Thursday 4 July 2013

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Deka Pink

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

"Five! And with immediate speed, exterminate them!"

Finally we come to the last of the core five Dekaranger reviews, but hopefully one day we might see a Deka Break and Deka Master (maybe even Deka Swan? Please Bandai?) joining them. The fifth and final member of the S.H. Figuarts Dekaranger team is none other than Deka Pink, aka Koume "Umeko" Kodou. Deka Pink was released alongside Deka Yellow as a Tamashii Web Exclusive back at the end of May.

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review UmekoSH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

Much like my thoughts over in the Deka Yellow review, there's something about Pink that really makes the details of the box stand out. The hot shade of pink works really well against the black spines and gunmetal grey/silver backdrop, with all the writing bold and clear. Like her teammate the back of the box only makes reference to a handful of accessories, but there are plenty more waiting inside to be opened up and messed about with.

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review UmekoSH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

As another female Deka Pink shares the same body type as Yellow, both lacking the skirt accessory you see on most female Sentai members. The absence of the skirt does make some poses come across as more masculine than you might expect, but the shorter stature and build make sure it retains a good level of femininity. Deka Pink also serves as further proof that the female body type is noticeably better than the male when it comes to this team, with the joints nice and tight. The often-tricky shoulders of these figures are the perfect balance of not too tight that you fear you'll break the arm moving it, and not so loose that the separate piece just rattles all over the place.

Finally just look at the colours. That hot pink is perfection contrasting against the white and black segments of the uniform.

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review UmekoSH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

Umeko shares an identical accessory count (save for one minor thing) to Jasmine, so if you've bought them together you won't be seeing a whole lot of variety between the two (not that there's much variety between the Dekarangers' equipment anyway). Included are 12 swappable hands, an SP License, D-Shot, D-Knuckle, D-Stick (in folded and extended forms), SP Shooter and finally a pair of D-Wappers. The bomb holding hand included with Deka Yellow is also present among the selection.

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review UmekoSH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

So what's the one differing accessory from Deka Yellow? Naturally it's something that doesn't even belong to the character! Much like how Deka Yellow came with Blue's "2" gesture for the roll call, Pink comes with the "3" hand for Deka Green. Why the original figures didn't come with these instead of EXACTLY the same hands as Deka Red is anyone's guess, but at least Bandai have put that option out there for those displaying all five members together. (Note: I'm an idiot and didn't use the "3" hand in my picture below, the proper one does it with three fingers and not a thumb)

Once again the License holding hand isn't included, so you'll have to borrow one from the guys if you want Umeko in the "judgement" pose. There's also no Murphy included, as Bandai take misleading promo pictures and Pink was never actually advertised to come with him. Maybe one day Bandai will provide fans with a robotic dog cannon? Only time will tell...

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review Umeko

SH Figuarts Deka Pink Bandai Tamashii Nations Toy Review UmekoSH Figuarts Dekarangers Bandai Tamashii Nations Red Blue Green Yellow Pink

While admittedly I'm slightly biased in thinking that Deka Yellow is the best figure among the five Dekarangers, that's mainly due to both a character and colour preference. The truth is the Deka Pink is every bit as good a figure as Deka Yellow, and one that'll look great alone, with her four teammates or even in a "Girls in Trouble! Dekaranger" display with Yellow. With the way aftermarket prices seem to go on Sentai girls, if you plan to one day buy Deka Pink it might be worth investigating now in case prices shoot up in the near future.

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