MMS Type Builder Grapprap was obviously influenced by the power loader from the movie "Aliens".

EX Weapon Sets are armor sets that you can use with your existing Busou Shinki figures. They are not as large or as complicated as a regular set, and do not include a body.

You can get all your Busou Shinki releases at Angolz.com

For this review I have used the body of the MMS type naked black with this armor.

The MMS Type Builder Grapprap was obviously influenced by the power loader from the movie "Aliens". Its yellow color and hydraulic construction are clearly made for work as opposed to war. Large yellow claws provide extra power for picking up debris and construction material of all sizes.

Grapprap comes in a smaller box, and the parts come packed in two clear trays. There are tons of accessories included. You get a head with a small torso that acts as a stand, leg attachments, and then the whole back attachment with two sets of arms. You will need to use the torso and arms from a completed Busou Shinki figure to assemble this figure.

The detail on the parts is fantastic. Each bolt and rivet is painted silver, and there is paint detail throughout all the parts. The quality of the plastic and the build is fantastic, as is the norm for Konami releases.

The leg parts are articulated at the ankles, but thats it. It's in the arm units that all the fun is.

The large arm units attach to the large black "engine" on the back, and they hinge there as well. At the end there is a ball joint with a peg on it, to which the lower arms attach. The lower arm claws are fully articulated.

The smaller arms come over the shoulder and those too are fully articulated, and have articulated claws.

Although a stand is included, this figure does not really need one, as it stands fine on its own. The stand attaches to the back of the figure's harness.

As always, this armor comes with a code that enables you to play on-line with your figure. If you can read Japanese that is.

Digging the Busou Shinki line yet? You can get yours at Angolz.com

By Busou Shhink at Angolz.com

More goodies from the 2008 Tokyo Toy Show - including Transformers, Busou Shinki and Revoltech!

Tokyo Toy Show report - 6/28

HASBRO

Star Wars

• Hoth Speeder Bike Battlepack and Green Leaders A-Wing Fighter
• Millennium Falcon
• AT-TE (seems like different colors from Toy Fair?)
• V-19 fighter

Tranformers

• Masterpiece Thundercracker
• New Nissan GTR Alternaty

KONAMI

Busou Shinki

• Bright Feather and Harmony grace
• MMS Scorpion Type
• MMS Spider Type
• MMS Dragon?

KAIYODO

Revoltech

• Megazone 23
• Fraulein IDOLM@STER
• Gurren Drill!
• Full Metal Panic
• Fist of the North Star

MMS Type Fighter Asuka is another great entry in Konami's line of re-configurable action figures.

MMS Type Fighter Asuka comes from Wave 8 of Konami's popular Busou Shinki action figure line. MMS stands for Multi Movable System, and is a body style created by Masaki Apsy that is used with other toys in addition to Busou Shinki.

Buy Busou Shinki Asuka at Angolz.com

The main idea behind Busou Shinki is that these toys are 1:1 scale representations of armored fighters that combat in the free Japanese MMO Game called Battle Rondo. In it, you can unlock characters with special codes that come with the figures, and make them do battle on-line. It is a cool concept, but it's all in Japanese - a big barrier for most of us. Still, the figures themselves are very cool.

Different Busou Shinki figures are designed by different renowned Japanese artists, and the Asuka figure was designed by Fumikane Shimada, who also created the Mecha Musume series. What is it about armored girls that get the fans all worked up? I dunno, but I like it.

Asuka is a Fighter type Buso Shinki figure, so all of the parts included with her look like they came from a broken up German fighter plane. When Asuka is fully armored, she sports wings, bombs, a propeller and even landing gear on the legs.

The box is a book-style box with a velcro flap. Inside there are clear plastic trays with TONS of accessories.

The basic body is slim and frail looking, but the figure is sturdy and poseable - moreso than either the Figma series or the Fraulein series, its two main competitors. Limbs can be removed, added on to, and reconfigured in any number of combinations. They have even included various faces and hairstyles. Really, there are almost too many accessories to talk about.

