The Gold Cloth that starts the whole adventure for our heroes....The Sagittarius Cloth.

Plot recap fromWikipedia:

“When Aioros was 14 years old, he, along with fellow gold saint Gemini Saga, were summoned to Pope Shion's throne room for an audience. There, the Grand Pope revealed that their goddess had once again reincarnated in the form of an infant, and so the Sanctuary must prepare itself for the imminent wars. As Shion himself was getting on in years, he decided that it was time to appoint one of the twelve Gold Saints as the successor to his seat. At the time, most of the Gold Saints were still too young; only Gemini Saga and Sagittarius Aioros were most qualified. The Pope eventually selected Aioros as the new Pope, and asked Saga to serve as an assistant to the Sagittarius Saint.”

“Saga, possessed by his evil side, became jealous at the fact that he was not chosen for the seat, especially since he believed that he was superior to Aioros in terms of power and wisdom. Saga confronted Shion regarding his decision and killed him. He disguised himself with the Grand Pope's garments, and left to kill the infant Athena. Inches before Saga could dig the golden dagger into the baby's belly, Aioros appeared and halted the blade from striking the death blow. The Sagittarius berated the man he assumed to be the Pope, but was quickly shoved aside. After a minute of struggle, Aioros sent Saga flying into the nearest wall, knocking off his headdress and mask. Upon seeing Saga's face and realizing that Saga had killed the Grand Pope, Aioros immediately snatched away the infant Athena and ran off from Sanctuary.”

“Saga, disguised as the Pope once more, sounded the alarm and sent guards to go after the saint. It is at this point that he officially branded Aioros as a "traitor". He was eventually found by Capricorn Shura and managed to flee, but was deadly injured.”

“As he was dying, he ran into Mitsumasa Kido, who was touring Greece at the time. Aioros begged the elder Kido to become Athena's new guardian, and explained to him the travesty that had taken place at the Sanctuary. Along with other secrets, Kido learned about the existence of Athena's Saints and their Cloths. Entrusting the elder Kido with Athena and his own Sagittarius Gold Cloth, Aioros succumbed to his injuries. It is unknown as to where exactly Aioros died and buried, as the whereabouts of the location is omitted in the series.”

“After his death, Aioros' spirit would provide assistance for Athena and her Saints. He has aided Seiya in battles by lending the young bronze saint the Sagittarius Gold Cloth time and time again, and even appeared once to his brother Aiolia during Aiolia's fight with Seiya, when he demanded proof of Saori's identity as the goddess Athena. When the bronze saints were in the Temple of Sagittarius, the Sagittarius Cloth moved on its own (or with Aioros' spirit), and fired its golden arrow into a nearby wall -- revealing a final hidden message of the gold saint's last will: "To you young boys who have reached this temple, know that I entrust Athena's life in your hands. Aioros." It is likely that Aioros foresaw that one day, new Saints would go to his temple to fight for Athena.”

“When Athena's saints were once again fighting against Hades's spectres, all the Gold Saints, both dead and alive, gathered in Hades' room to break the Wailing Wall. Only with sunlight can the wall be destroyed, and because each individual gold cloth contained a bit of solar energy, gathering all twelve would provide enough of it to properly damage the wall. At this point, the spirit of Aioros appeared with the rest of the recently deceased Gold Saints to aid their comrades in accomplishing this task. Focusing on a single point of the Wailing Wall, Aioros guided all twelve gold saints' individual attacks into one, and struck the wall. Once the mission was completed, Aioros and the rest of the gold saints dissipated, leaving only the gold cloth behind.”

So as you can see by the Wikipedia entry above the Sagittarius Cloth and Aiolos have been very important to the series despite Aiolos being dead during the series..... and before the series is over the Sagittarius Cloth will make one more VERY important appearance, but I will save that for the next Saint Cloth Myth review.

Sagittarius Aiolos comes packaged in the usual Book style box with Windows to see the parts and pieces. No surprises here at this point, but always a nice presentation.

Figure is a Generation One body as it was an early release so articulation is limited in the waist area which is fine as the armor design limits movement in the waist. Not a big deal but worth noting. Body and head are plastic with the feet being die cast metal.

It falls a little short in sculpt department as far as the faces go. Aiolos just doesn't look right. He has a vacant and lifeless stare as well as the head looking a bit to small for the body. This character is perfect for an Appendix release to correct the head sculpt.

