Toybox REVIEW: BUZZmod Yoko

Release Date: June 2024

RRP: 10,909 yen

Aniplex have been making quite a name for themselves in the world of articulated anime figures with their BUZZmod line, especially last year when they did what no other company has done for the last 15 years and made a poseable Kamina figure. But of course you can't just start making Gurren Lagann figures and then stop at one, so in 2024 they've followed it up with BUZZmod Yoko. Arguably the poster child for Gurren Lagann when it comes to character merchandise, Yoko was the obvious next step when it came to expanding the range – and hopefully it won't stop there.

Toybox REVIEW: BUZZmod Kamina

Release Date: July 2023

RRP: 11000 yen

2022 marked the 15th anniversary of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and as one of the most popular mecha series to have been released in the past few decades there was no way figure companies weren't going to mark the occasion. But while there was the predictable onslaught of high-end versions of the titular mecha, Aniplex's still relatively new BUZZmod line went in a different direction and did something fans have been waiting years for. Articulated figures of the mecha are commonplace, but the cast themselves? That's much rarer. After 15 years, one of the show's most unforgettable characters has finally received an articulated action figure in the form of BUZZmod Kamina. As an Aniplex exclusive release, the figure could only be ordered through their official webstore (in both Japan and the US) – and of course any middleman service supplying it through them.

Toybox REVIEW: THE GATTAI Infinite Combining Gurren Dan Lagann

Release Date: December 2022

RRP: 24000 yen

2022 marked the 15th anniversary of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, and as one might expect the popular Gainax series received plenty of new merchandise in celebration. While a lot of these announcements were certainly nothing to scoff at (a new transforming Riobot version from Sentinel, a long overdue articulated Kamina figure from BUZZmod), it was Good Smile Company that truly thought out of the box to mark the occasion. Teaming up with the production staff behind the series (including director Hiroyuki Imaishi) they came up with THE GATTAI Infinite Combining Gurren Dan Lagann – a brand new combination that incorporates nine mecha from Team Dai Gurren. Raw raw, fight the power.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Simon

Release Date: May 2019

RRP: 5093 yen

Where the mighty Kamina goes, his bro is sure to follow. Good Smile Company continue their launch of new Gurren Lagann merchandise with the release of Nendoroid Simon, following on from Kamima's long-awaited debut in the line at the end of last year. With his release GSC have finally at the very least completed the core trio of the acclaimed Gainax series, with Nendoroid Yoko having come out all the way back in 2009. Speaking as an unashamed Nia fan Good Smile still have plenty left to do, but at the very least it's amazing to see not only the show getting some love 12 years after its release but also seeing the characters finally get figures they deserved long ago.

Toybox REVIEW: Moderoid Gurren Lagann

Release Date: May 2019

RRP: 3981 yen

Why exactly it's taken Good Smile Company to properly jump on the Gurren Lagann bandwagon is uncertain, but for fans of Gainax's love letter to all things super robot now is a pretty good time when it comes to merchandising. GSC have reignited the franchise with new statues and Nendoroid figures, but on the strictly robot side of things have also churned out a surprise entry in their Moderoid line. This still relatively new line is GSC throwing their hat into the world of mecha model kits, with other entries currently including Mazinkaiser, Godmars, Strelizia from Darling in the Franxx and various E-series trains from Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion. Though model kits isn't strictly a new market for Good Smile Company it isn't one they're especially known for these days

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Kamina Review

Release Date: November 2018 

RRP: 4444 yen

Dig the wax out of your ears and listen close! The bad reputation of Team Gurren echoes far and wide in Giha Village. When they talk about its badass leader, that man of indomitable spirit, that paragon of masculinity, they're talking about him - the mighty Nendoroid Kamina! That's right, after nearly ten years since the last Gurren Lagann release Good Smile Company have finally returned to Gainax's beloved mecha series to round off the core trio of main characters - two years after the series has celebrated its tenth anniversary, but close enough. Simon will be joining the line later in 2019, but first it's time to celebrate the release of the man who first inspired him the pierce the heavens and kick logic to the curb. Kamina has finally arrived on the scene, and if he has anything to do with it you'll certainly hear about it. Just who the hell do you think he is?!

