Sunday, July 10, 2011

Cheap Ass reviews: Microman Devilman (animation version)


hey kiddies! since i'm in a good mood for buying this thing for 350php (roughly 8 bucks) thought i'd give a review  for this, the 2004 Micro Action Series Devilman Figure (Animation version)


i haven't really seen anything about devilman other than the original manga. it left me confused but it had wonderful art by the character's creator, Go Nagai. to be honest i would have wanted to come across that version (which came with selene) as seen here but this one is pretty nice in it's own way. 


sculptwise it's mostly the base body they used for most microman figures in 2004, with only a new headsculpt, new forearms and calves and a new crotch, all done to emulate his anime look.he also comes with some hinged wings on the back. so overall it's mostly smooth and not all that eye catching in detail but the face sculpt i can appreciate. it's simple and fairly accurate to the anime look of devilman, not as disappointing as say, micro action chun-li or sakura.

 there's a lot of visible screws here, it annoys me how they breakup the sculpt on some points, but hey that's what you get for having a mostly ABS plastic construction. i wish there were some filler pads i could stuff in there to hide them. at least i'm thankful he doesn't crumble to bits like other microman figures.


paint-wise there's not much. most of it's already molded in the final colors which i'd have to say is a very nice matte shade of  aqua that's very easy on the eyes. detailed with red to salmon colored stripes on parts of the body which contrast well with the aqua. the head crest and crotch are black and dark blue respectively which stand out from the rest of his colors, but not by much. the wings though which are huge and red, are real eye catchers and break up the dullness a bit. 



articulation is what you'd expect from a microman figure, 32 points of articulation (wings included) that works with a minimalist design aesthetic, that means a range of motion that's not obstructed by things like sculpt or clothing, which is more than i can say for Dr.Strange in the accompanying picture above. 

BUT, it is not without his flaws. for despite being a freshly opened figure with mostly tight joints the ankles are very loose and have difficulty holding some poses well.
 might have to apply some clear acrylic there to tighten it up after this review. it really lets you down because the ankles carry a lot of the weight, and with the addition of the unwieldy wings it makes standing devilman up a fiddly task. pretty frustrating at times.  


in the accessories department there's not much. just some extra hands that are common with other microman figures, and lack any distinct character in themselves(as compared to say, Micro-Action Catwoman and her bonus claw hands), and a stand. that's it. i suppose the wings count as an accessory but they're really essential parts to the body. 


height wise... he seems small. kinda underwhelming if you ask me. the height is not intimidating in the least. 

:|




Overall: for a rummage find it's pretty good, actually. and it's definitely a fun, sturdy figure to play with. i'm glad to have found it at the price i did and i'm pretty satisfied. but if someone offered me the same thing for something like 20 bucks i'd pass. for  that amount i'd expect a lot more. if not in the paint department then at least in the sculpting department. which is why i'm hoping to find the 2-pack manga versions next. i'll be keeping my eyes peeled, but as for the TV version, it's satisfactory but forgettable at best. if you're a fan of Go Nagai  or devilman (or just his looks) you should definitely get it, otherwise, don't bother.

and that's it, pretty much. 
now 'GIT! 




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