Gaiking The Knight by Sentinel Available From HobbyLink Japan
By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii
Following the unboxing here’s the review for Sentinel’s surprisingly excellent Gaiking The Knight figure that’s part of their new Metamor Force line of toys.
I have a few of the Metamor Force toys already and the general gimmick is that they can transform into another mode. In the case of this new Gaiking that means it can perform its (actually rather simple) combination sequence.
As such the focus has partly shifted onto the sculpt and articulation, with the result being one of the finer toys I’ve seen in a good while.
Like the design of the toy suggests, this is a very dynamic figure not only in terms of its articulation, which is very good, but also its general styling and sculpt. The detailing is also a lot finer than I was expecting, from the Daiku Maryu livery on the head to the general finesse of the sculpt. It really feels like Gaiking could be a knight.
The figure also has a nice amount of diecast, spread across the joints but with a good amount of it in the legs and feet. This is to help lower the center of gravity and facilitate some nice poses. Sadly the figure doesn’t come with a stand, though.
In addition to all the gimmicks, you get a cloth skirt that has internal wiring so you can make it into the shape you want.
The shield and Miracle Drills also look fantastic, with the latter being able to affix directly to the elbow joints if you wish.
The only gripe I have, and it is a minor one, is that changing the hands was a little fiddly but bar that this is a really great toy.
So if you’re a fan of Gaiking you should pick this up but if you’re after something a bit more refined then this might be what you’re looking for as well.
One final thing though, if this is what Sentinel can do with Gaiking I can only imagine what wonders await if they ever got The Five Star Stories license.
