To celebrate international Soul of Soft Vinyl Week on CDX Leonardo Flores reviews release #36 Tackle from Kamen Rider Stronger. "Although I will say there is some nice Zettai Ryouiki action going on here!"

Tackle

I always admired the costume and character Denpa Ningen Tackle from 1975 Kamen Rider Stronger. One feature I like about 1970’s tokusatsu programs is many of the costumes and art design still had a huge 1960’s influence throughout. For me, Tackle has always been one the most rememberable of those 60’s style costumes due to her cute and colorful Lady Bug motif, Go-Go boots and miniskirt, and vintage European motorcycle style helmet mask and goggles.

When I discovered there was of SOSV version of Tackle I had to track one down for my collection, eventually locating one on Y-Auctions for 100yen! I was not disappointed when I finally received my Tackle in the mail from Japan.

Tackle includes: 1X Tackle figure, 1X white antenna, 1x hanger card. There are no options. Please note that while most SOSV figures do not include extra parts Tackle’s antenna is included loose in a plastic case connected to the hanger card. If the card is missing and there is no antenna I would pass on the item as most likely it has been misplaced. Accordingly the only assembly required is attaching the antenna to the helmet.

I am impressed with the beauty and detail the sculptor took when designing Tackle and all the minor details throughout when looking at closer inspection. For example the helmet is actually a clear piece that is painted to match the figure with floating eyes attached to the body. The result is a simple but very effective look of clear goggle on the helmet. I also like the fine details of the boots, from the zipper down the side, reinforcement leather panel seams and separately painted souls. With all these great small details I have no doubts that the sculptor had access to the original costume for reference.

The dress itself has a nice pitted texture to it with pleats and hemlines represented throughout. Personally I like the detail of the belt being folded behind itself on the back of the figure. Nice touch! The yellow flowing scarf also added a great visual to the figure and really represents an era when many tokusatsu characters wore scarves as part of their uniforms.

What is most important about this figure is the female representation in the figure itself. So easily Bandai could of sexualized this figure by heightening or blowing the proportions up but the sculptor choose to represent a very realistic sculpture of an average stocky Japanese female. This is rarely seen even in expensive dolls much less a $10.00 action figure. The result is you get a nice heartfelt tribute to the actor who played Tackle and kept the figure from becoming the typical generic female action figure.

My only real complaint is the lack of any real articulation, which is limited to turning the helmet, and arms, waist and boot pivot. This is an issue many collectors feel about Soul of Soft Vinyl figures but I feel this is a nice tribute to original soft vinyl toys from the 70’s as frustrating as it might be. But the pose is dynamic and really stands out on the shelf.

What I like about this figure was how the sculptor balanced the realism of Tackles costume of just being a stage prop on an actor during the daily grind of a film set and the fantasy of Tackle’s iconic henshin uniform fighting the evil armies of Black Satan. It all depends how you want to look at it. If you are an admire of 60’s and 70’s art design with a nice 1960’s Go-Go appeal or a fan of vintage tokusatsu programs the price should not keep you from purchasing this inexpensive figure but I am sure you will more than pleasantly surprised at this representation of Tackle as I was.

©2009 Article and photos Leonardo Flores Modcineaste & CollectionDX.

This toy was the fourth entry in CM's Brave Gokin line, and as such, the engineering leaves a little bit to be desired. It's a huge set, and it suffers from being overly ambitious. In short - it's kind of a mess.

God Raijin-Oh (ゴッドライジンオー) comes from the 1991 anime series "Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh" (絶対無敵ライジンオー}. It was the first in the Eldoran series, sort of a Brave series for the younger set.

This toy was the fourth entry in CM's Brave Gokin line, and as such, the engineering leaves a little bit to be desired. It's a huge set, and it suffers from being overly ambitious. In short - it's kind of a mess.

A pretty mess, but a mess nonetheless.

So much of a mess that I didn't do a video review - I figured I would just get too frustrated.

So here it is.

The box is big, making it a bitch to store. Inside is two beautiful old-school styrofoam trays.

The toy consists of two robots - Raijin-Oh and Bakuryu-Oh.

Raijin-Oh

Raijin-Oh is a combining robot, consisting of three smaller robots:

Ken-Oh

Ken-Oh is the humanoid robot, the core of Raijin-Oh and God Raijin-Oh. He's a fantastic figure, almost entirely metal. Articulation is great and the figure has swappable hands. Ken-oh's sword is stored in his back (just the hilt) and the blade can be attached. I had difficulty attaching my blade - there was excess plastic in the hole in the hilt that had to be carved out with a hobby knife. Ken-Oh comes with two head crests - a gold chrome one for display and a flexible yellow one for transformation (shown here).

