The Crypt is the top tier of AkiraCircuit. It exists for one reason: to make owning a Prime 1 Studio statue in the UK a calm, well-explained process rather than a midnight bidding war on an American forum.

We are a Bristol-based UK stockist. We are not a Goliath. We curate a growing catalogue of numbered-edition dioramas and 1/4 and 1/6 scale statues, all sourced from Prime 1 Studio — the Tokyo workshop responsible for the most respected high-end statues in the collector market. New lines are added across the year as studio releases are confirmed.

Every piece is hand-painted, hand-finished, and hand-numbered at the Tokyo factory. Editions typically run between 200 and 500 worldwide. Lead times of six to eighteen months from order to dispatch are standard for the medium, not exceptional.

How the reservation works

There is no public cart for Crypt pieces. Every reservation begins with a conversation. You enquire through the product page or by email; we confirm availability, edition number, and the studio’s projected ship window for that piece.

A non-refundable deposit secures your edition number. The remaining balance is due before dispatch, never before the studio releases the piece. You pay in pounds sterling, to a UK-registered company, with UK consumer protections intact.

When the piece arrives in Bristol, we inspect it before it is logged to your account. Box condition, certificate of authenticity, and edition number are all verified. Only then do we contact you to arrange final payment and delivery.

Delivery

Crypt orders are currently dispatched within the United Kingdom only. Delivery is insured and signed-for from Bristol.

International dispatch will be added in due course. When it goes live, buyers outside the UK will be responsible for their own import duties, VAT, and any customs handling charges levied by their destination country — AkiraCircuit cannot calculate or pre-pay these on your behalf.

Why a UK collector might choose this over a US import

Buying Prime 1 Studio direct from the US means import VAT, courier handling fees, customs delays, and no recourse if the box arrives damaged. Buying through an unaccountable reseller means hoping the edition number you were promised is the one in the box.

Buying from the Crypt means a small UK stockist who answers email, holds the piece in Bristol, verifies it before it reaches you, and is on the hook if anything is wrong. That is the entire proposition.

Quality and value

Every Crypt piece ships with the studio’s original certificate of authenticity, its hand-applied edition number, and its original studio packaging retained for resale provenance. We document your edition number against your AkiraCircuit account so it stays on file for the lifetime of the piece.

Prime 1 Studio statues hold their value because the editions are finite, the work is hand-finished, and the secondary market respects documented provenance. A piece bought through a UK stockist with verified records is worth more, years later, than the same piece bought informally.

If you have a question before you enquire, write to hello@akiracircuit.co.uk. The catalogue is here.