DSC_0409
As part of the initial lineup of Figuarts releases for the Dragon Ball Super: Broly feature length film, two characters were announced - Fully Power Broly and SSGSS Gogeta, both characters that existed in the Dragon Ball universe, but not officially in canon. With the movie, these characters are now legit official, and not just the fever dream of ner.. I mean, enthusiasts, everywhere. I had preordered the Broly and received it several months ago. Recently, I came across an ad on Kijiji (surprise, surprise) for a well priced Gogeta. Naturally, I jumped on the opportunity, and added him to the collection.
If you haven't followed Dragon Ball for a while, don't worry, the formula hasn't changed. Power creep is still the basic solution to all of the universes problems, and SSGSS Gogeta is the solution to the Broly problem. The current highest power level Saiyans can reach (Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan) added to the perfect fusion of the two main lead characters, Goku and Vegeta. I haven't seen the movie yet, but based on the clips I've seen and blurbs I've read, it seems that even at these power levels, it was more or less an even fight, despite Broly only going Super Saiyan (hence why he's not blue). It's neat for me to own this, as I happen to have the SSGSS version of Vegito, their other fusion, as I went to Fan Expo last year.
The set comes with what you'd normally expect to see from a Dragon Ball Super Saiyan. There's the figure, one depowered head with smirking expression, then three expression for SSGSS mode (neutral, attack, smirking), a few hands (close fists, battle stance, Ki blast, open palm) and well, that's it. No Ki blast, no stand, but you read enough of these, none of this should be surprise.
Lets talk sculpt first. It's kind of subtle, but the look of the characters did evolve slightly for the movie, even compared to their contemporary TV series counterparts. To me, maybe due to larger budget, but the characters seem less swole, and more ripped. Muscle definition across the board is quite impressive, and it feels that these aesthetic has in fact been carried over to the entire Broly movie line. Muscle definition of the chest, abs, and arms are really well done. Definitions on fabric is great, especially the detailing of his sash, pants, and leg bindings. This is all coupled with a fantastic sculpt that invokes the look of the on screen model. Furthermore, this figure is built on what I call the Dragon Ball 2.0 body, allowing for more accurate proportions, including not having everyone share the same head size (not exactly new, but noted for completion sake). Overall, what you see on screen is very well realized in your hands.
Paint work is overall tack sharp, as with the rest of the recent Dragon Ball line. From a paint bleed perspective, very little noticeable, with the most obvious being the yellow at the base of the collar on the back and some where the hair and the ears meet. No areas of heavy spray to note, and bonus points for the use of a glossier paint for the hair. No QC issues to complain about, with all finishes being nice and all parts coming together as one would expect.
Articulation is where this line (at least with the males) shine. Gogeta features toe, ankles, double jointed knees, thighs, hips, waist, ab crunch, shoulders with chest compress, biceps, double jointed elbows, wrists, head, and neck. For those looking for bonus points, the sash has a point of articulation for the pieces of below flowing off the waist, and technically, those yellow things on his shoulders are attached to the body with a ball joint, which as an added bonus means it doesn't fly off the body at the slightest opportunity. Due to the 2.0 build of the body, the hips and thighs feature a design that lowers the actual joint approximately 1/8 of an inch from the spot traditional figures place it, allowing for greater range of motion, filling in the gap with a small piece of plastic. It looks a little weird when staring at the waist area if the figure is standing straight, but lets be honest, not too many people are going to leave their figures standing in museum poses. One of things that Tamashi Nations didn't do, and I'm guessing due to aesthetics, is that if the divot on the forearm was deeper, you could get the arms to bend a bit more. Of course, that wouldn't look as nice so, I guess you wins some, you lose some.
All this description should give you an idea of the incredible amount of freedom you have when displaying this figure. It's this incredible potential for poses that makes the lack of any effects or a stand that much more maddening, and the lack of aftermarket support for Ki blast is odd, considering how much money Bandai could make.
That's really about it. I like Gogeta, as I do the rest of the Dragon Ball line. Not just because I like the characters, but from an articulation and quality perspective, this is one of those lines where Tamashii Nations brings their A++ game, and honestly lack of space and pricing is the only thing holding me back from being a completest.. not that doing so seems even remotely possible, given how hard getting some pieces is, and then there's the potential for some convention exclusive recolour or version 3.0 or something. As always, if you're looking for a great action figure, pick up pretty much any of the more recent male Dragon Ball release. What they can do will blow your mind almost as much as what they left out.
