Japanese toy review roundup
The following reviews are in Japanese but they include a generous amount of photos so they’re well worth checking out.
Goe and Hima-toy review the Bandai S.I.C Kamen Rider Agito and Machine Tornado set.
Gamu and Hikari review the Bandai Saint Myth Cloth Sea Horse Baian figure from the Saint Seiya series.
Ganhoo (part 2, part 3), Gamu (part 2) and Handago review the Bandai Mugenbine MugenAnubis, MugenSphinx, MugenScorpion, MugenRa and MugenSebek candy toys and their combined form, MugenPharaoh.
Ebi reviews Bandai Soul of Chogokin Baikanfu (part 2) set from the Machine Robo series. (See also.)
Gamu reviews the Bandai Soul of Chogokin GX-07E Limited Energer Z limited figure. (See also.)
Momodani, Yone and Pokotannu review the Takara Tomy Transformers Allspark Power Incinerator figure.
Momodani reviews the Takara Tomy Transformers Allspark Power Landmine figure.
Pokotannu reviews the Takara Tomy Transformers Screen Battles Final Stand set. (See also.)
Transformers Baka Ichidai reviews the Takara Tomy Transformers Movie Basic Series Autobot Jazz figure.
Mondo reviews the Takara Tomy Transformers Movie Scorponok figure.
Toybu reviews the Hasbro Transformers Classics Astrotrain figure.
Kaede_sg reviews the Bandai HCM Pro Gundam Virtue from the Gundam 00 series. (See also.)
C-zone:A reviews the Bandai HCM Pro RX-78-2 Gundam (Roll out colours ver.) limited edition figure.
Hirohiro reviews the Romando Collection Doll Series The Idolm@ster Akizuki Ritsuko 1/6 scale figure.
Hinatatiki reviews the Medicom Toy Kubrick The Idolm@ster Junichirou Takagi mail away exclusive figure.
Hiitan reviews the Bandai Action Liner Series Zeroliner Naginata toy from the Kamen Rider Den-O series.
Ebi reviews the Bandai Voice I-doll Chibi Voice Kamen Rider Den-O Urataros Imajin, Kintaros Imajin, Ryutaros Imajin, Sieg-possessed Ryotaro, Deneb Imajin and Deneb-possessed Yuto figures.
Retro reviews
Damien Sancho reviews the Yutaka Jiko Gattai Getta Robo Go figures. (See also.)
Transformers Baka Ichidai reviews the Takara Transformers Beast Wars II Takotank bath toy.
Transformers Baka Ichidai reviews the Takara Beastformer Staghunter set.
Transformers Baka Ichidai reviews the Takara Beast Former Sheephunter set.
G.S.R. reviews the Bandai Delta Formation DX Time Shadow set from the Mirai Sentai Timeranger series.
G.S.R. reviews the Bandai 3D Formation Time Robo set from the Mirai Sentai Timeranger series.
K2O reviews the Tomy Zoids RPZ-19 Godkaiser kit. (See also.)
Damien Sancho reviews the MegaHouse Mobile Suit Gundam Cosmo Fleet Collection White Base and RX-78-2, Salamis class and GM RGM-79, Musai class Farmel and MS-06S Char’s Zaku, Papua and MS-05 Zaku I, and Gwazine class and MS-06F Zaku II trading sets.
Smile, smile
A Creative Commons-licensed photo by 63nancy.
Toy links
Fallen.
My Little Pony … From Hell.
Toradora!
Tamaki’s Little Treasure’s excellent digirama based on Max Factory and Wave figures of Aisaka Taiga.
Hare Hare Yukai (ver. Revoltech). [via]
See also.
Poe Ghostal interviews Foamheads’ Jim Bell.
Foamheads produced the Fox Sports Robot figure.
Revoltech
A Creative Commons-licensed photo by Fuyoh! of Kaiyodo’s Revoltech Convoy figure.
Revoltech checklist
Updated Jul. 15 with Getter-1 (Renewal version) review links
Kaiyodo’s main line of Revoltech figures was rebranded as the Yamaguchi Series with the release of the 13th wave in May 2007. It gets its name from the sculptor, Yamaguchi Katsuhisa.