The fighter parts are highly detailed and feature multiple connection points. You can make the design shown on the box or you can mix up the parts to make up your own original creations. Konami includes new connector parts to enable you to push the boundaries of the possibilities.

A stand is included, and it attaches to the back with a dual peg system. The only flaw I can find with this figure is that when placing the figure on the stand with the armor on, the skirt armor has a tendency to pop off.

If you want the definition of play value - look no further. The Busou Shinki line features figures with endless combinations, and even a whole interactive on-line element. Check out some of these original creations. I had waay too much fun with these.

Buy Busou Shinki Asuka at Angolz.com

Two new light armor releases from the Busou Shinki line

Taking a turn to the cuter side, Konami announces two new Busou Shinki Light armor figures.

Busou Shinki Light Armor Bright Feather - Nurse Type MMS Due October 08 for 2,900 yen (about 27.49 USD)

Busou Shinki Light Armor Harmony Grace - Sister Type MMS Due October 08 for 2,900 yen (about 27.49 USD)

New figures in the style of Busou Shinki

Three new figures as part of Konami's MMS lineup from the series Quiz Magic Academy. Due September for 3500yen each.

The Konami Great Impact Model Gurren Lagann is Konami’s first (that I know of) foray into the world of high-end diecast toys. It was only a matter of time really, seeing the success of similar lines by Bandai, Takara, Yamato and CM’s. I’m happy to report that this thing is awesome.

The Konami Great Impact Model Gurren Lagann is Konami’s first (that I know of) foray into the world of high-end diecast toys. It was only a matter of time really, seeing the success of similar lines by Bandai, Takara, Yamato and CM’s. I’m happy to report that this thing is awesome. Gurren Lagann WAS available from HobbyLink Japan, but as of writing this article, is sold out.

Gurren Lagann comes from the anime series Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (天元突破グレンラガン,). The series was created by legendary animation studio GAINAX (aka the people behind Evangelion) and ran on TV Tokyo for 27 episodes in 2007.

The series is very good, and I suggest you check it out. Wikipedia gives a good description of the series, but what I will tell you is this – Gurren Lagann is actually two separate robots that combine into one.

Lagann is a small Gunman (robot) that becomes the head of Gurren Lagann. He is found buried deep in the earth by Simon, a digger from Giha Village. Gurren is a Gunman that was originally owned by the enemy Beastmen. Simon’s “Brother” Kamina steals the Gunman and takes it for his own. The two combine in battle in order to overcome the enemy Gunmen, and make the combined form, Gurren Lagann, their own.

I know what you are thinking here, but no, Gurren Lagann does not transform.

Skip to the video review

Gurren Lagann comes packaged in a huge heavy-duty cardboard box with a flip-up lid. Inside the lid is a nice Styrofoam tray with each part neatly displayed. Gurren Lagann comes ready to go right out of the box.

The toy is heavy, and features lots of metal parts. Articulation on this thing is insane, with double-jointed elbows and knees, and possibly the most poseable feet ever. Check out the video to see what we are talking about, but its really great. The legs use a neat system of collapsible panels on the backs of the knees to allow for greater movement, and the elbows feature a neat pull out joint system.

At the hips there are 4 pieces of moveable skirt armor – the front and pack pivot out, while the sides move in all directions. These skirt parts are probably the only poor thing about this toy. Extreme poses can cause the skirts to pop out, but the good news is that they pop back in. Still, a stronger connection would have made this unnecessary.

Gurren Lagann’s torso has a huge range of motion. There is of course a waist joint, but in addition there is a joint in the upper chest that can move any which way. The chest is a giant face, and the joint takes advantage of the jaw placement. The jaw too is moveable. This whole chest unit is metal. It’s breathtaking. Gurren Lagann’s sunglasses can clip on to the chest and are made out of translucent plastic.

Gurren Lagann uses the sunglasses as a weapon, so Konami included not one but two additional sets to be used as weapons. These cannot be attached to the chest, and are a little bigger.

The head has a few ball joints that allow it to shift forward and back as well as the usual range of motion.

