Android17 photos on Flickr

2020 has got to be one of the crappiest years I can remember when it comes to conventions. However, if there was some silver lining, its that in order to make money, the typical exclusive merchandise you would have to be in person to buy was available to purchase online.

Those who follow Dragon Ball and its S.H. Figuarts line were offered the chance to get items that have been in demand for a while - Android 17 and 18, both central characters to the Cell Saga and beyond, and Ultra Instinct Sign Goku, the introductory form of latest Super form for the hero. While it was a bit annoying, I was able to get myself a set of the three.

Goku isn't pictured because, well, I gifted that to my month old Nephew.

So you'll notice that Android 17 comes with significantly more accessories than Android 18. Part of the answer to that comes from the fact that these figures are actually the original figures with more vivid colours. My understanding that is Android 18 had additional secondary parts to be used with the Krillin figure, which has been discontinued for quite some time now. As such the parts did not make it to this set.

Since we're here, might as well do a quick overview of the contents. Both figures come with three total faceplates (the ones for 17 are much easier to differentiate compared to the very subtle changes for 18), a crossed arm replacement part, and for lack of better terms a windswept hair head.

Here's where things get wildly different.

Android 17 has 11 replacement hands compared to the 6 for Android 18. Furthermore, Android 17 has an empty holster, pistol, belt with no gunbelt, and a dynamically sculpted bandana - Android 18 has no other parts.

Being older figures, these were built on the 1.0 body architecture, which features effectively the same points of articulation as the 2.0, but with single jointed knees and no neck articulation. The biggest telltale difference is the way the hips are designed. They look nicer than the 2.0, but at the cost of range of motion in that area. Otherwise, you'll find articulation in the upper body generally comparable to a 2.0, with a slight increase in head tilt ability even.

You'll find the one picture that generally shows what these bodies are capable of with regards to range of motion. As expected, outfits will get in the way of what each figure can pull off.

Unlike the many of the other 1.0 figures, you'll find that proportionally, Android 17 and 18 do not suffer from small heads and other body issues that made most of the figures look kind of weird compared to their screen counterparts. Bonus points for making 18's outfit out of a soft rubber as opposed to a hard plastic like her Figure-Rise model counterpart. Detailing I found to be at an adequate level, including items such as fabric ripples, hair strands, and small details like buttons and shoelaces.

Paint and Build Quality are interesting points to discuss.

The overall paint job compared to the OG figures is definitely much nicer. As mentioned, colours are more vivid, and there are instances of shading to give the outfits and parts more depth. A nice show of how things have improved since those days.

Then on the other hand, the skin tones are all over the place. Android 17 and 18, last I checked, had the same complexion. Android 18 came through nicely with a bit more of a healthy glow to her. Android 18, on the other hand, looks like he's been hitting the spray tan too much - in fact, it looks almost like they didn't even give him skin tone and just stuck with the base plastic.

Decals seem to be well made, but to my eyes it seems that the application of them to one of Android 17s faces was somewhat haphazard causing it to look lopsided.

So in summary... 18 looks nicer than 17.

Build quality... well, how do I put this. If you've ever played with a vintage toy and you play with the reissue of that exact same toy, you can sort of tell which is which not just by looks, but by how each toy performs.

Overall, they hold together fine, have good finishes on the parts, and can hold poses.

Down to specifics, however, it feels like the elbows on my Android 17 are a bit flimsy where as the hips on Android 18 are unbalanced, resulting in the legs being slightly different lengths when in the fully reset position. These feel like, to me, the result of utilizing plastic moulds that have seen their share of wear and tear.. that or the design wasn't great to begin with.

All-in-all, it's nice to be able to add these mythical Figuarts to the collection at normal prices. My gut feeling is that their Super iterations are just around the corner, but this will be it for their Z look. Aesthetically, I feel these two Figuarts can hold their ground in this age of the 2.0s and ultimately, this is all that matters.

Android 17 & 18 by Corey

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android 18 and 17 arms and legs decal by teamfourstud

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wave 3 of minifigures coming soon, shout out to Brickself and zaioshima123 for inspiration and usage of his decals

Dragon Ball Z S H Figuarts Figures by ihatepeacocks