2014 Dai-X Action Figure

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Crash
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2014 Dai-X Action Figure

Post by Crash »

I'm stunned that we're getting it at all after 24 years.Roll on Kapow toys getting it for me.I think this version looks a lot more realistic than the 1980s efforts, which I like.I'll keep an eye out when I unpack it for the guns on the foot - Thanks for that one.If this gets a good response, I wonder whether someone somewhere will venture to produce an X-Bomber ship.
Dream big and bold and daring.
FZeroOne
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2014 Dai-X Action Figure

Post by FZeroOne »

You know, I hadn't considered that possibility... though if I had the choice, I would like a fighter carrier...
"The power of bakers, the power of artists; even the power of witches! It must be a power given by God... sometimes we suffer for it."- Ursula, Kikis Delivery Service.
Happosai
Posts: 179
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2001 1:38 pm

2014 Dai-X Action Figure

Post by Happosai »

A review of this figure has been posted over on an UK Anime Network (an anime website that I frequent).[Happosai]
FZeroOne
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2014 Dai-X Action Figure

Post by FZeroOne »

Another review at CollectionDX. Seems my fears about the toys fragility aren't entirely unfounded...http://www.collectiondx.com/toy_review/2014/big_dai_x
"The power of bakers, the power of artists; even the power of witches! It must be a power given by God... sometimes we suffer for it."- Ursula, Kikis Delivery Service.
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Crash
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2014 Dai-X Action Figure

Post by Crash »

Kapow Toys told me they'd get it at the end of September, peh.I'm pleasantly surprised how posable the thing is.I wasn't expecting the doors in the chest to open either but the great thing is how legtrax can lift up the legs in tank mode. It's like a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun.I think it would profit from some Gundam Marker just to darken the panel lines just to give it some change in colour tone.This reviewer comes across as such a whining mimby about the instructions. I can make them out from his photograph just fine.He's like half-a-dozen whinging Apple customers rolled into one.What's he driving at too when he says the chest cannons aren't accurate to the show?  All that happens in the last episode is that the doors open on the chest, exactly like on the model and there's essentially a featuress gun barrel behind each of those doors which is what you get there.So, how's it not accurate?I like his idea that jet engines should work in space as well.When I finally get this, what I think I'll need is another robot of comparable scale/size that looks as though the Imperial Alliance made it.



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Vanessa
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2014 Dai-X Action Figure

Post by Vanessa »

