Vault Review: Acid Rain’s Stronghold 4-Eyes

Articulation in robot mode is surprisingly good for such a stout fellow.  Like in tank mode, the dome and guns swivel.  The shoulders are swivel/hinges.  There’s a bicep swivel and then his elbows are hinges, and just below the elbow there is “wrist” swivel which moves the cannon barrels.

Quadeyes waist is another swivel joint.  The hips are swivel/hinges, which gives him the ability to turn his legs so they don’t have to be parallel.  He doesn’t really have a knee joint.  Instead, the top and bottom armored pieces are attached to the treads with hinges.  This allows the leg to move forward and backward without having to bend.

Almost every single joint on this figure is ratcheted, giving Quadeyes the ability to take and hold dynamic poses.

The Stronghold’s paint job is very similar to something you’d see from the 3A company.  The figure has been molded and painted in green, tan, and gray.  But it is also covered in gritty weathering effects that make it feel like it’s been trudging around in acid rain for years.  This is exactly what you’d feel through that hole in the box too.

Stronghold’s cockpit is large enough to accommodate thin or bulky 1/18th scale figures.  The area itself is very simple, but it consists of two details that I love.  First are the two small screens on either side of the driver.  While the screens don’t actually display anything, they do light up!  What’s even better is that the battery was designed to fit into the engine, so it doesn’t break up the design of the vehicle itself.

The second detail is just pure fun: a pin-up poster of a scantily clad girl has been pasted to the cockpit’s main hatch.  Neither the poster nor the working lights were necessary for this vehicle, but all the tiny details like this certainly give this toy a sense of realism and atmosphere that you don’t normally see on vehicles of this scale.

Last but not least, Stronghold comes with four mortar shell accessories.  Each one fits snugly into the cannon barrels and there’s enough room to close the hatches over them.  Again, this is another nice touch to the overall vehicle.  I’d really like to see it expanded as the line becomes more successful.  Effects part of muzzle flashes for the machine guns and blast effects for the cannon arms (which the shells could plug into) would only make this vehicle a better display piece.

Overall I’m extremely happy with the first release of this new line.  The plastic quality of the vehicle is just as sturdy as anything Hasbro would make for GI Joe, so you can tell it was made to be played with.  But there’s also that high level of paint detail and unique designs like the lights and poster that also make Stronghold a perfect display piece.  Ori Toy has found a way to merge the best of both worlds for us adult collectors who still like to play and pose our toys.

Unfortunately Stronghold has already sold out on foreign sites like Amiami or HobbyLinkJapan.  But for those of us in the West, BigBadToyStore will be carrying this item soon.  I’m not exactly sure when it will go up for pre-order, but I’ll be sure to post about it when it does.  The first run is going to be limited, so don’t be surprised if it’s a bit expensive.  But Mo from Ori Toy has already confirmed they are planning more runs with different paint deco’s and designs (personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing the yellow construction colors).  Mo has also confirmed that their first 1/18th scale soldiers for this line will be showing up near the end of the year.

If you’re interested in learning more about Ori Toy, check out our coverage of their past products and an interview with the Mo Mou, the company founder.

For another look at Stronghold, or a current interview with the designers, check out TheDaytimeNinja!

Lastly, check out the official Acid Rain blog for more info, stories, pictures, and glimpses at upcoming figures and vehicles.

Thanks again to Mo from Ori Toy for making this review possible!

-Vault

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24 thoughts on “Vault Review: Acid Rain’s Stronghold 4-Eyes

        1. I don’t usually get to see them until they’re up on the site. 🙂 Plus, if I yell, “These are nice!” from the other room I’ll get the reply, “WHY ARE YOU YELLING?!? I’M JUST IN THE OTHER ROOM!”, like 9 times out of 10.

  1. Amazing pictures with this one! Perfect venue and really fun shots. The amount of detail on this thing is incredible!

  2. Incredibly cool. Great review and pics.

    I won’t collect this line (insert standard “lack of money and space” here), but I hope it expands and does very well, as it deserves to. Unique concept and beautifully executed. Outstanding product.

    1. Thanks, Beedo! Yeah, I really hope this line takes off. These guys are very talented and the success would be would definitely be earned.

    2. man, this is cool beyond cool… if the motuc sub goes belly up, this should be the new go-to man… imagine how cool this would be killing your scareglow, or shooting the face off your faceless master. and honestly, he’d be a fine reason to jump ship off motuc anyway.

      1. If the MOTUC sub does indeed die without issue, I would normally agree with you that this would be an excellent line to start on, D.R.

        But I haven’t had a proper holiday in seven years, so I’d rather save up for that and paint NE Ohio, parts of Pennsylvania, and possibly the Washington, DC area red next summer. Preferably with the blood of scalpers.

        Still, a line like this doesn’t need me as an investor when its own incredible coolness is self-evident. It should do fine without me. So long as IAT keeps posting sweet reviews so I can enjoy the line vicariously . . . .

        1. ah, well, if you’re planning for a vacation, then yes, save up the shizzash for that… but cool toys are their own reward. 🙂

  3. is it a wonky photo edit or is the poster really mirrored?
    otherwise a neat toy and would love to see how their figures will look.

    1. Oops, good catch. I flipped the picture so the poster could be seen easier, but it looks like I reversed it too.

  4. cool stuff, and I like how it fits in with the other 1/18 lines, even if I’m no longer collecting that scale. A more realistic take than the previous Joe/TF crossovers have been.
    (altho now that he’s posed with it, I really want to see Iron Man giving it a once over and giving a review-within-a-review! LOL)

  5. i have to say here vault, i’m hurt by this review… cuz it was really good, and that fig is triple digit cool! yet, there are weeks that go by and i see hardly anything from you, review-wise, that i can live vicariously through, or add to my want list. you can’t let noisy be the only voice around here, he only collects/reviews like 3 toy lines! we need something to break up the masters/dc/TF reviews… something like “vault’s cool corner” or “shiz you ain’t never heard of, but will now sell a lung for.” this was done right man, now just do more like this!

    1. Thanks guys! I love getting the word out and showing new lines to everyone, but they certainly aren’t what draws the traffic. It’s mind boggling how much more attention and hits a basic Batman figure will get over something unique, like what Ori Toy produces. So I really appreciate when readers enjoy a review like this.

      Unfortunately money has become tighter recently, so I’ve had to cut back a bit on impulse buys and imports. I love exploring what these smaller companies are bringing to the toy community. In fact, there are a couple other Chinese companies that I’ve been watching for a while and would love to promote. I just don’t have the resources right now.

      Hopefully things will turn around soon though. Then I can start showing up with more crazy things no one has ever heard of!

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