The basic minifigures are a tiny bit shorter and a lot wider than the average LEGO fig though. Their weapons and accessories are compatible, but interestingly their helmets aren’t. The Tenkai heads are much smaller, but still have a plug on top so they can still wear the LEGO helmets. Unfortunately the fat LEGO heads are just too big to pull off the Tenkai look.
Another big difference is that the Tenkai have a nice range of articulation. Their heads are on a swivel joint, and their shoulders, biceps, and hips are all ball joints. This puts them in a weird middle ground where they can move better than a LEGO figure, but without knees and elbows they still feel a bit lacking compared to what Mega Bloks or Minimates is doing.
The exception to this is Sho, who has a pretty strange design anyway. His neck and tail are double hinges, while his little legs/stands are single hinges. His arms (or wings?) are connected to the main body with ball joints.
Paint jobs on the figures are pretty basic. The body brick and elements are mostly molded the color they need to be. There are some minor paint apps on the heads, helmets, and chest plates though. One thing I really liked was the use of unique translucent colors for the accessories. Not only do you see normal colors like yellow and red, but there’s also a smoky black and a clear silverish color.
I’m always a fan of innovation in toys. It’s hard to compete with LEGO in their own sandbox. So creating a line of customizable minifigs that can combine with each other to create larger and better figures, vehicles, and accessories is pretty inventive. I do wish they had a bit more articulation, but that doesn’t mean these little Knights aren’t fun to play around with. I can definitely see this line becoming popular with kids.
-Vault
That is, somehow, ridiculously cool. I can’t explain how or why a mini-figure that turns into a brick tickles my fancy, but it does. Novel and nifty on a tiny, tiny scale.
Great review and pics, as ever!
you find the strangest shizz sometimes…
Vault, your varied eclectic tastes in plastic are impressive. I took a look at these, very interesting concept but not enough for me to take the plunge. If, however, they can build more anatomically functional mechs or figures, that would be different. But the idea of making the core minifigures blocks themselves is worth some attention.
Vault, have you IAT folks wandered down the aisle towards the Call of Duty Mega Bloks sets? I haven’t opened mine, but it looks like they could develop some craziness for those that love troop building, modular play and articulation on tiny plastic dudes.
I picked up one of the 3-packs and one of the Tenkai Titans the last time I was at TRU. These little guys certainly have their charm, and I like that you get lots of customization pieces, but they seem a bit on the expensive side for me. The transforming feature is fun, but I tend to display them in figure mode as opposed to building with them.
The Titans are a lot of fun, though. Lots of cool armor pieces and a very cool transformation. If you get a chance, I’d definitely recommend trying one out. the Bravenwolf one is great.
These are Japanese toys. Cartoon network have the show on Saturday mornings. It’s like Bayblade and those other games with transforming mini figures…
Thanks for a great review!
OrionPax: The Titan figures are much more anatomically correct, with knee, elbow, and ankle articulation.
Paul: We are exclusive to TRU this month, so they have upped the SRP a bit more than we expected. You will see prices come down significantly next month when we release in Target and Walmart!
Have fun everyone!
I poop on Ionix!