DSC_0409
As part of the initial lineup of Figuarts releases for the Dragon Ball Super: Broly feature length film, two characters were announced - Fully Power Broly and SSGSS Gogeta, both characters that existed in the Dragon Ball universe, but not officially in canon. With the movie, these characters are now legit official, and not just the fever dream of ner.. I mean, enthusiasts, everywhere. I had preordered the Broly and received it several months ago. Recently, I came across an ad on Kijiji (surprise, surprise) for a well priced Gogeta. Naturally, I jumped on the opportunity, and added him to the collection.
If you haven't followed Dragon Ball for a while, don't worry, the formula hasn't changed. Power creep is still the basic solution to all of the universes problems, and SSGSS Gogeta is the solution to the Broly problem. The current highest power level Saiyans can reach (Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan) added to the perfect fusion of the two main lead characters, Goku and Vegeta. I haven't seen the movie yet, but based on the clips I've seen and blurbs I've read, it seems that even at these power levels, it was more or less an even fight, despite Broly only going Super Saiyan (hence why he's not blue). It's neat for me to own this, as I happen to have the SSGSS version of Vegito, their other fusion, as I went to Fan Expo last year.
The set comes with what you'd normally expect to see from a Dragon Ball Super Saiyan. There's the figure, one depowered head with smirking expression, then three expression for SSGSS mode (neutral, attack, smirking), a few hands (close fists, battle stance, Ki blast, open palm) and well, that's it. No Ki blast, no stand, but you read enough of these, none of this should be surprise.
Lets talk sculpt first. It's kind of subtle, but the look of the characters did evolve slightly for the movie, even compared to their contemporary TV series counterparts. To me, maybe due to larger budget, but the characters seem less swole, and more ripped. Muscle definition across the board is quite impressive, and it feels that these aesthetic has in fact been carried over to the entire Broly movie line. Muscle definition of the chest, abs, and arms are really well done. Definitions on fabric is great, especially the detailing of his sash, pants, and leg bindings. This is all coupled with a fantastic sculpt that invokes the look of the on screen model. Furthermore, this figure is built on what I call the Dragon Ball 2.0 body, allowing for more accurate proportions, including not having everyone share the same head size (not exactly new, but noted for completion sake). Overall, what you see on screen is very well realized in your hands.
Paint work is overall tack sharp, as with the rest of the recent Dragon Ball line. From a paint bleed perspective, very little noticeable, with the most obvious being the yellow at the base of the collar on the back and some where the hair and the ears meet. No areas of heavy spray to note, and bonus points for the use of a glossier paint for the hair. No QC issues to complain about, with all finishes being nice and all parts coming together as one would expect.
Articulation is where this line (at least with the males) shine. Gogeta features toe, ankles, double jointed knees, thighs, hips, waist, ab crunch, shoulders with chest compress, biceps, double jointed elbows, wrists, head, and neck. For those looking for bonus points, the sash has a point of articulation for the pieces of below flowing off the waist, and technically, those yellow things on his shoulders are attached to the body with a ball joint, which as an added bonus means it doesn't fly off the body at the slightest opportunity. Due to the 2.0 build of the body, the hips and thighs feature a design that lowers the actual joint approximately 1/8 of an inch from the spot traditional figures place it, allowing for greater range of motion, filling in the gap with a small piece of plastic. It looks a little weird when staring at the waist area if the figure is standing straight, but lets be honest, not too many people are going to leave their figures standing in museum poses. One of things that Tamashi Nations didn't do, and I'm guessing due to aesthetics, is that if the divot on the forearm was deeper, you could get the arms to bend a bit more. Of course, that wouldn't look as nice so, I guess you wins some, you lose some.
All this description should give you an idea of the incredible amount of freedom you have when displaying this figure. It's this incredible potential for poses that makes the lack of any effects or a stand that much more maddening, and the lack of aftermarket support for Ki blast is odd, considering how much money Bandai could make.
That's really about it. I like Gogeta, as I do the rest of the Dragon Ball line. Not just because I like the characters, but from an articulation and quality perspective, this is one of those lines where Tamashii Nations brings their A++ game, and honestly lack of space and pricing is the only thing holding me back from being a completest.. not that doing so seems even remotely possible, given how hard getting some pieces is, and then there's the potential for some convention exclusive recolour or version 3.0 or something. As always, if you're looking for a great action figure, pick up pretty much any of the more recent male Dragon Ball release. What they can do will blow your mind almost as much as what they left out.