The Bubblegum Crisis Motoslave is a surprisingly sturdy and robust toy. Read on for all the details, with VIDEO

The Motoslave is one of those mythical toys that makes you wonder why they never made one sooner. It comes from the classic anime Bubblegum Crisis, which originally was an 8-part OVA from 1987.

BGC had just come out when I had my "anime awakening" and although I was never a huge fan of the series, I have nostalgia for its place in my history. In fact, BGC was the feature story in American anime fanzine I got in the late 80s, and it was in this magazine that I got my first glimpse of the Motoslave. I haven’t seen the magazine in years, but I remember the black and white newsprint image like it was yesterday.

The most likely reason why we haven’t seen a Motoslave toy up until now is that the technology wasn’t up to par. Even now this version isn’t entirely accurate with the animation transformation, but it is close enough. I guess another reason we have seen this now is that there is resurgence in popularity for 80’s mechanical designs in toy form, as evidenced by the Megazone 23 Garland, and THREE different companies producing Mospeada Ride Armor toys.

For those of you not in the know, the Motoslave is a motorcycle that can transform into a robot, or be worn as a protective suit of armor. This particular Motoslave belongs to Priss, one of the Knight Sabers, a group of women who fight crime in a futuristic Tokyo.

With this toy I can safely say that Yamato has their act together. Gone are the fragile parts, the QC issues. This thing is great and ready to go right out of the box.

Priss

Priss is shown here in her Hardsuit – her protective armor used to fight crime. The figure is articulated with ball joints in the neck (2) torso (2), shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.

The head and torso articulation is great, but the shoulders could use some improvement. The nature of the design prohibits Priss from being able to swing her arms outward any significant distance. The elbows have mini-joints that resemble Revoltech joints that do not click. Priss comes with five variant hands, as well as a replaceable right arm.

The hips are another weak spot, as they will pop out of their ball joints if you try to move them too far.

Motoslave

The Motoslave is really the main draw here. In bike mode it is 14cm long and features rolling tires and a working kickstand. It is molded entirely in color, with no paint or decals. It makes it very toy-like, but a little detail would have been nice, such as color detail on the handlebars or instrument panel. A large cannon with a folding handle can be attached to the side of the vehicle.

Transforming the Motoslave is…. Involved. It’s kind of like toy origami. I won’t go through all the steps here, you can watch the video for that. One thing I want to stress to you though is that despite its fragile looks, the Motoslave is sturdy as hell. Each part is super strong, and the joints are connected by metal screws and rivets. You would really have to screw something up to break this. Kudos to Yamato for finally getting it.

Once the transformation is done, you are left with a robot with spindly arms and legs, and a big hollow inside. The figure has articulation at the head, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and feet. Not too shabby for something that used to be a motorcycle.

But here is where the fun begins. Priss can actually fit inside of the Motoslave.

To do this, you need to remove the front cover from the Motoslave, and you need to make some modifications to Priss.

First, you must remove the shoulder connectors on Priss and replace with the supplied larger ones. Why Yamato could not have engineered something that did this, I have no idea. It’s a pain, plain and simple. You also have to replace the hands with fists with small pegs on them.

Priss then rests in the cavity on the Motoslave, and her hands plug into small tabs on the arms. On the legs of the robot, small hooks fold out for Priss to rest her feet on. Unfortunately, her legs are not long enough to reach the pegs, and you actually have to extend the legs at the knee to get them to reach.

The Motoslave includes variant hands that enable it to hold the cannon. The hands just fit in with friction

In either mode, the Motoslave and Priss can be attached to a display stand. There is a small circular section with pegs in it for Priss to stand on, and this section can be removed for independent display. The large arm holds the Motoslave up high for dynamic poses.

The Good

I like the look of this thing, and to me, the best part is in mid-transformation when you get Priss situated inside of the Motoslave. It just looks so great and detailed. I love the quality of materials, and the intricate transformation.

The Bad

The Priss figure could have been done so much better. With the shoulder joint swapping and the leg extending needed you just cant help feel that this part of the toy wasn’t thought out well enough.

