Background:

This is a re-issue of the original 2010 release of S.H.Figuarts Super Siayan Son Goku.

Name: Super Saiyan Son Goku
Manufacturer: Bandai
Line: S.H.Figuarts
Sculptor:
Designer:
Scale: Non-scale
Material: ABS, PVC, POM
Release: April 2013
Original Price: ¥3,500 (approx. $34.50AUD / $34.50USD)
Height: 165mm / 6.49inches

Packaging:

Packaging is a standard S.H.Figuarts format, which is to say that it is quite good for collectors as they are usually the same size for easy storage. I’m not too fond of the packaging artwork, it looks a bit bland but not really a big deal for me.

Accessories:

Goku comes with an extra angry shouting face, pair of Kamehameha hands, pair of Spirit bomb hands and an instant transmission hand. Not a lot but plenty for most to have a good old fun time with. The angry shouting face is beautifully painted as you will see further down the review.

Form/Sculpt:

I am very impressed with the way Bandai has managed to capture the soft texture of Goku’s uniform with hard plastic and still retain the amazing articulation that it has. The body proportions are spot on and his golden Super Saiyan hair looks absolutely amazing. One thing I did notice was that unlike other S.H.Figuarts toy lines, Dragon Ball figures do not have die-cast feet. Again not a big issue but interesting to note.

Articulation/Action:

Pretty much any pose you can think of, or any pose you’ve seen Goku do in the anime, this figure can replicate without any trouble. All the joints are tight and hold poses well, with the exception of the joint holding the head on. I don’t know if I received a bad example, but every time I turn or tilt the head, it falls off. It’s a little bit annoying actually.

Paint/Print:

As I mentioned earlier, the angry shouting face is absolutely brilliant as is the rest of the figure. Goku’s uniform and muscles do have lowlight and highlight paint app applied but it may be hard to see in the photos. As much as I love the brilliant paint app on this figure I still much prefer the SDCC version with the orange uniform, unfortunately that version is way out of my budget now.

Detail/Features:

Overall this figure is pretty straight forward but it does have one trick up its sleeve. The waist joint is expandable to allow for much more dynamic posing and allow Goku to really bend his body sideways.

Lastly a comparison against S.H.Figuarts Piccolo and Super Saiyan Vegeta, scale looks spot on!

Overall:

Everyone loves Dragon Ball, it’s a fact. If you’ve ever seen the anime or read the manga and you collect toys then this is a absolute must get. Even if you are just a casual collector I highly recommend this figure, you’ll have hours of fun, trust me I know XD

Thanks for reading!

Background:

Name: James Rhodes
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Line: Marvel Legensds
Sculptor:
Designer:
Scale: Non-scale
Material: PVC, ABS
Release: April 2013
Original Price: $18.99USD (approx. $18.60AUD)
Height: 164mm / 6.46inches

Packaging:

To my surprise the packaging of this toy is actually very nice, a big improvement on previous Iron Man releases in my opinion. The overall design is more square and clean and the illustrations and artwork are now in a comic style which suits perfectly.

Accessories:

Iron Patriot doesn’t come with any accessories, but being a BAF (Build A Figure) collection it comes with the left arm to form the comic series Iron Monger figure.

Form/Sculpt:

Looking objective at this, the sculpt of the toy is actually not too bad. It represents the movie character very well but somewhere along the production line things went horribly wrong. There are a lot of imperfections in the mold, bad part lines and even worse flow lines in the plastic which I’ll talk about in more detail later, but all of this distracts from what could have been a great looking toy.

Articulation/Action:

For the most part, articulation is okay. Shoulders, elbows and knees are ratcheted with a nice feel. Head, hips and upper torso are on ball joints. Swivel joints on the biceps and thighs rotate all the way around. The wrists rotate and the hands can only be turned inwards. Unfortunately the feet does not have any amount of movement in them which mean when ever you place Iron Patriot in a neutral standing position he will fall over backwards unless you tilt his upper body forward slightly resulting in a semi-bowing stance.

Paint/Print:

I can appreciate what Hasbro was trying to do with the paint app on this toy but in my opinion it has failed miserably. The overall quality is very poor, paint app is messy and inconsistent with the reds looking too pink. As mentioned earlier the blue of the plastic is molded with a metallic effect causing visible flow lines throughout the figure, some people call this “marbling” but that’s just a pretty way of saying it’s messed up. I would much rather have a clean and tidy flat blue finish as shown on the prototype photo which appears on the back of the packaging. Honestly, it looks like Hasbro hired a bunch of 5yr olds to paint up these figures…

Detail/Features:

The only notable feature on this toy is that you can position the back cannon on either side by way of detaching and plugging back on the other side. Slight step backwards from the Iron Man 2 War Machine figure where the mini gun can slide along the back without the need for detaching.

In terms of scale, the new Legends Iron Patriot stands slightly taller than the Iron Man 2 toys, which I don’t actually mind so much.

