Toybox REVIEW: Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger Minipla Bragigas

As the Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger toy line draws to a close it’s time to take a look at the last entry into 2013’s range of Super Sentai minipla. Taking up this entire wave is the tenth Zyudenryu – the titanic Bragigas, partner to Kyoryu Silver and the team’s mentor Torin. Bragigas is special in that he doesn’t only represent the final Zyudenryu to appear in the series, but also features fossilised parts representing the Guardians that fell in battle against the Great Land Devil Gadoma.

Bragigas is made up of three separate boxes, each also containing a single piece of that delicious soda flavoured candy.  Also, like Pteragordon and Plezuon, following the instructions will result in a built Bragi-Oh and so the boxes label the parts as such. The first box contains the robot’s torso, the second has the arms and axe while the third and final box contains the legs and two additional pieces.

(From this point on all images will be of a painted kit, so if you would like to see Bragigas in all his unpainted, stickered glory please compare with HERE)

BRAGIGAS

Bragigas is perhaps the simplest model to build in the Kyoryuger line, mainly comprised of large parts with very few steps to finish each box. Not that any of the Sentai minipla are particularly difficult, but this one especially would be ideal for beginners who are looking to get a taster of the line. The entire kit is moulded in lightish grey plastic that is somewhat accurate to the show model, but lacks any of the silver/darker grey details seen on both the show and DX toy. Stickers come in two different forms – standard ones for the usual detailing and then special gold foil ones for the pieces representing the fallen guardians. While I prefer to paint my minipla, I opted to use these foil stickers and instantly regretted it when the model was completed. Not only are many of them wrap around stickers that fit very awkwardly around their designated parts, but they are also very difficult to apply well and don’t stick down on the textured surfaces very smoothly. In hindsight I wish I’d looked into shiny gold paint but c’est la vie.

That aside, Bragigas certainly stands as the most impressive dinosaur in the Kyoryuger line – absolutely towering over his nine Zyudenryu brethren. It’s a very impressive kit in both height as well as mass, which helps make up for its rather pathetic articulation (the legs are all it can muster). While the DX toy has an opening lower jaw to accommodate the battery gimmick, here the mouth is completely static.

As a dinosaur Bragigas makes for an impressive display piece and a very simple build for beginner model kit builders, but much like the other Zyudenryu has limited playability which is further hampered by stickers that will peel off at a moment’s notice. Does it get any better in robot mode? Read on to find out…

BRAGI-OH

No need for a biting combination, as Bragigas is able to form his own giant dino robot - Bragi-Oh! The transformation process is a pretty simple one, which starts by removing the tail and neck sections of the dinosaur to form the main weapon. The torso's battery compartment is folded and moved upright to become to body, with the legs rotating down into their appropriate positions to become the arms and legs. While making the weapon remove the Brachiosaurus head and swing down the robot face, completing the sequence by plugging it into the top of the torso.

While the improved articulation minipla usually offer these days isn’t something the Kyoryuger line has been overly concerned with, Bragi-Oh takes things to unfortunate extreme. The only main bits of articulation are in the shoulders, hips (both of which are simply “up and down” motion) and elbows (which can move up and down when rotated around). Bragi-Oh does also have ball-joined ankles, but without a knee joint these are largely useless. No knees, no waist connection, not even any sort of head movement. This really does feel like a scaled down version of the DX toy with all the gimmicks stripped out of it. “Brickgigas/Bricki-Oh” might have been a more appropriate name.

What Bragi-Oh lacks in articulation it does try to make up for in huge weaponry. It's signature Bragio Oh is taller than the robot itself and manages to be pretty hefty even for a cheap model kit. It is held via a small connector piece which can inserted into the robot's fist and then rotated a bit, giving it a little bit of motion even if the arms can't really manage anything impressive enough to make it worthwhile.

Considering Bragi-Oh is both the largest and strongest Zyuden Giant and supposedly towers over most Debo monsters, this minipla version doesn't manage to be all that impressive. Given the limitations of cramming a giant robot down into three candy toy boxes forgives the fact that he doesn't tower over anyone (although that being said his height is far from inaccurate), but the very poor range of articulation is very hard to overlook. Just as well it has one more combo in store to hopefully wow those interested...

