Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Convertors Defender Wheels

Wheels 8

Completing the Dorvack mecha trio, I finally have the mini Henkei-type Mugen Calibur (or Wheels, if you prefer its Convertors namesake.) The version I have here is actually the Takatoku/Mark original Japanese version, as it has the chrome stickers & a Mark stamp on the bottom.

Wheels 7

Wheels' bio reads:

"Rugged and swift, converts into a jeep that is able to cruise over rough terrain while seeking invaders that may have landed in areas undetected by central computer or other Defenders."


Out of all the Dorvack mechs, the Mugen Calibur definitely has the most personality (In that he doesn't have a mono-eye like Chopper, or the physique of a gorilla a la Tanker.) Aesthetically, he's second only to First Track.

Wheels 6

Unfortunately, he's somewhat lacking articulation. Only the shoulders articulated, which normally wouldn't normally be a problem, but the gun is clearly meant to be two-handed, so it looks a bit silly when held in a "firing" position (hence why I have it mounted on the back of the figure in the other photos. Also, I personally believe there's no reason why they couldn't have incorporated jointed hips and knees, which would have shot this figure straight out the the ball park.

Wheels 5

The transformation is...interesting. You would think they would have used the kind of sliding/telescoping joint in the hips that most transforming robots used...but instead, the legs are joined together by a metal bar & they basically just dangle there when they aren't tabbed in anywhere. It's not bad, per say...just odd...

Wheels 4

However, the tranformation is satisfying enough. Once you get everything tabbed in place, it holds together pretty well.

Wheels 3

The vehicle mode is something of an oddity. It's clearly supposed to be some sort of military off-road vehicle, akin to something like a jeep. If the scale (around 1/72) is to be believed, however, it would be more similar in size to an armored truck. Apparently the actual animation model is equally awkwardly large, so I guess it's not that big a deal.

Wheels 2

All scale issues aside, the vehicle mode is actually pretty nicely detailed. The chrome-sticker headlights and windshield are nice touches, as are the molded driver seat and steering wheel. There are also some grenades molded in gray plastic on the side of the vehicle, which ironically look better in vehicle mode than in robot mode.

Wheels 1

I actually had a very difficult time coming up with things to say about this figure. It's the flagship mecha for Dorvack, and is definitely the most interesting to look at...but there's something kind of bland about the figure itself.

I'm torn between 3.5 and 4 out of 5. If you're a fan of Dorvack, this is probably the cheapest incarnation of the Calibur you can come by, but be warned: it's basically a transforming statue with moveable arms. If it's Dorvack you want, I reccomend Chopper over this guy.

Tokusou Kihei Dorvack

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