Toybox REVIEW: NX Edgestyle Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Release Date: December 2017

RRP: 3780 yen

2017 marked Gurren Lagann’s 10th anniversary, and though Gainax aren’t really in much of a position to give it the celebration it deserves at least there were at least some notable merchandise releases to mark its birthday. Myethos kicked off the year by finally releasing their 1/8 scale Nia Teppelin Wedding version statue, while Bandai Tamashii Nations closed it off with a double bill of surprise releases. Following on from November’s Proplica Core Drill was the release of NX EdgeStyle Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann – adding the titular mecha’s final form to Bandai’s growing range of super-deformed articulated robots. Bandai choosing Tengen Toppa over regular Gurren Lagann is a little surprising, but given the scarcity of other figures for the various forms (the only other articulated figure is the 2008 Revoltech) it’s far from unwelcome.

Toybox REVIEW: Myethos 1/8 Scale Nia Teppelin Wedding Dress Ver.

Release Date: March 2017

RRP: 11,800 yen

As a figure collector I’ve fallen victim to many different rabbit holes in the past – Transformers, Figma, S.H. Figuarts to name a few. But scale figures is one thing I’ve avoided for the longest time, not just due to their lack of articulation but also the price and space they command. However when Hong Kong-based company Myethos announced they would finally be releasing a 1/8 scale Gurren Lagann Nia Teppelin Wedding Dress Ver. figure (seen for many years as a garage kit at various conventions) as a mass release item, an exception had to be made. What better way to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary than with a high-end figure of my favourite character? I may have been celebrating, but my bank account sure wasn’t.

Toybox REVIEW: Revoltech Fraulein Yoko Sailor Uniform Ver.

Although Gurren Lagann has received some pretty spectacular figures in the last few years courtesy of Sentinel and Bandai Tamashii Nations, I can't help but feel it came out at a pretty bad time for poseable figures. The only line to complete the various forms of the titular robot (as well as do some of the other Gunmen that appeared in the show) is Kaiyodo's Revoltech line, which was pretty great at the time but has now dated horribly thanks to its insistence on using its trademark revolver joints for everything. Revoltech also produced a Yoko Littner figure for their anime girls-orientated Fraulein sub line, but even that is a far cry from the likes of Figma or S.H. Figuarts. Yamato also produced their own Yoko figure a few years ago, but other than commanding a pretty high price tag there's also plenty of stories of it being a rather flimsy and breakable piece.

Anyway, nearly seven years after its original release Fraulein Yoko has made a surprising return - but this time with a twist. Limited to only 5000 pieces and bundled with the third volume of the present-day school themed Gurren Lagann Otoko Doahou! manga spinoff (which itself is an adaptation of a trilogy of previously produced drama CDs), this version of Yoko ditches her trademark bikini top and hot pants in favour of a Japanese sailor school uniform. In this universe Yoko's full name is actually Yoko Utsuwa, and is a member (and even president) of every club in Dai Gurren Academy. As well as being the gunner for Dai Gurren of course. Some things never change.

Toybox REVIEW: Super Robot Chogokin Gurren Lagann Drill Set of Manliness

So just why did Super Robot Chogokin Gurren Lagann come with barely any drills? The answer for that is simple – why bundle them in with the figure itself when an accessory pack can be made out of it! Released the same time as the main SRC figure was the appropriately named “Drill Set of Manliness” accessory set, which not only features Giga Drill parts but also pieces to recreate Gurren Lagann in "fully drillized" mode. 

You know an accessory pack means business when the box is the size of a Super Robot Chogokin figure itself (albeit much lighter though). The front features Gurren Lagann in his iconic "Giga Drill Break" pose, showing off pretty much all the accessories this set has to offer. Strangely, the English name for the set isn't included on the front, instead on the back in smaller text along with some smaller image of the set being used with the figure itself. Open the box up and you have probably the most extensive and neatest arrangement of plastic drill pieces you'll ever see.

So how many drills are there in the Drill Set of Manliness? Included are 28 smaller drills that can be plugged into each hole on Gurren Lagann's body (with two spare ones left over, featuring slightly different peg pieces like the ones included with the main figure), a large drill piece, a spinning drill effect piece, an alternate head crest and another Tamashii stage port.

Changing the head crest is easy enough, but adding the small drills to all the available ports is a much more fiddly affair. Once they're properly fitted into the ports they’ll stay there snugly, but until then expect a fair bit of frustration and they drop off as you try to put every one on the figure. The other thing to be careful about is just HOW you place them in, as they are made of soft plastic and will bend if you hold them by the tips as you force them in. Once you've managed to place them all in, you’ll have a pretty imposing Gurren Lagann on your hands. Poseability isn't hindered by them at all (although the arms can’t really sit parallel to the waist anymore), but make sure to handle to the figure in surface areas with minimal drills to prevent more droppage.

