Toy Review: Mark VI

Sci-Fi Revoltech
Iron Man Mark VI

Revoltech’s track record seems to being heading down. From awesome toys like Danboard, Yoko, and Pocco, we’re now seeing crap like the Revoltech Predator. The main problem of the line as I see it, is also it’s unique selling point; the Revolver joint.

For those of you who don’t collect this line of Kaiyodo figures from Japan, the Revolver joint is basically a removable, racheted swivel joint with two pegs at either end that plug into holes in the figures extremeties. The construction of the proprietary joint allows for some pretty fine articulation, but by nature, it easily falls apart.

From Kaiyodo’s Revoltech packaging

Even more than the odd proportions of these Japanese interpretations of science fiction properties, the fact that the designers need to engineer the toys AROUND this existing joint template severely limits the way they can model a figure. It worked fine when there were only a few joints to worry about and the characters were relatively simple anime heroes, but these new figures have a points of articulation count to make a Marvel Legend blush.

Such is the case with the recent Revoltech Iron Man Mark VI, number 24 in Kaiyodo’s Sci-Fi line.

Above is what you get when you buy the figure. As I said, Revoltech toys are put together with the Revolver joint, which means they can be disassembled. Though the system affords great range to the joints, it makes them astonishingly fiddly. Every time you move a knee, his leg falls off. If you like to pose and re-pose toys as much as I do, this is all kinds of aggravating.

In addition, a warning; Don’t try what I did above. The figure sports some lilliputian Revolver joints that don’t take kindly to being removed from their holes. I broke one just trying to disassemble the thing.

Like most toys of this kind, the box is a hopeless space hog. The figure and accessories only takes up some 50% of the volume inside the paperboard. The rest of it is wasted space. It’s not perticulary sturdy either, though the plastic trays and sheets seperating the various painted parts of the figure do alot towards keeping the figure mint.

Kaiyodo’s photography really leaves the American toy companies in the dust. The Japanese really seem to know how posing an action figure can really sell it to an audience. Like the graphics on the box for Takara’s Animated Ironhide, there are several different photos with a unique pose to give you an idea of the range. There’s still that crowded look to the layout, but it’s a toy meant for the Japanese market, so I won’t gripe aobut it.

Inside, you’ll also find a small gatefold catalog with all the other Sci-fi Revoltech releases, including the Alien Queen, Jason Voorhees, Jack Sparrow, Buzz Lightyear, Skeleton Warriors, Godzilla, and other Tokusatsu monsters and robots. I was initially tempted to get more of these, but after the Revoltech Predator and Iron Man, my enthusiasm is gone.

Comparisons with the Walmart Iron Man are inevitable, and warranted. Though it stands slightly smaller, and has a slimmer build appropriate to Japanese aesthetics, the figure is still 1/12th scale at about 6″ tall.

The contest is a toss up however, as the Walmart version wins on faithfulness to the movie model and on playability, but the Revoltech version has the leg up on articulation. The joint system really does shine here, allowing the figure to approximate some of the more familiar poses from the movie posters.

Essentially, the figure has a double swivel/hinge joint at the following points: base of the skull, base of the neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, mid torso, hip, knee (this joint is somewhat extended to allow a bend of more than 90 degrees), and ankles.

It also surpasses its Hasbro counterpart in the accessories department. In addition to having a selection of alternate hands like the Walmart version, the Kaiyodo figure also has a stand that looks like exhaust from his boot jets, and two Repulsor blasts that fit into either his palms or his boots, so that he can be posed in flying positions.

Sweet.

So why the thumbsdown? Oh, it’s a great display piece. It’s just not a good toy.

The word “toy” implies that there’s a level of playability to the figure. That you can pick it up and while away the time with it, pounding Titanium Man into pulp, without having to worry about losing parts or breakage. Unfortunately, Kaiyodo’s foray into the Marvel Universe is something that is more trouble that it’s worth.

If this thing had been about Php 500.00 cheaper, things might have swung it’s way, but at a pre-order price of Php 1,800.00 (about $40 US) and retail at Php 2,400.00 or so, this is a rip off.

Not to mention the quality issues of this figure. I hadn’t had the thing for a day, and the right hip completly split apart, falling right off the white peg. I had to glue the thing back together and because it’s such a sensitive area, it’s now just loose as hell.

Still good for Hulk to pound on, though.