Mad Science Laboratory

(This post is part of the COVID-19 stay home activity series)

Recently, the “obitsuroid” hybrid which combines a Nendoroid head and Obitsu 11cm body has become quite popular. In response, Good Smile Company has also started producing their own Nendoroid Doll bodies and clothes. A detailed review comparing the 2 types is here: https://myfigurecollection.net/blog/42522.

There have been a few scattered posts online about mixing and matching Nendoroids with other figure brands e.g. Cu-poche.

I have a few figures from different brands, so I thought it would be a good idea to experiment with mixing them up and documenting the results. This might be helpful to people looking for Nendoroid alternatives or who just want to try new combinations.

Introducing my assistants:

1. Shokudaikiri Mitsutada “Shoku” - Nendoroid by Good Smile Company. 2nd hand, should be authentic because of the high quality paint job and precisely-fitted joints. I own a few bootlegs for “high wear and tear” playing / photography, and none of them are as good.
2. Akemi Homura “Homu” - Cu-poche by Kotobukiya. Authentic, bought from licensed importer / retailer.
3. Kogami Akira - Kyun-Chara by Banpresto. 2nd hand, should be authentic because I don’t think there are imitations of this relatively niche series.
4. Obitsu Body 11cm “OB11” - Mini ball joint doll body by Obitsu. 2nd hand (again), should be authentic because of the precisely-fitted joints. On the other hand, some of the hands have obvious flashing, so I’m not 100% certain.

Size and proportions

As you can see from the above photo, the Cu-poche and OB11 are a little bit taller due to longer and jointed arms and legs. All the figures have approximately the same sized heads as shown above and below, only the bodies are different sizes.

Note that Nendoroids and Kyun-Chara figures also come in a “petit / petite / chibi” size, about 6-7cm tall, which is NOT compatible with standard Nendoroid / Kyun-Chara / Cu-poche sizing. As a general rule, the figure should be at least 10cm tall with a 4cm diameter head, giving the usual chibi / super-deformed height of 2 to 3 heads tall.

Approximate body heights (without heads, foot to shoulder):1. Nendoroid 5cm2. Cu-poche 6.5cm3. Kyun-Chara 4.5cm4. OB11 8cm + 1cm neck (it’s not 11cm!)

(04 May 2020 addition) Official measurements, images from Obitsu Shop and GSC website

• 

• 

Face and hair

Nendoroid and Cu-poche figures are not compatible in terms of mixing face plates and hair pieces. The entire head must be swapped.

Neck joint and socket

The sockets are all in the head parts. Nendoroid and Cu-poche sockets are recessed, Kyun-chara socket is not. When using the Kyun-Chara head, some neck joints will be partly visible (see below).

Neck joints for Nendoroid, Cu-poche and Kyun-Chara all have the same diameter pegs (4mm), but the pegs are of different lengths. This may lead to the the head being not very securely attached (peg too short) or part of the neck joint showing (peg too long).

The original OB11 neck joint must be changed to a 3rd party joint, manually carved to fit, or using Blu-Tack or DIY Nendoroid neck socket. I am using a 3rd party joint with 4mm outer peg and 3mm inner peg. You can get 3rd party joints on Taobao or from modelling brands.

Nendoroid head swap on Cu-poche, Kyun-Chara, OB11 bodies

• 

• 

• 

1. The shorter Cu-poche neck joint works fine. I can pick up the figure by the head and the body doesn’t fall off.
2. Kyun-Chara fits very well.
3. The tall OB11 body suits adult male characters like Shoku.

Overall, the Nendoroid head fits very well on all the alternate bodies.

Cu-poche head swap on Nendoroid, Kyun-Chara, OB11 bodies

• 

• 

• 

• 

1. Wow, Homu looks really cool and badass in that Nendoroid black suit. However, the ball part of the neck joint is exposed. To hide it, just tilt the head forward a little and shoot the figure from above.Also, because the Nendoroid body is shorter than the Cu-poche body, the stand at the back is higher up, and gets in the way of Homu’s hair if you want to tilt her head up.
2. Kyun-Chara fits very well. No exposed neck joint.
3. The OB11 body doesn’t really suit characters who are supposed to be young or petite.

Due to the Cu-poche’s shorter neck peg and head socket, it partially exposes the Nendoroid neck joint. But it’s not really a big deal, a small adjustment in the camera angle hides it.

Kyun-Chara head swap on Nendoroid, Cu-poche, OB11 bodies

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

1. On the Nendoroid body, the ball part of the neck joint is exposed. To hide it, just tilt the head forward a little and shoot the figure from above.
2. Same with the Cu-poche body.
3. There’s only a small gap on the OB11 neck, so the exposed neck joint should be easier to hide than the above two.

As shown in the comparison photo above, the Kyun-Chara head socket is not recessed. So it will sit on top of any ball joints and those ball joints will be visible. This doesn’t make it unusable, but you need to be more careful with the pose and camera angle.

Final remarks

• Most compatible head: Nendoroid, due to the deep socket hiding most neck joints.
• Most compatible body: Kyun-Chara, due to the lack of a ball joint. However, this means that the head cannot tilt.

The 4mm diameter head sockets and neck pegs are all interchangeable. Nothing is unable to fit, too loose or too tight. So all the hybrids are safe, there won’t be any problems like the bodies falling off if you pick them up by the head, or being unable to separate the head and body afterwards.

Overall, imperfect fit between head and body and visible neck joints can be disguised with the appropriate camera angle. The chibi figures (Nendoroid, Cu-poche, Kyun-Chara) are designed with no visible necks, but the OB11 body includes a 1cm-long neck which may clash with some petite or child character designs.

Heads with short hair are easier to use. Long-haired heads can sometimes clash with the stand arms on the backs of Nendoroid or Cu-poche figures.

Others I’m hoping to try out, but don’t own any examples:

• Qposket by Banpresto - The neck joint looks similar to Kyun-Chara and the heads seem to be about 4cm diameter. See examples of Qposket/OB11 hybrids here and here)
• Chibi Arts by Bandai - Direct competitor to Nendoroids in the same size and proportions. Quite uncommon.