{"id":24413,"date":"2013-08-08T12:00:42","date_gmt":"2013-08-08T17:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=24413"},"modified":"2013-09-19T15:07:19","modified_gmt":"2013-09-19T20:07:19","slug":"vault-review-acid-rains-stronghold-quadeyes-29-pics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=24413","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review: Acid Rain’s Stronghold 4-Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a while since we\u2019ve heard from our friends over at Ori Toy, but that doesn\u2019t mean they haven\u2019t been busy.\u00a0 Over the last couple of years they\u2019ve joined forces with Kit Lau at Skronex to launch an entirely new toy property: Acid Rain, The War Under Pollution<\/b>.\u00a0 As their first release starts to hit specialty retailers, the guys were nice enough to send one along to me so I could help spread the word.<\/p>\n

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The Acid Rain line is set in a world where World War II never ended.\u00a0 As the war carried on, the losses grew beyond the human casualties as the effects on the environment were also being felt as well.\u00a0 Eventually the struggle became more about securing what was left of the limited resources, using new machines and weapons that are designed for the new toxic environment.<\/p>\n

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Our first weapon of war in this new line is the Stronghold, a brick-like tank that\u2019s been given the nickname \u201cQuad-eyes\u201d for its four large front-facing cannons.\u00a0 But before I get into the figure, I wanted to take a moment to mention the box.\u00a0 The box is covered in some wonderful art and interesting patterns to mimic rusted metal.\u00a0 But the most interesting design has to be the hole that\u2019s been cut out so you can actually feel the gritty texture of the vehicle.\u00a0 This is the first of many small details that push this vehicle beyond just a product and into an actual labor of love.<\/p>\n

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Another nice detail is the instruction manual.\u00a0 The back half of the booklet displays how to transform the vehicle from tank to mech mode, and also where to insert the battery.\u00a0 (Yes, I said battery.\u00a0 But I\u2019ll get to that in a minute\u2026) The front half of the book displays a brief history of the Stronghold vehicle in the Acid Rain universe.\u00a0 There are even sketches showing it off and pointing out certain features.\u00a0 My particular favorite was that this tank was originally a construction\/farming vehicle that was upgraded by citizens to protect their boarders from hostile forces.<\/p>\n

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Stronghold comes out of the box in tank form.\u00a0 While its cube-like appearance may not look incredibly dangerous, it does give off the feeling of being very heavily armored. \u00a0I could easily see a vehicle like this plowing through a dynamite factory as if it were strolling through a car wash.\u00a0 Of course this chunky tank still has bite with its four 90mm turret guns and double barreled cannons.<\/p>\n

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The sculpt of the vehicle seems simple at first glance, but on closer look you see a ton of tiny sculpted details like raised panels and panel lines, handles to grip, and standing platforms with crosshatching designs.\u00a0 The figure is also covered in panels, doors and hatches that can be opened and closed.\u00a0 I was very surprised to discover that all of these details don\u2019t come at a cost to the quality of plastic, which is very sturdy.<\/p>\n

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Quadeyes has limited articulation in tank mode.\u00a0 The dome can swivel from side to side, while each gun on it can swivel up and down.\u00a0 Unfortunately that\u2019s about it, unless you count all the panels and hatches that can be opened and closed.\u00a0 This brings me to my only complaint about this vehicle; the treads don\u2019t seem to move.\u00a0 They look like they should, but I can\u2019t get them to budge.<\/p>\n

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Stronghold\u2019s transformation is incredibly easy and intuitive, and there are a couple of nice engineering tricks that make it pretty enjoyable.\u00a0 The whole process gives off a very realistic impression.\u00a0 Unlike the physics bending conversion of a Transformer, I can actually see a real world mech moving like this.<\/p>\n

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Quadeyes is a much more imposing force in robot mode.\u00a0 Overall the domed head and blocky body design reminds me of a robot toy from the 1950\u2019s, only instead of antenna he has machine guns and instead of pincer-like hands he has death dealing mortar launchers.\u00a0 Continue to page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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Articulation in robot mode is surprisingly good for such a stout fellow.\u00a0 Like in tank mode, the dome and guns swivel.\u00a0 The shoulders are swivel\/hinges.\u00a0 There\u2019s a bicep swivel and then his elbows are hinges, and just below the elbow there is \u201cwrist\u201d swivel which moves the cannon barrels.<\/p>\n

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Quadeyes waist is another swivel joint.\u00a0 The hips are swivel\/hinges, which gives him the ability to turn his legs so they don\u2019t have to be parallel.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t really have a knee joint.\u00a0 Instead, the top and bottom armored pieces are attached to the treads with hinges.\u00a0 This allows the leg to move forward and backward without having to bend.<\/p>\n

Almost every single joint on this figure is ratcheted, giving Quadeyes the ability to take and hold dynamic poses.<\/p>\n

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The Stronghold\u2019s paint job is very similar to something you\u2019d see from the 3A company.\u00a0 The figure has been molded and painted in green, tan, and gray.\u00a0 But it is also covered in gritty weathering effects that make it feel like it\u2019s been trudging around in acid rain for years.\u00a0 This is exactly what you\u2019d feel through that hole in the box too.<\/p>\n

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Stronghold\u2019s cockpit is large enough to accommodate thin or bulky 1\/18th<\/sup> scale figures.\u00a0 The area itself is very simple, but it consists of two details that I love.\u00a0 First are the two small screens on either side of the driver.\u00a0 While the screens don\u2019t actually display anything, they do light up!\u00a0 What\u2019s even better is that the battery was designed to fit into the engine, so it doesn\u2019t break up the design of the vehicle itself.<\/p>\n

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The second detail is just pure fun: a pin-up poster of a scantily clad girl has been pasted to the cockpit\u2019s main hatch.\u00a0 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\u2019t normally see on vehicles of this scale.<\/p>\n

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Last but not least, Stronghold comes with four mortar shell accessories.\u00a0 Each one fits snugly into the cannon barrels and there\u2019s enough room to close the hatches over them.\u00a0 Again, this is another nice touch to the overall vehicle.\u00a0 I\u2019d really like to see it expanded as the line becomes more successful.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

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Overall I\u2019m extremely happy with the first release of this new line.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 But there\u2019s also that high level of paint detail and unique designs like the lights and poster that also make Stronghold a perfect display piece.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately Stronghold has already sold out on foreign sites like Amiami or HobbyLinkJapan.\u00a0 But for those of us in the West, BigBadToyStore will be carrying this item soon.\u00a0 I\u2019m not exactly sure when it will go up for pre-order, but I\u2019ll be sure to post about it when it does.\u00a0 The first run is going to be limited, so don\u2019t be surprised if it\u2019s a bit expensive.\u00a0 But Mo from Ori Toy has already confirmed they are planning more runs with different paint deco\u2019s and designs (personally, I wouldn\u2019t mind seeing the yellow construction colors).\u00a0 Mo has also confirmed that their first 1\/18th<\/sup> scale soldiers for this line will be showing up near the end of the year.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re interested in learning more about Ori Toy, check out our coverage<\/a> of their past products and an interview with the Mo Mou, the company founder.<\/p>\n

For another look at Stronghold<\/a>, or a current interview<\/a> with the designers, check out TheDaytimeNinja!<\/p>\n

Lastly, check out the official Acid Rain blog<\/a> for more info, stories, pictures, and glimpses at upcoming figures and vehicles.<\/p>\n

Thanks again to Mo from Ori Toy for making this review possible!<\/p>\n

-Vault<\/p>\n\n\n\n \t

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