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reversemoon255 · 4 years

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Earth Granner Leo Cheetah and Eagle Shark

So I kept hearing a bunch of stuff about these guys. How they’re like Sentai toys but better because they have a ton of posability; things like that. While I think they’re good toys in their own right, I don’t necessarily agree with those sentiments (there’s a certain something they’re missing that keeps them from feeling like Sentai toys). Still, they’re a good set of big, hefty, posable toys that are easier to fit into a budget than something like Tobot.

The Good: Simple, but fairly fun transformations is a good start. The legs don’t do a ton, but the torsos do a fair bit to go from a car to a chest. The little Tomica Leo comes with has electronics in it that recognize the different modes and light up in response. There’s a good amount of play you can do with the kibble as a robot. Shark’s weapon has both a long- and close-range configuration. Oh, and if you buy both they give you a little pack-in bonus Tomica. It’s not compatible, but it’s free.

Despite my earlier griping, the posability on these guys is great. The majority of joints are ratcheted, providing solid stances that won’t wilt with time. They have head, shoulder, bicep, waist, hips, knees, and ankles to work with, with a few other transformation joints that can be taken advantage of as well.

And the big thing, and one of the big reasons that these are getting compared to Sentai toys, is that they cost the same. You can buy these large, highly posable robots for the same price as the colorful brickish ones. While I feel both sets of toys are different enough playwise to not warrant the comparison (I actually feel these are more similar to Transformers), it’s hard to argue you aren’t getting good bang for your buck.

The Bad: One key piece of articulation these two are missing is a forward and backward ankle rock. They’re capable of moving left and right, but the lack of other directions typically keeps them in an A-stance, no matter how dynamic you can get it to look.

These toys also suffer from a bit of QC lack-of-polish. There were a number of minor paint blemishes and awkward paint sprays. Worst of all, some of the ratchets and hinges are ever so slightly off. Neither of mine’s sets of knee spikes extend the same distance, and one of Leo’s arms is off just enough that it prevents it from fully locking together in car mode. These are most likely mileage-may-vary, but as I experienced similar issues on both sets of toys, it’s something you may run into.

Overall, these are good, fun toys. Again, I personally attribute them more to Transformers-like toys than Sentai ones based on feel and play, but that’s just my opinion. There’s also a bunch of ports on both of them that suggests we may be getting another vehicle that forms armor in the future, which I’ll probably pick up when the time comes.

#Earth Granner #Tomica #Transformers #Super Sentai #Leo #Cheetah #Eagle #Shark #Power Rangers

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reversemoon255 · 4 years

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Earth Granner Buffa Gator

So I skipped the Smilodon. The torso was a slight remold of Leo, and the legs were a repaint of Cheetah, so it was very much a repeat toy with a small handful of new parts. Buffa Gator is... similar, but we’ll get into that.

The Good: So Gator is a decent remold of Shark. It has a brand new weapon, and a new gimmick in its removable, attachable head. The addition of a couple new stickers and paint details also helps differentiate them. If only the colorsd weren’t so similar...

Buffalo isn’t a remold. Over 90% of its parts are new, and all of its exposed surface detail is different. It’s also got of really cool gimmicks, such as combining its drills with Alligator’s axe to form a hammer, its tower shield (which, if you look, is made to resemble a buffalo head), and that very hilarious Go-Kart mode.

Also, the articulation is still great, being as good as Leo Shark would be.

The Bad: Buffalo isn’t a remold; it’s a reshelling. It borrow almost its entire transformation scheme from Leo, with the main exception being the use of its accessories, and its fold out tires (which like to pop off!). So two out of four toys in this line are not new, and three of them now are based on the same mold (that being Leo). I would really like to see some new, unique engineering out of this line, because they’ve shown they can do it. The new things Buffalo does are cool, but the old things hamper my enjoyment of it. If the next release isn’t a new mold, I’m probably going to skip it.

All the joints in my set feel better aligned than the other two sets I have, but there are still some QC issues, such as the aforementioned tires. I have one peg that doesn’t like to stay in, some bent rubbery plastic, and some paint splotches, so be aware that that could happen before you pick it up.

Overall, this is still a good toy, but the fact that I own Leo tempers that. If you’ve been observing this line than I’d say get this over Leo, or if you are very, very into Leo you can now have a third, slightly different one. Hopefully, if there’s another release it’ll be actually new, though.

#Earth Granner #Tomica #Transformers #Super Sentai #Power Rangers #Buffalo #Alligator

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