01.02.07
Bandai Second Mission Gashapon
Review: Small in stature, big on fun
Packaging & Extras (1/5)
The entire set comes packaged in a giant plastic sock as pictured above. Within that giant sock are inserts (one for each toy but all inserts are identical) depicting the cool features of this series. Each toy comes individually packaged with its accessories and required bits (examples below). Once you open these toys and take them out the bagging is pretty useless. This does cause a bit of a problem with the Regult which is the only piece that actually comes with extra parts. One way or another you’re going to have leftover parts for your regult and no box to store them in. While we’re on that subject, there are two different variations of this set available. You can either receive a Regult with long-range missiles or short-range missiles. The flyer included shows you both the possibilies (also pictured above).
Charm & Collectibility (3/5), + .5 for the Regult
This Second Mission seems to be the most collectible of Bandai’s three missions released so far. As with the Kaiyodo Series 001 it seems to be a good bet that no small portion of that collectibility is related to the Regult in this bundle. I can’t state what kind of production numbers these toys were originally produced in but they have certainly become more-and-more scarce and their price now is definitely indicative of the second series being the most popular. To give you an idea of scale I’m including a pic of a AA battery with a 2nd Mission Regult followed by the Kaiyodo Series 001 Regult below as well as a picture of a 2nd Mission Max Battroid with a Yamato 1/48.
Sculpt, Detail, & Paint (7/10)
Seven is my average score for all toys so the fact a gashapon set managed to climb that high is pretty impressive (Bandai did well with all their “Missions”. There are some very minor issues, especially with the CF, but all of these toys seem to be nice additions to display cases rather than anything that would detract. The paint jobs do leave a little to be desired in a few spots but are also pretty average overall.
Design (7.5/10) VF-1 Battloid, (6/10F, 5/10H) VF-1 Strike Fighter, (8.5/10) Regult
There are lots of different toys here so lots of different scores.
The VF-1 Battroid Pieces: These are exactly the same as the pieces found in the Third Mission but without the super/strike parts. As I said in that review, these pieces are actually exceptionally poseable. There’s a pretty good bet that the gun will be warped as is the nature of any vinyl product. The joints are often cut at odd angles (intentionally, but not consistently). For example, the neck will be cut at aproximately a 30 degree angle. What this means is that if the toy looks left it will appear to be looking downard but if it looks right it will appear to be looking upward. The same phenomenon is present at the waist which affects which way the toy is arching. Beyond that, this thing has poseable feet, wrists, extremely poseable knees, hips, and a swivel point beneath the shoulder.
The VF-1 Strike Fighter Pieces: These pieces would be absolutely awesome… if they both came with display stands. Instead a display stand is provided with the Focker version and a gun is provided with the Hikaru version. I suppose the ideal situation would have been to give them both guns and display stands and have the display stand attach to the bottom of the gun. As it is I’m kind of left wondering what to do with my Hikaru VF-1S fighter, if I attach the gun and put it in a display case it will just fall over on one side.
The Regult: The Regult is the clear gem of this set. It can stand on one foot, it comes with the extra pieces to make it either a short-range missile fighter or a long-range missile fighter. There is a good possibility that the little guns near the waist will be bent/crooked since they’re made of an easily warped vinyl.
Durability & Build (5.5/10)
Since these are snap together toys you can probably imagine how easy they would be to snap apart. The vinyl construction creates the likelihood of items (such as guns) being warped from time spent in the plastic packaging. The quality of the material also means that any attempt at play will likely cause the joints to wear and become loose.
Articulation (See design)
Since these toys are so tiny their design goes hand in hand with their articulation. As such, I based the design section purely upon how well the toys could be articulated including issues of balance and poseability.
Total Score (32/50) VF-1 Battroid, (29F, 28H/50) VF-1 Strike Fighter, (34.5/50) Regult
All of these toys have higher scores than those shown in the Bandai 3rd Mission review primarily because these toys are harder to come across and thus more desired. The battroids are the same toy with different paint schemes and no fast/strike parts. One thing to consider though, you do get MORE when you purchase the 3rd Mission Gashapon. So, if you’re on a budget and just looking for some display case filler, pick up the 3rd Mission. If you’re looking for the TV valks and a Regult then this is the set for you.