Overall:

I am quite disappointed with this release, especially because of how awesome the movie was. This toy doesn’t do the character any justice at all. Maybe I’m being too picky for a toy which costs less than $20, but that’s $20 I won’t be able to spend on other potentially good toys. The fact is, this figure is a step backwards from the previous 6″ Iron Man 2 movie releases in terms of both design and execution and it costs more which is what makes it so disappointing. I would skip this, unless you really must have a 6″ Iron Patriot in your collection, oh wait there is always S.H.Figuarts (hopefully)!

Background:

Released in October of 2012, this is the Tamashii Nations limited edition Robot Damashii Wing Gundam Zero (EW ver.) Pearl Coating ver. sold at the event in Akiba. Wing Gundam Zero is a highly popular Gundam from the Gundam Wing series.

Name: Wing Gundam Zero (EW Ver.)
Manufacturer: Bandai
Line: Robot Damashii
Sculptor:
Scale: Non-scale
Material: ABS, PVC
Release: Oct 2012
Original Price: ¥4,500 (approx. $46AUD / $48USD)
Height: 125mm / 4.92inches

Packaging:

As a Tamashii Nation limited edition it comes in a specially designed box with no windows. The packaging itself is quite clean and attractive but you’ll need to open the box to get a glimpse of the contents. My example unfortunately got a little bit squashed during shipping which shows that the cardboard stock itself isn’t very thick. On the inside, the Gundam rests in a plastic tray similar to standard Robot Damashii releases.

Accessories:

In the accessories department, Wing Gundam Zero comes with a pair of its Buster Rifles, which can be clipped together to form a single more powerful Buster Rifle. Its secondary weapon of choice is the Beam sabre, unfortunately this release only comes with one beam part however it does come with two handles. There are also two extra pairs of hands included, as well as a display stand which is absolutely necessary as the Wing Gundam Zero is very back heavy.

Form/Sculpt:

This rendition of Wing Gundam Zero is absolutely gorgeous. Every part is precisely made and the fitment is spot on. Proportion wise, there isn’t anything to fault. The only thing is that once the backpack and wings are on, this figure becomes very back heavy and it is almost impossible to stand on its own. This is something I can overlook as it’s just too damn beautiful.

Articulation/Action:

As with most Robot Damashii toys, the articulation is pretty good. This figure can easily take a kneeling position although I didn’t take any photos of it. The elbows and knees are both doubled jointed with the ability to practically fold flat against itself. The head is on a ball joint with a tilting neck joint, the chest rocks and the waist also sits on a ball joint. There are simply too many joints to count, and this is just the figure itself. The backpack and wings have a bunch of joints as well making it almost possible to pose the wings in any position you like. Bottom line is, it’s bloody awesome.

Paint/Print:

Now we come to the main event, the Pearl Coating effect! As you can probably guess this figure is covered from head to toe with a glorious shiny pearl finish. The paint app is mostly tidy with only a few small spots where some paint has gone astray but they are so small you’ll hardly even notice it. Only the face and parts of the leg has panel lining applied, which is fine with this release as the focus is on the pearl effect. The wings have been given a fading out treatment which looks amazing in the right light. Overall I am very impressed.

Detail/Features:

The Wing Gundam Zero features opening gimmick for the Machine Cannons housed on the clavicle section of the figure. The unfortunate thing about this gimmick is that the head gets in the way of the opening housing. If you open one side up fully, the other side will be blocked by the head. To open both sides up half way, you’ll need to position the head in a slight upwards tilt.

The wings on the back can expand and contract, it has a nice two stage clicky mechanism which works very well.

Lastly a few size comparison shots. The first is a comparison shot with the 1/144 scale GFF RX-79-02 Gundam, pretty much the same size. And an obligatory comparison with the 3.75″ Storm Trooper.

Overall:

Even though I was unable to attend the event and ended up paying extra through a middleman for this item I am definitely glad I bought it. It is a very well designed and engineered toy of a popular and awesome looking Gundam, all wrapped up in a gorgeous pearl effect coating. Seriously what more can you ask for?

Thanks again for reading!

Background:

Two of the most memorable Transformer Autobots from the 80’s G1 cartoon series for me were Ratchet and Ironhide. Unfortunately none of the licensed toy companies released any modern interpretations of these characters, enter iGear. iGear’s PP05M and PP05W pays homage to Ratchet and Ironhide respectively and by all accounts they have done a splendid job, check out the review below!