The bottom line

For me, the Priss figure does not ruin the toy, but the price tag is a bit high. If you love the design, I think you will overlook the flaws and agree that this is a fun toy.

1/15 Transformable Motoslave and Priss are available now at Yamato Toys USA

Yep it's just more of the same goodness from the 1/60 (2.0) Macross line from Yamato. This time around it is Hikaru Ichijo's VF-1A from the film Macross: Do You Remember Love?

This fine Yamato VF-1A is brought to us by our sponsor, Angolz.com. The only really notable difference between this release and the previous VF-1S is a slightly looser swing bar in the leg mechanism and of course the new head sculpt featuring the single antenna design. For those not in the know the letter designation after the 1 (as in VF-1A) generally tells you what the antenna array looks like. A has a single antenna, J has two and the S features 4. The first release got everything right so there wasn't much room for improvement between releases so just expect more of the same goodness as the last review.

The VF-1A is packed in the usual Yamato window box package with two inner trays stacked on top of each other. The fighter and it's accessories in one tray and the Super and Strike Armor parts in the other tray. Yamato also sells the fighters and Super/Strike armor in separate packages for those that want a slighter cheaper experience. Personally I would rather get the set together and have it all at the same time.

Included inside the box :

• Valkyrie variable fighter
• 4 Missile Banks
• 4 Missile Boxes
• 6 Heavy Missile Clusters
• Gun Pod
• Pilot Hikaru Ichijo
• 2 clips for the Yamato after-market stand
• 1 arm clip to attach fuselage of fighter as an escape pod
• Super and Strike parts
• Manual for Fighter, Manual for attaching Super/Strike armor
• Sticker sheets for Fighter and Super/Strike armor parts

Fighter mode looks excellent and over comes the usual shortcomings of previous designs by eliminating the gap between the leg and the chest without ending up with skinny legs in the other modes. Keeping an excellent and well balanced look in all three modes. One mode doesn't look better than others, they all seem to have been given equal treatment and attention.

As you can see from the pictures in the review paint detail is excellent and features tons of tampo printed detail. I think most collectors will not find a need to use most of the stickers on the sticker sheet.

Gerwalk mode is the VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) mode of the fighter and this iteration again just looks stunning. The feet and knees are given the ability to hyper extend so that you can get them flipped forward to simulate the animated look of this mode. Personally I think this version of the toy has capture Gerwalk mode better than previous releases. Using the after-market stand by Yamato allows you to get some truly dynamic poses.

The most famous of it's alternate modes is Battroid mode and again the 1/60 (2.0) version really nails it. While remaining a solid toy it captures the look of the series/movie nicely but it doesn't stop at looks, the figure has a full range of motion in the thighs and knees and the arms feature a double joint so that you can get the arms in close to the body for some (again) dynamic poses.

Included with the set is an extra set of pre-formed hands. The right hand is shaped to hold the gun pod handle but also looks like it's pointing when not holding the gun. The left hand is shaped to hold the barrel of the gun pod but also looks like the classic animated hand spread open pose.

The articulated hands that fold in to the fighter do not suffer from “chicken hand syndrome” like previous releases and look nice and beefy. The right hand also has a peg in it to clip into the gun pod handle so the gun pod stays in the hand nice and tight. So you may not feel the need to use the fixed posed hands as the articulated ones work and look very well but it is nice that Yamato included the extra set.

This set does include the Super and Strike armor parts. In the film Macross: Do You Remember Love Hikaru's VF-1A is only seen with Super Armor but Yamato was nice enough to include the Strike cannon in the set.

Armor is simple to attach and all stays of the VF-1A nice and tight. Yamato improved the design of the backpack attachment by adding clips that attach to the back of the fighter instead of just attaching to the backpack. On the 1/48 version the backpack had a tendency to break during transformation so that is no longer a fear when handling the new 1/60 version. Be sure to check the video at the end as I highlight the Super and Strike armor this time around...

