First4Figures has opened preorders for its Skies of Arcadia Aika statue. Fans have clamored for the collectibles maker to continue its Skies of Arcadia lineup since the 2014 release of Vyse. He was part of the SEGA All-Stars legacy range, which included the likes of Lan Di and Ryo Hazuki from Shenmue, NiGHTS from NiGHTS Into Dreams and Beat from Jet Set Radio.
The prospect of a new Skies of Arcadia statue was slim, however. Aika almost wasn't made even though a 3D model of her potential statue was developed. Fans rallied at every opportunity to keep the statue alive, and their efforts have paid off for now. First4Figures is offering two editions of its Aika statue in its new Skies of Arcadia range. What remains to be seen is if Skies of Arcadia ultimately proves to be too niche or if Aika sells well enough to justify First4Figures making more Skies of Arcadia statues in the future.
#SaveF4FAika
Every Thursday, the official First4Figures Facebook group, the First4Figures Official Collectors Club, posts a Temptation Thursday "TT" poll, which the company uses to gauge interest in characters or series that could be potential statues. In November 2017, Aika was featured in TT 65. This poll was known as "#SaveF4FAika," and it was an attempt to drum up interest in the character. Production had already begun on an Aika statue, but fan interest seemed to be waning. First4Figures found it hard to justify the actual sale of the figure without fan voices to back it up. As a result, Aika nearly entered the First4Figures Vault -- but she wasn't the only character in this predicament.
To prevent these statues and ideas from being cast aside, many of First4Figures's more niche lines earned "#SaveF4F" polls. These included Warp Star Kirby from the Kirby series, Kiryu Kazuma from the Yakuza series and Reala from NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams. Warp Star Kirby was the third statue in First4Figures' Kirby range, but its preorder sales were low enough when it went up for sale in 2018 that the statue was still in danger of being Vaulted. Kiryu Kazuma was approved to go into development, and this statue remains deep in production. Reala was the most similar to Aika, in that fans wanted the statue, but support never seemed high enough. However, Reala eventually became an official product, and preorders launched early 2020.
Fans rallied behind Aika's TT poll and showed the collectibles maker that Aika still had support. The goal for these early TTs, based on the size of the Collector's Club, was a minimum 500 Yes votes to consider a statue for production. That still wasn't enough. At that time, First4Figures posted concepts of statues and allowed fans to vote on which statue concepts they'd like to get made. The number of fans who voted in the TT poll were not reflected in the poll asking which pose fans wanted for the statue. The future of Aika's statue remained uncertain, but not even First4Figures was ready to quit on her.
A Successful Campaign
First4Figures floated the idea of using a Kickstarter campaign to test the commercial viability of its more niche statues, though it ultimately decided not to. As a result, Aika faded back into the background, becoming a statue fans constantly asked about during the weekly "Friday Q&A with Chocks and A" to little response.
However, in June 2020, First4Figures announced that Aika would officially release as a product. Now in September 2021, preorders for the statue are live on the First4Figures website. Both the standard edition and the exclusive edition retail for $424.99. The exclusive version can only be purchased direct from First4Figures and comes with a glow-in-the-dark boomerang.
Those who preorder either edition by Oct. 6, 2021 will receive the Early Bird discount pricing, lowering the statue's cost to $384.99. The company is also hosting a giveaway for those interested in trying their luck to win an exclusive version of the Aika statue. The giveaway ends Sunday, Sept. 26.