Tuckys Anime

Hyper Japan here we come!

2012-02-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

So after quite a bit waiting and hype the time is now Hyper Japan 2012 is now upon us this weekend. Most people out there wont know the work us traders put into going to an event like this but planning started over 6 months ago. It takes a lot of preparation and so we are coming to the end of a long wait and I have to say we're stoked. Our first trip to the capital and with over 40,000+ people expected to attend we are preparing for our busiest trading period yet.

New Banner as displayed with the help of my daughter Alexis

So it's now Wednesday and we have to start with all our fixtures and banners etc. Lucky enough our new grid walls just arrived along with our new banner arrived just today which was nice timing shame the stock order was stuck in customs for 7 days more than it should have so it may be a bit tight on that delivery hopefully we get it in time for Hyper Japan. With everything packed we will be setting off early from the north east tomorrow with the aim to reach London by afternoon and then Friday we will set up and start Hyper Japan XD Keep an eye on our blog and social media for updates and pictures from our travels to the capital. We are prepared for an unforgettable weekend and we look forward to meeting so many interesting and cool people make sure to pop by our stall and say hi.

Already a month into 2012 and soo much going

2012-02-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

Well doesn't time fly already 1 month into the year and everything is coming up fast so what to look forward to.... Well first things off we are adding Nom-Con and Nemacon to our list of conventions where you can find us this year :) And speaking of cons we have to gear up for Hyper Japan 2012 on the 24th!!!! That's right the biggest Japanese culture event in the whole UK and we get to be part of it. We are very excited and us being there is another marker in our journey from two years ago when I started up Tuckys Anime and all we had was a dinky generic website and 4 anime shows goods and now we are trading at the biggest Japanese culture event in the country and come the end of 2012 we hope to be doing a lot more.

We will be returning to Nemacon for 2012

A lot more as we grow we are now expanding adding Fairy Tail as well to our continual growing range you can find that now on our site with the usual key chains to t-shirts and towels. We are looking to bring in Sailor Moon merchandise in early March and we still take requests if these something you want that we don't have. Another order will be due in 2 weeks (we hope) and ready for Hyper Japan.

On top of all of this I'm also busy as a bee working on SunnyCon 2012, the anime and Japanese culture convention making it's first appearance in 2012. For anyone who wants to run/ know what it's like to run a convention let me say it's hard work but very worth it. Tickets are still on sale and you will need to be quick to not miss out on seeing the likes of Chris Sabat, Veronica Taylor or MasakoX etc. You will find Anime Picks are running a contest to win tickets (http://animepicks.co.uk/category/games/) Just tell them what your fave article from the games section is and you can win 2 tickets!
Along the lines of competitions we are doing a little competition with Neo Magazine where you can win £50 to spend on our goodies check it out here (https://www.facebook.com/neomagazineuk/posts/319886238047698) and keep an eye out soon because we will be announcing yet another competition for more goodies!!!

Thanks for reading as always and keep them peeled for our pre Hyper Japan hype blog and make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all of our goings on and updates :)

What I have been up to lately

2012-01-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

NOW AT TUCKYS ANIME

Quite a lot in short :) To start off the life of a self employed business owner isn't as easy as some people think. Yeah you have the freedom of working whenever you want but for me I'm not happy just ticking over. So the boring stuff I filled in my tax return online, despite the saying 'tax doesn't have to be taxing' it really does lol SO.... fun stuff another order has been put in the first of the year and finally we have managed to get the Fullmetal Alchemist pocket watch back in stock. There has been lots of requests from you guys and they will be back in stock we hope by the end of next week (customs pending....) Other order related news and FAIRY TAIL is coming. That's right for ages now I have been waiting for Fairy Tail merch to be released for the western market and now they are trickling them out and we are stocking up for you guys. Keep an eye out for the usual key chains, phone charms, patches, t-shirts etc. Other notable new stock features the P.O.P Brotherly Bonds figures (see pic below) Featuring the set of Luffy and Ace and Sabo figure. These figures we're released for the US market only so will be quite rare and hard to get a hold of in the UK and our stock is limited so make sure to get yours before they go our prices Ace and Luffy will be £49.99 and Sabo will be £29.99. Remember if you want something we don't stock make a request and we will try our best to get a hold of it for you.

Along with the usual Tuckys Anime business a few of you may/may not of heard I'm also running a convention in Sunderland. Sunnycon (www.sunnycon.co.uk) and now time is drawing near as I have till the end of March and there's still lots of hard work to be done. We have to do health and safety and risk assessments along with promotions and all that jazz. But never the less this is shaping up to be a damn good convention with headline guests Veronica Taylor and Chris Sabat making their first trips to England and we are proud to have them come to SunnyCon. Contrary to belief we still have tickets left and have not sold out, as much as we'd love to of, but tickets are still available so make sure you don't miss out there. And to everyone who has already bought a ticket thank you and I look forward to seeing you all there 2012 is shaping up to be one hell of a year!

