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Toy Line: Soul of Chogokin
Manufacturer: Bandai
Meat and Potatoes; 5.0
Perks; 5.0
Homer Factor; 5.0
Gunbuster is true to it's original form from the old-school OVA 'Gunbuster'. In 'bot form the piece is 10" from foot to the top of it's massive shoulders. The figure has incredible heft since most of it is constructed of die-cast metal. GB is mostly gray with some yellow and red highlights.
The piece can split in half at the waist into the Buster Machine 1 and Buster Machine 2. Both are giant-sized fighter/space planes.
The figure comes with a multitude of spare hands, feet, weapons, and a display stand that looks like a launch gantry and also hold every accessory
Enter Gunbuster, one of the newest entries to the Soul of Chogokin line from Bandai. If your familiar with the anime OVA you know this 'bot is a biiiiiiiiiiig, baaaaaaad mo'fo, literally. In the 'toon the thing is about 600 meters of alien kicking, ship exploding, merging goodness. There have been a few pieces that tried to capture the power and awesomeness of Gunbuster. Some have come close, but nothing embodied the massive size, power, and sheer 'OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG' feel Gunbuster has.
Until now. If you're lucky you won't have to get this via mail order, that'll save you about $10-$20 shipping, cuz this baby is anywhere from $175 to over $200. Yeah, MAJOR gulp. Sooooooooooooooooooooooo, what do you get for biiiiig chuck o' change? A masterpiece.
Meat and potatoes on Gunbuster rule, no question. First, shipping is expensive because this piece is constructed from a lot of die-cast metal. No, it's not ENTIRELY die-cast, but major structural points and load-bearing areas are. But materials don't mean squat if the figure doesn't look good, and this one does. The sculpting is outstanding, capturing every panel line, vent, and even the treads on this babies feet. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! And none of this work sacrifices articulation. When assembled Gunbuster has all of the mobility of a Gundam figure giving you a bazillion posing options, not simply standing heroically on your shelf.
The perks are overwhelming. First is the transformation. Yep, just like the OVA the figure splits into Buster Machine 1 and 2. (Called BM1 and BM2 but for obvious, juvenile reasons I can't make myself say that!) Each fighter mode is gorgeous to behold. Yes, the transformation is complicated as heck, occasionally requires a bit of 'Ok… ok… please don't break… whew!' but it can be done. Just READ THE DIRECTIONS! The booklet is a must.
Then there are the weapons. The figure comes with a bat, quarterstaff, and cloak. Stop laughing! Yes, I said 'bat', as in 'baseball'. Sigh. Some goof ball in Japan created a fighting game with Gunbuster and for whatever silly reason gave it the 'Buster Home Run'. Good thing they weren't hockey fans… Just the same the figure comes with these weapons and the classic cloak from the OVA. Added bonus, the clock is made of cloth and folds into the figure's massive right shoulder. Yep, it's own container!
AND THERE'S MORE! Gunbuster comes with a launching platform just like the 'toon! This can be used to hold the figure in either the 'bot form or separated into the vehicles. AND it holds EVERY WEAPON AND SPARE HAND AND FEET!
Yep, the figure comes with extra hands, extra feet to duplicate the 'Super Lightening Kick' and other spare parts and pieces. Gasp gasp gasp gasp gasp.
Homer factor… are you joking? Do you need to ask? OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!
The end result is one of the best pieces you can get, period, bar none, fogetaboudit. This is the kind of piece you save your tax return for, you wait diligently for the mail carrier and then you take a weekend to ogle, drool, and fawn over. You may not even be seen by anyone for DAYS. And ya know what? It's worth it!