Sonichu Amiibo
Amiibo are figurines which, when brought in physical contact with a Nintendo Wii U Gamepad or 3DS system, will add features or functions to a game. On 6 April 2015, Chris unveiled his own custom Sonichu Amiibo for sale on eBay. He offered 10 for sale for $41 each. They sold out within 2 hours. Another batch of ten appeared on eBay on 3 June 2015 and also sold out within a few days. His attempt the following month to sell a medallion with an Amiibo as a bundle deal did not work out so well, however. Undeterred, he introduced a Blake Amiibo in August.
eBay Description
The information and photos uploaded to his eBay page revealed that to create his custom Amiibo, he had bought a Sonic the Hedgehog Amiibo, broke the limbs, repositioned them, glued them back on, and repainted them.
| Straight from the creator and artist, Christian Weston Chandler (myself), a Fresh reposed, coloured, strengthed and certified Sonichu Amiibo Figure. Sonichu is posed doing a Thunderpunching Sky Uppercut attack (his Up + B Special, if Sonichu was a playable character in Super Smash Bros.). It WILL be shipped in a sealed wrap marked "Fragile". My signature will be written on the backs each figure base. A Personal Certificate of Authenticity will be included with the figure. NO LOCAL PICKUP AVAILABLE, at the Personal Risk of myself, the Original Creator and Artist. These Figures have been personally assembled within the past month, and all are ready for quick shipment.
**Disclaimer: the figure you receive may vary in a small detail or two, compared to the above photograph, but they all have been hand-reconfigured, painted and all that personally. **The program chip in each base is a Sonic the Hedgehog Amiibo chip. All of these figures are still Unregistered and Virgin New; if you would like for me to level the figures up to the maximum level in Super Smash Bros. (3DS or WiiU), and include the random in-game items and money with them, please inform me under the "Special Instructions" section when checking out. Or send me a message after purchase. Otherwise, if left uninformed, I will be sending the figure to you Unregistered and Fresh there. I highly recommend going with the Yellow-Shoe alt-colour in-game choice when setting up your figure, to best represent Sonichu in the game(s). Compatible for Game Use, or Unlocks, in the following 3DS and WiiU Games: both Super Smash Bros. games, Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and Mario Party 10. **Also, the Metal Sticker has been removed from the base portion of the package, so the figure can be read while inside its package. Everyone involved, including ALL Bidders, are bound by eBay's Terms and Regulations as stated therein, link below at bottom of this web page. Discretion (As stated in the Comic Page image freshly added to the listing with few updates): ALL Sonichu, Rosechu, Cwcville and such material is Copyrighted March, 2000 by Christian Weston Chandler, with Full Paperwork backed up in Washington DC. Any names, persons or characters and such illustrated in the past Original Comic Book Pages, LittleBiGPlanet 1, 2, PSP and Vita Levels under the PSN ID of "Sonichu", and all direct content from the Creator, Christian Weston Chandler, NOT originating from said Creator that may seem similar to anyone past or present, as well as under other respective ownerships, are purely coincidental or otherwise parodic. Ownership of Original characters of Pikachu, Pok'emon and Sonic the Hedgehog are those of Nintendo and SEGA of America respectively, as well as everything Super Smash Bros, respectively. The piece that is being sold on eBay now is an Original artwork created by the original Creator of Sonicu, Rosechu and the city of Cwcville, Christian Weston Chandler, and is solely being sold as an artwork. |
Chris also noted, "The figures were mint in package, but then physically remolded, repositioned and strengthened, then put into new packaging, as shown in the photos."
The photos:
Please note that these Amiibo figures cost $30 more than the official ones.
