January 7, 2001 CURRENT RUMBLE Armored to the Core Darren 1.7.01 The origins of popular toys have changed over the years. In ancient days, toys were representations of common things in the world around us. Later, enterprising toymakers pursued original designs not found in daily life. In the modern age, we've seen toys inspired by characters from television and printed media. The reverse phenomenon even happens on occasion, such as in the United States with the "Shogun Warriors" toy-derived comics. The latest source of toy fodder has been video games, and Kotobukiya's Emerald ECM-XR00 is a fine example of the modern trend. The Emerald is adapted from Armored Core 2, a fabulous Sony PS2 game, and the latest evolution of the MechWarrior "you assemble it" genre of fighting robots games. Labeled a "High-End Action Figure", the mech is the first in a line of three poseable toys. The trio will be distributed soon within the United States through your favorite Diamond dealer, although the names of the robots may be changed. The Emerald ships in a surprisingly large container of clear plastic. While the figure is slightly larger than an MSiA toy at almost six inches, the box could've contained a toaster. Only a moment is required to hack through the packaging and twist-ties, and you have a substantial PVC figure with good heft for its size. The Emerald's articulation could best be described -- not to over-use an analogy -- as "MSiA-like". It seems twenty five points of articulation on PVC ball joints has become a de facto standard. But at first glance, I thought there was no poseability in the hips at all -- mine were frozen solid. After consulting some poses in Kotobukiya's test pictures, it was clear the legs were meant to move at the pelvis, so I began to try to free the joints. Applying some careful manipulation to the right leg, it suddenly released. Now over-confident, I gave the left leg a good wank, and it seemed to move, too. As it turns out, the movement I felt was the joint neatly breaking. Although such joint issues have been reported in other Kotobukiya action figures, such as the Front Mission line, in my case, a little TLC would've saved the day. Moral of the story: if the joints are tight, free them gently. Toybox Staff Surgeon Bic mentored me through a femoral head replacement and acetabular ream live during Cafe Chogokin Medical Theater. Good as new, I continued to study the toy. The Emerald is 100% mech, and was constructed to do nothing but conduct the business of war. While I am not knowledgable on the Armored Core 2 game or the Emerald character, the warfighting nature of the robot is evident. A prominent feature of the mech is the centrally mounted chest gun, and a surface thickly covered in fitted armor and tiny ruby camera eyes. The back of the robot is especially exciting, with an interesting compliment of nonspecific vents, which may be for either thrust or waste exhaust. The design symmetry of hard angles and geometric shapes is accented with tasteful knife-blade protrusions that project a functional image while maintaining an almost toungue-in-cheek style. The modern "battle mecha" look may be a tired cliche, but the Emerald manages to retain a fresh identity by subtly mocking the genre. The Emerald is equipped with a substantial arsenal. The killer robot's rifle is held by replacing one of the clenched fists with a gun hand. A massive gatling gun may be worn in a shoulder/backpack socket. The gatling may be stowed by folding the barrel over and rotating the body of the gun backwards. A six-tube missile launcher may be worn opposite the gatling gun, and a pair of non-specific looking boxes are attached outboard on the upper-arms. They appear to be small missile or grenade launchers. Use your imagination. A beam sabre (or plasma torch) may be fitted just above the wrist. This action figure's best asset is its looks. The quality of the paint finish and details are simply amazing, especially for a figure of this size. I hope the pictures capture this property, because the Emerald really is a visual treat. We are now well used to great action figures with good poseability and accessorization, but most figs simply don't look this good. The Emerald's scale and proportions lend itself to an engaging design and a thoughtful bounty of surface detail. These types of toys are not my usual thing, but I'm mysteriously attracted to the AC2 line, and anxiously await the next figures in the series. Coming Soon ... a review of the second figure in the series: the GeoMatrix ZCL-XA/2 Names & Players ...     Review toy sourced by: Robozone     Toy produced by: the ArtFX division of Kotobukiya     Original mecha design: Shoji Kawamori     Toy sculpt by: Ryoichi Itoh     Armored Core 2 by: From Software     Content support: Yappy  RUMBLE INDEX  |  CURRENT RUMBLE