RM's Toy Review Blog

(And other stuff)

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Done. Made sure to include the expanded lightning shield form "Invincible Aegis" and the shield in its sword formation "Invincible Excalibur." Really happy with how the main pose turned out. Feels like there's a good amount of energy in it.

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SSSS.GRIDMAN THE GATTAI Sounderous

Was not expecting this one. Sounderous didn't have a huge part in the movie, or anything, though I suppose every new form from that film was only on screen briefly. Not sure if there's anything else Gridman for The Gattai to do at this point, other than recolors, so I guess that's a page closed on this collection.

The Good: Fun but simple little guy. The ship form is cute, and Second has a decent range of posability. Not quite Figma levels, but you can tell that was the basis of the engineering. You can also attach everything you need for the transformation to the back of the ship in a way that's not distracting.

The transformation has some great flow and cool steps to it, and you can form it with Second as the base, by swapping her legs out for more solid ones, or just with the second legs and a hollow torso if you want to display Second and Sounderous together.

Sounderous has head, jaw, shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and cannon articulation, with specific adapters for the bottom of the feet if you want to splay them. It's enough for this type of form, but nothing ridiculous. As for gimmicks, there are missile panels on the legs and forearms, There's also a rubberized door that you can open to display Second's face. It's a dedicated one, not the one from the figure, but there's storage for a second face on the back of the box it's in.

The Bad: The arms don't really lock in place as a ship, and a few things like the panels on the arms could have tighter connections. You also have to partsform the cannons. Not that there isn't a bit of partsforming to be had in this transformation already, but I do with this particular aspect was a slide, instead.

Overall, a little loose, but very fun. Probably the final Gridman The Gattai, apart from recolors. It might not be the most exciting way to end this particular subset of the line, but it's nice to have the whole final battle team assembled.

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Been a while since I've gone hard on designing a new Digimon. This is HeavyGallantmon/HeavyDukemon. Made some new firends, one of them said their favorite Digimon was Guilmon, had an idea for the shield, worked from there. Nice to have a fourth member of the squad.

And despite pulling in some references from HeavyMetaldramon, I actually designed this one to evolve off of MegaloGrowmon Data (the orange one). Came from some card concepts I had with the new Duals.

Gonna do a proper piece of this one next, I think.

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Metal Cardbot Blaion

Is Blastrain just a small train? Like, it feels like everyone else scales pretty well, but Blastrain feels very small compared to all the cars. I'm wondering if it's because he's from the previous season? Anyway, Blaion is huge. I mean, a firetruck should be, but I was not expecting him to get two heads taller than combined Blastrain. I have multi-Megazord combos that they weigh up against. It's impressive.

The Good: Not much to say about the Firetruck Mode other than it's very big. The crane is made up of his arms, so you can use their joints to move it around.

The Robot Mode is very posable, having essentially every joint you'd want or expect, including a waist hidden under the skirt. There is a bit of partsforming, as you might expect from a combiner piece of this size, but I'm amazed how much the main bulk does by itself. His Roar Gauntlet is very similar to Blue Cop's Howl Gauntlet, and even includes a bit of extra engineering so Blue Cop can use both.

But you're probably here for Grand Bluleon, who is quite posable for their size. I feel like my photos were quite hindered by my desk size, as those wings have span. I can't really think of any joints they're missing apart from wrists, and maybe toes.

The Bad: Again, there is some partsforming, which is a bit of a bummer, but it's always the same 5ish small parts. Grand Bluleon's ankles also aren't bad, but could have used a few more detents.

Overall, a better toy in its own right than Blue Cop W, and a crazy combiner. If you're willing to shell out for the two of them, you won't be disappointed, though they are pretty expensive. I still plan on getting Ignxy, but I'm also hoping that if this show gets an S4 we see more combiners, because this is extremely impressive.

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Cute little art of Piyotaya and Pitayvern. That's it.

