Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Final Form Cooler

Release Date: August 2021

RRP: 7700 yen

After purchasing Freeza -Resurrection Ver.- in 2018 I happily retired from the world of Dragon Ball S.H. Figuarts, having bought all the characters I wanted and feeling relatively confident that there wouldn't be any more I wanted. Since then the line has continued trucking on and remained one of Bandai Tamashii Nations' most popular ranges on both sides of the pond - with plenty of releases from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. However outside of the most recent trilogy of releases, the Dragon Ball movies remain an area mostly untouched (classic Broly being an exception, but then his power is maximum). However the announcement of another fan favourite has finally brought me back - S.H. Figuarts Final Form Cooler. The older brother of Freeza, Cooler made his debut in Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge where he arrives on Earth seeking revenge against Goku for his brother's death. Though he is initially able to overwhelm Goku with his secret fifth form, he is ultimately no match for the power of a Super Saiyan. A bio-mechanical version of Cooler known as 'Meta-Cooler' appears in the subsequent film The Return of Cooler, and he has also made appearances in both Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans and Dragon Ball Heroes. S.H. Figuarts Cooler was released in Japan as a Tamashii web exclusive.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Freeza -Resurrection Ver.-

Release Date: April 2018

RRP: 5616 yen

You know that a toy line has hit a high point when it's releasing reissues and renewals of previously released figures alongside a steady string of brand new moulds. That's been the case for the Dragon Ball S.H. Figuarts range for some time now, and now that Dragon Ball Super has finished airing collectors are clamouring for those hard-to-get older releases more than ever. Bandai Tamashii Nations have now answered these cries with the release of S.H. Figuarts Freeza Resurrection Ver., giving the Emperor of the Universe a shiny new paint job along with some new accessories to reflect his appearance in the latest series. Better still is that this new Freeza is also a general retail release, whereas the original final form Freeza and Golden form Freeza figures were Tamashii web exclusive figures.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Nappa

Release Date: August 2017
RRP: 7560 yen

The S.H. Figuarts line is full of prototypes that never saw the light of day and the Dragon Ball line is no exception. The series may have recently hit a sweet spot where new releases are coming in at a better rate, but that doesn’t change the fact that the whereabouts of Kid Buu, Maijin Vegeta, GT Goku and Jaco the Galactic Patrolman are still unknown. But arguably one of the most anticipated among these was Nappa. First appearing way back in 2012, Nappa immediately faded into the unknown until the Dragon Ball line got a new lease on life – and with that Nappa also got a brand new figure. The new and improved S.H. Figuarts Nappa is now on par with the newly released Saiyan Saga Vegeta figure, with Nappa himself released as a Tamashii web exclusive in Japan as well as the usual wider release in the US via Bluefin Tamashii Nations.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Vegeta [2017]

Release Date: July 2017

RRP: 5616 yen

With Dragon Ball Super now over 100 episodes in, it’s fair to say that the Dragon Ball franchise is back in a big way. The same goes for its S.H. Figuarts line too, which has crawled back from the odd web exclusive every so often to a string of regular releases that are both retail and exclusive. August will see the long awaited release of S.H. Figuarts Nappa, with Tienshinhan and Yamcha figures to follow the end of the year. With so many Saiyan Saga-era figures coming, it seems only fitting that there’s also a brand new S.H. Figuarts Vegeta based on his original antagonistic appearance – finally getting the retail release treatment he deserves like the Super Saiyan version did last year.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Perfect Cell -Premium Color Edition-

Unlike retail S.H. Figuarts where the most popular releases might eventually be reissued, Tamashii web exclusives are a one-time deal. If you’re unable to purchase one on release, you’re stuck with the gamble that is aftermarket prices. However the Dragon Ball range has presented Bandai Tamashii Nations with a bit of a conundrum – as despite being made up of mostly web exclusives in Japan they has proved incredibly popular overseas. Fans are clamouring for reissues, so Bandai have come up with the “Premium Color Editions” – slight repaints of previous figures to give the illusion of an all-new figure. The range kicked off last year with new versions of Vegeta and Trunks, with the third now arriving in the form of S.H. Figuarts Perfect Cell – a figure previously released in 2012 and as one of Dragon Ball Z’s most popular characters, long overdue this treatment.

Toybox Review: S.H. Figuarts Super Saiyan Vegeta [2016]

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of Dragon Ball Z collectors selling off their S.H. Figuarts Super Saiyan Vegeta –Premium Color Edition- figures after Bandai Tamashii Nations almost immediately followed its release up with the announcement of a newly improved mould. Unlike the five Vegeta figures that have preceded it, this S.H. Figuarts Super Saiyan Vegeta isn’t an exclusive release and marks the first time the character has been a mass release figure – despite being the secondary lead in the franchise by this point. Using the same new-style body as the recent Super Saiyan Trunks figure, this Vegeta is supposedly based on the ascended version from the Cell Saga but ultimately works as him from any point in the show’s timeline.

