Armored Trooper Votoms Hi-Metal R Brutish Dog

 

Tamashii Nations continues to expand its Armored Trooper VOTOMS lineup once again. Following the release of Chirico Cuvie and his iconic Scopedog, it is now Fyana’s turn to join the Hi-Metal R series alongside her signature Brutish Dog. Scheduled for release in October 2020, the Hi-Metal R Brutish Dog retailed for 20,000 yen.

In the series, the Brutish Dog is a customized, lightly armed Scopedog distinguished by its striking reddish-pink color scheme. Piloted by the genetically engineered supersoldier Fyana, the machine delivers performance far beyond what its modest loadout would suggest, giving Chirico more than a few difficult battles throughout the story. Despite initially meeting as enemies, Fyana and Chirico eventually develop a deep relationship, only for tragedy to separate them in the end.

Like the Hi-Metal R Scopedog, the Brutish Dog also includes a pilot figure of Fyana. While the miniature figure is a welcome addition, the sculpt quality naturally falls short of what collectors would expect from a dedicated character action figure. Still, the inclusion adds extra display value and helps complete the package. With Fyana and the Brutish Dog making it into the line, there is now a strong possibility that Ypsilon and his Strike Dog could eventually receive the Hi-Metal R treatment as well.

Gear Fighter Dendoh Amakuni Kijin Dendoh

 

It has been more than 10 years since Gear Fighter Dendoh received any major merchandise, and Amakuni has finally broken that long hiatus with one of the most deluxe and expensive renditions of the series. Similar to their Gaogaigar lineup, Amakuni’s Kijin Gear Fighter Dendoh, made in collaboration with Flame Toys, is clearly aimed at high-end collectors. Scheduled for release in October 2026, it will retail for 42,000 yen.

For over 40k Yen die-cast action figure, this version of Dendoh comes with many of the gimmicks fans would expect from the mecha. As seen in previous Flame Toys collaborations, the design features a slimmer waist and a more stylized proportion overall. Despite these extensive gimmicks, this rendition does not include any of the Data Weapons, which feels like a notable omission for a premium release. It does come with Dendoh’s sword. Personally, I would have preferred a slightly less luxurious version that includes all 12 Data Weapons instead at this price point.

Up until now, I haven’t watched Gear Fighter Dendoh in full, but I’ve had some exposure through the PlayStation game and Super Robot Wars MX. The PSX game is quite fun and worth trying, although Super Robot Wars MX provides a more complete story experience for those interested in the series.

Xabungle Soul of Chogokin GX-38R Iron Gear

Xabungle islikely one of Tomino’s more underrepresented mecha series, but Bandai has once again shown it some attention. Compared to classics like Dunbine, Xabungle may feel neglected, yet it has now received the premium Soul of Chogokin (SOC) treatment. This time, the spotlight is on the iconic transformable battleship, Iron Gear, scheduled for release as a P-Bandai item in August 2026 at 34,000 Yen. 

Shin Yoroiden 30MF Shakunetsu no Gai

 
 3 Months ago we got ourselves trailer for the Yoroiden Samurai Trooper remake trailer by Sunrise and now we got ourselves the first model kit for the main character, Shakunetsu no Gai! Being the successor of Rekka no Ryo, Gai is the obvious choice indeed and for some reason his model kit joins in 30 Minutes Fantasy Lineup! Scheduled for March 2026 release, 30 MF Shakunetsu no Gai will be sold for 5000 Yen Price Tag.

30 MF Shakunetsu not Gai model kit comes with the armor gimmick just like the original Yoroiden toys had and the lineup seems to work as intended with relative less risk compared to Tamashi nation lineup for untested reboot. A minor nitpick however, the new rendition of Yoroiden doesn't seem to come with face mask for the helmet part which the old series had but we will see how the new anime turned out.

As someone who watched the old Yoroiden series, Shin Yoroiden doesn't seem to promising as reboot. Considering the overly modern character design rather clash with the traditional Samurai aesthetics. Shakunetsu no Gai wasn't too bad as Rekka no Ryo replacement but Kourin no Seiji replacement's character design is rather questionable. In any case while I will skip Rekka no Ryo since I already have both version of Rekka no Ryo, I might look forward for the Water and Earth Samurai counterpart in 30MF lineup.