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Metal Cardbot Blue Cop W

This is an interesting release for a lot of reasons. Blue Cop (which is probably a better name in Korean than it is in English) is the face of Cardbot, and because of that and a few other things we'll talk about, I feel like there were... steps taken to allow for everything he does while still trying to keep him at a lower price for children to afford. I actually got him next because he was the cheapest of the Cardbots I was interested in. I do wish he could do a little more, but do understand why he can't. Outward shoulders would have been nice, though.

The Good: Car Mode is cute. A bit bigger than Tachy. It also has a tiny bit of posability? But not in a way you'd expect? Utilizing the hip skirts and knee caps under the car, you can position it leaning in multiple directions, or have him float a bit above the ground.

The Robot Mode looks nice. Having seen the earliest version of Blue Cop, the fact that he's gone from giant backpack to none is impressive, and he has enough posability to get by. The chest plate and giant fist are also neat additions.

But if you know anything about Blue Cop W, it's that he's the series' first true combiner, and having changed him into the torso, it looks like it's Blastrain big. I've already ordered Blaion (which is another name that's probably better in Korean than English).

The Bad: So I believe this is, as I said, partially to keep prices down while allowing him to be a combiner and a decent figure, but man his posability sucks. It's mostly the arms. They can only move forward and back and the huge shoulders get in the way of a lot of things. He also doesn't have a waist or ankles, which is weird because this came out after Blastrain, and Blastrain has all those. Combined arms are much better, so hopefully the combination will solve a lot of those problems.

Oh, tangentially related to posability, because the arms can't move outward, it makes the big arm unwieldy. Also, the chest plate can pop off pretty easily, and the cannons clash a lot with the shoulders.

Overall, it's a combiner piece, and a decent one, but it suffers a lot for that combination. I'll get back to you soon once I get Blaion. I also plan on getting Ignxy, their weapon next, so that should be fun.

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I realize when we did Piyotaya I didn't go over the names. I did mention that they're partially based on the pitaya, or dragonfruit, but piyo is the Japanese onomatopoeia for tweeting, and in this 'Mon's case I mixed it with wyvern (Birdramon is a Dramon).

I really didn't have a direction for this one going in. I thought about doing a headpiece since both Garudamon and Hououmon have them, but that was about it. Then, when I was gathering resources, I decided to look up the actual plant, and the beautiful white flowers they produce, which set a lot of things in motion. Because I pulled in aspects from all 3 evolutions, it is a lot harder to place what its origin is, but I do think it's a good evolution to Piyotaya regardless.

Gonna do a proper piece of these two, where they're not facing forward.

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Figure-rise Amplified Slifer the Sky Dragon

So I had a fun two-ish days building this guy, took my photos, tried to find a spot on the shelf for it, got frustrated because it kept falling and knocking stuff over, and... just threw it away. And that's not to say it's bad, I just don't have a place for it. Model kits, for me, are about the experience, and after having experienced it, and photographing it with its contemporaries, I just... didn't have a need to keep them anymore.

The Good: But this is quite a fun build. It uses a lot of different techniques, like wires, universal hinges, and ball joints in different places to achieve a slightly movable version of that body, it does the two-mouths to a neat effect, it does the sheet wings, it's just a very cool collection of different styles.

The Bad: Doesn't hold together well. The arms and legs like to pop off, the tail will come loose, my experience with wires is they come loose over time, etc. Also, it's just really big, and it's sculpted in that shape, so it's actually very hard to pose and, as I said, find space for.

The Details: Mostly panel lining. I also painted the eyes gold, and the upper part of the upper mouth red. Also, why do all the EGCs have blue tongues?

Overall, a fun experience, and it's cool to have all three, but it does take up a lot of space and can't really pose. Just be aware of that going in and plan accordingly.

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Got a few more custom cards! It's Locomon, but as one of those quarter rocket rides you see outside of grocery stores. Just continuing the ongoing black/yellow Machine deck for @jaybuilds. We gotta go back and redo a few cards we've already done, but before all of that we're doing the Mega(s)!

