^;;
Whats your opinion about di:stage? A gimmick or a good addition to your collection?
Do you know of any sites offering templates?I definately need some templates fitting for Fate/Stay Night / Queens Blade fight 
Pussyfoot Lovers
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Q (84)
Optic (75)
Persocom (72)
phossil (66)
hikky (60)
Di Stage are really amazing and funny ^^ It’s possible with them, to have funny trip ^^ But I don’t like figma thus I prefer Play Set Nendoroid ^^ Thank for this reviews ^^
Leonia´s last blog ..Maryan Magical Girl – Kotobukiya
Posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 15:18
Mhh, looks a bit too much like a gimmick indeed.
Smithy´s last blog ..Kämpfer sketches by Gofu
Posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 18:16
Thanks for the review!
As you said, need a lot of them to make it less crowded and plausible for more complex scene… MF’s got a way to milk us :-p
IMO, di:stage is a nice addition, it makes setting up figmas easier, but it’s expensive if you consider in the long run.
enrius´s last blog ..Testing
Posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 18:21
The sytem is cleaver bue it didn’t convinced me. I don’t like those plastic parts that take to much place.
But i admet that’s allow to do pleasant diorama.
Like here, i see you had fun with your QB figmas… War is on!
lylibellule´s last blog ..Kei Toume Skit Scooter (or Toume keiji no skit) 1/9PVC [Beagle]
Posted on November 23rd, 2009 at 20:41
@FlyingBlow-man: My opinion? You fell for it, dude, lol. But then again, if u can afford it, why not? P.S. Wow, what are the chances that I stop by one of your posts, and see my own possibly random banner? Improbably slim indeed! ^_^
xJAYMANx´s last blog ..Blog 218 > Endless Jumong, Autumn & Me
Posted on November 24th, 2009 at 06:59
hehe, since I dont have too many figmas I think Im not interested in di:stage accesories but as a way to have more figures in the same base I like it.
phossil´s last blog ..Supporting some IT services
Posted on November 24th, 2009 at 16:28
Looks nice.
But the di:stage is not something for me. Even if I have only have until now only one figma.
GREW´s last blog ..A gift for Saber Lily [Nendo Story #1]
Posted on November 24th, 2009 at 21:41
first, i thought, that the di:stage is not something for me. but now, when i see the pictures, it would be usefull for my pantsu channel^^
Posted on November 24th, 2009 at 23:14
That’s really cool. I did not even know those things exist.
Yi´s last blog ..Gokujou Drops Volume 3 Preview
Posted on November 25th, 2009 at 08:45
Quote: “Saber should start dieting…The di:stage arm was barely able to hold her up due to her weight ” ,,,I get the feeling that you’d prefer that she emulate the QB girls instead… don’t shed weight, shed that heavy armourXP
aprilius20´s last blog ..Natsu no Arashi: Quantum Physics for Amateurs
Posted on November 25th, 2009 at 13:56
Did you print out the template out in 100% size and not auto fit?
Posted on November 26th, 2009 at 01:58
I heard that the paper cutouts are not so easy to make, is that true?
Di:Stage reminds me of the action bases for Gundam models, although this one seems to focus more on dioramas and display. I suppose you do need quite a number of them should you want to make a good diorama display, or else you may not find it worth the money as you need to buy more. Well you do have extra arms to go with non-figma figures, so I suppose there’s the good thing about it.
It’s a neat thing, but I’m not planning to get one as I don’t need displays like that. Maybe you’ll find some ways to expand more fun with just 2 of them eventually?
Q´s last blog ..Figutto Tamaki Kousaka preview
Posted on November 26th, 2009 at 06:19
@Leonia
I already eyed those Nendoroid playsets but since I only own 2 Nendoroids I never ordered them.I do own more Figmas and Revoltechs ^^
@Smithy
I do hope to figure something nice out with this.Lets hope ill find some creativity inside my rotten brain
@enrius
Yup,thats exactly my opinion.I wont see me buying more of them in the future unless theyre having one monster of an idea
@Lylibellule
Yeah,in the end its alot of plastic parts that take quite alot of space.I actually bought them to do a proper QB Diorama but in the end I couldnt get a good looking combo.
