By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii
Giant Gorg and Manon Type by Sentinel (Available From HobbyLink Japan – HLJ.com)
Following the unboxing, here’s the review for Sentinel’s thoroughly amazing Giant Gorg and Manon Type toys. While I gave background from the series on the toys in the unboxing, I will be focusing more on the figures themselves in the review (so no need to worry about spoilers!).
Over the years we’ve had a fair few Giant Gorg related toys; most were okay. Sentinel had different ideas though, as they are not trying to make another set of Giant Gorg toys. Instead, they have made the definitive toys for the series, especially as they have focused on making both Guardians in toy form. As they are ostensibly brothers in terms of the narrative, it’s nice that Sentinel has made both of them. As such I’m reviewing both of the figures together.
Before I start though, it’s worth mentioning that these toys are actually a combined effort between Sentinel and T-REX. The latter is a toy designing company that has worked on all manner of amazing figures over the years. Sentinel has also done a few toys already with this company and they are all highly recommended. However, the Giant Gorg figures are really quite something else!
Where to start? — Gorg is a big toy. Clocking over 30cm tall, it uses a lot of diecast and is subsequently very weighty. The overall finish is also very close to the anime and the sculpt is superlatively good with it.
In terms of gimmicks and additions, the eyes light up (courtesy a switch on the head), you get Gorg’s impromptu cannon from the series (that also fires bullets) as well as the beam cannons he appropriates later on, too. The other nice addition is the various characters to scale; this include Yuu, Doris and the dog, Argos. Following that, you also have Zenon in the right cockpit. Both chest cockpits also open.
The main aspect to all this is that the articulation is very advanced, from the individually articulated fingers to the detachable hip setup. So the main thing to really understand is that Sentinel and T-REX have focused on making the final product feel incredibly faithful to the host work and coupled that with a ridiculously high quality threshold.
Manon’s Guardian is very similar to Gorg in terms of the overall figure but it comes with fewer weapons. You still get a Manon to scale as well as the Guardian’s terrifyingly powerful beam rifles, but not much else. The right chest cockpit also has a painted pilot figure but technically it’s the same as Zenon, as Manon doesn’t wear the same outfit in the series. The head, shoulders and overall colouring are also obviously different.
As they are a pair in the series, the fact that we have both of them finally is really quite amazing.
Both toys come with separate fixed pose hands, too, but the articulated hands are fantastic as they are.
In summation, these are probably the nicest mecha toys I have ever played with. From the spot-on sculpt, to the detailing and very sturdy articulation, these are both thoroughly amazing figures. The size and weight also help to hammer home what you are paying for.
The latter is an important point, as both these toys are expensive. Coming in at around 40,000 yen each, they’re a sizeable investment for any collector. Personally, I think they are entirely worth it. Even if you know nothing about the series, these are classic ’80s designs rendered in brilliant detail and you can play with them without fear of issues.
As such I am completely fine with recommending these toys to all and sundry. Seriously, these are some of the nicest toys ever made and make the various Hot Toys efforts feel distinctly lacking. So whatever you do, buy them now because in a few years these will cost an absolute fortune.
Disclosure: While I purchased the Giant Gorg with my own money, Sentinel sent me the Manon Type to review.
