A dramatic BUMP of this thread is needed if only to bring the glorious news to the table once again... again.

The Soul of Chougokin Big O model was a smashing success and reportedly sold out *
everywhere*. There was a follow up expansion pack for the SoC Big O which featured O-Thunder arms/beams, hip anchor chains, alternate heads (1 re-sized and 1 w/o armor), and a mini Griffon car. That expansion pack is also sold out everywhere except for various Hong Kong "businesses" on eBay.
The SoC Big O sold for around $150 for the main figure which came with stand, working arm pistons (spring loaded/actuated), positionable hands and head, and missile party accessory. The limited edition expansion pack was about the same price. All parts are highly durable, joints have a superior degree of travel/motion compared to previous Big O models and the detail of the cockpit is exquisite.
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On the heels of the Soul of Chougokin release (roughly 2 years after the fact) MAX FACTORY apparently is
finally pretty damn sure ALMOST 100% GOING TO HAPPEN release their Big O figure APRIL OF 2011. The model as shown by R.Smith on PCF back in 2005 and the front page of this very thread, is solid die-cast with embossed iron surface (
as in it has the pitted cast-iron look Big O's plate armor should have) at an impressive 30cm and nearly 2 1/3 lbs. Reportedly being released with hip anchor chains and a mini Griffon car
in the same box, it has shoulder cannons (but no missile party?) and working arm pistons similar to the SoC model. The
price tag for the MAX Factory Big O is a whooping $460 not including shipping! OUCH!
There are two major "flaws" with the MAX Factory model that can be noticed before its official release. As noted before they haven't fixed the disproportionate end caps on the tops of the arm pistons making them look off-model. The second flaw is the sheer height of the finished model. The SoC Big O is the tallest Big O model on my shelf at 20.5 cm in height, which would mean the MAX Factory Big O will tower above every previous incarnation of the Big at nearly a foot in height. So posing this model next to already the only Big Duo model so far is impossible.
The only Big Duo...
so far... and that's gonna change!
That's right! BIG DUO AND BIG FAU are also on the release schedule from MAX Factory as new images have cropped up of production models of Duo/Fau that weren't circulating in 2005/08. Along side this historical release of a truly accurate Big Duo and first-of-its-kind Big Fau, there will be a Figma model of R. Dorothy released as well. Pictures featuring a 2011 release date beside Duo and Fau bring hope that the fandom may finally have a presence in the mecha figure market. Will the difference in size, the never produced mechas (or limited in Duo's case), and "already in box" accessories make customers buy the MAX Factory figures despite being at triple the price of the Soul of Chougokin model? Or will the fandom have to wait for Bandai's SoC line to produce another Big O series mecha figure at a reasonable price?
Related Links:http://www.hlj.com/product/MAX07007http://www.figure.fm/post/en/23518/Max+Factory+BIG+FAU+BIG+DUO+figma+Dorothy.html