APEX

A Shanghai workshop earning its reputation through mobile game licenses and scene-setting presentation

At a glance

Status: Active.
Based in: Shanghai China.
Known for: Premium game figures; Arknights; Genshin Impact; Honkai Star Rail; scene setting bases and metallic paint effects.
Good fit: collectors who want detailed figures from Chinese game properties at competitive premium prices.
Before buying: confirm the Western retailer or buying agent before ordering because distribution is still expanding.
Research coverage: Solid

TL;DR

Shanghai-based studio founded in 2018 that built premium credibility on mobile game licenses: Genshin Impact, Arknights, Honkai: Star Rail. Scene-setting bases, crisp detail, and metallic paint effects give the figures a distinct visual signature.
Prices land between roughly $100 and $265 USD, often below Japanese premium figures at similar scales. Collectors trying to avoid aftermarket pricing may prefer to preorder popular releases that historically sell through quickly.
Western availability is still expanding. Some releases require buying agents to place orders through Chinese retail platforms, but coverage keeps improving as APEX broadens into Japanese properties.

Built on Mobile Game Licenses

The Klee figure changed the conversation. When APEX’s Genshin Impact Klee arrived in collectors’ hands, the color vibrancy, detail precision, and overall finish quality landed well above expectations for a newer Chinese studio. APEX (also known as APEX-TOYS or Apex Innovation) had only been operating since 2018, building momentum through games built around random character draws, often called gacha games, and producing figures of those characters with standout quality.

The founding coincided with the explosive global growth of Chinese mobile games: Arknights, Genshin Impact, Honkai Impact 3rd, Girls’ Frontline, and Azur Lane. Shanghai gave APEX structural advantages: manufacturing infrastructure, proximity to game developer headquarters like Hypergryph, and access to a rapidly maturing domestic collector market. The Hypergryph partnership for Arknights ensured sculpts reflected authentic in-game aesthetics from the start.

Mobile Game Characters and Scene-Setting Bases

APEX’s bread and butter is figures of mobile game characters at 1/7 scale, about one-seventh of the character’s full height. Their Genshin Impact line (Ningguang, Keqing, and Klee among the most celebrated) demonstrated paint quality and sculpt accuracy that made collectors pay real attention. The Klee figure is frequently cited as APEX’s most impressive paint demonstration: color vibrancy, precision of small details, and overall finish quality that belied the price point.

The Arknights partnership with Hypergryph gives APEX strong insider access to a globally popular gacha game IP. Their Kal’tsit figure is considered a landmark for the Arknights community. The Honkai: Star Rail line is expanding rapidly. APEX has also produced anime figures outside game IP; NieR: Automata’s 2B and KonoSuba’s Darkness both sold through quickly.

APEX emphasizes elaborate diorama bases and futuristic metallic paint effects that give their figures a visual signature distinct from both Japanese manufacturers and other Chinese manufacturers. They also manage high-end resin statues under the EVA Global line.

Quality Resolved, Distribution Expanding

Early releases had minor QC issues, but APEX iterated quickly. By 2024, collector discussions consistently described the output as crisp, well-painted, and sturdy. Collector discussions point to designers with experience at veteran Japanese manufacturers consulting for APEX, which likely helped. The company operates its own production facility, giving it more direct quality control than manufacturers who fully outsource.

At ¥15,000-¥40,000 (roughly $100-$265 USD), APEX offers strong value relative to quality. Pre-order demand runs high and sell-through is fast, so hesitation costs money on popular releases. Western distribution is still the main friction point: primary retail channels are Chinese platforms that often require proxy services. The savings over secondary market listings more than cover proxy fees, and retailer coverage keeps expanding.

Persona, Steins;Gate, and Japanese Licenses

Honkai: Star Rail breakout pieces and continued Genshin Impact releases are the core, but Persona and Steins;Gate collaborations push the catalog well into Japanese IP territory. The 2025-2026 tariff situation on Japanese figure imports (which are also manufactured in China) has made direct-from-China pricing more attractive to Western collectors.