Production costs
It's worth noting that to produce each Sonichu Amiibo, Chris had to buy a Sonic Amiibo to repaint. In addition, rather than simply sculpting Sonichu's tail himself, he opted to cut the tails off of existing Pikachu Amiibos to glue them on (what he'll do with the army of tail-less Pikachus remains to be seen). The end result is that each Sonichu Amiibo uses both a Sonic and a Pikachu, doubling the cost of materials to $26 a pop. Between the base Amiibos, CRAYOLA FUCKIN' MODEL MAGIC, acrylic paint, eBay fees, shipping costs, and time and labor invested, it's not unreasonable to assume that Chris is making a miniscule profit, if not outright losing money with each Sonichu sold. This seems consistent with his general financial history.
The newer Blake Amiibos, and presumably any other characters he brings to market, have even higher production costs. This is because Blake uses a Bowser Amiibo chip rather than the sonic or Pikachu chips that he would normally be built into the figure. Christian at least seems to be aware that using three Amiibos to construct one might be a bad idea, but production continued never the less.
Facebook announcements
On the same day, Chris posted an announcement on Facebook with a link to his eBay page. He uploaded a new photograph of himself which implied that Rosechu Amiibo were on the way. He also put up a new, relevant Facebook cover photo.
| Here's something different and good; a Sonichu Figure! And an Amiibo Figure at that! Personally created and Certified and packaged.
**Unfortunately, due to the lowered listing allowance on my eBay, I am unable to list medallions this month. Please Leave Positive Feedback upon receipt after your individual purchases. Ten Figures are immediately available. Thank you, and have a good day. **I forgot to mention, the Metal Sticker has been removed, so the figure can be read while still in its package. And Sonichu is posed doing a Thunderpunching Sky Uppercut attack (his Up + B Special, if Sonichu was a playable character in Super Smash Bros.). |
The following day he clarified:
| My choice of which character goes into the base of my characters are relevant to their individual perspectives and whatnot. some of which are Rare #Amiibo characters at the moment as well. #Sonichu's choice is Sonic, out of respect. Pikachu is not as strong as #Sonic anyway. Tune in next week to hear #Rosechu's choice. |
Simultaneously, Chris tied his new Amiibo with a desire to make Sonichu a downloadable character for the game Super Smash Bros, including a drawing of Sonichu holding his own Amiibo.
Upon announcing his second Amiibo listing in June 2015, he let his fans know that he had suffered for his art:
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Seriously. I work diligently, tough-hard, lovingly, on each Sonichu Figure. To actually be able to Hand Repurpose, with minimal model magic usage, paint and personally, metaphorically, give birth, and certify, Actual Figures of my own personal main Electric-Hedgehog Pokémon character... It is plain incredible and simply awesome to me. And I had a mishap when I started creation of this batch, on the morning of Wednesday, the 20th: I literally cut my left forefinger, near deep and bad, with a slip of my pocket knife. Fortunately, I had my last tetanus shot less than five years ago. I went to the emergency room; I had to get my finger numbed and stitched. They gauzed and splinted the finger; I've had to put up with that for nearly a week, during the healing and reapplication of antibiotic ointment and the band-aids and putting the gauze and splint back on. I just had the stitch removed this past Monday. And now I am feeling crestfallen that over a day has passed from relisting the figures, right after completing them, and no one is buying them. What the hell? |
In July, in response to the tepid response to his Amiibo/medallion bundle sets, Chris made a wide-ranging appeal, focusing not on the Amiibo as a product but on the character of Sonichu himself. He also reminded everyone that just as he had pulled weeds, he was putting a superhuman amount of effort into these figurines:
| I still have six Sonichu Figures and Medallions for sale on the listing.
