Product Line / Revoltech Yamaguchi
Scale & Class / Non-Scale Collectible Figure
Manufacturer / Kaiyodo
Release Date / 2008
Appearances / Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann
2007’s Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a story of going beyond the impossible and kicking reason to the curb. It is a story of returning to the roots of the mecha anime genre where raw courage, pure bravado, and ridiculous poses are the keys to victory. Ridiculous poses were also the main selling point of Revoltech Yamaguchi figures back when it launched so it’s no surprise that Kaiyodo released Gurren Lagann shortly after the conclusion of the series and went on to complete all its forms afterwards. The latter is also the reason I chose to stick with this line amidst better figures in the market.
Gurren Lagann is your typical Revoltech Yamaguchi release standing at around 5 inches tall. It can replicate the over-the-top poses from the animation through the numerous Revoltech joints used all over the figure, each acting as a ratchet hinge and two swivel points. That said, my main issue with early Revoltech figures like Gurren Lagann is how the joints are placed at odd angles that you have to spend some time tinkering before you can get the hang of making good poses. And once you do, you’re just limited by your imagination. Paint work and sculpting are of standard fare, especially with the details on that small head unit. Being the original release, it only came with a small number of accessories, including replacement head and hands, the Gurren Boomerang, and a life-sized replica of Simon’s core drill which you can also attach to the figure. Replicating the Gurren Boomerang attack requires replacing the default chest part with one sans the sunglasses. Be careful though as you can break off the sunglasses part when replacing the chest piece.
