Takara-Tomy Beast Saga Super Win Deck Impact Set Action Figure Set Takara-Tomy, 2013
Day #974: July 29, 2014
Super Win Deck Impact Set Featuring Black Ver. Killer Shark, Aldyle, and Olrich
Beast Saga Action Figures
Item No.: BS-47 Manufacturer:Takara-Tomy Includes:3 trading cards, 9 dice Action Feature:Dice launch out of stomach Retail:2,160 yen ($20-$30 at importers) Availability: Mid 2013 Other: Not Bad
I waited forever to order the Super Win Deck Impact Set in hopes of getting it cheaper, which did not work out too well for me - prices on Amazon got real cheap after I sprang for it off eBay, so ultimately if you can get it under $20 delivered you basically should. The idea here is that these are "Burst" versions - just like the blind-box clears - but the trading card says, in English, "Black Ver." on each one. So you've got Killer Shark Burst, Aldyle Burst, and Olrich Burst cast in clear, smokey plastic armor with blue, green, and purple plastic respectively.
The line that wished it would be the successor of Battle Beasts petered out in under two years, and unless I miss my calculation this was the final release from Takara-Tomy as the 2-inch figures go. I waited on this set for a good long time but now that I have it in my greasy paws, I can say that this wasn't a good choice for a kid line. If you've been following the Hikari vinyl figure line, or see those swell kaiju figures slathered in Monster Kolor, this is kind of like that. These are figures for guys with awesome lighting and glass display cases with exquisite lighting - not for mere mortals. No weapons or shields are included, and they're heavy on the deco compared to previous "burst" figures. As in, there is actual paint included. The die launchers are cast in metallic gold rather than black, so be careful with those over time.
Because we need more sharks, Killer Shark Burst Black Ver. is the 4th version of the character so far if you include the gashapon set, and I do. As with before he has 4 points of articulation and the legs are basically worthless. The figure itself is basically an inverse of the previous Killer Shark Burst - so with blue skin and black armor, it looks way better. As an added bonus, it has utterly stunning metallic blue on the face, as well as gold highlights on the shoulders, eyes, and head. It's stunning. The pictures don't look like much, but in your presence it's just pretty impressive.
The crest on his head is also painted gold, and looks better than any of the other versions. The golden deco really pops the detail and the medallion comes to life. The dice launcher is also there, cast in gold, and... well, yeah. I hope it doesn't crumble due to gold plastic syndrome over the years, because hot damn this is a pretty figure.
Next up is Aldyle Burst Black Ver. , with skin colored similarly to Aldyle Burst but black armor instead of blue. Metallic highlights include the gold shoulder flames, a swell silver chin, and some more gold on the eyes. The black armor doesn't add much to the forearms, but man, those gold eyes and silver chin really work.
The regular (and burst) figures both look fantastic, but the silver on the chin brings out so much extra detail it's baffling. I knew it looked good, but this looks exceptionally good. For a consumer-level toy and not some artisanal repaint for toy snobs, it's pretty gorgeous up close.
The Sea Tribe's Olrich was that character's only repaint save for the standard black version. It's OK. While the others have little details that just bring them so much life, Olrich has a black suit of armor, purple skin, and some gold around his eyes while the eyes remain unpainted. Less was done here, and it shows - you get a swell clear purple dorsal fin, and the armor looks good, but it's decidedly un-orca-like in how he sits on your desk. Blackfish, he is not.
With no weapons and sort of blah deco, he's the set's main shortcoming. Perhaps clear black skin and purple armor would have been cooler, but I guess we'll never know will we? He has little problems standing and is the same basic buck as everybody else - you know what kind of movement you're going to get, and he looks slightly more interesting than the single blind box burst beasts. But not by much.
This is probably a set for people who are either completists, or only want one item from the whole line. It's pretty, and in and of itself it's a nice little mini-collection. It doesn't offer more to the line, though, and my thoughts a year ago were that if I skipped it I wouldn't miss it. That's probably still true - rotating dice and a lack of weapons don't do it for me, but at least we got a cooler shark out of the whole deal. If you're curious to try this line out, this is a good place to both start and stop.
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