Wednesday, 31 July 2013

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who 3.75" Scale Cyberman (Season 7 Ver.)

Doctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" Scale

I'm still not quite over Character Options' decision to change the new series Doctor Who figure scale from 5" to 3.75", but I'm getting there slowly. From a business point of view it makes perfect sense, but certain areas of my collection are now going to feel strange - particularly my Cyberman display. After amassing a collection of 5" Cybermen through the ages, the latest incarnation from Nightmare in Silver is a bit short standing next to its predecessors. But that aside, is it a good figure?


Doctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" ScaleDoctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" Scale

There's nothing particularly unique about the Cyberman's packaging, as its a uniform card for each figure in the wave. The front features a picture of the TARDIS and the time vortex, while the back features images of the latest Who figures on the shelves. The Cyberman also comes with a single accessory - the stand included with every other figure with the exception of the Dalek.

Doctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" Scale

Doctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" ScaleDoctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" Scale

Out of the package we have a bog-standard Cyberman, completely devoid of any weapons. There are two variants among this wave - one with an arm-mounted blaster and another with the blue chest piece lit to show the Cyberman is active, but both are considerably rare and limited edition. Despite it's short size, I'm extremely impressed with the level of sculpt detail on this guy - so much that I would consider it one of the most detailed Doctor Who figures so far. It may only be one colour, but every bit of metal panelling detail is sculpted in and the figure has been given a black wash to make it all stand out. Nightmare in Silver never really stopped to let us have a good look at this new model of Cyberman, so to see the sculpted spinal cord in all its glory is a first.

Doctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" Scale

Doctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" ScaleDoctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" Scale

But despite all it's sculpted glory, the Cyberman falls into the same level of mediocrity as every other Who figure when it comes to articulation. There are a few ball joints on the figure - in the shoulders, thighs and possibly head (I say this because it can achieve a little up/down motion as well as left/right), with the rest being taken up by standard hinges. There's even a little articulation in the ankles! However despite this impressive array of joints, the Cyberman's armoured build means it can't really make the most of it all. Cybermen aren't exactly the most articulate of creatures, but a little more variety in posing would have been nice.

Doctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" ScaleDoctor Who Season 7 Cyberman Character Options Nightmare in Silver 3.75" Scale

There's no denying that out of the three 3.75" scale Doctor Who figures I've bought that the Cyberman is hands down the best one, but even then it isn't quite a perfect figure...and for once I'm not harping on about the size. The blue-chest variant should have arguably been the standard release as that represents an "active" Cyberman, and the limited articulation is especially noticeable when there are no accessories to fall back on. Still, this is definitely a figure worth getting for the sculpt alone, and if ANY season 7 figure deserves a 5" version in the near future it's this one.

Sunday, 28 July 2013

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Warz Gil

SH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive Bandai

Villains are a bit of a rarity in the S.H. Figuarts line, particularly when it comes to Super Sentai. We've had plenty of heroes, but so far the only villains have been Juuzo from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger and Basco/Sally from Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. Due to Gokaiger's seemingly relentless popularity, we've just got another villain from the show - and the main one at that. Zangyack Prince Warz Gil was released as a Tamashii Web Exclusive back at the end of June, commanding a slightly higher price than the usual exclusive - 3990 yen rather than the usual 3675.

SH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive Bandai

SH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive BandaiSH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive Bandai

Like Basco, Warz Gil comes oddly packaged in a non-window box. With Basco it felt a little more understandable since it was a bigger box since he also came with Sally, but here it seems more like just to keep a trend going with the Gokaiger villains. Still, the box itself does look rather nice with the cosmic/royal blue colouring and Zangyack logos. The back features the figure in a (very limited) range of poses, and inside is a single tray for Warz and his (even more limited) accessories.