GIGANT KYORYUZIN

Finally we have the “ultimate” combination for the season – Gigant Kyoryuzin. This formation makes use of Gabutyra, Dricera, Stegotchi, Zakutor, Parasagun and Bragigas – uniting the five main Kyoryuger team members with their mentor. The combination process involves removing the sword section, head and tail from Kyoruzin – hiding the head inside the opened tail. Bragigas is pulled apart and reassembled over the main robot, with the Gigant Kyoruzin head attached to the tail and attached upright to the robot’s shoulders. Zakutor becomes part of the Bragigas neck staff (with the axe reattaching the robot’s back), while Parasagun becomes a nifty shoulder cannon. The pièce de résistance is the chestplate, emblazoned with pictures of all the Zyudenryu guardians.

Considering Gigant Kyoryuzin is a giant, colourful dinosaur robot that's wearing a tail as decorative headwear, it somehow manages to look impressive. Ignoring the tail the headpiece looks great, and both Zakutor and Parasagun excel at beefing out what was already a pretty powerful looking robot. The only thing that really throws things off from the front are the added Bragigas feet, which look kinda silly so small under Gabutyra's giant dino feet.

But despite the rather intimidating look, much like many of the Go-Buster combos it suffers from being a bizarre mash up of parts. It’s by no means unstable, but having Bragigas’ entire body hanging off the back of Kyoryuzin is a rather unsightly look. That being said, Gigant Kyoruzin still has all the articulation of the base Kyoryuzin model, making it a much more poseable and versatile figure than the far simpler Bragigas.

However if the backpack proves to be a bit too much for you, it can be removed for an alternate formation where Bragigas’ entire torso is reassembled into the giant battery cannon for Gigant Kyoryuzin’s ultimate attack – the Gigant cannon. The attack also removes Zakutor and Parasagun from the combo, who revert to their standard dinosaur forms to join Ankydon, Bunpachy, Pteragordon and Plezuon as Zyudenryu on parade. It’s not really much to look at as Gigant Kyoryuzin is left kind of naked, but adds a little more variety to the final combo and makes for a pretty awesome display if you have the room (or means to make Pteragordon and Plezuon fly).

The Kyoryuger minipla line didn’t start with a bang, and in the same vein it’s certainly going out with a whimper. Bragigas isn’t just the most disappointing Kyoryuger minipla I own, I’d also go as far as to say it’s the worst of the four years of Super Sentai minipla I’ve collected (which is Go-Onger, Gokaiger, Go-Busters and Kyoryuger). What may look like an imposing robot is not only an unarticulated brick, but also a boring model build comprised of larger parts and minimal building steps. While articulation may not be a requirement of the minipla line, recent years have made it one of its biggest highlights and all Bragigas does is take things back to square one.

Oh well, here’s to 2014 when hopefully the year of the trains will be better.

Movie REVIEW: Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger: Gaburincho of Music

It feels a little bit odd to be reviewing a Super Sentai summer movie before its respective series is over and done with, but rather than wait until early February when Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger finally draws to a close I've decided to start doing separate reviews for both Sentai and Rider movies. The Kyoryuger movie has felt like a rather special one since early information and teasers reared their head, not only promising a new evil ranger alongside the obligatory movie-exclusive mecha but also being billed as a musical. Now while Kyoryuger undoubtedly has a musical theme, it isn't the most prominent of things so seeing how it would be handled was very exciting indeed. Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger: Gaburincho of Music was released in theatres back in August, as part of the a double bill with the Kamen Rider Wizard movie, Kamen Rider Wizard in Magic Land.

You'll hear us roar, but we won't be singing all that much

Taking place roughly between episodes 20 and 21 of the series, Gaburincho of Music sees the six Kyoryugers face off against D, an ancient Deboss Knight who uses evil Zyudenchi powers to become the evil Deathryuger. By kidnapping a pop idol named Mikoto Amano (nicknamed Meeko), who is descended from a race that had special powers through song, D plans to use the #00 Zyudenchi to awaken the ancient Zyudenryu Tobaspino and force him to help him conquer the planet.

Daigo "King" Kiryu (Kyoryu Red) is an old friend of Meeko, and with the five other Kyoryugers will stop at nothing to rescue the idol and put a stop to the rogue Deboss plan's for destruction once and for all.