Well I finally got my Big Dai-X figure today from Kapow. It seems their stock took the slow boat from China...First impressions weren't that good, as he was a tad smaller than I was expecting, and one of the halves of the "X" on his face had become detached. Luckily it fitted straight back on. I also had a lot of trouble getting him to stand as he wants to tip over backwards due to not enough angle movement on his feet.Also I initially found the instructions a bit daunting as there's NO English at all, and the photos of the different stages are small, not very sharp and black & white, so it's difficult to see exactly what is going on. There are two additional small instruction sheets included to correct or add to the main instructions because these were insufficient somehow.The magnets embedded into the figure's limbs designed to grip ball bearings, to create "joints" is a bit bizarre, and not something I'm familiar with. It can make posing a bit difficult as only the shoulders have ratchet joints, the rest just rely on the grip of the magnets onto the ball bearings, and so he can't always hold poses or feel solidly held together. Saying that he is quite posable, and can attain some classic Dai-X stances quite easily.However, I am aware that I have a tendency to dismiss figures without giving them enough time in my hands, and so I decided to give it some more "play-time" and try and separate him into the three main ships. There are quite a few extra pieces supplied with the set which are required for the small ships, and I know some won't like this "partsformer" stance by the figure designer, but in this case I think it's necessary and allows greater realism of the individual ships.BrainCom first, this is a SMALL ship, and once I got over the amount of force required to separate the magnetic joint and remove Dai-X's head, I found it progressively easier to separate all the other magnetic joints on the rest of the figure. There is a small extra instruction sheet giving extra info on how to pull out each of BarinCom's "wings" from the sides of Dai-X's head. It is very fiddly and I guess it would be possible to break the parts (the one side of the "X" kept falling off, but was easily clipped back on), but I managed it in the end. Next was possibly the most fiddly part of the entire operation on the whole figure, which was to pull forward BrainCom's cockpit. Try as I might I could not budge this very small and delicate part. I was about to give up when I noticed that there is included with the set a small plastic prying tool! Yes! This is the first time I've come across such a thing in a toy/figure such as this. An actual "spudger" is included to help pry apart recalcitrant panels! And it is very effective indeed. Once I got my head around using this tool, I was able to utilise it to move BrainCom's cockpit quite easily and without risk of damage. Just wedge it under his nose and lever away! BrainCom is completed by adding the extra rear thruster piece, which covers the ball-bearing neck hinge and also has a small skid on it to allow the ship to "land" on it's three "feet" and not roll about.Next was MainBody. Once I had gleaned from the instructions that I had to rotate the waist so that the upper and lower parts were at 90 Deg to each other, it was possible to separate MainBody from LegTrax. The fists were easy to pop off, and flipping the shoulder pads down was also a cinch. Moving the cockpit forward and adding the extra gun that sits where BrainCom has detached in the neck area using the magnet feature are also easy to do. The next bit was really tricky though, and the instructions were precious little help here. Basically you pull the upper and lower torso pieces of Mainbody apart (they are held together by one of those magnets again), and in the small lower torso piece that comes away is a removable central cylinder that you can push out that has the ball-bearing glued into it. In the other end of this part is the shaped recess that the peg in LegTrax fits into. It's necessary to get access to this central cylinder part in order to rotate it by 90 Deg so you can attach the central skid (one of the separate pieces) for MainBody. Once you've attached the skid, you can push the cylinder back into the lower torso and re-attach it to the upper torso/shoulder part of MainBody. This allows MainBody to be able to sit on three skid-type "feet" when it's "landed" on a flat surface. Once I had figured this out, I was much happier, and prior to this I could not work out how to attach the central skid without bending and possibly breaking it.Finally to LegTrax. This is my favourite of the three and it's actually a fair bit bigger than the other two, especially in tank mode. Firstly, rotating the feet down and pushing them into the legs is fiddly but not too difficult. Next I used the "spudger" tool to assist in removing the panels from the backs of the lower legs. This revealed a recess which allows you to rotate the upper legs and waist part round and into place under the lower legs, quite neatly and cleverly. This effectively locks the two lower legs in place (something not really shown on the show itself). Then from the extra parts included, add the two small grey additional thrusters to the rear of the ship, using the magnetic feature. Lastly simply pull the small wings out from the side of each lower leg. You now have LegTrax in flight mode.To get to tank mode, remove the grey thruster parts temporarily, and rotate out the upper legs and waist part to reveal the attachment peg in the centre top of the waist. Then clip the tank tracks to this peg, and rotate them thru' 90 Deg and rotate the upperlegs/waist/tank tracks assembly back under the lower legs into the same recess as before, and make sure it's all snugly together. Nothing actually clips in place, but it all seems to hold together well enough using the magnetic joints. In this mode LegTrax looks the business! And dwarfs BrainCom in size!These three ships sat together on my table look like they've just flown out of an episode of Star Fleet! The paint apps are really detailed and crisp with only a few small areas of overspray or smudging. I guess that for ultimate realism to the show, they could do with some light weathering and a bit of light battle-scarring, but this is beyond my meagre painting skills and I know I'd end up ruining it, so mine's going to stay in pristine condition like the day they took shape in Dr. Benn's workshop/lab.Final thoughts: This little set has really grown on me the more I've fiddled with it. The realism is top notch, and is the most realistic Dai-X figure and three-ship set we've got to date. It's a bit on the small side, especially so as in this scale, BrainCom ends up very tiny. But the inclusion of the prying tool really helps with the transformation process. I've yet to combine them back into Dai-X, and when I do I can check out the one part of the set I've yet to try out. Namely the additional parts that should be inserted into the rear of Dai-X's heels. I didn't notice these before I separated him into the three ships, and so I hope that these extra parts will  make him stand more steadily and be less prone to falling over backwards. It also seems from the instruction pages that the prying tool's principal function is to facilitate the removal of these extra parts when going from robot to ships mode.Once I've tried this feature out, I'll post my further thoughts, but for now I'm really impressed with this great little figure, and it's a nice detailed display piece to add to my small collection of Star Fleet X-Bomber merchandise. Not up to rough and tumble play, but great for posing on a display shelf and looking awesome!We really need some Imperial Alliance ships for him to face off against now! Or maybe Caliban's Death Ball...



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Crash
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2014 Dai-X Action Figure

Post by Crash »

I've emailed Kapow a couple of times and watched the site on-and-off for months and the moment they get it, it's out of stock.I think I'm gonna have to relent and order this from Japan.
Dream big and bold and daring.
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