"Where are we going? Life, the timeless, mysterious gift, is still evolving. What wonders - or terrors - might evolution hold in store for us in the next ten thousand years? In a million? In six million? Perhaps the answer lies in this old house in this old and misty valley..."
..in this action figure...

Gwyllm Griffiths comes from the episode "The Sixth Finger", from the first season of The Outer Limits, and aired on October 14, 1963. The story concerns a dumb peasant boy who allows himself to be subjected to some evolutionary experiments that basically hurl him thousands of years into his "biological future". In other words, he doesn't actually travel through time himself, but his body undergoes the changes of the species as it advances through the generations, one of those changes being the addition of a sixth finger, for added dexterity. The entire episode is viewable online. Here is part 1:

Gwyllm Griffiths is another one of those figures that I never cared much for until I actually owned it. On the surface, it doesn't look that spectacular. It's just an egghead with an extra finger on each hand and a boring all white costume. But perhaps because of it's almost antiseptic appearance, the figures really stands out from the rest of my monster toys. Perhaps moreso than any other figure I've got, this one just screams "SCI-FI" more than horror.

As you might expect, the head sculpt is once again phenomenal. Even if they weren't set so far back into the skull, I think those eyes would show a depth rarely seen on a toy. There is some real emotion in these eyes, from sadness to arrogance and contemplation.

Unforunately, perhaps because he has just a bald head, the seam lines across the top of the cranium is a bit more noticeable here than it might be on other figures. Still, it's not a huge distraction.

The hands are unremarkable, excepting of course, the addition of the sixth finger on which the episode is named. The costume, a simple white patient's uniform, is well made and features buttons along the right side of the figures torso. These buttons appear to be old fashioned from the outside, but underneath have metal snaps. A pocket is also sewn into the left breast. The pants have no real distinguishing characteristics to speak off and the black shoes are removable. All in all, it seems to be an accurate representation of the character from the episode.

The only accessories included with this figure are two books: "Descent Of Man" by Charles Darwin and "Bach: Preludes For Piano". They are rather large so I don't bother displaying them with the figure, but he can hold them if you so desire.

The packaging matches the other releases from the line. A black and white photo adorns the front cover with pertinent episode information on the inside flap.

Although he's using the "wrong" finger, the image on the back looks rather, uh, dismissive. Who knows.. maybe customs, and hand gestures, have also changed 10,000 years in the future.

"A war between worlds had long been dreaded. Throughout recent history, Man, convinced that life on other planets would be as anxious and belligerent as life on his own, has gravely predicted that some dreadful form of combat would inevitably take place between our world and that of someone else.

And Man was right."

"Nightmare" was an episode of the classic science fiction program "The Outer Limits" and aired during the first season, on December 2, 1963 to be exact. The episode featured a young Martin Sheen as an Earth soldier captured by an advanced race of aliens from the planet Ebon (pronounced with a soft "E", like "Eh Bon") and separated from his fellow soldiers for questioning.

In 2002, Sideshow Collectibles (then still known as Sideshow Toys) released a series of 12" figures to commemorate the classic program. In addition to the Ebonite Interrogator, there were the Zanti Misfits from the episode of the same name, Ikar and Ikar's Soldier from the episode "Keeper Of The Purple Twilight", Gwillm Griffiths from the episode "The Sixth Finger" and The Helosian ("O.B.I.T.") and Andro ("The Man Who Was Never Born"), who were sold together as a set.

Originally, I didn't care too much for the box art for these figures, but over time I'm come to like it a lot. It's simple, but really evokes the feel of the show. The front lid opens and a ton of information about the episode (a synopsis, production notes, cast and crew) is printed on the inside front cover. Across from that, the figure is visible throw a plastic window as it rests in it's tray.

As with most of these types of figures, a fully poseable generic doll body is used along with character specific designs for the head, hands, costume and accessories. I can't say enough about the sculpt of the head of this one. It is PERFECT. This guy looks like he stepped right out of your TV screen and onto your shelf. Even the paint applications on the head perfectly highlight the ridges of the creatures skull without being distracting or overstated.

The hands are also well done and are molded specifically to hold the characters included accessories. The interrogation wand fits snugly in the left hand while the right hand can hold the mind control device.

The costume is simply but effective. A plastic collar circles the neck and a black outfit, highlighted with light purple, covers the rest of the body. The wings of the are large and exaggerated, running literally from the ankles to the wrists, but are an effectively spooky addition.

If the figures fails anywhere, it's because the stand (included) cannot really wrap around the figures waist without compressing those wings against the body. The back of the costume can be unbuttoned so that you can insert the metal clamp around the waist under the costume, but you have to really pull it down a bit farther than it goes naturally to do it. Still, I think it's the best way to display it and if it stretches out the costume too much over time....well, so be it.

I really like this figure and am glad it never really shot up in price. I got mine for about $10-$15 on Ebay not long ago, along with the Gwyllm Griffiths (review forthcoming). I would highly recommend these to any monster or sci-fi fan.

The Ebonite Interrogator was limited to 5,000 pieces.

1/24 Mobile Police Patlabor (The Movie) AV-98 1st is the best Japanese toy I have had the pleasure of handling to date. HD VIDEO included.

Review sample provided by Angolz.

This is the 1/24 Mobile Police Patlabor (The Movie) AV-98 1st by Yamato. Read that carefully and memorize it because years from now it will be the toy you will wish you had bought when they where still on the shelf. Your not a Patlabor fan you say? No matter, if you are any sort of robot fan you will want one. I'm just going to cut to the chase and I'll even bold it for you.

As of July, 2009 I declare this to be...

Please note: This statement will of course be completely rescinded the moment someone one comes along and ups the “toy tech” ante, but it may be awhile before that happens...Thank you.

Honestly no amount of talking, writing and nerding out will convey how truly amazing this piece is. So just watch the video...

Still here? OK.

Mobile Police Patlabor was originally a 6 episode OVA released in Japan starting in 1988. The success of that series spun off a number of films, a full run TV show, and a secondary OVA series. The Patlabor mythology is long. If you would like a complete breakdown you can always hit up Wikipedia.

This is the AV-98 01 from the first movie as piloted by Noa Izumi and is designed and manufactured by Yamato to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first film.

The box is enormous! Which makes sense considering the toy inside is close to 14 inches tall. There is no window-box on this release. It's as if they decided to go back to a more old-school style with original artwork on the front and photos all over the rest of the box.

Open it up and the manual sits on top of a Styrofoam coffin taped down in a plastic bag. Crack the box open and the figure's wrapped in silk.

Yep, you read that correctly, it is wrapped in silk. As if to say, “We know this is so magnificent it must be protected from mundane packing materials.” Well what was wrapped in the silk was stunning...

The first thing you notice is the sheer size of the thing. The AV-98 stands 14 inches tall from bottom of it's feet to the top of the antenna array. The body is a metal endo-skeleton wrapped in cloth (more like a leather like feel than cloth actually)and the white armor panels attached over that. The plastic used for the outer pieces feels like quality plastic. The fit and finish on this is flawless really.

Paint detail is exacting and applied with precision. No detail is spared no matter how small.

The ratchet joints in the knees, elbows and feet all make a nice solid click when moved. The tension joints are nice and tight as well, holding any pose you can really throw at it.

The feet also feature a full range of pose-ability.

Range of motion is fantastic on this piece, allowing you to fully recreate any scene from the movie. Yamato even added back calf panels that sink in to allow you to pose it kneeling.

As for accessories. Well lets see, you get...

• A Noa figure with alternate head (angry face and smiling face.)


• A nightstick/baton (one extended made of diecast metal and one telescoping made of plastic.)


• A revolver for the AV-98 is also included. Yamato even went so far as to include tiny bullets.


• Removable riot shield.

This fine piece of Japanese engineering comes loaded to the gills with features and gimmicks.

The blast shield raises to cover the delicate head cameras.

The shoulder patrol lights actually light up and strobe.

Caution lights can actually be raised and lightup as well.

Both sets of hands extend at the wrists.

Hands feature articulated fingers. Joints on these are all nice and tight.

The cockpit opens to accommodate the fixed-posed Noa figure.

The seat also rises, the control sticks can rotate forward. You can raise the mecha's head, open the top hatch with blast shield, and have Noa look out of the mecha that way as well.

The right thigh plate opens to reveal a spring loaded holster for the revolver.

Left thigh plate opens to store spare bullets. Bullets can also be placed into the revolver.

And finally Yamato has included a working, spring-loaded tow cable as well. A button on the bottom of the unit activates it.

It's all quality stuff here. The fit, finish and attention to detail is just extraordinary. Yeah it comes with a steep price but quality of this caliber is few and far between. I meant what I said at the begining of this article. It is, as of this review, the very best that Japan has to offer in the way of toy/collectible technology. It gives me hope for future larger scale items like the SDF-1 Macross (announced) or maybe a 1/60 Zentradi Battle Pod (pure speculation on my part.) Get one while they're available at retail; I am positive the price on this piece will only rise to ridiculous heights once it goes out of production.

Review sample provided by Angolz.

Time to review Ran...er, I mean ... Ley (or is it Ray?!). Who knows, what I do know that it is more awesome goodness from Beagle and Toynami with the 2nd release in their Mospeada line. HD Video included!

M.O.S.P.E.A.D.A stands for - Military Operation Soldier Protect Emergency Aviation Dive Auto and is from the Japanese anime series Genesis Climber Mospeada which originally aired in Japan in 1983. While Mospeada has achived a bit of a cult-like status in Japan, most collectors stateside were first introduced to this saga and it's technology as the third generation of the Robotech Saga. Robotech really helped pave the way for Japanese anime here in the States and still holds a special place in old-school collectors' hearts to this day.

Today we are taking a look at the Beagle 1/10 scale Mospeada Armor Cycle VR-052T (Ley type) from Mospeada. This particular line is a collaborative effort between Japanese toy maker, Beagle, and American toymaker, Toynami. Beagle distributes under the Genesis Climber Mospeada brand in Asia and Toynami distributes it under the Robotech brand here in the States.

These two “different” lines are the exact same toy from the exact same manufacturing plant and from the exact same production runs. The only difference between them is: the language the manual comes in, the head sculpt used, and the box they are put in. That and if you're a stateside collector, you can get the “Rand”-named and Robotech-branded box and head-sculpt for an average of $50 less than the Mospeada counterpart because you don't have to pay the international shipping.

I had thrown my lot in on the Mospeada-branded Beagle-boxed version because having had seen photos in advance, I preferred the subtler line art style of the Beagle head-sculpt, so I will continue the tradition for the rest of the series.

The box for this is identical to the first: a window on the front with the name of the piece printed across in white and original artwork featured on the back. It's an interesting hybrid between the new-school “window-box” and old-school “sealed box/original art work”. The window lets you ohh and ahh at the craftsman ship, while the artwork is meant to inspire your imagination. That is a sign the toymaker knows what a toy collecting aficionado really appreciates.

This second release's box has been trimmed a bit and sits about an inch thinner. Inside all the parts and pieces are neatly arranged and entombed in clear, vacuum-formed trays. Besides the rider and the cycle you get in the box:

• Stand
• Galant Rifle
• Galant Pistol
• 3 spare hands (2 open hands and 1 gun holding hand
• Helmeted head (with working visor)
• HBT Canister

The Ley action figure itself is fantastic! The figure stands just shy of 8 inches tall and features more than 45 points of articulation. Now when I say action figure, I mean it. This isn't a “doll” or Real Action Hero style body. This is a very well constructed, highly pose-able, tightly-jointed figure. What's a nice touch is the cloth suit that covers the limbs of a hard plastic underneath.

It looks like they left a bit more room in the cloth on the Ley release than they did on the Stick, giving the suit a slightly less fitted look (almost baggy), which I think may be intentional – Ley wasn't military so the suit wouldn't have been fitted for him. The Mospeada armored cycle he uses was one he had claimed from a crashed supply ship from one of Mars Bases' failed assault attempts to reclaim Earth from the Inbit. It's a subtle nuance and not very noticeable unless you compare the releases.

The Armored Cycle Mode is equally as fantastic. Measuring 8 inches long and 5 inches high, it is the pinnacle of toy engineering, yet remains a solid, playable motorcycle. Rolling rubber wheels and all.

This bike is almost identical to the Stick release except the front housing on the right doesn't have holes to hold the Beam Cannon and new wheel guards/wrist guards. Ley features a beam cannon mounted to the right side and a blank shield on the left.

... and of course. The real test of a great motorcycle mode is whether or not the rider can properly “ride” the bike, and I am happy to say Ley can. You can get him posed on the bike and drop the diecast metal kickstand and let it sit there. Have a moment to play? Stow the kickstand and feel free to roll the bad boy across your desk (I know you want to...).

They even designed foot-pegs for the rider to place his feet on, something only one other manufacturer has tried (CM Corp) but the small tiny scale and fiddle bits made it impractical for all but the most patient of collectors. It's much more successful on this toy.

The bike is primarily high quality ABS plastic, with the engine block and joints being made of POM. Diecast metal is only used in the “arms” that hold the wheels in place, the collarbone hinge in the frame of the bike, and the kickstand.

Transformation seems a bit daunting the first few times you do it. However if you follow the clearly illustrated manual in the order it presents things it's not as fiddly as some have reported. Once you've done it a few times it's not bad. But it is a piece that requires attention to detail for everything to sit right, but the end results are fantastic!

The one thing I did notice that was different from the initial Stick release is some of the hinge joints are much tighter, allowing you to fold them out of the way and staying where you put them.

In Armored mode, the Cyclo.... er I mean, the Mospeada looks magnificent and stands at 8 1/2 inches tall. The thigh armor connects the boots to the rest of the mecha and the shock absorbers act as pistons for the arm guards. Both actually have range of motion built into the joints to work like a “real” Mospeada.

However should you want to disconnect them to extend range of motion on the figure for posing, you can.

Last, they have included an incredibly well thought out stand. Not only does it allow you to display the piece in either Cycle mode or Armored Mode...

...they also have designed a "footlocker" into the base to store all the extra parts and pieces.

A clip is included to attach it in cycle mode, allowing for angled posing without falling off the shelves. An "arm" is included for Armored mode, allowing either standing poses or mid flight poses.

You can also forgo the stand and just use the extendable part of the arm to brace the figure in action poses without the entire base.

Which brings up a point I would like to clarify from the last review. Apparently I was not very clear when I said he can't stand by himself without the arm.

As you can see they can be posed in a neutral pose without the arm, but understand that it is very precarious. It's not that the joints can't hold it all up; they're fine. It's that the design is too back heavy.

So I do want it known they can be posed without any sort of support, but I wouldn't leave them on the shelf that way. They're guaranteed to take a header sooner or later. Besides, with the stand, it makes it easier to fly it around your office... (Don't lie, I know you do.)

So yeah, once again I am strongly praising the makers of this toy and suggesting you get one. QC gets even better (when I didn't think it was possible) and besides we all know Ley was the cooler one, he did actually “get” the girl after all... My only complaint is, again, the big screw hole in the neck. Come on Beagle, fix that in the next two releases and include a plug for the first two.

I got my Beagle 1/10th scale Mospeada Armor Cycle VR-052T - Ley Type (Damn. That's a mouthful.) from our advertiser Angolz.com and I love them for it. Be sure to check the Gallery for more pictures and I have made a shiny new HD video for your bemusement which is embedded below.

One cycle ends and, sadly, another continues....

When I first bought the Remco Mummy, I thought it would be neat to complete the set and review them all in a row. That's not gonna happen, I'm afraid. Money's too tight and The Creature and the Phantom are too expensive ($400+). So for the foreseeable future, Frankenstein will be the end of the line.

As you can see, Frankenstein comes in a similar package as the Mummy with equally impressive artwork. Although the sculpt on the Frankenstein figure is better than the Mummy, it's still the box art that made me want to buy it. In my monster collection, these figures are left in the box and not displayed on their own. But I've seen some pretty impressive pictures taken of these toys, too, so maybe I just lack imagination.

(Not one of the pictures I'm talking about.)

Frankenstein wears a thin dark blue/black outer jacket and pants with a thick green turtleneck underneath. He really looks like he's all bundled up for the winter.

His shiny black boots are fine, but it would have been cool if they had a bit more of a platform style going on. Something for Franky to really stomp around in, y'know?

As with the other figures in the line, the hands and face glow in the dark and the "monster crush" action is present. Again, I don't have a good glow pic, but there's one on the box (and yes, Frankenstein is continuing the cycle of violence! Now I want a Wolf Man just to see who he rapes...)

The glow in the dark skull and crossbones ring is included again, as well as a unique Frankenstein iron-on patch.

So... anyway. What can I tell you that the pictures don't and that I didn't mention in the Mummy review? Well, apparently some (or all) of these figures were released in Europe by Ideal in different boxes. Oh and speaking of boxes, if you're looking for these on Ebay, you should know that repro boxes are out there. So if you see a box that looks too nice, it might be a fake. Or if you don't want to fork over the cash for a complete mib toy, you might be able to go the repro route; get a loose figure for cheap and add a repro box.

1978- Battlestar Galactica:
"The original Cylons were a warlike reptilian race that were eventually overtaken by their own technologically advanced androids. After the 1,000 yahren Great War, The 12 worlds of the humans also fell before these renegade unfeeling machines."

The original Battlestar Galactica ran from 1978-1979 (I have blocked out the 1980's episodes, as hopefully you did). The Battlestar Galactica movie and later series, released on the heels of Star Wars, broke ground and inspired a generation. It was easily in the top ten of my favorite childhood shows and I gravitate towards anything that bears its name and/or design. Majestic Studios released a 12" inch figure; however, this review involves Amok Time's release (I believe the cloth materials and the skirt are the only main differences I could find when researched).

The doll comes in nicely designed box which flips open to enable a viewing of the figure and accessories. In addition, it is covered with nostalgic graphics from the TV series. The Cylon Commander lies in a plastic tray with a stand, dagger, blaster, and blaster rifle. You may notice my blaster has a worn, grey, and scratched look. Honestly, I loath a weathered look if not universal (notice only on one of three pieces is used looking). Also, until I noticed it was on both sides of the blaster, I thought it was done during shipping and not by the manufacturer.

I paid 38 USD including shipping on Ebay and while that was a deal compared to Amok Time's web page...I would like to go back in time and [ahem] slap myself. The figure is a doll wrapped in black cloth with little bits of chromed plastic velcroed to it. Check out the silver version review, it is a bright shiny day next to my dark cloud. For the record, Sanjeev's review is informative, enlightening, and distinguished (he is an all-star reviewer and I am a novice at best). I just disagree on the inherent value of this figure...I created this review as a yin to his yang for perceptive collectors.

Thereby, forgive my diatribe and bias...it does look "cool" from far away and to other collectors it may be a "gem" in their collection. I will endeavor to end on a positive note. I liked the box.

A transitional toy for me.

Don't ask me why, but this is the item that made me feel like a monster collector and not just a guy with some monsters in his collection. There are certainly rarer, older and more expensive items you could aim for, but I just really liked the 9" Remco monster boxes and admired them from afar. Finally deciding to buy one somehow signified that I was now a monster collector instead of a robot collector.

Remco released two different lines of monster figures in the early 80s. One was a 3 3/4" set of 6 characters (Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf Man, Mummy, Phantom and The Creature From The Black Lagoon) in both regular and glow in the dark versions. (And of course, it was the glow Creature figure that was kitbashed into the recent Suckadelic Creature. But far more impressive to me were the larger 9" figures.

While the 3 3/4" figures were of course more in the style of the Star Wars figures of the day, these 9" versions had more in common with Megos. Except, they were more gimmick laden than those toys were.

In addition to being fully pose-able, with joints at the neck, waist, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles, each figure included a "Monster-Crush" grabbing action. Basically, the entire length of each arm is made of segmented plastic and when you push a lever on the back, they pull in like they are giving a bear hug.

On top of that, the head, hands and feet all glow in the dark. Now, my camera doesn't take good glow pictures, but fortunately, there are already some included on the back of the box.

If that's not enough glow for you, a plastic glow in the dark ring with a skull and crossbones molded into it is also included. I'm not sure what that has to do with anything, but it's in there. I believe that all 6 figures in the set came with the same ring.

But that's not all, either. They also threw in a small iron-on patch. Iron-ons were all the rage back in the day.

Of course, the downside to the figure is it's "wrappings". Being all one piece, it looks more like Mummy themed pajamas than real burial wrappings. Still, that's to be expected from a time when accuracy was much less important than play value.

