Gigantic Series Dunbine – Available From HobbyLink Japan
By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii
Following the unboxing here is the full review for the Gigantic Series Dunbine courtesy of X Plus. This is a remarkable figure and also, as you’d expect, really quite massive.
Now I have a lot of Aura Battler Dunbine toys, from the old Clover ones from when the series first aired back at the start of the ’80s right up until the latest Robot Damashii figures from Bandai. In that time the technology and manufacturing processes have changed dramatically. This is all good when it comes to Dunbine, as the designs are not your typical mecha fare.
This is a very important point; Dunbine’s mecha design have always been a tricky thing to pull off in the real world, not because they are out there crazy but down to the overall subtlety of the shapes used. To say that Kazutaka Miyatake’s designs for Dunbine were years ahead of their time barely scratches the surface.
So here we have an all new Dunbine figure and not only has it nailed the original design beautifully it’s also crazily massive.
To help understand how big this thing is, I placed a Roboto Damashii Dunbine at its feet. So, yeah, this thing is huge.
It’s also very heavy. While there is no diecast involved, the sheer amount of material gives the whole figure a nice heft. This is where we get to the fact that this is more of a statue. While the arms partly move, as does the head, the rest of the body is very much fixed.
The wings at the rear can be moved up and down but the aura converter doesn’t move.
In order to hold the aura sword you have a special magnetic hand that splits apart. The aura sword is also quite light, so the special hand can hold it just fine.
While the cockpit doesn’t open up, the detailing inside is very nice indeed. From Sho Zama sitting in the pilot’s chair to the readouts on the controls, it’s all done really nicely.
For me though, the head is what blows me away. The styling is spot on to the anime and the fly eye detailing on the eyes is properly lush.
If you’re in any way a Dunbine fan then this is quite frankly the ultimate display item. It’s of the main mecha and looks spot on to the host work. It’s an absolute must have for fans of the series.
However, I’m not finished. In the anime, aura battlers could enter hyper mode. This massively increased their size and potency. The Dunbine never did this but I couldn’t resist breaking out my Robot Damashii Virunvee for a face-off.
Take that Bern Bunnings, prepare to get properly owned by Sho Zama!