While nice that Bandai included a Seiya head so he can wear the Cloth like in the show, it is down-right ugly however and suffers from the same vacant, lifeless look as Aiolos.

Luckily the Cloth of Sagittarius itself is as beautiful as previous Gold Cloth's and looks just fine in it's statue form. This will be my preferred form for display as I think of the Cloth and not Aiolos when I think of it in the series.

The Cloth features large amounts of die cast metal with the wings, bow and arrow and the head piece being plastic. The rest is metal.

Like I mentioned earlier this is a very important piece in a Saint Cloth Myth collection and one any self respecting Saint Seiya fan should have not only for the reasons mentioned in the Wikipedia recap but for what it becomes.... but more on that in the next review.

I think the design is fantastic and looks great in its statue form but not the best “figure.” I think it's a fan only choice this time around but your mileage may vary. You can get your Saint Cloth Myth at Angolz.com like I did. A video review is included for your entertainment as well.

This was an interesting choice for a Premium figure on Bandai's part, Grand Pope Sion is more or less an off screen character and what few seconds of flashback he does appear in does not look like this.

This was an interesting choice for a Premium figure on Bandai's part, Grand Pope Sion is more or less an off screen character and what few seconds of flashback he does appear in does not look like this. I believe he is meant to look like he does in the manga (there are sometimes subtle color changes they make in the transition to animation.) Thus the dark robe and different helm than in the TV series.

The Pope was formerly the Gold Saint Aries Sion who served in Athena's last Holy War with Hades 243 years earlier until he was promoted to the task of Grand Pope of Sanctuary (The role of authority in place of Athena between incarnations.)

From Wikipedia:

“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 sense 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.”

All of this happens in very short flashbacks and Sion is only really glimpsed in a few quick shots. So while Sion will reappear during the Hades arc, resurrected as a servant to Hades, it's an odd choice for a mail in premium.

The figure is a Generation 2 body with all the usual points of articulation that I have come to expect from a Saint Cloth Myth figure. The figure itself is made of plastic with die cast metal feet. The feet are the only parts of the release made of metal, all of the other accessories are plastic.

The robe, is of course, made of Cloth and features excellent detailing. The trim on the sleeves and down the front is all embroidered, a nice touch considering this is a low run figure. Bandai really does spare no expense in the detail on these figures.

Other than the helmet, collar and alternate head; Grand Pope Sion is pretty light on accessories. What he does come with, and one of the reason I wanted to scoop him up, is 13 of Bandai's stands for the Saint Cloth Myth line. An item that, as of this article, appears to be either back ordered or sold out everywhere. The idea for including the stands was to display the Grand Pope with all 12 of Athena's Gold Saints. Bandai was also nice enough to include a sticker sheet as well with the names of the Gold Saints, Grand Pope Sion and all 5 of our main characters, the Bronze Saints.

I'm glad I grabbed him when I did as I plan on getting Sion in his resurrected form, so paired with that release it will display nicely in my collection. With that said, this one is for Saint Seiya completest only. Everyone else will want to pass on it. Should you want to add Grand Pope Sion to your collection you can get yours at Angolz.com. A quick, short video is below for your viewing pleasure.

The Lord of the Underworld reborn into my collection. It's another Premium release from the Saint Cloth Myth line; Hades Shun. SPOILERS WARNING. This article gives away important plot twists that happen late in the Hades Arc OVA's.

SPOILERS WARNING. This article gives away important plot twists that happen late in the Hades Arc OVA's.

From Wikipedia:
“In Saint Seiya, as in the Greek mythology, Hades is the Underworld god, and as such, incarnates into a human being. Every 243 years Hades can enter the world of humans, and fight against Athena for control over the world. However it is said that Hades is too fond of his own body which was born by Chronos and Rhea. He cares so much of it that he keeps it locked in a chamber in Elysion so it doesn't get damaged, only to start using it when he has taken control over the world. To fight the sacred wars against Athena, Hades has to take control of the purest human being born at the time of his incarnation. During the previous Holy War in 1747 his avatar was a boy named Alone, and now more recently it was Andromeda Shun.”

“In one of the biggest plot twists of the series, Shun is revealed to be the human incarnation of Hades, God of the Underworld, in the same way Saori Kido is Athena, Goddess of War and Wisdom, and Julian Solo is Poseidon, Lord of the Seas. Although Shun himself was initially unaware of this fact, the soul of Hades became dominant once Shun lost the childhood pendant that bound his body with the god's, and the Hades soul was united with Shun's body during the close encounter in Hades' room after the death of the Lyra Saint.”

