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.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Akiba Blue

A female Sentai Figuart that isn't a Tamashii web exclusive? That's crazy talk!

But believe it or not, Bandai has gone and surprised us all with the Figuarts Akibarangers, which just goes to show how much they seem to be pushing this series in terms of merchandise. After Akiba Red's release at the end of June, the end of July saw Akiba Blue aka Mitsuki Aoyagi hit retail in figure form. They were joined earlier this month by Akiba Yellow (who's currently on her way to me), rounding off the three main Akibarangers.

Much like her predecessor Akiba Blue's packaging is a rainbow explosion of anime-esque proportions, with the unofficial stamp now blue rather than red. The box shows the figure in a variety of (fairly simplistic) poses, but unlike Akiba Red lacks any reference to the Inordinate Powers sold separately with the other Super Sentai Figuarts. This is a shame because Bouken Red's Bouken Scoop is a weapon I more closely associate with Blue, but I can see the logic in not advertising an accessory that comes with a figure that doesn't come out until the end of September. In case you were wondering, the box still says "simple style and HIROIC action" too.

Akiba Blue is a rather different to the traditional Super Sentai female hero design, but perhaps not quite as radical as Akiba Red was. The suit is a much smoother design than Red, although the figure still has some nice detailing on the boots and some panel indentation on the blue leg sections. The breasts have same translucent plastic over sculpted detail look as Red, which works great as a draw to the figure even if it does mean you're staring at her breasts for the most part. The white is also a slightly off shade which gives the sections a nice gleam against the flat matte blue sections. Her soft plastic skirt doesn't fully cover her legs so the figure can still pull off a full range of motion (no need for alternate skirt parts like with the Shinken or Gokai girls) and in answer to the most important question of all - yes, the underwear does indeed include the bear print.

That being said I do have a few minor qualms with the sculpt. The first might just be a problem with mine, but her neck wasn't assembled properly when I took it out of the package meaning her head was incapable of moving. An easily fixable problem, but giving the head movement made me realise how scared I am that the ponytail pieces might snap off if a little bit of pressure went the wrong way. Its the kind of problem that could be solved by simply being careful, but I might feel a little safer if the ponytail was able to pop off if any pressure was wrongly applied.

Akiba Blue's accessories are exactly the same as Akiba Red's - ten extra hands, MMZ-01 and alternate muffler/scarf pieces, only for some reason Blue comes with three mufflers rather than two (the extra one being the two sections spread even further apart). While Akiba Red got away with the lack of accessories a little more because his first run came with three stands (which I'm still impressed with), its a lot more noticeable and frustrating with Blue. I'm still not sure what else she could have come with beside a figure-mode MMZ, but I certainly don't feel spoilt in terms of accessories like I do with most Figuarts.

Akiba Blue is an great figure, but while I was completely blown away by Akiba Red she feels much less special. All the detail that made Red so great is a lot more minimal in Blue's design, and moments like being afraid of breaking her head and realising she doesn't come with all the much have dampened my love for her a little. Still, you can't argue with Bandai's decision to put out all three Akibarangers at retail, meaning you can get the whole team for just over what it costs to buy one exclusive. That's a pretty great reason to love Akiba Blue in itself.

Phat Company's Scanty & Kneesocks + Fastener Figure Set

While the Panty and Stocking figure set may be great, its arguably the least interesting set of the four Phat Company have released as the characters in their generic costumes are available via a variety of costumes (also available is the highly-coveted-by-me Angel ver. set, and a limited edition version of their police uniforms with the colours done by clothing company Galaxxxy). But alongside the three Panty/Stocking sets is one featuring characters whom as far as I know have not had any other form of figure release. I'm talking of course about the demon sisters and series bad guys Scanty and Kneesocks. After rewatching the series I've found myself liking these characters more and more, so picking them up really couldn't have come at a much better time.

Like their angel counterparts Scanty and Kneesocks are packaged in the same "You either open it or keep it MISB forever. You can't have it both ways." bubble packaging, only their colourful card features a lot more red and green rather than pink and yellow. The two are also in a generic character pose, Scanty looking somewhat perturbed with her cane and her sister in a (really nice looking) walking posture. Little details such as the ones on their school uniforms and Kneesocks "rrrrrrrules" book have been nicely replicated, as well as hair tone and very well done eye paint.

Not to be outdone by Chuck, his demonic counterpart Fastener has also made his way into this set. While he may not be quite as detailed as Chuck, this is largely due to him have a much simpler design in the show itself. The figure stands are identical to the ones that came with Panty and Stocking, only this time their moulded in a much more fitting clear red plastic.

If you've bought the Panty and Stocking set, these two would make an excellent display addition. If you like the series but don't plan on getting the Panty/Stocking set, you should get these on the basis of them being possibly the only figure versions of the characters around. Merchandise for the show is naturally going to decrease as it gets older, and I'd imagine any statue versions of the characters that come will probably be based on their transformation designs. I'm somewhat biased in my opinion because this was the set that I bought, but the demon sisters definitely come out on top when you compare the two. Again, they'll probably cost you a little more than retail on the aftermarket, but even so it won't be hard to find them at a price that's worth it.

