Toybox REVIEW: Robot Damashii Strelizia

Release Date: October 2018

RRP: 5184 yen

SSSS.Gridman may be the Studio Trigger anime of 2018 that everyone remembers, but earlier in the year they co-produced a show that anime fans were far more divided on – and in some cases most people would rather forget. Nevertheless Darling in the Franxx was still a thing that happened, and between being a highly publicised series and featuring mecha designs from Shigeto Koyama (Star Driver, Captain Earth), merchandise was pretty much a given. And it was Bandai Tamashii Nations that turned out to surprise fans, not only announcing the Franxx mecha for their Robot Damashii (Spirits) line but also human pilots in the S.H. Figuarts. Though it's looking less and less likely that Bandai will be completing the main cast in either line, at the main bases have been covered with the Robot Damashii Strelizia figure.

Toybox REVIEW: Robot Damashii Obsidian Fury

Release Date: March 2018

RRP: 3564 yen

When Bandai Tamashii Nations announced that they would be producing figures for Pacific Rim Uprising, they certainly didn't mess around in releasing them at a steady pace. Three of the six main Jaegers preceded the film's release in February 2018, with the remaining three coming the following month just as Uprising landed in cinemas across the globe. As well as receiving a global release, one of the biggest appeals of these Robot Damashii (aka Robot Spirits) figures was a significantly lower price point - with Gipsy Avenger leading the charge at an incredible 2484 yen. Although the price of its fellow Jaegers such as Obsidian Fury here a slightly higher 3564 yen, they're still far more affordable than your average Robot Damashii figure. A mysterious rogue unit that attacks the PPDC council meeting in Sydney, Obsidian Fury is a Jaeger that's not just a force to be reckoned with but also houses a dark secret - revealing that humanity's battle with the kaiju and their alien Precursor masters isn't over yet.

Toybox REVIEW: Robot Damashii Gipsy Avenger

Release Date: February 2018

RRP: 2484 yen

When the original Pacific Rim film was released back in 2013, one of the biggest questions on collectors minds was "why don't Bandai Tamashii Nations have the licence to this?". Instead fans had to deal with the subpar offerings from NECA, many of which suffered easily broken joints, poor articulation and shoddy paintwork. However with the release of Pacific Rim Uprising the dream is finally being realised, with Tamashii Nations launching a double assault on wallets. For the high-end collectors there's the original film Jaegers coming in the coveted Soul of Chogokin line, while the smaller scale buyers have the new generation of mecha to look forward to as part of the Robot Damashii (aka Robot Spirits) line. But that's not all either, as Bandai aren't just launching an attack on their competitors in terms of quality - they're doing it in terms of pricing as well. All of the Uprising Robot Damashii figures sport notably lower prices than usual for the line, with Robot Damashii Gipsy Avenger leading the way at an unbelievable 2484 yen ($20 or £25 if you're buying domestically). 

Toybox REVIEW: Bandai Robot Spirits Taubarn

Just over a week after one of my new favourite animes finishes I manage to get my hands on its star robot. Star being the keyword here, as what we have here is Taubarn, the cybody piloted by protagonist and Galactic Pretty Boy Takuto Tsunashi in the anime Star Driver.

The first thing that should be mentioned about Taubarn is its size - what it lacks in bulk, it certainly makes up for in height. The picture below illustrates it better, but most Robot Spirits/Revoltech/figures of similar scale only come up to around its waist. The sculpt lives up to Bandai standard - managing to accurately recreate the outlandish proportions of the Taubarn while retaining full posability. The colours are particularly vibrant - metallic red on top on white. The joints are gold The plume is moulded in clear plastic, and the propulsion parts that float freely on Taubarn's back in the series are held on via a clear connector to help carry out the illusion.

Tauburn comes with a variety of alternate hands (2 open, 1 close fisted and 1 set of sword holding hands) and its signature weapons - star sword Emeraude and star sword Saphir (both moulded in clear plastic). What's most notable about this Robot Spirits release is that it also includes a stand - something I've complained about the lack of on past releases. I imagine this is mostly due to the difficulty of standing (let alone posing) the figure unaided, but nevertheless the stand is certainly unique - a clear red star with a movable arm which can help with a variety of poses.

This is the first I've found it difficult to reach a (somewhat objection) final conclusion on. As a massive Star Driver fan I think its definitely worthy of full marks - posability isn't hampered by the sculpt, its the perfect representation of the robot and it even comes with a stand. The only thing I think its lacking is some sort of Tau missile effect part, and even that isn't a big deal. If you're not a fan of Star Driver, there's every possibility you'll hate Taubarn's design - it's certainly not your everyday robot. There's also the problem of it being difficult to stand on its own, but then how long could you stand for in such extravagant high heels?  Keep these things in mind and you should have much of blast with this figure as I do.