“Eventually, it took the boiling blood of Athena herself and the goddess' encouragement to give Shun the strength to separate Hades from his body once and for all. When Shun awoke in Seiya's arms moments later, he once again donned the Andromeda Cloth and was ready to return to action.”

Hades Shun is a Premium release in the Saint Cloth Myth line which means that it was a mail in offer in Japan. Luckily for those of us outside of Japan retailers like Angolz.com get limited amounts of them for sale outside of the Japanese market. Premium figures tend to be characters that don’t feature die cast armor in their design or are less popular so Bandai does a smaller run to fill the pre-order than calls it quits. Giving the die-hards a character they want while not leaving Bandai with lots of surplus of less popular characters.

He doesn’t come with much in the way of accessories but the one of the few he does is very impressive looking, Hades Throne. Unlike the Pope’s throne that came with Gemini Saga/Pope Aries, Hades Throne is molded in different colors with intricate sculpting all over it. While it is made of plastic the throne is truly befitting of the Lord of the Underworld and has quite a presence on the shelf.

Attention to detail doesn’t stop with the throne; Hades Shun’s outfit is exquisitely detailed and looks really nice. Bandai really makes me wish they did Star Wars characters in this scale out of cloth. Their outfits look “just right” with the cloth looking natural instead of bulky and goofy the way a lot of cloth accessorized figures do.

The whole outfit is cloth with the collar, shoulder pieces and belt made of plastic. The chain and pendant he wears is made of die cast metal, another nice attention to detail here - the chain is actually linked.

While Andromeda Shun is one of my least favorite characters in Saint Seiya, I have become a big enough fan of the series that I did want a Hades Shun to decorate my Saint Cloth Myth shelves (plus he would be nice to display with the fully armored Hades that is likely at the end of this year or beginning of next) and I wanted to be sure to grab him before he was no where to be found.

The figure’s body is a standard 3rd generation type with over 40 points of articulation. Not that articulation matters as Hades Shun’s brief appearance takes place with him sitting in a throne and not doing much other than sulking and looking dark.

For those who are into the armor aspect of this line will want to pass on Hades and non- fans of the show will have no interest unless you have a burning need for a cool throne to accessorize other toys you have. For fans of the show, Hades is a nice addition and I look forward to pairing him up with his fully armored incarnation in the near future. You can get your Hades Shun the same place I did, Angolz.com.

Pandora opened the box, it's all her fault....

Pandora marks the first female in the Saint Cloth Myth line and was a premium release in 2006. True to the myth of her namesake a great deal of trouble in the world is caused when she opens the box. She is a creepy, sad and dark, Goth chick that spent most of her life serving Hades – God of the Underworld and she is next up in my series of reviews of the Saint Cloth Myth line.

From Wikipedia
“Hades' sister in this life time, at a young age, she opened the box that was sealed by Athena and released Hypnos and Thanatos. She was told that Hades will become her brother and she must protect him until the final battle begins, if she would, they would grant her eternal life. She commands the first wave of Specters to attack the Sanctuary in the name of Hades in the final chapter.”

In the end Pandora realizes she was misled and aids our heroes by giving Phoenix Ikki the means to get from Hades to Elysium. She is struck down immediately by Thanatos for the betrayal against Hades.

Bandai will do several “premium” figures every year for the Saint Cloth Myth series. “Premiums” are mail-in figures (much the way Kenner/Hasbro did/does with Star Wars here in the states) in Japan. Collectors would gather Proofs of Purchases out of existing Saint Cloth Myth figures, Manga’s, and OST’s to get them. Premium characters tend to be non-armored characters as well as less popular so Bandai does smaller runs to get the characters to the die-hard collectors. Luckily those outside of Japan can often just buy the Premium figures from select retailers; Angolz.com is one such retailer.

While there is no diecast in this set (every accessory included is plastic), the stitching and design of the cloth outfit and detail in the sculpting is excellent. I’d say I am surprised at the level of detail but I am not, Bandai has been pretty consistent with the quality, fit and finish of the Saint Cloth Myth line. Being a mail in premium doesn’t mean they skipped on quality or appropriate accessories.

Pandora plays a harp in the series and of course Bandai includes one in the set as well as a stool for Pandora to sit on. The harp is plastic, features beautiful detail in the sculpting and individual strings for her to pluck.