Listen, everyone, I am aware that I, personally, am appreciated like a person celebrity. That is great and all. BUT, I do feel that Sonichu should get as much respect as y'all give me. Aside from the autism I wish I did not have, I still have poured a lot of the kind of person I was and am into his character (transgender not included either). And I understand and can see how he and his friends, family, and whatnot can be considered "fanfiction". But Sonichu, the First and Prime Sonichu, is MORE than just a yellow colored Sonic; Sonichu is MORE than a tall Pikachu. He is an individual who from a lone mouse, became a Sweetheart, a loyal friend, a lover, a caring type, a family hedgehog, a better than fast speed superhero type, a leader and a teammate who works with his team, and saves the day and helps around at home and in town. He is self-confident with awareness to his strengths, weaknesses and limits, humble, stays to fight when appropriate; a good soul and individual. Sonic the Hedgehog; did he become a family hedgehog with Amy Rose or Sally Acorn? NO. Is Sonic a totally loyal, loving and caring type? Yes and No; he was loyal and caring of his friends, including the ladies and girls, but he is soo the "Love 'em and Leave 'em type, reluctant to heartfelt affections, and he is still afraid of commitment. Not only that, but SEGA is sending him spiraling down the drain with RUSHED Final Products, and offensive changes to him. I would not change, or allow change onto, Sonichu's physical characteristics. And I would want the final games and animations, should I be partnered with someone Official and Legitimate to create them, to Not be Rushed; Quality is Good to me. And Pikachu, the one with Ash; no better than a wild or trained type of animal. Sonichu was wild, but domesticated himself with Rosechu and everyone else. Sonichu has a stronger Defense and Attack than Pikachu; faster too. And Sonichu has more story potential with his life. Pikachu is a lot of going wherever Ash goes, shadowed by him most of the time, and a lot of "attack and win or lose"; so trite. No contest: Sonichu wins the Pokémon battle. Plus, not only can the Amiibo figure be used in Smash Bros and unlock things in other games, but as a figure, you can imagine him going into battle and sending a thunderpunching sky uppercut for the win. I spend Hours locating the figure resources, sorting out the pieces, disassembling portions, Krazy glued some, painted, added and solidified the portions with Model Magic and more K-glue, putting them together, label them, certifying them, package them... ALL Hand Worked to the end; I end up with Krazy glue on my fingers and end up gnawing the dried portions off. I put a LOT of Time, Effort, Heart and Soul into Each Individual Figure. An I am improving the packaging quality to make sure they each do not fall apart in transit. And I need the funds from the sales to help pay the bills here at home and better. My Crafts are Hand-Made Soul Pieces, and hand-made usually have the good charm and quality in each of them, and they are Collectible. Think about it. |
Even this plea couldn't move product, unfortunately, and he was forced to lower the price.
Blake Amiibo
Over the months, Chris made more Amiibo based on his comic characters. At first he doubted that he would be able to bring them to market. As he explained on Facebook:[1]
| The reason I am hesitant on offering figures of the rest of my electric-hedgehog Pokémon, is because of possible, past undetermined, higher costs to make each of them. In particular, Angelica needs not only Pit's figure's chip, but the wings as well. Little Mac is extremely rare, and Ness is rare too. It takes three figures to make up Blake and Magi-Chan figures. |
He also whined about "the return of the blue arm bandits behind these Sonic Booms occupying our minds and stressing me."[2]
Nevertheless, he overcame these obstacles, and in August announced on Facebook that he was offering ten Blake Amiibo for sale. Because of higher production costs, he jacked up the price to $50.
The Facebook announcement photo.
For the Blake Amiibo product description on eBay, he simply made superficial edits to the Sonichu Amiibo description. Half-assing it as usual, he neglected to delete references to Sonichu, and he STILL referred to himself as "Christian," demonstrating how seriously he takes his female identity.
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Straight from the creator and artist, Christian Weston Chandler (myself), a Fresh reposed, coloured, strengthed and certified Blake Sonichu Amiibo Figure. Blake is posed in a fighter-style, right arm flexed, and looking down his left arm at his opponent threateningly. It WILL be shipped in a sealed wrap marked "Fragile". My signature will be written on the backs each figure base. A Personal Certificate of Authenticity will be included with the figure These Figures have been personally assembled within the past month, and all are ready for quick shipment. NO LOCAL PICKUP AVAILABLE, at the Personal Risk of myself, the Original Creator and Artist. **Disclaimer: the figure you receive will vary in a small detail or two, compared to the above photograph, but they all have been hand-reconfigured, painted and all that personally. **The program chip in each base is a Bowser Amiibo chip. All of these figures are still Unregistered and Virgin New; if you would like for me to level the figures up to the maximum level in Super Smash Bros. (3DS or WiiU), and include the random in-game items and money with them, please inform me under the "Special Instructions" section when checking out. Or send me a message after purchase. Otherwise, if left uninformed, I will be sending the figure to you Unregistered and Fresh there. I highly recommend going with the Yellow-Shoe alt-colour in-game choice when setting up your figure, to best represent Sonichu in the game(s). Compatible for Game Use, or Unlocks, in the following 3DS and WiiU Games: both Super Smash Bros. games, Mario Kart 8, Hyrule Warriors, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10, and more titles to come.
