Mecha Workshop’s foray into the world of toys is one sexy robot.
The Bellerophon is a ridiculously articulated robot (over 70 points!) designed by Don Figueroa and painstakingly birthed into physical form by the rest of the talented team at Mecha Workshop. They were kind enough to send us an early sample to share with you guys.
First impression… overwhelmed. This thing is almost too much toy. I unwrapped Bellerophon first (the packaging isn’t finalized yet so everything was simply bagged, bubblewrapped, boxed up, and shipped to yours truly) and I was astounded by the heft of this 9” tall mech. The inclusion of die-cast parts really gives it a nice weight and balance, it especially comes in handy when you’re putting this guy in some of the craziest extreme poses that you wouldn’t typically expect a robot toy to be able to get into. You can tell that it was designed with aesthetics and functionality in mind and it’s easy to see the amount of love that was involved in bringing it to life.
Once I was finally able to put him down I started digging through the rest of the box. SWEET ODIN’S RAVEN! They’re creating an amazing display for your shelf with just this first release! You want a stand? How about an entire docking station, and it’s not just some parts that snap together and stay in one place, nope, this thing has a crazy amount of moving parts as well. The platforms can be raised/lowered, they also swivel, have 2 control panels and a cool little plank that slides in and out and can also connect the 2 platforms of the docking stand. And then there’s the actual stand itself, it’s hinged, has multiple settings for height as well as angle and plugs securely/unobtrusively into Bellerophon’s butt area.
That’s a lot of toy right? How about including his 2” tall pilot, Cam Knox, with 16 points of articulation? This guy is ridiculous, I can’t believe that they were able to make ball joints work at this scale but they do. Bellerophon’s torso even opens up and he fits perfectly into the cockpit. He’s got a removable backpack with thrusters and this cool section that comes off and splits apart into 2 badass guns. Speaking of guns, we haven’t even addressed Bellerophon’s arsenal yet.
Bellerophon comes equipped with 2 plasma cannons, 2 plasma rifles, and 2 Tri-Blades. The plasma cannons and the Tri-Blades can be popped into different ports on Bellerophon, the ammunition clips even detach from the plasma rifles and he comes with 4 additional clips that can be stored on ports on his hips. It’s especially cool how securely everything clips together, everything feels sturdy and you don’t have that issue of parts falling off when you’re playing with this guy. As if that wasn’t enough firepower, he also sports 6 hinged panels that expose pods with a crapload of missiles ready to be launched at some poor unsuspecting inferior toy.
That brings me to another one of the really cool concepts that Mecha Workshop has been talking about. With all of these well thought out ports, your Bellerophon will be able to be customized with interchangeable add-ons that they will be releasing. They’ve been talking about a triple changer Pegasus Drone kit that will come with its own docking station that can also be combined with Bellerophon’s docking stand. The Pegasus Drone will allow for different configurations including Jet Pack mode, Turret Weapon mode and Full-Flight mode. And this will just be the first of the Drone Backpacks, the plan is that these will also work with any of the future figures released by Mecha Workshop.
As a longtime fan of Transformers, Gundam, Macross, and numerous other awesome robot toys that have been produced, Armarauders is an especially impressive new entry to that world. They’re setting a new standard with quality, articulation and accessories that has me looking forward to seeing more from them.
Oh, and before I wrap this up, I’ve gotta mention the hands. Bellerophon sports some seriously great articulated fingers, I especially love the way the thumb is hinged. Awesome work Mecha Workshop, looking forward to watching this world grow!
Peace out!