Hades trident is another item used by Pandora in the series and of course one is included as well. Again the trident is plastic and not diecast metal, which was a bit of a disappointment as I have gotten pretty spoiled by the diecast items and weapons in previous releases.

Pandora was packed with a stand and accessories for three additional stands so should you want to display Pandora with the three Judges of Hell you can. Stands also include a sheet of stickers with the names of Pandora and the three Judges.

Like I mentioned earlier, sculpt detail is very good with no detail left undone. She features black finger nails and her ring/bracelet. Paint application is good with no slop or over spray.

Also included are the various neck adornments she wears throughout the series.

Pandora comes with two dresses. Technically one dress and one robe to put over the dress to replicate Pandora’s various looks from the OVA. Stitching detail is very nice and honestly this is one of the best cloth outfits I have seen on a figure of this size.

Basically I wanted to add Pandora to my collection to accessorize Hades on his throne and she does that well. She is an excellent representation of a good villainous and poses as well as she looks.

If you’re not watching the show and collecting the figures regularly available there is no reason to recommend this figure to you as there is probably no good reason you would want a little harp playing, trident wielding, pale, Goth, freaky gal in your collection.

If you are collecting the series and watch the show you don’t need me to tell you why you want her in your collection. I am here to tell you it is a nice figure with some nice accessories as well as some very nice detail in the cloth outfit and worth getting your hands on if you are a fan. I got my Pandora figure at Angolz.com where I get all of my Saint Cloth Myth.

In this review I am covering both the actual Aries Mu release and the newest Appendix released for this character. By itself the Aries Mu release is OK, but combine it with the Appendix and this figure really shines. He may look feminine but he is anything but. HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES ARE WITHIN. You have been warned.

HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES ARE SPREAD THROUGH OUT THIS ARTICLE. If you are watching the series and haven't gotten to the end of the Hades Inferno arc STOP READING. You will spoil some of the more dramatic and important events of the series. Seriously... I can't emphasize this enough. For the rest, read on.

From wikipedia :
“Mu is very soft spoken, with a scholarly-like personality; his demeanor is very tranquil and logical, almost as if he is a professor of the Sanctuary. Various official translations of the manga and anime, as well as Mandarin language Saint Seiya fans, tend to refer to the character as 'Lord Mu' or 'Mister Mu'. He is good friends with Taurus Aldebaran, and is very respectful to the 243 yr old master Libra Dohko."

"Before the start of the series, Mu removed himself from Sanctuary after suspecting that his mentor (and then-Pope), Aries Shion, had been quietly assassinated. He relocated to Jamir, a mystical land that only those with a high level of either psychic or Cosmo power can enter. From here, Mu severed all ties to Sanctuary and lived a life of solitude with his apprentice, the young psychic Kiki. It wasn't until years later, when he met Dragon Shiryu and Pegasus Seiya, that he began to become involved in the affairs of Sanctuary again."

"Throughout the manga and anime series, Mu is the man to go to when a Saint needs his or her cloth repaired. Although every individual Cloth has the ability to regenerate itself after a battle, a hands-on restoration from Mu is needed if a cloth has been severely damaged to the point of death. In normal cases, 1/3 of a person's total blood supply is required for Mu to begin work right away. “

From wikipedia :

“Mu arrives in the Virgo temple, and prevents Seiya and others from helping Virgo Shaka, saying that this was Shaka's final wish, but is shocked to see that Saga, Camus and Shura have just killed the Gold Saint Virgo Shaka with the Athena Exclamation, the forbidden technique. Saga, Camus and Shura charge up another Athena Exclamation - threatening that they will do it again if anyone stands in their path. Mu reminds Saga, that there are also 3 Gold Saints standing in their path. Mu combines his powers with Leo Aiolia and Scorpio Milo to use Athena Exclamation against them. The clashing powers of two Athena Exclamations destroy the Virgo temple apart."

"Eventually, the combined power of these two attacks was deflected by Dragon Shiryu (in the anime, it was by the combined power of all 4 Bronze Saints). Athena beckons the two parties to stop fighting and come to her at her palace. Athena tells the fallen Gold Saints that they no longer have to suffer and commits suicide (secretly invoking the 8th sense as told by Virgo Shaka in his petals he sent her) and it was then that Shion's true intention was revealed: they came to Sanctuary as Spectres to tell Athena of the God Cloth, and that the only way to defeat Hades was to enter Hell alive using the Eighth Sense - the ability to go the realm of the dead while having the will to live.”

