Toy Review: Super Robot Chogokin MagiKing

Previous catalogs and magazine scans probably gave a lot of publicity to the SRC Magiking. Even the displays on Tamashii Nations event looked awesome. I haven't seen a lot reviews prior to me purchasing one so I had to see it for myself the difference at hand against the three released Sentai Robots in the SRC line.

At the first glance, I'm actually impressed on the design. MagiKing is more humanoid and the proportions are very similar to the super hero series. The paint apps are stunning with a mix of metallic, glossy and matte finishes. These blend perfectly on MagiKing. You may think at first that the design is without hiccups. Guess again.

Though you can raise both arms, the shoulders don't move forward as most humanoid designs do. Secondly, because of the accents beside the hips, these won't allow much of a stretch such a doing the splits unless your aim is to break the leg. Even with that said, at least the arms and the ratchet-induced knees do help a lot.

Finally, the legs are perfectly solid in holding MagiKing's weight (wings included). But I wish that the feet have been given more room to bend for those action poses.

MagiGaruda's wings on MagiKing plugs in and acts like a backpack with different levels of articulation. It is nice to have these on the wings but not that obvious on MagiKing. Most of the time, I was starring at these and keep on asking...then what?

There are also hinges on the hat but it usually blocks the eyes. I understand what the intention of Bandai and guys in Tamashii Nations on this, but again it wouldn't be that obvious to those who are playing with it with such frequency.

Since he looks like a humanoid, the accessory count can be compared to S.H. Figuarts. This includes a huge KingCalibur. He has several hands enough to take on different action poses. Lastly, Bandai threw in a magic disc effect. The printed plastic material is nice coupled with a sort of business card holder. It mentions on the box that a Tamashii Stage Act 5 would complete the look, I wonder why it wasn't included. The disc would look odd on the set, but at the very least, I used my imagination to work around it.

SRC Magking for me maybe the best looking robot chogokin as of this post, but with its beauty, lacks the articulation seen in previous releases. The joint on the hat moves but covers the eyes. I'm actually having a hard time finding the eyes behind my DSLR. Other limitation in movement are on the shoulders and legs. But at least the legs are on ratchet joints covered in die-cast shins that helps the figure become more stable carrying the weight of the wings and the upper body. SRC MagiKing is short of a KFC ad, looks great but not that finger-licking good.