As always, big thanks to Liecomj for always nailing how to do a card, and my acquaintance/friend? Riina for printing these for me. I don't know if they're accepting new clients anymore, or where, so maybe I should ask and shill for them? But that's for another day.

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DX Gavarion Trigger

I've been enjoying the show so far. To some degree, and I was expecting this, it does feel very Sentai. Just in character acting and vibes. And while they have brought the Gavan aspects of it very forward, I can't shake the feeling that this was originally a Sentai script that they reworked. The toys don't help in that regard, though toy production does take several months, so if Gavarion Trigger was originally a Megazord I would totally understand.

The Good: This is Tega Gun. Granted, Tega Sword was apparently the most popular Megazord they've done in a while, and the do go above and beyond what Gozyuger did. While it has the robot and weapon modes Tega Sword had, it also has a vehicle mode, though simplistic. It also improves on a major complaint I had with the auxiliary Zords from Gozyuger, having them not only having weapon modes, but also vehicle modes, and can combine with Gavarion Trigger in both vehicle and robot mode. It is a nice improvement.

That is the angriest butt I've ever seen...

Gavarion Trigger does expand on the typical Megazord articulation, with multiple outward ratchets on the right arm, a swivel on the left to better position the cannon, and some waist articulation thanks to the transformation. Also, came with a bunch of pack-in bonuses. Got one last Sentai Ring themed around Gavan Infinity, and a non-spinning version of Infinity's Emogear, so that's neat.

The Bad: While I think there are a lot of improvements, the general transformation isn't as interesting as Tega Sword's. Also, just, personal thing, but I don't really vibe with this play pattern. I think Gavarion Trigger, just by having a vehicle mode, is better than Tega Sword, but the heavy focus on armor-up auxes, and the combination role-play toy thing just isn't for me.

Overall, it's a fine toy, and I appreciate it, it just isn't entirely my vibe. I kinda want to pick up Dronado, maybe the next upgrade mech after pics come out, but none of the basic ones, hence why I talked about them here. Definitely won't be the last time I talk about this show or this toy line, but we'll see when that is.

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So many birds...

Yeah, uh, for Piyomon, I used the Pitaya (dragonfruit) as a base since it was similar colors and shapes. Took a few passes, and I still suck at drawing that head at any angle other than straight on, but it's cute. Not sure how I'm gonna tackle its evolution yet (not doing a Mega for this one). Gotta evolve this while bringing in elements from Birdramon and Garudamon, and maybe Hououmon.

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Macross 7 X Transformers Basara Prime

This is a bit of an odd design. Not in that it's bad, but it just pulls from a lot. It takes elements from both Optimus and Rodimus and the VF-19 Kai Fire Valkyrie. It's also named after Basara Nekki, the protagonist of Macross 7, but doesn't seem to pull any elements from him other than he has a guitar? But I think that out-of-the-boxedness is part of why this drew me in more than something like the Shield Liger Prime, which a much more literal interpretation.

The Good: Does a lot. Its vehicle mode is based on the VF-19, and despite a small undercarriage, it pulls off the silhouette well. It's also capable of folding up into a... wheeled form? Not sure what else to call it. But it's capable of combining with the trailer to form a really wacky Winnebago. It has specific engineering for a gerwalk, and forms a fairly clean robot.

Basara has a fantastic range of posability. It has everything you'd expect, including 4 joints per hand. It comes with the typical Macross shield and blaster, a Matrix-themed guitar, and two alternate faces, all of which have storage in or under the Winnebago. Speaking of, the Winnebago expand into a small stage with a microphone. Very cute little package.

