Monev can move the gods
Written: Oct 03 '01 (Updated Aug 07 '02)
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Pros: articulation, sculpt, and accessories
Cons: huge pricetag
The Bottom Line: with a superb combination of articulation and sculpt, Monev gets my vote for Best Action Figure of 2001.
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| yogore's Full Review: Trigun: Monev the Gale |
Robot! Robot! Biiiiig honkin' robot!
He is a gale; a barrage of bullets tearing into the heart of enemy territory, mowing down everything without mercy. A silhouette of weapons that craved a body of flesh were granted it. Those who witness him would have an eerie sense of surrealism and feel their doomed fate sinking into a bloody mist. Since childhood, he has possessed an exceptional physique and extraordinary abilities. Wagering on his potential, the organization bought him and trained him for over a decade to enhance his abilities for the sole purpose of making him a weapon. He wears all the most powerful firearms one human can possibly wear. His assault against his opponents is swift, violent, and complete. The smell of dripping oil and gun smoke as well as the sounds of metal creaking and a beast breathing... all melt into the darkness tonight.
If you think that intro was long-winded, know this: I edited out about two thirds of the info printed on the back of Monev's packaging.
Monev here is from an anime series known as Trigun, which I've personally never seen, but is listed on epinions, so a quick search will grant you all the info you need regarding that. All the info I needed about Monev, however, could be gained by looking through the front of the package. It's a big, bad, highly detailed and articulated toy. What more could you want? Well, maybe a bit more detailed explanation than that.
Seeing Monev, the first thing you'll notice is the size: a 12x10" clamshell package housing a massive hunk of shiny red plastic. Pick up the figure, and its weight is readily apparent. This is one seriously heavy toy; clobber your sister with this, and you'll be grounded for a month! Unfortunately, size and weight don't come cheap; Monev will only run you $30 (if you're lucky). But for a real action figure fan, he's worth it.
Monev was really designed for those who open their figures and play with them. Leave him sealed within that plastic tomb, and you'll never get your money's worth; sure, you'll be able to appreciate how he looks (in his goofy pose), but that's all. Open him, oh open him, and you'll be blown away!
Before you can fully appreciate your new treasure, you have some assembling to do. To create those two bullet chains that string from shoulder to wrist, Kaiyodo has given you 64 individual bullets, each about half an inch long. One more time: sixty. Four. Individual. Bullets. Tucked away neatly at the bottom of the plastic tray, fortunately, are four wire coils designed to facilitate the creation of the armory belts. Careful, though; it's easy to miss the coils, and while it is possible to assemble the chains without them, the task is a lot less arduous with the proper pieces.
So you've got your arsenal in place, and you start to play around with this metal monstrosity, expecting to maybe find six points of articulation. See, you're used to the McFarlane style of action figures--a stunningly beautiful sculpt, but sod all in the way of movement. Ah, but now it's Monev's time to shine!
As you start trying things, seeing what will move and where, you'll find Monev's 35 points of movement. Again, thirty. Five. Points of movement. Your average Star Wars figure has six points of articulation. A nice DC Direct offering might have 11. Monev puts them all to shame. He can be posed with his arms raised in victory, squatting down over a kill, or anything in between. And in case your pose is a little too unsteady, Monev even comes with a base.
The ornate base is no more than four inches across, but is comprised of three pieces. Simulating the shattered a bullet-riddled cement of a battleground, the base has a few shell casings strewn about, and a massive machine gun crushed beneath Monev's heel (literally--when the figure's not on the base, the gun can be seen shattered on either side of his massive footprint).
All this dynamic poseability is made possible by the innovative design Kaiyodo used for this figure: rather than large molded pieces that just plug into one another, Monev is mostly hollow. However, he's assembled around an internal skeleton, which accounts for both his weight and the fact that he can hold his poses--no loose joints here. The only reported weak point is in his right ankle, so be careful when attaching him to the base.
The sculpt of this beast is no slouch, either. Originally designed by Yasuhiro Nightow, the figure was sculpted by Yamaguchi Katsuhisa, and a heck of a job it must have been. Every inch of his exaggerated musculature is covered with detail, be it tiny armored plates, tarnished screws and bolts, or high tech support structures. You can even remove his mask and display the wicked grin he's got beneath. The paint job lives up to the high standard set by the rest of the figure, too; the metallic red that covers the figure has been made to look weathered, faded, and dirty. Very nicely done, and it really suits the figure and the character.
A variant "stealth" version of Monev is due in a few months. The figure's body will actually be clear, while the internal skeleton will glow in the dark. Quite excellent!
So, is Monev worth the hefty price tag? Hopefully with the information I've given, you'll be able to decide that for yourself. In my eyes, if you're going to open him, then yes. If you're a MOC collector, then your money might be better spent elsewhere; this much playable engineering was not put into a display piece.
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BONUS!
Interested in the anime? Read Alkaiser's review of the first dvd at http://www.epinions.com/content_9189691012
McFarlane Toys made a figure of Vash, the main character in Trugun. Read Vash's comparitive critique at http://www.epinions.com/content_34340376196
Fellow OAFE Shocka reviewed Monev, as well. http://www.epinions.com/content_42369584772
Suggested For: Everyone
Bang for the Buck: 5 - Don't pay more than retail
Best Feature: Other
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 25.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
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Epinions.com ID:
yogore
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