Sunday, October 26, 2008

Revoltech #50 - Gurren Lagann

My third Revoltech figure is another Gurren Lagann (GL) from the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann anime. A concerned friend of mine told me to stop this madness but I told him that it is all going to end real soon... Another 2-3 figures from this line and I am done with it. :P

Gurren Lagann is a "gattai" mecha between Simon's Lagann (Enveloping Face) and Kamina's Gurren (Crimson Lotus). The grand introduction of GL is in episode 3 "Who Do You Think You Are, Having Two Faces!?" ("Kao ga Futatsu tā Namaiki na!!").

In that episode, both Simon and Kamina was confronted by a Viral who pilot a 2 faced Gunman called Enki. Enki was superior in speed, agility and strength. Both Lagann and Gurren can hardly keep up with its performance. Our hotheaded friend, Kamina was so frustrated by the fact that there is no way they can defeat Enki in a battle nor in appearance (2-face looks much cooler compare to your usual chest-faced Gunman). In a desperate attempt to save face and at the same time trying to vent some of his pent up frustration, he slammed Lagann on top of his Gurren (without thinking of the consequence of damaging both Gurren and Lagann). Due to a twist of fate and a sprinkle of pure luck, the spiral energy in Lagann course through the cockpit of Gurren and that initiate the combination of both mecha and GL was born a new from then on.

Gurren Lagann is the protagonist of the show so naturally, it is the toughest if not the strongest mecha. Some people including me will argue that GL is not really a great mecha since Gurren and Lagann are both very ancient (Lagann is as old as Lord Genome himself and Gurren is actually an old type of Gunmen inferior to Viral's Enki). What really makes Gurren Lagann so great is the gut or the spirit of the pilot that is able to create miracles out of the impossible. SRW fans will know what I mean here. :P

Spirals and drills are the main theme so naturally, GL has wide variety of drills as weapon.


All the accessories that come with Revoltech #50. A stand, 2 pairs of extra hand, 1 chest plate, 1 extra head and the shade blade.



Front and rear view of the figure. Panel line was applied using enamel black paint.




Close up on the front and rear view.


My psychiatrist told me to meditate at least once a day to control my temper... :P With the giant shade removed, GL reminds me of Bishamon. A character from the Dark Stalker (Vampire Hunter) arcade game.


I am the drill that will reach through heaven!!! Not going to be bored with this pose anytime soon.



A little girl once said "Drill is a man's romance!!!". It is soooo true. :P GIIIIIGGAAAAAA DURIIIIIIILLLLLUUUUUU!!!!!!!


Giga Drill Breaker!!! I did not realize that the drill is actually gold in colour. Is this a marketing gimmick?


Omae wa mo shindeiru!!!


I am too hot for you? Here have some some "shade"!!!


This is how Gurren Lagann looks like after the "gattai" and before Simon and Kamina rob Enki's kabuto. This head is the extra accessories that comes with Revoltech Enki.


"Who Do You Think You Are, Having Two Faces!?" (Kao ga Futatsu tā Namaiki na!!)




When you assemble the backpack from Lazengann with the wings from Enki, you will get a wicked backpack for GL! Now everyone can fly!!! :P

Overall, Gurren Lagann is a great figure. The sculpture is beautifully done and faithful to the anime. The only downside is the slightly above average paint job and the somewhat restricted articulation. Kaiyodo should put more efforts into the paint job. As for the problem with the articulation, I do not think there is much that can be done about it but who knows... Kaiyodo MIGHT come out with an improved design sometime in the future. Until then, lets save up to buy more Revoltechs? :P

Monday, October 20, 2008

Revoltech #58 - Gurren Lagann Fully Drillized version

Gurren Lagann (GL) Fully Drillized version is my second Revoltech figure from the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann anime. I tried my best to resist the temptation but its no use. My head is already wet so I might as well wash my hair. :P

There is too much to talk about regarding GL. To summarize it, GL, which mean "Crimson Lotus Face" is a "gattai" (combine) mecha pilot by Simon and either Kamina (first arc of the show), Rossiu (second arc of the show) and later Viral.

It is the protagonist of the show so naturally, GL is the toughest if not the strongest mecha. Some people including me will argue that GL is not really a great mecha since Gurren and Lagann are both very ancient (Lagann is as old as Lord Genome himself and Gurren is actually an old type of Gunmen inferior to Viral's Enki). What really makes Gurren Lagann so great is the gut or the spirit of the pilot that is able to create miracles out of the impossible. SRW fans will know what I mean here. :P

Spirals and drills are the main theme so naturally, GL has wide variety of drills as weapon.



