Beast Saga Blind-Boxed Action Figures
Item No.: BS-38 Manufacturer:Takara-Tomy Includes:Sword, shield, 2 dice, trading card Action Feature:Dice launch out of stomach Retail:525 yen (or about $7) Availability: March 2013 Other: Also translated as "Guereu" early on
I had a frog Battle Beasts figure as a kid, so the new Guarl was another one I was excited to see. Granted, he doesn't have a pointy arm, but the armored look to the figure is both comical and regal all at once. The grey outfit looks great against the bright green skin of the frog, and the paint job is great. Oh, and it smelled pretty funky when I opened it. This definitely has a nice huffable odor for the youngsters, so I had to leave it in another room for a few days.
His joints are nice and tight, with the froggy fellow articulated at the shoulders and hips. You can put stuff in his fists, and the dice launch right out of his stomach, just like the other ones.
The painted figure is great, and I would say is one of the most striking figures in the line. Bright, safety-orange highlights on his shoulders break up what's otherwise a drab light grey suit of armor. There are rivets over the ribbits, with nicely-sculpted guards on his wrists plus quasi-cybernetic coverings for his feet. The crest on his head and eyes are all gold, and the black detailing on the eyes and mouth really make this guy pop. He's got a lot of personality.
For the bulk of 2013, it really felt like Beast Saga was more or less done and over with. There wasn't a lot of action there, so the big beast trend that was on the horizon since 2013 more or less blew up between August 2012 and March 2013, with a few stragglers left. Of course, maybe there are more on the horizon, but it seems most of the lines did what they were going to do and moved on. This was probably one of the best of them, as it's goofy and fun with a decent animal head on his boxy shoulders. Go and buy one if you like frogs or 2-3-inch animal figures, as I sincerely doubt you'll find a better one released this year.
16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal. We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.