The Bad: While I appreciate the parts storage, you probably could have cut the Winnebago and the wheels in the legs and made this much more affordable for everyone. The leg plastic is thinner than usual to accommodate the silhouette, wheels, compressed legs. The knees are also very odd, and are hard to lock into place, especially the first time you do it. I wonder if they won't weaken in time? And while the modes are cool, the transformation isn't always. Vehicle to gerwalk/robot is fine, but going back to vehicle, or anything involving the wheels has heavy order-of-operations and tight squeezes.

Overall, while I like it, it's very akin to something like Shin Universe Robo, where it's a decent toy with a higher price tag due to the fusion of IPs. That isn't to say it's bad, it's just more expensive than it should be. Keep that in mind, maybe look for it on sale, and I think you'll walk away with a good experience.

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Novabyss Dragon DARK/Wyrm-Synchro-Xyz-Effect/R6/2500/2000 1 Xyz Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner Xyz Monster(s) This card's Synchro/Xyz Summon and the activation of its effects cannot be negated. While this card has material, your cards and effects cannot be negated. You can detach all material from this card (Quick Effect): Special Summon 1 "Singularity Token" (Fiend/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your opponent's field, but it cannot be used as material, also banish all cards in its adjacent Monster Zones and Spell & Trap Zones.

Causalight Dragon LIGHT/Wyrm-Synchro-Effect/L10/3000/2500 1 Fusion, Xyz, or Link Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monster(s) You can only control 1 "Causalight Dragon". Each time an opponent's card or effect resolves, place 1 Cause Counter on this card. When your opponent activates a card or effect: You can remove 3 Cause Counters from this card; negate the activation and banish that card. You can only activate the following effect of "Causalight Dragon" once per turn. During the End Phase after this card was banished: Special Summon this banished card.

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Adamas Machina AM-T02 Predaking

I don't really have anything in particular to say about Predaking, specifically. I just really like combining robots, so it's more the fact that this was a high-quality complete package that interested me more than the character it draws from. That being said, Beast Mode Razorclaw having hands that hold sword wings is very inspired. I might steal that for something down the road.

The Good: Typical order of operations, The Beast Modes probably suffer the most for all of the goings ons, but do look nice doing so, can equip all the combination accessories, and some of them do have a bit of posability if you want to change things up a little.

While every robot mode lacks wrists (except for Razorclaw) and waists (except for Rampage), they all have a fantastic range outside of that. Everyone is capable of posing dynamically thanks to some great ankles, and can easily hold the bigger weapons for Predaking. Their transformations are also pretty easy, with none of them requiring anything too difficult to go between. Special shoutout to Razorclaw's leg transformation, with its thighs sliding down its leg joints in order to dramatically change their sculpt and color.

But the main focus of this release is Predaking, and it shows. Posability is fantastic, balance is mostly good. This is definitely a single figure that splits into 5 smaller figures, rather than 5 smaller figures that combine.

The Bad: There are very few actual issues of note with this figure. The feet attach by circular pegs, so they have a tiny bit of rock to them. There's combiner parts storage on all the individual units, but you can't store the individual guns anywhere on Predaking. Also, when going from Predaking to Razorclaw, detach the waist as much as you can before splitting the waist, because it won't separate if you don't.

But there are also things I know Transformers fans don't like. While I have no issue with these things, I thought it'd be proper to note it for them, such as how many gaps there are on the inner parts of the Robot Modes. Razorclaw has some noodley arms. The shoulder cannons do a lot of parts forming between forms. And lastly, the scale is a little weird. They're a bit bigger than Legends Class, but smaller than you'd want next to a Deluxe. I think it scales well with other super robots, but not necessarily with other Transformers.

Overall, a fantastic big figure that splits into some also really cool tiny ones. So far, there haven't been any more announcements for any more Adamas Machina Transformers, and I think I have all the T-Spark combiners, but if they do any more, I think this has convinced me to give them a look.

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Some very rough Union concepts. I think there's some burgeoning ideas here, but I definitely don't have the design language down quite yet. I think the very rough sketch I did for a Dancer V2 matches the energy way better than the V1. But I might just be comparing them to Vizard, who is based on something and therefore had a strong direction at the start.

