Toybox REVIEW: THE GATTAI Gattai Ryujin DX Dynazenon

Release Date: May 2021, October 2021 (Reissue)

RRP: 22,000 yen

As beloved as SSSS.Gridman was by anime and tokusatsu fans alike, there's one thing that we can agree that wasn't so successful - the toys. Whether it was the price or quality control issues, the anime successor to Hyper Agent Gridman seemed to draw the short straw when it came the perfect version of Full Power Gridman - with the DX offering from Good Smile Company being the most notorious of all. So when sequel series SSSS.Dynazenon was announced by Studio Trigger and Tsuburaya Productions, naturally collectors feared the worst when it come to get a nice big combining figure of this impressive super robot. However it looks as though Good Smile learned from previous mistakes, even teaming up with popular high-end toy company Sentinel (who've released more than their fair share of incredible robot toys) to produce THE GATTAI Gateau Ryujin DX Dynazenon. Though originally announced as a standard DX release, prior to its release Dynazenon was adopted into THE GATTAI - a new range from Good Smile focusing specifically on high-end combining robots. Somewhere both Gridman and Dynazenon would feel right at home.

THE GATTAI Gattai Ryujin DX Dynazenon comes in a lavish two-part box designed exactly the same way as GSC's Full Power Gridman release, with artwork clearly designed as a loving homage to the DX mecha toys of the 1990s. The top side of the box features a gorgeous CGI image of the combined Dynazenon, with each of the sides giving you a breakdown of the parts included - one for each of the four components, and the other looking at their individual combinations with Dynasoldier and Dynazenon's Full Burst mode. On the underside it's Dynarex's turn to get that wonderful artwork, as well as a further look at Dynazenon's various features and articulation.Open the box up and you'll be pleased to find there's no model kit style assembly or stickers involved in this release - just fully painted components neatly resting in that plastic tray. Inside the plastic bag containing the display base you'll also find a very thorough instruction booklet that covers all of the various combinations and features.

The special display pedestal is quite reminiscent of the ones included with rival line Soul of Chogokin from Bandai Tamashii Nations. This large black base sports numerous holes in which to plug in the included articulated stand piece, as well as a Dynazenon name card on the front in suitably flashy gold lettering. On the underside of the base you'll also find a number of lettered display stand pieces, each one designed to fit a certain component of combination of Dynazenon. Proving different pieces depending on what part is being displayed is already clever enough, but simple parts storage options like these are always wonderful as well.

The central component of Dynazenon is Dynasoldier, a small humanoid-shaped dinosaur mecha piloted by Yomogi Asanaka (and on occasion Chise Asukagawa). Dynasoldier is the same height as the base Gridman figure included in the DX Full Power set, but the difference between them is like night and day. As nicely painted and detailed as Gridman was, he ultimately felt like the means to an end - basically constructed with screwholes covering the back of his body because its main function was to hold all the parts together in combination. In comparison Dynasoldier feels like a far "fuller" figure - with much sturdier construction and loaded with detailing and paint apps. Though the plastic has that same lightweight ABS feel the Full Power set had the chunkier parts make it feel much less fragile, with that glossy finish giving it the perfect anime-esque shine.

Dynasoldier continues to impress when it comes to articulation as well, sporting the following;

- Rotating head

- Ball jointed shoulders, hips and ankles

- Hinged jaw, neck, elbows, claws (fingers and toes) and knees

- Bicep, wrist and thigh swivels

On paper admittedly that isn't all that much more than that base form Gridman had (though the bicep swivels and articulated hands make a HUGE difference), but once again it's the overall execution of the product that makes the difference. In the grand scheme of things Dynasoldier is mainly the central component of a larger set but the overall quality and poseability of it make it something that could have easily been a release on its own. Naturally you'd expect the completed Dynazenon to have much less articulation since its a combination of various parts, but here they've made sure you get a highly articulated little figure as well to get a full range of expression out of the set. Yes it lacks a waist joint, but between all the movement in the neck, arms and legs there's more than enough to offset it. Honestly if GSC were to offer Dynasoldier on its own (outside an expensive Blu-Ray exclusive recolour that is), I'd probably buy another one to pose alongside the full package.

The second vehicle in the set is Dynawing, a jet fighter piloted by Yume Minami. It's design is similar to that of a stealth bomber or craft, with a central cockpit area and two wings widely outstretching on either side. These wings are hinged both where they connect to the cockpit and at the middle, with them taking a W shape when in flight. While a nicely-made piece that looks great in mid-air poses, it's worth noting that this is where some of the similarities to Full Power Gridman are more prevalent. While not particularly fragile by any stretch of the imagination, the thin ABS construction of the wings isn't the most sturdiest of things. There's a stiffness to the hinges that makes them feel more brittle than they probably area, and it doesn't feel like a stretch to say that the plastic could stress or even snap if you aren't careful. But if you're cautious when playing with and transforming it you'll probably be fine, and to be honest that's exactly what you should be when messing with a toy this expensive anyway.

