This is the first time a character has appeared in TWO GNU lines, but hopefully not the last.

Braiger, what an odd duck you are. I really didn't care about you at all, that is until Yamato released the larger GNU-GOU Braiger. I love that thing, although I get tired of defending it sometimes. But through that, I really got to like the Braiger design, and now Yamato has released a version of Braiger in its GNU-DOU line. This is the first time a character has appeared in TWO GNU lines, but hopefully not the last.

This is Yamato's GNU-DOU #005 Galaxy Cyclone Braiger, brought to you by Angolz.com

The whole idea of the GNU-DOU series is that these ABS/PVC/POM figures contain a common internal skeleton that they slap a different character onto. This is the second figure to feature the standard GNU body.

Its not so much of an internal skeleton as it is a series of interconnecting joints. Not only do these joints provide a ton of flexibility, but think of the opportunities for customizers.

Braiger is 130mm tall and the majority of the plastic on the outer shell is hard ABS plastic while the jointwork is POM. All of the parts just sort of snap together, with no noticable glue marks or screw holes. This makes for a really sharp action figure that looks fantastic from all angles.

The downside of the GNU-DOU system, in my opinion, is that because everything just fits together and relies on tight tolerances. Over time, these tolerances will wear out somewhat, and pieces may come off easily. On Braiger, the fingers are just attached to pegs, and they can come off rather easily, espescially when holding the sword. Still, they pop right back on with ease.

Still it makes for an extremely poseable and great looking figure. The only accessory included is the sword.

Braiger reminds me of an earlier release in both form and function. Remember the Story Image Figure Ideon? This is a figure in the same spirit. Similar materials and construction as well as similar paint. The Ideon lacked the internal skeleton, and sold for much more money. But shows that they had this idea back in 2004, they just had to wait until the market was ready for it.

You can get your Braiger GNU figure at Angolz.com

Yamato’s Galaxy Cyclone Braiger is an interesting piece. If it weren’t so expensive it would be a damn fine toy. The Braiger has a lot of toy-like qualities. It’s fun, durable, and has a lot of play value. But at $168 USD you really can’t think of it as a toy at all. With Video!

Yamato’s Galaxy Cyclone Braiger is an interesting piece. If it weren’t so expensive it would be a damn fine toy. The Braiger has a lot of toy-like qualities. It’s fun, durable, and has a lot of play value. But at $168 USD you really can’t think of it as a toy at all.

The Braiger is the first entry in Yamato’s GNU-GOU line. Yamato describes the line as follows:

“Drawing upon Yamato's time-tested experience through the development of countless high-end transformable toys, the GN-U GOU is the culmination of intensive manual labor, the latest in CAD design, and the manipulation of ABS material for sharp, precise detail to fully express the image of each individual Super Robot as it appears in the original anime without sacrificing any play value. While faithfully maintaining proportions and details, the GN-U GOU maximizes playability through an ingenious method of transformation through the combination of interchangeable parts. The GN-U Gou, a perfect marriage of form and function.”

Reading Yamato’s description of the GNU-GOU line, you begin to understand what they were going for, and why the Braiger is what it is.

My Braiger, let me show it to you.

Braiger comes packaged in a large, gorgeous box. The front has a nice painted rendition of the Braiger, while the back features images of the product in action. The front flap opens up to reveal the product through a clear window.

The components of the Braiger come packed in 2 clear plastic trays. The top tray features Braiger in robot mode while the bottom has the car mode parts. Included in the package is a DVD, sticker sheet and instructions. Before you get too excited, the DVD is just a 30-second opening animation from the TV series.

Braiger in robot mode is a fun, playable toy. It just feels like it should have come out in the late 80s, during that period when metal made way to plastic. The details are incredibly sharp and although light, the Braiger is sturdy. The parts fit is excellent with one exception. There are small tabs on the inside legs that need to be removed for transformation – on one leg this tab falls out easily. If the fit on the leg were a little better, this wouldn’t be a problem. It’s minor, but it’s a noticeable flaw on an otherwise great piece. The toy is almost entirely ABS plastic, and has a similar feel to Yamato’s Scopedogs.

While in robot mode, the Braiger makes use of several weapons. The signature Brai-Cannons are attached to the back of the figure via pegs. Each cannon swings over the shoulders and extends with drop-down handles so that the Braiger can grab on and aim.

The Brai-Sword is a yellow-bladed sword that can be held in either hand, and the Brai-Spear is a 2-part Javelin. The handle can be separated and connected with a section of chain to be held in both hands.

The jet mode of Braiger is called Brai-Star. Transformation from Braiger to Brai-Star involves so much parts swapping, that its practically a LEGO set. I won’t go into the details here about how to get from one to the other – you can watch the video for that. But I will say that it’s actually very easy. The parts are very sturdy and there is very little ambiguity as to where parts go. Sure, Yamato could have made some sacrifices to make the transformation more self-contained, but the goals is to make as anime-accurate of a toy as possible without sacrificing playability. In that regards Yamato succeeded.

The Brai-Star is sturdy and large. It features landing gear that can be plugged into to ports on the underside that are concealed by rubber panels. You can shake the hell out of it and nothing falls off.

To transform from Brai-Star to Brai-Thunder, you have to use a different set of parts, adding more parts to the pile.

I really recommend you set aside a large workspace when playing with this. Due to a fantastic system of magnetic connection points and tight tolerances, the car mode is fantastic, and maybe the best of the three modes.

Braiger’s car mode is reminiscent of 70’s muscle cars, with an exposed engine and large rear tailpipes. The wheels are made out of a hard rubber that gives it a smooth ride across your floor. This mode is also fantastic – when fully assembled you would never believe that there is a robot hidden inside.

The big problem is the price. The cost is way too much for this piece. I think at this cost there should be some metal, or something that shoots. Yamato has produced larger, more intricate pieces for less money. Perhaps the reason is that there isn’t as great of a demand for Braiger, and thus they made less, raising the per-piece cost. Maybe it was the tons of tooling and molds required by all of the parts? I don’t know. But if this toy was $50 less, it would be perfect.

Price aside – it’s a great toy. If this came out when the show was popular it would have come in a big Styrofoam tray with all the parts laid out through clear windows.. It really would have fit right in with the times, but even then it would have been a DX box set, handle and all.

If part swapping annoys you, then this is not the toy for you. But I found that half the fun of this toy is the swapping, changing back and forth between all three modes. I like it, but I wish it were cheaper. Unfortunately that seems to be the trend these days, and there’s not a lot we can do. It’s not a cheap hobby.

Braiger was available from Yamato Toys USA, but they are all out. Check with our sponsors to see if someone has it in stock.