Ki's Toy Log:https://www.facebook.com/ki0079.robot.workshops
The first unit that METAL BUILD originally intended to release should have been the Lancelot, but surprisingly, the Guren beat it to the punch. No matter, it's just as good, no problem there. This Guren looks great in the official photos, but how does it feel in hand? Personally, handling it is like holding a durian—it's a painful experience, the kind where your fingers ache. Certain areas exhibit outstanding performance, but once everything is put together, problems arise, especially from a playability standpoint. Let's first look at the excellent parts:
Unique mecha design with good articulation.
The Guren series' mecha are different from others, featuring a heavier upper body and shorter lower body.
The head sculpt this time is quite exaggerated, with long angles and a large helmet. Both arms use die-cast parts, and the long Hien Souga claws give the unit a very spirited look.
The head's articulation is quite good; the neck can be extended to give the head more room to turn, and it can also be posed lunging forward.
As you can see, both the neck and waist feature some internal mechanical structures, which is a huge plus.
Next is the cockpit section, which is quite long, but this causes the figure to tilt backward. The internal parts of the cockpit are incredibly detailed, but why is a Kallen figure missing? If a colored pilot figure could be offered as DLC, that would be absolutely incredible. (This is the first time MB has created a cockpit, and it's well done!)
The design of the mecha's back is also excellent, brimming with mechanical detail.
The left and right hands each have their own distinct features. The left hand is a standard conventional hand, with parts for an open palm, a fist, a flat hand, and a weapon-holding hand. The left arm's range of motion is decent, and the shoulder can be extended to allow for greater arm articulation.
As for the right hand, it's the unit's signature feature. The arm can be extended, and it has a linked mechanism, which is very well executed. The palm connects directly via a ball joint. Adding the power tubes to the wrist section requires swapping parts.
Each of the palm's five fingers has two independent joints, and each finger has a certain degree of side-to-side splay, making it feel like a real hand. However, the one small flaw is that the thumb's range of motion is less than expected. Its rotation range could have been a bit wider, which would have been even better.
The right hand's Radiation Wave can also be extended using a wire. However, I didn't play with this feature this time. Firstly, my photography space is quite limited. Secondly, the wire is simply too long and too thin; a slightly thicker one might have been more suitable. Modern toys come with too many "support stands," resulting in a sky full of stands, which I'm not a fan of. Furthermore, once the wire is bent, it's very difficult to straighten for storage. When combined with the back wings, it becomes really hard to manage, so I skipped playing with this part.
The leg articulation is also good. The round joints on the thighs are beautiful, excellent! There's some gapping when the knees are bent, but otherwise, it's fine. The feet have a sufficient range of motion, and the three toes are solid with no major issues. It stands very stably, even without using the heel wheels.
In terms of armament, besides the right hand and the Hien Souga, there's the knife. The knife is made very long this time; I feel a slightly shorter one might have been better, but it's acceptable as is.
As for the back, the wings are well-made, very solid, and even include some small mechanisms that allow them to droop—a thoughtful design worthy of praise. Attaching the Energy Wing parts is not difficult at all; it's very simple. This is commendable. The Energy Wings have some weight to them; they aren't just thin plastic sheets. Once attached and spread open, they are truly incredible! The wing joints are also well-executed, excellent!
The above are some of this unit's strengths. Now, here are some of the problems.
The waist is very loose
The waist is a crucial point for any mecha and a design challenge for the Guren. Unfortunately, this release follows in the footsteps of the METAL ROBOT SPIRITS Barbatos Lupus Rex: a loose waist. It's not loose right out of the box, but it will definitely loosen up after a bit of play. It's a design issue, but couldn't the manufacturer have done something to address it? Wobbling back and forth like this is really not fun to play with. This is especially true for the Guren, which has to be fitted with the Energy Wings, making the upper body so heavy. With a waist like this, what can you do?
Overall, it's not very playable
Furthermore, while the back wings are well-designed, once they are installed, the entire figure, to be honest, becomes almost unplayable. Every small movement affects the whole body. The wing joints are tight, but the connection to the cockpit is loose; the elbows are tight, but the arms are loose. Because some joints are tight while others are excessively loose, posing becomes quite difficult. Once those wings are on, I don't really dare to pose it. After all, the Guren is covered in spikes, just like a durian. If something goes wrong and it takes a fall, blunting the sharp points, what then?
Recent METAL BUILD releases have shown this trend, becoming more and more like "garage kits"—not easy to pose or fun to play with.
The stand lacks a sense of security
Additionally, I have absolutely no confidence in the stand's connection point on the back. After all, for such a heavy figure, using a connector like this and asking me to hang a two-thousand-Hong-Kong-dollar toy on it is truly like "hanging by a thread." I really cannot endorse doing this. I was on pins and needles while photographing the parts with the wings attached.
With current toys, individual parts may have their own unique features, but once they are put together, they become less fun, or even difficult, to play with. This feeling of "being played by the toy" is not a good one.
Moreover, the manufacturer wants to create dazzling accessories but fails to design reinforced parts. As a result, whenever something can't be supported, they just include one stand after another (this one comes with three...). Is this reliance on a multitude of stands for "support" a good thing? Personally, I don't think so. A stand for the launched hand is one thing, but even the wings on the back need a stand? How are people supposed to replicate the poses from the official photos? A balance must be struck between aesthetics and playability. It's a great pity when a toy is produced to be beautiful but not fun to play with.
Although there's a lot to complain about, overall, the Guren represents a new beginning for the MB series. It is quite well-made and is worth picking up.