Happy Box Day, people!
Today I received one of four belated Christmas gifts (that I bought for myself,) the Robot Spirits Evangelion Unit 02, also known as EVA-02 Production Model on the packaging. For the sake of this review and for people unfamiliar to the Evangelion franchise, we'll continue to refer to it just as Evangelion Unit 02.
Firstly, I have to give thanks to my buddy, John Thomson, who is a contributor for our good friends over at Importing Monsters. He was the one who pointed this figure out to me, knowing that I have been looking for one at a good price. Once he showed me the listing over at Jungle, I went in head first for it. So, if you're reading this John, I just wanted to say thanks a bunch!
The Robot Spirits Evangelion Unit 02 was first released back in 2010. The figure is based on the EVA's design from 2009's, Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, the second feature length animated movie (out of four) in the Rebuild of Evangelion series, which is targeted to reinvent the Evangelion franchise.
The figure for Unit 02 stands at 16cm (a little over six inches) tall, similar in height to your typical S.H. Figuarts figure. I don't collect many Robot Spirits figures, but the Evangelion figures seem to be some of the tallest in the line. I am unsure whether that's a fact, but it's just based on observation when seeing other figures such as the plentiful Gundams that are really the defining aspect and property the Robot Spirits figure line.
The sculpt of the Robot Spirits Evangelion Unit 02 faithfully recreates how it appeared on screen. Considering that this is not a live action character, overall detail is minimal. That is by no means a complaint. Despite that, there is quite a bit of detail work on this figure. Especially on the head.
The signature aspect for almost all products from Tamashii Nations is their implementation of tasteful and dynamic articulation into their figures. The Robot Spirits Evangelion Unit 02, like their figure for Unit 01, features a wide range of articulation that allows you to pose the figure however you want. Just take a look at the images above! You can easily recreate iconic moments from the movie, more so than some of the Revoltech Evangelion figures from Kaiyodo.
Now let's move on to accessories. Unit 02 comes with a good bunch of 'em. Featured in the image above are Unit 02's most distinct weapons, its Progressive Knives.
The next accessory is Unit 02's Thunder Spear, a weapon that was briefly used in the climax of Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance, when it fought against the Tenth Angel, Zeruel.
Like with almost every Evangelion figure, it is not complete without its Umbilical Cord, which supplies it power in battle. In both the original anime and new movie series, if the cord is removed, the EVA only has four minutes of operational power before it shuts down.
The final set of accessories are by far the coolest part of this figure. They're Unit 02's Aerial Recon S-Type Equipment, which you add on after removing the standard pylons and arm fins. Also it comes with the EVA's Super-Electromagnetic Crossbow too. This is how Unit 02 appeared as it made its grand debut at the start of Evangelion 2.0.
All in all, the Robot Spirits Evangelion Unit 02 is a really neat figure. Along with the Evangelion Unit 01, which I reviewed earlier this year, these are some of the best Evangelion figures out there. I tend to think that they're somewhat superior when compared to their Revoltech counterparts just because the level of articulation is far greater and a lot smoother in motion when compared to the latter's ratcheted joints. Both versions have their merits, but being a junkie for Tamashii Nation products, I just love the Robot Spirits EVAs a tad more than the Revoltechs
This is a must-have for any Evangelion fan. Unit 01 may be the distinctive face of the Evangelion franchise, but Unit 02 is the EVA with the most soul. It's the one we see in action most of the time in the series. If you love super-articulated figures then the Robot Spirits EVAs are for you!
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