Name: PP05M
Manufacturer: iGear
Line: PP Series
Sculptor:
Designer:
Scale: Non-scale
Material: ABS, PVC, Die-cast
Release: Aug 2012
Original Price: $110USD (approx. $105AUD)
Height: 175mm / 6.88inches

Name: PP05W
Manufacturer: iGear
Line: PP Series
Sculptor:
Designer:
Scale: Non-scale
Material: ABS, PVC, Die-cast
Release: Aug 2012
Original Price: $110USD (approx. $105AUD)
Height: 175mm / 6.88inches

Packaging:

Both figures are packed in a very solid cardboard box with retro G1 style grid graphics. Shown on the front are CAD renderings of the figures in both robot and car mode which gives you an idea of what to expect inside the box. On the back, very simple graphic layout of all the included accessories and a background bio about each character. Inside, the trays are protected with plastic bags and all the accessories fit snugly in the plastic trays. Overall, very simple and effective packaging.

Accessories:

Starting with PP05M. It comes with 2 extra heads, one of which (the red one) was packed separately in a plastic bag but unfortunately was missing the eyes. As a medical specialist for robots, it comes with a huge variety of tools from screw drivers to hammers, all that’s missing is a tool chest! It also has a pair of welding torches which clip over the hands.

PP05W also comes with two extra heads, luckily no parts are missing here. One weapons which I really like is the live action movie inspired cannons, they look super bad ass. It also has a chrome shoulder mounted missile launcher, and a pair of small cannons which fits over the hands.

Apart from the accessories they each come with above, they also come with some common accessories. They each have a pistol which folds, a sniper rifle, a machete, a laser gun, a radar satellite dish, a pair of disk saws and a bazooka. The disk saw unfortunately didn’t fit very well on my example, but I guess in this case it’s the thought that counts.

Form/Sculpt:

Well, what can I say here about the design and sculpt of this toy that you can’t see for yourselves, it looks bloody amazing! The proportions are very nice and you can definitely spot the G1 influence in the design. There is quite a fair bit of mechanical detail molded into the body parts which keeps it looking interesting. In terms of kibble, there really isn’t much there which is a big plus! The plastic used on the toy feels quite solid although some parts do not fit perfectly leaving a small gap. The feet contains the only die-cast parts, they are fairly small but I guess it helps to balance the toy.

Alt Mode: In alt mode, the toy continues to impress with its retro styling and tight fitting panels. I’m not sure if this van is actually based off a real life counterpart but it looks realistic enough for me. The tyres are made from rubber and roll very well. Transformation between the two modes is a little tricky especially the leg area, but the results are amazing.

PP05W is about 99% the same as PP05M with the exception of the head, shoulder parts and the ambulance lights. This is of course not a bad thing, these are two very well designed and made toys. I do prefer the colour scheme of PP05M over PP05W, the white and red details just works so much better as a toy in my opinion.

Alt Mode: The alt mode for PP05W is no different. It looks great, fits together well and the wheels roll very nicely on the ground.

Articulation/Action:

The articulation for these guys are as good as any modern Transformers toy, licensed and 3rd party included. The head is on a ball joint with limited vertical movement. The shoulders, biceps and wrists have a full 360 degrees of rotation and the elbows are double jointed. The waist and thighs also has 360 degrees of rotation which really helps with dynamic poses. The only joint which I found to be a bit lacking are the knee joints, technically they are double jointed and can fold all the way down but in robot mode one of the car panels on the back of the leg gets in the way, which means these guys can’t kneel down. Apart from this small design flaw, these guys are fun to pose and look great in all standing poses!

Paint/Print:

The vast majority of the parts are left in the native colour of the plastic which works fine in this case as the plastic is nicely textured. The parts that do have paint on them are very tidy, this includes the face, side and back windows of the alt mode, door handles, stripes on the side of the alt mode etc. There is also a small amount of chrome plating on various parts of the toy which all look great. Just a note, these guys do not have the Autobot logo printed on as seen in some of my photos, they are decals I applied, but it is nice to know iGear made a spot especially to fit!

Detail/Features:

These guys have quite a few fun features built into them, some are inspired by the Masterpiece line such as the flip open communicator on the left forearm. On the right hand side however there is a 5mm peg hole for weapons instead.

I’m not sure if this was purposely designed, but the machete has a small hook which allows it to be stored in a few different places on the figures.

I also found a rather cool place to store the sniper rifle – on MP-10 Optimus Prime’s Battle Roller! Just to give you an idea of how well the transformation has been engineered, the size different between the robot and alt mode is huge!

Interestingly, in alt mode PP05W fits perfectly in MP-10 Optimus Prime’s trailer, however due to the extra height of the ambulance lights PP05M gets stuck!

Lastly a few size comparison shots in alt mode and robot mode. In alt mode these guys fit in pretty nicely with United/Generations Sergeant Kup, but probably a little bit too big compared with MP-10 Optimus Prime in this mode.

Conversely, in robot mode the iGear toys look far bigger than the United/Generations Sergeant Kup figure and fits in nicely with the MP-10 Optimus Prime scale. Strange but true!

Overall:

iGear has done a fantastic job with the design and production of these two toys. Most impressive for me is the fact that these are designs made completely from the ground up (with inspiration taken from an existing character of course), and not a copy / modification of an existing toy. If you like Transformers and you like the G1 characters, these two are definitely not to be missed. Sure they are a bit pricy, but who knows when Hasbro / Takara will release these guys in their Masterpiece line, if ever!