SH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive Bandai

SH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive BandaiSH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive Bandai

Well if Bandai have done something right with Warz Gil, it's that they've absolutely NAILED the sculpt and finish of the figure. I imagine that the slightly higher pricetag is due to the level of detail on Warz' flamboyant get up, and no cost has been spared on his shoulder pads, headgear, cape and tail pieces. The colours are a beautiful combination of white, gold silver and metallic blue.

With the positives out of the way, sadly the review must now move on to what's going to be a string of negatives. Thanks to Warz Gil's fabulous getup, the articulation is severely limited (even though there are joints in all the usual places for a Figuart). The shoulder pads get in the way so much that you can't really get any more than an "arms face forward" pose out of him. Same goes for the hips, even though they feature the trademark Figuart swing-down joint system. Getting any form of dynamic posing out of Warz without the aid of a stand is near impossible, thanks to a combination of the weight of his own flamboyance and some rather loose toe joints.

SH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive Bandai

SH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive BandaiSH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive Bandai

This is the part where I'd usually talk about all the wonderful accessories the figure comes with, only with Warz Gil it's not going to be a particularly long paragraph. The Zangyack Prince comes with a grand total of...5 hands. Yep, closed fists, open hands and a pointing right hand - that's it, nothing else. While there isn't really a great deal of other things Warz Gil could have come with outside of things he might have picked up for 10 seconds in certain episodes the accessory count is still INCREDIBLY poor. Given the pretty severe balancing issues the figure has, a personalised Tamashii stage would have not only been ideal but it might have made his slightly higher price tag a little easier to swallow.

It's also worth mentioning that the tassles are easily removable (as can be seen in the pictures), and are worth taking off if you actually want to SEE the figure's hands. Why Bandai included rigid tassles and not ones that look like they've been affected by gravity is beyond me.

SH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive Bandai

SH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive BandaiSH Figuarts Warz Gil Zangyack Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger Super Sentai Tamashii Web Exclusive Bandai

To put it short, Warz Gil is a Figuart for Gokaiger completists only. The sculpt is undoubtedly beautiful, but all that means nothing when the whole appeal of buying a Figuart is for the poseability. There's a perfectly good Warz Gil statue out there that's roughly in scale with the Gokaiger Figuarts, and that is in more dynamic pose than this thing can manage.

My love for all things Gokaiger means I'm giving this a 3, but for anyone else I'd say this is a 2 out of 5 figure quite easily.

Wednesday, 17 July 2013

First Impressions: Ultraman Ginga

Ultraman Ginga

With Akibaranger done once again I've found myself with one less weekly series to watch, and decided to pick up something new. While I've always been aware of Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra Series and Ultraman, it's only recently something I've become interested in watching. While I'm currently watching Ultraman Nexus as part of TokuNation.com's "Let's Watch Wednesday", the arrival of the 50th anniversary Ultra Hero has also sparked my interest. Welcome to Ultraman Ginga...

All of the existing Ultramen and monsters have been turned into Spark Dolls (small vinyl toys) by an unknown evil force and scattered across Earth. A young man named Hikaru Raidou is told by the Ultraman Taro spark doll that he is the chosen one, and will be able to return the Ultramen to their original forms using an item known as the Ginga Spark. However the spark also gives Hikaru the power to turn into Ultraman Ginga, as well as become one with previous monsters and Ultramen.

What I think I enjoy the most about Japanese tokusatsu anniversary celebrations of this kind is that while they go to great lengths to tribute everything that's come before it, they still make them easily accessible to newcomers as potentially a great starting off point for the franchise. Gokaiger and, to a lesser extent, Kamen Rider Decade were the same. There's plenty to keep long-time Ultra fans satisfied - such as the appearance of Ultraman Taro and a number of classic monsters, but not to the point where anything isn't understandable for newbies like me.

