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: 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: Nendoroid Guardian

Release Date: August 2018
RRP: 5370 yen

With Breath of the Wild going on to become of the most popular and beloved Legend of Zelda titles of all time, there was no way that Good Smile Company were going to stop at just one figure. While fans are still sadly waiting for a properly proportioned Figma release, the Nendoroid line definitely went all out with its version of Link. So what's next? Zelda? Maybe one of the four Champions? Not quite. Instead we have the Nendoroid Guardian – the ancient six-legged automatons created by the Sheikah to help in the fight against Calamity Ganon. Unfortunately for Link, Ganon's malevolence is now in control – and the Guardians patrol Hyrule Castle ready to attack any invader.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Ash Ketchum (Satoshi) & Pikachu

Release Date: December 2017

RRP: 4630 yen

Ever since Good Smile Company first released their original Red Nendoroid way back in 2014 it seems that there's finally a good selection of Pokémon trainer figures on the market. Nendoroid have continued to chip away at characters from all generations of the video games, Kotobukiya and Megahouse have the static figure side of things covered while S.H. Figuarts and Figma finally answered fans prayers for some articulated action figures. To celebrate their 800th Nendoroid release Good Smile finally made the leap from games to anime with a figure not only highly desired, but one that couldn't have been timed any better given the 20th anniversary franchise celebrations. To Japan it may be Satoshi, but to me (and certainly many others reading this review) it's none other than Ash Ketchum together with his partner and best friend Pikachu.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Link Breath of the Wild Ver. DX Edition

 Release Date: July 2017
RRP: 4167 yen (Standard Edition), 5370 yen (DX Edition)

Continuing in their goal to seemingly make a new Link figure for every Legend of Zelda game going forwards, Good Smile Company are back again with Nendoroid Link: Breath of the Wild Ver. in both standard in DX Editions. While some are surely thinking “do we really need yet another Link figure?”, when it comes from one of the most popular Zelda games of all time and is based on a design that’s a significant departure from the usual one the answer is most definitely yes. Breath of the Wild Link is the third Link Nendoroid (following on from the Wind Waker and Majora’s Mask versions) and the sixth overall including the three Figma releases. It’s also the second to be released in 2017, coming only a few months after the release of Figma Link Twilight Princess Ver.

Favourite Toys of 2016 & Happy New Year!

Another year has come to an end and though it seems to have been a tough one for many people, there's been some great toy releases nonetheless. Thank you for reading the blog throughout 2016, it's been a big year as readership has grown exponentially and there's some big things in the pipeline for 2017.

But without further ado, here are my favourite ten toys I've reviewed this year on the site. There are a couple of I'm either yet to review or receive, but I'm fairly confident that this list wouldn't change either way.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Zelda (The Wind Waker Ver.)

When Good Smile Company dived into the wonderful world of Nintendo it’s fair to say that the Legend of Zelda was one of their biggest offerings – for proof look no further than the amount of re-releases Skyward Sword Link has had since his original release in 2013. Since then GSC and Max Factory have covered a number of Zelda games through the Nendoroid and Figma lines including Wind Waker, A Link Between Worlds, Majora’s Mask and (due for release next year) Twilight Princess. However as varied as this range may be, there was one significant problem – all the figures were of Link. However that’s finally no longer the case, as the Wind Waker version of Princess Zelda herself finally joins the Nendoroid line!

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Link (Majora's Mask 3D Ver.)

When Nintendo finally began licensing their characters out to companies to produce figures it didn’t take long for said companies to realise they were on to a golden goose. So after the success of their Skyward Sword Figma and Wind Waker Nendoroid figures, Good Smile Company have turned to the Legend of Zelda franchise once again for another iteration of the legendary Hero of Time. This Nendoroid Link is based on his appearance in the 2000 Nintendo 64 game Majora’s Mask, or more specifically its 2015 3DS remake Majora’s Mask 3D. This unique Zelda offering took Link out of Hyrule, placing him in the land of Termina with only three days to stop the moon crashing into the Earth. However thanks to some ocarina trickery, you can do an awful lot in 72 hours. For Smash Bros. fans this figure can also serve a double purpose, representing Young Link from Super Smash Bros. Melee. This was the only game in the franchise Young Link appeared in, before being replaced by Toon Link from Brawl onwards.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Kirby

Between Good Smile Company, Bandai Tamashii Nations and Jakks Pacific, one thing collectors don't have right now is a shortage of Nintendo figures. After years of fans clamouring for plastic representations of their favourite video game characters, it seems that everyone is clamouring for the golden tickets that are Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda,  Pokemon, Fire Emblem and more. One toy line that's managed to tackle all four of those franchises is of course Nendoroid, and now it's adding one more to that already impressive resume. The puffy pink sphere known as Kirby first appeared way back in 1992 in the Game Boy game Kirby's Dream Land (Hoshi no Kirby in Japan), before progressing on into a franchise that is still going on strong today. Kirby has also been a staple character in every Super Smash Bros. instalment thus far, as well as starring in his own anime series and several manga titles. Not bad for a character that can barely talk.