The only downside here is the relative lack of customer service from iGear, hence why I didn’t even bother emailing them about the missing eye part for PP05M’s red head! I do like their products but I wish they responded to their customers once in a while!

Thanks for reading as always!

Background:

The Heisei Mechagodzilla from “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II” is the second iteration of Mechagodzilla, this time it was created by the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center (UNGCC) using Futurian technology scavenged from the remains of Mech-King Ghidorah. The UNGCC also built a smaller airship called the Garuda, which when merged with Mechagodzilla would become Super-Mechagodzilla with increased firepower and added thrust.

Name: MechaGodzilla & Garuda
Manufacturer: Bandai
Line: S.H.MonsterArts
Sculptor: Yuuji Sakai 酒井ゆうじ
Scale: Non-scale
Material: ABS, PVC, POM, Zndc
Release: Dec 2011 | Mar 2012
Original Price: ¥6,500 (approx. $79AUD / $82USD) | ¥2,625 (approx. $32AUD / $33USD)
Height: 170mm / 6.69inches

Packaging:

The packaging for Mechagodzilla is well constructed from thick cardboard with a matte finish which looks rather nice, especially when it is covered with pretty images and photos of the figure inside. The front window wraps around to one of the sides allowing you to view the content to a certain degree, but to see all the accessories you have to pull the whole tray out.

Sold separately, the Garuda is a Web Tamashii limited edition item thus it comes with an outer brown shipping box. The actual box for the Garuda has a high gloss metallic silver finish which is very nice but it is prone to finger print marks.

Accessories:

Mechagodzilla comes with an extra head and neck part to simulate its flying pose, I was disappointed to find that this was a parts swapping affair rather than just having designed the original head to tilt upwards. To complete the flying pose it also comes with a straighter tail and flat hands. For the abdomen it comes with a Plasma Grenade Gun opened mode part, and with the first batch of these figures the initial release bonus Mega-Buster effect and base are included.

With Garuda, you get a dedicated display base, dual laser cannon firing effect parts, G Crusher parts for Mechagodzilla as well as connection pieces to merge with Mechagodzilla.

Form/Sculpt:

On display this guy looks absolutely amazing, the proportions are spot on and it looks like it jumped straight out of the big screen! However, once you pick it up it becomes apparent that Mechagodzilla is very bottom heavy, due to the solid die-cast feet. The other issue I have with it is that the top half of the body is very “rattly” giving it a cheap feel. It would be nice if they spread out the weight of the figure a bit more, and tightened the waist and neck joints.

Garuda is also very well depicted on toy form, the toy feels pretty solid in construction albeit a bit light in the hands. I like the fact that the centre of the thrusters have been detailed with clear orange plastic, and the thrusters themselves are movable. The toy is highly detailed with lots of panel lines in the mold.

Articulation/Action:

Mechagodzilla may not be super articulated due to its inherent design, although it has all the standard modern joints, but it is a hell of a lot of fun to play with especially if you have Garuda as well. I can imagine the kids (including me) re-creating the docking scene from the movie over and over again! With what poseability it has, it does a good job of holding the poses.

Paint/Print:

The paint app on Mechagodzilla is pretty straight forward so it’s hard to get wrong. Apart from the silver colour there are several hints of black panel lining which is needed to breakup the silver. It does appear to also have some lowlights/weathering applied throughout the figure to emphasis the sculpt. Garuda has a much more obvious weathering paint app applied, and it looks great!

Detail/Features:

Not too many gimmick on this toy to talk about so I’ll jump straight to some size comparisons. Standing next to Godzilla from the same toy line, Mechagodzilla actually is quite a bit taller, closer in height in fact to a 6″ vinyl Godzilla toy. Sizing up against GD-57B Mechagodzilla, the S.H.MonsterArts version is slightly shorter and contains much less metal content which is strange as the GD-57B Mechagodzilla actually cost less when it first came out.

Overall:

As much as I heart Godzilla and Mechagodzilla, this is actually a relatively expensive toy for what you get, especially considering you have to purchase Garuda separately. If you really must have a Mechagodzilla in your collection, I’d recommend the Chogokin GD-45/GD-57 Mechagodzilla. It has much more metal, it’s bigger and much better constructed in my opinion. With this new release I feel like Bandai has taken a step backwards in design but increased the price at the same time?

Thanks for reading!

Initially I was going to give this a miss, thankfully my colleague talked me into getting it before it sold out and I couldn’t be happier that I did!

Background:

The ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam, or Freedom for short is a nuclear powered mobile suit made by the ZAFT forces of the space colonies which appears in the anime series “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED” and “Mobile Suit Gundam SEED destiny”. The Freedom is piloted by Kira Yamato, a powerful and skilled first generation Co-ordinator (genetically altered humans who live in space).

