Review: Revoltech Shin Getter Robo 1

The first wave of Revoltech figures has finally hit retail and I was able to get my hands on a Shin Getter 1 figure a couple weeks ago. I have taken a number of pictures of the figure and posted them in a gallery available here.

Continue reading for a review of the figure.

My first impression of this line when I finally got to see it in person was, “Wow, those are a lot smaller than I thought they were going to be.” I was expecting something around the size of a Marvel Legends figure or perhaps the size of an 8″ GIJoe Sigma Six figure. Instead, what I found were figures that were, in fact, only a little over five and a half inches tall, just a little taller than a Transformers Basic figure.

The second thing I noticed was the price point. This line has a suggested retail price of US$21.99. Granted, my local comic store had it marked up to US$24.99, but this still seems high for such a small figure. A slightly smaller Transformers Basic costs 1/3 of the price of a Revoltech figure. Some might feel thats comparing apples to oranges, which is fair, but it seems to me a lot more engineering and design is needed for a Transformer. I digress.

The packaging was favorable. The window box displays the figure prominantly but hides any accesories from view. The box art is customized for each figure, but still keeping a uniform look from figure to figure on the store shelf. Even though this is an North American release, the majority of the writing on the box is still in Japanese.

Accessories include 3 pairs of hands, large ‘wings’, a large halberd, an energy blast, and a stand. The 3 pairs of hands include a pair of closed fists, a pair of open palm hands, and a pair of clenched hands. The clenched hands are capable of holding the large halberd. The large wings attach and cover the smaller wings that are located on the back of its shoulders. The energy blast attaches to at his waist. This makes it look like it is releasing some surge of energy at an opponent or other object. Overall, a nice selection of different parts that certainly adds to the figure. The stand is unique in that, it is actually composed of two parts that, when put together, have the peg parallel to the ground instead of the peg being perpendicular to the ground and facing up as it does on most stands. This allows you to mount Shin Getter in a horizontal position providing the ability to post him ‘in flight’.

The main selling point of this line, however, is articulation. Using a ‘revolutionary technology’, this figure features what is called a revolving joint. The joint allows for hinge movement as well as twist action on either side of the hinge. This effectively combines 3 joints into one. For example, if this joint was at the elbow, the arm would flex at the elbow, in addition to being able to twist the arm both above and below the joint. The Shin Getter design is fairly bulky and cartoony. I was impressed with the amount of movement this figure was capable of achieving. I made sure I was able to pose it in the same positions as shown on the box to make sure the marketing has kept honest. It was a little delicate balancing the figure properly while using the stand, but the effect was quite cool and fun to photograph.

Overall, I’d say I really like this figure, but the price is still very disconcerting. This will not be a line that I will be obsessing over or going out of my way to obtain. While I like this figure a lot, I don’t think I want the Evangelion figures. The last Kaiyodo line of Eva figures was so outstanding (and in my possesssion) that I do not feel that this line is better enough to warrant purchase. Not only that, but that prior line of Kaiyodo figures was cheaper, larger and came with a ridiculous number of accessories. Added to that, I have also heard that they are being rereleased at some point in the near future.

So unless you have a strong affinity toward any of the Revoltech characters, I would be cautious of purchase. I know I will most definitely be picking the Optimus Prime figure, but beyond that I do not see myself buying many more.

We posted a tentative release schedule here of upcoming assortments.

If you have any comments, questions or concerns, feel free to leave a comment or post in our forums.