Armored Trooper Votoms HI-METAL R Scopedog

 
 For years I have been looking for my Ideal candidate for Votoms series physical representation to join my collection, turns out the Go-to item is quite obvious. I think Votoms had been getting plenty iterations of Hi-Metal renditions before including Scopedog, but this one somehow caught my attention. This one is actually a plain version of Scope Dog but it has several factors that makes it appealing. Scheduled for February 2026 release, Hi-Metal R Scope Dog will be sold for 16000 Yen SRP.

While Red Shoulders version of Scope Dog still look overall more appealing, the regular version of Scope Dog actually fits Chirico Cuvie's character perfectly. Because the way he treated his AT throughout Votoms series merely weapons disposed when no longer useful fits his archetype as runaway supersoldier of former Gilgamesh Empire after all. This Hi-Metal rendition of Scopedog comes with respectable loadouts similar to the Full Loadout of Scopedog depicted in SRW series along with Chirico Cuvie action figure. Personally I would have preferred if the Scopedog included the Pilebunker arsenal but there is not much to complaint from this one.

My Hime Plamatea 1/12 Tokiha Mai

 
 Of all Sunrise series, I never expected My Hime getting a comeback but fate proved otherwise! Obviously being relatively old series, My Hime for now is not getting anything flashy but they make it as Plamatea with the main heroine Tokiha Mai being the first recipient. Scheduled for April 2026 release, Plamatea Tokiha Mai will be sold for 8500 Yen.

Tokiha Mai is one of the 12 Maidens called HiMEs dragged into a battle royal with the victor granted some sort of great power. Apart being marked with particular tattoo, The Himes are bestowed some sort of magical weapons as well as giant mechanical beasts as their companions. Think of it like Kamen Rider Ryuki with Waifus and less Tokusatsu actions. Mai herself being unwilling participant actually end up being one of the powerful HiME. While her fire ring weapon that grants her flight capability doesnt seem to be anything special, Her Mechanical beast is one of the most powerful being a Dragon like beast with a Sword Impaled on its face called Kagutsuchi.

My Hime is one of the first anime that I watched during my early days getting into Japanese Pop Culture which is why this product caught my attention. I didn't remember much about the series anymore but one of my favorite heroine in My Hime ends up to be an antagonist. Personally I am not quite sure if My Hime will be getting another Plamatea, but Natsuki Kuga would be a good candidate since her companion Duran are not too difficult to be made into physical product.

Buddy Complex Moderoid Luxon & Bradyon

 Talk about coincidence! As I finished watching Buddy Complex not too long ago, the flagship mecha of the series protagonist, Luxon and Bradyon got their Moderoid model kit! Buddy Complex might not be particularly successful mecha series but they certainly deserves some merchandise treatment because they got some decent production value including mechanical designs. Scheduled for February 2026 release, Moderoid Bradyon and Luxon are sold for 7900 Yen price tag each and got Box set exclusive on GSC Online sold for 15800 Yen.

 Buddy Complex's Luxon and Bradyon might look like your standard protagonist Real Robot but it comes with particular quirk which sets them apart of its peers. These duo mecha comes with some sort of Synchronization tech that improves mecha performance based on Pilots synchronization level as well as enable less experienced pilot to close the gap of their combat skill mid-battle with their partner's combat data. This particular concept that Buddy complex tried to incorporate did had interesting premise but poorly executed which didnt help to prevent the series fell into obscurity. Should GSC interested enough to expand on Buddy Complex, they could make something for the Heroine mecha or the upgraded version of Luxon and Bradyon. I might get into SRW X to look further into Buddy Complex series in the future.

Buddy Complex

 Another Mecha anime backlog that I finished recently and turns out it is another Sunrise anime. Buddy Complex is one of those Mecha anime that had overall interesting Props and settings but end up getting mediocre education and the vibe kinda reminds me of Aldnoah Zero for some reason. 

Buddy Complex is your usual Evil Empire vs Federation mecha trope that use Time Travel and Twin Mechs as the centrepiece of its theme. Basically the main protagonist is a High School kid who somehow ended up thrown into 70 years ahead of his original timeline after a fateful encounter with mysterious girl and found himself piloting a Mecha against evil empire. The protagonist somehow possess unusual affinity with an experimental technology that requires high synchronization between two pilots which unleash high capability of particular prototype mecha,

Overall the animation is top quality as expected by Sunrise but story wise, it is rather mediocre due to strict deadline imposed on the production. It is rather difficult to have a decent mecha series with 13+2 episodes and Buddy Complex apparently didn't have the luxury of choice.  Personally I quite like Buddy Complex mecha whether it is the protagonist mech Luxon & Bradyon or the enemy mechs. It is just that the story format of Buddy complex does not allow the series to tap its full potential. I quite like the main villain archetype being a vengeful individual who turned insane and hellbent on quest of vengeance upon the protagonist due to being rejected by the main heroine and a good mecha anime could really make use of this trope. I might get SRW X to see the worth of Buddy Complex and wouldn't mind if the series somehow got merchandise in the future.