The Freedom Gundam is designed primarily for ranged combat. It is heavily armed with a number of long range weapons however it still possesses exceptional speed which rivals and exceeds other more advanced mobile suits.

Name: Freedom Gundam
Manufacturer: Bandai
Line: METAL BUILD
Sculptor: Yoichi Sakamoto
Designer: Satoshi Shigeta
Scale: 1/100
Material: PVC, ABS Die-cast
Release: Mar 2012
Original Price: ¥15,750 (approx. $195AUD / $202USD)
Height: 190mm / 7.48inches

Packaging:

The packaging is very attractive, slim and compact with nice quality foil lettering. The front of the box features a glossy print of the actual toy, on the back there are a few more photos showing some features and detailed info about the toy and the design. Inside the box, there is a foam tray with the main figure and all the accessories sandwiched safely within. Very collector friendly, and slim enough for easy storage!

Accessories:

Freedom Gundam comes with all of it’s weapons as seen in the anime, as well as hands to weld them. It comes with it’s wings which houses the plasma beam cannons, a beam rifle, a shield and a pair of beam sabers that can be joint together Darth Maul style! Lastly, included is an ingeniously designed display stand but more on that later.

Form/Sculpt:

The first thing I noticed when I picked up the figure was how solid and substantial it felt as it is full of die-cast parts. In terms of proportion though I do think the waist, legs and arms are just a tad too skinny for my liking. Without the wing unit attached, the Freedom Gundam is very easy to balance however once the wings are on you have to lean the stance of the figure forwards to prevent it from falling on it’s back. All the molding on the toy are super sharp and clean and the whole thing feels very well put together. There is obviously a good level of quality control involved with the production of this toy.

Articulation/Action:

Once you start posing this guy, the skinniness of the toy is hidden and you start to appreciate it for it’s engineering brilliance. This is one super articulated Gundam. The only thing I found to be a little bit worrying was the tightness of some of the metal joints, I’m afraid if I push too hard I may break some of the plastic parts but this hasn’t happened yet I’m happy to report. The display stand adds a whole new dimension to the way you can pose this toy, and it works wonderfully.

Paint/Print:

You may have noticed that my photos of the Freedom Gundam looks a little dark that’s because the main body colour is actually a light grey, rather than straight white. The paint app on the rest of the figure is amazing, very clean and full of life. It hasn’t been plastered with decals but there are nice print details throughout the body. The blue and the pink painted areas have a pearl effect which really pops under the right lighting.

Detail/Features:

There are quite a few well engineered features worth noting with this set. Firstly the display stand can tilt and extend with locking mechanisms to safely display the toy at a variety of angles.

The shoulder armour has been cleverly designed in 3 sections to move out of the way when posing the arms.

There is a pegging point on the back apron armour to either store the beam rifle or to be used as a display stand connection point, adaptor included of course.

There is a secondary display stand connection point concealed in the backpack, to use it you have to pull up the thruster part and swing it upwards, again the adaptor is included.

On each side of Freedom’s hips is a folding beam cannon which unfolds to give extra firepower!

The front apron armour parts can expand and provide extra clearance when posing the legs forwards.

On the back of the each leg, there are small thrusters which can swing open. Best part about this is the thrusters are die-cast!

Lastly a few comparison photos to show the size of the Metal Build Freedom Gundam. It looks great next to the MMM Strike Gundam, actually it puts the Strike to shame! Sizing up next to a GFFN Strike and RD Strike Gundam, 1/100 scale is obviously bigger. Yes, I like Strike Gundam that’s why I don’t have other Freedom Gundams for comparison XD

Overall:

Overall I am thoroughly impressed with the Metal Build Freedom Gundam in all aspects, from the design, paint app to the playability of this toy. This is a great piece to have on display and will surely maintain its value over time. Every time I walk past this guy at home, I have to pick it up and have a play, that’s how much I like it! By no means is this a cheap toy, but for the price I think it is well worth it especially considering how much metal content it has!

Thanks for reading:)

At this point in time, I am a little bit ashamed to call myself a fan of Batman as I’ve yet to play the Arkham Asylum game. I do however love the character and all that he stands for, and even more so when he gets an armour upgrade!

Background:

Batman: Arkham Asylum is an action-adventure video game based on DC Comic’s Batman. The game is played in third-person mode, where the player controls Batman as he makes his way around the prison island and facilities of Arkham Asylum.

Name: Armored Batman
Manufacturer: Square Enix
Line: Play Arts Kai
Sculptor: Dice Project
Designer:
Scale: Non-scale
Material: PVC
Release: June 2012
Original Price: ¥5,800 (approx. $71AUD / $73USD)
Height: 230mm / 9.05inches

Packaging:

The box for this toy is nice and solid with a quality gloss finish. The series name has been embossed in silver foil to add to the quality feel of the product. There is a large window display up front as well as a smaller one on the top to allow a sneak peak at the figure inside. Batman is well nested between a couple of formed plastic trays with his weapons and accessories clearly laid out around him.

