Action Toys ES-Gokin #25 Voltron (Lion Force)
Like other ES Gokins from Action Toys, the package comes with an outer plastic baggie.
Black Lion
Piloted by Keith Kogane (Akira Kogane in Golion), the Black Lion is the main command unit of the team and forms Voltron’s body (and head).
Take note that due to the hip and leg design of the combined form, the Black Lion’s hind legs are a little bit short and it’s rear paws cannot be placed flush on a surface (unless you really lower the front legs).
Weapons :
-Black Lion Rotary Cannon/ Black Bazooka (one cannon for each shoulder)
-Black Lion Mouth Blade / Black Sword
Red Lion
Piloted by Lance McClain (Isamu Kurogane), the team’s second-in-command. The Red Lion specializes in combat in extreme heat environments, even being able to withstand even molten lava.
Lol!!! That tail is just too darn cute!! Nice touch, Action Toys.
Weapons:
-Big Fire mouth cannon (not available on this figure)
-Hidden cannon (Double Pod)
-Red Lion Mouth Blade/Red Sword
-Lava Cannon/Red Laser (right shoulder)
-Plasma Flash Cannon /Magma Missile (left shoulder)
For the Double Pod on the dorsal side of Red Lion, you will have to swap some parts around to get it equipped on the Red Lion.
Green Lion
Piloted by the youngest (and resident genius) member of the team, Pidge (Hiroshi Suzuishi). The Green Lion is able to navigate easily across woodland terrain.
Weapons
-Green Tornado mouth cannon (not available on this figure)
-Hidden Weapon (Green Needle)
-Green Lion Mouth Blade/ Green Sword
-Shooting Star/ Green Knife (left shoulder)
-Laser Cannon/ Green Gun (right shoulder)
For the Green Needle cannon on the Green Lion’s dorsal side, just lift the panel up, no parts swapping required (unlike with Red Lion).
Blue Lion
Originally piloted by Sven Holgersson and then Princess Allura (Princess Fala of Altea in Golion), the Blue lion is a powerful force to be reckoned with underwater.
Weapons-
-Hidden Weapon (Blue Missile)
-Blue Lion Mouth Blade/Blue Sword
-Water Rod mouth cannon in the Lion’s mouth
-Triple Barrel Mortar Cannon/ Marine Missile (left shoulder)
-Shoulder Cannon/ Ice Missile (right shoulder)
For the “Blue Missile” on the dorsal side of the figure, parts swapping is required.
Yellow Lion
Piloted by Hunk Garrett (Tsuyoshi Seidou), the team’s “strong man”. The Yellow Lion specializes in desert combat.
To attach the weapons on the leg lions, you’ll need to remove the entire shoulder cover off first. It’s not easy and sometimes requires some patience.
Weapons:
-Hidden Weapon (Yellow Bazooka, not available on this figure)
-Yellow Lion Mouth Blade/Yellow Sword
-Sand Storm mouth cannon
-Dual Shoulder Blockbuster Turrets/ Sand Cannon
-Radial Shotgun Shoulder Blaster / Gatling Missile
It’s a real shame the Yellow Bazooka is non-functional on this figure.
LET’S GO VOLTRON FORCE!
“Weapons out!”
Ready to form Voltron!
Activate Interlocks!
Dynotherms Connected!
Infracells up!
Megathrusters are go!
Go Voltron Force!
Form feet and legs!Form arms and body!
And I’ll form the head!
TRANSFORMATION NOTES
Remember to flip out Voltron’s “heels”.
Remember to follow the manual’s instruction to rotate both joints on Black Lion’s neck to get the correct orientation for the head.
Voltron’s elbows can be further extended out to give better range of motion.
Voltron
(Western version backstory).
Created by King Alfor of Arus, Voltron was the galaxy’s main defense against the evil King Zarkon and his armies of Planet Doom. Unfortunately, following a battle against the Zarkon’s witch, Haggar, Voltron is separated into 5 lions and hidden away on planet Arus. Thanks to the efforts of five brave space explorers, the mighty robot is reawakened and the fight to save the universe begins.
Action Toys gives fans the option to make Voltron look more show accurate thanks to some removable legs and optional cover plates.
For the leg lion’s front legs, the legs are removed at the bicep level. Be very careful, as it’s on a pin joint.
The finished conversion looks really good.
Voltron features and ab crunch joint!
Voltron’s Attacks:
Solar Combat Spears/Double Sword!
The spears can be combined and thrown at an enemy.
Spinning Laser Blade/Space Cutter
Blazing Sword/Juu Oh Ken (Ten Kings Sword)
Display base
The base comes with an optional attachment so you can combine it with other ES Gokin base platforms.
The Good
The weigh in:
–Black Lion – 146Grams
–Red Lion – 42 Grams
–Green Lion – 38 Grams
–Blue Lion – 77 Grams
–Yellow Lion – 81 Grams
–Voltron – 370 Grams
-ES Gokin Lion Force Voltron stands roughly 6.25 inches tall.
–Each lion measures:
–Black Lion – 4.25 inches long
–Red Lion – 2.75 inches long
–Green Lion – 2.75 inches long
–Blue Lion – 3.5 inches long
–Yellow Lion – 3.5 inches long
-Diecast parts include
–Sections of the torsos of each lion! With most diecast on the Black Lion.
-Colored and very detailed manual! Nice!
-Voltron has an ab crunch joint!
-Beautiful paint finish!
-Optional covers for the lion legs are done pretty well.
-Proportions look great in all modes!
-Butterfly shoulder joint design on Voltron! Clever!
The Bad
-While the optional covers are a nice touch, I worry that frequent removing might wear the ball joint and sockets down over time?
-Display base can’t hold the separated lions for display, just Voltron.
-No LEDs or light up eyes? I have to admit I’m a bit surprised at this. Usually ES Gokins feature LEDs for their figure’s eyes.
-No optional “open mouth” faceplate for Voltron.
The Ugly
Make sure to wipe down all of the chrome parts. My unit came with a lot of smudge and residue here and there. I’m not sure if that will have any long lasting damaging effect on the finish later on if left unremoved.
Even the Blazing Sword has some scratches on it… sigh..
Overall, an amazing set! The lions feel heavy, the combined form feels heavy and solid. The paint and details are really nice. Best of all, no fragility issues anywhere (unlike with some of the other ES Gokin combiner releases). Action Toys really upped their game for this one.
It even manages to outdo the Blitzway Voltron thanks to the option to remove the lion legs on the leg lions, something that the Blitzway was not able to do!
While there are some negatives, there’re all very minor and aren’t total deal breakers. Definitely one of the best Voltron figures released!
Gold