Argento Soma

 
 A rather peculiar early 2000s Sunrise Mecha anime that I came across recently. At first I thought this series called Argento Soma would be another of those many failed Evangelion Clones but it turns out to be otherwise, even if it barely qualifies as a Mecha anime. Argento Soma might not be a particularly successful as a Mecha series, but it's storyline is fascinating enough to qualify as Sci-Fi series and still have something in store for the Audiences who are willing to put in the time with the series. 

Surprisingly Argento Soma able to delve with some pyschological theme quite well with its story with having somebody in the production theme for some reason quite well-versed in Shakespearean theme. Not to mention if you able to proceed far enough into Argento Soma, you can trace and appreciate many core themes used in Gundam 00 Movie storyline from this relatively forgotten Sunrise anime.

March 2025 Loot

 
 Another Sumptuous banquet of hauls accumulated by the end of this month. This one might come close in terms of overall value compared to the previous batch which is one of the peak. While the upper limit of the previous batch is still won by the P-Bandai Metal Build Billbine, this one got some nice Heavyweights as well such as Riobot Villkiss and Moshow Mospeada. But the best probable loot in this batch gotta be the Chinese version of Diaclone Convoy as I can't obtain the original one for reasonable price. This batch really shows that Chinese made products start to overwhelm the Japanese counterpart not only in numbers, but overall value as their Value-for-money are truly no joke. Lastly my Joytoy Blood Angels collection got some good reinforcements with the Primarch Sanguinius and his 30k sons finally joining in.

Metal Build Dragon Scale Sirbine Review

  Ever since I came across Sirbine in Dunbine OVA, I instantly fell in love with this design being one of the peak Fantasy Mecha on the courtesy by Izubuchi Sensei. Thus when the Metal Build Dragon Scale for Sirbine was announced, I spare no effort for getting a copy for myself despite I was satisfied with the Robot Damashi version being P-Bandai item kinda hurt the wallet. Long Story short, it took some effort to find a seller who can help order this P-Bandai stuff and In the end I managed to obtain it last year. 

I suppose the time now is ripe for me to take out this Diecast fella for the Review and I proudly present the review for Metal Build Dragon Scale Sirbine! There won't be much writing for this article since the Photoshots in this review will do the job to reveal the value of this Diecast beauty.

February 2025 Loot

Last post for this month! Pound by pound, this gotta be the most massive Haul that ever come in a single month and the concentration of Mecha related stuff in this batch are no slack either! When It comes to value and bulk, this one gotta be the massive one so far. While Riobot SRX still remains the most expensive single item, I think Metal Build Billbine and SOC Tryon which is the main star of this haul can easily match up to be on par. My Chinese model kit collection got some addition on Heavyweights as well with Hemoxian Lone Shadow and Star Eternal boast a massive Box Size that can give Bandai's Gunpla a run for their money. Interestingly I also got myself a Sembo Brick Model for J-20 which is probably the cheapest among the batch but can still pull its weight. At this rate I think my backlog size is getting quite out of control already despite I already finished on some Chinese Model kit. Should have picked up the slack during the CNY Holiday period. Perhaps I should start workin on the Mecha Musume model kit that I got recently.
 

Kyokai Senki - AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline

 
 Another Mecha anime backlog that I finished recently and this one yet another of those Sunrise's failed potential. Back in early 2020s, I recalled this series called Kyokai Senki was one of the more ambitious project by Bandai and Sunrise studio, as the former invested quite a lot on Model Kits for this particular series. Overall I felt that Kyokai Senki failed to realize its potential despite having solid mecha designs due to severe Mismatch of Characters/Setting/Mechas.

On Hindsight, Kyokai Senki premise is a mix of Code Geass and Full Metal Panic featuring a setting of alternate Modern Japan which somehow got itself annexed by Multiple nations and have the populace live as 3rd class Citizens akin to Code Geass Elevens. The main protagonist is a Japanese Teen who had a fateful encounter with a powerful Prototype Mecha that comes along with Top of the Line AI and join the effort to liberate Japan from foreign military invaders while also fighting against mysterious Rogue Mecha that inflict many destructions on everything it came across.

