Tuesday 25 May 2010

Toybox REVIEW: Kotobukiya Gurren Lagann TengenKadou Grapearl Darry Custom model kit

Ah Kotobukiya, once again you have come to my rescue and provided me with an alternative to the Gurren Lagann mecha that no toy company has made figures of.

The TengenKadou Grapearl Darry Custom is one of three grapearl model kits available from Kotobukiya (the other two being the Gimmy Custom and the mass production general version) is far more complicated (and more expensive!) than the other two GL kits I've bought from the company in the past - the King Kittan and the Dayakkaiser. Upon opening the box I was suprised to see a total of 15 different runners (some are duplicates for arms/legs etc.) for a 28 step kit.

Upon completion I was treated to a highly detailed Grapearl figure that required very little painting (only a little bit of detailing around the chest 'teeth') that is perfectly scaled with the rest of my Gurren Lagann figure collection, which is made up mostly of Revoltechs. However there are the few flaws which really hinder both its posability and playability.

The first of which is the arms. The elbow joint piece that holds the arm together outright refused to lock into place, resulting in the arms falling off a lot during posing. And while super glue can fix this, in doing so you'll instantly lose the ability to rotate the joint for a wider variety of poses. My second issue is with the figure's signature weapon - the spin barrier rifle. The gun itself is marvellous (highly detailed, but requiring paint) but the sheer size of the gun means that the back of it presses against the forearm, meaning in order for the figure to be able to hold the gun without the arm without the fist popping apart and/or the whole arm falling off (remember: weak arms) it has to hold it at an angle other than directly forward. If you aren't too picky about what pose you have the figure in you'll get over it quickly though, because wielding dual pistols is pretty damn awesome too.

The addition of a base is a very nice bonus, but for the amount the model kit costs I can't help to feel a little underwhelmed. Luckily HLJ had this on offer so I don't feel SO bad about the purchase (the Gimmy custom is on offer too, but the general is still at full price...yikes). Still, model kits aren't about playability and this is the only way to get a proper Grapearl figure so if you're as serious about Gurren Lagann collecting as I am, I suppose the purchase is worth every penny in the long run.


1 comment:

Gunstray said...

I never though I'd say this, but Pink Gurren Lagann MP, never looked so awesome. I still wished they made a Revoltech out of this.