Crack Saver
Review by siningy
The final and most hilariously named of the Saver trio.
Liede Zhan Ji Wang loosely translates to Cataclysm Hit King but the box calls him Crack Saver, which is an infinitely more amusing name. The robot is formed from the four Heavenly Beasts of the Earth (De) Team but is piloted by the lone Indigo Ranger who I’m going to assume he pilots the Battle Wolf based off the Giant Saver promo video on YouTube. The other three Heavenly Beasts are unmanned.
Included in the box are the four Heavenly Beasts, the De combination Scroll, an extra combination scroll end cap, and a rake like weapon. The last two are meant to be used when combining Ultimate Giant Braver but Crack Saver can hold the rake as a weapon, though I don’t believe this is shown in the show.
Battle Wolf is the largest of the Heavenly Beasts. He’s pretty awkwardly proportioned with a tiny head and a giant sword on his back that pretends to be a tail. The head can swivel left and right while the legs have minimal articulation as well. Battle Wolf forms the head, upper torso, legs and sword of Crack Saver.
Next up is the Long Dragon. There isn’t much to the Heavenly Beast other than being a long…dragon. The jaws can open and front legs have some articulation, but don’t expect to be putting him in any dynamic poses. Long Dragon includes an assault mode where a canon pops out of his back. Long Dragon forms the lower torso and left leg of Crack Saver.
Third is the Roaring Tiger. Design wise, I think it is the most interesting of the four Heavenly Beasts. Like Long Dragon, the Roaring Tiger transforms into an assault mode by folding up the legs. The back canons also split open to reveal missile launchers in this mode. Roaring Tiger forms the right leg of Crack Saver.
The final Heavenly Beast is Giant Armor. There isn’t much to Giant Armor, the wing flaps can move and the rear turbines can spin but that’s about it. Giant Armor, it becomes the chest piece to Crack Saver but simply attaching it to the chest.
Just like the other combination scrolls, the De scroll opens up to reveal the Chinese character for ground. There is a light and sound gimmick as well depending on the number of times the button is pressed.
The four Heavenly Beasts combine with the scroll to form Crack Saver. Silly name aside, I rather like the design and think it’s probably my second favorite of the three. The combined form comes together better than Assault Saver though he is a bit hard to stand up straight as the legs don’t seem to be the quite the same length.
Of course, this review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the absolute cluster f*ck that is Ultimate Giant Braver. I actually kind of like the overall design of Ultimate Giant Braver but a lot of parts seem to be just stuck on for the sake of having a place to go. Ultimate Giant Braver seems more like an upgrade to Assault Giant Braver rather than an entirely new robot. Crack Saver simply splits up to become a new chest, sword and shield, while the rest pretty much stays the same.
The giant sword formed from Long Dragon, half of Battle Wolf and the rake accessory is actually pretty cool looking but so large and heavy it can’t actually be held up. The handle plugs into the hands but it’s essentially standing on its own. The shield is formed by attaching Giant Armor to Giant Braver’s sword and can actually be held up. Roaring Tiger also splits in half to become some sort of cannon that attaches to Ultimate Giant Braver’s legs. These definitely feel like an afterthought and it seemed like the designers forgot about Roaring Tiger until they had finished Ultimate Giant Braver’s design.
Ultimate Giant Braver is a decent attempt at a real combining Sentai Robot. It’s not quite as polished as Japanese Sentai toys but for the price, you get a huge and fairly hefty Robot that holds together quite well. I’m not sure how well children can actually play with it as it’s large and cumbersome to pick up even as an adult. For a toy that weighs nearly 6 pounds, I’m quite satisfied with the purchase. I can only hope future Chinese Sentai toys will continue to improve in quality and design.
Comments
7 comments postedCrack saver!
At his job, he slacks off a lot
When he sob's, he gets out some crack for a slot
Crack Saver!
Sorry I couldn't resist XD
That combination is bonkers!
While still a cluster**** at least it's more creative than say much of the modern sentai ultimate combinations of late (Shinkenger one probably being the most overdone).
Y'know, I actually find myself agreeing with that.
Much as I despite parts-formers as cheap, unimaginative and un-engaging (is that a word?), a cluster-f*** megazord CAN be appealing in my opinions depending on the overall look and function(s) regardless of how it is assembled. And in this case, Ultimate Giant Braver is a surprisingly satisfying cluster-f*** megazord.
...but can it reach!??
>_> .... <_<
.get it? What, just me?
Bad joke over. Good review, I had no idea these things existed outside of Bandai.
I have to agree with you, siningy- Crack Saver seems a satisfying end to the line.
Yeah, the Wolf is a bit disproportionate, and the Dragon is simple-ish, but I like the Turtle and Tiger designs for being more vehicle than animal. (The Tiger's cannons double as missile launchers? SOLD.)
Crack Saver itself isn't too bad either, though I see what you mean about one leg being shorter than the other. I like the color pallet and how even though it has asymmetrical mecha attached to it, it remains consistent with its decoration in combined form.
Ultimate Giant Braver, while unquestionably a cluster-f*** megazord, somehow still works for me. I like the giant F*** YOU!! sword, and how the three scrolls are all visible and open at the same time.
I second the notion that, with time and refinement, China could pull out some really great combining robo toys. While the undisputed king of knockoffs and bootlegs, if they can just get away from those cheap temptations, they could turn out some really solid material in the future; definitely give Bandai and PLEX a [much-needed] run for their money in terms of Super Sentai-like toys.
EDIT: Gotta ask- where did you get that minifig lamia from? ^^
The minifigure is from the Collectible Minifigure Series 10. It should be the current one in stores, but they are blind packs so you have to awkwardly feel up the bags.
Nice one. While the other two are 'ok' (seems kinda traditional) Crack Saver (WHY??) has some very interesting design elements. And he becomes more like a weapons and armor upgrade to Heaven Braver (or w/e you want his english name to be) unlike Engineoh G12 and Samurai Haoh where the last dude seems to just add height and bulk for no apparent reason (I still love them both though). Overall I'd say this line is very satisfactory. The main probem is the getting them. While not exactly very expensive themselves, the shipping will kill you.