The Rabbit Haul

[This is an SH Figuarts review]

Hailing from the series, Hikonin Sentai Akibaranger, comes the anime-clad Machine Ittashar in SH Figuarts form. Here is the review.

Machine Ittashar

Alt Mode: Rather than being a discreet vehicle, Machine Ittashar is a Toyota Prius that’s smothered with a moe anime girl. Bandai was rather ambitious for making such a large toy in this line. Though this is supposed to be in-scale with other SH Figuarts, I feel like Machine Ittashar is a little bigger than it should be. Just look at a standard figure standing next to it… something looks off right? If you can ignore this aspect, the car itself looks great. Machine Ittashar’s car mode looks incredibly faithful to the actual vehicle. The wheels spin (they don’t turn) and are hard rubber. You can open the doors and stick your Akibarangers into the decently sculpted interior; don’t expect to be amazed with what’s inside. In fact, the interior is the weakest aspect of the entire toy. It’s difficult to pose and place any figure in the front seats; it also doesn’t help that there’s a giant beam for a center console. The backseat is a joke; the roof needs to be pulled to reveal the gunner seat. This entire process isn’t worth the time since you can’t even see the figure anyway. On the side, Machine Ittashar comes with a perfectly scaled Aoi-Tan CD and an alternate rubbery antennae.

Robot Mode: The secret to Machine Ittashar is that it can transform into a large mecha that runs on delusional powers. I’m not going to lie,  transforming this for the first time was a nightmare. Since I don’t know how to read Japanese, it renders many of the instructions specific steps moot. You have no idea how easy it is to break something; I accidentally snapped the AkibaPrius emblem off its peg when I tried to yank the front bumper down. Every piece is held by tiny pegs, and it all has to be done in a specific order… or else. Don’t rip things apart, and mount the robot on the stand to ease transformation. Once transformed, Machine Ittashar is ridiculously ginormous. This is easily one of the biggest toys I own, and it’s loaded with die-cast. Just look at the guy, Machine Ittashar looks very sexy. Not only is the mecha physically attractive, it’s surprisingly well articulated (for what it is); unfortunately its sheer weight of the upper body requires the large figure stand to hold it up. It’s a good thing that the height of the stand is adjustable. It would have been nice if the stand was a little more versatile, because you can only do so much with the one that we get. The machine guns rotate on a moving axis point, and the head transforms into a canon. What’s cool is that there are two signs that transform into a gun and dual swords; these weapons are surprisingly well made.

Overall: Machine Ittashar delivers on many aspects, and I truly can’t fault Bandai for creating a Prius that is partly out of scale. The thing transforms between two beautiful modes and it’s the first toy of its kind. If you’re able to afford something like this, I urge you to give it a spin… otherwise you’ll just be that much richer.

Buy It:  Amazon |  BigBadToyStore

CookSux

CookSux owns, curates, and is the head writer of The Rabbit Haul. CookSux also co-hosts The Andy and Harrison Show featuring Harrison and Andy, a podcast that can be found on iTunes. CookSux is a mod at TFW2005 and TokuNation... jeeze, what doesn't he do?

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