I will be on the other hand

The big problem with the Super Sentai summer movies is that on the whole they're pretty forgettable. The stories usually feel so detached from the series that they're barely worth remembering, and the fact they're usually about half an hour long hardly makes them feel like movies at all. The odds felt pretty stacked against Gaburincho of Music before it even started, but somehow it really manages to pull it off for the most part. The first thing to note is that is predictably isn't a musical in the way many were expecting it to be - there's plenty of songs, but the majority of them are background music rather than have our characters sing their way through a 30 minute epic (how good would that have been?). Naturally with a central character being a pop star there are some moments of proper singing, and the Kyoryugers do have their own little moments every so often. Even regular villain Candelira gets in on the action with a nice little tangent number.

An evil ranger that doesn't turn good. I can get behind this.

Ferocious knight D is an excellent villain, and his Deathryuger form features some great little homages to the evil dinosaur-themed rangers of the past (how can you look at a musical weapon and NOT think Dragon Ranger?). The Deathryuger suit itself is nicely done, standing out from the others with its own unique motifs but at the same time feeling very much inkeeping with the hereoes' suits. This "excellent redeco" mindset also stretches to Tobaspino, who's effectively a spinosaurus remould of Gabutyra. Topbaspino also has his own combined form using Ankydon and Bunpachy as forced components - SpinoDaiOh. 

With such a good looking movie-exclusive mecha, you can guarantee that the film has plenty of gratuitous mecha action. This comes in both practical suit and CGI forms, with the balance between them held nicely (something I like to think carried over from Go-Busters). The suits are used exactly where they're needed, but the explosion battle between Kyoryuzin and SpinoDaiOh is something only CGI would be able to do justice and is certainly a highlight of the entire film.

T-Rexes are out, Spinosauruses are in.

This film certainly does a lot of good feeling like an epic adventure that still relates to the series (bringing the musical theme to the forefront moreso), but sadly the terribly short run time is a huge hindrance to it all. Set up is thrown out the window almost altogether, with things that should take about 20 minutes to set up done away with in under five. New characters like Meeko and D have two sentence backstories which are glossed over as quickly as possible, which D especially suffers from because he betrays the Deboss Legion almost immediately after he's been properly introduced. A longer running time would have allowed things to be ironed out much smoother, with more downtime for establishing all these new characters between the flashy action sequences. The same goes for the Kyoryugers themselves, as all the film really concerns itself is with Daigo's relationship with Meeko and the others being his backup. But then this is a common thing in Kyoryuger, and something I'll be bringing up again when I review the whole series in a few months time.

Oppa Aigaron style?

Gaburincho of Music is quite easily one of, if not the best Super Sentai summer films there's ever been. It has a good plot, great villains, excellent action and actually feels like part of the show rather than something unnecessarily tacked on. However a step up in quality means not as much as it should when the length is still hampering any attempts these "films" have of being perfect. No matter how good the content is, its impossible to escape the feeling that this film is rushed and would have benefited far better from around double the running time. And since it's unlikely that Super Sentai will ever take the spotlight away from Kamen Rider in these double features, that's a real shame.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Blade

As we approach the end of 2013, it's time to have a look at what will most likely be my last S.H. Figuarts review of the year - and quite appropriately it's also probably one of the biggest releases this year. Not only was Kamen Rider Blade a big deal because it was one of the few lead Riders missing from the line, but it was also the first figure to be using the brand new body type Tamashii Nations had been showing off prior to its release. After instantly selling out when it was first release in August, Bandai obviously took note of the high demand and scheduled a speedy reissue for November. Here is the review:

Admittedly box art has been getting better and better with the Figuarts line, and I seem to regularly be singing the high praises of the pieces of cardboard I instantly rip upon and only ever use again to store accessories. However much like what happened with Kyoryu Red, Tamashii Nations have given Blade the perfect box with suits the aesthetic of both the Rider and series perfectly. The back is even nicely done up with the border from the cards Blade uses in the series! It's a really nice bit of packaging, and just shows how far Bandai have come since the dull plain silver of the early Figuarts releases.

 

The Blade design is one that I personally feel is quite different from the other Heisei era Kamen Riders, and as such one that's taken a while for me to get used to. Ignoring the fact that the head bears a striking resemblance to the Pokémon Metapod (if you couldn't see it before, I hope you can't now unsee it), the card-motif resulting in quite an odd look that mixed regal armour with grungy colours. Its by no means a bad design, if anything I consider it one of the complex and intricate Kamen Rider designs - and credit where it's due it makes for a really nice looking figure. The dark blue base body, the silver armour, the red/gold highlights, the red eyes...it all just comes together BEAUTIFULLY. Even the foot has print detailing and paint!

