A Cruel Angel’s Thesis: Pulp Arcana Studios Reviews Blokees Evangelion Unit 0-1
As you may have noticed in my last Blokees review, I have come to be a huge fan of this company and the little packages of pure joy they have been putting out. However, the Sesame Street and Transformers small figures are only one small part of what Blokees has to offer. Some of their offerings are bigger and a little more hard-edged than my beloved Sesame Street figures. When I saw that Blokees had gotten the license for the classic anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, I was absolutely intrigued. When I saw the promotional images, I was excited. Come with me as we crack open a newer, bigger Blokees box and see what the company has in store for us.
A PULP ARCANA FIGURE FIELD REPORT Mission Brief: Blokees Evangelion Unit 0-1
Artifact Identified:
Evangelion Test Type 0-1
Evangelion Action Edition
Blokees
OUT OF THE CRATE:
Having started off my Blokees adventures with the small Sesame Street boxes, I was definitely surprised at the size of the box for Eva 0-1. It is substantial. The purple and green of Unit 0-1 is rendered in beautiful resolution on the box images, with the front having a great close-up of the figure. The back of the box showcases the assorted accessories that come with the kit, as well as some striking poses. I have high hopes for the articulation with the figure. While clearly not a box designed for the shelf, this is far from a problem. I don’t believe anyone out there is grabbing any of the Blokees lines for in-box collecting. The box does its job. It is striking and makes you excited to crack it open and get to the goodness inside.
Once open though, I arrive at a realization that I should have come to much earlier. This is a full-on model kit. The collection of runners rivals that of one of Bandai’s Hi-Grade Gundam kits. I have quite a bit of experience with mecha model kits like this, but having become used to the simple builds of the Blokees Sesame Street figures, it was a bit of a shock. I will say that the color separation across the different runners is incredibly vibrant. Realizing that this was not going to be a build that only takes a few minutes, I settled in on a Sunday afternoon and began popping out pieces as I read along with the instructions.
That ended up being how I spent the entire afternoon.
Now, as a model kit, the Eva 0-1 is overall fantastic. As I mentioned, the colors are fantastic. The instructions are relatively clear; however when it came to getting the pieces that made up the joints, the limitations of the Blokees build started to show. While the main pieces are on the runners, the joint mechanics are in two separate bags. Trying to match the small black pieces in the bag with the pictures in the instruction manual was not as easy as I would have liked, and definitely harder than the clearly labeled outer armor pieces.
The build itself is really good. The joints, when built, work beautifully, and the armor components affix perfectly to the body. You build the figure in specific sections. First the head, then the upper torso, lower torso, arms, and legs. As the Eva starts to come together, you begin to appreciate just how good the engineering is on the figure.
THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS:
Once fully built, Unit 0-1 is absolutely striking. The purple and fluorescent green pop and draw the eye immediately. The detail on the face is excellent, and the figure captures one of my favorite aspects of the mecha design: the elongated design. The extended torso and extra long limbs give the figure a sense of predatory menace that I just love.
The level of detail designed into the finished figure is staggering. Starting with the color variation on the armor plates, the primary purple is broken up by small pieces of violet. Yellow accents set off the bright green. The more that I look at the figure, the more that I like it, and the less I mind the time spent building it.
The accessories are actually pretty insane for the figure. Unit 0-1 comes with its iconic knife and rifle, as well as a very imposing gatling gun. There is a downright ridiculous selection of hands that you can use to hold the weapons or give character and life to the poses. In addition, there is a full gantry stand for the figure, a base for the gantry to set into, two ruined buildings, a figure stand, and a poseable wire for the charging plug from the anime. They have even included the small torpedo-like pilot capsule that can plug into the back. I feel like this level of accessories included really does elevate the overall package quite a bit.
MOBILITY AND MANEUVERS:
Articulation wise, the figure is tough to quantify. On the one hand, the articulation scheme itself is genuinely fantastic. The joints at the elbows and knees allow almost complete bends, and because of the length of the limbs, they look great doing it. The ab crunch allows that iconic Evangelion hunch, and can give poses that make the mecha look downright bestial.
However, the more you pose it, the more you are reminded that what you are working with is a fantastic model kit, rather than a true figure. Pieces can and will fall off as you are maneuvering it through various action poses. Again, this should not be a surprise at all, but for someone like me, who left behind the world of mecha model building for the simpler, perhaps purer pleasures of action figure photography, it was a frequent reminder of why I had made that choice.
Still, the figure poses like an absolute dream, and if you can imagine it, or remember it from a frame of the anime, you can absolutely achieve it.
RECOVERED EVIDENCE:
FINAL RECKONING:
Honestly, this was one of my toughest ratings to figure out. As a figure, the Unit 0-1 from Blokees does have some frustrations that come along with it. As a model kit, it is a pinnacle of color, engineering, and fantastic accessories. It ultimately comes down to what you are looking for. If you don’t mind a few hours of enjoyable model building, you will end up with something absolutely stunning for either your shelf or to play with at your desk. And I will say, the finished figure does photograph really well.
RELIC RATING: 4 out of 5
Filed by Mark Gelineau of Pulp Arcana Studios for Fanboy Planet
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