Accessories:

Armed with only a Batarang and a grappling hook gun, Armored Batman doesn’t come with much in terms of fire power or weaponry, not that he needs it . He also comes with an extra pair of optional hands. The Batarang looks like it can fold close, however my example was rather tight and I didn’t want to risk breaking it to find out.

Form/Sculpt:

This is one very beefy and muscular looking Batman in terms of proportions. The sculptural detail on this figure is very nice and quite sharp for a figure made with a lot of soft grade PVC. The one thing I love about this toy is the variety of textured finishes you’ll find throughout which really brings out the realism. Overall I am quite impressed with the design and quality of construction.

Articulation/Action:

Boasting over 26 points of articulation (so the box says), this toy should have pretty good pose-ability right? Damn right it does! This thing is seriously fun to pose and there is almost an infinite number of poses you can pull off with him. He kneels, he kicks, he blocks, he charges but I did find that he wasn’t very good at looking up, especially if he needs to use his grappling gun to get away. All the joints are nice and tight with ratchet joints in the elbows, wrists, double jointed knees and ankles.

Paint/Print:

As good as the sculpt and articulation is, the paint app on this figure really finished it off nicely. The maker has gone for a gritty and realistic paint style which is executed almost flawlessly and suits this character perfectly. Again there was a variety of finishes from matte to gloss which gives the whole toy some depth. Weathering has been applied to the armor parts showing that Batman has been busy dealing with the baddies.

Detail/Features:

At first I was worried that the design of the cape would hinder the shoulder articulation, however this was not the case as it is very soft and flexible at the top. The cape itself is made in two halves which overlap, these two pieces are on a ball joint each so they can spin independently.

At just over 9 inches (23cm) tall, this is a relatively big action figure compared to what I’m used to, but this is a nice size for it. Just to give you an idea here are some comparisons with Bandai’s SIC Batman, DC Arkham Asylum Batman, Mattel’s Movie Masters Batman and my trusty review companion the 3.75″ Stormtrooper.

Overall:

This is not a size I usually collect for action figures but like I said at the start of the review, I am a fan of Batman so when I see a design I like I tend to pick it up anyway regardless of size. This toy really ticks every box on my list when it comes to a good toy, it has good design, it is well constructed, it has good articulation and is wrapped up nicely in a tidy and great looking paint job. I’d definitely recommend this one to fans of Batman, or anyone looking for a fun and photogenic toy to play with.

Thanks again for reading, if you’ve enjoyed reading this please share:)

As I much as I love intricately engineered and constructed Japanese toys, sometimes nothing beats a big solid plastic US action figure! I give you, the Hulk!

Background:

This particular version of the Hulk is based on the 2012 live action movie “The Avengers”. Played by Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner, his facial features transfer well onto the Hulk which is surprising well captured by Hasbro!

The Hulk is a fictional character first seen in comic books published by Marvel comics. He is a massive green mutant with incredible strength and endurance, fuelled by rage. The angrier he got the stronger he becomes. The Hulk came about from exposure to gamma radiation during a test detonation of a gamma bomb which Dr. Bruce Banner himself invented. Whenever Bruce’s life is in danger, or he becomes overwhelmed with rage, the Hulk takes over!

Name: Hulk
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Line: Movie Series
Sculptor:
Designer:
Scale: Non-scale
Material: PVC, ABS
Release: May 2012
Original Price: $15.99USD (approx. $15AUD)
Height: 200mm / 7.87inches

Packaging:

The packaging is a pretty standard clamshell configuration, nice illustration of the movie Hulk on the front and sides. On the back there is a line-up of the rest of the Avengers team to get you “inspired” to collected them all.

Accessories:

Hulk doesn’t come with much in terms of accessories, only a small display base which can be interconnected with bases from the other Avenger team member toys. I would have loved to see an extra set of hands included, a right hand fist and left grabbing hand but alas.

Form/Sculpt:

The sculpt of this toy is pretty good consider this is a Hasbro product. The proportions of the Hulk are nice, and it is a big toy in terms of it’s size compared to regular 6″ figures. The only thing I didn’t like about the sculpt is the many little holes scattered around the limbs where the joints are pegged together, they should have done a better job concealing these.

Articulation/Action:

Articulation is surprisingly good on this toy, both the elbows and knees are double jointed, there are swivel joints on both the biceps and thighs, even the ankles can roll and flip down. There is no waist articulation but the torso does roll and twist. All in all a very playable and fun figure to pose.

Paint/Print:

The paint scheme on this Hulk figure is pretty simple but quite effective, I would describe it as clean. The face has good paint app detail in the eyes and teeth, and the hair has been given a subtle green highlight. Not too shabby at all.

