At last. After over a year of waiting since his big debut at Comic Con last year, we finally have the final piece to complete the gigantic Voltron from our assemblage of multi-colored Lions. Yes! October brings the final pilot Keith and the gigantic robo-lion ship in black, and, on their own, they are certainly an impressive duo, but when they join forces with their friends, well– it makes it all worth it. The upside of getting a six-part combination to build up Voltron is that you know you will be done inside of a year, so the downside is just waiting it out. So let’s take a look a Keith and the Black Lion and then jump right into real star of the entire line.
If you have been keeping up with us and this line, you pretty much know what you will be getting in terms of individual pieces this go around. Thus, I have taken a ton of pictures to let them do most of the talking. I will be commenting on the built-up Voltron more than anything, so if you don’t want to hear some brief thoughts about Keith and the Black Lion, you can skip to the end now. Still here? Okay, let’s check out the pilot first, shall we?
Keith
The leader of the Voltron corps finally comes to us in due style, and if you have your trusty Lance figure at hand, you already have a good idea of what you will be getting in Keith. He has the same articulation and construction of the rest of the figures in this line, so if you have your mind made up about the quality or articulation that is being offered, Keith closely follows suit. I think all of the pilots, save for the rather placid Princess Allura, have all had expressive faces that work to capture their personalities. Keith has always been more of a quiet and stoic leader, but you get in his face a sense of solemn duty. He is not smiling like Hunk, or cocky like Lance, but what he might lack in tangible personality, he makes up for with a pretty glorious mullet. In fact, I don’t know where he is hiding those locks while wearing his pilot’s helmet (included with the alternate head), but he must get really hot up in space… if that is even possible.
He also comes with the standard key stand (in black) as well as the final piece of the Blazing Sword connect-a-weapon (CAW!) with stand. Finally assembled, the sword makes for an impressive sight with your Voltron, and I like that they carried the theme all the way through the entire subscription. It fits snugly in the “hand” or mouth of the Red Lion and it stays in place thanks to having a peg that fits into place easily. I apologize for the lack of picture of all of the pilots with their helmets on, I am pretty pissed because I cannot find my helmeted Lance head right now.
Black Lion
Aside from the lines and paints and shapes that differentiate the rest, the Red Lion pretty much matched the Green and the Yellow partnered with the Blue. The Black Lion is a completely different (mechanical) animal unto itself and dwarfs the rest of the the fleet. Since the Black Lion makes up the entire head and torso (and the upper sections of the legs) of Voltron, the build and shape of the Lion comes from the functionality of the transformed piece. That is to say, the body is a lot wider to accommodate Voltron’s chest and the head is more boxy due to the hidden face. The cockpit opens the same as the rest of the fleet (with the key), but the shoulder blade thingees hide the top of the key hole when they are laying down.
The transformation of the Black Lion is also quite a bit more complicated than the previous editions, and, for the first time, I was glad to have the instructions at hand. The good part is that this crux piece is engineered just right so that the entire Voltron figure can be built easily and stays together in solid fashion. The back legs make up the thighs of Voltron, so make sure you fold up the feet correctly so that you can insert them into the tops of the Blue and Yellow Lions. Also, the Voltron crest insignia is the key to push to expose the face of the big daddy.
Voltron
What can I say about the culmination of waiting out the Club Lion Force? He is gigantic (the size of most of my 6-month-old’s pals), and I think most fans will be very happy with the end result. Since you have the rest of the crew, you already have an idea of how his movement works, and while I thought the ratcheting in the Green and Red Lions was too tight, it is absolutely essential so that Voltron can hold both the Blazing and standard swords with ease. Oh, did I mention that the standard sword and shield are hidden in the bottom of the Black Lion’s packaging? Yeah, you get those too. Bonus!
I was originally skeptical of the Blue and Yellow Lions’ ability to support the rest of Voltron once he was assembled, but he stands just fine and he is actually well balanced, so much so that he can stand on carpeting with no effort. While he can move pretty easily, I think that display options are going to be fairly limited if you keep all of the pieces assembled. He can move for sure, but he is such a behemoth that he is not the most flexible space robot in the galaxy. I don’t think that takes away from the impressive nature of the figure though. He can still stand and impose, and since there is a tight ratchet to the “arms,” he can hold his swords and parry in great fashion. The fact is, once you find a place to actually display this guy (I am going to have to overhaul and entire corner of the toy room to accommodate him), and if you are a Voltron fan, you are going to love him. I know I saw him at SDCC two years in a row and that is nothing compared to be able to interact with him in finished fashion. Mine will remain assembled on the shelf and the pilots will stand proudly in front of this colossus.
Voltron fans, this is what you have been waiting for. I am very happy with the big payoff in the form of the big guy, and I think most everyone will get a real kick out being able to finally play with him. At any rate, he will rocket right to the top of your collection as a conversation piece sure to impress your friends, both real and imaginary. I am very glad Mattel took a chance on building up Voltron over the course of a year and there is an entire generation of us that have been waiting for a chance to build up a version of him with the pilots. I know there are no current plans to carry new product forward in 2013, but for me, this year’s effort was certainly enough. Now, that does not mean I would not openly welcome more from this property, but man, getting this giant Voltron is really cool. I think most of you are going to love it.
*Thanks for reading these Voltron First Looks over the course of this year and thanks to Scott, Natalie, and team at Mattel for making them possible. Form Blazing Sword indeed!
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