{"id":959,"date":"2012-05-24T06:10:37","date_gmt":"2012-05-24T06:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/2006\/12\/22\/gakken-155-alphalegioss\/"},"modified":"2014-07-11T05:54:45","modified_gmt":"2014-07-11T05:54:45","slug":"gakken-155-alphalegioss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anymoon.com\/blog\/?p=959","title":{"rendered":"Gakken 1\/55 Alpha\/Legioss"},"content":{"rendered":"

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REVIEW (Updated): Stuck in the middle with this
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Packaging & Extras:<\/strong> (2.5\/5)
\nLike most other Gakken products, the packaging is stylish and functional.\u00a0 The Japanese packaging of the toy is the most appealing while\u00a0the Robotech releases could have benefitted from being less\u00a0generic (the box could contain a Rook Alpha or a Scott Alpha, there’s nothing on the box to indicate which particular Alpha is inside).\u00a0 All versions of the toy (Mospeada, Henshin Robo, or Robotech) come packaged with a large clear window showing off the battloid\/soldier mode toy within.\u00a0 Each toy comes with the following:
\n1) 2x Wings
\n2) Gun
\n3) Landing gears on sprue
\n4) False back
\n5) Stickers
\n6) Instructions
\nThe false back included with the Japanese version is painted white simulating the folded back wings… but since the wings that come with the toy are molded in the primary body color the Singapore system of leaving the false back true to the mold color makes sense.\u00a0\u00a0As with their bigger brothers (Gakken\u2019s 1\/35), the little guys feature a twist tie that keeps them from moving forward and puncturing the window of the box.\u00a0 The extras all seem pretty necessary.\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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Charm & Collectability: <\/strong>(2\/5) +.5 for Gakken of Japan
\nThere\u2019s not a lot of love for this vintage toy within collector\u2019s circles.\u00a0 As one might expect, the original Japanese offering retains greater collectibility as it is harder to come by and exhibits a little extra effort in that false back.\u00a0 This is definitely a product with a\u00a0limited fanbase due to the superiority of the larger Gakken offering and subsequent Toynami Masterpiece\u00a0Alphas.\u00a0 If you have a loose Alpha and want to know if it is a Japanese or Singapore release check the outside of the chest\/intakes for the manufacturing stamp.\u00a0 A height comparison picture has also been provided.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Sculpt, Detail, & Paint: <\/strong>(4.5\/10)
\nFor the most part this toy doesn\u2019t do too bad of a job emulating how the vehicle looked in the cartoon series but there are several key deficiencies.\u00a0 First, the toy is, for the most part, unpainted.\u00a0 As such, there are several areas of the toy that are the wrong color.\u00a0 The next two major issues could have been brought up as part of the design but I think they more accurately fit here.\u00a0 First, the fins from the fighter mode are supposed to collapse into the arms for\u00a0soldier mode but on this toy they do not.\u00a0 Instead there are awkward fins jutting out which makes the battloid look somewhat silly.\u00a0 Also, to assist in transformation of the vehicle the shoulder sensor-array was deleted.\u00a0 The fact the toy uses detachable wings means that the Armo-diver (Guardian) mode looks somewhat off.\u00a0 Of all the modes it seems fighter mode has suffered the least but Gakken did include a little pilot that looks more like it\u2019d fit in a WWII toy than it does Genesis Climber (see pics below).\u00a0 A reference picture is provided below of each vehicle in one of the available configurations.<\/p>\n

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Design:<\/strong> (4\/10)
\nI\u2019m no fan of toys that require parts removal\/addition for transformation.\u00a0 Things could have been better here in lots of ways.\u00a0 As mentioned previously, the shoulder array has been deleted but it seems that one could have easily been added as a removable accessory.\u00a0 Also, the front landing gear provided for the toy can only be used by the blue Legioss (Alpha) because the head fin on the other versions interferes with the peg of the landing gear (pictured below).\u00a0 In fighter mode the arms could have benefited from some sort of locking mechanism to keep them from flopping around when the toy is in hand.\u00a0 Speaking of flopping around, why do the hands have a cicular hole to hold the gun?\u00a0 The result of this is a gun that can spin in circles when being \u201cheld.”<\/p>\n

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Durability & Build: <\/strong>(5.5\/10)
\n<\/strong>This toy isn\u2019t large and it isn\u2019t made of metal (other than the feet) so there are lots of areas that can cause problems.\u00a0 First, the removable wings attach to the vehicle via a peg on either end of the wing.\u00a0 A little strain on the wing or the toy can then break the peg off lodging it permanently within the toy\u2019s body.\u00a0 The wings themselves are very thin plastic and can be broken easily in other ways also.\u00a0 The metal rods that attach the arms have been known to break free from the toy\u2019s body with minor mishandling.\u00a0 The most common weak point would have to be the fins on top of the head of the green and red versions of the toy.\u00a0 Those fins, as mentioned earlier, block the landing gears and so it wouldn\u2019t be difficult for a stubborn owner to snap the fin off trying to get that landing gear to work.\u00a0 Even without involving the landing gear, the head fin is very thin plastic and its positioning at all times is precarious.\u00a0 Finally, the paint job on the heads of these vehicles often seems smudged or otherwise flawed.\u00a0 Since the feet are painted metal there are often issues with the paint wearing off.<\/p>\n

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Articulation: <\/strong>(4\/10)
\nYou do not get the following points of articulation: Swivel at the waist, swivel at the neck, swivel at the knee, swivel at the wrist,\u00a0bend at the\u00a0elbow, swivel at the elbow, or an\u00a0articulated heel.\u00a0 You get movement at the shoulder, hip, and knee but the range of motion of the knee is severely limited.\u00a0 Long story short, don’t expect this toy to be fun to pose.
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