Toybox REVIEW: Bandai Robot Spirits Nirvash TypeZERO

I've been waiting for this figure for a while. After first watching Eureka Seven I knew I had to get my hands on a Nirvash toy, but with the Robot Spirits Nirvash Spec2 figure fetching such a high price and complaints of it being a rather fiddly toy, I held on a little longer by preordering the spec1 figure and getting a reduced Devilfish to pass me over until June. But now it is June (well, for one more day anyway) and the wait is finally over. The Nirvash typeZERO, the primary mecha of Psalms of the Planets: Eureka Seven is here.

The first thing to point out about the Nirvash is that unlike the Spec2, which had the ability to transform into both jet and car modes and (so I hear) suffered for it, this figure has forsaken the car mode in exchange for more posability, better accessories and best of all, a lower price tag. Coming straight out of the box the figure may seem a little on the small side but that quickly passes after you see its fantastic sculpt which accurately captures the proportions of the Nirvash - bulky torso, skinny legs, big feet etc. The mix of colours really blends well too - white, red, grey, gold, they're all in there an look superbly faithful to the art of the series.

Nirvash's accessories include additional sets of hands (gripping hands and closed fists), boomerang weapons which can be stored in the shoulder pads and a huge rifle, complete with moveable scope and of course, the ref board which no Nirvash figure would be complete without. Best of all though, is that this Nirvash actually comes with a stand! And not just any stand, a fantastically sculpted trapar wave stand molded in translucent green. My only (minor) gripe is that the board attaches to the stand via a peg on the stand, which sadly means older Eureka Seven Robot Spirit figures (i.e. my Devilfish) can't make use of such a great stand. Nevertheless its a very small complaint as I'd have only used to stand with the Devilfish to take some action shots.

To me, this figure wasn't just worth the £30 I paid for it, it surpasses almost every mecha toy I've ever bought and is without a doubt one of my favourite toys I own period. Revoltech Gurren should be afraid, because he may not be holding that top spot much longer.

If you've watched Eureka Seven and buy mecha toys you need this figure. If you haven't watched Eureka Seven and but mecha toys go away, watch Eureka Seven and then buy this.

Toybox REVIEW: Bandai Robot Spirits Devilfish

Here we have the first figure I've bought from a line I've been wanting to get into for a very very long time. Bandai's Robot Tamashii/Damashii (or just Robot Spirits) line offers a wide variety of mecha in a similar scale to Revoltech from series such as Gundam SEED, Gundam 00, Full Metal Panic, Code Geass, Macross Frontier and many more. What we are reviewing here appears in the fantastic series Eureka Seven. The only problem is these figures don't come cheap - you're looking at around £25-35 depending on which figure you're after. 70% off at HLJ later, and I've got myself a Devilfish.

The Devilfish is Holland Novak's personal LFO (Light Finding Operation) which appears at the tail end of the series and the alternate universe movie Goodnight, Sleep Tight Young Lovers (Pocket Full of Rainbows). One of the most powerful LFOs in the series, it is not equipped with a limiter, which allows it to function to the very zenith of its capabilities. However, to keep up, the pilot must take special drugs which enhances their nervous system to keep them from blacking out. Constant intake of these drugs can have dire consequences and is considered near-suicidal.

The sculpt is great, as you would expect from a highly regarded company such as Bandai. Articulation is superb - equal to Revoltech in terms of points of articulation - minus the clicky revolver joints. It feels far more fluid here and therefore less effort to get a diverse range of poses. It even comes with a few accessories - some interchangeable fist hands, a green eyed head and connectors so that its ref board can be split in half and stored on the figures hips (making some rather badass hip guards). The ref board itself is huge - even taller than the figure itself!

Sounds like the perfect figure right? Well there is one rather large oversight that is quite hard to ignore. The figure, as with the rest of Robot Spirits line, do not come with stands. Usually I wouldn't consider this a huge problem but the fact is to get the best range of poses out of this guy, and with any other Eureka Seven LFO, you NEED a stand to get some mid-flight ref boarding awesomeness. To add insult to injury, Bandai do in fact make stands for their figures, only they are SOLD SEPARATELY. And in packs of 3 none the less. So in essence you really need about 3 of these figures before you get your value for money from the stands, and even then they don't come cheap.

It's by far not my favourite Eureka Seven LFO, nor is it my favourite mecha in the Robot Spirits line. But its still a fantastic toy and convinced me that these figures are worth every penny. With the Nirvash Spec1 due out in June (yes, I've preordered it) and Nirvash Spec2 and theEND already out, I think I've found a new pet project for my robot collecting. And then I may have to move on to Evangelion, then Macross....