{"id":17376,"date":"2012-03-06T11:00:57","date_gmt":"2012-03-06T17:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=17376"},"modified":"2012-04-16T03:55:46","modified_gmt":"2012-04-16T08:55:46","slug":"vault-review-revoltech-takeya-part-1-tamonten","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=17376","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review: Revoltech
Takeya Part 1, Tamonten"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>One of the more interesting toy lines to come along in a while is Revoltech\u2019s new Buddhist Statue Collection, sculpted by Takeya Takayuki.\u00a0 Going against the core teachings of Buddha himself, I never knew how cool the toy of a Buddhist god could be.<\/p>\n

The first thing you need to know about Buddhist deities is that most of them are shared throughout the various religious and cultural beliefs in Asia.\u00a0 Most of these characters originated in Hinduism and were later adapted into Buddhism.\u00a0 A character like Tamonten will have multiple names like Vaisravana or Bishamonten, but will usually still represents the same religious significance to the various religions of the region with only minor differences to his appearance.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tamonten is the King of the North, and the commander of the Four Heavenly Kings that rule over the cardinal directions.\u00a0 He is the scourge of evil-doers, and usually is wearing battle armor while carrying either a halberd or mace that symbolizes his power.\u00a0 In some religions he is even shown with a mongoose to symbolize his victory over the snake-like Naga.\u00a0 Tamonten is also the Lord of Wealth and is usually depicted holding a small pagoda, which symbolizes the divine treasure house.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The first thing that struck me about this figure is how intricate his sculpt is.\u00a0 I\u2019m talking a Mandarin Spawn type level of detail here.\u00a0 Every piece of armor is decorated in a very ornate fashion, while every bit of clothing is folded and layered to look as realistic as possible.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The paint job only adds to the sculpt, while taking nothing away.\u00a0 Thinly raised pieces like his armor\u2019s design work are colored with almost no slop, which is pretty amazing.\u00a0 I was also very impressed by the washes that were given to the figure\u2019s clothing.\u00a0 They really bring out the tiny recessed sculpts, while at the same time giving him that worn statue look.\u00a0 This is most noticeable with the gold on his armor and halo, which look oxidized and a bit tarnished.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tamonten\u2019s articulation is as detailed as you\u2019d imagine from a Revoltech.\u00a0 His head, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, chest, waist, hips, knees, and ankles are all revolver joints.\u00a0 What really surprised me was that his halo, shoulder pads, and the four plates of his lower body armor are also articulated with revolver joints.\u00a0 This really helps in preventing his sculpt from getting in the way of posing.\u00a0 Continue to page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tamonten comes with three pairs of alternate hands: open, closed, and holding.\u00a0 But he also comes with an extra left hand that is holding the small pagoda treasure house.<\/p>\n

Tamonten also comes with the choice of two weapons, a cudgel and a spear.\u00a0 Both of which are as nicely sculpted as the main figure.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Tamonten also includes two bases.\u00a0 One is the translucent boomerang shaped Revoltech stand.\u00a0 The other is a small demon, known as a Jaki.\u00a0 In Japanese Buddhism the Jaki were originally evil creatures until they were trampled on by the Four Heavenly Kings.\u00a0 They repented for their sins and were saved.\u00a0 Now the creatures carry lanterns as offerings of light to Buddha.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I was really surprised by how much sculpting was put into this Jaki.\u00a0 His facial features, musculature, and clothing are all very detailed.\u00a0 And again, his paint job does a fantastic job of showing off the recessed areas.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be interesting to see the different Jaki that come with each Lord.\u00a0 Although now I\u2019d like to have articulated and untrampled versions that are holding lamps.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

All around I\u2019m very happy with the beginning of this line.\u00a0 The figures a bit smaller than I expected, but that\u2019s forgivable after you see how much detail goes into them.\u00a0 It\u2019s nice to see toys of religious figures that aren\u2019t ironic or oversimplified in articulation and sculpt.\u00a0 Buddhist action figures are probably the most oxymoronic thing I\u2019ve seen, and I\u2019m pretty sure this alone will keep me from reaching Nirvana, but I can\u2019t help it.\u00a0 This is one damn good toy.<\/p>\n

-Vault<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the more interesting toy lines to come along in a while is Revoltech\u2019s new Buddhist Statue Collection, sculpted by Takeya Takayuki.\u00a0 Going against the core teachings of Buddha himself, I never knew how cool the toy of a Buddhist god could be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[34,10],"tags":[1412,1414,485,1413,1411,1410,1415],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/tamoTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-4wg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17826,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=17826","url_meta":{"origin":17376,"position":0},"title":"Vault Review: Revoltech Takeya #002, Komokuten","date":"April 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"My second Buddhist figure arrived a couple weeks ago, and my third is already on its way.\u00a0 So I thought I\u2019d get this review done before he shows up.\u00a0 (Sorry Gokai Silver.\u00a0 Maybe next week.)\u00a0 Today we\u2019re taking a look at Takeya Takayuki\u2019s series two Revoltech: Komokuten. Komokuten is the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/komo8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19855,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=19855","url_meta":{"origin":17376,"position":1},"title":"Vault Review: Revoltech Takeya Part 5, Jikokuten","date":"July 22, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m getting back into some of the non-Transformers imports today and finishing up the last (so far) character in Takeya Takayuki's Buddhist Statue Collection.\u00a0 Like the Buddhist\u00a0 figures before him, Jikokuten is an impressive specimen of how detailed paint\/sculpting can be on a smaller scaled figure. Before I get into\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/jiko6.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":19358,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=19358","url_meta":{"origin":17376,"position":2},"title":"Vault Review: Revoltech Takeya Part 4, Zouchouten","date":"June 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Aside from way too many Transformers figures, I haven\u2019t had a lot of imports this month.\u00a0 But I did just get my fifth Revoltech Takeya figure in this week, so I guess that\u2019s my sign to get part four\u2019s review out of the way.\u00a0 Zouchouten is Lord of the South.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/zoch8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":22502,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=22502","url_meta":{"origin":17376,"position":3},"title":"Vault Review: Revoltech Takeya Fujin & Raijin","date":"January 29, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve done a semi-obscure import review, and with Wonder Fest coming up soon I thought I\u2019d take a look at a couple of figures I picked up last month.\u00a0 Rounding up my Revoltech Takeya collection are two characters that depart from the look of previous\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/rifu12.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":25179,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=25179","url_meta":{"origin":17376,"position":4},"title":"Vault Review: Revoltech Takeya Gundari Myoo","date":"October 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/gumy8.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":23752,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23752","url_meta":{"origin":17376,"position":5},"title":"Vault Review: Revoltech Takeya #13, Juichi Kamen Kannon","date":"June 25, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/jkk4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17376"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17376"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17376\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18044,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17376\/revisions\/18044"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}