Zoids NeoBlox Brachiorakete

Dino Riders!

I’ve heard about Zoids for a long time. Then saw them on sale, but gave them a miss because they were model kits. And as time went by, I’ve been less and less impressed by model kits. Now, much later, I saw another clearance sale and decided to pick one up, because I forgot they were model kits and I thought that if I ever turn to kitbashing, they’d be useable as spare parts. And that’s about it as far as the background for this purchase goes. Onto the toy itself.

Toy
As the chaps at Fanmode.net say, Retro Review!

First off, I’m not a fan of Gundam. Neither the shows nor the toys. I won’t get into why I don’t dig the shows, but let’s talk about the toys. The truth is, I really wanted to do some model kits, ‘cause I heard such good things about them. I got some Keroro Gunsou gunpla, and thought they were decent for what they were, though they do feel like they’d shatter if accidentally dropped. I thought I was ready for the next step though. A HG and then, a MG. But then I visited my cousin’s place and he’s a big Gundam fan. And he’s got a bunch of MG and that’s when I realized… man, these guys… well, kinda suck. As far as being toys are concerned. I’m sure they’re cartoon accurate and are technically articulated, and certainly, they look good on display. But as toys, they’re majorly fragile.

So here we have Brachiorakete, from the old NeoBlox Zoids. I have no frikkin’ idea who this mech is. It’s probably a generic that’s not piloted by anyone of note, presuming there was even a show about it. Details are decent if not especially fine or copius. Some bits are extra neon colored, and stands out a tad too much.

Even then, I friggin’ love him. In fact, I plan to go buy one of each Zoid available on that clearance pile, and then possibly I might even clear the whole effin’ pile. This guy is aaaaaaawesome. And is making me rethink on the quality of model kits. I might give other model kit series a try because of this, like Super Robot Wars maybe.

So what’s so cool about NeoBlox? Well, y’see, it’s the complete opposite of Gundam, when you get down to it. Whereas Gundam are collectible display pieces of beloved characters by its fans. NeoBlox is a toy through and through. It’s highly poseable and has lots and lots of optional configurations, so it’s ALMOST like Lego.

I say “almost” because unlike Gundam, the joints on these guys are DANG tight. And that is a point of awesomeness. I thought model kits were generally prone to being loose and fragile, but Brachiorakete has shown me the light. Anyway, the reason why it’s “almost” like Legos is because some parts fit so tight together that they’re basically stuck on permanently. In particular, the base of the neck and tail for Brachiorakete is permanently stuck to the balljoint. I don’t think I can pop it out without damaging it. But that’s the main part. The other parts can still be worked apart with some effort, to leave one with pieces to play around with.

And play around with you certainly can. This thing is basically designed for you to customize, which is probably why it has to be sturdier than a full on display piece model kit. But anyway, you can basically plug and play Brachiorakete like a Lego or even a Bionicle.

Geh, I’m just rambling now, so, let’s just go to Overall.

Overall
Bottom line, Brachiorakete is a really good toy. He’s articulated with uberly tight joints, he’s sturdy, he looks pretty good though I can understand if he’s not everyone’s taste since in a way, he’s looks reminiscent of Bionicles with all his gaps and such. But he’s got good interplayability, and if you can catch these guys on clearance, I’d recommend picking SEVERAL up, so you can mix and match.

3.8 out of 5