When I pre-ordered the Bring Arts NieR:Automata 2B and Machine, I did it because I was interested in the new offerings from Square Enix. The looked nicely sculpted, the paint apps were beautiful, and the aesthetics appealed to me. But truth be told, I know absolutely nothing about the property. I just like good toys.
And for the most part, these are good toys. I say most because from a play perspective I find myself drifting over to Machine and even Pod more than 2B. She’s looks like a good representation of the character but the figure definitely has it’s problems.
First is scale, which I find myself waffling on since shooting the video review. The box touts 6-inch scale but the figure seems really, really tiny. Sure, superhero lines like Marvel Legends skew large, and even the SHF Widow towers over 2B, but the Black Series Leia lines up pretty well with her. But then you start noticing head and hand and foot size and it kind of blows the proportions down to a smaller scale.
Then her articulation scheme isn’t the easiest process. Mostly ball joints (or swivel/hinge/swivels) it’s too apt to turn limbs and parts at odd angles. In her leg alone there are 6 swivel points. But then the bicep is without a rotation point? Just odd. The shoulder have a hinge with a ball into the torso but it’s very hard to manipulate, especially with the torso wanting to constantly pop apart and the head peg slip out of the neck if you breathe too heavy.
But it’s an exquisite sculpt. Yeah, I said exquisite. And I even spelled it correctly without spellcheck. Twice. But then I misspelled “twice” just now. Twice.
Anyway, yeah, the sculpt is really dynamic. It feels very video gamey. Not a lot of paint but the design choices make up for it. I’m not sure if there is some kind of layering technique on the lady chest parts of if it’s some kind of magic but the effect is awesome, along with the use of translucent plastic for the hair. The dreamy face paint adds to the effect but there are a couple of black paint splotches on both of the heads I got. Can’t win them all.
EDIT: Apparently you can. I was just informed that the black dot below the lip is a birthmark. Well I’ll be damned…I fully expect to read that comment on the video twenty or more times now.
Accessories are nice. The sword splits under guard to make putting it in her hand easier. At least that was their plan as it’s absolutely unnecessary due to the hand being soft enough to open and place the hilt. That along with the kickass stand, ring, and Pod makes for a nice display piece. Just not a fun play piece.
But Machine is awesome. Great sculpt and paint, it feels like a sad robot that is just kind of there. The articulation is good. I feel like there should be more but Square Enix needs to keep working on the engineering a bit more. The hinges tend to work themselves apart as you use them. Not nearly as frustrating as 2B but it can be scary the first few times it happens.
DID I JUST BREAK MY IMPORT TOY? Wait, no. No. Okay, phew.
Package:
2B:
Machine:
Pod:
Alternate head:
Hand options:
Sword:
Pail:
Stand:
Comparisons:
Action:
