My Shiny Toy Robots

Bandai Tamashii Nations ’ journey into the colourful world of Nintendo ’s flagship franchise continues with the arrival of S.H. Figuarts Bowser ! Primary antagonist and star of the Super Mario series since the very beginning, the King of the Koopas is perhaps one of the more radical entries in the Figuarts line thanks to his inhuman design and proportions. While some collectors out there may think Bowser is more suited to the S.H. MonsterArts line, his cartoonish design would have been a major clash there and so really he fits perfectly under the Figuarts banner. Like the Fire Flower Mario and recent diorama sets, Bowser is a Tamashii web exclusive figure.

It’s baffling how it’s taken them so long to realise it, but recently Nintendo have really gotten wise to the fact that people want toys of their various gaming properties. All of a sudden Nintendo figures have started popping up everywhere, from both various Japanese manufacturers and the World of Nintendo line here in the West. But while Good Smile Company seem content tackling the major players from the likes of Zelda , Metroid , Kid Icarus and Fire Emblem , it’s Bandai Tamashii Nations that are covering everyone’s favourite series about a plumber that never actually does any plumbing. After the successful release of Mario , Luigi and a number of accessory sets, S.H. Figuarts in now turning its attention toward the wider Super Mario cast. And even though there was plenty of different places for Bandai to start, it probably comes as no surprise that next up would be Yoshi – the brothers’ long-tongued, egg-throwing dinosaur buddy that first appeared in Super Mario World ...

When Bandai's D-Arts line was suddenly stopped and integrated in the much more established S.H. Figuarts line, it didn't seem like very much would change outside of the name slapped on the box. However the inclusion of video game stars in the line has naturally widened the spectrum of interest in Figuarts even further, with Bandai immediately announcing none other than Mario as the first video game figure in the line. Can you get any bigger than the Nintendo mascot? Not only that, but after an endless amount of detailed but completely static figurines, it's exciting to see just what the Italian plumber can do with a fair bit of articulation on him. Let's a go!