While vacationing in Las Vegas, I was determined to go toy hunting in as many stores as possible within my allotted time. My hopes were to find some rare Kaiju or Transformers figures for reasonable prices, and although I wasn't able to find that precious gem, the trips to these three different stores were still fun nonetheless.
This is my toy trip round up!
Located in the Galleria at Sunset on W Sunset Rd, this store has a pretty good variety of Transformers toys. There were figures distributed by Hasbro and Takara from various years. Unfortunately, there weren't any Masterpiece figures on sale, just some Deluxe, Legendary, and Voyager class sizes. However, that doesn't mean that the store isn't interested in selling Masterpiece toys altogether. Also, don't count on them to stock on the latest Transformers releases, since their inventory seems to come from other collectors. However, what makes them worth a visit is what they stock on their shelves, which are always spontaneous and unpredictable. I have seen some great items there like WFC Optimus Prime from Hasbro and Takara, Transformers Classics Starscream, and even a TF Animated Snarl from Takara. Their prices on these toys seems, for the most part, fair. The toys I observed were selling for around the same total price you would pay online.
Besides Transformers, Collector's Playground also supplies toys based on DC Comics, Marvel, and some nostalgic toys in between.
If you're close by, check this store out! I guarantee you will be taking a trip onto memory lane, if not buying something.
Tokyo Discount
Tokyo Discount is a really cool Japanese store located on S Maryland Pkwy near E Silverado Ranch Blvd. The front half of the store has all sorts of Anime, J-Pop, K-Pop, and a tiny Kaiju (Godzilla) goodies. There were S.H. MonsterArts figures, Bandai USA figures, S.H. Figuarts DBZ figures, Gundam models, Candy toys seen in Japanese grocery markets, and much more! For those who are curious, the second half has snacks and household appliances.
Some of the figures did seem pricey and, depending what you're looking at, is significantly higher than what you would pay online. However, not all of the toys seemed expensive, particularly the candy toys and some Gundam models.
I bought this neat 1/144 scale model for $15.
This store seems to be the only Anime/Kaiju/Mecha oriented store to fit your needs, unless there was another store that yelp didn't have listed. Tokyo Discount is worth the trip and even if you don't end up with a toy, those minutes spent splurging through the store certainly won't feel like a waste.
Kid Robot
Kid Robot is located on the 2nd floor of the Cosmopolitan hotel and casino. There are two things to keep in mind. One, the really small size of the store. You will likely reach the end of the store from the entrance in about eight to ten paces. Finally, they lack Transformers or Kaiju toys. However, what Kid Robot does offer is a bunch of artsy vinyl figures or miniature Kid Robot TV show/game figure crossovers. These figures are based on a concept by certain artists, or characters from a video game or a TV show, and has a cool style of mixing anime type designs and paint applications in SD proportions.
Case in point is the Street Fighter Mini Series crossover figures. You buy a blind boxed toy for $10, but you have no idea which character you will have until you open them.
For those interested, I will make a quick review of the Street Fighter Figure I have in another article.
Other popular TV shows that Kid Robot collaborated with are Futurama, South Park, The Simpsons, and Family Guy to name a few.
If you love the style of these figures and happen to be in Las Vegas, check out Kid Robot.
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