What Are Zukan?

In reference to the games, the Romanji word Zukan refers to the ever-present Pokedex carried by the hero.
And that's exactly what in means here too, the Zukan figures are model Pokemon created to the exact specifications
listed in the Pokedex from every game, but to 1/40th of the scale.

This, combined with the level of detail, is what gives them their immense appeal and collectability. For any
Pokemon fan, the ability to see how the 'mon all compare in terms of size, holds an odd appeal that many, including
myself, find very hard to resist.

Originally, the Zukan figures were only available via gashapon machines (also known as capsule or gumball machines)
where a purchaser would pay his money and recieve a random figure from within the set.
Therefore a complete set would be very difficult to obtain, and so buying them in this state can be preferable
but often expensive.
Recently, it has come to my attention that the gashapon machines have proliferated to other countries, such
as Finland. If anyone knows more details on this, please email that to us. That would be a good source for older
Zukan sets, as is the inimicable eBay.com. The best way I find to hunt out the right sort of figures on eBay is to
search for "pokemon 1/40", which should weed out the lesser quality figures.

There you have it. Zukan in a nutshell.