Maybe I should take some diorama classes with you XD
@Jay
Yup,I definately fell for it.Like I said I wont be buying any more of these.Theres other nice things I can spend my cash on that make more sense.Haha,maybe you should try playing Lotto?Maybe youll score there aswell ^^
@Phossil
Better buy more Figmas from the money you would have spend on di:stage
@GREW
A di:stage for one lonely figma would be a bit weird ^^
@Jimm die olle Pantsu
Well,buying two di:stages for something like the pantsu channel wont hurt but everything else is a waste of money
@Yi
Haha,its better that way.The less you know,the less you spend on stuff
@Aprilius20
Hmmmm….Eureka! Youre a genius!
Saber likes eating way too much so instead of dieting lets strip her naked!
@Harlaown
Ive printed these templates on my mothers computer since I down have a printer at my own place.Since its regularly setting things on Autofit I usually watch out to set things on 100%.I do know that there are some irregularities in the sizes that makes this possible.I guess Ill have to try some other template aswell.
Thanks for the hint.Maybe I just forgot to check 100% back then
@Q
I did use my trusty hobby knive to cut out the templates and thats as easy as cake.The same goes for big pieces like the counter.It gets more tricky with the small stuff like the cash register and the figma/di:stage boxes.Those need some steady hands and alot of patience.You have to apply glue on all the parts and then bring them together as fast as possible.I used Pritt Stift since its a Paper Glue that doesnt dry that fast and allows some correction.Building that Counter took me quite some time ^^;;,
Di:stage is like a godsent gift for older Revoltechs since those came with a pretty crappy base but for the rest of the figures out there…Maybe ill find some great use for them when im having my creative 5 minutes or more templates are released but for now theyre more of a gimmick
Posted on November 26th, 2009 at 08:00
I’d say they look pretty useful, and they’re cheap enough to make them worthwhile. Sure there aren’t a lot of templates yet, but with a little creativity I’m sure they could be made. Then again it’s easier said than done. I’ll have to pick up a couple of these of these when I have some extra money so I can experiment a little.
Posted on November 26th, 2009 at 09:33
As a figma lover, I am pretty satisfied with those di:stage layers. I have a bunch of black ones, plus some pieces from the extension set to combined them in different ways.
When available again, I will get the second extension set of clear case units. I think it can be nice to display one’s figma army for good ^^ Maybe I’ll grab some clear basic layers too… it could be nice to mix black and white.
I love all those figma stuff…
Posted on November 26th, 2009 at 10:54
I’m happy to see others figma stuffs fan !!!
I also conducted a review of Di:stage on my blog. I was very happy and satisfied with this item. Thanks to Di:stage positions are infinite feasible. Photographs will be more dynamic. I am also using the Di:stage for “myth cloth” or “Super Action statue Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” and Revoltech.
mikiwank´s last blog ..[Fig] Myth cloth Fenrir Alioth Epsilon god warrior
Posted on November 26th, 2009 at 14:35
“Maybe I should take some diorama classes with you XD”
Would be a real pleasure, i’m available if you need advices. Tier is doing well on this domain.
lylibellule´s last blog ..Queen’s Blade et Queen’s Gate… my perverted side!
Posted on November 26th, 2009 at 19:46
Di;Stage is really fun to play with, figma and nendoroid become so much fun with them. XD
Chappy´s last blog ..Doki Doki
Posted on November 27th, 2009 at 10:27
Never got myself those Di:Stage things yet. I had the chance to play with them at Wonfes as they were allowing people to play with them and a couple of figmas.