The larger drill is considerably smaller than the one included with the Ver. KA figure, so it's debatable whether you want to call it a "Giga Drill" or not. Regardless, I’ll be calling it that for the sake of clarity in this review. It plugs into the arm like a normal hand, and due to the figure's weight it can hold the drill upright pretty stably, although posing it thrust forward would obviously require an additional stand. The spinning effect piece slots directly over the drill itself, and then you turn it to lock it into place.

Adding this piece adds a fair bit of weight to the drill, and this is where the figure begins to struggle holding it by itself. Upright "Pierce the Heavens" poses are possible with some careful balancing, but anything else is pretty much impossible even with the support of the other arm. Which brings me to my biggest gripe about this set – why not include a stand? For 2730 yen (although admittedly many online retailers are selling it for cheaper than RRP) a bunch of small drills and two larger pieces is rather meagre...especially when the larger pieces are somewhat dependant on a stand. It wouldn't have been too much effort to include one (I'm not even asking for a Gurren Lagann specific one, though that would have been nice) and lesser deserving Bandai figures have had them before...so why not here? The set is good, but when you get to playing around with the larger drill pieces this is a really noticeable flaw.

Would I recommend this set? The answer really depends on how much you like Gurren Lagann. It's not a perfect set by any means and the lack of stand does bring it down a notch, but at the same time it's a relatively inexpensive addition that adds a lot more play/display value to SRC Gurren Lagann. It's one of the few pre-built figures (and the only one of its scale) that has a customisable "fully drillized" mode, and even when you factor this in with it the Super Robot Chogokin is still significantly cheaper than the Riobot.  If you're looking for a toy engineering marvel, buy the Riobot. However if you're looking for a fun toy to mess around with, pick up the Super Robot Chogokin and give this accessory set a good think about too.

Back row (left to right): Ver KA and Riobot Gurren Lagann
Front row (left to right): Revoltech and SRC Gurren Lagann

Toybox REVIEW: Super Robot Chogokin Gurren Lagann

If you're a follower of this blog, you probably know by now that I'm a huge Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann fan. Over the last few years I've amassed quite the collection of Gurren Lagann figures, from the Revoltech range to the tattooed Ver. KA and more recently, the gorgeous Riobot. But I'm always on the look out for new ones, and Bandai recently came through with a version in their ever popular Super Robot Chogokin line. After the stylized look of the Riobot, the SRC goes back to a more anime-accurate approach to the heaven-piercing Gunman. Here is the review.

In true Gurren Lagann style, the box are is brash and in your face.A drill-ready Gurren Lagann stands alongside foil text (a Super Robot Chogokin staple) and the trademark Gurren Lagann light reflection. The back shows off the figure's alternate faces, the "crossover joint" capabilities (more on that later) and a small box advertising the additional "Drill Set of Manliness" accessory pack (sold separately of course). Despite featuring a rather hefty wingpack, the figure and its accessories all fit nicely on one plastic tray.

Die-cast is a staple of the Super Robot Chogokin line anyway, but it's never felt more at home with Gurren Lagann. With most of the Gurren Lagann figures this scale either dreadfully light or dreadfully floppy, its really refreshing to finally handle one with a bit of weight on it. The sculpt itself is gorgeous, the headscuplts being easily the best of ANY Gurren Lagann figure. However sticklers for accuracy will note that some liberties have been taken. The most noticeable of these is the oversized kneecaps, which are more fitting with some of the stylized drawings of Gurren Lagann you see in the commercial bumpers during the show. Early pictures of the figure made these look a lot worse than they seem, but the difference isn't all that bad in hand and still works very well with the overall aesthetic. A more minor change is the Gurren-Dan logos on the shoulder pads, which now feature an orange centre rather than just being solid red. Articulation is fantastic, with the arms coming away from the shoulders more than you'd expect for a whole range of Gainax-style action poses.

Gurren Lagann features a number of removable parts outside the usual handswapping, and although they may seem fiddly Bandai have actually made it as easy as possible. The hands themselves now seem to be on joints more akin to SH Figuarts, albeit far sturdier. You might encounter some frustration changing them, but you can rest assured that there won't be any pegs breaking here. Although the instructions claim that the face can be removed simply by taking the crest off, its far easier to pop the entire head off the figure to do so otherwise it will get rather fiddly. Changing the sunglasses section is trickier (especially for fear of breaking the glasses themselves), but once you can can a strategically placed nail under the panel it'll come away with little to no problems.

