Riobot Delphine

[wolfx]

I can't find the old Broken Blade or Riobot threads.... so please move this if someone else finds it.

I got me a Riobot Delphine , 3rd form. It costs USD95.

http://www.hlj.com/product/SET88003

Overall, disappointing.

For the price and look, i thought it might have some die cast in it. Nope. It was all plastic....and it wasn't the good kind either. Feels very brittle and everything is in ball joints. Rather than a toy, it feels like a pre-built and pre-painted resin kit. The basic frame without the armour is pretty nifty and poseable. There is some concern on the ball joints as i imagine them to loosen over time and play. The armour is a nightmare to put together. Nothing fits tightly and the attachment points aren't very obvious if not very difficult to get it on and stay on. After about 2 hours i finally got everything on but it still feels loosely attached. If i turned it upside down some parts are bound to fall off.

Some moving parts in the armour use a metal peg that comes off easily because the fitting isn't perfect to the mecha and you might try to press on the armour frames to get it to fit on the delphine, which will cause some parts to pop-off.

The detailing and paint is pretty good despite the materials. I was tempted to get the evangelion and gurren lagann (whatever happened to the ZOE mecha?) but after handling the Delphine, i don't think i'll be getting future stuff from this line unless they improve their quality. The Delphine sold out pretty quickly on online stores during the 1st run and now the 2nd re-release so I wonder if its just a matter of the franchise being popular or is it because the riobot line is limited and popular in Japan.

*pictures to come....but not many since i'm too lazy to pose it since its so hard to reattach

Edited December 8, 2011 by wolfx

[SuperHobo]

While I have to agree with you that the riobot delphine does feel light and a tad brittle, I believe that has to do with it being fully painted and given a rather thick top coat. At first I too thought the armor attached really loosely, but after fiddling with a little more I got everything to click into place. I can turn mine upside down, shake it and so far the only thing I noticed that's been coming off are the two armor panels that go on the chest. Personally, I find the armored mode to be more of a bonus/ display piece because all of that armor really restricts the articulation. With that being said, the base figure is outstanding. It's incredibly articulated and all of those sliding leg pieces is quite a feat of engineering although a tad unnecessary. Furthermore, I love that this guy comes with a ton of weapons and all of them are fully painted! I think the bottom line, however, is that this riobot is more of a display piece that will look great on the stand and can pose like there's no tomorrow. I like it! But I don't $100 shipped like it. I just wish this guy used some denser, heavier feeling plastic and possibly take back like 2,000 yen in price. Anyways, that was my two cents.

[wolfx]

Hi superhobo.

The base figure is indeed quite nice but would've preferred a better plastic. If i knew earlier about the material, i'd rather get the 2nd form which is essentially the same figure minus the red armoured parts, and 2000 yen cheaper.

The angle on how to attach the shoulder armor plates is really odd. I can't seem to get it right for the left shoulder. It seems to nudge the grey shoulder plates apart causing it be seperated from the arms.The right plate goes in easier but doesn't stay on tight. Wondering if you have a tip for this. Also the ball joint linking the shoulder plates to the arm plates seems redundant and fragile.

Another issue is trying to get the left arm plate's blade to fold in flush after you put the hand in. Can't find the right spot for it to connect.

[SuperHobo]

For the left arm blade did you put on the small extra attachment that goes on the end of the handle? When putting the arm brackets over the arms you have to put the fingers through the slots and then kind of smush the hand together and then bring the brackets over the arm and then it should lock together. I find detaching the silver shoulder armor first and attaching the red armor at an angle and pushing down on it should make attaching the red shoulder armor a lot easier. Hopefully that makes sense.

Edited December 8, 2011 by SuperHobo