Everyone involved, including ALL Bidders, are bound by eBay's Terms and Regulations as stated therein, link below at bottom of this web page. Discretion (As stated in the Comic Page image freshly added to the listing with few updates): ALL Sonichu, Rosechu, Cwcville and such material is Copyrighted March, 2000 by Christian Weston Chandler, with Full Paperwork backed up in Washington DC. Any names, persons or characters and such illustrated in the past Original Comic Book Pages, LittleBiGPlanet 1, 2, PSP and Vita Levels under the PSN ID of "Sonichu", and all direct content from the Creator, Christian Weston Chandler, NOT originating from said Creator that may seem similar to anyone past or present, as well as under other respective ownerships, are purely coincidental or otherwise parodic. Ownership of Original characters of Pikachu, Pok'emon and Sonic the Hedgehog are those of Nintendo and SEGA of America respectively, as well as everything Super Smash Bros, respectively. The piece that is being sold on eBay now is an Original artwork created by the original Creator of Sonicu, Rosechu and the city of Cwcville, Christian Weston Chandler, and is solely being sold as an artwork. |
Three days after the offer, since he had sold exactly zero, Chris threw in an autographed photo and edited the description to read:
| All of these figures have beel leveled up to the maximum level in Super Smash Bros. (3DS or WiiU), and include the max amount of random in-game items and money with them. |
He also deleted the reference to Sonichu at this time.
Received Amiibo
While Chris has not yet received negative feedback on eBay for these items (in part because of the threat that crossing the Great Director Chandler can result in public doxxing), the quality of those received has been less than spectacular. On one of them, the tail and right ear had come off in transit, despite Chris's order to the U.S. Mail, "THIS SIDE UP." The "Certificate of Authenticity" read:
| This Certificate verifies the authenticity of the accompanying Sonichu/Rosechu Amiibo Figure from Christian/Christine Weston Chandler. The Signature on this document attests that she alone, full of heart, soul and efforts in reposing the figure, painting and gluing and all other specific detailings on the figure, and external of the base. |
Another Amiibo arrived essentially broken in half:
The recipient stated, "the head is off, the tail is off, and one of the ears came off where he had just wrapped the modeling clay around sonic's existing ear. no glue or anything." He also noted that Chris had attempted to reseal the package with double-sided tape, which had collected dust and grime.[3]
A contributor on Chris's old stomping grounds, Keep Sonic Original, posted two images of his received Amiibo:
While he said it was "worth every single cent," he noted that both the ears and the tail were broken off.[4]
A user on Reddit posted images of another received Amiibo with a broken tail. It arrived with instructions on how to take care of the "medallion."
An Australian recipient took the time to make an in-depth snarky review highlighting the shit condition of the item:
| Sonichu Amiibo Review | |
| Stardate | 17 April 2015 |
| Made By | VN Reader |
| TRUE and HONEST Sonichu Fan Videos | |
A purchaser of the Amiibo/medallion package set posted an unboxing video:
| SONICHU AMIIBO FIGURE & SONICHU MEDALLION UNBOXING | |
| Stardate | 31 July 2015 |
| TRUE and HONEST Sonichu Fan Videos | |
Fan Videos
| Sonichu Smash 4 Trailer | |
| Stardate | 22 March 2015 |
| Made By | SmackaDerp |
| TRUE and HONEST Sonichu Fan Videos | |
References
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