It’s useful when you have more than 1 figma and making somewhat of a comic or story with them…
It’s cool and all but cost a lot here in Canada…
Rin´s last blog ..New Cell and Updates…
Posted on November 27th, 2009 at 11:20
I think it’s just a gimmick for figma fanboys to spend their money on when they run out of figmas to buy. Also, their gimmicks doesn’t end there! They have bikes, mopeds, roller blades, etc. I think they’re really pushing it, and only die-hard fans of the figma line would go as far as buying all these accessories. In any case, if they don’t sell as well as anticipated, they’ll just have Danny advertise for them in the lines of “these are great!” and dc community will start buying.
Looks like GSC is going the same direction with those crummy pull back action cars for Nendos. 1,200 yen? seriously?
Anyways, have you tried adjusting the print settings to resize the template? There’s usually a 4% shrinkage when you send it to print…so that could be the problem. And it shouldn’t be too hard to design a template for the set if you use illustrator.
Tommy´s last blog ..MegaHouse Brilliant Stage Taiga Aisaka
Posted on November 28th, 2009 at 06:10
@Persocom
Id say that theyre pretty useful when doing figma stories or you have some of the older Revoltechs which are a bitch to pose.Id love to make some templates myself but I honestly lacl the skills and creativity for those ^^;;
Id love to see the results of your experiments
@lu-k
Id actually like to see one of your setips when youre that happy with them.Maybe its my lack of creativity but I cant get any nice results yet.Id be grateful for some inspiration from your side ^^
@mikiwanl
I mainly got the di:stage for non-figma action figures aswell.Those older revoltech stands were horrible and its njice to have a better option now.I cant get really warm with the di:stage though
@lyli
Haha where do i check in?
Yup,Tier is doing quite good there aswell but ypoure still a notch better
@chappy
Its not limted to those though ^^
@Rin
Yeah you basically have put together my thoughts on them.Theyre quite expensive for what they are and youll need quite a few of those.Im still envious of you for your handson at wonfes though
@Tommy
Im glad that there are still some people that use their brain.Its true that they are pushing it alot lately and those pull back cars you mentioned…I cant see any sane person considering to buy them.I mean not only the idea behind it but even the designs are half-assed attempts to squeeze some money out of our wallets.
Ill have a look at that,maybe its really my fault after all.Im really,really bad with all the tech stuff I highly doubt ill be able to design smething nice with that illustrator program
Blowfish´s last blog ..The 100 € Paperweight : Choun Shiryu
Posted on December 4th, 2009 at 19:47
@Blowfish You’ll be surprised how many people will buy those Nendo cars.
Tommy´s last blog ..MegaHouse Brilliant Stage Taiga Aisaka
Posted on December 5th, 2009 at 08:05
Saw a few at AFA09 but I was really skeptical about them. Basically I was waiting for a review to fill in the gaps about them and ur’s did the trick. Based on ur opinion and the templates MF has provided, I will need at least 4 basic sets to make it work. It’s true it’s cheap but the price just get’s higher when u add more.
Hmmm… looking at my figma collection, I will need at least 20 to make a figma war.
Optic´s last blog ..An Unexpected Encounter with Danny Choo
Posted on December 12th, 2009 at 07:00
@tommy
Yeah,its sad but true…
@optic
I already told you on MSN but here we go anyway…
The newer templates printed with a bit stronger paper work fine and youll only need 2 bases for one diorama.Im looking forward to your holy figma war ^^
Posted on December 25th, 2009 at 16:28
I like your honesty, I ended up skipping buying these myself. I have quite a few figmas…and how would I decide who gets to be on the distage? And like you said it seems not much more then 1-2 can fit on a single piece. So in the end for me it was better to skip it.
Also MAN!!! I WANT MAKINA! It’s so lame I couldn’t get her. /bummed
lovelyduckie´s last blog ..1/6 Asuka and Rei Figures (Kotobukiya)
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 17:11
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