Hou-Oh

The Eagle is all plastic but has a tremendous wingspan. The quality on this one is so-so, with pieces falling off during handling. The head pops off easily, the tail is just held on by friction, and one of my foot claws won't stay on. On the plus side, the jaw is articulated, the wings are jointed in several places and the legs are articulated.

Juu-Oh

The Lion is the heaviest out of the three, with the entire torso being diecast metal. The feet are articulated, as well as the tail. The jaw moves, but thats about it. In the show, Ken-Oh can ride Juu-Oh, but I have no pictures of that.

Raijin-Oh Gattai!

Raijin-Oh

Combining the three units to form Raijin-Oh is almost identical to the anime. Really, if you want to know how it goes together, just watch the clip above.

Essentially, Ken-Oh folds up and becomes the core - Hou-Oh becomes the head, arms and wings, and Juu-Oh become the legs. The thing is massive, and heavy as hell. It retains a great amount of articulation, pretty much everything Ken-Oh had, just bigger.

Some of the flaws are glaring though. For one, once you add the heavy lower legs of Juu-Oh, the upper legs (which are compacted) will not stay locked into place. Pick the thing up and the legs just come sliding down, the left moreso than the right. It is as if there is no mechanism to click them in place.

There are two sword blades included with the toy. The silver blade is for the tail of Hou-Oh. When used as the sword we switch to the gold blade.

Another fatal flaw is the hands. For one, all the hands have this film on them.. maybe an oxidation of the rubber? But either way, they look bad until you wipe them down. And then they are brittle. 3 years later, and while trying to place the shield (which, incidentally is Juu-Oh's head) into the holding hand, the hand broke in half.

It looks pretty, but don't let it fool you.

The second robot in the set is the Bakuryu-Oh

Bakuryu-Oh

Bakuryu-Oh is a bulkier robot than Raijin-Oh, and is very plain looking (in my opinion) with the only saving grace being the large wings. it's very... white.

The upper body is all plastic, with limited articulation. The head turns, the arms are on ball joints, the upper arms swivel and the elbows bend. It's very plasticky and toy like - fitting of a Brave-type toy. The lower legs are solid metal, but have almost no articulation due to the connection method to the body (pegs). The knees bend, and the feet can move a little.

The hands on Bakuryu-Oh have the same issue with the film on them, and swapping them out sucks. The reason? at the end of each arm there is a peg, and that whole assembly can slide into the arm. To get it out, you push a small peg under the arm. Well, the fit is so tight with the fists that applying force to the wrist peg while holding the small peg underneath results in - you guessed it - peg breakage. I ended up putting a flat-head screwdriver in the space behind the peg to force the wrist peg into the hand.

Bakuryu has a large cannon that can be held in his hand. Unfortunately, it does not shoot anything. It is articulated, but that is for another purpose. Also included is a shield.

Bakuryu-Dragon

Bakuryu-Oh can transform into the Bakuryu-Dragon. It's really just a bunch of parts-swapping. The big gun becomes the tail with articulated segments and the shield unfolds origami-like to form the head. Combined the thing is immense.

Combined, the two form

God Raijin-Oh

This is a messy process.

If you already have Raijin-Oh combined it is not so bad. Bakuryu-Oh dissasembles like a puzzle - there are parts everywhere. Each part needs to be folded and arranged just so to fit on or over Raijin-Oh. Once again, the video is spot-on.

Together, God Raijin-Oh is a heavy fiddly clusterfu*k. You can't touch it without something falling off. It's just too much.

Some of the notable flaws - The head looks too small for the crown that it wears. That crown does not snap on at all, and grazing it will send if off across the room as if it were spring-loaded. The same thing goes for the chest panels, shoulder panels, eagle head etc...

The "shoes" on the feet are the solid metal legs from Bakuryu-Oh and they just klink and klank each time you pick the thing up. The connection method is just two clips for each leg, and you really have to jam them in there.

The large blue wings slip over the red wings, giving the combined figure a wingspan of over a foot. They include small blue wing tips to keep the red and blue wings lined up.

It's big, for sure.

Bakuryu-Oh's shield combines with Raijin-Oh's sword to create a giant arm blade. This requires a special hand that has two posts pre-attached to it that connect with the shield.

God Raijin-Oh can now hold the large cannon with two hands. The hands have angled wrists to accommodate the pose.

So there you have it. It's a great concept, and much more anime-accurate than the old Tomy version, but you really sacrifice durability and play value here. Once you get it in the mode you like - put it on the shelf and leave it alone.

CM's included a ton of screw-hole covers, but honestly, I don't have the time or the motivation to put them on. Also included was a small sticker sheet of clear stickers, die-cut into shape. Nowhere in the instructions are these shown, but my guess is these stickers help protect parts that are prone to chipping.

Not cheap. Not durable. Handsome as all get-out. My advice - display it as the two separate robots - Raijin-Oh and Bakuryu-Oh.