Transformation is very intuitive and straight forward but there are a couple of “Yamato engineered” points to be aware of. Check the video below if you want to see the full transformation. Unlike previous releases there is no parts swapping and retains the advances of the 1/48th scale by keeping the swing bar mechanism to get the legs where they need to be in Battroid mode. Get to clicking below if you want to see more...

All around I do believe this release is superior in every way to previous releases by Yamato. While the 1/48th scale had some fantastic detail, it's large scale made it a bit too unwieldy to transform on a regular basis. I also felt the 1/48th in comparison to the newer 1/60 looked a bit long in the nose. The 1/60 scale has not sacrificed the aesthetic of one mode over the over. Simply put the new 1/60 is tight and fun to handle and looks wicked on the shelf. Buy one with no hesitation and have fun playing with it. Seriously Yamato has made a fine toy this time around, you can get yours at Angolz.com

Galactic Whirlwind Sasuraiger is such an under-appreciated mecha design from the 80's.

Galactic Whirlwind Sasuraiger is such an under-appreciated mecha design from the 80's, and I am so glad Yamato is showing it some love. But I am always confused as to what this thing is called. The box Says Sasuraiger, but the vintage toy says Batrain. So which is it? I'm going with Sasuraiger.

Sasuraiger comes from the show "Galactic Whirlwind Sasuraiger" which aired in 1983. It was the third in the J9 trilogy, following Braiger and Baxinger. I think its cool that Yamato released all three robots in the GN-U DOU line. I mean, all three J9 robots together? That's all kinds of awesome.

Sasuraiger comes courtesy of Angolz.com.

This is a stunning represetation of Sasuraiger. The proportions are so stately and dignified. It's a really modern sculpt of a classic character that has remained intact. I still think that Sasuraiger has one of the best robot heads out there.

Articulation is fairly limited on this one. Sure, all the GN-U jointwork is there, but the design of the character restricts the range of motion. For example, the hips are covered and have almost no clearance to move. There are two side straps that tuck into the hip that can come out if you try to move the figure too far.

Accessories... well you get a gun and a hand. That's it. GN-U figures usually don't include many accessories, and this is no exception.

So there you go - Sasuraiger. It looks cool, but does not move much.

If you would like some Sausraiger to brighten your morning, go to Angolz.com.

Super Beast Machine God aka God Bless The Machine Dancouga! To find out what that means, read more inside!

Here's a little bit of trivia for you that I bet you didn't know. The full Japanese name of Dancougar is "Choju Kishin Dankuga" which translates to "Super Beast Machine God Dancouga". However, for some reason, the Japanese companies chose a different English name for the character, which is "God Bless The Machine Dancouga". Why? I have no idea. But until Yamato released Dancouga as a GN-U figure, I had no idea that it had a different name.

Dancouga comes courtesy of Angolz.com.

This GN-U figure adds a lot of play value into the equation, but it is still struck with a few flaws.

First of all, Dancouga is not transformable. The toy is typical GN-U in that it has an internal skeleton with ABS parts covering it. Dancouga's design limits the poseability, but it does well with whats available.

Some interesting things of note: The trunk in the front is articulated, and can move depending on the pose.

The large gun (DankuHo) on his back can unfold and be positioned over the head. and the two smaller Beam Launchers on his back can be swung around he sides near the waist.

Included with Dancouga is the giant DankuKen sword, which actually comes in two pieces. Variant hands are included, including one to hold the sword. First the hilt goes in the hand, and then the top of the sword attaches. It's big, but not as ridiculously oversized as with the SOC.

OK so I mentioned flaws. Most of the figure is really great, but the armor over the hips does not stay on at all. I'm sure a drop of superglue would keep the two halves together, but i don't see why this couldn't have been one piece. Let's not over-engineer what should be a simple toy, okay Yamato?

SO if you would like to get your hands on a GN-U Dancouga, stop looking at internet porn and head over to Angolz.com. Yeah, I'm looking at you.

How crazy is it that we are getting toys of all these unloved 80s robots? Baxingar is actually pretty cool!

How crazy is it that we are getting toys of all these unloved 80s robots?

