Kaiyodo's Fraulein Revoltech Series No. 10: Yoko (from "Gurren Lagann") Figure

I've heard of Kaiyodo's Revoltech and their mecha (robot/machine) articulated figures. Unfortunately, I had no interest in owning any robot figures ever since the fourth grade. However, when I heard that Kaiyodo was debuting what they called "Fraulein Revoltech" figures, I was intrigued. "Fraulein" is German for "young lady". Kaiyodo's Revoltech line features monthly releases of approximately 6-inch action figures of female characters from well-known anime, illustrators, and video games. The man behind the sculpts of these (Fraulein) figures is Tomohide Enoki. Revoltech Fraulein figures utilize the "E.L.F." joint system in combination with Revoltech joints allowing their figures to make a variety of poses. When I heard news of the Fraulein Revoltech series introducing Yoko from the anime "Gurren Lagann," I knew I had to get my hands on one.


Background Info:

Yoko is a 14 year old girl who comes from the neighboring village of Littner. Her underground village was originally an arms depot which caused some sort of toxic atmosphere forcing the villagers to the surface. Unfortunately, like a fish jumping out of one frying pan into another, the villagers would come to face another hazard, Gunmen. Gunmen are mecha (robot/machines), individually controlled and piloted by Beastmen. These Beastmen are charged with the indiscriminate slaughter of all humans who reach the surface. Yoko is the undisputed master of the sniper rifle, which she uses all the time in her battles against the Gunmen. She is well-known for her sexy appearance: bikini top, short shorts, scarf-like neck covering, pink stockings, and over-sized boots with large zippers.



The Good:

• It's Yoko from the anime "Gurren Lagann"!

• Yoko has a total of 23 points of articulation!

• She comes loaded with accessories: 2 interchangeable faces (1x smiling face and 1x angry-looking face), 2 front hair pieces (1x front "regular" hair piece and 1x front hair piece with goggles), a superconducting sniper rifle, 2 sniper rifle stands (1x "folded" and 1x "opened"), 9 optional hands, and 1 figure display stand.

• The details on Yoko are simply amazing: the scarf-like neck covering, her flowing red hair, her sizzling bikini top, and even her short shorts! I was impressed with the superb detailing on Yoko's belt (especially the metal studs that go around the entire belt).

• Don't get me wrong, but the sculpt of Yoko's hips, bust, and butt are superb!

• All of Yoko's optional face and optional hand parts fit perfectly and fit quite tightly.

• There's something about the sculpt that makes Yoko look very cute in any pose.

The Bad:

• Yoko's goofy-looking smiling face is the only bad thing about this entire figure. Pictures of her smiling on the packaging and on the Internet don't look as goofy. But trust me on this, in person, it really looks weird.

• I had a really hard time placing Yoko's optional hands onto her plastic stumps due to her joints. Each time I almost had the optional hand in, the joint moved at the last second, forcing me to repeat the entire procedure (yes, the amount of skill and patience does make it feel like a procedure).
  

• Despite all this, Yoko has a hard time standing up on her own. I suspect this has to do with Yoko's long red hair and quite possibly her small feet. However, at least Kaiyodo was savvy enough to include a display stand.
  

• Each time you move a certain joint (neck/legs/wrists/ankles), it makes a clicking noise. This is probably due to those Revoltech/"E.L.F." joints. It may be annoying to some and may mean nothing to others, but I just wanted to make note of that.
  

The Ugly:

• I really didn't want to write anything under this heading because I love this figure a lot, but there's unfortunately one small, but glaring problem. The "opened" sniper rifle stand accessory doesn't fit the peg hole of the superconducting sniper rifle. I nearly snapped the "opened" sniper rifle stand trying to fit it into the hole.

I purchased Kaiyodo's Fraulein Revoltech Series No. 10: Yoko from Hobbyfan.com for a total of $27.75. I've just checked their website and (no surprise), they're sold out of Yokos. I recommend searching through eBay for better deals (but be warned, there are lot of sellers out there selling counterfeits). I'd also recommend checking out Toyslogic. Just remember though, the two sites I've recommended usually charge cheaper prices when you pre-order with them. As a last resort, I'd check out bigbadtoystore.com if you can't purchase Yoko from the previous two online stores. Although they're pretty good about packaging and sending out item in a timely manner, they seem to charge a lot more for imported items.

NOTE: I DO NOT REPRESENT HOBBYFAN, TOYSLOGIC, OR BIGBADTOYSTORE. I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID TO MENTION THEIR NAMES. I AM ONLY RECOMMENDING THEIR SERVICES BASED UPON MY PAST EXPERIENCES WITH THEM.



Overall, Kaiyodo's Fraulein Revoltech Series No. 10: Yoko action figure is probably my most favorite from their line so far. The unbelievable amount of articulation and accessories makes this figure worthwhile. The only thing I hope sculptor Tomohide Enoki fixes is Yoko's smiling face. That and enlarge the peg hole to fit the sniper rifle "opened" stand. This is one hell of a sculpt that will please fan-favorites and female action figure lovers alike!