The Yamato Ingrams have been hailed as one of if not the greatest mecha collectibles of all time. In this article, we’ll break it down and see if it holds true to the title.
Producer: Yamato
Price: Approx. $240 USD
Release Date: Oct. 2009
Item Height: Approx. 14″
Item Weight: N/A
Batteries: 2x LR44
WHERE TO BUY: Long Sold out
The Yamato 1/24 Patlabor AV-98 1 was a product I never thought I had but have been told since I got into mecha collecting that I need (over, and over, and over.) I’ve always kept an eye out for a good deal and finally found one so had to swoop on it. Even before getting into the meat of this article that this piece is incredible and one of the finest pieces I’ve gotten to own homaging any material. Check out the video above as well as my breakdown and gallery below and let me know what you think in the comments.
Presentation: The box itself is cardboard and a bit thin with a large and amazingly-done drawing of the Ingram Unit 1 on the front as well as a nice amount of pictures and item info on the back (see gallery section for box pictured.) The item inside is enclosed in a very thick styrofoam shell with the figure itself wrapped in two silk sheets (I don’t think it gets more “high end,” lol.) The accessories are also nicely packed with smaller items having their own plastic clamshells within the larger styrofoam one to make sure that they’re secure. There’s an extremely prestigious feel when opening this up.
Build: The Yamato 1/24 Ingram Unit 1 is a diecast frame with a mostly plastic shell (the feet are notably painted diecast.) To emulate the kevlar-type of material in the show that covers the otherwise-exposed areas of the robot, this toy uses a nice, vinyl material with enough actual material to where nothing comes out or is exposed regardless on how fair the figure’s extreme articulation is taken. Speaking of articulation, the pieces has a nice mixture of ratchet and friction joints with a lot of thought is put into which joints use what.
The figure is extremely well built in itself but the insane amount of gimmicks and how well done they are is what takes this from being an homage and more so a physical manifestation of a love song to the property;
– Extending wrists on each arm.
– Headlights that pop out on the sides of the chest.
– LEDs with two settings; one activates the strobe lights on the shoulders and the other activates the aforementioned headlights as well.
– An opening cockpit in the chest which reveals the seat for the Noa Izumi figure to set in.
– A hinge under the neck which lets you raise and lower the head and neck itself for better viewing of the Noa Izumi figure when the chair is raised as well as a better aesthetic for where the head is set when Noa is lowered.
– A flip out windshield for when Izumi is raised.
– A cover that slides out for when Izumi is lowered to keep the pilot out of view.
– A retractable viewfinder within the cockpit for Izumi.
– The Revolver has an actual chamber which rotates and comes out to place miniature bullets inside of it.
– The Unit 1’s right leg has a panel on the side which opens to expose and bring up a holster for the revolver which can also be pressed and locked back down.
– The Unit 1’s left leg has a panel which opens with two rows to place the additional 12 bullets that it comes with in.
– In the pelvic area, there is an actual, working winch with an extending to hook and button which activates the mechanical retraction.
Accessories: The Yamato Ingram Unit 1 comes with a Noa Izumi Pilot figure which has an additional head and tactical vest, a revolver, a riot shield, and both an extending plastic and fully extended diecast batons. All of the accessories are extremely well done and I implore you to watch the video and see them all in action.
Articulation: What’s crazy about this piece is that even though it’s one of the most large and intricately built pieces out there, it’s also one of the most articulated. This thing has double joints, ab rocking and crunch, and such insane ranges that it’s just awe-inspiring. Just watch the video. It does the damned thing and then some in this regard.
Overall Score: 15/10 – The Yamato 1/24 Ingram Unit 1 is deserving of all of its praise even a decade later. It meets and exceeds even today’s standards for even the most high end of mecha collectibles. Outside of some needing to have the waist tightened (directions here) which takes minutes in itself, this thing is sheer and utter perfection top-to-bottom. In fact, the only thing that I could even throw out as a potential “con” is the size in that it just plain doesn’t look good on a mixed display but on the other hand a good number of the fine details included on this piece are so small and intricate that the size is a necessity. The prices on this thing nowadays are pretty astronomical but if you can swing it or find a great deal then by all means scoop it up because I’d label the Yamato Ingram Unit 1 as a definite must have.
Check out a few pictures of these in the gallery, and even though this is long sold out, definitely keep an eye out for new iterations of this popular bot!
