This time he is reviewing the Japanese Kabaya Food Gum + Convoy Sets. He is kind enough to go through all 3 different figures for your pleasure reading.
I just picked up the Kabaya candy figures and thought I'd give people the verdict. So far I only opened and constructed G1 Convoy so far, but he's great! His parts were really easy to remove from the sprue and put together. Though he looked very tacky and plasticky to begin with, some kind of magic happened as I applied the stickers and he ended up really cute. He looks a little dodgy from the back, but then so does the full size figure.
His transformation is identical to the original except the forearms which have to be removed and reapplied, and his articulation consists of bending elbows and a rotating neck. His stickers were generally easy to apply but his face and headlights presented problems. I just quickly put him together at work but someone with a craft knife, a sticker tool and maybe some paint could do a better job.
Also, he comes with gum!
G1 Convoy pics:
And now for Henkei Convoy. This guy comes with a whole load of stickers and a whole load of parts. This meant he was pretty complex to put together, and not as much fun initially.
Overall, he's not as good as G1 Convoy. He's a severe partsformer (basically his arms and shoulders come off, split into three parts and get awkwardly reconfigured again), his head is (barely) held up by friction alone and his elbow articulation is nullified by his arm doors. Biggest complaint of all, the red of his stickers is a totally different shade to that of his plastic.
On the plus side, he looks okay in truck form, and fantastic in robot form. His legs rotate at the hips, and his arms at the shoulders and slightly at the elbows. Also his head can turn when it isn't faling down. His canopy can be stored on his back or held as a sort of shield.
Sorry about the crappy pictures.
Now for Star Saber.
Starsaber is (pun only slightly intended) definitely star of the show. Despite being based on a larger figure than the others, the boisterous bulkiness of post-Season 3 Japanese toys works to its advantage.
His robot mode looks absolutely fantastic! He's pretty well articulated with shoulders, elbows, a turning head and hips that don't swing but do splay. He can hold his sword or stow on on his back and his head is made up of no less than five seperate pieces. He looks good even before the stickers are applied and when they are applied; he's awesome.
There are a couple of downsides. His stickers are incredibly fiddly, to the point where a magnifying glass and some tiny tools might help apply them (I used his sword, which is why his eyes and cockpit are a little wonky). Also his jet (?) mode is good, but the sword across the back looks a little awkward and his head jutting up looks downright odd. Also he has the same red issue as Henkei Convoy, although this only really applies to the crest on his head.
So that's my thoughts on the three. For $3 figures, they're amazing, though my recommendation relies on how much they cost you to import and how much you want them. Also it depends on whether you are prepared to take the time to carefully construct them and maybe even paint them. G1 Convoy would be fantastic for collectors of Prime, or for those who just want a mini Prime, Star Saber is fantastic in his own right, and Henkei Convoy...didn't impress me too much.
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