It's time to review more of the things from my latest haul from Japan. Today we have a look at the SPEC XS-07 Black Sarena from Bandai.
Kind of spinoff of the very appreciated Soul of Chogokin line, SPEC feature less known, cheaper and less elaborate figures.
Black Sarena is no exception, it's not a very popular robot, I didn't know it before the release of this figure, but I love the bulky and original design. It reminds me some Super Robot Wars
mechas.
The box is very nice and loaded of accessories, the original Aestivalis custom can transform into the Black Sarena (shown here) and the High Mobility Suit for large space travel. So it feature
some potential for changing and transforming, good point. Poseability is minimal in the Black Sarena, you can only really move the arms and the hatches on the side, who reveal reactors when
opened. The figure is 13 cm high to the top of the head, not so much, but I like the proportions, and the tail is already big enough, it uses more shelfspace that you would think.
Most collectors will ask : "how about the diecast content ?". I have to say it's reduced to the minimum, only some parts of the skeleton of the Aestivalis suit are diecast, the rest is plastic,
and not the best one : hard and glossy, but not so classy. Paint is also very limited, only the red parts are painted, but this is some very clean job, fortunately.
As a conclusion, the model is nice, has many accessories, but is certainly no must, it lacks some premium finish to appeal the real collector. More a toy than a real collection item actually, and
so it's a bit overpriced...
But make no mistake, I love it and it's not going for sale :)
Also take a look at the
back and the
side...
