Getter 1

Intro

Getter 1 is a robot that should need little introduction, but for those who are unfamiliar with this mecha, I will provide a short intro. Getter Robo features 3 characters that pilot the Getter Machines, jets that can combine to form three different robot combinations. Getter 1 is the most balanced fighting combination, well- suited for aerial combat, and is the most often used combination. Being the most frequently seen combination of the Getter Machines, Getter 1 has seen its fair share of toy incarnations. 

Aesthetics

Now that Yamato is doing business under the Arcadia name, the powers that be at Arcadia have decided to introduce a new high-end SD Gokin to replace Yamato’s Metal Boy line. Arcadia’s line of SD Gokin’s sports the moniker of AA Gokin and features a styling that strays quite a bit from the Metal Boy line. The Metal Boy line featured designs with oval bodies, which made toys look like eggs with limbs and a head.  

The AA Gokin Getter 1 features many sharp lines and edges in the creation of the shortened body and exaggerated head proportions of this SD Getter 1. Because of the different styling, the AA Gokin manages to better capture the essence of the robot it is representing, while still giving us a different take on it.

The design for this toy is based on the Getter 1 design from Getter Robo Armageddon, in which the proportions of Getter 1 were more heroic and the robot received a facelift.

Most of Getter 1’s body is painted with a glossy paint that makes the colors of the figure pop. The panels throughout the body of the toy give it some nice texture. The green panels on the robot are see through, which reveal the honeycomb panels and circuitry underneath.

Articulation

The AA Gokin Getter 1 has a substantial amount of moving parts, which make this little metal bot quite mobile.

The head features a ball joint. The neck panel can extend forwards, which makes the neck look taller and gives the head more clearance for moving sideways. The chest/upper back panel can move forwards substantially for increased torso mobility. 

It is worth noting that when Getter 1 is wearing its Getter Wing, the cape will hinder much of the torso mobility due to the fact that the cape will get in the way of the segment’s forward movement. But I don’t mind the tradeoff in articulation for the added cool factor of the Getter Wing.

The shoulder can extend forward, giving the arms a greater range of movement.

The thigh joints of the toy can extend down to free up the legs for more movement.

While the engineers did a great job at making this a very well-articulated toy, the short limbs of this SD Getter slightly limit the range of motion of the toy. So don’t expect to be able to pull off all extreme poses that you may want to pose this toy in.

Metal Content

The AA Gokin Getter 1 is full of diecast components.  You can see the metal parts highlighted in the picture below.

Thanks to the figures bottom-heavy design, it balances really well.

Extras

This release comes with a nice assortment of extras.

Getter 1 comes with its signature Getter wing ,which in this case is a three-piece cape made of soft plastic. 

The only downside is that you have to attach the two side pieces of cape to the main piece. For this, Arcadia gives you two plastic pegs and washers. The washers have a tendency of falling off and are quite easy to lose. Luckily, you can keep the cape pieces attached using on the pegs. 

Getter 1 comes with 1 pair of Getter Tomahawks.

Also included is an effect part for the Getter Tomahawk.

Getter 1 also comes with his stylish Getter Machine Guns.

This toy also comes with a stand for displaying the SD Getter Gokin.

The AA Gokin Getter 1 features a light-up eyes gimmick, which makes this mecha look pretty menacing in the dark.

*Batteries not included.

The only thing that would have made this set more complete would be the inclusion of a Getter Beam effect part. I would have preferred the Getter Beam effect part over the Getter Tomahawk energy effect part. But that is me just nitpicking what is a pretty solid release.

With this release, you get just the right amount of hands. You get two closed fists, a pair of hands for holding the machine gun, another pair for holding the tomahawks and one left hand with the fingers open. Since these hands have been featured in the previous shots, I am not going to bore everyone with a boring picture of hands.

Final Thoughts

Since I do not own any of Yamato’s Metal Boy releases, I can’t really speak to the differences in quality between the AA Gokin line and the Metal Boy line.  However, the AA Gokin Getter 1 is a nice little hunk of SD metal and plastic.  With its great engineering, paint applications and extras, you get good bang for your Yen.