Aha. My flawless computerized brain’s plan came to fruition- by making a ‘theme’ for the month, I made it harder for me to go on endlessly about my JAPANESE FIGHTIN’ ROBOTS fixation. I spent a good chunk of it indulging in the fandom of it, though, so at least I enjoyed myself in March Mecha Month. But I can at least provide a few capsule reviews of things I wanted to bring attention to, plastic things mainly:

Revoltech: One of the greatest things to happen to mecha fans/collectors- small, yet highly-poseable PVC figurines of a surprising range of super robots. The trademark of the line are small ratcheting ball joints. As a result they’re not only highly poseable, but able to hold those poses pretty readily. A wide assortment are out, and new ones are being released at a monthly rate. Of late they’ve even started a few sub-lines like Fraulein Revoltech, which is good if you like flexible girls. Er, small, plastic ones. With a product line encompassing Transformers, Macross, and Diebuster (a.k.a Gunbuster 2), who knows what they’ll come up with next!

(Hint: Gurren-Lagann. Sco’!)

Lego Bionicle: Having touched on Exo-Force, I’d probably be remiss not to mention the Lego building figure line that actually seems to sell well. I won’t attempt to analyze the story behind the toyline, since every time I try to look up information on it I walk away with a headache and an irrational need to sock a Maori. That much said, they’re actually pretty cool figures. The parts used are somewhat less easy to use in customs and jerry-rigs since they’re molded specifically to be ‘Bionicle guy arms and legs’, though Technic peg-holes line their bodies so add-ons are possible from regular kits. What really makes them cool are the array of spring loaded weapons they come with. Whether it’s a hard eyeball-seeking marble or a gatling-style storm of choking-hazard sized missiles, it’s a fond reminder of when all good toys could potentially kill someone. Past that, the biomechanical aesthetic and use of ball-joints for maximum poseability make them pretty fun figures once assembled, though they tend to be a bit same-y other than who totes what gun, and what color they are. I’ve got a few of these now thanks to a store discount and clearance event, so far I think I like the new ‘combiner’ pairs best. Consisting of a large figure (a ‘Toa Phantoka’) and a small partner who forms a backpack, they’re built around an air battle theme.

The title of this posting, and why I get a headache reading about these things comes from all the odd vocabulary and intricacies of a plot that’s probably simple but being acted out by characters with names and titles like “Toa Hewkii. wearer of the Kanohi Mask of Stone, transformed into a Toa Mahri by the something something–”

SPLATTER

NeoShifters: MegaBloks’ attempt to cash in on the Bionicle thing, in a nutshell, though these are transformable. Somewhat unfortunately, all they turn into are balls. Ball robots with a smaller ball-bot that curls up and resides in the chest. Additionally, there’s a light-up head (I would say ‘eyes’ but it’s actually a big cyclopean orb that you place a mask over), launching missiles, and a launcher for the inner robot. All in all, they’re actually a pretty good deal for the play value versus the price tag; pre-assembled, the ten-dollar Shifters would probably have as much functionality as the average twenty-dollar Transformer. The drag of the line is that they’re even less customizable than their ‘brand name’ competitors, each one pretty much only good for building the thing that’s on the front of the box. Though the instruction book for my Atlas:Raan did offer an alternative mode by opening the ball’s sides into crude VTOL wings and sticking his gun on the large robot’s ass. I passed.

In an odd twist, the small price point versions come in more varieties than the large ones, turning into crab-like walkers and hovercraft, while the larger ones are all essentially the same kit with a different color scheme and face mask.

So ends the March which came in like a Galeon and when out like a… quick, name a huge mechanical lamb. Back to the usual errata!