Detail/Features:

To give an idea of scale, here’s Hulk up against the 6″ Iron Man MKVI from the Iron Man 2 movie series line which I think is the same mold as the Avenger’s Iron Man figure. I just love the size of this thing!

Overall:

To be honest, this is the very first Hulk toy I’ve ever owned so I can’t give it an accurate rating compared to other Hulk toys, but in terms of build quality and design this is a very good toy. It displays well with other 6″ figures, unfortunately for some stupid reason Hasbro decided that good toys like this should only come packed one in each case, not to mention it is a Walmart exclusive making it even harder to get a hold of. Me being in Australia meant I had no choice but to go on eBay to get this guy, at an (3X) inflated price I might add. Was it worth it? You decide.

Thanks again for reading!

Background:

From the 1987 mecha anime series Metal Armour Dragonar (機甲戦記ドラグナー) comes the XD-01SR Dragonar-1 Custom. Piloted by Kaine Wakaba of the Earth Alliance, the Dragonar-1 Custom was a modified variant of the original Dragonar-1 unit which appears towards the end of the series. For the rest of the review, I will be referring to the Dragonar-1 Custom simply as D-1 Custom.

Name: Dragonar 1 Custom
Manufacturer: Bandai
Line: Soul SPEC / 魂SPEC
Sculptor:
Designer: Kunio Okawara
Scale: Non-scale
Material: ABS, PVC, Die-cast
Release: April 2012
Original Price: ¥8,925 (approx. $108AUD / $114USD)
Height: 165mm / 6.50inches

Packaging:

As a Tamashii Web limited edition item, it comes wrapped in the standard brown Tamashii Web shop shipping box. The graphic layout for the D-1 Custom packaging is pretty much the same as other Dragonar toys from the Soul SPEC line which looks great by the way. However, there are no windows so you have to open the box to see the contents, for me not a problem as I had planned to open the toy from the start. Inside, the figure and all of the accessories are tightly packed in the liner and there was very little wasted space as you can see by the slim profile of the box.

Accessories:

D-1 Custom comes with a good selection of accessories most of which are a part of its deadly arsenal of weapons. It comes with its signature LPS32 type Hand Rail Gun, Super Hybrid Shield, flight unit, 2 x assault knives, 4 x laser swords (4 x short handle + 2 x long handle), 1 x throwing bomb, optional soft antenna, 7 x magazines for the gun, 5 x optional hand parts and a display stand which also doubles as a launch pad. Every accessory adds to the play value of this set however I did find that the laser swords and spare magazines do not stay in place very well on the figure, do be careful as these are quite small and may be easy to loose.

Form/Sculpt:

The first thing you’ll notice is that the design of this toy does not resemble the original anime drawing of the D-1 Custom which I think is a very good thing. This modern interpretation of the D-1 Custom has been made much sleeker, the limbs have been elongated and proportions exaggerated making it look dynamic even in a neutral stance. I have to admit, the design did take some getting used to but once I was I couldn’t have imagined it any other way. The figure itself has a mostly die-cast inner frame giving it a lot of heft and robustness, and the armour cover parts have been made with good quality plastic. Overall a very solid and well constructed piece.

Articulation/Action:

Articulation on this figure is very nice, all the joints are solid and tight and holds poses very well. The head is on a ball joint which is able to look pretty much in all directions, aided by the extending neck joint it can also look up to a certain degree. Shoulders are also connected by ball joints which can sometimes pop off but gives a good range of motion. There is a swivel joint on the biceps, single elbow joint, ball joint on the wrists and hands, double jointed torso, waist articulation, ball joint for the hips, thigh swivel joint, double knee joint, ankle rotation and swivel joint and toe articulation. Basically joints all over the place. It’s pretty amazing.

Paint/Print:

On the paint app side of things, it is generally pretty decent with the exception of a few minor flaws here and there which you’ll really need to get up close to spot so it’s not a big deal.

Detail/Features:

Gimmicks on this toy includes a storage area in the shield for two laser swords and two spare magazines for the Hand Rail Gun. The magazine on the hand Rail Gun can swivel up and the magazine taken out to simulate reloading of the weapon.

The Super Hybrid Shield can be either mounted on the forearm or simply held in the hands of the D-1 Custom. I prefer the clip option as it frees D-1 Custom’s right hand to weld more weapons!

The display stand comes with a small extension arm so that it can me mounted from the back of the D-1 Custom, or from the crotch. Thoughtful little detail which will be appreciated by those who like to display their toys in a variety of poses.

Size comparison between the D-1 Custom and a 1/144 scale GFF RX-78-02. At 165mm tall it isn’t a big toy by any means but it has a very solid and hefty feel to it to make up for the lack of size.

Overall:

Metal Armour Dragonar may not be the most popular anime series but it does have some very interesting mechanical designs, one of which is the D-1 Custom. This toy has everything you’d want in a modern collectible, great design, awesome articulation and good construction. The only downside I can see is the fact that this is a Tamashii Web limited item, which means it will be more difficult for some people to get their hands on. This also means that the price will not be easy on the wallet on top of the already high retail price set by Bandai.

