AV-98 Ingram Unit 1 1/24

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 were still on the shelf. You’re 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Please note: This statement will, of course, be completely rescinded the moment someone one comes along and ups the “toy tech” ante, but it may be a while before that happens…Thank you.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 its feet to the top of the antenna array. The body is a metal endoskeleton 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 are 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, let’s 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 light up 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 beginning 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.