In this review I am covering both the actual Aries Mu release and the newest Appendix released for this character. Released in 2005, Aries Mu was one of the first Gold Saints released in the Saint Cloth Myth line and suffered from some design and quality control issues that the series in general has improved over time. The Appendix release gives you extra parts and pieces to correct these problems while giving you a very important accessory, Virgo’s prayer beads.

The original release of Mu featured a chest piece that looks just a bit too bulky and a head sculpt that is pretty blah looking. Mine has his Lemurian marks (the two dots on his head) off center- an issue that plagued most of the manufacturing run. The armor included in this set can be swapped out with the main figure to give him a slimmer look. As you can see in the pictures above the difference is subtle but noticeable.

The new pieces also give you the range of motion to display him in a signature move from the end of the series as well; the forbidden technique- Athena's Exclamation.

Included in the Aries Mu box:

• Mu (Generation One Body)
• Armor Pieces- Helmet, Chest Plate, Shoulders, Biceps, Forearms, Waist Pieces, Thigh Armor, Leg Armor
• Cloth Repair Tools
• Statue Base

Included in the Appendix box:

• An Aries Mu mini bust. Includes Two Heads, Chest, Arms and Pedestal
• Chest Armor
• Arm Gauntlets
• Wrist Extensions
• Shoulder Armor
• Virgo’s Prayer Beads

When you combine the two releases you have a far more attractive figure to display with a better range of motion. The original release is decent with the exception of the head sculpt but the Appendix really makes it shine. However the Appendix parts are all plastic while the same pieces are diecast in the original release, something to keep in mind when you make the switch if diecast content is of the utmost importance to you as a collector.

I really like the combined results of this figure and the Appendix. If you’re a fan of the series take the plunge and get your Aries Mu AND Appendix, you won’t be disappointed. I am not sure I can recommend this to non fans but your mileage may vary if you like the armor design. In general, Saint Cloth Myth figures are always a high quality release. If Aries isn't your cup of tea find a design you do like and give one a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I get all of my Saint Cloth Myth at Angolz.com and you can too. Act fast though as figures have been selling out as I review them.

Video review is below:

I reviewed Gemini Saga a few months ago and now I am getting around to tackling the Appendix that goes with it.

I reviewed Gemini Saga a few months ago and gave it a glowing review. It was/is a very impressive collectible in the Saint Cloth Myth line. Loaded with accessories and including not one but two characters, evil Pope Aries and Gemini Saga himself. I really did not think Bandai left anything out in the set and this Appendix release does not really change my mind.

An Appendix in the Saint Cloth Myth line, for those just joining us is meant to provide supplemental parts for existing releases in the series. While providing extra parts and pieces they also perform double duty as a mini bust to put on display, generally with the character in a signature move of some sort.

The only thing this set offers in the way of alternate parts that can be used with the existing Gemini release is a set of alternate heads. One is Saga with eyes closed and one is his twin brother Kannon, who replaces Saga as the Gemini Gold Saint after Saga sacrifices himself.

The head sculpts are excellent but no better or worse than the existing heads that come with the original release but they do give you more options for display, a plus for fans of the series, not much for those who are not.

As a mini bust it works well, capturing Gemini’s “Another Dimension” attack and giving you something else shiny for the shelf. I’d say that for fans of the line and series you might want to grab one if you own the full Gemini Saga release, for everyone else it’s a pass unless you have an obsession with mini busts.

If you do want your own Saga/Kannon Appendix you can get yours at Angolz.com.

Let’s just say it up front. Thanatos –God of Death is the Saint Cloth Myth figure you will wish you had picked up when you had a chance. This figure is already sold out in most places but Ken over at Angolz.com bent over backwards to get me one of these guys and the trouble is very much appreciated. Read on for all the details.

Damn is this box big! The package is in the standard Saint Cloth Myth book style box but is thinker and longer than the biggest Saint Cloth Myth I have previously handled and that is what I would expect after getting to know the quality and caliber of the Saint Cloth Myth line, besides it’s not every day Bandai releases a God Cloth. Heck, even the trim detail on the box is printed in a silver foil to mark the occasion.

