About two months ago, I was able to convince my mother to bring me back a few things from Hong Kong. Neat things, though it wasn't the bargain bin of Hot Toys bodies that I had anticipated. No, it was something much different.
Presenting the Action Toys ES Gokin Voltron Lion Force... without a box because luggage space was at a premium.
I can only presume this is what was in the box because this is all I got.
The set retails for about $200 CAD. There's a lot here so to summarize, it would be the five Lions, weaponry for each of the Lions, panels to replace the limbs of the non-Black lions in combined mode so it is more toon accurate, Spinning Laser Disc, Solar Spears, Blazing Sword, and a Base/Stand.
Its definitely a very full featured set, targeted at the collector that wants something with options but not necessarily take up the real estate. This value oriented approach is one that many fledging Chinese companies take on to break into the market, which is what Action Toys is, though ultimately they are distributed and licensed by the Japanese company Art Storm.
If you're familiar with Anime, then you've probably heard to terms Super Deformed and Chibi. Both describe generally any character that's had it's form modified so that it features a tiny body and oversized head (by comparison). This puts a new spin on existing characters, especially if normally they're gigantic weapons of mass destruction... and they look just so gosh darn cute.
Each of the Lions features some die cast metal components, though obviously the bigger Lions possess more. It's actually very hard to tell, visually, where the metal ends and plastic begins, which is an indicator that the paint work and paint selection is decent. The purpose of the die cast, of course, is the toughen up all the soft spots on the combined form, as add needed weight for stability.
So none of the weapons have any actual firing projectiles, but I don't recall the Soul of Chogokin having that either. All-in-all, the weapons are there, though I'm not sure if the Black Lion got short changed. The Yellow Lion definitely lost a weapon, as the silver piece on its back is supposed to pop up and become a cannon... now that I think about it there's also the canons that were inside the head of the Yellow Lion as well.
Most of the parts are plug ins, and only the one on the back of the Green Lion actually flips out. It was at this point in my analysis I started noticing that the tolerances on this set weren't that great. I mean, the Lions and the major mechanisms worked great, but the holes for the various accessories? All over the map, with most of the problem being holes that are too large, though as I'd learn later, some are too small or just terribly designed The various blades, on the other hand, were done right so at least those fit and were held securely..
Sure look cute though.
The legs of the Lions are functional, both for play value and of course, the transformation. All the Lion limbs feature a shoulder joint of sorts, though it's most obvious on the larger Blue/Yellow Lion limbs. The Black Lion technically has shoulder joints on the front limbs, but it's not really advertised, being part of the Voltron transformation that.. also isn't advertised.
The transformation into Voltron is pretty much what you're expecting if you're a veteran, and if you're a newbie, well, lets just say it's not going to blow your mind. Manipulate the Lion limbs and slap the pieces together.
It's simple, classic, and more importantly, it does the job.
Combined form is actually incredibly small, coming in at 6 inches.
The "hidden joint" I was speaking of on the Black Lion has to do with how you get the Lion paws on the back. On the original toy and the other main line toys I've played with, you tuck the legs into the shoulder and rotate it back. This particular set requires you to pop the shoulder piece OUT of the torso, then rotate.
That particular step being left out almost sent me into a rage because I was trying to rotate it, like in the manual, using so much force I thought I'd break the thing.
Combined form looks very sharp, despite being more of a cutesy looking thing. None of the major details are missing. I guess as an interesting point, the is the first Voltron that I can think of that gives the the head a true gladiator-esque helmet - not exactly canon in the OG show, but it's looks nice.
Voltron is more articulated than it looks, though at the same time it's also as limited as you think. The major absence on this figure versus all the other modern high end ones is the lack of knee joints - the manual didn't list any and I couldn't get motion out of that. The ankle joints, on the other hand, are very robust and are designed to support the figure in a wide variety of standing stances. This combined with the tight hip joints means overall, Voltron is a very stable figure.
Voltron of course has the very obvious head and elbow joints, while less obvious are the bicep swivel and wrists, along with additional shoulder range of motion thanks to the hidden joint in the Black Lion front shoulder, as well as some minor waist and ab crunch motions.
I'm actually quite impressed with the paint work on this figure. I've never actually handled an Action Toys figure before and yeah, it's actually all quite good. I mean, there's the price point to consider, but at the same time I'd say there really isn't much I can find to fault on it. As I mentioned earlier, the paint is so good I cannot tell where the die cast ends and the plastic beings, which is a combination of paint selection and technique.
The chroming was also nicely applied, with no areas of too much lacquer, air bubbles, or other typical flaws you see on a rushed or half ass job. The most complicated part, other than the smaller details of course, would be the emblem on the chest of Voltron. It doesn't look like a multi piece part, so that means the chroming was done on the part followed by the painting and paneling lining.. or reverse order. I dunno.
Point is that it all came out looking tack sharp.
Build Quality wise, as mentioned, the individual Lions bodies are well made and the combined mode is rock solid, capable of holding poses. It's the QC on the various sockets that are bad. I don't even know how, but it seems that the parts that replace the front paws of the larger Lions didn't even fit into the holes, which is why there are no photos of the figure in toon accurate mode. Finishes on the parts are quite good
It's disappointing that the QC wasn't good enough for me to actually use all the features of this set, but it's a neat set none the less. I wouldn't say it has every possible accessory, but all things considered, you're pretty good for displaying in both Lion or combined form, though ideally there would be a base for all 5 in Beast form. The price is also fair, given the quality of the overall set.
The real draw back is, again, collector mentality. Over in SE Asia, Super Deformed is a way of life, whereas in the West here, it's almost like cute turns of all the testosterone fueled collecting, and people can't have that... unless it's a My Little Pony.
I just like engineering.... and boobs.
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