But is the new Figuarts body up to scratch? Well, the most noticeable difference is the loss of the drop-down hips (which was also on the previously released Ryuki figures and Cho Akiba Red), replaced with a far more seamless design. The really big deal though is the new ankle system, which combines a hidden universal joint under the armour combined with an ankle hinge. Even without the added heft of diecast, these are feet that feel stable in most action poses. The ab crunch is surprisingly versatile given the armoured torso, and the shoulder pads are able to be positioned properly when moving the arms into a pose.

While in terms of sculpt and articulation quality the renewal Kamen Rider Black figure is probably on par with Blade, that release was let down by the fact it only came with a few different hand options. Accessories is where Blade has him REALLY beat, sporting nine swappable hands, Blay Rouzer (with alternate folded/unfolded parts), concrete effect part, rider kick effect part (with 3 additional lightning pieces) and eight different cards - Slash, Change, Mach, Beat, Thunder, Tackle, Metal and Kick. The only thing really missing is a unique Tamashii stand, and we know Bandai doesn't like giving those away very often!

Swapping out the Blay Rouzer parts is as easy as unplugging the hilt face plate and changing the parts over. The blade sticks firmly into the concrete for the final attack pose, and the same goes for the kick effect part which slots nicely around Blade's foot. The additional lightning parts are a little more fiddly to keep in place (one of mine just didn't want to go in and I was paranoid it would snap), but once they're in place they can also be moved around a bit to get the perfect kick effect for the figure.

One big item to note on this release (and one that was met with many groans) is that the unfolded Blay Rouzer part is completely blank, and comes with a number of stickers that need to be applied. It's easy to see why people would be annoyed by this as its not only a lot of stickers to apply (24 in total - 12 for the back and 12 for the front), but they're pretty damn small as well (bar a few exceptions they're all half a card cut diagonally). On top of this, while the sticker sheet includes 24 different cards in two sets of 12 (the second I assume he gets later on in the show...I've been kinda sidetracked lately and only seen up to episode 10), you can only apply ONE set of stickers to the Rouzer - so choose carefully which ones you want). It's not ALL bad news though, as the reality is the stickers aren't that hard to apply - you just need to take it slow and have a toothpick on hand to straighten out any mistakes you make along the way.

Also included below is a picture of the cards included for Blade to hold, which as you can see vary in terms of having straight print.

When I first preordered Kamen Rider Blade I hadn't watched any of the show, but after seeing how fast it sold out I was determined not to potentially miss out again. That has proved to be an excellent decision because in-hand I can see just why collectors were going crazy over this figure. Not only is it a wonderfully detailed, highly-articulation figure of a character that was woefully missing from the line, but it's also the perfect package and comes with a wonderful range of extra parts. The Kamen Rider Blade aesthetic still isn't my favourite, but I've come to appreciate it a lot more recently and cannot deny how wonderful these designs translate into toys. Barring the sticker issue (which is less of a issue and more of a minor hassle, if even that), Kamen Rider Blade is another utterly fantastic release in a year which has just gone from strength to strength.

Not a bad way to end 2013 at all.

Toybox REVIEW: Doctor Who Dalek Invasion Time Zone Playset

If there's one good thing the switch over to the 3.75" scale has brought to Doctor Who toys, it's that it allows for much greater variety . Before play sets were pretty much limited to TARDIS consoles but now Character Options have opened things up a bit with the introduction of "Time Zone" sets. These consist of cardboard dioramas on a connectable plastic base, with an exclusive figure usually thrown into the mix as an added incentive. So far there have been four sets released - a Cold War one with an unarmoured Ice Warrior, a Hide set featuring a Crooked Man, an Angels Take Manhattan set with Cherub Angels (funny how this scale doesn't have Rory, Amy or River though) and another that doesn't really fit with the others. Why? Because it's not really based on an existing story nor does it actually come with a figure. This is of course the Dalek Invasion set, which creates a new modern Dalek invasion setting and comes packaged with a vehicle which long time Dalek fans might be particularly interested in...

