Rathalos (Liolaeus)
The Chogokin G Class Henkei Rathalos comes courtesy of HobbyLink Japan. Get yours here!
As the finale for the Chogokin 40th Anniversary, Bandai has teamed with Hajime Katoki to release the Chogokin G Class Henkei Rathalos. I’m not really familiar with the Monster Hunter series, but I do know it’s probably one of Capcom’s two largest franchises, rivaling Pokemon in sales numbers. The Rathalos itself is a flying wyvern from Monster Hunter, debuting in the original game and making an appearance in every title released. As the most recognizable monster from the series, the Rathalos seems to be the best candidate for a Chogokin release, though I honestly have no idea if this is supposed to be a robot of some sort of a human.
The box features some pretty cool artwork and way too many logos for all the various companies and events involved. The included is stand is gorgeous looking and comes with a RD and SHF Tamashii stand arm along with adapters. Also included are four right hands, with two fists that hold the sword at different angles.
In Hunter form, the Rathalos is a very Katoki-esque design with scale armor and lots of pointy bits. The left hand is the wyvern head which reminds me a lot of Beast Wars Megatron, and the reason only right hands are included. Articulation is actually pretty good given all the armor the figure has, and the joints are all very tight except for the right hand, which feels a bit floppy. Unfortunately, the design of the Rathalos means that there are lots and lots of fiddly little armor parts that don’t lock in place and require a lot of repositioning when trying to do any poses. The pointy armor parts are also rather sharp and combined with the tight joints, inflicts a lot of pain on the fingers trying to play with it. It’s a very frustrating and painful ordeal trying to him into any poses
Rathalos wings form a gigantic shield in hunter form, which is attached by an articulated connector that fits in the wyvern mouth, given that he has no left hand. The shield is really bulky and cumbersome, making it very difficult to pose in any interesting poses. It’s also a rather heavy for such a small connector so the shield often pops off or the arms start drooping from all the weight. It looks cool, but it’s such a pain I don’t ever want to keep it in shield form and it’s probably the reason there are very few pictures of Rathalos holding the shield in dynamic poses online. Splitting the shield apart also allows you to attach the wings to shoulders.
The tail of Rathalos becomes a sword which can be held in two positions with the alternate hands. Unfortunately the loose wrists make it difficult to hold the sword with the sword tilted to the sides.
The sword and shield can also combine into a gigantic great sword. It’s really cool looking, but again, with the loose wrists, it’s even more difficult to hold. Using the shield connector also allows you to attach the great sword on the back as well.
Transformation into wyvern mode is moderately complex. The upper body transformation can be a bit tricky and feels like something you would expect from a DX Chogokin Valkyries. Since nothing really locks into the place, Rathalos still feels very fiddly in wyvern mode and actually isn’t very fun to play with. It’s also not the most convincing alt mode, with a lot some unsightly gaps around the wings.
I’m not quite sure how I feel about the Chogokin G Class Henkei Rathalos. Hunter mode looks pretty great and it’s a solid figure, but also not fun at all to pose. In fact, I rather disliked taking photos for this review because of how irritated I was, having to reposition all the annoying parts while inflicting pain upon my fingers. The floppy right wrists made holding the weapons pretty difficult and the shield connector isn’t much better. As a display piece, Rathalos is pretty good looking but I just don’t enjoy it as a toy. Bandai’s other unique 40th Anniversary Chogokin have been fantastic, and I especially loved Chogokin Hello Kitty. Unless you are a diehard Monster Hunter fan, this really should be a pass. A toy shouldn’t inflict more pain than actual enjoyment.