Marine Sieger Stronghold ST2M
Review by JoshB
Acid Rain is more than a toy line, it's a world in which multiple toy lines have spawned from. As such, it can be a bit daunting to figure out which toys belong to which line. The toys come in two different scales: 1:12 and 1:28. The 1:12 toys are GI Joe sized, and are done by a company called Ori Toy. The toys we are looking at today are 1:28 scale and are by a company called b2Five, or Beaver. There are a lot of names involved, and it gets confusing.
1:28 is an interesting scale. Each figure is about 2.5 inches tall, and the entire line is scaled to fit them.
B2Five Acid Rain toys are available at Big Bad Toy Store or through their B2FIVE shop
In this review we are going to take a look at a variation on their Stronghold mech. The Stronghold is a tank that transforms into a powered suit, and the various factions in the Acid Rain universe have different versions of the Stronghold. In this case this mech belongs to the Marine branch of the nation of Agurts.
The tank is not huge, you can put it in the palm of your hand, if you have a reasonably big hand. It's made of sturdy ABS plastic, and does not feel brittle in any way. I would totally hand this to a kid and let them play with it and not worry about it at all.
The figure is insanely articulated considering the size. The only flaw I really have with this, and all the figures in this line, is that the heads tend to pop off if you move them too much. They are a softer plastic and on a simple ball, so it's not unexpected.
The surface of the tank is covered in pegs and handles that the figure can attach to. It adds a ton of play value.
The cockpit opens up to reveal a basic interior with two handles for the figure to hold on to. It fits just fine, and when closed, you can see the pilot's head through the window.
The visor can lift up, and the cockpit can turn. The window can open a little, but the visor blocks it from opening fully.
Transformation is simple, and you can watch the video above to see it in action, but I want to mention all the little pegs and tabs that keep everything locked into place. The attention to detail in the engineering is so nice. It's just a joy to fiddle with.
The end result is a very-poseable mech, with solid joints and great stability.
The mech has no hands, but it does have sort of anvil like hammers at the end of each arm. In addition, each arm features a giant spike that slides out from its' housing.
If the toy itself wasn't awesome enough, the Acid Rain toys are designed to be compatible and interchangeable with other toys in the line. The modular nature of them make for an untold variety of combinations.
The toy comes with two standard joint sizes. The larger joints are used in the arms and legs, and have an interesting build in detent mechanism. Two tabs on the outside of the peg allow for easy insertion into sockets, but then when rotated the joint stays put. The smaller holes are for weapons and other accessories. However, B2Five includes adapter parts to allow for parts to use the other size holes. This makes for some interesting combinations. Below you can see some variations between multiple Stronghold, Speeder, and Laurel mechs.
Overall it's a great figure line. I have a bunch of different toys from this line that we'll be looking at in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
B2Five Acid Rain toys are available at Big Bad Toy Store or through their B2FIVE shop