While it doesn't really give an indication of how big the diorama is when assembled, the Dalek Invasion set comes in a reasonably big box with the standard blue Doctor Who decor. Both sides feature images of the assembled set, while the back also features pictures of the other Time Zone sets and the following bio.

"2075AD and the Daleks have invaded Earth once more. Using their might Saucer ships they bombard London driving the surviving population underground. Once they land, the Daleks patrol the ground looking for survivors in the rubble to either exterminate or transform into their puppets using Dalek nanocloud technology. In the skies the Daleks use long range 'Hoverbout' Anti-gravity disks to pursue the resistance.

The TARDIS materialises near a Trans-Sys matter transmission station in Hyde Park and the Doctor realises that he will need all his resources to once again defeat his oldest enemies and save the Earth from destruction. The future of the human race hangs in the balance..."

Inside you'll find the contents neatly packaged in a number of plastic bags.

The good news for any disgruntled model builders is that the set not only includes an easy to follow instruction pamphlet, but also doesn't require any glue to get pieces to hold into place. Everything has foldable tabs which even manage to maintain the shape of the 3D items. The only bits of plastic involved are the base, the two towers which hold the backdrop in place and four pins that hold the two parts of the backdrop together. Everything else is 100% cardboard.

And personally I'd have been happy to pay for a little bit more plastic here. It isn't that the kit is difficult to put together by any means (although the "Saucer Over London" board gave me way more trouble than I'd like to admit), but I have my doubts that this set would last very long in child's hands - especially if for any reason it needed to be disassembled and reassembled at a later date.The tabs are sturdy enough to hold everything in place but this still involves folding the cardboard, and struggling with the aforementioned board showed me just how rippable it is. Cost was obviously the biggest issue here (and I guess lower cost = more sets), but I definitely think this could be a bit sturdier.

Anyway, enough wishful thinking and let's focus on what we do have here.  The backdrop is a great image of Dalek saucers over Westminster, with one landed and jutting out a 3D ramp which figures can be placed on (or in a Dalek's case, also rolled down). Beside it is a TARDIS cut out which I imagine could be switched for the plastic version should you own it, and next to that is the made-up "Trans-sys" system. This is actually a rather cheeky little in-joke when you think about it - that Trans-sys logo also happens to be the Character Options company logo. The one 3D prop is a cardboard newspaper bulletin board proclaiming the invasion. Although I'm sure by the time that paper came out everyone was more than aware there was a saucer over London... 

But enough about those boring pieces of cardboard, let's talk about the REAL draw for this set - the Dalek hoverbout vehicle. While this might seem like a redundant piece of technology to fans introduced to the show through the new series, this nifty little vehicle actually has a long history with the Daleks outside of the show. Back in the days when they COULDN'T fly, the Daleks dominated the skies with these hoverbout vehicles - which were also (and perhaps more popularly) known as "Transolar Discs". The vehicles have gone on to appear in several other pieces on non-canon Who, including an onscreen appearance in the "...More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS" documentary. So yeah, seeing this reimagined for the new series style Daleks is kind of a big deal.

The hoverbout comes with the rail section unassembled and in three pieces which lock neatly into the holes - the central control section and the rails on either side. The base features a Dalek shaped groove for a 3.75" figure to fit in - it's a reasonably snug fit, but the Dalek doesn't lock in so it is possible for it to suddenly roll backward if you aren't careful. It doesn't have any articulation on it but the colouring and detail is absolutely superb - lots of varying bronzes, blue anti-gravity "lights" at the bottom and to top it all off the Dalek's plunger fits perfectly over the control panel. My only real gripe is that I wish it came with some sort of stand, because that detailed bottom needs to be shown off and precariously balancing it on a Bandai Tamashii stage isn't really working for me.

Recommending the Dalek Invasion Time Zone playset is one of those things that  relies on a number of factors. If you're a collector with a huge fondness for the TV21 comics like myself, then this is an absolute must have for the hoverbout, no doubt about it. If this static vehicle is of no interest to you, then the set is a bit of a harder sell. The diorama is nice, but only really for collectors with space on their side (which I'm sure is a rarity). I'd also assume most collectors would be prepared to fork out for something stronger, but kids will love it even if they wear it to be pieces.

Honestly, the best way to have made this a definite win would have been to just include a Dalek figure. I have no idea why that wasn't done in the first place.