MEGABOX MB-12 Landbreaker
I know most people are here for Gunpla (at least that’s what the numbers make it feel like), but I need down weeks to actually build stuff, and I also really enjoy talking about toys like this, even if nobody else does. You’ll get your anime robots next week, but in the mean time I’d like to tell you about the first in a new line of robot toys that you might dig, if you give it a chance.
The Good: While there have been MegaBox releases before (hence the 12), almost all of them have been licensed releases. Stuff from Alien, Marvel, and some Chinese MOBA. Landbreaker is the first (I think) original design in this line, and has the familiar play pattern from other MegaBox and BeastBox releases along with a few more.
For starters, Landbreaker is the first release to come as two Boxes; Mole (with the jackhammer) and Groundhog (with the saw). Both individual Boxes have their own separate Alt Modes designed to look like futuristic construction equipment. Their transformations into these modes is surprisingly fluid, and while they’re not easy, they’re intuitive to figure out.
The most notable new feature is that these two are the first combining Boxes. They have two canonical combines modes; a vehicle mode and LandBreaker. The vehicle mode isn’t that impressive, but Landbreaker is a lot of fun. It’s very posable, has good ranges, and balances rather well. However, it does have one other unexpected feature, and that’s that all of its limbs are modular. Each can be removed and swapped around. While this feels more like it’s for interplay with future releases, they shown off a few cool combinations in the instructions using that modularity to create unique vehicles within a single release. It’s definitely Sentai-esque in the fact that it’s a toy that’s good on it’s own, but is better with more (unreleased) toys in the line.
And on a final positive, since this is a 52Toys release, the decal and paintwork on this guy is actually good. I say that because BeastBox releases tend to be hit or miss on the subject, but Landbreaker is the best that I’ve handled.
The Bad: What is not perfect is joint tolerances. My right leg is not loose, but it is not tight, and even though this guy has good balance, it doesn’t matter if the hips can’t handle the weight. It’s not something you may have to deal with on your own copy, but be aware you may have to tighten things up a bit.
And while I like the look of Landbreaker, he’s got a butt and a backpack. I wouldn’t mind so much, except they don’t exactly lock together very well, mostly holding in place with friction, which is an issue no other mode has.
Combined vehicle mode feels tacked on. It feels like someone discovered it while playing with the toy, and they put it in the instructions. You wouldn’t lose anything by never forming it.
Overall, I think this is a really fun toy, and am excited for future releases in this style. It’s not perfect, but it has definitely learned the lessons of 52Toys’ other lines, which puts it on a better head start. It’s also much more mecha and less cartoony than BeastBox if aesthetics mean anything to you. I highly suggest giving it a chance.
