Hello, 2008!

Thanks for visiting Fanmode. We began the site a mere three months ago but we’re happy about the way things have turned out so far. That’s not to say there’s no room for improvement. There is.

We’d like to improve the quality of our links this year. Towards that end, we’ll be updating on weekdays only and we’ll be a little pickier about the links we post. Hopefully, less is more.

We’d also like to hear from you. We’d like to know your favourite links and sites. If it’s toy-related and creative, we want to know about it. If it’s something obscure, all the better.

You can contact us via e-mail or simply leave a comment.

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Busou Shinki Diorama Studio
A screencap from Konami’s Busou Shinki Diorama Studio software featuring the CG models of Knight Xiphos and Fort Bragg.

One of the neatest things about the Busou Shinki line is the way it brings together action figures and PC software. There is, of course, Battle Rondo, which is a straightforward online PvP game, but Diorama Studio is the more intriguing of the two Busou Shinki programs. Diorama Studio essentially puts an action figure on your PC and it’s mindboggling how the concept could be expanded further. The only drawbacks of the program are the language barrier and the steep learning curve but the concept is full of potential.

Can you imagine an MMO that ties-in with an action figure line? Buy a figure or an accessory pack and you get access to a new character, weapons or armour in the online game. The figure, of course, would serve as an offline representation of your character and with interchangeable parts, you could mix and match to create a customised avatar in the game.

Ah, the possibilities …