Bandai Tamashii Nations' line of video game characters, D-Arts, first introduced their new line of Pokemon figures back in March with the release of Mewtwo. A month later, Charizard (Lizardon) was released. And now, Blastoise (Kamex) joins the lineup!
The D-Arts Blastoise stands at around 4 to 5 inches tall. This makes him the smallest figure, currently, in the line. Its box is the same size as that for the D-Arts Mewtwo. The overall sculpt is pretty dead-on to its anime counterpart. I was kind of disappointed that Blastoise was not equipped with an alternate pair of shell parts to display him with his shoulder cannons hidden. This, however, is easy to overlook.
The articulation in this figure is, I'm sorry to say, limited when compared to the likes of Mewtwo and Charizard. Its stubby legs prevent it from having knee joints. Its arms have both swivel and ball joints, but still, its range of motion is unfortunately limited. The figures claws are also articulated on ball joints, but again, limited in motion. The more operable articulated points are in its neck, jaw, and shoulder cannons. In comparison to the last couple of figures, the overall articulation was kind of a bummer.
The only accessories that Blastoise comes with are the Pokeball shaped Tamashii Stand and its Hydro Pump effect parts. This must be the more appealing aspect about the figure. Displaying it with its effects makes it appear more dynamic that it really is. The water effects fit tightly in the cannons, but it can't stand without utilizing the Tamashii stand to hold up at least one effect part.
There isn't much else to say about this figure, so I'll conclude by saying this: The D-Arts Blastoise, while a neat inclusion into the D-Arts Pokemon line, has room for a lot of improvement. However, Due to its shape, and overall anatomy, Blastoise is unable to have too much articulation. It's hard to pose it dynamically as is. If you're a big Pokemon fan, then you should get this figure. However, if you're a fan of figures with a lot of articulation, this may be an easy skip. I admit, while I was somewhat disappointed with it, I'm glad I still got it so I could complete the Kanto starter lineup.
"The water effects fit tightly in the cannons, but it can't stand without utilizing the Tamashii stand to hold up at least one effect part."
ReplyDeleteThat's really not true. Mine has been standing just fine for the last week without any support whatsoever, even with his hydro pump accessories in use. All you have to do is straighten him out.