In addition to all four components being able to combine together into Dynazenon, each of the vehicles is also able to combine with Dynasoldier individually to create their own smaller combinations. This starts with Dynasoldier Dynawing Combine, which is pretty much exactly what you'd expect it to be - Dynasoldier with wings. A pretty impressive wingspan though, and the combination does have a little more to it than simply pegging Dynawing onto Dynasoldier's back (flipping the shins around is a curious little cosmetic addition but I like it nonetheless). With the adapter piece for this combination you can get some really great flight poses out of this little figure, and the combination works just as well here as Yomogi and Yume do onscreen.

The third component is Dynastriker, a formula-1 style race car piloted by Koyomi Yamanaka. Though there are a few touches in the design that hint at what it becomes in the larger combination (such as the obviously finger-shaped bumper), it's a really nice design that works well as a vehicle on its own as well. As far as functionality goes it's main feature is the four free-rolling wheels that allow it to glide across surfaces just like any other toy car. Despite its ability to split in half directly down the middle as part of its transformation, the two pieces how together well and the seam line isn't too obvious when connected. Much like Dynawing's wing pieces, be careful with the spoiler pieces on the back as they're also quite thin and could easily be prone to stressing.

Dynasoldier Dynastriker Combine is a combination that has some similarities to Max Gridman, in that it sees the central component suddenly gain two massive arms. In Dynasoldier's case these arms are more for shooting though, giving it a huge array of weaponry to launch a massive ranged attack. Forming this combination simply requires folding Dynasoldier's arms up and clipping them inside the two halves of Dynastriker. From there the hands also fold inwards so that the fins underneath are facing the front. It's a simple combination both in design and execution, but shows off its purpose really well even without a selection of effect parts to convey it further. Having giant arms doesn't negatively affect Dynasoldier's balance either thanks to its excellent articulation, though an adapter piece for the stand is on hand if you are having any trouble with it.

Dynadiver is the final piece in the set, a chunky military-like submarine piloted by Gauma. While on face value it might look to be the least interesting of the four machines, it actually has the most interesting gimmick of all. Pulling forward the two switches on the sides of the submarine will lead to them winding pack, popping open each of the ten missile hatches as it moves along. As if having opening missile hatches wasn't cool enough, having them open in succession as they would on a real submarine is some really nice attention to detail. Even if the rest if it is just a solid chunk of plastic in this mode, that gimmick alone is enough to sell it as a particularly special piece.

Not all combinations can be winners, and in the case of this set it's Dynasoldier Dynadiver Combine that's drawn the short straw. Rather than properly transform into something new or interesting like the previous combinations have, here Dynasoldier simply lays on top of Dynadiver and grips onto the two gold handles that raise up out of either side. On the show it makes sense as it's simply a means for Dynasoldier to travel across water, but as a toy it really doesn't have a whole lot to offer and as such is easily the weakest aspect of the entire set. The show accuracy means its hardly the fault of the toy though, and while you might put these two together at least once just to see how it looks it's unlikely to be a combination that's revisited multiple times...or even at all.

Bring the four components and it's time to get combining! When fully formed Dynazenon has a very clean silhouette, so getting to that point through all the various transformation steps is particularly interesting. Dynasoldier practically folds up into cube, which all the parts attaching on while the legs fold up and rest against the back. For those who bought Full Power Gridman some elements will seem very similar (such as the way the arms are formed by plugging Dynasoldier's into the Dynastriker halves), but the main difference here is that everything is actually sturdy here. When parts plug into each other, they will stay together and for the most part no matter of posing will result in them all just dropping off like they did with the previous release. Arguably some parts plug together a little too well - when taking it all apart following this gallery unplugging Dynsoldier from Dynadiver proved to be extremely difficult, and without proper care could easily break. Definitely something to keep in mind despite the sturdiness of the transformation being a huge step up from the previous release, especially since certain areas of the toy feel like they could be easily prone to stress marks or breakage.

When everything is clicked properly into place, Dynazenon is formed (cue the angelic chanting)! Perhaps the main difference to note between this and Full Power Gridman is just how clean Dynazenon looks. Whereas Full Power Gridman is an impressive looking mash up of parts, Dynazenon is a clean looking robot where everything has clearly fitted into place. Its design is far more reminiscent of both the original Gridman combinations and classic super robots in general, right down to its more coherent colour scheme and classic-styled face sculpt/design. Not only does it have the weight that you'd expect a 22,000 yen figure to have, but everything holds together as it should and you're able to pick the completed robot up without worrying about it falling apart. It's the perfect combination of a bricky combining robot toy and a high-end collectors piece, which is exactly what Good Smile should have been doing with their Gridman releases from the start.

