Review: Revoltech Sanada Yukimura (Limited White Ver.)

In my experience, I am often drawn towards collectibles by the source material. What usually happens is: I watch an anime, like it, and decide to get something nice to remember it by. However, there are times when the opposite is true: I see a figure, model or toy that looks so good that I am compelled to check out the source material before ultimately giving in.

Yukimura doesn’t seem to know too many words, but he makes good mileage out of the few he does know.

The subject of this week’s review – the Revoltech Sanada Yukimura (Limited White Ver.) – belongs to this latter category. Despite having dropped the anime Sengoku Basara, this toy dragged me by the ears to pick it back up again and changed my entire opinion of it. Just before committing to buy this toy along with the Revoltech Date Masamune (to be covered in a future review) however, I conveniently received the duo as presents for my birthday. Well, a good present deserves a good review – and what a good present it is! With the exception of one significant flaw, the Revoltech Sanada Yukimura proves that the Yamaguchi Revoltech line is no slouch when it comes to non-mecha figures.

First Impressions

“The less it covers, the more armour rating it has.”

This tried-and-true maxim of MMORPGs seems to have affected the character design of Yukimura. Standing fearlessly with his exposed chest in his fire-patterned clothes, Yukimura embodies what is to be expected from Sengoku Basara – a ridiculous and over-the-top take on the Warring States period of Japanese history. Though the original design of the character featured a primarily red colour scheme, this limited version of the figure opts for a more neutral white colour scheme. The question of “which one is better” is a purely subjective question. Personally, while I find the white colour scheme more dignified, the fire patterns on the clothing makes more sense in the red version, taking my preference by a very narrow margin.

The proportions of Yukimura are highly stylized in keeping with the rest of the Yamaguchi Revoltechs. His lean torso and powerful legs along with his washboard abs paint a picture of strength and ferocity – two very relevant keywords for the character. To top it off, his flowing rattail and headband are evidently too badass to stay still. They look great both in action poses and static poses, though they do tend to get in the way if you want to display the figure in close proximity with others.

Closer Look

Although the details on Yukimura’s outfit are fairly complex, they are very well-executed. The metal studs on his shoulders are all very neatly painted, and the black spots on his belt and tasset armour don’t look shabby either. Even his necklace and the golden emblems on his back are virtually flawless. The lower portions of his tasset armour and his shirt are made of a softer material to facilitate unobstructed articulation.

Yukimura is not exempt from usual problem of injection marks in action figures. They appear most noticeably on his forearms and on the back of his hands. Some clear glue stains can also be found on his chest under close observation. Thankfully, these small flaws are not enough to subtract from the overall appearance of the toy.

Sadly, Yukimura’s near-flawless track record is shattered by his alternate face. While the default face features a simple but stern expression, the alternate yelling face is hilariously bad. The combination of his sunken cheeks and lack of clearly-visible teeth makes Yukimura appear to be in dire need of dentures. I hope the Takeda clan offers a good dental plan.

Accessories

For weapons, Yukimura comes with two spearheads, two regular-length spear shafts, and a combined version of both spear shafts. Though very long, the combined shaft is not actually twice as long as the regular shafts; it accepts spear heads on both ends, where as the regular version only accepts the spearhead on one end. The spear shafts consist of intervals of red and brown portions separated by brass-coloured rings.

The oversized spear heads fit comfortably onto the shafts. Each spearhead features an oversized blade and a golden guard beneath. Both parts are painted with a metallic finish and look quite nice.

Yukimura comes with only two pairs of hands – closed fists and hands meant to grip the spears. Fitting the spear shafts into the hand is initially a difficult task due to the tightness of the fit. The hot water tricks definitely recommended here. As you play more with the toy, this problem gradually disappears.

The traditional Revoltech display base is given a makeover in recent releases. In addition to the change from black to clear-coloured plastic, an additional segment and revolver joint is included to improve the functionality of the base greatly. However, my favourite addition is undoubtedly the stabilizer piece meant to help the figure stand on its feet. Not only does it work like a charm, but it is also shaped like a miniature explosion or a comic FX – perfect for all the dynamic action poses this figure is capable of.

Articulation

Both the headband and the rattail are attached to the back of Yukimura’s head via small nubs, allowing them to be twisted into different positions on a single rotational axis. The hairpiece to which the rattail is attached to is able to swing downwards, giving you more options to position the rattail when the neck is bent forward. A robust neckpiece conceals a double revolver joint, giving Yukimura’s neck a great deal of freedom

The shoulders and elbows are exactly would you would expect from Revoltech figures – very stiff and very articulate. Due to the open design of his shoulders, there are virtually no limits to its range of movement.

The wrists depart from traditional Revoltech designs in the lack of the use of revolver joints. Instead, the Revoltech Sanada Yukimura uses Figma-styled hands that only have two axis of articulation rather than three. Thankfully in Yukimura’s case, this change of wrist design is a non-issue. The spear-wielding hands are able to point the spears forward to a great degree, while the fists are able to bend inwards and outwards

A revolver joint connect the torso to the hips, while each leg is connected via a pair of swivel joints. While these joints are not as tight as the revolver joints, they offer the precision need to position the legs the angles needed for standing poses, and thus they avoid the pitfall faced by the Gurren Lagann and TTGL Revoltech figures.

The knee articulation of Yukimura is nothing short of amazing. The use of large double revolver joints allows the knee to bend the full 180 degrees in spite of large thigh pieces! The ankles are the usual fare, housing one revolver joint that is sturdy but imprecise. Thankfully, the aforementioned hips help greatly to mitigate this problem.

Final Say

When I first saw the Revoltech Sanada Yukimura on the internet, I was convinced it would be a kick-ass toy. Now as an owner of the toy, I can confidently say confirm my initial reaction. This guy is not only incredibly fun to play with, but also looks great no matter what pose you put him in. Furthermore, the fun factor grows exponentially with the addition of the Revoltech Date Masamune into the picture. If only the yelling did not make me immediately think of my grandfather, I would say the Revoltech Yukimura is pretty much perfect for an action figure of his price range.

At the time of this writing, the regular colour versions of Sanada Yukimura and Date Masamune are on sale at Otacute for $12.50 US, while the white versions are $19.50. If I were you, I wouldn’t let this monster Bargain pass!

Pros

• Superb articulation
• Sharp execution of paint details
• Foot stabilizer works well and looks even better

Cons

• Alternate yelling face is hilariously awful