New must-have toy: Manoi PF01

Remote-control toy maker Kyosho has finally started advance shipping of Manoi PF01, the latest in its athlete humanoid robot series that began with the AT01 model.

Its very stylish exterior, a big nod to doe-eyed characters from anime, was designed by robot boy wonder Tomotaka Takahashi of Robo-Garage. PF01 also boasts 17 degrees of freedom, though it appears a little less rugged than the award-winning AT01. Kyosho has a video of PF01 doing victory poses here.

Kyosho is offering 150 units until regular sales begin in June, price tag: $1,600 (189,000 yen). Today I saw a few boxes at RT in Akihabara, one of eight retailers nationwide, but Lem Fugitt of Robots-Dreams was there to snap pics of the first customers getting theirs.

No doubt PF01 will make waves beyond the robot otaku crowd!

Manoi: Cosplayer robot

One of the fun things about having a kit robot is you get to take lots of silly photos of it. And dress it up.

I had too much fun at Dark Carnival bookstore in Berkeley posing Kyosho's Manoi in the owners' doggie clothes. Actually they did the dressing up, not me -- Jack and Jay were laughing but their dog was not amused. Here's Manoi in Polar Expedition and Shriner versions.