Thanatos is the God of Death, a villain from the Saint Seiya OVA series, The Hades Chapter – Elysium and hands down one of the best character designs to emerge from the series to date. Thanatos and his twin brother Hypnos stand between our Heroes and rescuing the imprisoned Goddess Athena. Thanatos only appears for 4 episodes but his short appearance is wrapped up in one of the most dramatic developments of the series, Pegasus Seiya’s Bronze Cloth evolving itself into a God level Cloth (coming soon from Bandai for the Saint Cloth Myth line :).)

The basic figure of Thanatos is much like the previous releases in the Saint Cloth Myth line - over 40 points of articulation, made of plastic with the feet being die-cast metal. The face sculpt is excellent and a great likeness of the character from the cartoon.

When Thanatos is not being the God of Death and killing stuff (because being the God of Death it’s what you do), he spends his downtime wearing a robe and playing his harp for all the cute Nymphs of Elysium and in usual attentive Bandai detail they include the robe and harp for your display.

While all of this is nice, it is the full armored figure most folks are interested in and this one is a beauty! Whether you are a fan of Saint Seiya or not it’s hard to deny this collectibles presence on the shelf. The figure is about 50% die-cast and 50% plastic. Normally die-cast content is higher in a Saint Cloth Myth figure but the figure is so large it wouldn’t stand if they made more of it die-cast.

The Chest, arms, legs, cod piece and hip pieces are all diecast. The skirt details, helmet and wings are plastic. The wings do pivot and rotate as well as able to fan out. The wings are beautifully designed and really make this display stand out. The figure does stand on it’s own without support with the wings on full display but to keep balance display options are limited. Bandai makes an aftermarket stand for the line you might want to consider getting when purchasing this figure if you want to display him dynamically.

Now most Cloth’s will form a statue of the Constellation they are aligned with but the God of Death is a bit different, the statue is basically just the Cloth on display on a “dummy” body and not an actual object or item. As of now this is how I have the armor on display because the “dummy figure” locks into the base allowing the wings to be fully out, giving the piece a very dramatic look.

There is not much else to say about this fine piece other than get it! It meets the usual high quality of previous released Saint Cloth Myth figures and looks absolutely stunning. Fan of the show or not I am totally recommending you get one if you can, you will not be disappointed.

Full video review is below…

Today’s I am reviewing Dragon Shiryu from the Saint Cloth Myth line. Saint Cloth Myth is Bandai’s premium line of collectible figures based on the Manga and animated series called Saint Seiya.

This figure came courtesy from Angolz.com who have been nice enough to provide us with all of our Saint Cloth Myth figures for review.

If you are just joining us and want to know all about what is going on with Saint Seiya I suggest heading over to wikipedia and checking things out.

Now on to the actual toy - Bandai has consistently banged out some quality collectibles with the Saint Cloth Myth line the figures are always well produced and loaded with ton’s of accessories. Figures are made of plastic, stand about 6 inches tall and feature lot’s of poseability. The armor the figures wear are always made of a high amount of die-cast metal and honestly I am running out of nice things to say about this line.

This time around I am reviewing Dragon Shiryu, one of our main heroes and a Silver Saint of Athena. Shiryu is the oldest and wisest of our band of heroes. Shiryu wears the Dragon Cloth (armor for those not in the know.)

From Wikipedia:
“The Dragon Cloth represents the constellation Draco, which is associated to Ladon, the hundred eyed dragon who guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides, in Greek mythology.”

“The Bronze Cloth of Dragon is legendary for its large shield on the left arm guard. Its reputation is unmatched by any other cloth among Athena's saints, and only very few have ever shattered it. The Dragon Cloth itself is noted for its ultimate durability, as it had spent the last 200 years bathed under the mineral-rich waterfall of the Rozan mountains, which made it harder than diamonds.”

This is Dragon Shiryu as his Cloth appears later in the series and Hades OVA’s. The armor is almost all die-cast metal with only the waist skirt and head piece being made of plastic. Paint detail is nice with no chipping or flaking.

The figure itself is made of plastic with over 40 points of articulation with the feet being made of die-cast metal. Included in the package is an alternate head which sports Shiryu with his eyes closed (Shiryu goes blind in the later part of the series and tends to have his eyes closed.)

Lastly the armor pieces do assemble into a statue when our heroes aren’t wearing them. In the series the armor shrinks a bit to make the statues small, because these are made from the armor the figure wears the statue stand about as tall as the figure.