Front and rear view of the GL with lots of tiny drills all over the body. If I am not mistaken, this happened during the assault on Teppelin, the stronghold of Lord Genome.



Close up on the front and rear view. Panel line was applied with enamel black paint.




Side view of GL. Although it is not as sexy as Lazengann, GL gives out a very attractive aura. I guess it is something similiar to how a masculine man tend to attract other man. :P GL is a symbol of guts and courage!!!


Getting ready to pull a punch! I definitely do not want to be on the reaching end. Those drills ARE pointy even though its plastic!


Sunglasses boomerang/sword!!! How cool is that?



And lastly the iconic "Ore no Drill wa ten no Tsukuru Drill da!" pose!!!



Review: This is another great release by Revoltech. The articulation is superb but there is alot of space for improvement especially in the paintjob. Grab this even if you are not a fan of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. You will not regret it!

Warning: I will not recommend this version of GL as a action figure for a kid. Those pointy drills are really dangerous! I bet you can hurt someone if you try to use this as a throwing object!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Revoltech #052 - Lazengann

This is my first Revoltech figure from the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann anime. I bought this out of curiousity to check out the superb articulation that was offered by this line of figures. I know there is no way any company will be able to come out with a model kit that will be able to rival the articulation of Revoltech. Initially, I was reluctant to touch any of these because I know it is a very dangerous. If I stepped into the figurine world, I might not be able to climb my way back to humanity. After a long time, the devil in my heart was able to convince me to buy this guy. From then on, I know I am in trouble because I am hooked. :P

Back to the figure at hand. Lazengann is a mecha from the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann anime. Lazengann, which mean "Spiral Face" is Lord Genome's personal Gunman and is consider as the main antagonist for the first arc of the show.

It is very similar to Gurren Lagann in the form of weapons and abilities but is the exact opposite if you compare the structure and the build. If Gurren Lagann is consider as being stout and bulky, like a boxer, Lazengann on the other hand is slim and nimble, like a martial artist.



The front and back view of Lazengann. Overall, this figure is well painted. The only problem I have with it is that the whole body was painted black and there is no way for it to show the mucsle tone. It looks alot better after I applied some silver panel line.




Close up on the body. I have to say that Lazengann is a very unique mecha. Those muscles really gives it a very organic feel. Last I have seen an organic mecha is around 10 years ago in Evangelion. Infact, Lazengann has a striking resemblence to Eva01.


I was not impressed by the "mecha-with-a-big-face-on-the-chest" theme when I first saw an advertisement of this anime but I knew I was wrong after I watched the show. The face on the chest plays a role in conveying expression as much as the face on the head. Two heads are better than 1 after all. :P Look at that evil grin! Who would not like it?




Unlike the Gurren Lagann's focus on using large, bulky drills, the Lazengann primarily uses long, thin drills that can be used to impale its opponent.





Last but not least, some action pose. I know I need to work on my pose so bear with me for now.

So if you have not watch Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann yet, go get a copy of this great anime in a store near you! Not to forget that you should give this baby a try too! I can gurantee that you will not regret keeping one of this guys in your collection.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Crest CR-C90U3

This is the first Armored Core model that I have built. For those that is not familiar with Armored Core, it is a popular third-person shooters game, in which the player pilots a large mecha called an Armored Core, or AC for short. To date, it has spanned over 6 media/console that is the Playstation, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP, Xbox 360, and mobile phone. I have not played any yet but I think I should give it a try next time. It got to be good or else it will not appear in so many consoles right? It was a refreshing experience building a Kotobukiya kit. Every inch of this kit is covered with detail and it took me quite awhile to paint all of them.

The ID for this kit is Crest CR-90U3. It was based on the ID of the core unit which was manufactured by a company called CREST Ind in the AC universe. There are actually alot of information regarding this kit in the manual but who is going to be interested with all those boring facts? Without further ado, let me present to you the Crest CR-C90U3.



Front and back view



Side view.





Some close up shots.


Look at all this detail on the arm unit!


The YWH16HR-PYTHON manufactured by MIRAGE. (quote: Manual)




Lastly, some action pose. You want a piece of this babe?