PS - in an odd move - CM's is re-releasing JUST the Raijin-Oh.. I wonder if that is an acknowledgment that the design went too far.

A fitting revival of a classic series

DMZ Strikedog was the second figure released in Takara’s Dual Model Zwei series, a 2006 revival of the original Dual Model series (zwei is German for ‘two’).

The original DM series produced some of the most iconic real robot toys of the eighties, most notably the 1:24 Armored Troopers from Votoms and the 1:72 and 1:48 Dougram mechs. Actually, what other DM toys were there?

With the mid-ought explosion of moldering eighties properties, Votoms toys flooded the market. While Yamato’s 1:12 offering was immensely popular among ATV fans, the DMZ’s fell flat. Whether because of the flooded market or the high prices, fans weren’t biting, which is a shame because the 1:18 ‘dogs are among my favorite toys of all time.

Packaging

Takara went all out for this toy. Everything about it says quality. Collectors wax poetic over the legendary Takatoku boxes, but the original Dual Model boxes were things of beauty, with heavy, textured cardboard, minimalist graphics, and sliding sleeves like the MPC Toynami boxes.

The (10.5” x 14” x 6”) DMZ box is sturdy and glossy, and the art is sophisticated and understated.

A hinged front flap, held closed with Velcro buttons, opens to reveal the Strikedog on the right, the Ypsilon figure and accessories on the left.

The the only quarrel I have with this toy is the packaging of that left flap. There’s no way to remove the contents without cutting the plastic. This was a huge oversight for Takara. It’s inexcusable to make collectors mangle their otherwise re-usable packaging to play with their toy as intended. I imagine many collectors will leave Ypsilon and the additional accessories forever entombed, and this kills much of the Strikedog’s play value.

The Strikedog itself rests within a heavy-duty plastic clamshell, itself in a sliding tray.

Accessories

Paperwork includes a beautiful color manual (with history and design notes, as well as photographs of all play features), a Votoms brochure, and a Microman brochure.

The Strikedog accessories include a shoulder cannon assembly, (4) plugs to conceal screw holes, (2) alternate silver antennae for its head, and (2) additional hands. There aren’t a ton of accessories, but that’s fine with me. Votoms sets, and collector’s toys in general, tend to get carried away, and I usually leave most of extra stuff in the box anyway.

Yypsilon

Ypsilon is the Preternaturally-gifted AT pilot who antagonizes our hero Chirico throughout the series. He’s a typical modern Microman figure, with excellent articulation and play value. He feels flimsier than a full-fledged, solo-released Microman though. The finishes are minimal, but well-executed.

The Ypsilon figure comes with an alternate helmeted head, extra hands, and a display stand.

It’s cool to finally have an Ypsilon figure, but he’s not the real draw here.

Strikedog

First off, the Strikedog is huge. It never occurred to me that Ypsilon’s machine was so much larger than the Scopedog. Strikedog stands at 11 inches, as opposed to the Scopedog’s 9.5 inches.

Strikedog is not merely a repaint with extra bits tacked on. It’s a whole new mold, which was a hugely welcome surprise.

Strikedog is about ninety percent plastic, with most of the visible diecast in the lower-leg assembly, consisting of a central hinged block on each leg (principally in service of the down-form transformation). This is a pretty serious digression from the original DM toys, which usually featured a diecast inner-frame. It could be an issue, and I’d like there to be more metal, but once you hold this toy, all doubt vanishes. Again, the piece oozes quality. The plastic is all high-grade ABS, and the build is so complex and detailed that the overall weight is substantial.

The matte plastic is mostly cast in the final colors, but has been discreetly weathered and panelized, more subtly so than the mud-drenched Scopedog. Tampo printing abounds; there are no decals. I usually don’t care for weathering, but it really brings this toy to life.

The paint apps at the leg and backpack thrusters are particularly lifelike.

Features

I’m a sucker for the 1:18 scale. Having grown up with G.I. Joe and Star Wars figures, and having developed a healthy appreciation for the Microman/Micronaut toys, the scale just feels “right.” It’s the most relatable scale for me, neither too fiddly nor too overwhelming, with just the right amount of potential for gimmickry.

The cockpit and head assembly does everything you’d want it to. The helmet turns (without falling off, as with the DMZ Scopedog), the visor opens, the eyepiece slides back and forth.

The cockpit itself is sumptuously detailed.

The right forearm is spring loaded, naturally. The left forearm features a spring loaded, highly articulated claw.

Strikedog can achieve the Down Form.

I rarely use it, but it’s a neat feature, and the transformation is smooth.

I’ve gone on and on, but I love this thing. Buy two. They were initially pretty steep, and the large, heavy box didn’t help, but you can find them much cheaper now. I got mine at hlj.com at a huge discount.

