Cyberdramon

Remember Digimon? They first appeared in the states in 1999 as a rip-off of Pokemon but very quickly established itself as a great franchise in its own right. The concept was that a group of kids get sucked into a digital world via “Digivices” and team up with Digital Monsters to fight the threats in that world.

I was aware of the Digimon toys when they came out, and I even bought a couple, but I really should have paid more attention as they were actually pretty great figures in general. What can I say? I had a narrow mind back then. But recently I caught some of the cool Soft Vinyl toys from Bandai and they sparked my interest. As high-end toys get more and more expensive, lately I’ve been looking at the less expensive proper kids toys from Japan. These new Digimon toys fit the bill.

This particular character is Cyberdramon. I don’t know his back story other than he’s a bad guy that hunts Digimon. I’m sure when “Digimon Fusion” premieres in the US in 2013.

Cyberdramon is available at HobbyLink Japan

The box is nice and solid with loud artwork on all sides. This is basically Japanese kids toy packaging – loud and vying for attention. There’s no subtlety that collector packaging has.

Inside is a spartan plastic tray that holds the figure, wings, weapon and Metalgarumon digital memory chip. Just attach the wings and you are ready to go.

Cyberdramon looks very cool – like a futuristic cyber demon. The overall design is reminiscent of the Xenomorph from Aliens with a cybernetic twist.

The head does not move, but the arms are nicely articulated, with ball joints at the elbows and shoulders. The claws can open and close to grasp the included weapon with one or both hands.

There’s a waist joint and an articulated tail that features the only clicky joints in the whole figure.

The hips are ball-jointed, the knees have hinge joints, and the feet are cloven-hoofed high-heels. It stands well, but that’s due to the support of the tail in back.

The thing about Digimon is they “digi-volve” into another form, and Cyberdramon is no exception.

Cyberdramon turns into some sort of unrecognizable cannon form. I’m not sure if it’s a ship or what. It’s sort of ugly. However it’s real purpose is to combine with other Digimon to make more evolved forms.

Combine with 05 Mail Birdramon and 03 Graymon to form MetalGreymon + Cyber Launcher!

Alright, so that form looks like a mess too. Not sure what Bandai was thinking there. Maybe it looks cooler in the anime?

Anyway, the regular Cyberdramon form looks good enough, and right now you can find them for pretty cheap. This one came from HobbyLink Japan, and he always seems to be on sale.

A fun, cheap toy, but I doubt I will get the others in the set to make the large creature. It’s just not good looking.