Today, we're looking at yet another version of Gipsy Danger from Pacific Rim - there are actually two or three sculpts of this Jaeger that I haven't covered yet, but that's beside the point. Anteverse Gipsy is a Toys R Us exclusive repaint - it's been on the market for a month or two now, though you can still find it - based on the very last scene of the movie, where they drop the damaged machine into the alien dimension and detonate it like a nuke. As a result, the sculpt is identical to another Gipsy already released, but the big difference is in the paint, stylized to look like it's reflecting Anteverse light, as well as nearing a core breach.
Pacific Rim is a really fun movie, but it requires some suspension of disbelief. In fact, let’s look at some complaints that my friends have had about the movie:
“Why are they using giant robots? Why don’t they just bomb all the monsters?”
“That’s unrealistic! Any animal that big would collapse under its own weight!”
“A robot that big would cost too much.”
“I don’t understand the brain thing, so it’s unrealistic!”
“An oil tanker would break apart if a big robot picked it up. That’s unrealistic!
So apparently, a “proper” Pacific Rim movie would be one where a guy presses a button to launch some missiles, and then stares quietly out the window for an hour and a half. Seriously, folks. if you can’t suspend any of your disbelief, what are you doing watching a movie in the first place?
PACKAGING: ****
This was the last super-crappy packaging photo I took (after this, they will be only mostly crappy). The packaging is fantastic, with a backdrop designed to look like the Anteverse. It's too narrow for any sort of photo, but the thought is nice, and it stands out on a shelf.
SCULPT: ****
Because toys are assembled in a modular fashion, this version of Gipsy Danger shares a lot of parts with the Hong Kong figure. And for those, as has been said before, it's a pretty good sculpt, matching the movie model and generally just doing better than the first version of the figure. The details are more precise and not as soft, and the toy itself has better heft and presence.
The "new" parts involve battle damage - Gipsy's knees are trashed, and one arm has been torn off. The arm stump is articulated, which is intresting, and the battle-damaged pieces all fit seamlessly in with the sculpt. They don't see like modifications done to the main figure so much as they seem made for this, which works quite well.
The thing is, these aren't new pieces - this figure is a repaint of another Gipsy Danger figure, and how much you like the sculpt will depend on your opinion of the other toy.
PAINT: ****
Anteverse Gipsy Danger's paint is its main selling point, and it's hard to describe. The figure is cast in transluscent blue - mostly opaque, but a light can shine through it - and then covered in kind of a metallic pearlescent set of gradient purple shades. The idea was to make it look like it is reflecting an alien sky, and aside from the fact that Gipsy Danger's original paint job is matte and not chrome, it seems to work. At the very least, it's quite striking, and there really aren't any other toys colored like this figure.
Fire tones are splattered liberally around the core, simulating the meltdown and detonation that took place at the end - this machine is gonna blow! The pattern seems a little too crisp and "drawn" in a way, but that's really a nitpick. The fiery colors blend in well with the rest of the figur, and again, they help it stand out very much.
ARTICULATION: ***
Gipsy Danger has a ball-jointed head, shoulders, torso, hands, hips, ankles, feet, hinged elbows, knees, swivel thigh and biceps. Little things like the foot and bicep articulation were not present in the original figure.
However, despite those changes, Gipsy's arm articulation is still a little stiff, and you will have great trouble putting it into very many battle poses.
ACCESSORIES: ***
Anteverse Gipsy Danger comes with a huge jet of fire, meant to simulate its final weapon against the masive Kaiju Slattern - using the reactor core to burn a hole through the monster. It's a pretty sturdy little spike of plastic fire, and plugs very tightly into Gipsy's chest. It doesn't fit entirely in, though, and will leave a tiny gapm though it isn't terribly noticeable in person.
Gipsy Danger also comes with its chain sword, which is the same sculpt as in other versions of the figure. Its paint is slightly different to match the toy - somewhat bloody, in fact - and it snaps into place nicely. Its arm articulation is a little limited for this weapon, though.
Both accessories are reused, and I am surprised that it doesn't come with something different - maybe a nuclear bomb or tiny escape pod, since those two figured into the big scenes at the end.
VALUE: ***1/2
At about $25, you get a pretty good toy, and we can't complain about that.
THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:
Although the figure is generally sturdy, becareful not to snap the sword or put too much stress on its joints.
WHERE TO BUY:
Toys R Us still has them in a lot of places I've checked.
OVERALL: ****
In one sense, this figure's color palette really stands out, but in another sense, it's an odd scene-specific toy. Considering the sheer number of Gipsy Dangers on the market, this does manage to stand out among the others, and the color combinations are pleasing to the eye. There is no shortage of battle-damaged Gipsies on the market, but this one does stand out a little in that crowd.
