05.15.07
Yamato 1/15 Garland (AKA Modat-5)
Review: This toy doesn’t really belong here
Packaging & Extras: (4.5/5) The packaging itself is clean with nice artwork and is otherwise traditional Yamato (slightly over-sized, slightly flimsy, flip-top revealing a window that prominently displays the toy within). The extras packaged are pretty decent but stop just short of phenomenal. Before I go any further with this review, I should point out that there’s already an excellent review of this toy readily available and that you’ll find me echoing many of the same sentiments. Please check out CollectionDX’s excellent review at YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BW8z-76UrMA. Now, the Shogo figure does leave a bit to be desired but hey, at least he’s present! You can’t get him to stand up next to the Garland so don’t even bother trying. He does come with assorted hairstyles and you can even pop his head off and adjust his collar to your liking to better emulate his various looks in the OVA (or the adaptation which is Robotech: The Movie). The toy also comes with a gun which is nicely detailed but nothing too fancy.
Charm & Collectibility: (2.5/5) Unfortunately this toy has some fairly substantial issues which will likely make it a collector’s item for only diehard Megazone fans rather than the transforming robot community as a whole. Yamato has splashed around pictures of future releases including a brown “military” version (the color the Garland was before Shogo’s paint application), there’s another red one but I haven’t determined whether or not it’s a second edition or whether it’s a metallic variant. Future editions appear to be more expensive and will likely be much more durable. This is a good-sized toy with a neat transformation and is similarly sized to Yamato’s 1/48 Valkyrie series (see picture below) so there’s definitely no shortage of cool factor here.
Sculpt, Detail, and Paint: (8.5/10) I’m not an expert at the Garland and this toy might be more true to the lineart than I’m giving it credit for. My real problem here lies in the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a lot of detail on the toy. While it is a very attractive package it does look plain-looking or plastic-ky in a few areas. One really nice touch is the use of transparent plastics at the back of the vehicle which nicely simulate the rear of real motorcycles and cars.
Design: (9/10) There’s a lot of complications involved in this transformation but Yamato utilized magnets in such a way that they’re actually effective and not awkward. The wheels spin, parts collapse and expand, joints are well planned and positioned properly, and the rider looks appropriate for the bike. Speaking of the rider, Yamato also went the extra mile to allow the rider to stay in the vehicle even when it’s in bot mode. Unfortunately, it’s pretty darn tricky to get Shogo in his little compartment once transformation is complete. I tried for a little while but, knowing how fragile this toy was, I gave up after taking the pic below. You also get Yamato’s best set of stock hands to date although they still leave some room for improvement.
Durability & Build: (3/10) First off, the build quality on these toys seems to be pretty superb. The seams all matched up flushly and the factory finish looks great. Unfortunately, the durability is lacking to say the least. The little vents on the front wheels/shoulders have a propensity for becoming disconnected (notice the vents in the picture below). I think this must be a manufacturing issue. I’ve seen it now on both of the Garlands I’ve seen up close and personal. The next super fragile part comes within those same wheels/shoulders. There are two metal rods that snap freely and render the toy essentially useless. Yamato has responded to this issue by releasing improved shoulders and offering them free of charge to consumers who had their shoulders break. I received an extra set of these shoulders for review purposes (pictured below) and here’s what I’ve noticed. First, the internal swinging mechanism of these shoulders moves more freely than the original so less pressure will need to be applied to the rod itself. Second, the ends of the rods are painted red on the originals but on the new ones there’s no paint whatsoever (pictured). The change doesn’t seem all that huge but apparently it works. It seems possible that the new metal rods are made of a more resilient metal.
Articulation: (9/10) Wow is this toy a lot of fun to pose. Yamato may be developing durability problems these days but they’re still doing a bang-up job in allowing their toys to pose dynamically. There’s not a whole lot that can be done in bike mode but once in robot mode this thing puts many other toys to shame. The legs feature a swivel below the hip, the feet extend and angle, the shoulders and neck allow for a pretty extreme range of motion, and overall there’s just a ton that can be done. It’s still a long way off from perfect but it’s certainly excellent.
Total Score: (36.5/50) Even despite the atrocious breaking problems the shoulders seem to have this toy still scores above average. Just the same, I absolutely do not recommend purchasing this toy until subsequent releases when the improved shoulders come standard. Unfortunately, I’ve also seen that the vent on the improved shoulders, has the same propensity for disconnecting so the new editions can expect a less than perfect durability score as well. Still, improved shoulders should bump this toy’s score near the 40 mark overall which is a pretty great toy in my book.