And of course, perhaps the best part for the modern collector is the box, and that's one of the things that drew me to this line in the first place. Each box for the 9" Remco monsters has some fantastic artwork on the flap. So far, I've only managed to get The Mummy and Frankenstein, but I can't wait to see all 6 lined up together. Unfortunately, I doubt that will happen anytime soon, as the Creature and Phantom figures tend to command a premium for nice boxed specimens.

Feel the classic gokin love.

This toy comes from Nakajima’s short-lived Ultra Gokin line. Jo Kaisaka pilots Groizer X, the titular mecha from Go Nagai's semi-obscure King of the Sky Groizer X cartoon. Nakajima only made a handful of Popy-style diecast figures, which is too bad. They hit this one out of the park.

A lot of love went into this toy. Every part is beautifully detailed and precisely painted. The toy is 90% diecast. The only plastic elements are the helmet, belt, jet-pack, gun, and the two “handles” on the chest.

Jo comes with a few accessories: A removable helmet with clear plastic visor (!), a jet-pack, and a belt with a holster to carry his gun. The gun cannot be held by the figure. The best accessory, in my opinion, is the jaunty cloth scarf around his neck.

The jet-pack is nicely finished with firing rockets and clear plastic details. The light at the top of the pack looks like it should light up. There’s a Christmas-light-type bulb inside it, but I can’t figure out how it would turn on or where batteries would go. The pack securely clips onto two clips on the back of the belt.

The head is soft vinyl. Nakajima’s expertise with vinyl toys really shows on the head’s sculpt and paint apps, which are perfect.

The size of the figure is comparable to Popy ST toys, about 5.5" tall. Articulation is typical of contemporaneous gokin. The shoulders rotate, the elbows, hips, and elbows bend, but not enough to really do anything interesting.

The Nakajima diecasts are fairly common and inexpensive (at least loose), but I cannot understand why. This is easily one of the most soulful and beautiful toys I own.

Obi-Wan Kenobi once flew with your father in the clone wars.

Obi-Wan Kenobi. Legendary Jedi, but also a general for the Army of the Republic. We usually only got to see Obi Wan as the grizzled old hermit, or the young eager padawan.

The Clone Wars series showed us General Kenobi in action. Obi-Wan was not a general who issued commands safe from his bunker. No, Obi-Wan got right out in the front lines with the clone troopers, and did battle in the thick of it.

Perhaps more likely a show of solidarity than anything else, General Kenobi dons clone armor when heading out with his troopers. Its actually a hybrid mix of select armor parts and traditional jedi robes.

He looks pretty awesome.

As far as action figures go, you don't get much better than this. Old Ben is one of the most articulated and gimmick-laden star wars figure to ever be released.

Lets start with articulation. There are approximately 14 points of articulation. Ball joints at the neck, shoulders, elbows, knees, torso and ankles. Insane

Accessories include removable helmet, lightsaber, lance, and R4-J1's leg for the build-a-droid figure.

The helmet is soft rubber and fits over the head. The lance is included to replicate a scene from the clone wars animated series where Obi-Wan jousts with Bounty Hunter Dirge.

Parts of the figure are what we call "Soft Goods" - meaning the cloth cape and skirt. The belt is also a separate piece.

The one thing that keeps this from being one of the best figures ever is the head. The head sculpt is atrocious. If you can find a better Obi-Wan head, switch them and you have the perfect figure.

Saint Cloth Myth started in November of 2003 with the release of Pegasus Seiya. Like clockwork there has been at least one new figure added to the line every other month for 6 years. Can you believe they are just getting around to bringing the series resident damsel-in-distress to 7 inch tall glory?

Saori Kido is the physical incarnation of the Goddess Athena from Greek/Roman mythology in the Manga/Anime series “Saint Seiya”. Athena is reborn on Earth every 250 years to restore the balance of peace and bring hope when evil and darkness consume the earth. In the history of the Saint Seiya universe this cycle leads to repeated confrontation with her brother Hades whom is hell-bent (pun intended) on consuming the Earth in total darkness. For a complete and thorough breakdown of Athena in the series head over to Wikipedia.

Saori is this years mail-in premium figure. Bandai traditionally makes 1 or 2 figures available every year in a mail in campaign. These tend to be non-armored characters or less popular characters, giving fans the chance to get less popular characters without lots of product left over on the shelves.

