Hi All, here's the (partial) review for the Gx-48 Big-O (still waiting for those extra "Bandai Japan Webshop Exclusive" parts due out Dec.)
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Box
Tray
Big O's arms connects via "locks", which is a good thing since if it were done like Mazinger's then the arms would rotate loosely. There's a hidden bicep joint that makes the arms rotate for poses.
BIG O! IT'S SHOWTIME!
BIG O! ACTION!
Big O's attacks (in the show, Roger Smith hardly ever "shouts out" the names of the attacks, except for the "Final Stage")
Chrome Buster (forehead beam)
Cannon and Missile Party
Parts swapping and attachment required.
Big O's finishing move - Sudden Impact!
Piston snaps in when the fist "hits" something.
Extra features:
Access for Roger's Car "Griffon" (to be included with the Webshop set).
Articulated fingers,
-C0ckpit access.
Comparison with Daimos and Gx-01R Mazinger
I have no idea if the scale is correct here as I don't have the data on Big-O's height in Meters, it wasn't listed in the Super Robot Wars Z mecha directory.. strange.
Display base
Under side of the base says "Cast in the Name of God, Ye not Guilty"
The Good-Weighs roughly 500 Grams
-Good amount of articulation, especially with the "pop out" joints.
-Working "Sudden Impact" gimmick is sweet!
-Extra "hidden" rotation joints in the biceps were a nice surprise.
-Diecast amount is decent, mostly in the torso, shoulders and thighs.
-"Working(?)" pistons in the legs (you can see them when you lift up the toy).
-Hidden mid-torso joint.
-Groin joint (not pictured) and knee joints shaft out for more poseability.
-Big O Stands roughly 8 and a quarter inches tall.
With the legs and groin joints pulled out he can stand up to 9 inches.
The Bad-Diecast has been kept to a minimum
-Vac-metal/non-diecast pistons for the "Sudden Impact" might fade over time in display.
-"Golden" vent on the chest plate scratches very, VERY, VERY easily (be mindful of this folks!)
-Not much else to play with (for now).
-Can't really do the "blocking" pose like in the Anime(minor quibble).
The UglyWell... not really much to gripe about with the toy per se other than the Bandai going the way of "Webshop Exclusive" for most of the accessories and not offering it to folks outside of Japan. I mean c'mon, the show hardly was considered a hit in Japan but was a major hit in the US and they pull this stunt? Not thinking things out well here, Bandai...
In conclusion, it's a fair enough SOC but I wouldn't exactly put it in my "top 15 SOCs" list. The SOC Big-O by itself isn't too bad, but it's the thought of the missing accessories that "hurt" this release more than anything. The "lesser" gripe would have to be the lack of diecast from the knees down (not too sure about those inner leg pistons though if they're diecast or not).
FunFact : According to HLJ, the designer of the Big-O Mecha personally oversaw the makings of the SOC toy.
Hong Kong Crystal item. Fortunately, the etching seems more well defined now than what they did with the Gx-45 and Gx-47 crystals, those were hard to photograph.
Gold
keeping the site active as a place to dump info for easier backtracking. 