Just to get my thoughts out there before pivoting, Union Spiral is a mix of narwhal, sky whale, and medieval horse armor. I think part of its issue is that I couldn't make the whale shape very dynamic. I also feel like there's too much armor and not enough energy. Not sure where to take it from here.

I think I have a slightly better grasp on Union Dancer, since Volbeat and Illumise gave me a better design direction. I was trying to go stick bug with it (I forget why I chose that).

I'm gonna do some rough YGO concepts then probably move onto Piyomon/Birdramon/Garudamon finally. Give these a moment to sit and stew before coming back to them, unless something hits me.

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Metal Cardbot Tachy

Got me another Metal Cardbot! Really been enjoying these; I might have to track down a few more.

So I've talked quite a few times on this blog about "female robots." Mostly in regard to "I feel somewhat uncomfortable touching this things butt." And that is an issue you seem to get into when you get to adult-targeted products, where there seems to be this impulse to add that type of sculpting to appeal to a "wider market." But I feel like Tachy is the way you're supposed to do it. Her face isn't even that feminine; it's just implied shapes. And she looks super cute! And I know this isn't an adult-targeted product, it's just the market I tend to dip into, but I just want it on the record that I prefer when companies do their designs like this, rather than trying to hit carnal impulses.

The Good: It helps that Tachy is also a great toy. While she's got a backpack it's on a single pivot point so it's easy to move out of the way for posing, she's has fantastic range in her joints especially waist down, fairly easy to balance, and has a fun transformation that's surprisingly intuitive and incorporates a lot of her robot parts into her vehicle sculpt and vicaversa. Her accessories are also super cool, giving her the giant leg extensions and claws to really change up her silhouette. The heel spurs are even designed to let you point the toes for certain poses.

The Bad: It feels like the design philosophy on her was "this is for ultimately for children, so if we over-complicate the joints in certain areas it'll negatively impact the transformation," and I can understand that. The tail only has a ball and a hinge because if it didn't, setting it up for the transformation would be annoying. That being said, I'm still disappointed the arms can't bend past 45, of that the upgraded ankles are fairly static compared to her usual ones. I also had a tiny bit of mold flash I had to clean.

Overall, a fantastic toy. If you're a fan of Transformers or Brave I would definitely suggest looking this one up. She's also apparently the first female Cardbot, so I hope people saying they like her spurs them to do a few more, because I like this design philosophy. And when I've got a light month, I might try tracking down a few more of them.

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Voidstorm Dragon DARK/Wyrm-Synchro-Xyz-Effect/R6/2500/2000 1 Xyz Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner Xyz Monster(s) This card's Synchro/Xyz Summon and the activation of its effects cannot be negated. While this card has material, your cards and effects cannot be negated. You can detach all material from this card (Quick Effect): Special Summon 1 "Singularity Token" (Fiend/LIGHT/Level 1/ATK 0/DEF 0) to your opponent's field, but it cannot be used as material, also banish all cards in its adjacent Monster Zones and Spell & Trap Zones.

Had a bit of spark of inspiration, kinda just sat down and scribbled this guy out. Been a minute since I've designed a Yu-Gi-Oh! monster, and this time it's my ace, Voidstorm Dragon. While I've had the effect and general idea for them for a while, I never sat down to truly craft it. I actually got a few ideas after seeing Markilpier's angler, with all the arms and stuff coming off of it.

And yes, it is a Synchro-Xyz Monster, essentially being a Synchro Monster that uses Ranks instead of Levels. Felt like a novel idea, and with the other cards I've designed, I basically ran with it. It very much matches my play style of "push through counters," with an added little fun effect of placing a black hole on your opponent's field. Gotta be at least a bit of a decent payoff for making something like this, right?

Oh, and here's my original concept from a few years back: