Green Lion (with Pidge figure)
Three down, two to go. The Green Lion with Pidge from Matty Collector arrived a few weeks, back right before I had to pack up and move. Now that I am all settled again I finally had a chance to sit down and fiddle with it.
Sadly, the packaging got ditched during the move so no pics of that this time around. No surprises, here though. It was identical to previous releases with the Lion in a clear window box and the figure packed seperatly in a cheap cardboard box.
Included in the set is the Green Lion, mouth blade, piece of the (NOT-LIGHT-UP) collect-and-connect Blazing Sword, Pidge figure (with helmeted and un-helmeted head), and a figure stand shaped in the form of a Lion key.
Once again proving Matty Collector isn’t paying attention to the little things, they do not give you the “next” piece of the blazing sword to attach. They give you the piece after that. So instead of having a sword that is being built up as I go I am now keeping track of extra parts I can’t use yet. Not a huge deal, but sloppy production planing on their part that they can’t even get their “Collect-and-Connect” stuff out in a proper order.
My Green Lion appears to be a pretty flawless sample this time around with no major issues. The legs are tight and springy, and the springs all appear to be staying put.
I have seen numerous reports of scrapped up nose/mouths this time around. Luckily mine doesn’t have this issue.
One of the gimmicks of this new Voltron line is that the Lion’s accommodate 3 3/4th scale figures. These are designed to use the figure stands (Lion keys) to open the cockpit.
Both the Red and Green lion don’t actually NEED the key to open the cockpits up. Just using your fingertip will unlock them. The green Lion’s doors don’t stay closed very securely. The slightest touch will unlock the doors to this lion.
Pidge fits inside just fine, but because he is so little he just flops around the cockpit. Stickers on my sample are all on neat and straight.
The Pidge figure is the weak part of the set. Overall he just looks poorly sculpted and executed with large, child-bearing hips and the dumbest looking helmeted head I’ve seen in years. The helmet sits to high on his head and just doesn’t look right. I may be able to pull that apart and “fix” it, but for the outrageous prices these things have cost us I shouldn’t have to.
The unhelmeted head looks much better. Nothing you can do about those redicuous hips though…
Transformation is identical to the Red Lion. Legs fold up and lock in, and the tail stores in a panel in the rear.
Flip out the arm connection peg, and you are done.
While Matty Collector seems have attempted to address our issues with their painted ratchet joint in the elbows by using a much heavier and thicker paint, it is still a painted ratchet joint. While it hasn’t worn as heavily as the Red Lion I can tell that over time both elbow areas will look pretty awful. I am completely dumbfounded that no-one at Matty Collector caught that painting an elbow joint may not be the brightest idea…
At this point there is not much else to say. It’s more of the same I have come to expect from Matty Collector. It’s a waiting game till October when the Black Lion comes out and we find out how well this all stays together.
I am hoping the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. We’ll know soon enough.
