Starting to review the actual action figure of Soul of Chogokin The Big O after the very long introduction yesterday. ^^;
Arm and accessories parts on the first plastic tray.
Two types of hand units included - open type with individually movable fingers and closed fist.
Ball type joint connects each finger to the palm, but looking at how the entire design is supposed to be of a spread palm, there's not many poses you can adjust with the movable fingers. ^^;
Not-so soft plastic for the wrist joint for a more secure connection to the forearm.
Three extra parts for the Cannon and Missile Party.
Very simplistic design for the arm units, but the texture is very cool, especially the metallic piston and shiny black armor. The feeling of gokin is definitely there. ^^
With the overall design completely the same between either arm, a small slot for the screw is all there is to differentiate between Big O's left and right arms.
Simple clip-on design to connect the arms at elbow level.
Absolute solid look and feel. ^^
Closer look on the head.
Design of the head from the anime.
I actually like the head sculpture of Max Factory's upcoming Max Gokin version better, which I think is a lot more loyal to the design from the anime.
Two protruding handles on the back are made of soft plastic.
Comparison with another black mecha figure in my collection. Master Grade Strike Noir Gundam. ^^
Adjusted the arms for a more relaxed pose. ^^
A chogokin figure is truly different from other action figures. I can most certainly relate to that through Big O. ^^ The height of the figure itself, and even the box size aren't too different from other more common action figure releases, but the heaviness and density of the figure do make it stand out from the crowd. The skirt seems to incorporate the most amount of die-cast material used on the figure, as it feels the heaviest, which is really good for balancing the entire figure. Several other components are definitely made of die-cast, but the glossy paint scheme made them kind of hard to pinpoint. ^^;
Speaking of weight, I'm pretty sure that the huge arms are hollow, and rightfully so. Not much die-cast materials are used, saved for the elbow joint. So, despite their awesome size, the arms are really light. It was quite a surprise to me at first, but looking at how small the upper arms are in comparison to the arms and how they are supposed to sustain the weight of the arms, the weight of the arms is a non-issue.
The paint scheme done on the figure is very lovely. Smooth glossy finishing for the entire figure, but you can also see the matte texture beneath the glossiness. Max Factory's upcoming Max Gokin version has a more direct approach in showcasing the iron cast nature of Big O's body, by producing the rough iron mold-like surface on most of its body parts. It's definitely very cool, but I like the smooth surface on this Soul of Chogokin version just as much.
Soul of Chogokin ver.
Max Chogokin ver.
There are two types of black used on the figure, most notable on the separate segments of the leg. Zooming in on the details: the minor parts, including the small "red dots" on the neck area, arms and legs and details of the "Cannon and Missile Party" extra parts are all accurately painted. A few red lines beneath the skirt that are faithfully realized showed the attention given to figure's details and not just focusing on the elements that are only for display.
The clear red parts used for the forehead and neck area have some see-through quality, allowing you to have a peek at the mechanical details inside the head and the cockpit respectively, which is very cool.
I wasn't too fond of the shiny pair of pistons behind Big O's elbows at first glance, as they were never that shiny in the anime, but after a while, they do look really nice complimenting the glossy paint job done on the figure itself.
The material selection for the different components is something to compliment about this figure as well. All the heavy-duty parts like the shoulder, upper arm and thigh are made of die-cast materials to maintain their supporting strength. The neck and wrist joints are made of soft plastic to allow them to be swapped with optional parts (option head units are only available in Tamashii Web Shop's limited expansion set) easily. They aren't joints that need to support the figure's weight or provide stability to action poses anyway. The two protruding handles made of soft plastic highlighted in one of the images above is somewhat of a bonus point to demonstrate how the material selection were planned well, as soft plastic reduces the risk of breaking the parts in handling the figure. The company could have easily made the entire plate of armor on the back as a one-piece ABS part, but they didn't. It's small business, but a nice touch of careful planning nonetheless. ^^
Enough with standing poses in this posting, action time is coming up next. ^^
Images of Max Gokin The Big O are from Amiami.
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