Just like Muvluv series, Kyokai Senki competence at the Geopolitics department are abysmal and have too much wishful thinking, which is one of the main cause of the failure of the series to become a mainstream success. The series supposed to convey its main audiences which are Japanese Youths to keep persevere despite Japanese constantly declining overall presence and importance on global stage. Obviously given the how Kyokai Senki was poorly executed, it absolutely missed the target while also failed to appeal Global Audiences which are crucial for Bandai's Model Kit sales. I recalled the company I worked for which served as the local Distributors was forced by Bandai Gunpla Division to purchase large amounts of Kyokai Senki model kits which end up as Dead inventories until now. 

Given the failure of the main series, Bandai actually still had a chance to salvage Kyokai Senki given that the short OVA which I probably will cover in the future showcase how the series could work out if executed properly. But I would say Kyokai Senki would be off better to start with alternate gritty settings which have no ties whatsoever to real world to have better shots for proper execution.

Aura Battler Dunbine Megahouse Real Posing Robot Billbine / Bellvine

 I think it has to do with 40th Anniv for Dunbine series or something but we got yet another premium product for the series by Megahouse! After the gorgeous Metal Build from Tamashi Nation, we got ourselves a Premium Statue for Billbine under Real Posing Robot lineup. Scheduled for March 2025 release, Megahouse Real Posing Robot will be sold for 31000 Yen.

Over past few years, I was aware that Megahouse did make Premium statues for Tokusatsu series and Digimon series but they rarely make any PVC figures for mecha series as they tend to make posable collectibles. Though apparently Sirbine had been available as the previous entry of this particular lineup few months ago, costing somewhat lesser for some reason. This Premium Statue would be a viable substitute for those who are unable to obtain the Metal Build Dragon Scale Billbine though I would say consummate mecha fans would still find better mileage with the Metal Build.

Aura Battler Dunbine Robot Spirits Zellbine / Zelvine

 It was rather late for me to start appreciating Aura Battler Dunbine series and even so I am mostly preoccupied with Sirbine instead. Thus back then some of the cool bug Knight designs like Zellbine escaped my attention and not until the recent Metal Build Billbine that I started to put some attention to this product once again. Released back in September 2021 with 9000 Yen Price tag, Robot Zellbine is one of those P-Bandai release items.

 From what I can dig up, Zellbine is the mass produced version of Billbine that still looks like a Heroic type Bug Mecha while not being too knightly like Sirbine. I would imagine that Zellbine will be piloted by someone who will serve as the Kouhai of Billbine pilot. The Robot Damashii version of Zellbine got the similar slim Body proportion of Sirbine which makes it look like a Prim and Proper Knight mecha while Billbine still maintain rather stocky body proportion until Metal Build Dragon Scale fix the issue partially. The Scimitar weapon allong with transparent wing effect do makes Zellbine look almost as good as Sirbine which I hope allow an opportunity for a Metal Build to be made for this guy as well someday.

Aura Battler Dunbine Metal Build Dragon Scale Billbine / Bellvine

 Up until now Sirbine is the only mecha that I pay special attention to from Aura Battle Dunbine due to its Top Tier Knight Mecha design. However the Metal Build Dragon Scale series really open a new avenue for other Dunbine mechas starting with the TV series Billbine! Released as P-Bandai item yet again, Billbine is getting a Metal Build Dragon Scale treatment and recently has open up for pre-order selling for 35200 Yen.

Up until now Billbine simply never catches my attention due to many various reasons. But this Metal Build Dragon Scale literally put Izubuchi aesthetics all over the Dunbine Upgrade unit which certainly succeeds at demanding my recognition. If Sirbine is the ultimate Bug Knight mecha that emphasis on graceful fighting style, this version of Billbine is more of a Fighter itself never shying away from any slugfest if it had to, being overall bulkier than Sirbine for starters. While the price tag is rather high, Metal Dragon Spirits come with many quality to justify its price tag compared to other P-Bandai stuff with more selection of weapons including Sword Rifle that literally turn into Raiser Sword. As an owner of Metal Build Sirbine, this one certainly will not disappoint because the Wing part which is one of the best part of Sirbine are replicated very well in this one as well. Will look forward this sort of rendition for Dunbine, Green Bellvine and Zelbine someday.

