| EMSiA
MSN-04 Sazabi
Series: Extended Mobile Suit in Action!! (EMSiA) Title: MSN-04 Sazabi Release Date: 12/2006 Suggested Price: ¥ 1500 No. of Parts: 1 Sazabi figure + 21 parts Plastic colors: red, yellow, black, gray, teal (optics), translucent green Gimmicks: beam rifle, tomahawk, attachable blade for tomahawk, tomahawk with unremovable single blade, fist (2), open hand (2), saber hand (2), trigger hand (2), beam sabers, beam saber handles, open funnel (6), "deactivated head"
Contributor: Wagner Photography: Mwulf Date: June 19, 2007 The return of Neo Zeon led by Char Aznable in UC 0093 proved to be a serious threat to the Earth. Using research on the psycoframe technology, this mobile suit was developed to be used in conjunction with Char Aznable's Newtype abilities, this being utilizing funnels. Box art- Typical EMSiA box art, only this box is bigger due to the size of this figure. Colors- this figure comes in a shade of red that's dead on with the movie version, but the black colors on the body have been taken away. They've been replaced with various shades of grey. The MSiA itself stands about a head taller than most other MSiA.
The head this time around is connected to a ball joint on a detailed neck joint which connects to a ball joint on the top of the torso. The monoeye is more of an aqua green than a full on green, and the head itself is made out of a harder plastic, and a deeper red. It's sculpted more accurately than the first version of this MSiA. The now common "dual joint" for the head allows this figure to look almost straight down over the collar of the torso.
The torso's been completely revisited and redone. Now it has the ability to bend 20 degrees in every direction, as usual, and now the Mega Particle Cannon on the waist is on the pelvis, so the torso can now turn 360 degrees horizontally. The torso's mold is more angular and has a lot more detail. The backpack is molded in black and isn't removable to my knowledge, and is made of a harder plastic. The funnel pods don't have as wide of a range of movement vertically, but I suppose it's more realistic that way, and the closed funnels are easier to remove, and won't fall out when the funnel pods are closed.
I'm impressed. First off, all the black that was on the previous release has been replaced with various shades of grey. Elbow joints now have little plastic pistons painted in silver, and are of course, double jointed. The arm rotates where the shoulder joint, a circular piece, and the bicep meet. The shoulders are somewhat smaller than the first version but have the same range of movement similar to the EMSiA RX-78-2 figure. This time around, Bandai decided to include several handsets. 2 fists, 2 trigger hands, 2 saber hands, and two outstretched hands for making poses where the Sazabi is grabbing its beam saber handles from it's wrists. I forgot to mention, you can actually store the handles inside of the wrists, just like in the movie! Well played, Bandai.
First off, the legs are absolutely amazing. The skirt armor is attached to the pelvis with joints, so no worries about warped plastics. The upper legs borrow a cue from figures like the EMSiA RX-78-2 and the Dom and Rick Dom 2nd version figures, they rotate at the part which connects the leg to the pelvic area under the skirt. There's also additional rotation at the knees, and I'm unsure if the knees are double jointed, since the calves are so massive. However, the lower leg can bend 5 or so degrees at the knee, and the ankle articulation has been increased dramatically, so even more dynamic poses can be made with this figure. Yes, the famous Char Kick can be done with this figure. The heel and front most toe can be bent downwards as well. The legs are still as heavy, and keep this figure down well.
Beam rifle- Much larger than the first version, but molded out of a hard grey plastic. The only disappointment of not having any sort of red details on the rifle. Beam saber- Handles can be stored in the wrists. The blades are a translucent green, made out of a harder material than regular beam sabers (the same material that the Gabthley, Hizack, and Galbaldy Alpha sabers are made of). Tomahawk- One has a single, unmovable blade, and the other is empty, but can have a massive blade attached to it. Tomahawk (massive blade) - This simply fits into the empty Tomahawk, fixing the first problem of having two empty tomahawks, but only one massive blade for it. Made out of the same material as the sabers. Tomahawk (single blade)- This version of the tomahawk has one side regular, and the other side enveloped by a translucent green blade. This one is not removable, however, as the blade also covers the gray part of the tomahawk. Shield- The shield has a more angular design. It feels a little lighter, and is made out of a harder plastic, as is the rest of the figure. The empty tomahawk can be stored in this shield as usual, and the peg where the shield mounts onto the arm can be moved up and down about 1 or so inches. It's red with a black center and a Neo Zeon symbol painted on it in a saffron color. "Deactivated head"- This figure came with another head. This one has the same range of movement as the regular head, but this one is opened up to recreate the moment in Char's Counterattack when Char is getting into the Sazabi via the head (Since the cockpit is located up there). Funnels- This figure came with six closed funnels already in the funnel pods. This time, you get six open funnels as well, which are a harder plastic, and feature longer barrels. Mega particle cannon- This isn't really an accessory, as it's built into the figure, but it's still a weapon.
Pure mastery. This is hands down the BEST figure produced by Bandai so far. The entire figure made out of harder plastic, upgraded poseability, more (and accurate) accessories. What more could you ask for? Well, other than for more Extended MSiA. Even with the bland beam rifle, that's just a speck of dust on a Musai when it comes to this figure. Buy this figure, and you too will be amazed. Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars <<back to Gundam |