Baxingar is from the 1982 anime series Galactic Gale Gaxinger (銀河烈風バクシンガー). People refer to it as both Baxingar or Baxinger. It is the sequel to Braiger, which also got the GNU treatment. He arrives today courtesy of Angolz.com.

While Baxinger is relatively unknown in the US, some may be familiar with the bootleg of the Beserk Combination Baxinger from Takatoku, which flooded dollar stores and flea markets as "Motor Jumbo" or "Mustanger". As far as I know the show never aired in the US.

Yamato has brought Baxingar back to the spotlight with their GN-U Dou release. It uses the same GNU skeleton as the previous releases.

I have to say, I always thought Baxingar was kind of stupid looking. However, looking at it now in this GN-U format it is actually very nice. I just think maybe the character never got the toy it deserved.

The outer shell is made out of hard ABS plastic while the fists are made out of PVC included with this release is one variant hand, and one sword with the hand molded on (which, IMHO, is they way they all should be done).

Its really nice, good quality, pretty poseable, but the character is so obscure.. It's hard to justify the price, considering the lack of accessories. I know its a common price point for all GN-U Dou figures, so whether or not this is worth it to you depends on your love for Baxingar.

To satisfy your Baxingar cravings, head on over to Angolz.com and pick one up.

This has been out for about a month now, and while I did get it right away I wanted to make sure to spend some quality time with it before giving you (our readers) the full review. In short, believe the hype. This may very well be the finest “toy” Yamato has made to date. Yes I said toy.

Personally I was first introduced to the world of Japanese toy collecting thru the American syndicated show, Robotech. Having grown up in Hawaii with a heavy Asian population I very quickly learned about Macross, Southern Cross and Mospeada and that there where toys from the line better than most of the Matchbox line that was out. It was the 1/55 Takatoku/Bandai releases of the Valkyries that got me into the Japanese toy collecting culture before there was such a thing known in the States. It's all been downhill ever since...

So let's start at the top. What is a Valkyrie (aka variable Fighter?) From Wikipedia:

“A Variable Fighter is one of a series of fictional transforming aerospace fighters primarily designed by Studio Nue's Shoji Kawamori and Kazutake Miyatake for the animated series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross and later related projects.”

“Their most notable feature is the ability to transform—usually into a humanoid giant robot called Battroid and an in-between mode called GERWALK (Ground Effective Reinforcement of Winged Armament with Locomotive Knee-joint), in which the nose and wings have a pair of "chicken walker" legs extending underneath enabling VTOL, and two arms reaching forward from the sides. Another prevalent (but not universal) design point is the use of a detachable gun pod instead of an internally mounted gun. This allows it to be used as a hand-held weapon in GERWALK and battroid modes. They usually also have one or more trainable head-mounted lasers in battroid mode, stowed internally or used as fixed armament in fighter and GERWALK modes.”

“In the original series, the reason behind the development of the variable fighters' Battroid mode was the discovery of the existence of the Zentradi race, giant humanoid aliens genetically engineered for military conquest. Although at the time the humans hadn't met any actual Zentradi, the discovery of the SDF-1 Macross and its accommodations for humanoid giants justified the development of a weapon that could enable mankind to fight the aliens on their own environment (Battroid mode), on the ground (Gerwalk mode), and the air (Fighter mode). Thus, research into Overtechnology culminated in the development of the variable fighters for the U.N. Spacy.”

This is obviously not the first toy of the well loved mecha from Japan and what follows is not by any means a complete history of its different incarnations as a toy. Consider it more of a greatest hits.

The first licensor was Takatoku, who produced the original 1/55 Valkyrie toys, which revolutionized the industry with their “Perfect Transformation” system. Later, Bandai would get the molds and begin to produce new toys of the series. Most “old school” collectors consider this to be the pinnacle of toy engineering from the 80's and lovingly referring to it as “The Chunky Monkey”. While it was a bit chunky and did not have an “anime accurate” look too it, it was a very well made and rugged toy with lots of die-cast content and for many years it represented the best Valkyrie on the market.

Then around 2001 Yamato of Japan got the license to Macross Plus and Super Dimensional Fortress Macross and quickly came out with transformable 1/72 scale Macross Plus mecha and then the (first generation) 1/60 scale Valkries began to appear and many fans where happy. Many, but not all, as this release was not a “perfect transformation” but featured part swapping to keep an anime accurate look in all three modes and the die cast legs tended to ding and scratch very easily.

So fast forward a few more years later and Yamato decides to reboot the Valkyrie line in the 1/48th scale, this time promising a “perfect transformation.” most considered it an engineering marvel and I myself gave it a good review. It's larger size and complex engineering made for a very unwieldy transformation that just wasn't much fun. Not a problem for those collectors that just want their stuff to look pretty on the shelf but disappointing those that wanted a “toy” that was solid feeling and fun to transform.

The box is smaller than the newer 1/60 Macross releases from Macross Zero and Macross Plus measuring at 13x11x7 inches all around with very nice 4 color art and photos are all over the box. They continue the tradition of the window box with flap/cover and the toy being displayed in fighter mode with the strike/super armored parts in a vacuum-formed tray behind the fighter.

Inside the box is a manual for the transformation of the toy and a separate manual for placing the strike/super armor pieces on the Valkyrie. Both are printed in Japanese but the photos are very clear and steps are easily understood if you pay close attention to them (more on this a bit further into the review.)

Also packed in the box is a sticker sheet for both the fighter and a separate one for the strike/super armor parts. I won't be using the stickers for this piece as it has every “memorial” detail (Macross kite logo, skull squadron logo, U. N. Spacy markings, Etc.) already tampo printed on.

The full breakdown on accessories is:

• set of “anime” hands
• 4 missile clusters (black)
• 4 missile clusters (white)
• 4 heavy missile clusters
• Super/Strike armor pieces
• 3 stand attachments
• 1 pilot

Taking it out of its package for the first time is a very, very pleasant experience. The first thing you will notice is the fighter alone feels very light and the second thing you notice is nothing is loose, nothing dangles or flops around and everything is tight and secure. You can do barrel rolls and zoom around with it and it all stays put. First impression ... feels like a toy. A real, honest to goodness toy.

The tampo printed detail is super clean and neat, seriously the paint application is flawless. No sign of over/under spray anywhere and printed/painted detail is generous. Every major and memorable marking you would remember from the Movie or TV series is already printed on the piece right down to details on the cockpit instruments.

Color just pops on this VF-1S. The yellow is rich and bright, the black is pitch as night and the white is the right shade- not to bright, not to dull. Just right. The cockpit window has a coating applied to it to give it reflective look that many did not like when pictures first showed up on-line of it but I think looks very nice actually as it creates a prism effect like real glass would. It is nice that Yamato has gotten their manufacturing process to the point that stickers are not necessary to get all the detail of the show/movie.

The fit and finish are just plain awesome on this release. Word on the street is, Yamato has someone new in the position of Quality Control and with this release it appears he is having a real impact on their design and manufacturing process. Like my initial impressions, continual handling and transformation do not appear to loosen anything. Everything is tight; wings, missiles, landing gear hatches all sit where there supposed too.

Fighter mode measures 9 1/2 inches long from tip to tail and looks great no matter what angle you look at it from with all of it's proportions looking fantastic. Nothing is too big and nothing is too small.

Gerwalk mode is very good as well. As a matter of fact I think this is the best Valkyrie to do the mode any real justice. The proportions again are perfect and with the stand you can really get some wicked poses with this thing.

And in it's most famous alternate mode, Battroid mode - it looks absolutely fantastic. If I were to nitpick I'd say the gap on the sides is a bit unsightly but it is just that, a nitpick. The overall look and feel is great and proportions are excellent. Not to mention how solid it feels when you handle it in this mode. I keep bringing it up but it is indeed a very solid “toy”.

