REVIEW: Bandai Dragon Ball Z Figure-Rise Standard Super Saiyan Son Goku & Final Form Frieza

Review and photos by Scott Rubin

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise, which began as a manga in 1984, is one of the biggest and best known properties in the world, so it should come as no surprise that there are tons of cool action figures and collectibles out there for the fans.  Naturally, Bandai is a producer of many of the best products and has been working with Dragon Ball for years; their current lineup includes a wide array of mini figures, keychains, various Figuarts configurations, and much more.  Naturally they cover all of the chapters of the saga but with a big focus on the central Dragon Ball Z… and that’s where we find the latest and greatest.  Bandai has unleashed a new style of snap-fit action figure model kit called Figure-rise Standard, and today we’re going to be taking a look at the debut releases of Super Saiyan Son Goku and Final Form Frieza!

Now, let me say here that I’m not always a fan of snap-fit model kits.  In theory they’re supposed to be easy enough for beginners (and young people) to do but offer enough complexity and articulation that experienced modelers can enjoy them and then subsequently customize, paint, etc.  However, I’ve found that many are either too simple or too difficult and thus fail in their overall mission.  I’m very happy, then, to report that Bandai has really hit on a great balance with these Figure-rise Standard figures.  They’re 1:12 scale with a nice parts count, and they even use the amazing multi-colored sprues Bandai first perfected with the Sprukits (still don’t know how they do that!).  Assembly is straightforward and the resulting figures are fun to pose; they look good right out of the box but can of course be enhanced by painting and customization.  Let’s dive in deeper.

The Figure-rise Standard kits come in big boxes that are absolutely screaming with color and graphics.  Each one has artwork of the specific character dominating the front cover along with subtle images of both models in the wave (here Frieza and Goku).  The backgrounds are differentiated as well with signature colors, orange for the heroic Saiyan and purple for the villain.  Side panels show off the models in a variety of poses, the neat interchangeable expressions and additional effects parts, and an example of the “muscle build-up system” assembly.

Inside the box you’ll find a number of sprues, some with multiple colors, instructions, and a tiny sticker sheet.  While all Figure-rise Standard kits are the same difficulty level there are different price points correlating to the number of parts and extras; Frieza is a smaller kit/figure with three large sprues and two small ones while Goku has substantially more and is a lot larger.

What’s great about these kits is the fact that the only thing you really need that’s not in the box already is a good tool for removing the parts from the sprues.  Even this is technically optional; kids putting these kits together shouldn’t have access to sharp instruments and could just twist out the parts but that will leave some unsightly plastic bits.  I’ve got a pretty robust set of clippers I use for my Warhammer 40k models, but that might’ve been overkill here.

Luckily I got to try out the Mr. Super Tool Set from Mr. Hobby, perfect for modeling work of this nature.  A sturdy plastic case encloses a small hobby knife, tweezers, metal file, replacement blades, official Gundam marker, and a small nipper.  That last one made building the Dragon Ball Z kits a snap and it really was the perfect tool for removing the small parts from the sprues.  It was actually so handy that I think I’m going to try using it on my 40k kits too!  The other Super Tool Set components are a little bit overkill for the Figure-rise Standard kits, though expert modelers will find the knife and file useful for cleaning any tiny imperfections from the parts, the tweezers good for sticker application, and even the marker suitable for adding line details.

The graphical assembly instructions Bandai provides are very straightforward and easy to follow; just make sure you take it step by step and don’t cut out too many pieces at a time.  The instructions are in Japanese and English, and helpful icons let you know when a part has a piece that sticks out and you need to be careful.  The only things that gave me any trouble at all were the stickers… but I’ve never been good at applying the darned things anyway.  Thankfully there weren’t too many in these sets, mainly the red stripes on Goku’s shoes, Frieza’s toenails and the black discs on the sides of his head(s), and open mouths on both of them.  Probably the coolest parts of these builds were the faces.  It’s hard to show it off in photos but there are different pieces for every color in the face and they all plug in together to result in eyebrows, eyes with pupils, and of course mouths both open and closed.

It’s pretty cool when you finish building a kit and realize you’ve put together your very own fully articulated action figure, and that’s exactly how you’ll feel after completing a Figure-rise Standard Dragon Ball Z character.  In roughly 1:12 scale the height difference is readily apparent with Super Saiyan Son Goku towering over Final Form Frieza at 7 and 5 1/8 inches respectively.  At a glance the characters look like they stepped right out of the cartoon with perfect proportions on each, Goku’s iconic outfit, Frieza’s weird alien body, and much more.  Bandai uses what it calls the “muscle build-up system” on these figures which essentially layers parts to hide articulation and seams with the developed physiques and heavy clothing of the fighters.  Basically, you’ll build inner fiddly bits and then layer muscles and clothing parts on top!