Favourites from Tamashii Nations 2016

Last weekend Bandai Tamashii Nations held their annual Tamashii Nations event, and as usual it was packed full of new items from the likes of S.H. Figuarts, S.H. MonsterArts, S.I.C., Super Robot Chogokin, Soul of Chogokin, Hi-Metal R and more. As usual a lot of these items will probably never see release (I’m personally still waiting on the Kikaider REBOOT Figuart from 2014) but it’s always fun to speculate what could be coming soon. Here are my five personal highlights from the event, based on the items which were available for photography and not on display for attendees only.

And as usual, there was absolutely no sign of Kamen Rider Kiva at the event. Because why break tradition?

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Whis

Despite boasting a lot of unreleased prototypes and a bit of a spotty period with few releases, it’s fair to say that Dragon Ball has remained one of the more consistent ranges S.H. Figuarts has on offer. With the arrival of Dragon Ball Super creating renewed interest in the franchise, the line has also experienced something of a renaissance – with new characters, “renewal” figures and premium colour editions all on offer. Earlier this year saw the release of popular new character and God of Destruction Beerus, and no long behind him comes his faithful attendant Whis. Unfortunately unlike his master Whis is a Tamashii web exclusive figure in Japan, but will undoubtedly see more widespread release in the US via Bluefin.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Beerus

Thanks to the likes of the Battle of Gods and Resurrection F movies along with the ongoing Dragon Ball Super series, Akira Toriyama and Toei Animation’s Dragon Ball franchise is back in full swing. And although its successful revival can be attributed to seeing the return of fan favourites such as Goku, Vegeta and Freeza, it’s also thanks to the franchise’s two newest characters – the god of destruction Beerus and his attendant Whis. Since making their debut in Battle of Gods, these characters have more than earned their place among the show’s leads. As such it was only a matter of time before Bandai Tamashii Nations added these two to their S.H. Figuarts line, with Beerus released late March 2016 and Whis set to follow in August. However what’s more surprising is that Beerus was actually a mass release figure, a rarity for Dragon Ball Figuarts in Japan – there had only been four previously, and two of which were Goku!

Toybox REVIEW: Bandai Figmes Dragon Ball Z Minifigures

Ever since LEGO started delving into the world of licensed franchises everybody has something they would like to see the construction toy juggernaut tackle. Unfortunately the wait for Dragon Ball Z themed LEGO has proven rather fruitless, so Bandai have decided to take things into their own hands somewhat with a new candy toy line - Figmes. Whether exactly this is a one-off or a line Bandai has expansive plans with is yet to be seen, but looking at this set they've certainly started things off with a bang. Included in this set are Goku, Vegeta (in both normal and Super Saiyan varieties), Piccolo, Kuririn, Freeza and Cell. If you've ever dreamed of adding the Z Fighters to your LEGO collection, then this is one set of candy toys you won't want to miss out on.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Super Saiyan Vegeta -Premium Color Edition-

One of the biggest problems of the Dragon Ball Z range of S.H. Figuarts is that most of them have been Tamashii web exclusives. This essentially means that most of the cast has been limited to one initial run, and the constant reissuing of the lines few early retail releases (Super Saiyan Goku, Gohan and Piccolo) are enough to make up for this. Characters such as Vegeta and Trunks fetched ludicrous prices on the aftermarket, so Bandai Tamashii Nations decided to get in on the action themselves with new Premium Colour Editions. While basically re-releases of the original figures, they have also been given a more accurate colourscheme to get around the usual “one and done run” of web exclusives. First up is Super Saiyan Vegeta, which was originally released back at the tail end of 2011. Trunks is set to follow in January 2016, with Super Saiyan 3 Goku seen at events and Perfect Cell also rumoured to make an appearance again sometime this year.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Super Saiyan Son Goku Super Warrior Awakening Ver.

The S.H. Figuarts line’s humble beginnings may have started with tokusatsu and the Kamen Rider franchise but as the years gone by it has expanded further and further – delving into both anime and live-action film. Arguably one its most popular anime sub-lines has been the Dragon Ball Z range, which despite being mostly limited to Tamashii web exclusives in Japan has proven to be a huge success in the West and constantly has new prototypes appearing at events. With Dragon Ball back in the hearts and minds of Japanese viewers full-swing thanks to the recent movies and Dragon Ball Super series, Bandai Tamashii Nations have released their first mass release Dragon Ball figure in since 2010 with Super Saiyan Goku Super Warrior Awakening Version. This figure is based on Goku’s climactic battle with Freeza on Planet Namek when he first tapped into his Super Saiyan abilities.