Competitions and Conventions

2012-01-10T04:48:00.000-08:00

First off I would like to announce for all those people who don't already know we are currently running a competition 'Tuckys Anime X Hyper Japan 2012' where you have the chance to win 2 tickets for you and a friend/random person you may or may not know, to experience the UK's biggest Japan culture celebration in London Earls Court. The event promises to be awesome with over 40,000+ people expected to attend to experience the food, culture and cosplay with the UK legs of the World Cosplay Summit and the European Cosplay Gathering. It promises to be unmissable and all you need to enter is follow us on Twitter or Google + and Like us on Facebook here's our links and you have till February 4th to enter.

Twitter - @tuckysanime
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tuckys-Anime/179732122085581
Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/117160360906377858864/posts

So along with appearing at Hyper we have drawn up a timetable of where we will be and when this year. There will be a lot of events all over the UK some big some small but it is fantastic to see the anime community growing so much especially in such tough times and 2012 is a golden year for new conventions and events and we would like to see you at all of them if you can ;) And so here is our first draft timetable of where we will be in 2012;

Hyper Japan, February 24th-26th, London Earls Court
Anime Recon, March 9th, Gateshead Library
SunnyCon, March 24th-25th, Sunderland Crowtree Leisure Center
S-Con, April 1st, Scunthorpe Central Library
Camcon, May 12th, Cambridge The Junction
LuckyCon, June 30th , Lincoln The Priory
Anime Attacks, July 13th-14th, Gateshead Central Library

J-Con, September 14th -15th , Derby Riverside Court Conference Centre.

Of course this is just what is confirmed so far we are still trying for other events in 2012.

Of course as well as attending events we are playing a huge part of running one. SunnyCon in Sunderland will be happening at the end of March and while we will have a stall there we will also be running around making sure everything goes smoothly. I hope you can make it and come to see anime voice acting legends Chris Sabat and Veronica Taylor which is shaping it up to be a fantastic event. Tickets are still in stock and for only £20 for a weekend you can't afford to miss out check out www.sunnycon.co.uk for more information.

Happy 2012 everyone

2012-01-01T10:17:00.000-08:00

Hi there one and all,

It has been a while since we posted up here and I doubt many folk come to our blog much but this is more than a reference and guide for spotting fake and unlicensed goods but this blog will take a more diaryesk feel to it through the upcoming 2012.

So first up I would like to personally thank everyone who has bought from us in 2011 and before without you guys we wouldn't be who we are or where we are. At times it may seem that companies forget just how important customers are to a shop and lose touch lucky we know what you like and in 2012 you will see us improving even more and hopefully build on our 3rd place in the best retailer Neo Award placing. Looking back on 2011 we have so many fond memories among the best we have are our convention and event appearances like our second year at Nemacon, Doki Doki in Manchester and Anime Attacks in Gateshead. We have also expanded our ranges again bringing in Strike Witches and Gurren Lagann thanks to you requests. We have also worked on organizing SunnyCon and as mentioned before our amazing 3rd place in the Neo Mag Awards for best retailer.

Looking forward to 2012 what can you expect from us. Well more of the usual low priced official anime merchandise and we still remain the lowest prices in the UK for official licensed anime goods with the majority of our plushies now under £10 that's saving you almost £5 on the prices our competitors give. Also we have reduced our t-shirt prices from an already low £14.99 to 13.99 and that's any size or shape. Also what to expect from us in 2012 is new shows to be added to our ever expanding selection. Fairy Tail and Sailor Moon are just two of the new shows we have lined up to stock in the beginning of the year and we anticipate a few more after that as well.

We have felt that we don't get out enough and in 2012 we shall be traveling far and wide with dates and events to be released very soon but I can say we will be starting off at Hyper Japan at the end of February in London Earls Court. Not forgetting we will be holding Sunderlands' first ever Japanese culture and anime convention with big name voice artists Chris Sabat and Veronica Taylor in attendance for the two day event at the end of March also more details to come on that.

So lots to come in 2012 keep them peeled here as we will have details and latest news through the year lets make it an awesome one!

Products Review #3 - Plushies

2011-07-14T11:31:00.000-07:00

This is a review of anime Plush's.

Ideal for; Cuddling, squishing, stroking, showing off to friends, looking adorable and being down right cute.
Pros - As stated adorable and they are very cuddly. Any fan boy/girl wouldn't be much without their favorite plush/es. Almost every anime series has a good range of plush dolls so it's very unlikely that you wont be able to find one from your favorite show.

Cons - If you manage to get them dirty its very troublesome to clean as for any cuddly toy. They can be bulky and usually it takes commitment to carry one around a con/expo but hardcore plush lovers can do it no problem.

*********************************FAKE ALERT*************************************

Above is a montage of pictures of Fake vs Real of Plush's on the marketplace today.

