Not being a toy collector OR any kind of expert on Japanese culture, I was mesmerized by the abundance of ridiculous madness that faced me at Red Hot Robot. Perhaps I'm simply not familiar enough with the crazy world of vinyl models, but this place is BIZARRE.
And I loved it, of course. The whole shop was brightly colored, cute, nostalgic and childlike all at once. There were hints of things I knew (Mark Ryden books, stylized He-Man and Thundercats posters) and even things I wanted (that Godzilla wine bottle!) but the most fascinating stuff was the collection of totally unfamiliar toys. What the hell was that smiling red robot cat thing? I don't know!
Anyway, great shop filled with things that are not the least bit essential but look great on a shelf. Plus it's between an awesome candy shop AND an awesome record store, so even if you're just looking for a unique time killer in Phoenix you should just stop here first.
Oh yeah, bonus points for the super nice store clerk, she was awesome too.