Long, luscious hair. Perfectly waxed eyebrows. A doll like complexion. Not particularly smart.
That's Himbo Goku, the strongest solo Goku form we see in the entire Dragonball Z series, and is used during the Majin Buu saga. For.. reasons, going SSJ3 makes you grow hair and lose your eyebrows.
So Tamashii Nations did quite a few interesting things this year with regards to the Dragonball line, including this straight up reissue of the highly sought after SSJ3 Goku 2.0 figure. What's really interesting is that unlike other "reissues", this one appears to be a straight up reproduction, whereas usually you'd get a fancier new paint job or something to differentiate the two. I think in this case, the main differentiator is the box itself, with the box featuring a blue Bandai logo and a red warning label rather than a black one.
Retailing for about 6,400 Yen, this figure isn't a simple repaint of like most Goku figures, and as such the price point reflects this:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 4 x Face Plates (Smiling, Side Glance, Shouting, Gritted Teeth)
- 12 x Posing Hands
- 1 x Figuarts Stand.
This figure is probably the first Dragonball Figuarts that I've seen that comes with a stand for the purposes of actually standing the figure up, as the mess of hair makes Goku INCREDIBLY top heavy. I didn't assemble mine out of sheer laziness, but it appears to be your typical Tamashii Nations stand. So it'll probably do the job just fine for standing and general posing, but I'm not convinced it would function well as a flight stand.
While the hair is crazy bulky, I have to admit it looks really nice, undoubtedly due to the fact they didn't just half ass it. The hair itself is multi jointed to allow for some degree of articulation (just enough to give it a bit of sway) and I think it is the use of multiple sections that allow each part of the hair to be functionally sharp. Face plates are on point
I wish the Halo was removable, not so much for aesthetics, but rather I'm worried that one day Goku will fall on his head, and the Halo will just snap off the post.
The body is looking great as well, but of course that's no surprise if you own any of the other 20 Gokus floating out there. Specifically, it appears this suit was reused for the SSGSS Goku, albeit with a different sash and a "Son" kanji.
From an articulation perspective, there's very little difference between this and every other Goku. You're gonna get that well above average range of motion for the limbs, double jointed knees/elbows, butterfly shoulders, and of course that hip you either love or hate. You're still going to be able to strike a variety of iconic poses, limited by the shoulder articulation because of the sleeves. Generally speaking, you're gonna be able to get some relatively accurate battle poses.
What is somewhat new to the equation is that your head turning range is somewhat limited due to the giant mop of hair, though you're able to hit what I would call natural twist. Unfortunately, that double jointed neck on Kid Gohan isn't present, so no flying poses for you. You're also probably going to need the stand for poses that the other Goku figures can handle au naturel due to top heaviness.
Paint wise, as per the norm there really isn't anything wrong with it, and the paint apps themselves are relatively straight forward covering large areas. Detail paint apps such as the accents on the boots are applied neatly, as are the decals for the eyes. The main focal point on this figure would be the hair, and I have to say Tamashii Nations did Goku proud, as the hair is a nice glossy Golden Yellow, and definitely stands out even in the company of other Super Saiyans..
Finally we have Build Quality. The Goku body has been made over and over again, each iteration just as solid as the last. So, it's no surprise (or shouldn't be) to anyone when I say that this body meets expectations as well. The new parts also hold together just fine, and while the hair makes the head heavy, the neck joint is able to hold the head in whatever position you put it in. Finishes on the parts are as expected - smooth, with obvious seam. Joints move as expected, and there are no QC issues with limb length.
So while it's definitely nice to have that ultimate Goku form in the collection, flaws and all, it's actually much more interesting, at least to me, that he got reissued at all. Tamashii Nations doesn't usually do a straight up reissue. Usually, best case scenario is that you get a convention exclusive version with a fancy paint job, something like that. But nope... a general release of a figure that scalpers were holding on to for who knows how many years, only to have the value drop to MSRP, if not less. From what I've seen, there's no difference, so why would I buy a used version when I could get a brand new one for the same price?
While not as awesome, Tamashii Nations did also release a new basic Super Saiyan Goku and Goku Rose this year. These aren't as extravagant as their sought after counterparts, but for collectors like me who just want an official figure of those characters in their hoard, which at least will irritate scalpers who figured those would be the only versions of those characters made. Naturally I ordered these, and I can't wait to get these, along with the long awaited SSJ4 Goku that I've seen popping up.
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