{"id":1660,"date":"2016-08-14T05:13:39","date_gmt":"2016-08-14T05:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/2007\/08\/27\/matchbox-officer-pod-glaug\/"},"modified":"2016-08-15T04:33:28","modified_gmt":"2016-08-15T04:33:28","slug":"matchbox-officer-pod-glaug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=1660","title":{"rendered":"Matchbox Officer Pod (Glaug)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\"Matchbox<\/a><\/p>\n

REVIEW(Updated): What\u2019s that Grell?<\/p>\n

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\"Matchbox<\/a><\/p>\n

Packaging & Extras:<\/strong> (2\/5)
\nThe packaging is your standard 1980s Robotech fare that is easily bent up and torn.\u00a0 Inside a cardboard insert keeps the toy from too much damage.\u00a0 The toy comes partially disassembled with instructions and decals for the user to complete it. \u00a0The inserts do their job. \u00a0It was Matchbox’s standard procedure to not include a pilot figure which is the clearest omission.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Matchbox<\/a><\/p>\n

Charm & Collectibilty:<\/strong> (3\/5)
\nThere\u2019s no fervor being generated by this toy but fans of Robotech and Macross tend to really appreciate it.\u00a0 The reissue in the Exosquad line didn\u2019t help its collectibility at all but the original will\u00a0enjoy more demand. In May 2016 Bandai released the first modern Glaug (Officer’s pod) toy as \u00a0part of the Hi-Metal R line and further diminished the charm of this 80s toy. If you have to own one Glaug toy, you should own the Hi-Metal R. If you’re looking for a bad guy for the vintage shelf of your toy display then this is still a great option.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"Matchbox<\/a><\/p>\n

Sculpt, Detail, and Paint:<\/strong> (6\/10)
\nFor a Matchbox toy this thing has a lot of very nice detail.\u00a0 The contours, like everything else Matchbox did, are certainly more cartoony than the line art but for what it is it isn\u2019t bad at all. \u00a0Matchbox switch the canopy to be translucent so children could see the pilot figures they put inside. I found the screw smack in the middle of the toy’s ‘face’ to be a pretty awful decision. As with all toys of the era, there’s nearly no painted on detail and using the included stickers will significantly spruce up the appearance. There are countless other nitpicks that could be had but overall this is a passing representation that leaves plenty of room for improvement.<\/p>\n

\"Matchbox<\/a><\/p>\n

Design:<\/strong> (6\/10)
\nThe cockpit opens as it does in the show but it accommodates the smaller (human-sized) pilot figures rather than the appropriate Zentraedi sized ones\u00a0. \u00a0Otherwise, this is too simple of a toy to give it a very high rating regardless. Bandai definitely went the extra mile that Matchbox didn’t (as one would expect with 30 years of toy making improvements). On Bandai’s Hi-Metal R toy you get functioning feet clasps and numerous ratcheting joints. \u00a0Since there isn\u2019t any transformation here the design is necessarily simple and efficient. If you sweep the legs back all the way you can consider that a “flying mode”. It appears there was some sort of a tension joint in the knee that might have made it seem like the toy was jumping when you picked it up (by straightening the legs out for you). Leave a comment if you know of a better reason why the joint was designed that way.<\/p>\n