Astro Toy

Figma Dorothy R. Wayneright

Figma Dorothy R. Wayneright
Series: The Big O
Maker: Max Factory
Price: $50

Do you guys mind if I make a little aside before we start? It's related, don't worry.

Here's something weird. Of all things, The Big O, the fondly remembered pop mashup best summed up as “Batman Robo” is having a (very, very small) revival in Japan right now. Blu-Rays are coming out, and Max Factory has unleashed a toy line! I'm going to put it to you straight, though: this is the least awesome of all the Big O toys coming out right now. That isn't to say I don't like it... it's okay. You're just going to know what I mean when I tell you about the other toys.

Figma Roger Smith was a event-only exclusive: a month or so ago overseas buyers could grab it via Good Smile for about $70, but that window (along with the chance to own, for example, a life-size Kyubey) has passed. He's got a briefcase! And sunglasses! And the watch! Why on earth this is the figure Max Factory decided to make impossible to get I have no idea.

And here's the one that makes me weep openly. The Max Alloy Big O is just under a foot tall and weighs two and a half pounds of solid metal. It lights up. It piston punches. It makes the Soul of Chogokin version look kind of weak by comparison. And you'll never, ever see it on Astro Toy because it costs about $550. We could run the column for four months on that!

(As always, Japanese toy distributors, I welcome your review copies of obscenely expensive toy robots.)

Man. Where were we? What were we talking about? Oh, right. So you can understand why this is the least awesome item, compared to those two: it's a very simple, no-frills Figma of the early 2000s' favorite android maid, Dorothy R. Wayneright.

Good-looking sculpt: of course, there really isn't a lot to get wrong here as Dorothy is all sharp angles and dressed in solid black and white. However, the ruffles at Dorothy's wrists are poorly painted, uneven splotches. Lately we've been seeing these kinds of fine detail problems in Figmas, and it's starting to look like the norm for the line. Not a good sign.

The sculpt is average, the paint is average, the posability is average too. The joints feel really tight and stiff for a Figma (is this in character?). The dress is flexible material as expected, but due to the bulk of it she will still have trouble sitting well. We have jutting Figma joints at the arms, and Dorothy's legs, nondescript in black stockings, actually look like default Figma parts (the same as Mari's legs, probably?). The most serious of Dorothy fans will be excited to see her bloomers. Just saying.

Aw, Dorothy, they don't know that you don't change facial expressions! Ever! As such, she only has two repleaceable faces. The only difference between them is that the other face has her eyes veering off in another direction. Away from you, you know?

The extra hair piece that you see here has the little optical drive inside of Dorothy's head popped open. This bit doesn't slide out from the hairband or anything: you've just got One Piece where it's open and another where it's closed.

I really mean that about no frills, by the way: the sole accessories in this package are a broom and (a bit of a sentimental choice here) a figure of Pero, the cute kitty seen in the “Missing Cat” episode.

The broom has brush articulation, see? It waggles.

Seriously, that's all there is to talk about here. Why such a bare-bones figure isn't being sold for below the price we usually pay for a Figma is a bit of a mystery. More evidence of the devastation of the exchange rate: last time we did a low-end Figma, it could be found for a mere $30! If anything, you'd think that Max Factory would make Dorothy the chase figure, justifying the premium price... but I suppose Dorothy's more likely to sell in Japan than Roger is, isn't she? She's just a little moe.

I like Dorothy and the source series quite a lot, but it's really hard to justify $50 on this figure. Very little is wrong with it, just doesn't go the extra mile and make for a good deal. I'm reminded of the Luka Figma from a while back: it's a perfectly acceptable version of the character, but kind of a bore anyway. For the more full-featured Roger figure, I wouldn't think twice about $50, but here? This is an item for completionists, or perhaps you'll be able to buy it on sale like I did with the Pretty Cure figures last time. Of course, it is very unlikely that anyone else will ever make a Dorothy figure again. As for myself, I'm just happy that Dorothy and Pero will be together forever. Somewhere.

We bought Dorothy for $53 shipped at Big Bad Toy Store. HLJ and Kidnemo (preorder) have her for about the same.

“You should cherish that song, and all your memories of neco-Arc, for as long as you can.”
“...Thank you.”

When he isn't killing time on fighting games and mahjong, David Cabrera gets hype about anime, manga and gaming at Subatomic Brainfreeze. You can follow him on Twitter @sasuraiger.