Soul of Chogokin Gx-112 Repli-Gaigar & Option Set
As with the Star Gaogaigar Option Parts set, the box is big due to the Stealth Gao II.
The box spans roughly 16 x 14 x 6.5 inches in dimension.
Thankfully, the manual isn’t a reuse of Gaogaigar’s, but a new one with Repli-Gaigar in the images.
Following the ending events of the “The King of Braves Gaogaigar” TV series, where Mamoru leaves the Earth to find and destroy any remaining traces of the Zonders in space, “Mamoru” returns to Earth, now in search of the mysterious Pas-Q Machine parts.
Repli-Galeon
The set comes with a tiny Repli-Mamoru figure complete with the Pas-Q Machine. Thanks to the base he’s attached to, you can set him on top of Repli-Galeon.
With Gx-68 Galeon
Man, after 10 years and even proper storage, the yellowing plastic parts on my Galeon really stand out next to the very white Repli-Galeon.
Repli-Gaigar
(Spoiler Warning!) Originally created by Mamoru to lead away the 11 Planetary Masters of Sol, Repli-Mamoru and Repli-Galeon are captured by the latter and reprogrammed to retrieve the Pas-Q Machine stolen by Mamoru from the hands of GGG.
Thanks to the Pas-Q Machine, Repli-Mamoru is able to perform Fusion and even Final Fusion with Repli-Galeon. Something not even the original Mamoru could do!
Optional hands and face parts are included for Repli-Gaigar
Same as with Gaigar, Repli-Gaigar’s only attack is the Gaigar Claw.
Comparison with Gx-68 Gaigar
Display base – A reuse of the same black display base we got with the Star Gaogaigar Option Parts set a while back.
Lol.. Bandai did not include the adapter for the Goldion Hammer. I guess it makes sense since Repli-Star Gaogaigar never used the Goldion Hammer.
Hmm.. no specialized character nameplate for this set.
Variations for the adapters. One for Repli-Gaigar/ Repli-Star Gaogaigar and one for Stealth Gao II.
Stealth Gao II
Good grief… the set does NOT come with the turbines/ forearm parts for Gaogaigar??? I had to use the ones that came with the Gx-68 Gaogaigar to complete the look for Stealth Gao II.
Same as with the previous Stealth Gao II, the vents on the wings are adjustable and there are both black and clear green parts for the UI-Tech engines.
Sadly, as with the previous Stealth Gao II, there’s no way to merge Repli-Gaigar with the unit for flight mode, unlike with the Stealth Gao I due to the lack of support base pieces.
Repli-Star Gaogaigar
Thanks to the power of the Pas-Q Machine (the main energy circuit of the regeneration machine used by the 11 Planetary Master of Sol), Repli-Mamoru is able to perform Final Fusion with the stolen Gao Machines. He is now capable of standing toe-to-toe against Shishio Guy in full-on combat.
“Shobu da, Guy-neechan!”
While the set does come with both black and clear green pieces for the UI-Tech Engine, I just decided to equip the clear green pieces since they look way better.
Naturally, you can mount Repli-Star Gaogaigar on the display base so it remains more stable on a shelf.
Star Gaogaigar’s attacks
Drill Knee!
Phantom Ring!
Broken Phantom!
Protect Wall!
Plasma Hold!
HELL and HEAVEN!!!~
Last but not least, the set comes with the original Mamoru! He can’t stand like his Repli-counterpart though, you’ll have to mount him on the attachment piece for Galeon.
Take great care when mounting the attachment, as it is VERY tricky to connect the pieces together. There’s a proper angle to fit the slot in right. Don’t use brute force, otherwise it will break. If angled right, the post should smoothly slide into the slot. I really wish they just made this one piece instead of giving us two, hard-to-connect pieces.
Of course, this add-on is meant for Gx-68 Gaogaigar.
The Good
-Gaigar weighs 384 Grams and stands roughly inches tall.
-Stealth Gao II weighs 615 Grams (837 Grams – 222 Grams display base weight).
-Diecast parts include:
–Gaigar’s main joints
–Gaigar’s inner thighs
–Gaigar’s upper and lower knee sections
–Gaigar’s shoulder joints
–Gaigar’s neck ball joint
–Gaigar’s groin joints
–Gaigar’s ankles
–The assembly holding GGG’s chest fins on Stealth Gao II
–The clips holding GGG’s forearms on the Stealth Gao II
-Both Mamoru figures are included! I was just expecting Repli-Mamoru. Nice!
-Repli-Gaigar looks really good in hand. The press release pics don’t do it justice. The decision to add silver and grey tones was a good one, instead of simply just copying the animation models, which had Repli-Gaigar colored entirely white without any contrast.
-10 years later, Gaigar/ Repli-Gaigar is still fun to pose and looks great proportions-wise in both modes. I can’t say the same for Gaofar from the Gx-104 GaoFighGar set.
The Bad
-Repli-Gaigar is essentially a repaint of Gaigar. Nothing has been improved or added.
-The Stealth Gao II still cannot accommodate Gaigar/ Repli-Gaigar for flight mode. Some new adapters for the display base would be required to pull this off.
-The Set uses the older parts from the first Option Parts set release instead of the second set release. This means that the Phantom Rings and Gaogaigar’s helmet are back to matte gold finish, instead of classier chromed look of the second release.
-The Display base lacks the adapter for the Goldion Hammer. Understandable, but now there’s a huge pit where the adapter should be. Bandai should’ve included a cover piece or something to keep things neat.
The Ugly
The incomplete build for a Repli-Star Gaogaigar.
Admittedly, maybe I wasn’t paying much attention when Bandai first marketed this, but I really thought the set included everything one would need to build a Repli-Star Gaogaigar, not just a half-complete Stealth Gao II. The very high retail price due to this being an P-Bandai Website exclusive did not help clear things up either. I only found out when I opened up the actual package when it arrived.
Worse, Bandai didn’t even include Gaogaigar’s forearms in this set to complete the Stealth Gao II. As it is, one will have to purchase another Gx-68 Gaogaigar to complete the Stealth Gao II and/or Repli-Star Gaogaigar. Sheesh.
Overall, not what I was expecting. The lacking parts to build a proper Repli-Star Gaogaigar was rather disappointing. The incomplete Stealth Gao II was an even more disappointing surprise. I really wish Bandai gave us a proper complete Repli-Star Gaogaigar set instead of how things played out here.
On the positive side, Repli-Gaigar is very well made. It’s a testiment to how well the original figure released 10 years ago was engineered. I just hope Bandai improved the plastic here and it doesn’t go yellow too soon. The inclusion of both Mamoru figures is also a very welcome bonus, though I must advise great caution when handling the real Mamoru’s connection pieces.
Personally, I think I would’ve been happier if Bandai released just the Repli-Gaigar solo without the incomplete Stealth Gao II so it would at least be cheaper, instead of a pricey, not-quite complete set.
Gold