Another place where this toy really excels is the arms. The whole shoulder assembly is diecast with a section that moves forward and backward near the chest. Then there is the diecast ball joint at the shoulder and the previously mentioned elbows. Several sets of hands are included and they are easily swapped.

Included with the figure is a large Gurren Wing that can be attached to the back of the figure. This gives an impressive wingspan to an already impressive figure. The wings are all plastic and are actually collapsible. To attach the wings, you simply remove a metal panel on the back of the figure and connect the wings.

If you have watched the show, you will notice that drills play a prominent role in the series, in both the literal and metaphoric sense. I’m not sure what role these accessories play in the show, but included are what seems like dozens of small plastic drill bits that attach all over the figure. There are four different size bits, and each has a specific place, so make sure you read the manual for placement. These things are SHARP, and are made out of hard plastic. Most drill bits just plug in, but there are a few exceptions. The long drills on the arms require an additional cover piece that goes over the holes in the arms, and the drill that goes into the forehead requires some “modification” (at least on mine it did). It looks like paint filled the hole on mine, so I just had to clear it out with a thumbtack. The great thing is, that even with all the drill bits attached, Gurren Lagann is still fully poseable.

Another place where the drill metaphor comes into place is in an included accessory. A 1:1 scale key to operate Gurren is included, and is in the shape of a translucent gold drill. The handle to this key is solid metal, and it includes a holder.

An accessory called the Gurren House is included that is used to hold all the small drill bits when not in use. It has a removable cover, and requires a small amount of assembly.

Finally, included is a stand. This stand comes with two different display arms – one for standing and one for flying. The stand attaches to a hole in the rear of the figure, under the armor. It’s a solid, tight fit. There is also a small part that can clip onto either stand that can hold the wings. The back of the stand has a compartment that can hold the remainder of the accessories.

I really really love this toy. The build quality, engineering, and accessories are top notch. So where did Konami get this ability to produce high-end gokin? My theory is that they didn’t.  I think Konami subcontracted this toy out to Max Factory. Everything about this reminds me of their Max Gokin Godannar toy. The build, the finish, the stand, hell even the packaging is identical! The two just seem too similar to not be related somehow. Not that that’s bad though, it is a quality piece, regardless of who made it.

 As you can probably tell, I can’t recommend this toy enough. It is just so cool on so many levels, and is one of the rare toys that I think is worth the high price tag. Unfortunately, these things are selling like crazy and are already sold out at places like HobbyLink Japan (where I got mine). Be diligent in your search, and hopefully you will find one.

Video Review (now in HD!)

Gurren Lagann OP

Same idea as Busou Shinki, but different series.

Sky Girls Sakurano Elise on MMS - Late April, 2,600 yen

Sky Girls Sakurano Aisha on MMS - Late April, 2,600 yen

Three new Busou Shinki sets from Konami

All three sets are due Feb 08

Busou Shinki EX Weapon Set Plus Zelnogrard - 3,477 yen

Busou Shinki Mulmeltia - 4,600 yen

Busou Shinki Asuka - 4,200 yen

After getting the Waffebunny, I now decided that I needed to get another Busou Shinki figure so I could display both the Devil type and Rabbit type together. I didn't want to buy a whole new figure and luckily Konami has the answer.

After getting the Waffebunny, I now decided that I needed to get another Busou Shinki figure so I could display both the Devil type and Rabbit type together. I didn't want to buy a whole new figure and luckily Konami has the answer.

Available only as a Konami Style exclusive, the MMS type Naked (black) is perfect for the Waffebunny. These bodies are just that - bodies. No armor or weapons are included. They are great for customizing, or for completing figures that came without bodies.

Here's the big problem - they are an exclusive to Japan at the Konamistyle shop. I ended up using Tokyo Hunter to get the item for me and ship it to the US. Thanks Joseph!

The MMS Type Naked body comes with a variety of hands and connection points, as well as two different styles of chest plate. A less-bulky stand is also included. This figure is a must have if you bought the Waffebunny and now need a body!

This one is plastic, but includes a base and new weapons

Plastic articulated action figure from Konami. Base, Face, body and weapons are all new compared to the previous release. 4,725 Yen due late February 2008.