NORTH

I got this guy from a friend at the 2023 Summit without knowing anything about the company or character. Sometimes, cool is just cool, and NORTH caught my eye. What I do know is that this is by Joytoy, and part of their “Battle for the Stars” line. I have another figure from this line, Ice Sword, but his aesthetic is so different, I feel like he is from another faction.

NORTH is a 1:18 scale mech with a pilot. It’s fully articulated, has a bunch of removable parts, and is very high-quality.

NORTH stands about 9 inches tall, give or take a bit depending on how extended the legs or cannons are. It’s solid, but not heavy, with it being made of a lighter but more rigid plastic. If you’ve ever handled the 3A World War Robot stuff, it feels like that.

Articulation is off the charts, with movement anywhere you could want it. Some of the joints are rather tight, and some are just pegged in with friction, likely due to some interchangeability gimmick with other mechs.

The hands are super articulated. Each finger has 3 joints, plus they splay outward at the hand, and the hand is on a ball joint. The elbow bends and swivels, the upper arm bends and swivels, and then rotates at the body. The shoulders even have little panels that open to allow more movement.

There are two weapons that can be swapped out with the hands. I also thought it was interesting that the left and right forearms are entirely different designs.

The torso features an opening cockpit on the front, and on the back there is a set of moveable cannons, movable missile banks, and movable wings. The whole assembly can come off as well.

The legs also have a great range of motion, and can crouch or stand. The top leg armors are removable, and don’t fit as tight as other bits, so they can come off if you bump them wrong.

The included figure is very cool, with lots of accessories. Again, tons of accessories, removable armor bits, removable helmet, and it can grasp onto the moveable controls.

I’ve noticed these figures have a very Eastern European look to them. None of the characters I’ve seen have any Asian features despite being  an original Chinese IP. Who knows. They all look badass though!

For about $80, this is a great value! What a fun set.