Note: I’m not sure if it came like this or I somehow misplaced it, but my Gurren Lagann is missing its left hip armor. I should have been paying attention. If this is a factory error, I’d keep an eye out.
You know, it just occurred to me that after all these years, I’ve never once reviewed a Revoltech. It’s not that I never wanted to; it’s more that the line hasn’t had an offering I’ve wanted in years. The last one I bought was the movie version of Yoko from Gurren Lagann and that was two years ago. I can’t even remember the last robot I bought in the line. It was probably King Gainer and the two Tetsujin-28 robots I bought back in 2008. Well, I now add another robot to my collection, one I think I’ve waited far too long to add: Gurren Lagann.
I remember when the show was first airing and someone took a screencap of this thing’s shoulder, showing that it pretty much had Revoltech joints on the animation model. As a result, I don’t think anyone was surprised when the first Revoltech of Gurren Lagann was announced. Back then, Revoltechs were some of the coolest robot toys out there. While opinions on them may have changed over the years, I’d say this figure is the best representation of Gurren Lagann that balances between value and quality.
For Revoltech 119, Kaiyodo did a reissue of Revoltech #50, but with a few new additions. The stand is now clear, and additional “kicking up dust” effect piece is now included, and the Wing Pack previously only available with the other Gurren Lagann releases is now included. While I really would have loved to get Enki and Lazengann, I think this makes things more convenient when you consider how rare those two are.
Like pretty much every other robot in the Revoltech line, Gurren Lagann is stylized to hell and back. But here, it works a lot better. Most of the other robots in the line were pre-2000, but as a more contemporary robot, it works really well here. The angular, dynamic look just… works. There’s no explaining it.
In order to do the attack with the sunglasses boomerang (hey, I haven’t played SRW Z2, I haven’t had the chance to learn all the attack names properly…), you need to remove and swap the chest piece. Be EXTREMELY CAREFUL though, I’ve heard cases of people breaking the sunglasses on the old release. The sunglasses for the attack itself fit snugly in the open right hand.
The Gurren Wing slips onto the backpack easily, but it isn’t the most stable accessory. Still, it looks awesome nonetheless, and makes a great flying buddy for Mazinger Z.
Revoltech joints as always offer a wide range of movement and a great ability to hold poses, even if they look a bit strange. This one has quite a few surprises, though, like flaps behind the knees.
Two heads are included: a normal one and a scowling one. I think I like the scowling one more.
The hand complement is pretty standard: two fists, two grabbing hands, a left open palm, and of course, a pointing finger. For this pose.
My favorite accessory here is the Core Drill. Yeah, it’s pretty much a 1/1 scale prop recreation. The drill itself can come off to work for GL itself, which is even cooler. I do feel it’s a bit underwhelming overall, but hey, it’s better than nothing.
The stand has an extension now, which is pretty cool, but nothing special.
Overall, this is a pretty good figure. It’s no Robot Damashii or Super Robot Chogokin, but it’s fun nonetheless. I’d definitely recommend you pick one up if you ever see it at FPNYC, but if you already have Revoltech 50, there’s nothing new here, really.
Can you measure the core drill? I’d like to know the measurements for it with the handle thingy where the necklace chain is looped through.