Like I said earlier, my current experience with the Ultra Series simply extends to Ultraman Nexus (and the Ultraman: The Next movie), which is a pretty gritty show. Ultraman Ginga can't really do that since its gimmick is essentially based around talking vinyl toys, so instead makes the wise choice of being an incredibly fun series. The episode is incredibly silly, but never stops being fun and at the same time has an obvious story no matter how wacky it is. Then when we finally get around to the debut of Ultraman Ginga it's everything that makes the Ultra Series unique - wonderful miniature work, beautifully retro costume design and all-out monster brawling.

I couldn't be more happy with the first episode of Ultraman Ginga. It's a fun, light-hearted look back at a franchise that doesn't get enough love from Western toku audiences as well as providing something new and exciting. I honestly can't wait for more.

Tuesday, 16 July 2013

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

Despite other buyers complaining about his floppy waist and driver that just didn't want to stay on, I loved my Kamen Rider Wizard Flame Style figure. Since I'm not one to collect multiple Rider forms (at least not yet anyway), the multitude of different Wizard styles didn't interest me and I eagerly awaited the release of S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast in June. Well June has now past, and Beast is here in all his mayonaise covered ancient wizard glory. Here is the review.

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard BandaiSH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

Much like with the other Kamen Rider Wizard Figuarts, Bandai have really gone to town on the Beast packaging. Overlaying the dirty gold colour is a Kamen Rider Beast magic circle, which features his various mantle animals (Lion, Dolphin, Chameleon and Buffalo), as well as the Beast Symbol and a picture of the figure itself. The colourscheme isn't quite as striking as Flame Style's black and red combo, but the back of the box looks much nicer than the boxed off silver they used for Wizard. Open him up to reveal the single accessory tray, which again uses the smaller cover like fellow June releases Dragonranger and Super Akiba Red.

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard BandaiSH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

Kamen Rider Beast is a much more traditional Rider design than Wizard, sharing similar traits with a few Riders of past years. Some people are quick to shrug him off as a OOO LaToraTah rip-off, but I think there are more than enough elements to differentiate the two lion-themed Riders. However he does have a similar asymmetrical-shoulder look to last year's Kamen Rider Meteor (though its a lot more toned down here). But who influences what is irrelevant, because Beast's predominately black body with gold decoration looks absolutely glorious. The level of detail is among Figuarts' best - the driver, the lion shoulderpad and the helmet (with its beautiful green compound eyes) being the obvious highlights.

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard BandaiSH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

Sadly the driver is fixed in position, so it does feel a little cumbersome when playing about with the figure in the waist area. I wasn't really expecting it to be hinged (after all its only closed when Nitou is untransformed), and upon reflection that would probably just cause more awkwardness and/or breakage. At least here it's firm. Proportionally he's a step above Wizard Flame Style, but there is a noticeable lack of an abdomen. Well, the abdomen is there, but in comparison to this picture you can see that the Driver is probably covering a lot more than it should. Don't let this put you off though, because it doesn't really affect the articulation in any noticeable way.

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard BandaiSH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

Even though the Beast Mantles are being released as a Tamashii Web Exclusive (probably the only factor that truly lets this figure down), Bandai have done a decent job of packing the figure with a good load of accessories. In total there's 17 alternate hands, the Dice Saber (with swappable blades and six dice) and finally a bottle of mayonnaise. The Dice Saber parts are really easy to swap out, and the dial on it even spins! However my favourite accessories have to be the "thanks for the meal" hands and the mayonnaise bottle - the latter is particularly special because he never has a bottle like that with him transformed in the series, just in the stage shows. That's a really nice touch.

The only other real disappointment is the lack of a signature Tamashii stand, which is only because all of Wizard's form thus far have come with their own. Most Figuarts don't come with their own stands so I don't feel TOO cheated by it, but it would have been nice for the nice little bonus to stretch across the rest of the characters too. There is a Beast stand available, but it was released as part of Tamashii Nations' 5th Anniversary Rider celebration and so was randomly packed with orders from online stores. The Beast stand edition sold out before I could get to it so I settled for a W stand.

SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard BandaiSH Figuarts Kamen Rider Beast Kosuke Nitoh Wizard Bandai

After four amazing Figuarts in a row, I was bit worried about opening Kamen Rider Beast simply because I didn't want to break the chain. Thankfully that wasn't the case - though perhaps not as visually striking as a Kamen Rider Wizard style, Beast is overall a much more solid and stable figure, fun to pose and brilliantly sculpted. However it's incredibly disappointing that the mantles have been made a web exclusive accessory (Wizard can come with an alternate robe but Beast can't have at least one mantle?) and combine that with the minor gripe of no stand (despite it not being a usual complaint) is enough to make me knock it down a mark. It's a great figure and by no means requires the mantles, but after so much was packed in with Flame Style its a bit difficult to go back to release that's missing a few things.

Monday, 15 July 2013

First Impressions: Gatchaman Crowds


The last anime I plan to follow through the summer season is Gatchaman Crowds, a new sequelto /reimaginging/show based on the classic 1972 series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (also known as Battle of the Planets or G-Force in the West) from Tatsunoko. With such a big reputation behind Gatchaman, anticipation was running rather high for this series. But did the first episode deliver?

In this first episode we are introduced to our main character, 16-year old highschool girl Hajime Ichinose. Chosen to become the latest member of the Gatchaman Crew (or G-Crew for short), she is quickly introduced to the rest of the team, including serious samurai boy Sugane, the quiet Jō, effeminate male O.D., bikini-clad lolicon Utsu-tsu and their leader - panda-like alien Paiman. The Gatchaman's mission is to protect the Earth from alien attacks, primarily from identities known as MESS. Using special notebooks called NOTEs, the G-Crew are able to transform into armoured fighters, using an "amnesia effect" to make sure no innocent people know of the alien attacks.

This first episode moved at a very frantic pace, with Hajime gaining her Gatchaman powers (although we don't see them manifest until the very end) before she's even had a proper introduction. Her guided tour of the G-Crew base infodumps the team introductions and what exactly they do, and before you know it the episode is over. Things are happening at breakneck speed, and you can't help feel that this might be a lot easier to take in if they took a minute to just slow things down. However one thing I will say is this is VERY inkeeping with Hajime's rather hyperactive nature.

And while the art style is by no means awful, it is a little on the strange side. Hajime's weird proportions aside (I can't tell if she has huge breasts/hips or the clothes are just drawn baggy), everyone's eyes are very disconcerting. The eyes are very sketchily drawn, but the vivid colours make it feel like they are staring into your soul - particularly in Sugane's case. The Gatchaman suit designs have "TOY" written all over them (I'm expecting Figuarts but we'll see), with quite busy designs and brought to life with CGI animation.

I can't honestly say I was expecting Gatchaman Crowds to be like its 70s counterpart but I was at least expecting it to feel a bit more similar. My knowledge of Ninja Science Team Gatchaman is admittedly hazy, but this felt less like a successor and more like a show quite shamelessly trying to cash in on the success of Tiger & Bunny. The only obstacle is that Tiger & Bunny was a REALLY good show, so Crowds is going to have to do a lot better than this first episode to be considered a worthy comparison.

Thursday, 11 July 2013

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Dragon Ranger

SH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai Tommy

The Super Sentai S.H. Figuarts were always going to popular to both Japanese and Western audiences because they also double as high-end Power Rangers figures, but this is the point where things are going to start getting really interesting. As usual the Akibaranger merchandising onslaught has brought about a selection of official heroes, the first release being Dragon Ranger from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger. While in Zyuranger Burai is an excellent character and extremely notable for being the first full-time sixth ranger, Western fans are also champing at the bit for this one because the suit also represents the original Green Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Whether this figure will represent Tommy or Burai to you, here is the review!


SH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai TommySH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai Tommy

Dragon Ranger comes in a rather fetching box, which certainly evokes the ancient/fantasy Zyuranger aesthetic. In fact, I'd say it does that so well the the boxes advertising the Akibaranger parts on the back look a little out of place with their colourful logos. One thing I noticed here (and forgot to mention with Super Akiba Red) is that the top tray that holds everything in is now much smaller, just popping on like a lid rather than wrapping around the whole bottom tray.

