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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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Could this drill be THE DRILL to finally pierce the heavens?
The never ending hunt for the definitive Gurren Lagann figures continues...
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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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Say hello to the Fearless Hero and the Flirtatious Beauty.
For the past month or so I’ve been hooked on Super Robot Taisen Original Generation for the GBA. The game is great but what I love about it most is the robot designs, specifically these two: the Alteisen and the Wiessritter. At the same time I’ve also been addicted to Bandai’s Super Robot Chogokin toy line. So when I found out these two characters were available in SRC form I just had to have them!
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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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Meteor is here and ready to decide your fate!
This is a big one. It’s my first SHFiguart toy and my first Bugman review. So why not start with one of my favourite Riders?
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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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Chuga, chuga, choo! Choo! All aboard the Braves Express!
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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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Only the combination of nostalgia and metal could create something this epic.
If you grew up in the 90s then you know the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Whether their impact on your childhood was small or large, they definitely left a mark. For myself, many of my favourite memories from my youth involved the Power Rangers. Nothing was more exciting than watching a group of teenagers with attitude transform into a team of superheroes and beat on evil monsters week after week. Oh it was such a simpler time back then.
However, without a doubt, there was one specific thing about MMPR that really appealed to me - The Megazord. Five giant dinosaur robots who combined into what is arguably one of the most iconic super robots to ever be conceived. The first appearance of this titan was magical and has been imprinted into my mind for the rest of time. Unfortunately, the original toy was never that great. Sure it was huge but it basically amounted to being a brick and future combinations would only make it worse.
Yet here we are, almost 20 years later and what we find is a six inch untransformable Megazord. On paper that just sounds terrible - but is it really? Well, you’re going to have to watch the review to get my opinion on that question.
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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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The most anticipated figure release of the year is finally here: FIGMA LINK.
If there’s anything that every video game fan has wanted or at least interested in, it’s Nintendo figures. Undoubtedly, the well known game developer has been responsible for creating the most iconic characters and franchises the video game industry has ever seen. However, when it comes to actual merchandise there’s very little to be found.
Of course, franchises such are Mario and Pokemon seem to have a solid amount of collectible goodies around. But when it comes to the other “big” Nintendo games - such as Zelda, Metroid or even Star Fox - it’s a barren wasteland. So when it was announced that Max Factory had gotten the license to produce some of the major Nintendo characters, I was more than ecstatic.
Their first release, Samus, was an incredible action figure. Actually, it’s probably one of the best figures I’ve ever had and is in the running for my favourite figure of the year. However, as much as the other collectors and I loved Samus, what we all really wanted to get was a figure of the famous adventurer from the Legend of Zelda series - Link.
And so here he is. Does he follow the precedent set by Samus? Or is this a step back in terms of quality? Watch the review and decide for yourself.
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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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I’d hate to get on this girl’s bad side.
Not only is this the most sought after Black Rock Shooter Figma, it’s one of the most sought after Figma’s to ever be released. Is this a figure worth tracking down?
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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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Could this be the best Gurren Lagann figure of them all?
If you’ve been a long time listener of the TNIAB podcast, then you’ll know I’m a big Gurren Lagann fan. Actually, you’ll know that I’m a Ginax whore who considers GL to be their best work. As I’m also a toy collector, you’d imagine that I must have a mountain of Gurren Lagann figures and other such merchandise. Or even a special display dedicated to the two-faced red robot.
Well, I don’t.
While the anime was originally released in 2007, I didn’t even know of its existence until a little over a year ago. After falling in love with the anime, I immediately wanted some sort of plastic representation of it in my collection. After many hours of research I learnt that because of the huge popularity of the franchise, every form of collectable figures were either out of production and cost a ludicrous amount on the secondary market. On top of that, I was looking at toys that were four years old and the aged engineering behind most of this pieces just made it hard to justify the high price.
Skip to today, and with Gurren Lagann hitting it’s five year anniversary, many companies are going back and revisiting the franchise. Whether its been re-releases or entirely new products, the market for Gurren Lagann figures have never been brighter. (Even Yoko has got some new figure releases coming out and I’ve got my fingers crossed for a six inch Kamina!)
Among all the new items is this RIOBOT by SEN-TI-NEL. It’s gotten a lot of attention from simply its look alone. But that’s not all, the engineering behind this figure is hugely impressive too. Many have already claimed that this is the Gurren Lagann figure to own and that nothing else comes close to topping it.
So with that said, I had to pick this one up and see for myself what all the hype’s about.
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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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This red Lamborghini Countach has arrived to usher in a new era of Masterpiece Transformers.
The Transformers Masterpiece line is the pinnacle of all Transformers collectables. It’s a toy line that prides itself for its use of die-cast metals, meticulous paintwork, innovative toy engineering and the ability to never be priced under $100. If there was only one line of Transformers to collect, the Masterpiece line would be it.
However, due to the recent decline in economy and rising costs of oil, major toy companies have admitted that it will be much more expensive to produce toys of such high quality. So either we would have to pay an even higher premium or the standards of the toys would have to decline. Takara Tomy has decided to go with the latter option. Another example would be Bandai’s similarly priced “Soul of Chogokin” line, which has also taken a slight back seat in favour of their smaller and more affordable “Super Robot Chogokin” toy line.
And so that brings us to MP-12 LAMBOR. He’s got no die-cast metal, his paint is nice but there is a noticeable dip in quality, he’s about half the size of a standard Masterpiece toy and he’s also the first to be price under $100. Now all these changes don’t sound too appealing but the question remains - Is this worthy of being a Transformers Masterpiece toy? Check out the review to hear my thoughts and I’d love to hear what you think in the comments section below.
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By Vincent Sanchez
@vincesanchez
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The second Persona 4 character to be released in the FIgma line is Yukiko Amagi. She was definitely my favourite of the main female protagonists in the game (although Rise wasn't far behind!) and never left my party during the battles simply because she served as my dedicated healer. As for this figure, well there’s not much to say if you've already seen my Figma Chie review or if you’re an avid fan of Figmas in general. For me this was for sure pick up because I’m such a fan of the series but I can see this as an easy pass for anyone else.
Looking for more in depth thoughts? Then just click the play button and that’s what you’ll get!
