Plex
Behind some of Japan's most recognisable heroes stands a studio many fans have never looked up. Plex is a Japanese design and product company with a long record of design work for tokusatsu television, alongside collector figures released under its own name. Two of its projects define the selection here. The Vinyl Archives Project reissues classic soft vinyl figures from the Popy era, while the Scene Selection series turns signature anime moments into sculpted display pieces. Both reward collectors who care about where Japanese character toys came from.
Collector's Guide
Product Lines
The Vinyl Archives Project revives sofubi, the soft vinyl figures that defined Japanese character toys of the Showa era. These are official reissues of pieces originally produced by Popy, the legendary 1970s character toy maker, with modelling, colouring and packaging reproduced in faithful period style. From this project comes the Gorenger Hurricane complete set, which gathers the five heroes of Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, the 1975 programme that founded the Super Sentai tradition. Surviving examples of the original Popy set are famously scarce, which is what makes an official revival so significant. Scene Selection takes a different route: each release freezes a defining moment in figure form, as with Scene Selection 03, which captures Mazinger Z launching its iconic Rocket Punch.
Why Collectors Rate Them
Design literacy is the studio's calling card. Decades spent shaping hero designs translate into reissue work of unusual sensitivity, where proportions, paint applications and box art are treated as historical artefacts rather than approximations. For sofubi collectors, the Vinyl Archives Project offers a route to grail-tier Showa pieces without the yellowing, fragility or fierce scarcity of vintage originals. Scene Selection appeals to a different instinct, celebrating the precise frames that made these stories unforgettable, from super robot finishing moves to full hero line-ups.
Shop Authentic Plex Collectibles at Zero Variant
Everything in this range is an official Plex product, so the nostalgia comes with authenticity attached. Zero Variant offers genuine Japanese releases. For UK collectors of Super Sentai heritage or Go Nagai's super robots, this page presents what Plex offers, from the Goranger team in soft vinyl to Mazinger Z frozen at its most famous instant.
FAQs
What is the Vinyl Archives Project?
An official Plex initiative reissuing classic Popy-era soft vinyl figures, with modelling, colouring and packaging reproduced in period-faithful style.
Who was Popy?
A celebrated Japanese character toy maker of the 1970s whose Showa-era figures are among the most sought-after vintage toys in Japan.
Are these figures vintage originals or reissues?
They are official reissues produced by Plex, not vintage stock, made to honour the originals in sculpt, colour and packaging.
What is the Scene Selection series?
A Plex figure series that captures signature anime moments. Scene Selection 03 depicts Mazinger Z unleashing its Rocket Punch.