*******as a side note, I'd like to apologize for my absence from reviewing. I was laid off and otherwise occupied. I'm now re-employed and have more reviews in the works*******

480849

An effort in frustration

Intro

Cybuster is a mecha from various Super Robot Wars games and other Banpresto titles. It was featured in the Super Robot Wars Original Generation Divine Wars anime. Cybuster and its pilot Masaki Andoh (supposedly named after the famed singer Masaaki Endoh) come from an alternate universe known as La Gias. Masaki is chasing after his nemesis Shu, but ends up helping the main characters fight on several occasions.

Contents

Construction

This kit was early in Kotobukiya's SRW line and it shows. Molding and detail is excellent and parts are super sharp. Anybody who has built a few Kotobukiya kits should know what I'm talking about here. Some parts are easily sharp enough to draw blood, and care needs to be take not to bend fine points. Color reproduction is good, and not much paint is needed. Spure placement is not great, but the colors of plastic for this kit are somewhat forgiving and the marks clean up well.

A lot of the parts don't fit quite right and need fiddling with and glue to be assembled. Seam placement is pretty good. I only painted the black detail and the handle of the sword gold. The polycaps for the waist and wings are very loose and frequently the parts come apart on their own or when you are trying to put the figure into a pose. This is extremely frustrating and you end up getting stabbed by all the pointy bits in the process.

Features + Accessories

There are no notable gimmicks for this kit. The mecha is supposed to transform, but Kotobukiya decided to omit this feature. The only included accessories are open and closed fist hands, sword holding hand and sword.

Articulation

The articulation of this kit is okay, but not great. The design does limit the articulation somewhat, but I still feel that Kotobukiya could have done a better job. The feet and legs articulate pretty well, but there really isn't much you can do with them unless you have a stand for flying poses. Otherwise it can be difficult to keep a standing pose with the weight of the wings.

The wrists, ankles, hips, wings, and waist are ball jointed. Everything else is a combination of standard joints.

Balance is actually better than I would expect due in part that the legs actually had a heavy solid plastic piece inside of them. Unfortunately the upper half of the figure leans back, and the waist joint frequently decides to pop apart on its own. (as seen above)

Conclusion

Overall this is okay but with a fatal flaw, bad joints. Just trying to photograph for this review the figure fell apart several times. Even if you get it into a solid pose and leave it be, it randomly decides to fall apart on its own. I really can't recommend it to anybody, unless you are a glutton for punishment.

Kotobukiya has made great improvements since this kit was originally released. Also to note they recently announced a new version of this kit due out in November. It will be part of their EO-Tech line in 1/144 scale and also able to transform.

Yamato has taken another stab at this iconic Valkyrie, this time in a larger, 1/60 scale.

The YF-19 should need no introduction at this point. Hell, we’ve done 4 other reviews of this mecha, and the background of it is pretty much well covered at this point.

I’ve been clamoring for a nicely done version of this since the release of the first Yamato YF-19 in 2000. That one was a noble effort, but the company was very much in its infancy at that time.

Here we are NINE YEARS LATER, and Yamato has taken another stab at this iconic Valkyrie, this time in a larger, 1/60 scale.

I have to apologize up front, I can’t show you the box for this. I had left it out in our living room and my son tore it up. So – no box for you. But if you have handled one box you have handled them all. Window box, cover flap, plastic tray etc.

The YF-19 comes packed with surprisingly few extra parts. In the package, aside from the ship itself, is the pilot, gun, two optional stand parts, and two extra fins. An instruction sheet and sticker sheet are also included. Not included with this set is a display stand, and optional fold booster and fast packs, which are sold separately.

Since the YF-19 comes packaged in fighter mode, we’ll start there.

In fighter mode the YF-19 measures in at about a foot long, which is impressive. The toy feels solid and has weight despite the lack of diecast.

The cockpit can open (in two sections) but you have to push down the black part in front to make room for the front window. This is not ideal, but it works. The small pilot figure of Isamu Dyson can fit in, but it’s a tight squeeze. The figure is quite rubbery so you should have no problems fitting it in.

Behind the cockpit are two fins that are hinged for the transformation process. These can bump out of place easily, so pay attention. There is a second set of fins included, so perhaps these are prone to breaking.

Further back, on either side are the engine intakes. In-package, the YF-19 has the intake covers on, so be sure to remove them for jet mode (I didn’t – unleash the hate mail!)

The only visible metal on the YF-19 is the landing gear. The front gear is located behind the cockpit and has the small metal flap in front (I think its for towing the jet) and rubber tires. Opening the three panels to extend the gear is a breeze. Not so for the rear gear. You need some kind of sharp object to pry open the doors, and then something to pry out the gear. The landing gear does not come out as far as it looks as it should, but the ship stays up so it must just be made that way.

To display the YF-19 with the Yamato Valkyrie Display Stand, you just clip on one of the attachments to the center fuselage part and attach it to the stand.

