瞎逛潮流玩具展 (三) / Exploring Taipei International Toy Show (Part 3)

我注意到有一間攤位前排著長長的人龍，我湊近一瞧，原來是排隊抽戰鬥陀螺，不知為何，戰鬥陀螺近期又重新爆紅了，不但戰鬥陀螺賣到斷貨，有些戰鬥陀螺轉手後，還可以賣到10倍的高價，人潮帶來錢潮，難怪詐騙集團也使用戰鬥陀螺作為詐騙的手法，有人急著完成交易，不料一路落入假賣家、假物流與假客服精心設下的陷阱，結果不到1小時就被騙走13萬元，就連政治人物也利用戰鬥陀螺來炒人氣，去戰鬥陀螺比賽的秀兩手，想吸引年輕人選票，至於戰鬥陀螺和潮流玩具是否有關，就見仁見智了，不過，都可以算是玩具啦，

雖然我對戰鬥陀螺不熟，不過我也知道它從一開始的從動畫、漫畫到之後的實體玩具，已經不只是單純的陀螺，更結合了競技、策略與收藏，成功打造出完整的世界觀，成為超脫玩具的存在，戰鬥陀螺的玩法很簡單，只要利用發射器將陀螺射入戰鬥盤，讓兩顆陀螺彼此碰撞，最後仍持續旋轉的一方就是勝利者，不過由於動畫作品的熱門，當年的許多小朋友在看完動畫後，會迫不及待拿起自己的陀螺，模仿劇中的招式，與朋友來場精彩對決，當他們長大之後，怎麼能不迷戰鬥陀螺呢？而戰鬥陀螺也持續推陳出新，不僅外型更加精緻，材質與結構也不斷改良，提升旋轉速度、碰撞效果與耐用度，其實，之前戰鬥陀螺不難買，我曾在某個展覽中看到戰鬥陀螺在某個攤位販售，根本乏人問津，不知道這次戰鬥陀螺的熱潮能持續多久啊。

小時候，不知道有多少人看過漫畫《聖鬥士星矢》，為燃燒小宇宙，高喊天馬流星拳的星矢而熱血澎湃，而經典的黃道十二宮死鬥更是難忘的回憶，那時後，除了主角群的模型玩具之外，穿著金燦燦的黃金聖衣的聖鬥士模型，就已經是不少人珍藏的逸品，到今天，更細緻的復刻模型玩具或全新周邊商品，持續推陳出新，話說，漫畫中《聖鬥士星矢》的聖衣，作者車田正美畫得很爽，還有分解圖，但是實務上，無法完美組成而且難以穿戴，所以，玩具商萬代（Bandai）主導重新設計聖衣，讓聖衣能合理地穿戴在聖鬥士身上，才完成了聖衣拆解組裝及聖鬥士身材比例不協調等瑕疵，儘管如此，我現在看到《聖鬥士星矢》的黃金聖衣的模型，還是充滿著感動，並且還是會很想收集一套黃衣聖衣聖鬥士的模型，只是現實考量下，每每忍住了買入的衝動。

I noticed one booth with a really long line, so I walked over to see what everyone was waiting for. It turned out they were lining up for a Beyblade lucky draw. I honestly have no idea why Beyblade has suddenly become so popular again. Not only are the tops selling out everywhere, but some rare ones are even being resold for ten times their original price. Wherever there's money to be made, scammers aren't far behind. They've started using the Beyblade craze as bait, setting up fake sellers, fake shipping services, and fake customer support. Some buyers were in such a hurry to complete the deal that they fell right into the trap. One victim reportedly lost NT$130,000 in less than an hour. Even politicians have jumped on the trend, showing off their Beyblade skills at competitions to attract younger voters. As for whether Beyblade counts as an art toy, that's open to debate. But at the end of the day, it's still a toy.

I'm not exactly a Beyblade expert, but I do know how it evolved from a manga and anime series into real-life toys. It's no longer just a spinning top because it combines competition, strategy, and collecting to create an entire universe around the brand. The gameplay is simple. You launch your Beyblade into the stadium with a launcher, let the two tops smash into each other, and the last one still spinning wins. Back when the anime was at its peak, countless kids rushed home after watching an episode, grabbed their own Beyblades, copied the special moves from the show, and battled their friends. Once those kids grew up, it's no surprise they became nostalgic collectors. Beyblade has also continued to evolve over the years. The designs have become more detailed, while the materials and engineering have improved to make them spin faster, hit harder, and last longer. Actually, Beyblades used to be pretty easy to find. I remember seeing a vendor selling them at another exhibition not that long ago, and hardly anyone stopped to look. It really makes me wonder how long this latest wave of Beyblade fever will last.

When I was a kid, I don't know how many people grew up reading Saint Seiya. Watching Seiya burn his Cosmo and shout "Pegasus Meteor Fist!" was enough to get any kid fired up. And the battles through the Twelve Zodiac Temples are still unforgettable. Even back then, besides the main characters' figures, the Gold Saints wearing their dazzling Golden Cloths were already considered prized collectibles. Today, even more detailed reissues and brand-new merchandise continue to hit the market. Interestingly, in the manga, creator Masami Kurumada drew the Cloths with amazing transformation diagrams. They looked incredible on paper, but in reality, they couldn't actually be assembled properly or worn by a figure. Toy maker Bandai redesigned the Cloths from the ground up, making them wearable while fixing the awkward body proportions and assembly issues. Thanks to that redesign, the figures became much more practical and collectible. Even now, every time I see a complete set of Gold Saint figures, I still feel excited. I'd love to own the entire collection someday, but whenever I'm about to buy one, reality kicks in, and I somehow manage to resist.