Phat Company's Panty & Stocking + Chuck Figure Set

While perusing the dealers' room at this years Amecon, my eyes were drawn in by some figure sets I'd be considering buying for a while. Originally Phat Company's (distributed by Good Smile Company) Anarchy sister 2-pack from Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt had been my planned purchase in terms of figures (since I knew they were eventually bringing a Scanty and Kneesocks set out too), but I eventually passed on them in favour of the Nendoroids. However my want of the Scanty and Kneesocks set still remained, and when my girlfriend and I stumbled across both sets we decided to clean house. She bought Panty & Stocking, while I happily took home the Demon sisters. There's not really a lot to say about them to give an extensive review, but I thought I'd share some pictures of both sets for anyone considering picking these (or the other two available sets) up.

The packaging is pretty nice with its distinct Panty & Stocking "colour explosion" motif, but collectors who like to take their figures in and out of the boxes might be a little disappointed by the blister packaging. Both Panty and Stocking are in a fairly generic pose (which judging from my Daten City Paparazzi art book, is most likely from the standard character design). Poseable figures have been hit and miss in capturing the series' distinct art style - the Nendoroids avoided it but rounding off the angles, and the Rio:Bone figure tried (and in my opinion, failed) at working the designs into fully functioning 3D figures. These figurines do display some of the roundness seen in the Nendoroids, but its far less intrusive/obvious and so I'd consider this set one of the best interpretations of the characters out that aren't expensive statues of their angel forms. They both have nice little bits of detail for such small figures, such as Panty's toned hair and Stocking's striped underwear.

Also included is a yellow base for each figure, and a in-scale figure of their pet zipper-dog Chuck. Again, for such a small figurine Chuck looks great.

These figures will probably cost you more on the aftermarket now than their original retail price, but even then they shouldn't be that hard to find at a reasonable cost. If you've been unwhelmed/disappointed by the poseable/semi-poseable figures released thus far, these two are definitely worth looking into.

Anime REVIEW: Fireball/Fireball Charming

The latest anime series I've watched is a bit of an oddity, and certainly not something you might expect from a company such as Disney. Fireball and its second season Fireball Charming are two 13-episode series created by Jinni's Animation Studios in conjunction with Disney. Each episode is just over a minute in length, and created entirely with CGI. The original series ran between April and June 2008, while Charming aired during the same months in 2011.

Meet Drossel, manufactured with the mind of a 14 year old.

The series follows gynoid Duchess Drossel von Flügel (title and full name: the 19th Lord of Uranos' Kingdom's Tempest Domain, Drossel Juno Vierzehntes Heizregister Fürstin von Flüge) and her massive cyclops robot servant Gedächtnis. Episodes revolve around happenings in their giant manor house the Tempest Tower, and are set against what is presumably a war between robots and humanity (with humanity having taken an oppressed status). Fireball Charming is a prequel series, set in the year 48234 as opposed to the setting of the original, which was between 48650 and 48794.

Who said that flying couldn't also be fashionable?

With episodes only having just over a minute of runtime, there's no time for proper build up and so the comedy has to come in relatively fast. For certain episodes this works quite well (such as Drossel's discovery of a new hairpiece) but other jokes will fall flat. The most obvious offender would be Drossel constantly calling Gedächtnis by a different name (such as Rasputin or Sancho Panza), which is funny at first but quickly gets old. The setting of machines at war with humans isn't particularly prevalent, but is often touched up in a way that makes you wish Fireball was something more than comedic one-shots. The final episode sees the main characters seemingly taking a last stand against a human uprising, with their fate left ambiguous. Too bad nothing further will probably ever come of it.

Drossel and Gedächtnis sported a different look back in the year 48234

While Fireball may be a somewhat enjoyable yet pointless watch, prequel series Fireball Charming has a lot more going for it. Once again it takes the format of minute long episodes, but the humour has expanded beyond the same repetitive jokes. We see a lot more of Tempest Tower, along with more characters and a greater emphasis on sight gags to go along with the large amount of dialogue. Both Drossel and Gedächtnis have received a makeover (Upgrade? Downgrade?), with the former taking a much less humanoid form - complete with extended head section and tapered legs. This allows a much greater range of robotic motion from the character, which is also helped by the much bigger budget Fireball Charming obviously received. Even if the humour does nothing for you, fans of CGI certainly won't be disappointed - the original Fireball had its merits in terms of animation, but Charming makes full use of its medium and every scene is a treat for the eyes.

Charming Drossel's sweet ride

While in the end both seasons are only going to take under an hour to watch the overall plot itself may seem superfluous, there are worse ways to spend said hour. The comedy can often be hit and miss, but its two main characters are strong enough both in terms of design and personality to keep you watching and maybe even wanting more at the very end. It's fitting that the second season was named Fireball Charming, because charming is exactly the right word to use when describing the Flügel household.