Article Number

RV0023

Author

Gerry

Toy Line

Gao Gai Gar

Manufacturer

Kotobukiya

That's right not Gao Gai Gar, (that comes later) but Gao Fai Gar. To be more precise Sozetsu Gokin Gao Fai Gar. Gokin meaning diecast, or metal alloy. Sozetsu probably an adjective for gokin. Probably something like Super Alloy, Heavy Alloy etc. But that's just an educated guess :)

Imported from Japan and fresh off the plane, the above box screams "Open Me!!" With all that lightning and animation on the front of the box. Gao Gai Gar is the last of the Brave Series anime programs and Gao Fai Gar is, if I get this right, the final version of Gao Gai Gar.

Now, I'm no expert on Gao Gai Gar but man this thing is sweet. Big orange "Dividing Driver"- attaches in place of a fist.

The tip is diecast on this weapon. (I was just told what the name of this weapon was yesterday from Zabgoth but I forget.) Apparently in the anime series this weapon generates a force field or time warp zone or some such that enables Gao Fai Gar and his opponent to fight inside it thus not allowing anything outside the time warp to get damaged ie; buildings, people etc. If anyone know's the name of this weapon post a follow-up. :)

The 2 pairs of knee drills are made of diecast. There is a smaller set of chest armor attachments that replace the set that come attached to the figure. The small set is made of heavy resin. The larger set of chest armor is made of resin and diecast.

The second smaller set of chest armor allow for Gao Fai Gar to have a particluar pose as indicated in the fourth picture on the left down from the top.

Gao Fai Gar comes with 3 different pairs of fists for different dynamic poses. This figure comes with tons of different points of articulation.

There is a smaller weapon attachment that attaches to the larger orange weapon. (I've yet to figure out how).

Gao Fai Gar by Kotobukiya is what's known as a "Garage Kit". ie; made by a small company in a garage somewhere in Japan. This only means that their numbers are limited and judging by the detail in the panel lines, which all look like it was done by hand, gives this toy extra appeal for me. The panel line details even on the accessories gives this a nice hand-made feel.

The Diecast content is substantial but most resides in the lower half of the legs. When one hold's the toy with the legs dangling, it feels like the legs are going to fall off at the hips but so far that hasn't happened. The remaining metal is a small strip of sturdy metal in the center chest section on both sides of the removeable chest armor. (Remember the larger chest armor pictured above contains metal)

The big Stealth Bomber wing attachement makes this figure extra awesome. I wouldn't want to tangle with this guy on the street :) The Stealth wing attachment is made entirely of plastic but it has retractible for lack of a better word..."wing tips"

Conclusions: This item is definately designed for collectors in mind. It has a lot of gimmicks and can look nice on display in a lot of different poses. However, make no mistake, this toy is very fragile.

In the course of doing this review I had to open all the boxes because the first box that I opened contained a broken foot at the ankle. This same one broke at the shoulder while I was trying to display it in varying poses. I guess the shoulder joint wore out. However since one toy arrived broken, it prompted me to open up the remaining inventory of Gao Fai Gar and thankfully none of the others were damaged.

I can't wait to receive my Gao Gai Gar!!!!

Gerry