There have been a few Dragonball Figuarts releases lately that have gotten people very excited for a variety of reasons. Having missed the Japanese release, I got to wait for the general release in Europe, which is annoying but at the very least it's better than buying from a North American source.
To keep things generally short, I've decided to lump them all together - SS Vegeta 3.0, Future Trunks 2.0, and Super Hero Pan. Not their official names, but their full names are really painfully long. Paint and Build are the typical level - paint is applied where needed, and Build typically has no really issues, all unless stated otherwise.
Starting off with the only true new character, this is Pan from the Super Hero movie. Pan is Gohan's daughter, and she's the motivation for Gohan to take up training again. Keeping this brief, she's got two types of hair (static, windswept), four adorable faces, the usual extra hands, two water bottles, and an extra winking head for the Gohan figure.
Pan is a tiny figure, even smaller than Kid Krillin. Articulation is OK, but alas is limited in the legs due to the shirt. There's single elbows but there is an additional ball joint just above the elbows which improves arm movement slightly. Kind of built into Build Quality are the hard to operate Butterfly Joints on my figure. Head movement is excellent.
The extra head for Gohan is nice, but clearly isn't meant for use with any combat applications.
Vegeta is effectively a cosmetic update of the SS Vegeta 2.0 figure released a few years ago. It's got some updated faces, both in terms of expression and featuring the additional detailing lines, as well as some colour changes in the darker gold on the body armour, and the pearl finish on the hair. I'm pretty sure even the hands are exactly the same, which have been reused a few times including with the recent Super Hero Vegeta. Parts have been reused so many times that this one is actually priced as an an entry level figure, despite it featuring a deco that people have been paying scalper prices for. I'm pretty sure that Bandai is just remaking figures now just to piss off the aftermarket crowd.
Articulation is the same as the other Vegeta figures wearing the same sort of get up. The only real flaw I can find on this figure is that the shoulders are a darker blue than the rest of the body, which I suspect has to do with the type of plastic used there.
Now Future Trunks, on the other hand, hasn't been seen since the initial release in the earlier line. Only the Battle Suit Trunks had been released in Dragonball Z for the current Figuarts line. There was Trunks from the Super timeline, whereas Future Trunks is as the character appears prior to the start of the Cell Games. This is also the character that slices Mecha Frieza to bits, a figure that is current available for preorder.
Based on the accessories, this set is meant to emphasize his Super form more so than his base form, featuring four faces and an alternate set of bangs for use with the Super head. Slightly larger than normal variety of hands, though there are two sets of hands for holding the sword (one at a slight angle, one perpendicular to the fist) and of course the Z-Sword as well.
I'd like to think that Bandai took notes on what worked with the Super version, and just built upon that because this figure turned out very, VERY nicely. It mostly isn't really the fault of the Bandai, but is a reflection of the art style of the anime, as well as the actual character design. The face is more the classic style, so it features more details. The outfit is also more classic, and more importantly, has been implemented in a way that makes Future Trunks look bulky, but at the same time has been engineered with the right joints and and materials that this perceived bulk doesn't interfere with the articulation, which is to excellent though the back arch capabilities aren't as good as with Vegeta. There are no hindrances to the movement of the various limbs, or the head. Balance is generally good. Biggest complaint about this figure is how easily the Z-Sword comes off the body.
Of the three, Future Trunks is definitely the winner, though Vegeta isn't really in competition given the fact he's a repeat of a very successful formula, literally reusing existing assets. Pan? Well, Pan is cute and all, but she's clearly not that great of an action figure in comparison to the other two, though it's fortunate I didn't spend a small fortune on her. Looks wise though, all of them are very well made, and will fit into your Dragonball display nicely.
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