But what's Gurren Lagann without a selection of drill related accessories? In the case of the Super Robot Chogokin...still quite good oddly. That's right, despite have a pretty impressive selection of extra pieces drills are pretty lacking with this release. Included are 4 pairs of hands (closed fists, open palms, gripping hands and the obligatory "Pierce the heavens..." pointing hands), 2 alternate faces, 2 sunglasses blade weapons, the Gurren wingpack, four small drills and a port for Tamashii stages (as usual, sold separately). No medium or giga drills to be seen here. Don't be too disappointed, because we'll be coming to where your Gurren Lagann can Giga Drill Break in peace in the second part of this review.

Meanwhile, unlike the Riobot where it warranted a whole new piece, the 4 small drills can be plugged into the wrists. The wingpack plugs in by removing the back panel off of the figure, and then just clicking it in. With hinge joints in 4 places, it can fold nicely behind and around the figure. It's nicely detailed, and if you have a Tamashii Act 5 stage on hand adds to the already dynamic range of poses possible.

While this review doesn't show this feature off, Gurren Lagann includes a new feature to Super Robot Chogokin appropriately called "crossover joint". Just like it says on the box, this allows Gurren Lagann to use pieces of various other SRC figures and vice versa, for example the various Mazinger Z scranders. Just take a look here and spot the differences.

Back when I reviewed the Riobot, I thought it was a standard that would probably never be beaten. And I still do...kind of. While the Super Robot Chogokin could never live up to it in the engineering and aesthetic department, it has it beat in being a much better toy. Where handling the Riobot can sometimes feel like a scary experience, the SRC is a solid, sturdy toy that exists to be messed around with. And even with the liberties Bandai took with the design, it's still leagues ahead of its closest anime-accurate counterpart - the Revoltech, is in overall presentation.

If you can't afford the Riobot and/or want a great quality anime-accurate version of Gurren Lagann, buy this figure. You will not regret it. It's accessory count may feel like its missing a few things, but there's a reason for this. Stay tuned to the next part of this review to find out why...

Toybox REVIEW: Riobot R04 Gurren Lagann

Can you believe its been five years since Gurren Lagann? Well it has, and while Gainax haven't shown any plans in celebrating the anniversary of my favourite mecha series lesser known toy company Sentinel have given fans something to celebrate about. Revealed nearly a year ago to much excitement, the fourth installment in their Riobot (Riot Robot) line has finally been released. While Sentinel might not have quite the extensive resume as lines such as Kaiyodo's Revoltech and Bandai's Robot Damashii or Super Robot Chogokin, the few figures they have put out are said to be of superb quality (which is reflected in their hefty price tags). Costing a whopping 9500 yen RRP (£75/$120), Riobot Gurren Lagann has quite a lot to live up to before being compared to previous incarnations of the robot.

Much like how the packaging for RIO:Bone (Sentinel's human character line) Panty and Stocking impressed with their fantastic graphics, Gurren Lagann also has a box worthy of praise. The front features a nicely stylised Gurren Lagann image along with the name of the figure, while the spines give the box an element of class with small 5th anniversary Gurren Lagann logos and serif fonts. The top has a much larger anniversary logo, while the back has the figure in various poses without any obtrusive text in the way. Another thing to note is that it is a book-style box, with the front flap opening to reveal a window to see the figure (not that you can very well because its covered by a load of plastic wrapping) and the Team Gurren emblem. The box is HUGE, carrying both a tray with the figure and its accessories and another holding the wingpack and stand.

Onto the figure itself. Sculpted by Chemical Attack, who worked on the previous Broken Blade figures in the line, Riobot Gurren Lagann has a much more stylised look than the animation model. It's not quite as obvious as the KA version's tribal tattoos, but is still instantly noticeable. Rounded sections such as the hip guards (which have also been lengthened), lower legs and feet are much more angular, giving the design a much more real-robot feel than its super robot look in the series. All the yellow on the design has been replaced with a muted gold colour, and darker red panels compliment the traditional Gurren Lagann crimson colouring. I really like the liberties taken with the design because it isn't so intrusive that it will put off potential buyers, but is different enough that people (like me) displaying multiple versions of the robot will have an obvious bit of variety to their shelf.