Transformation from Fighter to Gerwalk is very similar to the classic version, but I will let you watch the video to see how that is done.

It's worth mentioning that the first time I transformed this, I had held it by the chest area, and the whole rest of it detached and came crashing to the ground. The connection points where the chest meets the fuselage are just not strong enough to support the weight. Just make sure you keep a hand underneath the toy during transformation, and you should be all set. Its a sucky lesson to learn.

The YF-19 has a surprisingly nice gerwalk mode, with the additions of swivel joints just above the knees. It looks good, but I am let down by the fact that the chest assembly just rests above the body. There's nothing that it can clip into.

The YF-19 can also be displayed on the stand in Gerwalk mode.

Once again, refer to the video for transformation to Battroid mode.

Once fully transformed, the YF-19 is very impressive. Standing at about 13 inches tall, its the biggest valkyrie I own.

Articulation in this mode is equally impressive. The hips have a fantastic range of movement, and the legs have so much articulation that you can pull off a kneeling pose. What other valkyrie can do that?

One nice feature is the removable head armor, revealing the inner mechanism to the machine.

There are a few problems in battroid mode though - The shoulder pads are a bit loose and look ill-fitting, and the main one there is the way the nosecone is supposed to lock into place.

See, underneath the nosecone there is a panel with a tab that looks like it is supposed to lock in to a hole, but there's not enough of a peg on the tab for it to do so. This results in none of the top section really locking together.

And then there are the hands. As you can see in the video, I broke one of the hands during the transformation process. They just don't fit well into the forearms, and taking them out is an exercise in frustration. I popped the outer cover off on mine but was able to superglue it back on. Each hand has spindly little fingers that look odd on this model. Each has pegs in the hands to hold the gun, but due to the nature of the weapon it just doesn't sit straight. The hand doesn't grasp the handle tight enough, and the pegs really don't do much.

Lets see, what else can I complain about. Oh yeah, the hips don't swing out at all, nor is there any kind of waist joint.

Yamato has announced repaints of this valkyrie due out in 2009, lets hope they addressed the few QC issues in these releases.

I also have the armor and fold booster set, I'll tackle that in a future review.

If you were nostalgic for the old version of Gamera, you’d be better off tracking one of those down instead.

This Gamera is the new Gamera, the same one that Nekrodave reviewed back in 2006. His was a Chogokin, but this version is a cheap soft vinyl toy.

I’ve never seen the “new” Gamera movie – I can’t say I’m completely sold on the idea of a new Gamera – the latest movie never spawned any sequels and didn’t seem to be received well. With the success of the 90s Gamera trilogy, I’m surprised they didn’t continue that series instead.

But whatever, the big thing is re-imagining and re-launching things now – everyone is out of ideas for the most part.

As a toy, Gamera is fine. He’s a non-threatening monster turtle who looks more like a bath toy than a Kaiju. The sculpt, paint, fit and finish are top-notch. If you are a fan of this version of Gamera, I’m sure you will like it.

If you were nostalgic for the old version of Gamera, you’d be better off tracking one of those down instead.

Amazon Japan Link

You have to admit this is one bad looking mech that is armed to the hilt with goodies....

Today I'll be reviewing the mecha Alteisen, which hails from the extremely popular gaming phenomenon know as Super Robot Wars.

I usually like to write a little something more in-depth about the background of the toy I'll be reviewing but, to be honest, I have no idea about this figure. I only recently became aware of this figure when, at the 08' SDCC, Kotobukiya gave us a model of this figure to review. Fellow CDX member Anavel built it and he reviewed it here. After I read his review I really took a liking to this particular robots design aesthetics. So when I learned that Banpresto made a chogokin version of the robot I knew I had to get it.

To start off with, the packaging looks great. It features a nice picture of the actual toy that your getting and a silhouette of that toy in the background set in shades of red. You can see that Banpresto's parent company, Bandai, may have had influence in the style of the packaging.

Moving forward, after opening the box you are greeted with what may be every chogokin collectors favorite style of inner tray. Ah, drink in the beauty of the photo below...the retro look and feel of pure white Styrofoam goodness!

Removing the toy from the box, you are required to do some very minor assembly, like putting on the 3 head antennae and assembling the docking base. You can see in the photo below that the minute of toil is well worth the end result. The Alteisen just looks fantastic displayed in the included docking bay.

Here is a closeup of the highly detailed head. Note that you can see the 3 antennae that I mentioned in the above paragraph.

Ok now, on to the figure. At first I was delighted to feel the heft of Alteisen. The 6.5 inch figure has a ton of die-cast content. The die-cast can be found in the chest, waist, groin, forearms, thighs, calves, and feet. The rest of its body is comprised of PVC and plastic. The Alteisen has nice tight clicking ratchet joints with lots of articulation but, it is limited by the bulky armor design of the figure. During the time that I was running the figure through the paces of trying to get some cool poses, I was shocked when I heard a snap and the left leg at the hip went limp. The ratcheting mechanism broke! To be clear the leg did not fall off. The figure can still pose but it no longer has the tight clicking in the left leg and now relies on the support of the right legs ratcheting joint. As you can see below it can still hold itself up.