As if combining the DX Full Power Gridman wasn't fiddly enough, once you'd manage to piece the thing together you'd quickly discover that poseability isn't its strong suit either. What little articulation the set had was either nullified by the combination, or using it to any great effect would immediately result in pieces falling off easily. Thankfully this certainly isn't the case with Dynazenon, and this is undoubtedly the main area that Sentinel brought their expertise to the release. Altogether Dynazenon includes;

- Rotating head

- Ball jointed shoulders, skirt pieces, hips and ankles

- Single hinge neck and elbows

- Double hinge ratchet joint knees

- Wrist swivels

That small list is considerably more than Full Power Gridman had, and the fact the combination stays together perfectly whilst using them further highlights the difference in quality and execution between the two sets. Thanks to those ball jointed hips and wonderfully clicky ratchet joints the robot is even able to assume a kneeling pose (which I foolishly forgot to photograph, but check out GSC's promo pics if you want to see it in action). Admittedly the lack of a waist joint does limit just action-y your poses can get, but nevertheless Dynazenon is still able to look fairly dynamic with just a minimal amount of movement. Ball jointed ankles are an absolute godsend for keeping balance, but if you are worried about this thing ever toppling then GSC have got you covered with a stand adapter designed specifically for this combination.

The set even includes a number of accessories! Also included are two pairs of alternate hands (one fixed open pair and a set of fists with hinged finger sections) as well as two translucent green plastic dyna blades that can clip onto the fin pieces attached to the hand. You can pose the energy blades facing forwards, or pose them jutting downwards out of the bottom of the fists. The dyna blade pieces are great, but it's the range of hands that really make the difference here - giving Dynazenon a selection of different looks that elevate it above the standard expectations of a DX toy. Of course if you aren't into swords then you also have the option of posing Dynazenon in its Full Burst mode, flipping out the tires on Dynastriker ala the Dynasoldier combination, flipping the cannons over the back wings and opening the ten missile pods running down the legs. Here Dynazenon unleashes the full potential of its fire power, looking just as impressive here as it does if you were making use of the articulation instead. Truly the best of both worlds.

But if that isn't enough then there's still one more combination to go, and given it's use as mostly a finishing attack perhaps it's even stronger than Dynazenon - Dynarex! This alternate combination reshapes the components into a massive dragon, complete with a massive jaw, claws and a wingspan that could barely fit into my light box. Changing the set from Dynazenon into Dynarex isn't just a straightforward combination and requires separating all of the components first, again folding up Dynasoldier in some pretty interesting ways. Some aspects are a little fiddly, but overall it's another stable combination where everything clicks into place well. The only exception to that is perhaps the tail, which isn't just awkward to firmly click into place but also has a habit of trying to separate as you're doing so. But you can't really argue with the results because this thing is an absolute beast.

Take one good look at Dynarex and you're probably wondering "how the hell do you pose that monstrosity?", but even in this mode the parts all still hold together well with plenty of articulation points between them. In addition to all the joints brought about by the transformation/combination Dynarex also features;

- Hinged jaw, neck, elbows, claws (fingers and toes) and tail mid-section

- Ball jointed shoulders, wrists, hips and ankles

- Double hinged ratchet joint knees

- Bicep swivels

While the articulation is all technically still there the big problem here is balancing, as despite having those huge feet Dynarex can have some trouble staying upright on its own without careful positioning. The massive car tail certainly helps give the piece balance, but overall it's much safer to use the designated stand port for this mode which slots straight into the underside of Dynastriker. As fun as those ratchet joint knees can be fully extended like this the legs can be a little awkward to pose in anything other than a neutral position, not just because of the size/balancing concerns but also just the fear of all the parts clashing into one another. Really all the personality comes from the upper body, with plenty of unrestricted arm movement as well as that massive jaw which really brings the whole combination to life. Combine that with a massive wingspan and those giant cannons attached to said wings and you've got yourself a really impressive mode here that looks just as good posed as the default Dynazenon robot.

You only need to take a look at the pictures in this fairly lengthy review to see that THE GATTAI Gattai Ryuijin DX Dynazenon is everything that DX Full Power Gridman should have been. This high-quality set doesn't just put out an impressive robot toy - it puts four impressive components with their own (mostly) interesting little combinations as well as two extremely good-looking complete combinations. Combined with the improved quality, articulation and accessories this is everything Dynazenon fans could ever want. Though it comes with a pretty high price tag (through all the comparisons it's worth noting that the RRP is 7000 yen more than Full Power Gridman), but you're paying for a Sentinel-quality toy here and it really shows. It's great that there's also a Moderoid version for those who simply can't justify spending 22,000 yen on a single figure, but if you are willing to spend that extra bit of money then you won't be disappointed.