Review – Real X Nibbler

NOTE: This toy was supplied free by the creators as an advance review copy. Please keep that in mind as you read this review.

So far we’ve seen Real X Head partner with both Onell Design and Rawshark to bring us a swarm of cool vinyl toys, many of which I’ve managed to review over the past few years here at battlegrip.com. So far we’ve looked at:

• Pheyaos
  
• Pheyos . . . second review
  
• Mini-Pheyden
  
• Mini-Scar Pheyden
  
• Rilleco Chaos
  
• Pheyaos Man
  
• Callgrim

And in addition to the RXH/Onell/Rawshark vinyl toy collaborations we’ve also looked at the Glyos System toys by The Tarantulas (blog, Twitter), the Future Nibbler and the Winter Nibbler. Well, now it’s time to blur the lines as the Nibbler joins forces with Real X Head to bring us . . .

Real X Nibbler

Towering over the <>Pheyaos-sized mini figures, the Real X Nibbler is a collaboration between Real X Head, Onell Design, and The Tarantulas — see this post at the Glyos Transmission Web Log for a look at design sketches and the story behind the toy — and after months of hearing whispers about this new Japanese vinyl toy actually holding it my hands has been a real treat because the end result is far cooler than the sketches and descriptions made it feel. And, unsurprisingly, there are some hidden features right on the surface of the toy just waiting for someone to discover new ways of playing with the Real X Nibbler.

Sculpt

The Real X Nibbler is clearly inspired by the work of The Tarantulas, as the face on the chest and the face on the head are definitely The Nibbler as we’ve seen him before. The huge teeth, triangular eyes, and squat design are all evident in the final toy and the overall look is one cute guy. The sculpt is every bit as sharp and clean as the earlier RXH mini figures, and while the arms and legs/waist look similar to the Mini-Pheyden (review here) a close look shows that these are completely new parts. Every single part of the Real X Nibbler is new; I’m betting that one day we’ll see these parts mixed with other RXH minis.

No Paint

The Real X Nibbler that I was sent is black vinyl without any paint at all. The eyes on the head and chest are silver stickers; I’m not sure how the toy will be sold, but mine came with the stickers pre-applied. The stickers give the toy a classic feel; I expected paint, but the stickers really give me flashes back to the eighties and trips in the car where, on the ride home after buying a new toy, I would work on applying all of the stickers regardless of how bumpy the ride turned out to be. I can almost feel the frustration in my little head as an unexpected bump left me with a misaligned sticker. Why didn’t I wait until I got home? Because I was impatient then as I am today.

Welcome to the Family!

The photos above and below show how the Real X Nibbler looks with the other Real X Head/Onell Design/Rawshark vinyl toys and, as you can see, he fits right in. Any fan who has been collecting the toys in this series will want to try to get this new toy — the toy is set for release tonight (February 25, 2011) at Fishtank Castle and will be in two colors — so I expect that there will be more fans than there are toys. But if you miss out tonight (or are reading this after the release) I say keep your eyes on The Tarantulas’ Twitter feed because I’m sure he’ll announce when more are available.

I wanna see a green version!

Remove the Head and . . .

Below you can see the Real X Nibbler with his head popped off . . . my favorite look for this toy! Pulling the head off is much easier than getting it back on (I am starting to think I’ll need to heat the plastic to get the head back in place), but with the head off the Real X Nibbler’s chest face has a chance to shine and I absolutely love how the little guy looks in this form. I haven’t tried popping the arms out and reversing them, but it’s only a matter of time before someone does that in order to give the face on the back of the chest a chance to become its own character. Paint would go a long way toward bringing out either of the two faces that are “hidden” on the toy’s chest.

The only problem with removing the head is that there’s now a massive hole in the top of the toy. But I’m thinking that if I decide to leave my Real X Nibbler in this form then maybe I can fill in the hole and give him a more finished look. Matching the shiny black of the plastic is my biggest concern; I’d hate to paint the entire toy but that may be what it takes to make my Real X Nibbler able to stand without a huge hole in his head.

UPDATE: The hole cut into the chest to fit the head is made at the factory and not part of the actual tooling. This is great news, since it means that there is a very good chance that we’ll see one of these in the future without a hole cut into the top of the chest.

Got a Drill?

If you’re really into customizing your toys then take a close look at the photo below and notice the rings in the sides of the toy’s shoulders. Drill that spot at the small center and standard Glyos System joints will pop right into place, giving you a way to give the toy new arms or hardpoints to mount weapons. And if you drill the full circle then you should be able to move the arms from the lower placement to a higher position on the toy; but that’s just a theory and I haven’t tried it. But I am betting someone is gonna give it a shot.

Closing Thoughts

It was fantastic to get one of these Real X Nibbler toys ahead of the launch and I have got to thank The Tarantulas (blog, Twitter), Real X Head, and Onell Design for coming together and shipping me a Real X Nibbler for review. I was gonna buy one of these anyway — and am still going to try for a pink one tonight — so being given one as a gift was far, far too kind. I just hope that my short review helps you to get a better look at the toy and helps you decide whether or not you wanna try for one.

The Real X Nibbler is a great blending of styles and makes a remarkable addition to the series of Onell/RXH toys that have come so far. I know that this review is of a copy that was supplied by the manufacturers, but I like to think that even if I hadn’t been shipped one ahead of time this review would have turned out about the same in the end. It really is a neat toy, but only if you’re a fan of Japanese vinyl toys and like the figure’s design.

February 25, 2011

The Real X Nibbler drops tonight at Fishtank Castle at 7pm eastern time. The best way to stay on top of the launch is to keep one eye on The Tarantulas’ Twitter feed because I am sure he’ll announce there when the toy goes online. Or you can watch me; I’ll be the one trying to score a pink version of the toy as soon as these go online.

Philip Reed will now be kind and not try to order a black Real X Nibbler, though he kinda wants to so that he can take a shot at chopping/drilling the toy.