On to the gimmicks! The first really cool gimmick that I want to talk about is shown in the next 5 photo's. The gimmick is called the Revolving Stake. The feature is basically an old school style 6 shooter revolver that makes up the right forearm of the robot. Check this out! The barrel actually can revolve, the cocking pin is spring loaded and can be released moving the stake forward. But wait, that's not all! The barrel can be swung open and you can remove the spent shells and the figure even includes a re-loader that can fit in one of the 3 included extra hands allowing you to pose the figure like its re-loading during battle. Cool huh?

The next cool gimmick featured in the picture below is called the Square Claymore. Weird name aside, it is actually a series of shoulder mounted cluster style bombs that are revealed when you open the spring loaded hatches. Also note the pair of open hands in the picture.

The last 3 pictures give you a walk around of the figure. A few last things I want to mention. The flaps that are mounted on the rear of the shoulders can move up and down, the jet nozzles on the back pack can be moved. Also, check out the cool triple machine cannon on the left arm. you have to admit this is one bad looking mech that is armed to the hilt with goodies.

In conclusion, this figure really has me torn. I do love the heft of the die-cast and the design. I also love the gimmicks the figure has. I guess I'm just really put off that the leg ratcheting mechanism broke the first time I moved the leg. To be fair the ratchet mechanism breaking may be isolated to my figure. I guess for the measly price that I paid ($45.00 USD) I cant really complain. So basically, if you like this character you may like this figure, just be careful, display only.

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This time around I take a look at Aries Sion from the Saint Cloth Myth line from Bandai. BIG SPOILER WARNINGS.... You have been warned.

I blame Ken from Angolz.com for what has become a fairly unhealthy obsession with all things Saint Cloth Myth. It started when he approached us a little over a year ago asking if we would be interested in reviewing figures from a series called Saint Seiya. While the series has not taken off in the states it is HUGE outside of the States. I had seen the characters designs over the years and while my curiosity was piqued by what I had seen, I had never made the effort to look in to it.

Little did I know what would start out as mild curiosity would turn into a full blown obsession. There’s just something about the process of putting together one of these figures combined with the presence they have on the shelf when finished that makes you want more. One Saint Cloth Myth figure looks good, several together look great.

Well after 1 year, 114 episodes of the TV series, 31 episodes of the OVA series, 4 OVA movies, 1 animated feature film and 21 Saint Cloth Myth figures and 4 Appendixes later, its official… I’m a Saint Seiya fan boy. So this time around I am reviewing Aries Sion.

From Wikipedia :

“Prior to the start of the main story, Sion served as a Saint on the previous generation of Athena Saints. In the beginning of the war against Hades, Sion was promoted from Bronze to Gold Saint of Aries.”

“Under the guidance of Athena, gold saints Aries Sion and Libra Dohko set out to lead the saints in an invasion of Hades' domain, the World of the Dead. Much of the war ended in bloodshed and annihilation, with the saints having to resort to the Libra Weapons -- a move that Athena herself normally frowned upon. There many casualties in this war -- both saints and spectres alike. The last two survivors of this struggle were the Gold Saint of Aries and the Gold Saint of Libra.”

“After the war, Dohko would be assigned with the task of watching over the seal on the souls of Hades' 108 spectres, while Sion would go on to become the new Grand Pope of the Sanctuary, with the main duty of preparing new blood for the next Holy War.”

“Upon becoming the Grand Pope, Sion could no longer perform the duties of the Aries saint as he had previously done - thus, he began to train an apprentice to succeed the cloth. Sion found that successor in Mu, an extraordinary young man of the same race as Sion with a natural talent for cloth reparation. Mu not only became the new Gold Saint of Aries, but he did so with all of Sion's abilities under his belt.”

“After Athena had once again reincarnated into a human infant, Sion began preparations for the inevitable war. He understood that, with old age, his own time would soon be up, and therefore needed to choose a successor for his seat. With the exception of Sagittarius Aiolos and Gemini Saga, all of the gold saints were too young and inexperienced to take up the responsibilities. After a lengthy time of consideration, Sion eventually settled on the Gold Saint of Sagittarius. While Aiolos was not as powerful as Saga, Sion felt confident in his choice because he knew of Aiolos' undying loyalty to Athena.”

“Unfortunately, Sion was confronted by Saga in regards to his decision shortly after the announcement. It seems Saga felt discontent at Sion's choice, and demanded an explanation for it. Sion revealed that, while he acknowledged that Saga had a heavenly reputation and was the more powerful of the two, he could not help but senses something terrifyingly dark within the Gemini Saint. It is at this point that Saga confirmed Sion's suspicions, and assaulted the weary Pope with a deathblow.”

