Review: #443
Name: MetalGarurumon
Brand: Digivolving Spirits
Year of Release: 2018
Variations: none
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
The second in the Digivolving Spirits line is none other than MetalGarurumon.
The gimmick for the Digivolving Spirits line is the ability to transform the toy into two forms. In this case, Gabumon can "digivolve" into MetalGarurumon via the manipulation of parts, and provides an update to the original figure from the 1990s.
GABUMON:
The figure comes in MetalGarurumon form but we'll cover Gabumon first, who is a Rookie Digimon.
Gabumon is pretty good for the most part although his arms are awkwardly positioned and as the back arms are attached to the legs, there's no meaningful articulation there.
The figure is well painted and in general, pretty well designed. There are unavoidable transformation seams, the obvious one being his horn. The head is also fixed and cannot turn due to the transformation scheme.
A quick comparison against Agumon, they are fairly equal in size and look great together.
Here's a size comparison against a Transformers Deluxe Wreckage toy.
In terms of articulation, unlike Agumon, Gabumon doesn't have many useful joints. Gabumon only has a joint for the shoulder so it's somewhat awkward to pose.
While he has joints for his knees, as the legs are attached to his back arms, it also restricts any meaningful movement here. Gabumon looks best at a neutral pose.
Gabumon looks great, it's just that he's lacking in anything additional to being a display piece.
TRANSFORMATION:
Gabumon uses the transformation scheme from the original 1990s toy as a base and iterates on it to achieve a better proportioned figure overall in both modes. A very interesting element here is that going between the modes, the front become the back and vice versa. The way the wings form is interesting, as is the way how Gabumon's head tuck away into the torso and you pull MetalGarurumon's one out. Gabumon's front legs become the rear legs, and his back arms become the front legs. Unlike Agumon, this toy doesn't rely as heavily on shellforming and panels.
METALGARURUMON:
MetalGarurumon is where the designer focused their efforts and he looks great here.
Of course, there's no avoiding some proportion issues, such as the smaller tail and the chubbier torso (a compromise to make Gabumon work).
The headsculpt is fantastic and the metallic paint used is so awesome. The figure also has die-cast in a few areas, such as the head, wings and the tube joints on his front legs, giving him substantial heft.
A comparison with Wargreymon and they pair well together.
And now against Wreckage again to see his size. MetalGarurumon is pretty big, which you would hope for due to the premium pricing, although he is pricier than Waregreymon.
There's a lot more articulation in this form. The neck is jointed on a swivel and the mouth can open.
All four legs have a hip joint as well as knee joints, and the paws have a separate hinge as well.
There are some clever placements of Gabumon parts, such as the feet doubling as his shoulder missile launchers.
An excellent form and well worth the compromise in Gabumon.
OVERALL:
MetalGarurumon is a very nice figure, displaying well in both modes. It's surprising at how well they were able to achieve both forms without too many compromises. The MetalGarurumon form is the better of the two but the figure is well designed and well painted to be worth the cost.
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