Dragonball Z Figures
Series 14, 15, 16
by Irwin Toys
Review
by : Troy
Brownfield
Catching
Up with Dragonball Z
As my
friends know, I'm really into Dragonball Z. I watch the show,
I'm digging into the manga, and I've been picking up the most
recent series from Irwin Toys. I was drawn to the most recent
series because they are all new, more poseable sculpts of
the characters, as opposed to the less dynamic imports. As
Irwin plans to redo several fan favorite characters, now is
a good time for interested parties to start snapping up the
three most recent assortments of basic figures before they
disappear.
Primer:
For the uninitiated, DBZ began as a manga by Akira Toriyama
under the named "Dragon Ball"; it was serialized in Japan's
Shonen Jump magazine, where it ran from 1984 to 1995. The
success of Dragon Ball drove sales of that mag up to 6.5 million
copies WEEKLY at one point. The American audience is largely
aware of DBZ through the fact that the anime series runs on
Cartoon Network, where it is hugely popular. If you want to
check out the manga, Viz Communications (www.viz.com)
is methodically issuing all of the graphic novels. Be aware
that there is a distinct division: manga and video labeled
"Dragon Ball" are for the first sixteen complete "chapters",
featuring Goku as a kid, while "Dragonball Z" features Goku
and his allies as adults in "chapters" 17 thru 42. There is
also "Dragonball GT", which features the adventures of Goku's
son Gohan as a adult (I know, I know. It's a lot to take in
all at once. I just wanted you to understand that with 42
volumes of manga, several hundred animated episodes, and a
metric ton of characters, we're talkin' a rich, full universe
here).
Figure
Overview: The first three newly scuplted assortments have
taken pains to backfill some missing, yet vital characters
from the previous installments. Several background characters
are included that were missed before. Also, each figure has
a "Saga" designation on the front to let you know which storyline
was the most vital for each characters representation. For
example, Raditz, the first enemy of the Saiyan Saga, has "Saiyan
Saga" printed on his package. Got it?
Also,
each of the figures is sculpted in a true-to-the-anime style.
The sculptors have taken great care to preserve the look of
Toriyama's terrific art.
One final note: I'm using the series numbering as they are
most commonly known. I've seen some places online that refer
to them as New Series 1 or what-not, but they've been commonly
listed by the numbering that I'll use.
Series
14
Though
generally available separately, you can get a three pack of
Raditz, Nappa and Master Roshi at Electronics Boutique, or
a four-pack of those three plus Garlic Jr. at Sam Goody.
Raditz:
The malevolent Saiyan has to be one of the most awesome
figures in the whole collection. Much of his presence comes
from his huge mane of spiky black hair. The power-meter ear/eyepiece
is an obvious accessory choice.
Nappa:
Another big Saiyan. While his character is pretty much that
of a sadistic brute, this is fairly elegant sculpt. Great
paint ops coupled with the eyepiece equal another solid figure.
Bulma:
Bulma is one of the older Dragon Ball characters, appearing
early on with Master Roshi, Yamcha, Goku and Krillin. My one
quibble with Bulma is that she should come with Baby Trunks
instead of the Ginyu Frog. Still, they've captured a great
likeness for her here.
Garlic
Jr.: The evil little bastard is done supreme justice in
this version. I love the way his huge plastic cape flaps behind
him, and the head is absolutely great. His left hand is clawed
to hold his Orb accessory.
Master
Roshi: Kame Sennin the Muten Roshi had his name shortened
to Master Roshi in the American version. The "invincible old
master" comes with his wise-ass pal, Turtle. Irwin did a great
job nailing the Master's glasses and eyebrows. Very well done.
Series
15
You might
have a bit of trouble finding these. They can be found most
readily at WB stores, Sam Goody and Electronics Boutique.
Frieza
II: The second incarnation of Frieza is one of two larger
figures in the assortment. It's worth noting here that Irwin
is doing an excellent job with scale; the guys who are supposed
to be tall are tall, the short guys are short, and the fat
guys are huge. At any rate, Frieza has a detachable tail and
good leg articulation. His arms don't move that much, but
he's still cool enough to make your whole planet suffer.
Burter:
The other big guy is one of the Ginyu Force. What can
I say about this guy other than he's appropriately massive
and warty?
Jeice:
The red-skinned, white-haired member of the Ginyu Force
adds a definite splash of color to the proceedings. Like Burter,
he's equipped with a power-meter eyepiece.
Yajirobe:
The hero that would rather eat than fight comes with a katana
and Korin, the feline inhabitant of Kame's Lookout. Positively
rotund, this is one of the fattest action figures since Toy
Biz's The Blob. And that's a good thing. This totally captures
the spirit of the character, even if it takes a good pound
of plastic to do it.
Chiaotzu:
Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find one. The cute little
telepathic guy that hangs around with Tien has proven to be
very hard to find.
Series
16
With this
group, Irwin is moving up into the main battery of heroes.
Series 17, scheduled for June, is supposed to go full bore,
including Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Android 17 and Android 18.
As it stands, this assortment might be my sentimental favorite.
Chi
Chi: The wife of Goku and the mother of Gohan is very
well done, but she's not real spectcaular. A definite must-have
for completists, but she's not the most striking figure in
the line.
King
Kai: However, King Kai sparkles. This undertall yet voluminous
master is depicted beautifully. With his beatnik glasses,
whiskers and antenna, he's visually unique. He also comes
with Bubbles, the monkey that Goku had to catch to begin his
Kai training. As loyal Shotgun readers well know, Monkeys=Bonus
Points.
Dende:
The little Nemek that eventually becomes Guardian of Earth
has to be one of the best figures in this group. Packed quite
rightly with two Dragonballs, Dende is just one of those characters
that makes sense to have.
Future
Trunks: Vegeta's teenaged son from the future gets a great
figure treatment here. From the floppy hair to the sword and
scabbard, this figure is just about perfect. The Capsule Corp.
logo on the jacket is a nice touch, too.
Krillin:
And here we are. Krillin remains my sentimental favorite
character. Krillin (spelled Kuririn in the manga) represents
the age-old archetype of the small tough guy. I've said it
before, and I'll say it again, but you can never have too
many bald, ass-kicking midgets. He's my favorite of these
three assortments.
There you have it; an overview and catch-up. Of course, there
are other DBZ figure series out there, including shooters
and the impressive 12" line. And if Toy Fair was any indication,
there will be a veritable avalanche of product throughout
the rest of 2001. If you have an interest in checking DBZ
out on a basic level, catch in on the Cartoon Network, then
work your way out.
Find out
more about DBZ at www.irwintoy.com,
www.dragonballz.com,
and www.viz.com.
Troy Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews.
He's the Super Saiyan of action figure collecting. Email him
at psikotyk@aol.com
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