H[yper]D[etail]M[olding] Souzetsu Rebuild of Evangelion II (Shokugan): EVA Unit 00 (Bandaged Version) Figure Review

Flavor Text:

Actually there's very little or almost none.  Besides, whatever is written on the back is in Japanese.  I've read the translation and it really doesn't make any sense but if you still want to read it, go ahead.  So moving on....




Sculpt:

First off, I can't emphasize how disappointed I was with ending up with the EVA Unit 00.  Why?  I admit, I'm not a huge fan of Rei Ayanami (she's the pilot of this EVA unit).  And her mecha (machine) just looks flat-out boring with the yellow-white-grey color scheme.  However, this figure is a "blind-boxed" item, so I can't really pick and choose which figure I want.  Insert "sad face" here.

Obviously, the sculpt on EVA Unit 00 isn't all that impressive.  Which makes me wonder why this item advertised on the packaging that it was of "Hyper Detail Molding".  I shudder when I think of what this figure would look like without the "HDM".  However, the sculpt of the EVA Unit's outstretched left-hand and the torso are visually impressive.  I'm also very pleased that the soles of its feet actually have some sort of detailing rather than the typical "Made in Japan/China" stamp.




Articulation:

EVA Unit 00 has no articulation whatsoever.  All of its parts have been molded and cast into pre-posed pieces.  However, the overall pose is very dramatic, especially if you have the right diorama or backdrop. I'm guessing its pose is relatively accurate to a particular scene in the Evangelion anime (I've only seen the original anime, not the "Rebuild" version).




Paint Application:

There's a few slops of paint here and there.  A few "misses" as well but then again, this is a gashapon toy, so we really can't sweat the details.




Accessories:

Does a one-sided black and white "instruction manual" illustrating a totally different figure count?  But seriously, there's a translucent stand (not really sure why it's even needed as the figure's pose already gives it maximum protection from tipping over) and yes, a piece of gum or candy.  No, I'm not putting that in my mouth.  This figure was produced 2 years ago!




Packaging:

The EVA Unit 00 comes in a small thin (yet somewhat sturdy) cardboard box.  Each individual piece of the figure comes packaged separately in a little "baggie" that's connected to one another.  This somewhat keeps the already sturdy PVC figure parts from being crushed and bent out of shape (I think).  Almost the entire box is covered in (touched up) photos of the figures that you may find within.



Price:

Economically packaged or waste of space?  You decide.

I got this through a "New Years grab bag" type sale from J-List or J-Box.  All I can say is, don't purchase these "grab bags": because almost all of them are things I would never have purchased.  It seems, the items that were included in these "grab bags" are crap they couldn't sell or get rid of otherwise.  I'm not bitter (okay, so maybe I'm just a tad bit.... annoyed), but those are the facts.



The Good:

* Dramatic pose.
* Clean sculpt.




The Bad:

* No articulation (but that's expected for this type of figure).
* Minimal sloppy paint applications and stray marks.




The Ugly:

* It's a gashapon "blind-box" figure, what did you expect?




Score:

Score: 2 (out of 5)