Mint in box. I actually went through a whole thing on Twitter (@EPY_RM) as I was assembling this guy. Rubber antenna, tons of stickers. Honestly, as much as I made a fuss about the carnal sin of defiling an unused sticker sheet, it was a pretty relaxing afternoon. I take good care of my toys, but I also want to play and experience them, and if that means pulling them out of a box 20 years after they were put in it, then so be it.
The Good: I was expecting Grand Liner to be a very simple-to-assemble brick, but it’s surprisingly complicated. There’s a lot of compressing of the train cars in order to get the proportions right, which is very cool. There’s also less parts-forming than I’d expect, only being used for the shoulders. Definitely more fun to mess with than I’d guess at first glance.
As for gimmicks, it has a few. Its big one is its ability to house all the Victory Robo or Mars vehicles. You can even combine Grand Liner with the vehicles inside, though I’m a little worried about jostling them around, so I choose not to do that. In addition to that, you can attach Liner Boy to the front of the line for a total of six cars (which looks great in the limited edition black). Its other gimmick is that it comes with a carrier attachment so Green Hover can carry Red Ladder. Something it could do in the show, but not in the initial toy release.
The Bad: I have two issues with this release. The first is a weight issue. Those arms have a strong ratchet attached to them, but they sag slightly backward and slightly inward, showing that despite how strong they are they aren’t strong enough. The other is the stickers. Sort of.
Assembly: So the stickers go on well, but they aren’t always cut well. I would recommend going over them lightly with an exacto-knife to prevent tearing or pulling. Second is the antenna. They’re attached to a sprew, so you’re going to need to cut them off.
Overall, it’s big, it’s fun, it interplays well with the other toys in its line. Definitely a toy you should mess with if you get the chance. I’ve actually been seeing it running for the same price as the Super Minipla version of itself, so if you’ve been considering getting that release, this is another option you might be interested in.
izzy806
origamiaround
gummygunk
prguitarman
annaxmalina
dailybridgerton
titsay
kaledo-art