Transforming the fighter is no less impressive. While it is true that Yamato has basically taken all that they have learned about engineering over the past 6 plus years and tweaked to perfection everything along the way. While it has some complex engineering to it, it is fun to transform and I am happy to say it's seen a lot of “off-the-shelf-action.”

Directions are in Japanese but the photos are very clear as to what is going on. If you have any familiarity with previous releases of the Valkyrie fighter much is intuitive and the same as previous releases. Something to note however, be sure to slide the chest panel bracket toward the front of the fuselage BEFORE you get it into Battroid mode, otherwise you may end up with a broken Heatshield. Luckily Ken from Angolz was able to get me a replacement one thru the Yamato Hong Kong offices. Both Yamato and Angolz went above and beyond to get me this piece and it is very much appreciated.

Final verdict is ... Love it! Love it! Love it! Seriously, you want one of these. Yamato has finally knocked it out of the park (so to speak) this time around and not only made an excellent reproduction of a revered Japanese mecha but have succeeded in making a fantastic toy. In my opinion this may very well be Toy Of The Year. Not a fan of this paint scheme just hang a bit, I am sure Yamato will pump out one of every color at some point just grab the style you like best but know it's very good and worth your hard earned money.

Should you want your very own 1/60 2.0 VF-1S with Super and Strike Parts head over to Angolz.com
and grab one today. Seriously, you WANT one of these. I think Yamato has a real winner with this new line. Video is included of course.

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

I've always been a big fan of the Goshogun design, from the classic gokins to the recent CM's Brave Gokin. There's just something really cool and classic about the look of this bot.

I've always been a big fan of the Goshogun design, from the classic gokins to the recent CM's Brave Gokin. There's just something really cool and classic about the look of this bot.

This is Yamato's GNU-DOU #004 Goshogun, 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. While the first three Macross Plus GNU figures we're unique, this is the first 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.

Goshogun 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. With this Goshogun, the side panels on the hip and the arms can detach rather easily.

Still it makes for an extremely poseable and great looking figure. Included with the figure are two variant hands - one holding a sword.

When removing the hands, don't just pull out, pull sideways. The pegs that hold the hands into the arm tend to come out if you pull straight out.

Goshogun is not a bad figure at all, and I am looking forward to see how the rest of the line comes out.

You can get your Goshogun GNU figure at Angolz.com

Well we heard you where tired of the girl figure reviews so how about a review of a transforming mecha piloted by a Woman? Would that suit ya more than say Pocco? I got my hands on the SV-51 (Nora Type) from Macross Zero by Yamato. At a price of almost $200 is it worth it or should you run for the hills?

Right off the top I want to point out the sheer size of this thing. I've seen the pictures and reviews on other sites and for some reason the sheer size of this thing didn't come across, you see it's huge... seriously. In fighter mode its 14 inches long from the tip of the nose cone to the end of the feet thrusters. There's no missing this one on the shelf that's for sure. Thanks to Angolz.com for getting me this Anti-Unification Fighter from the OVA series - Macross Zero.

And of course the box is even bigger. If you've ever purchased a Yamato transforming toy you know what to expect, it's more of the same. A large cardboard box (measure's 15 x 14 x 6 inches so importing to the states can be expensive) with a lid that opens to reveal the contents packed neatly in clear vacuum-form trays.

Fighter mode is probably the strongest of the three mode of this variable fighter. Every part and piece locks into place.... well almost everything. On my piece the right wing is a little loose in the hinge that holds the wing to the fuselage, so barrel rolls leave the right wing floppy. Not a deal really but take into consideration it's almost $200, for that price every single piece should be flawless.... with that said...

It comes with the full assortment of extra gun pods, missiles and boosters too fully deck out the fighter for long range combat. I prefer the sleeker look of the minimal armament in fighter mode myself but it's nice these pieces are included. Also included is a mini Nora figure which is gummy and soft

Gerwalk mode looks best when displayed on the provided stand than it does on the ground. The shoulders do not “lock in” in any way and just sort of hang there. It will hold any pose you throw at it but the arms are a bit finicky in this mode. The wings however will hold their pose I am glad to report, a concern of mine when I saw the first photos of this design.