Things to look out for are;

The style of picture that advertises the plush. Always be wary of pictures that have the dimensions on, always look out for the green glow size measurement as well the majority of fake plushies have these on where most official plush are taken with a plain white background.
If you are looking in person note the tag the majority of official plushe' sold have official tags look out for names like the GE Animation logo or Sun Arrow for Studio Ghibli plush.
Quality, always go for real plush they are usually smaller than fakes but size doesn't matter you can clearly see by looking at colouring and how its stitched.
Stuffing, how a plush is padded helps separate the good for the fakes. Official plushies are packed pretty tight and they feel like a brand new plush but fakes which are stuffed with low quality stuffing, and potential medical waste cotton, can be outed by the feel of loose and empty pockets here and there on the doll.
One thing that we noticed was at conventions fake dealers are told to box them up again but some dealers leave the plushies out on the floor just behind their table for people to notice and ask please if they aren't on the table they are fake.

Plushies are one of the biggest selling anime merch items and fakers are making most from fobbing off tacky plush DON'T BE FOOLED!! These fakes maybe the biggest sellers but they can be hazardous and have not been passed as safe. Make sure you buy official and you know what our plush is made out of you don't want cotton wool stuffing covered in blood inside your precious plush with fakes there this chance and much more. Our advice is use common sense if it looks fake don't buy make sure to take your time and steer clear of e-bay and always look at the tags for official marks, thank you for reading.

Product Review #2 - Leather Wristband

2011-07-14T07:33:00.000-07:00

This is a review on character themed leather wristbands.

Ideal for - Accessorising, improving your cool rating and some wristbands can complement cosplay outfits.
Pros - There are a variety of wristbands on the market place from popular anime like Bleach to Vampire Knight so there's a big chance you can find one from your favorite series. The right wristband can be fantastic for fans they are unique and cheap and can add to some cosplays.

Cons - Can get sweaty if worn for too long and you get that damp leather smell but with proper care they can last forever.

*********************************FAKE ALERT*************************************

Above is a montage of fake wristbands in the marketplace at the moment. Things to look out for are;

The most common trait of a fake is the dual layer effect, with another piece of leather on the centre and a tacky metal motif on that.
A imprint in the leather, most official leather wristbands aren't imprinted and the design is printed onto them professionally.
With the majority of fakes they have 1 press stud fastening with 2 sizes, There is official wristbands out there with 1 press stud but the majority of official wristbands come with 3 different size positions and a 2 press stud for extra fastening stability.
Metal motifs/designs, be wary where as there are official wristbands with metal motifs out there the majority are fake. The metal is light and loosely fitted to the wristband some are just glued on where as the official ones are stitched into the wristband and wont budge at all.

As always be careful making you selection when it comes to buying official merch. Fakes damage the industry and without your patronage big anime can't make more awesome shows and ranges of goods to go with the show. There are dealers out there who stock fakes so always be vigilant of what your buying because in the end it will be you who loses out and you should have good memories of anime not how you bought a cheap wristband from e-bay that fell apart after 2 hours of wear. We know you will make the right choice.

Product Review #1 - Naruto Coin Purse

2011-05-23T01:33:00.000-07:00

The very first product review from us and I hope you enjoy it. Here we will give a description of the item and any fakes to be careful of!

So here we go our first product is the ever popular Naruto frog coin purse.

Ideal for - Cosplay, Conventions and Naruto fans
Pros - A must for any Naruto fan. The official coin purse is fantastic quality and has a traditional clasp which will keep firmly closed so no embarrassing need for muti shadow clone juitsu to pick up ever penny when you get an attack of clumsy!
Cons - Not many just size issues. Yes it is stated as a coin purse and not really suitable for notes and what not which are needed for a convention/expo but ideal for bus fare and change.

***********************FAKE ALERT***********************

Above is a pic of the fake coin purse currently in circulation. Things to look for;

Poor qualty materials.
The label on the front looks like it was stictched on by a kid in textiles.
The quality of clasp take note of the official one actually is centre where the fakes is off centre.
The eyes, the official uses plastic blobbly eyes where this has two bits of felt stuck on.
The official purse is manufactured by Great Eastern Animation
Prices range from £1 each to £4.49 and can be found all over e-bay.

Always be cautious this guide is eductional and we strongly advise you stick to OFFICIAL GOODS sold by reputable uk dealers but we advise you look very carefully before buying even from those who seem reputable and we can stop these fakes from ruining anime for everyone.

Welcome to Tuckys Anime Blog

2011-05-23T00:14:00.000-07:00

Hi there we are an online only based store specialising in the sale of anime goods. Over the last year we have grew our range and we intend on growing even more in 2011. This blog was set up to give everyone an insight into what we do and what puts us above the rest. We are a 100% official store meaning everything we sell is real, licenced and helping the anime industry grow, we are set against cheap fake goods which damage the industry and potentially can harm the buyer. Cheap fake goods mostly imported from China are ruining the industry and one reason we alway hear is they are cheaper and no one can tell the difference over a few posts we will review goods and in our evaluations we will give examples to educate on what to look out for. Thank you for your time and we hope you like our store as we continue to grow.