As you can see from the pictures, Dragon Shiryu looks good and as always Bandai has made a fantastic collectible. Fans of the series should run, not walk to add Shiryu to their collection and if you don’t watch or read the series it may still be a sharp enough design to pick up. The Saint Cloth Myth line always delivers a quality product and it is well worth finding a design you like and giving one a try.

I have included a video review below and as always you can get your Saint Cloth Myth figures at Angolz.com.

Next up for review in my Saint Cloth Myth series is another Gold Saint, Libra Dohko.

From Wikipedia:

Libra Dohko is a fictional character in the manga Saint Seiya, authored by mangaka Masami Kurumada, that was later adapted to anime. He is one of the oldest characters in the manga next to Aries Shion, as they both appear in the previous Holy War, and is most known by his role as Dragon Shiryu's mentor. He is also referred to as Old Master (Rohshi) by all of the Saints of Athena as a sign of respect, even though his only true student is Shiryu.

Why “Old Master”? You see for the first 120 episodes of the series (he looks like a little blue Yoda. His legacy as the Gold Saint Libra is shrouded in mystery for the first half of the TV series. So for all of the TV series the Libra Cloth (armor for those just joining us) like the Gemini Cloth has no known wearer. That doesn’t mean we don’t see the Cloth in action, because we do.

The Libra Cloth is the only Cloth that incorporates weapons into the suit. Athena has banned the use of weapons feeling it is dishonorable for Saint’s to use them. Despite this she has charged Dohko with keeping the Libra Cloth and its weapons for the very rare instance they are needed.

In the series the weapons are given to our band of heroes (the Bronze Saints - Seiya, Shiryu, Hyoga and Shun) at several points when they need the extra help, so needless to say when the Libra Cloth’s weapons show up it tends to be during very dramatic moments of the series.

Much like most of the Libra Cloth, all of the weapons included are diecast metal with the chain for the shield and the very ends of the Tridents being plastic. Twelve weapons come with the Libra Cloth, 2 Swords, 2 Tong-Fas, 2 Lances, 2 Nunchakus, 2 Three-section staves and 2 Shields attached with chains.

So it’s not until the later OVA series Hades – Inferno that Dohko is restored to his former glory and dons the suit. Dohko was granted the gift of long life by Athena to watch for the return of Hades Specters who had been defeated in the last great Holy War, 243 years earlier) the trade off for this long life was he had to remain in one spot near the 5 peaks in China. Leaving this spot to confront the resurrected Aries Sion in Sanctuary removes the spell and Dohko dons the Cloth.

The figure looks very nice in the suit, with the head sculpt looking very much like Dohko in the series. The suit is almost completely diecast metal with only the helmet, belt and shields being plastic. This release comes with a Generation 1 type body so the figure has limited articulation in the waist, which is fine as the design of the cloth while worn limits the characters flexibility.

While the completed figure looks very sharp, getting all the parts and pieces where they belong was much more fidgety than previous Saint Cloth Myth figures. All of the Libra Cloth’s weapons come in their full size mode and in their shrunk down mode.The shrunk down weapons go into slots on the suit and these kept popping out while trying to slide the armor pieces on, swapping hands and generally posing the figure.

Also included is a Dragon Shiryu (Dohko’s student and Bronze Saint) head so you can display him in the Libra Cloth (the Bronze Saint’s don some of the various Gold Cloth in the TV series finale.)

With that said the final figure looks very nice and the statue mode of the Cloth looks wicked. Because of the place the cloth itself has in the mythology of the show I will be most likely just displaying it in statue mode.

I really like the Libra Cloth and the Dohko figure and recommend it for any Saint Seiya fan. Non fans probably won’t be swayed to try it just based on its design, but your mileage may vary.

Saint Cloth Myth figures are always top notch, with lots of shiny diecast and great character designs I whole-heartedly encourage our readers to find a design you like and give one a try, you won’t be disappointed. You can get all of your Saint Cloth Myth figures at Angolz.com just like I do.

Today I am reviewing Plain Cloth Shiryu from the Saint Cloth Myth line. This toy comes from one of our sponsors, Angolz.com where I get all of my Saint Cloth Myth line.

Today I am reviewing Plain Cloth Shiryu from the Saint Cloth Myth line. This toy comes from one of our sponsors- Angolz.com where I get all of my Saint Cloth Myth line.

From wikipedia:
“Dragon Shiryu is one of five protagonists in the manga, Saint Seiya, authored by Masami Kurumada and