Super Saiyan Son Goku is every bit the hero you know, tall and powerful.  He wears his standard dogi uniform with baggy orange pants and top over a blue shirt with matching wristbands, belt, and boots with red stripes.  The fighter has a light skin tone and at his Super Saiyan power level sports green eyes and bright golden hair that erupts from his head in a spiky mass.  The kit’s sculpt has a ton of detail in the creases of the clothing as well as the exposed musculature, while the hair and the two included facial expressions are perfect for the character.  It feels a bit lacking that there’s no smiling face for the usually light-hearted Goku, but then again generally when powered up to Super Saiyan he’s fighting and not joking around with friends.

Check out the photos to see some of the ranges of Goku’s movement and articulation, but in short he can achieve a huge array of poses so you can display him standing tough, fighting, using energy blasts, and more.  There are even lots of double joints (mostly) hidden by the build-up system and clothing.

The standard build has the Saiyan clenching both fists, but there are also open hands and a right hand performing the Instant Transmission teleportation technique.  As mentioned above, Goku comes with a serious, close-mouthed face and an angry expression with his mouth wide open.  It’s very easy to swap them out; just pull off the forehead piece, switch the faceplates on the larger hair/head, and replace the forehead.  Goku also comes with two stages of his signature Kamehameha move, a small energy ball he can hold in his hand and a long blast (both in translucent blue plastic) that rests on an included display stand.  Both look really cool and it’s easy to pose them with the figure.

And then there’s the villainous Frieza!  The immoral creature is one of the most popular bad guys from the series, and he’s just so creepy with his weird alien look.  Barely coming up to Goku’s shoulder, the diminutive Frieza in his Ultimate Form is sleek and statuesque with defined muscles, odd growths like armor plates, three-toed feet, a long and powerful tail, and of course the odd helmet-like head.  His coloration just adds to his inhuman nature with off-white skin broken up only by a few dark purple sections (shoulders, chest, forearms, lower legs, toenails, and head).  Frieza also has beady red eyes that get super crazy looking as you can see on the alternate head!

With no clothing to cover him the alien is defined by the sculpt on his body, and it’s robust for his size with powerful muscles, a huge chest, narrow waist, and the aforementioned weird elements like ridges, armored (purple) areas, toes, and tail.  As with Goku, Frieza is highly articulated with lots of ball joints and double jointed areas for extreme poseability, and even his tail is articulated in three places!

Besides the second, really creepy head, Frieza comes with interchangeable parts to give him hands with widespread fingers or a right hand that’s pointing.  His energy weapons are translucent light red plastic and consist of the Death Ball (with a mounting to have it float over his head), a long blast that erupts from his finger, and a display base that can mount either one.

If you’re a Dragon Ball Z fan with any interest in model kits, you should definitely check out Bandai’s new Figure-rise Standard lineup.  Putting together these kits was a lot of fun, and included very little frustration or difficulty (always nice when modeling).  Trust me when I say that no prior experience is necessary, just some patience and care in removing parts from sprues and during assembly.  And the results were a couple of very cool looking action figures packed with articulation and offering lots of display options with neat effects and interchangeable parts.

This line has just begun, and already on the horizon are more figures like Super Saiyan 2 Son Gohan, Kid Buu, Perfect Cell, Super Saiyan 3 Son Goku, and more.  Super Saiyan Son Goku and Final Form Frieza are available now at specialty retailers and online, and they retail for around $30 and $25 respectively (Frieza is less expensive with his smaller size and lower part count).  Those are excellent prices for cool 1:12 scale figures, and you get all the satisfaction and fun of building them!  Remember, too, that if you are an experienced modeler then you can add even more detail to these guys with painting.

Lastly I just want to point out two things that can make your experience even better.  I noted above that to build these guys I used the Mr. Hobby Mr. Super Tool Set (about $30) and I couldn’t recommend it more especially if you don’t already have modeling tools.  Also, for truly unlimited posing options for these characters who run, jump, fight, and fly, check out Bandai’s lineup of display bases and effects.

Review and photos by Scott Rubin

Review samples courtesy of Bluefin

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