Thanks again for reading my review!

Just like explorers discovers a new land, or when scientists make a break through in their research, whenever I find new and well made toys, especially from small relatively less known companies, I imagine having the same excitement and buzz, if only on a slightly lesser scale.

Background:

Most of us (including me) wouldn’t have heard of this “little” Japanese toy company until recently when they released their Active Gear Collection toy line starting with the popular Iron Man MKVI suit. This is no surprise as they were only established in June of 2010, and as of writing have only brought us a couple of girl figurines and some Gamera trading figures. That’s not to say we shouldn’t expect big things from them in the future, from the looks of this new Iron Man toy line, I’d say they have a very bright one ahead of them. Check out their website here.

Name: Iron Man MK6
Manufacturer: Art Spirits
Line: Active Gear Collection
Sculptor:
Designer:
Scale: 1/9
Material: PVC, ABS, PPC
Release: May 2012
Original Price: ¥8,880 (approx. $110AUD / $112USD)
Height: 205mm / 8.07inches

Packaging:

The packaging design has a bit of an old school feel, the colour scheme is certainly very patriotic (for my US readers) which suits the character I guess. A nice large window in the front allows a good view of the contents but it also shows just how much wasted space is behind the figure. It’s very collector friendly in terms of being able to put the toy back into the box for storage however in terms of shelf space, it could do with a bit of a diet.

Accessories:

For most of the gimmicks to work on this figure, it requires a bit of parts swapping so it’s no wonder there is a fair bit of accessories included. For the air brake gimmick there is two open back shoulder parts with a lower back part. On each side of the hips you can fit a flare launcher, and each forearm can be swapped to missile launcher mode. Also included are a pair of open palm hands, and a pair of laser cutter fists. The air brakes, flare launchers and optional hands are relatively easy to pop on and off but I did have some trouble pulling off the missile launcher forearms, do be careful as it is only held in by a small plastic peg on each side.

Form/Sculpt:

In terms of movie accuracy, the armour design and sculptural detail is all there but the proportions are not quite right. This toy is much slimmer in build than what most people would be used to, basically the head is too small, the waist too slim and the feet too large. However, if you look at this toy as a sort of re-imagined version of the movie design then you can really start to appreciate the overall build quality and style of this line.

Articulation/Action:

This toy has quite a good range of articulation. It features a swivelling neck joint with the head on a ball, ratcheted shoulder joints with complete 360 degree rotation at the shoulders and biceps, doubled ratchet jointed elbows then ending with swivelling wrists. Moving down the suit the torso is made up of three moveable segments which allows the body to twist nicely. The hips are on large ball joints with a swivel at the thighs, double ratchet jointed knees and ball joint feet with additional toe joints. All up this makes for a very nimble Iron Man with the exception of the hip joints as the armour design hinders some movements here.

Paint/Print:

Everywhere I look on this toy all I see is a splendid coat of even and glossy paint, it is absolutely glorious. The red looks like metallic candy apple skin and the gold, looks gold! You can also see that all the panel lines have been filled in black which further accentuates the armour design detail. There was a small flow line from the moulding of the part on the chest but it’s hardly visible and it’s not something that would put me off this toy.

Detail/Features:

A few shots showing the process of swapping parts over for the gimmicks. Firstly the air brakes, as you can see everything simply plugs in and out of the four holes at the back, nice and simple.

This next one is a little bit tricky as there may be a chance for breakage. The swappable forearms parts plug in and click into place which is great as it means they won’t constantly fall off, but pulling the forearms off was a difficult and scary experience.

Swapping over the flare launcher means having to take off the original cover which does need a bit of persuasion as it fits very snugly. Just make sure you don’t chip the paint if use something to pry the cover off.

One of the areas that does not require parts swapping is the air brakes and armour covers on the leg and feet. These parts are hinged and works like a charm.

Finally let’s take a look at how big a 1/9 scale Iron Man figure is compared to other popular toy lines of the same character. Compared against the Revoltech version, the Art Spirits toy is much bigger and looks heaps better. Up against the Hasbro 6″ version, the Art Spirits version is again quite a lot bigger, some may prefer the Hasbro sculpt but in terms of the overall build quality Art Spirits takes the cake. Just for kicks I put my SIC Batman up against the Art Spirits Iron Man, at a glance they looks like they could almost be in scale considering the Iron Man suit will add to the height and bulk of a man more so than Batman’s suit.

Overall:

Time to sum up the review and come to a verdict. Simply put, I like this toy. I like it for a few various reasons such as the great build quality, the size, the playability and also the design of the toy once you get over the proportion issues. However this is not a cheap toy and it won’t be to everyone’s taste but for anyone proclaiming to be an Iron Man fan, this is a must have!

Thanks again for visiting, I hope you’ve enjoyed your stay!