Given his body Kirby might seem like an odd choice for the Nendoroid line, and upon his announcement many collectors wondered just how Good Smile Company would go about tackling a character that is quite unlike anything they usually produce for the line. Proportionally he might seem right at home here, but how have GSC made this figure so much more than just a great-looking statue?

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Mako Mankanshoku Fight Club-spec Two Star Goku Uniform ver.

Despite ties with Good Smile Company and proving to be a popular series on both sides of the world, Kill la Kill hasn’t had all that much luck on the articulated figure front. Two Figma and a handful of Nendoroids is about all that’s been mustered, and even scale statues have largely been relegated to ones of only Ryuko Matoi and Satsuki Kiryuin. However among these slim pickings were some real gems, and Nendoroid Mako Mankanshoku was one of them. GSC obviously agreed, since the character then made a reappearance in the line this year as their Summer Wondefest exclusive (although that title is less special now that GSC sell the figures at any cons they attend worldwide). This figure however is Mako Mankanshoku Fight Club-spec Two Star Goku Uniform ver., based on her appearance in episode seven of series where she fights against Ryuko in order to protect her family’s new found wealth.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Hana Mutou

Captain Earth probably didn't have quite the impact Bones had hoped that it would, but that doesn't mean it didn't have some pretty great moments. Its beautiful mecha designs were squandered with fleeting action sequences, but in its stead came some really memorable characters that received some nice development. So when my favourite of the Midsummer's Knights - Hana Mutou, was announced for Good Smile Company's Nendoroid line it's fair to say I was pretty excited. "Waifu" isn't a term I like to use often (Gurren Lagann's Nia and Kill la Kill's Satsuki notwithstanding), but the Flare Engine pilot and component of the mysterious Blume spaceship is definitely someone I'll make an exception for...

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Satsuki Kiryuin

Just over a year ago studio Trigger burst onto the anime scene with their first full-length series Kill la Kill, and instantly won over fans with its signature brand of over the top craziness and homages to the hot-blooded shows of old. What the show has received in terms of poseable figures since has admittedly not been a whole lot, but what has come out so far has certainly left an impression. Perhaps most notably has been the entries in Good Smile Company's Nendoroid line, which continues with its third Kill la Kill release - Satsuki Kiryuin. As a huge Satsuki fan, it's about damn time she had a figure.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Link (The Wind Waker Ver.)

Don't you find it a strange coincidence that all these Nintendo characters that feature in Super Smash Bros. are coming out around the same time as the new games, despite the figures themselves being from their original appearances and having little to do with Nintendo's giant fighting crossover? That aside, Good Smile Company continue the fantastic work they've done so far with the eagerly awaited Nendoroid Link from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. This just happens to be one of my favourite games of all time (I bought the Wii U version on release despite not owning the console just to get that limited edition Ganondorf statue), so finally getting a decent Toon Link was a dream come true for me. After suffering a few months of delays, this figure was first released in October 2014.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Red

When you consider how big of a franchise it is, it's rather surprising that Pokémon hasn't received all that many higher-end poseable figures over the years. Sure Bandai have done some pretty great D-Arts and S.H. Figuarts releases recently, but the wide spectrum of trainers from both the games and the anime have been left untouched. Until now that is! Following a completely unexpected announcement, Good Smile Company have released Red, the original Pokémon trainer, in their popular Nendoroid line (based on his appearance in the Pokémon Fire Red and Leaf Green games, as well as the Pokémon the Origin anime miniseries). However the big catch is he was released as a Pokémon Centre a Store exclusive in Japan, only available from the few physical stores and Amazon.co.jp. And with buyers being limited to one figure per person, it's also a figure to have evaded many a middleman service. So it's just as well I managed to get one when I did!

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Mako Mankanshoku

Where Ryuko Matoi goes, her best friend Mako Mankanshoku isn't far behind - and the Nendoroid toyline is no exception! Rather than make Kill la Kill fans wait any longer, Good Smile Company opted to release both characters at the same time, with Satsuki Kiryuin following shortly afterward in October. With her over the top personality and expressions, Mako seems like a perfect character for the Nendoroid line so here's hoping the figure can live up to her potential!

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Ryuko Matoi

It's been almost a year since Kill la Kill first graced Japanese television screens, yet only now are figures of Studio Trigger's first full-length series beginning to hit retail. There's plenty to choose for both poseable and non-poseable fans, witth Good Smile Company, Max Factory, Phat Company and Medicom among some of the companies bringing out figures in the next few months. However my first Kill la Kill toy review moves towards the chibi side of things, looking at the endless juggernaut that is Good Smile Company's Nendoroid line. The end of August saw a double bill-release of the first two characters to grace the line, so we start things off with the main protagonist of the show - Ryuko Matoi.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Stocking

The second nendoroid I'm going to review (and funnily enough, also the only other nendo I own) is the second of the Panty and Stocking ones - this time Panty's goth lolita, sword wielding, cake loving sister Stocking.