Collectors cut out proofs of purchases from previous releases and send them in with an order form for the cost of shipping. These exclusives are generally only available to residents of Japan, however Bandai makes premium releases available outside of Japan thru retail. Saori came courtesy of Angolz.com.

This premium release came in a box identical to previous releases, simulating an antique book. However this release doesn't open and has no window either. I suspect it's because they have packed this release the to the gills with some real nice accessories.

Accessories that take up a fair amount of space in the box. Even with using the space in the box for maximum storage capacity it is still large. It is the same size as larger standard releases like Hypnos or God Cloth Pegasus. More on the accessories in a bit...

The guys over at Angolz sent the metal plate with this release as well (Thanks Ken.) The official Bandai plates are designed to fit the after market stands, giving them a metallic base. These serve no other function other than to jazz up your Saint Cloth Myth displays.

Some folks do collect these metal plates as well, each is packed in a nice foldout cardboard booklet with various stats. Unfortunately, in order to use the metal plate or token (the little round part, I don't use them) you pretty much destroy the package to get them off the cardboard.

Athena features an all new sculpted female body. What I really like about this release is they where able to keep the poseability the Saint Cloth Myth line is known for while making the bare limbs look natural. The arms are slim and the joints aren't to noticeable. Athena's dress is very well realized, with individual pleats sewn into the dress. Stitching looks very good as well upon close inspection. Honestly I am not surprised at this point. Bandai has been very consistent with the quality and level of detail on each release in this series. Now that they appear to have nailed the female form for this line maybe they will consider doing the Amazons, Eagle Marin or Ophiuchus Shaina.

Athena comes with 2 different waist pieces. The first is more anime accurate with larger more colorful jewels.

The second is more subtle. I believe it is more akin to the manga illustrations. I prefer this version myself more.

Bandai also packs in the arm band and hair piece she is seen wearing early in the series.

As I mentioned at the top of this article there are lot's of accessories packed in the box. I've said it before and I'll say it again Bandai really thinks of all the little things a fan of the show could possibly want included. In the box are in additional to the usual alternate face, hands and hair are...

Stand

They include a new style of stand for the Saint Cloth Myth series. The base is much smaller so it hides under Athena's skirt nicely. No fear of her falling over as the include clips attach securely to her legs.

Athena's Staff.

Small Amphora

Used to seal the soul of Poseidon during the Poseidon arc.

Large Urn.

For a character that is so central to the storyline she does spend most of the series being the proverbial damsel-in-distress. Basically every story arc puts Athena in some sort of peril and the Bronze Saints must overcome a series of obstacles to save her. In the Sanctuary arc, she is shot with an arrow and the heroes have 12 hours to work there way thru the 12 temples of the Zodiac to retrieve Athena's staff to heal her. In the Posideon arc she is trapped in a pillar flooding with the oceans waters, only to be saved by our heroes destroying the pillars of the oceans. In Hades she is put in a large urn that slowly drains her blood.

As you can see by the pictures Bandai gives you everything you need to display her in the Urn. The figure does fit into the urn and they include an alternate hair piece to display her hair draped over the Urn. I love this! If you don't watch the series I realize it may look strange but it is such a cool accessory to include in the set for fans of the show.

But wait, that's not all! What good is the Goddess Athena without her throne.

The throne comes dissembled and features an excellent level of sculpted detail. A nice detail here is the “hole/slot” where the cushion and seat back meet. This allows Athena's hair to fit in between these 2 parts when she sits on the throne. This allows her to look anime accurate and regal while siting on the throne (a problem with Pope Sion/Pope Aries and the Pope throne...the hair would prevent them from sitting properly in the seat.) Little things.... Bandai really pays attention to the little things.

Once again Bandai gives Saint Cloth Myth fans a lot to be happy about. Athena/Saori is beautifully well made, well accesorized and a MUST for any fan of the Saint Seiya universe. I mean how can you be collecting Saints and not have your Damsel-In-Distress? Seriously...

You can get your Saori Kido/Athena from Angolz.com. But don't wait to long, premium figures have much shorter runs than standard releases so your window of opportunity is short. A short video review is embedded below for your entertainment.