Toy Review: Bandai Tamashii Metal Build Mazinger Z

Metal Build Mazinger Z is easily the best Metal Build figure to date!

Producer: Bandai Tamashii

Price: Approx. $200 USD

Release Date: Mar. 2018

Item Height: Approx. 7″

Item Weight: N/A

Batteries: N/A

WHERE TO BUY: AmiAmi

In what came as a surprise to many, Bandai Tamashii’s latest release is the popular Super Robot mecha Mazinger Z from its appearance in the recent “Mazinger Z: Infinity” movie. Needless to say that this one’s a winner on just about ever level. Check out the video above as well as some more in-depth, written thoughts and my gallery below. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Presentation: The Box for Metal Build Mazinger Z (pictured below) is great. The pictures as well as effects and general layout on both the back and front of the box are phenomenal. If I were to display boxes, this one would be a centerpiece. The figure and its accessories are extremely well-packed and in a very smart manner with the stacking of clam shells to save on space.

The figure itself is immaculate. Between the perfect details and paint job and finishing that makes it all just pop, it really feels like you’ve gotten a premium piece the absolute instant that you open the styrofoam and see it.

Build: A very solid diecast frame as well as some of the outer shell really give this piece a general heft that I have yet to have seen in the Metal Build line. In fact, its general weightiness makes it feel like it’s not a part of the line at all. The joints are insanely tight and feel very smooth in play. The accessories and pieces on Mazinger that need to be removed to attach some all peg and unpeg extremely well. It’s a damned well built figure and I haven’t found a single flaw in this area.

Accessories: Mazinger Z has accessories on top o f accessories to the point where I’m not going to even try to list each one in the review. In the video section I do go over each one as well as having them pictured in the gallery below. With that being said, this is easily the most fun I’ve had with accessories in some time. From the effects to the scrander itself, there’s seemingly an infinite number of ways that you can display this piece and everything attaches so damned well. The only thing that I wish would have been included was some kind of adapter for him to hold the Scrander by the wings as if he is about to swing or throw it. In terms of problems with any of the accessories, the only thing that bugged me was the fact that the lower arm on the stand is significantly shorter than other Metal build (1/100 scaled) stands, so it can get as far upwards of an angle as I’d like.

Articulation: The articulation on Mazinger Z is magnificent. There’s really not much in terms of posing that it can’t do and I really encourage you all to check out the video to see it in motion. The “moving parts” in the leg are also really neat and between those and the missile adapters for the ends of the arms, there’s never a loss in general aesthetic when doing more extravagant things with it either.

Overall Score: 9.8/10 – This is what I’m talking about! things like this Metal Build Mazinger Z are seriously the reason that my collecting preference turned heavily towards Super Robots and diecast products. Mazinger is an extremely great looking (I’d dare to even say “perfect” looking in terms of represenation of the animation model,thanks to the
Stylus pen that is the best friend for an animator hat makes the digitally drawing everything possible) well-built, articulated, and fun piece and while it’s not my favorite mecha to be released under the Metal Build line it’s by far the best as a product. What keeps this from being an absolute 10/10 are things like him retaining ab crunch while having the “open” absominal attachment or the jet scrander attached as well as the Stand not being able to angle as far upwards as I’d like due to the limited length of the bottom part’s extension (see video.) While Mazinger is easily the best in the Metal Build toyline and a strong recommendation, it’s not quite “perfect” enough to get a 10.