“In Meikai, the realm of the dead, it was announced that Hades would attack the Sanctuary and unleash the Greatest Eclipse on the World, this left the dead saints in a predicament, because they were dead and unable to do anything, but opportunity arose when Hades told them that, if they killed Athena they would live again then, not even death could keep Sion away from aiding Athena in her Holy War against Hades. Even after years since his assassination, Sion returned from death to help Athena and the current saints with a way to get into the World of the Dead. Originally, it was assumed that Sion, along with other deceased saints such as Saga, Shura, Camus, Deathmask, and Aphrodite, had sold their soul to Hades and returned to Sanctuary to kill Athena. It turns out that this was a grand scheme by the former Pope and the dead saints in order to get a message to Athena -- that she must commit suicide and consequently awake the 8th sense if she hoped to successfully defeat Hades within his domain.”

“After the message had been delivered, Sion met with Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga, and Shun to inform them of the truth of what had taken place with the gold saints and Athena. Perhaps as a nod to his apprentice's talents for armor reparation, Sion instantly restored all four saints' individual cloths using the blood of Athena. Finally, with his last act as the Grand Pope, Sion commanded the young bronze saints to invade the World of the Dead -- they shall not stop until every spectre has been defeated, and Hades himself is on his knees.”

Bandai really puts a lot of love and attention into this series and it all starts with the package. Traditionally Saint Cloth Myth comes in a book style package that opens up to reveal two windows with the figure and all its parts and pieces neatly arranged for all to see.

Included in the box is:

• Generation 3 Body Type
• Suplice parts - helmet, chest plate, shoulder plates, bicep pieces, forearm gauntlets, waist plates, thigh plates and leg plates
• 6 pairs of hands in various poses
• object statue

The figure itself is made of plastic with the feet being made of die-cast metal. Bandai choose to use the newest Generation 3 body type (which features over 40 points of articulation) for Aries Sion and stands about 7 inches tall. The figure looks a bit spindley without the armor on but to be honest that is not a big deal. It’s all about how they look with the armor on and Aries Sion looks good.

The armor or cloths in this line are almost all made of die-cast metal and is the real draw to the line. The armor is always beautifully detailed and I am continually surprised with the general high detail and quality of the series.

The Cloth here is actually referred to in the series as a Surplice (all of Hades minions wear Surplices just as Athena’s Saints wear Cloths or Poseidon’s generals wear Scales) and uses the original Aries Cloth sculpt created for the Aries Mu. Other than the different black/purple color scheme and a new head sculpt it is 98% identical to Aries Mu. The only two differences I can see are the front armor cod piece isn’t on a hinge like the original Mu release and the Ram horns don’t plug into the back of the armor as well as the original release. It is a bit finicky to get it on but once you do it will sit there as long as you don’t pick up by the shoulders. I’m not sure if I just got a bad piece or if something is different but as nice as these figures are they are still mass produced so getting a flaw is going to happen from time to time.

These complaints are more nitpicks and neither really detracts from a beautiful representation of the character from the series. He still looks good paired with later self, Grand Pope Sion.

Each armor in the Saint Seiya story turns into a statue of the constellation that warrior is aligned to when not being worn. Most armor is not seen in the series this way but Bandai does include a base statue in each release to put the armor on to and form a statue of the constellation. The Aries Gold Saint is of course a Ram, so needless to say Aries Sion’s resurrected armor makes…a ram. Yep looks identical to the Aries Mu release just black/purple instead of shades of Gold.
Wrap Up

So basically Aries Sion is nothing more than a repainted Aries Mu figure, but I knew that when I ordered him. I’m a fan of both the series and figures so I wanted to complete my display by pairing him with his earlier self, Grand Pope Sion. The resurrected Sion is a worthy addition to your collection IF you’re a fan of the Hades: Sanctuary story arc and you are a completist. I wouldn’t recommend it to non fans as it’s not an overly striking design and a fairly obscure character to boot. Should you want to add Aries Sion or any other Saint Cloth Myth figure to your collection just head over to Angolz.com and get a design that catches your eye. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

A video review is included below.

The Scopedog Turbo custom is the coolest Scopedog, no matter the size.

The original Scopedog is one of the iconic designs of the Real Robot genre. It is stocky, functional, and just plain cool. While Chirico Cuvie may go through dozens of Scopedogs by the end of one season of Votoms, there is one variant that to me symbolizes the ultimate Scopedog. That variant is the Scopedog Turbo Custom.