While both small and super deformed, the sculpt of the figure is excellent, nicely capturing all the details in Stocking's gothic black dress. Her long twin coloured hair covers the majority of the figure, the back of the dress completely covered by it with the head attached. However the hanging portion of the hair is made from a soft plastic and separated into semi movable strips, which means it can be moved around for poses using the outstretched arms. I personally found neatly moving the hair out the way like the box shows a little difficult, but the hair moves neatly back into place when straightened - which was initially a worry of mine.

Much like Panty, Stocking comes with a pretty wide range of accessories. She is packaged with three alternate faces (a standard mopey face, a shouting face and an "OMG THIS CAKE IS DELICIOUS" face), a variety of alternate arms and hands, a extra "panty-less" set of legs with removable bare legs, a fork, a plate of neatly sliced cake, 2 swords (stripes I and II) and her beloved plush toy Honeneko. Much like the detailing on Panty's guns, the blue stripes on the swords are a nifty translucent blue plastic. The cake is not attached to the plate, instead being held via a peg on the optional hand that is able to hold the plate (there is a small hole in the plate for the the peg). This means it can be posed with either the whole cake attached, or (with some clever peg hiding) one slice left after Stocking greedily eats it all.

Due to being posable at the hips, it means the legs can be swapped so that you can have one stocking on and one off rather than both on or off. This is great if like me you like to pose Stocking with just the one sword rather than two. To make Stocking hold the swords, the handles have to be removed and inserted into the hands via the bottom of the fistsm then reattaching the blades at the top. A little fiddly, but the blades peg into the handles pretty firmly.

Stocking also comes with the excellent pink magnetic stand that Panty has, which attaches at the head with ease (no plugs - just the magnet inside the head attracting to the stand's), is firm and can be easily hidden by the figure's exaggerated proportions.

Much like how I felt about Panty, I'm still not fully convinced that nendoroids are worth the full asking price due to my love for proper posable figures, (but then, I didn't pay for Stocking, she was a fantastic Christmas present from my girlfriend) but Stocking is still a great toy. She doesn't have quite as much personality as the Panty nendoroid (but Panty is a far more lively character in general) but her accessories are much better and more fun than her sister's. I'm not sure if I could recommend one over the other, so if you're only planning to get one I'd say go with whoever you like best, but both sisters are both great in their own way and look even better when posed together.

Toybox REVIEW: Nendoroid Panty

Nendoroids have always something I've been mixed on in the past - while they look like excellent super-deformed versions of popular characters that come with a pretty impressive set of accessories, the size and price (around 3333 yen/£26 RRP) has always been a bit of a turn off. However when Good Smile Company announced that they would be making nedoroids of Panty and Stocking (and thus, the first 'posable' toys for the characters) I felt it was time to finally check this line out. And since she was my favourite of the two, Panty was the first one to be purchased.

A standard nendoroid is about half the size of a figma/revoltech figure (I forgot to take a comparison picture, but this will illustrate the scale difference), with the bulk of the figure being in the oversized head. While small, the limbs do have some posability. In Panty's case, she is posable at the head, shoulders and hips. While her posability is somewhat limited, the variety of poses you can get out of mixing and matching the arm pieces (the hands are removable) mean that Panty is no short of dynamic poses - whether it be gunslinging or being the slut that she is.

As stated earlier, nendoroids usually come with a fair amount of accessories, and Panty is no exception. Included with her are three separate faces (which I can only describe as a maniacal grin, a mid-sentence face and a 'wink wink nudge nudge' face), two guns (Backlace and what I can only assume is Stocking's underwear), a variety of different arms and hands, a bent right leg, Chuck and (much to my amusement) two different crotch pieces - one with underwear and one without. One thing that also surprised me is that the guns have completely different decos (one lacks the bow on the barrel, and they both have the clear blue plastic detailing in different places) and that the bracelets are actually moveable on one of the arms. I'm slightly disappointed that Chuck has TINY legs and, therefore, unable to stand up on his own, but his tail's wide surface area means he looks pretty good standing leaned back. The face is replaced by removing the two hairpieces (which are attached in a similar fashion to most Figmas) and then pulling the head off of the torso. One thing that does irritate me is that due to the nature of the removable faces, the earrings are also removable. This wouldn't be a huge deal usually, but they're quite small and doing really fix to the ears properly (they clip onto small dents in the earlobes) - quite easy to lose if you like playing around with your toys.

Another thing that surprised me was the stand mechanism. Firstly, there's plenty of holes in the base for the arm piece to go in, and secondly the figure is attached to the stand via the power of MAGNETS! That's right, no holes in the figure for plugs or obvious claws around the figure - the nendoroid is simply held in place via a magnet in the head. While this does mean that the figure has to be attached to the stand at the head, the nendoroid proportions mean that its quite easily to hide when looking at the figure face on. And if it bothers you that much, Panty is more than capable of standing without the aid of the stand to hold her in place.

I'm still not completely sold on the size of nendoroids in comparison to their price, but I can't deny that Panty is one of the most lively figures that I own. Despite its limited posability, it just OOZES character. Stocking will definitely be bought soon (although, I never planned to have one without the other), as will the recently announced Sonic the Hedgehog. I can't say I have any desire to own any (currently) announced/released ones besides those, but this is certainly a line I will be keeping my eye on in future.