Review – Gundam Mini Figure

I’ve mentioned before that I have no experience with Gundam, but when I was in Hong Kong I ran across this tiny — 1.5-inch tall — toy for $2 and figured what the hell, it was worth a peek for $2. After all, by that time I’d already grabbed the tiny Zoids Artstatue box (review here) and I was in the mood to try some things I would normally never grab. Well I’m glad this was only $2, because it’s not anywhere near as cool as that Zoids Artstatue.

More Soft Plastic

At $2 I know we couldn’t expect a lot out of this piece, and it’s a good thing I didn’t have high expectations because what I got was basically no different than a pre-painted plastic collectible gaming miniature. The sword and shield are flimsy and warped, and generally this is a tiny desk toy that’s more about sitting there than it is sitting there and looking great. It’s not that it looks bad, but the curved bits really detract from the mecha’s design.

A Nice Sculpt, Though

For being so small the sculpt is very nice. I zoomed in and focused as tight as I could on the toy, but being so small it was a little more than the macro setting on my camera could handle . . . and I don’t know where my magnifying glass went. I need to get my hands on one of those mounted magnifying glasses because it would make taking photos of small toys a lot easier. The photos here should show you enough to get a feel for the design; I have no idea which mecha this is but it’s definitely what I expect when I think of Gundam mecha designs.

Closing Thoughts

$2 was an okay price for this tiny toy, but there’s nothing about it that makes me regret that I didn’t buy more than one box. It’s well sculpted, the paint is acceptable for the size, but basically I think you need to be a Gundam fan to get really excited about this. Unlike that Zoids Shield Liger Artstatue (review here) that is simply fun.

This may go on a shelf, but there’s also a very good chance it’s going to find its way to a box where it will sit and collect dust. It’s not that I hate the toy, but simply that it doesn’t excite me at all.

Philip Reed stared at this tiny toy for a while and then decided it was merely eh. Unlike the Zoids Shield Liger Artstatue which he kept playing with even after finishing the review. Maybe he should go out and track down that awesome Zoids Concept Art book.