Back around late 2005, Takara created a line of Votoms toys seemingly with the intent of competing with Bandai's own HCM-Pro Gundam line called Actic Gear. No, I have no idea what Actic Gear is supposed to mean but the hallmarks of the line include ABS construction, lots of extra bits on sprues, and general feel of Bandai's original High-Complete Model line. That is to say, these guys are a lot like pre-built models with some of the durability of a toy.

The ATM-09-STTC Scopedog Turbo Custom has everything you loved about Chirico's famous Red Shoulder Scopedog. It comes complete with the Scopedog's trademark GAT-22 30mm rifle, shoulder missile pod, two-shot waist missile pod, waist mounted gatling gun, and a backpack for mounting the missile launcher. It also comes with five ammo cartridges (four pictured) for the GAT-22, which can be mounted on the Scopedog's hip armor and on the backpack.

At 1:48 scale, this Scopedog stands around three and a half inches tall. Despite its small size, it is fairly poseable and can achieve a good Arm-Punch pose with the forearm extended. The Scopedog comes with two fists, two open hands, and two hands with the handle of the GAT-22 rifle. The rifle has a normal handle so that it can be used out of the Scopedog's hand.

Like any good Scopedog toy, it can achieve "Down-form." The mechanism locks in tight so there is no danger of the Scopedog going into Down-form unless you want it to. It feature a working cockpit hatch with a sparsely detailed cockpit. The most annoying thing about this is the control column, which does not stay in its socket.

The toy comes with a scale Chirico Cuvie. The figure is unpainted. He is mostly there just to fill space.

The visor can be raised up, just like in the show.

The Scopedog's characteristic camera eye can be swiveled left or right and can rotate. Unfortunately on my toy the eye is a little loose and large lens tend to rotate the assembly downward.

Here you can see the ammo mount on the backpack. It allows the Scopedog to grab the cartridge and to achieve Down-form.

What makes this Scopedog a Turbo Custom is a new set of lower legs that feature one of the greatest inventions in science fiction: rocket skates. In this toy there are hidden within the lower legs under an armor flap. The existence of this flap does not interfere with the knees, which is a nice touch.

If you've ever played the Armored Troopers Votoms game for the PS2, you'll know that these little rocket boosters allow the Scopedog to zip across the stage like a dragster. Here you can also see the Scopedog's Turn-picks, which can be extended. Also the roller on the back of the Scopedog's foot can rotate, although the one one the rocket skate does not.

This toy comes with an instruction manual, a little card detailing the Scopedog Turbo Custom and its role in the Votoms OVA "The Last Red Shoulder," and a cardboard name tag. Not pictured is the three sprues of parts. These include the GAT-22 rifle, the optional hands, the belly bar, and the pilot figure.

Overall, the Actic Gear Scopedog Turbo Custom is a nice little toy. It was intentionally designed to feel like a model and its ABS body invites you to give a custom paint job. Sadly, it does not come with any decals. This figure has been re-released at twice the price and comes fully painted. This first release is out of production, but it is probably the best value out of all the releases. This is probably favorite Actic Gear out of the few that I own, and served as a good holdover before Yamato released their massive 1:12 scale Scopedog Turbo Custom.

"How could they stop the devouring death...that lived by sucking on living human bones!?"

Island Of Terror was released in 1966 and although it's been a while since I've seen it, I remember it being a rather underrated movie. Or maybe I shouldn't say underrated as much as unknown. It's certainly not one of the movies that immediately comes to mind when you think of Peter Cushing, but maybe that speaks more for his illustrious career than it does against this film.

When I placed my first order with Ultratumba Productions, I decided to have them throw in these little resin figures as well, mostly because they were cheap. I didn't expect to like them as much as I do.

These Creatures of Terror (aka the Silicates) come in a small (approximately 5"x5"x2") cardboard box with a picture of the product on the lid and brief assembly instructions on the side. The figures rest in a styrofoam tray.

The creatures themselves are just these big green blobs that would slither along the ground and attack with their long tentacles. On these figures, the tentacles are flexible and need to be attached, but a small dab of super glue will take care of that. Each piece comes pre-painted. The biggest one (without the tentacle) is a bit shy of 3" in length while the two smaller ones are less than 2" long (not including the tentacles).

One thing that may seem minor, but that impressed me, is that the two little Silicates are actually unique sculpts. You don't really notice it in pictures, but to see them in person confirms it. When I ordered them, I fully expected the same sculpt on both would be used as a cost cutting measure so I was pleasantly surprised to see they they made the extra effort to make them distinguishable from one another, in a way besides just having a differently shape tentacle.

I find that these are great "filler" pieces in my monster display. With their small size, you can fit them just about anywhere and they add a unique flavor to the overall display.

But here's the best part of all.... each individual Silicate has a MAGNET embedded in the bottom!! Yep, if you'd rather not have them on your shelf, you can leave them on your fridge!

The idea of putting magnets in these was a stroke of genius. For a mere $9, these have been one of the better bargains that I've acquired in my monster collection.