At 9500 yen you might be expecting a figure closer in size to the Great Impact Gurren Lagann, but a large toy this isn't. Riobot Gurren Lagann stands at around 145mm tall, making it only 25mm taller than the Revoltech and 5mm smaller than the Ver. Ka. The size doesn't bother me too much the figure offers as much as it does in terms of articulation and accessories, but it's something to keep in mind if you're planning to drop money on it. Something that struck me much harder was how light it is - upon taking it out of the box it felt much more like a model kit in terms of weight. However unlike a model kit the Riobot is far from flimsy.

The level of articulation was what drew me into buying a third Gurren Lagann figure was this was originally announced, and I'm happy to say Sentinel sure didn't disappoint. There's the expected full range of motion in the head, shoulders, elbows (both in the elbow itself and the forearm), hips, knees, and feet, but it all feels so much more seamless than it does on a similar but cheaper figure. The shoulder pads also have a full range of motion via a ball joint (and the whole section can fully move from side to side) and while they might pop off once or twice when putting the figure into more difficult poses, they aren't a problem to pop back in without hassle.

On top of this there are the special bits of articulation that made the figure so interesting in the first place. Starting from the bottom up we have the knees, with have a very impressive level of engineering to them. when the knee bends, the whole section stretches open with the top leg panel also moving downward. It's a much more interesting method of articulation than simply "knee bends" and helps amplify the mechanical feel of the figure. The moving up to the chest we have perhaps the best gimmick of all. Via moving the head or a switch in the back of the figure (you need to remove the back panel for that though) the Gurren chest face's eyes have a full range of motion! This is a first for a Gurren Lagann figure, allowing for much more dynamic posing and a chest that isn't stuck in an "eyes facing forward" position. If you've ever owned one of those Action Man figures with the moving eyes, you'll know just how much fun a gimmick like this.

The Riobot also boasts more accessories than most other Gurren Lagann figures (well, maybe not Great Impact). Included is an alternate open mouthed face, four different hand sets (open hands, closed fists, holding fists and the obligatory "pointing to the heavens" set), three drill weapons (two smaller ones and one longer thin one), two sunglasses blades, drilled wrist pieces, wingpack and a clip to cover the hole left when you take the glasses off of the chest (I found this to be a pain to take off when applied though). When changing the hands and head there's no awkward Revoltech plugs, tiny ball joints or sockets too small to fit in - everything can be removed and replaced with no frustration whatsoever. The larger drills can be attached by replacing the forearm.

The first thing to notice about the wingpack is that its pointy, which probably should come expecting from something with four drills sticking out of the back. The top section also has two rather pointy spikes sticking out of it, and is wrapped in bubble wrap in the packaging which leads me to believe its perhaps the most fragile part of this figure. The wingpack clips to the back of Gurren Lagann via two quite small clips, which could possibly lead to it falling off if posing without the stand. But before clipping it to the figure, take note of the small level on the inside, which activates some more shifting panels - this time exposing the wingpack engine, complete with spiral energy green colouring. The wings are hinged, so are able to swing forward like they do in the show.

Finally we have the stand, which impressed me more than a stand usually would. The base section is pretty big, which means flight poses don't end up toppling like they would with Revoltech's subpar V-shaped bases.  For action poses you have a standard multi-jointed arm with plug attachment (which fits snuggly into a hole between the figure's legs), but an extra piece is included for additional support when posing in flight mode. This triangular piece clips to the arm, making sure it keeps straight and doesn't bend under the weight of the figure. For further support, there's also a separate grooved plug piece that locks in rather than move. Since Sentinel have put such a great effort into the stands, it's a little disappointing that there's nothing that makes it unique (I really liked the robot name/pilot tag on the Ka's stand) but after all the things I've been impressed with it really does feel like I'm nitpicking at this stage.

Riobot Gurren Lagann is undoubtedly one of, if not the best Gurren Lagann figures out there, but because of the pricetag I'd say it comes with a caution - it's not one for casual fans or collectors. It is an expensive figure for its size, and while the sculpt and accessory count justify it somewhat unless you're a serious Gurren Lagann fan it's hard to recommend it as the definitive figure when there are much cheaper alternatives like the newly reissued Revoltech (which may not be anywhere near as good, but it's far from a bad figure). However if you have the money for it, I can't recommend this toy enough. Its perfect in pretty much every single way. If you are planning to buy one, make sure to hit up the September restock of the figure as soon as possible, because I have a feeling once it's gone it's price is only going to go up on the after-market.