Cross Ange Riobot Vilkiss

  Up until now Sentinel rarely ever got involved with any Sunrise related mecha series, but for some reason they pull of a combo breaker and take on one of the newer Sunrise mech series. The IP that Sentinel chose to pick up is no other than Cross Ange with the titular mecha Vilkiss! I suppose with the recent success of Gundam SEED movie do put some confidence for Sentinel to release product for one of Fukuda's works and Cross Ange being the safest choice as it was the latest Fukuda's non Gundam Work. Scheduled for December 2024 release, Riobot Vilkiss will be sold for 42900 Yen.

 From the first glance, Riobot Vilkiss will have overall improvement for all gimmicks that the Robot Spirits version had. Villkiss is quite a special mech because it is basically Fantasy version of Freedom Gundam from Gundam SEED and Rising Freedom Gundam do use some of Vilkiss Gimmicks to pay the homage. While I am not exactly a big fan of Cross Ange due to the Yuri fetish, I do admit Vilkiss is one of the cooler modern Fantasy Mecha which I did use extensively back in SRW V. While I am personally more of a fan of Arquebus Vanessa Custom which resembled Justice Gundam, Villkiss is certainly not something to be missed for Fantasy mecha fans who had the means to spend.

Jan 2024 Loot

 First loot of the year and we already seen some heavy duty stuff! As some of the more expensive preorders of Mine have arrived around the same time. Overall another Top Tier haul this time that have balance of Chinese and Japanese made products. The best of the haul is no doubt the Metal Build Sirbine and Myethos 1/7 Skadi Alter though I would favor Myethos Skadi because the value for money is simply a tie breaker! Not even Phat 1/7 Scathach-Skadi Box size came close with her Arknights counterpart despite the price difference are not that significant. By this time Joytoy Warhammer had become a regular part of my hauls and my set collection become more complete than ever. But Skitarii Marshal probably stick out the most since I never consider to collect Mechanicus faction before until I got Tan'Gida Skitarii Marshall in Warhammer Tacticus. Lastly I finally got my SHF Griffith which will complement well with SHF Guts that came earlier and I would like to see if Griffith's horse is on par with Lartoria's Dun Stallion.

Aura Battler Dunbine Metal Build Dragon Scale Sirbine

 The awaited moment for Fantasy mecha fan albeit one with a bummer. The legendary bug knight mecha, Sirbine finally ready to make its appearance once again in Diecast form as Metal Build Dragon Scale lineup. Unfortunately Bandai think it is funny to release it as P-Bandai making the life for Global collector even harder. Seriously they could release less known Ryujinmaru as regular release but decided Sirbine to be P-Bandai for the lulz. Scheduled for October 2023 release, Metal Build Sirbine will sold for 27000 Yen.

This version of Sirbine is pretty much the carbon copy of the Robot Damashii version with even more drip with Gold gildings all over the joints and armor part. Unfortunately this one doesn't come with a shield despite the Side AB Robot Damashii version could come with one which just indicate some contempt or envy by certain Bandai Boomer Exec toward this mecha design which arguably one the best design by Izubuchi. People might Yutaka Izubuchi Sensei for Nu Gundam and Sazabi but his Sirbine and Tetsukyojin just takes the cake for me personally. In any case any veteran fantasy mecha fans would not want to miss this Silver Knight if they are able to afford it.

Gun X Sword Moderoid Van of Thursday

 Gun X Sword is one of the decent Mecha series in Early 2000s and would have been a memorable series if not for its weak second cour. The last time we had something related from the series are some Robot Tamashii for two of the mechas and now Moderoid returns with the protagonist mecha Dann of Thursday! Scheduled for December 2022 release, Moderoid Dann of Thursday will be released for 6500 Yen.

 Dann of Thursday from Gun X Sword had really some good concept built around it. It is basically one of the Seven elite units tasked to oversee the world which is used by its pilot to huntdown its brethren who went corrupt. Dann of Thursday is good showcase of an Elite Mecha unit which had several arsenals to fulfill its task including self regenerating capability for the Pilot and Mecha apart from being powerful to boot. Compared to the Robot Damashii version, Moderoid Dann of Thursday come with Transformation gimmick which allow it to turn into Swordform, something the former didn't had to bring out affordability. In any case i will look forward GSC whether they are able to release some more Moderoid from the series apart from Volkein.