DX Buster Hercules

This sample was graciously provided by HobbyLink Japan!

Scientist Jin Masato: brilliant engineer and goof-ball. During his many years stuck in the dreaded Hyperspace, dwelling of the nefarious Messiah, he was able to covertly gather enough materials to create a Buddyroid and two Buster Machines: the BC-04 and the SJ-05. Returning to the real world, he helps the Go-Busters fight the Vaglass and save the Earth.

Undulating along, Bandai gives us the DX Buster Hercules set from the Toei Tokusatsu show entitled Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. Bandai has done a great job with this set as it is chunky, clicky, and just plain fun to play with.

Come, let’s review:

Packaging:
Knack of Knowledge: the robots in this show are acalled Megazords, a shout-out to the original MMPR. Both Buster Machines are packaged in an extremely colorful box with loads of art. Each piece is cradled in a hard cardboard tray.

Aesthetics:
Indubitably, both of these Buster Machines are well painted and nice to look at, each one encapsulating the design from the show very well. Starting off with the BC-04 (Beetle Crane #4), we see that it sports three modes: Kabuto Beetle, Crane, and Megazord. The beetle mode is extremely gold, chunky, and a nice blend of nature and tech; you can see elements of both, such as bolt heads and eyes. They give this mode its own identity.

The beetle mode stretches about thirteen inches long. It doesn’t do much other than sit there and shine really well.

Even the crane mode is just as appealing as the beetle mode. It sports more colors than the previous with blue and silver being added to the mix and is just as well detailed with lines and grooves. The mode rolls well with six hard plastic wheels underneath its carriage. The crane is poseable and can turn upon its peg joint. The front can also extend marginally to emulate a working crane.

Verily, this mode is about nine and a half inches long and is a very solid looking crane vehicle.

And lastly is the BC-04 is the robot mode. This mode is a wonder to behold, a beautiful, chunky, and square robot. All the colors and paint are here as well, though the boring gray plastic has more presence. The robot has a commanding stature and resembles well its Toku counterpart.

The face of the robot is just as accurate as the rest of the toy; it is the spirit of the robot, after all…

Next in the set is the SJ-05 (Stag Jet #5). It, just like the BC-04, sports three modes: Stag Beetle, Jet, and Accessories. The Stag Beetle portion of the toy is just as impressive as the Kabuto Beetle of the BC; it has great colors (especially the blue) and good amounts of detail sculpted onto it. The action feature where the pincers flip forwards is outstandingly cool, too.

Pincers to thorax, the stag extends to around nine inches.

The Jet mode for the SJ-05 is a fat, un-aerodynamic little jet. It may not look like it can fly, but it faithfully resembles its onscreen brother. The rust-color of its canopy is a nice contrast to the blue and silver. Since it’s the same toy, it shares the same level of detail.

This mode spans about eight inches long.

The SJ-05 can separate into accessories that can be attached to the BC-05 to create the Buster Hercules combination, a totally huge and unmoving hunk!

The middle of the SJ-05 can be held as a gun for the Hercules, a gun that looks rather silly and unconvincing but accurate to the show.

The rest of the jet, when combined, creates a stabbing shield of sorts. This combination is unwieldy and very front heavy; be prepared to be setting this toy back into position as it falls over regularly with relative ease. The melody of colors creates an overall nice look… even if that look is completely jumbled and clustered.

A new face is revealed under the old face with a simple turning of panels.

Articulation:
The shoulders (therefore the crane arm in general) are the only point of articulation on this toy. There are moving flaps and joints for transformation purposes, but nothing really other than that.

Accessories:
The DX Buster Hercules set comes with and extra clip on face to be used for the Great Go-Buster combination used in the television show. The jet thrusters of the SJ-05 also create a Gatling gun for the Hercules combination.

Both of these accessories are held on either toy at any time; there are never any loose parts when this toy is being used in any form, a real plus.

Gimmicks:
Besides transforming and combining, the Hercules set is also made to combine with the rest of the Buster Machines in mind; with them, you can combine and create the Great Go-Buster and any of the other ‘Zord combinations from the show, all of which are ridiculously stupendous.

One can dream…

Closing Remarks:
The DX Buster Hercules is a child and fan friendly set. Its colors and design well emulate the designs held within the show, and the toy is a blast to transform and play with. Though it may be front heavy and unmovable, it is still a fun and enjoyable toy. If you are a fan of the show or just like the design, then this toy is for you. Pick yours up today at HobbyLink Japan!