It’s mid-February 2017, and I already have multiple figures in hand delivered in this first quarter of the year that are contenders for “figure of the year.” Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts Devilman Dynamic Classic is one of those figures. This is by far one of the best toys that I’ve had the honor of owning.
That’s a mouthful coming out of me. I can be super critical of toys, hating on the minutest of details and quickly throwing them in the box if unhappy. But. I love this figure. I mean love it. It is everything that I was hoping was advertised and more. The sculpt, the articulation, the design, the accessories, the plastic quality, the packaging — everything is perfect. And on that note, I could end this review.
But I won’t, you want more and I want to go on, and on. Bandai listed the figure at 8100 JPY ($71). I got him from AmiAmi at a discount for 6550 JPY ($58), and by the time he gets to me with shipping and import fees he’ll round out at $100. But worth every penny. When we bitch and moan about exclusive figures that Bandai throws out for the Japanese market that have next to nothing in the box and cost the same, it’s because we know they can make toys like this one — stocked to the hilt with amazing quality and a ton of swag.
And the swag in this box isn’t just extra hands, but wings and shooting things and a big-ass base. This is a huge base, on par with the bases that you get in a Soul of Chogokin (S.O.C.) box. This is totally expected and unexpected. Expected, because Devilman is part of an anniversary set (sold separately) with an S.O.C. Mazinger. This is part of an anniversary set based on the 1973 Mazinger Z vs Devilman crossover. I didn’t buy the Mazinger-Z as I have one, but the cost of it is 14040 JPY ($123). Granted, Devilman is all plastic, but still — for the price of a standard Figurarts you get all this? Sign me up for more.
The figure is amazing, really. I thought about writing tons and tons about what this figure looks like but I’ll let the pictures do he talking; there isn’t much more that I can add. The design of the figure is based on Go Nagai’s ’70s Devilman that appeared in Manga and Anime incarnations. This is not based on Nirasawa’s Devilman, it channels the early anime. Many of us got to know Devilman from the late ’80a OVA and then delved deeper into this insane universe. You don’t have to know anything about the Devilman world to enjoy this figure, but when you buy this figure, curiosity will lead you down a cool path.
The articulation on this figure is perfect. Perfect. There is no hindrance in any of the joints and it has ever single joint I could ever want in an action figure. And they all work. This is an amazing action figure.
As a collector of 6-inch action figures you should have this action figure on your shelf. Even if you know nothing about the character, it is a beautiful toy to have. It will work well with any of your 6-inch action figures and is worth every penny that you spend on it. You can still pick this figure up here:
