Post by KingboyD on Aug 16, 2013 14:08:02 GMT -5
Either the search function can't go that far back, or the thread no longer exists, but I wanted to discuss this oldie but goody. I just got my hands on one after all these years. My first impression straight from the box? HOLY CRAP!!!! This thing is weighty and large. It has amazing details (paneling, opening hatches, details on the INTERIOR of cavities like the chest, guns that move separately all over its body). Truly a WIN.
Now the reason I wanted to bring up this figure is that I also own the original Clover toy. I really dug that toy. But after holding this SOC toy, my opinion is totally different. First off, let me say that I typically HATE to compare vintage with modern. Part of it is that the toy designs are typically so significantly different. The aesthetics are different. The vintage toys were designed to be affordable TOYS for young children. They were highly stylized creations of the anime robots. They "simplified" their looks to appeal to children. The SOC line is totally different. It is marketed as high-end collectibles. No children will be playing with these. They are carefully designed to capture the anime-accuracy of the robots. The scales are completely different in most cases. So comparison of the two is typically absurd.
HOWEVER...
The Irongear is as close as these two lines come. They are both roughly the same size (I did not put them next to each other yet, but I am pretty sure that they are comparable). They are also very similar in appearance. The vintage toy was not stylized. It was a relatively accurate depiction of the robot. So I feel that in this rare case, comparison is inevitable.
As soon as I lifted the SOC from the box, I nearly crapped my pants. This thing was HEAVY! The vintage toy is mostly plastic, with just a metal bar down the middle (if I remember correctly). The details on this SOC blew away the vintage. It featured additional opening panels with finely crafted interior mechanisms that were not present on the vintage. The hands were articulated. It just felt solid. And the miniature accompanying figures are much more detailed (and numerous). Its just a complete win, and an embarrassingly lopsided one. This toy can convince any dedicated vintage collector to give modern toys a try.
Now I am not going to give up vintage. And you still can't claim that one is clearly better to collect than the other. But this toy so impressed me that I had to throw this out there. I don't want this thread to turn into a discussion of vintage vs. modern. Please refrain from doing that because as I say, comparison of specific toys in almost all cases is just silly and misguided. If you don't "get" vintage, then you never will. Both sides have positives and negatives. Let's just focus on the amazing toy that this is.
Gold did a great review on this in the past - check it here:
www.robot-japan.com/gallery/item/gx-38-iron-gear-soc-2.html
So does everyone else that owns this love it too?
____________________________
EDIT: Oh, and here is a link to the vintage in case you wanted to see that too:
www.robot-japan.com/gallery/item/irongear-dx-2.html
Now the reason I wanted to bring up this figure is that I also own the original Clover toy. I really dug that toy. But after holding this SOC toy, my opinion is totally different. First off, let me say that I typically HATE to compare vintage with modern. Part of it is that the toy designs are typically so significantly different. The aesthetics are different. The vintage toys were designed to be affordable TOYS for young children. They were highly stylized creations of the anime robots. They "simplified" their looks to appeal to children. The SOC line is totally different. It is marketed as high-end collectibles. No children will be playing with these. They are carefully designed to capture the anime-accuracy of the robots. The scales are completely different in most cases. So comparison of the two is typically absurd.
HOWEVER...
The Irongear is as close as these two lines come. They are both roughly the same size (I did not put them next to each other yet, but I am pretty sure that they are comparable). They are also very similar in appearance. The vintage toy was not stylized. It was a relatively accurate depiction of the robot. So I feel that in this rare case, comparison is inevitable.
As soon as I lifted the SOC from the box, I nearly crapped my pants. This thing was HEAVY! The vintage toy is mostly plastic, with just a metal bar down the middle (if I remember correctly). The details on this SOC blew away the vintage. It featured additional opening panels with finely crafted interior mechanisms that were not present on the vintage. The hands were articulated. It just felt solid. And the miniature accompanying figures are much more detailed (and numerous). Its just a complete win, and an embarrassingly lopsided one. This toy can convince any dedicated vintage collector to give modern toys a try.
Now I am not going to give up vintage. And you still can't claim that one is clearly better to collect than the other. But this toy so impressed me that I had to throw this out there. I don't want this thread to turn into a discussion of vintage vs. modern. Please refrain from doing that because as I say, comparison of specific toys in almost all cases is just silly and misguided. If you don't "get" vintage, then you never will. Both sides have positives and negatives. Let's just focus on the amazing toy that this is.
Gold did a great review on this in the past - check it here:
www.robot-japan.com/gallery/item/gx-38-iron-gear-soc-2.html
So does everyone else that owns this love it too?
____________________________
EDIT: Oh, and here is a link to the vintage in case you wanted to see that too:
www.robot-japan.com/gallery/item/irongear-dx-2.html