Born in 1970, Yamaguchi was an avid anime fan and active in modeller circles in his college days before joining Kaiyodo in 1993. He quickly made a name for himself with his work on Hokuto No Ken 200x, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Trigun figures.
The figures in the Revoltech Yamaguchi Series are generally about 12cm tall and retail for about 2000 yen. Kaiyodo has released two figures every month since May 2006 and has also released variants as exclusives.
The following Revoltech Yamaguchi Series checklist (which currently excludes the exclusives) includes links to Japanese pictorial reviews that have a generous amount of photos.
Read more
Revoltech links
For further reading about Kaiyodo and the Revoltech line, check out the following links.
Kaiyodo
Japanese Wikipedia entry.
This has a good summary of Kaiyodo’s growth from plastic model shop to internationally acclaimed company.
Wikipedia entry.
A brief overview of the company
Sculptor bios (Japanese).
Kaiyodo is one of the few companies that credits and promotes its sculptors.
Revoltech
Revoltech Express (Japanese).
Kaiyodo’s Revoltech blog.
Wikipedia entry.
A good overview of the line with a checklist of released figures.
Japanese Wikipedia entry.
It’s suggested the Revolver joint was named after the handgun and considering Nightow Yasuhiro’s apparent gun fetish in Trigun and Gungrave, it seems likely. The Revoltech packaging colour also denotes the figure type: blue is for real robots, red for super robots, green for humanoids, and orange used when the main line was unified and rebranded as the Yamaguchi Series.
Fan wiki (Japanese).
The FAQ section is notable.
CollectionDX reviews.
Reviews of most of the figures.
Revoltech intro
Osaka-based Kaiyodo started out as Miyawaki Osamu’s small hobby store in Moriguchi city in 1964. He had closed his book loaning business and began selling plastic scale models simply because his son loved them. The store eventually became a gathering place for modellers to socialise and exchange ideas.
In the 80s, Kaiyodo began producing its own figures, beginning with high quality limited run garage kits before going into full scale mass production in 1997.
Now headed by Miyawaki’s eldest son, Shuichi, the Japanese company has gained international recognition for its detailed and faithful sculpts. Its dinosaur models grace the Museum of Natural History in New York and a full-sized Murakami Takashi Miss ko2 figure based on a 1/5 scale prototype by Kaiyodo sculptor Bome was sold for USD567,500 at Christie’s.
Action figure aficionados will naturally gravitate towards the Revoltech line of highly posable figures. Featuring Kaiyodo’s trademark emphasis on sculpting and detail, the line is a little unusual in that it derives its name from a joint.
Read more
Cast away
A Creative Commons-licensed photo by ckirkman.
Toy review roundup
Matrix Prime does a video review of the unreleased Hasbro Transformers Animated Starscream figure.
yo go re reviews the Hasbro G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary Lady Jaye figure.
Thomas Wheeler reviews the Hasbro G.I. Joe Combat Squad Desert Wolf figure.
Thomas Wheeler reviews the Bandai Power Rangers 15th Anniversary S.P.D Red Ranger figure.
Dan Wakerhauser reviews the Playmates TMNT Alien Hunter Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, Dumpjumper and Thrashmor figures.
yo go re reviews the Diamond Select Toys Minimates Taskmaster and USAgent Previews exclusive two-pack.
Mikesgtrs does a video review of the Character Options Doctor Who Dalek Thay toy from the Daleks in Manhattan set.
Jager reviews the Rocketworld Insurgents Wilderness Gruppo Adam the Baby Robo-Rhino Free Bento exclusive figure.
Retro reviews
Josh Bernard reviews the Takatoku Regult figure from the Macross series.
Thomas Wheeler reviews the Hasbro G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Rampart figure.
mechanical_wunder reviews the Tomy Zoids RPZ-11 Gunbluster kit.
mechanical_wunder reviews the Tomy Zoids EHI-07 Reddra kit.
Mazin go!
A Creative Commons-licensed photo by scalleja.