SH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai Tommy

SH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai TommySH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai Tommy

So here he is, the original sixth ranger whichever franchise you're looking at (no, X-1 Mask of Maskman does not count in this circumstance). The first thing I should probably address is the Dragon shield, which is removable...kind of. There are various pictures floating around the internet of the shield removed, but from what I can gather it takes a bit of prying and leaves an exposed screw hole so it wasn't really INTENDED for it (after all, how would they sell the Armoured Tyranno Ranger figure then?). Plus the armbands don't come off anyway so transferring it to another figure would only be half complete.

There's still no arm swivel (I guess the Gokaigers only had that for Gokai Red's crossed arm piece) but the sculpt is every bit as good as the best of Sentai figuarts (such as Red Hawk). The shield only really gets in the way of posing the arms straight up, but also helps mask how unseemly the shoulder joints can get if they aren't rotated properly. The only slight misstep is the cut in the gloves that's a result of the elbow joints, but I suppose that was pretty unavoidable without changing the body in a big way.

SH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai TommySH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai Tommy

Dragon Ranger's accessory count includes 10 swappable hands, the Zyusouken (or Dragon Dagger for you Power Rangers fans) and the Demon Sword Hellfried (Sword of Darkness), which was used while Dragon Ranger fought against the Zyurangers/Tommy was under Rita's spell. So while there isn't a whole load of accessories here, including Hellfried is an excellent touch (after all if was only in a few episodes) as it means Dragon Ranger can be posed in his "evil" persona as well as a hero.

I won't deny the posing Dragon Ranger playing the Zyusouken like on the box is a somewhat tricky task, but it's not nearly as impossible as you might read some claim on the internet. It takes a lot of balancing, but the tip of the handle is able to fit reasonably firmly into the right hand and then the left stretch around the touch the buttons. It may take a little bit of fiddling around with, but it's certainly doable.

SH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai Tommy

SH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai TommySH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Green Ranger Zyuranger Power Rangers Burai Tommy

Dragon Ranger also comes with bonus Akibaranger parts (not included in the Bluefin Power Rangers release), however they take a slightly different form to the inordinate powers included with the season one guest stars. With the Dairangers and Zyurangers taking on different personas in the delusion world, accessories to recreate these have been included and the powers left to come with the season two versions of Akiba Blue and Yellow. So here we have the star spangled banner neck and belt pieces, turning Dragon Ranger into his gloriously macho "Powerful Rangers" counterpart, ready to speak in a hilarious English accent and hit on Malshina at a moment's notice.

SH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Zyuranger Akibaranger Powerful RangersSH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Zyuranger Akibaranger Powerful Rangers

SH Figuarts Dragon Ranger Zyuranger Akibaranger Powerful Rangers

While I fully acknowledge this figure is a big deal, I wasn't expecting to be completely blown away by it. I was pretty underwhelmed by Zyuranger on the whole (although Burai was the best character undoubtedly) and despite being a big fan of MMPR I never understood the fuss about the Green Ranger. However holding this figure in my hands turned out to be a completely different experience. Ignoring the nostalgia I was overcome with, Dragon Ranger is an example of how the Super Sentai Figuarts are continuing to improve and that even if they don't come with many accessories (even though he pretty much has EVERYTHING he needs), they can still be fantastically good toys regardless. I expect the sale of Dragon Ranger is going be HUGE so things could go either way - the popularity could mean there will be plenty in supply (especially with a "proper" Western release too), or he could sell out (unlikely because Sentai Figuarts rarely do, but we'll see). Whatever happens, this is pretty much an essential purchase for any Super Sentai and Power Rangers fan, or even any 90s kid who wants to add a fantastic piece of nostalgia to their toy collection.