The wait is now over, and i'll say it out loud that Guardia is amazing....
As a matter of fact, i dont mind if you skip reading the review for Guardia and just buy the whole series directly because it is that good.
Presentation
Here it is folks, Guardia in all its glory. As am writing this review, Guardia is standing right next to my monitor, and i can't stop looking at it and admire the final result.
I have lots of toys, especially 3rd party toys, and Guardia is among the best designed, the best proportion, and the best toys out there. This is 3rd party combiners toys at its best.
Just like other Maketoys toys, their design is a fresh and modern design of the old Transformers character that we used to know and love. The aesthetic and detailing on this figure is just amazing. Here's the comparison with the other Defensor toys for your reference.
Like i mentioned before, some people may dislike Guardia (or other Maketoys combiners) because they are smaller compared to other company combiners. But to me, the scale is just perfect as i collect all other Maketoys combiners and they look super fine together. When this all said and done, i will display Guardia together with Giant (green & yellow), Quantron, Utopia, Pandinus, and Battle Tanker together. I know it will look great.
I can go on and on talking about how great Guardia is, but i believe pictures says a thousand words.
Transformation
Combining all 5 robots to form Guardia was also an enjoyable experience. In terms of combiner ports and joints, Maketoys really the top of the class for standard quality. The combiner port is very well thought-off and you should have no problem inserting the limb member into the torso (unlike other combiner ports which you have to have enough force to pull the connector all the way in).
I believe the arms combiner ports and joints that Maketoys used for Guardia is the improved version of the one that they used previously on Giants and Quantron. But it is still the best ports in the market.
The legs employs a sliding joint mechanism to stick Rover and Axle and once there, it will hold both limbs securely.
I ran into a bit of problem when transforming the shoulder parts of the torso (Vulcan), especially for the side of the torso and upper shoulder section. There seems to be a clearance issue to peg all the parts securely. One thing i notice too, there is a lot of peg, a lot more than Giant or Quantron. I think this is the intention to make Guardia solid and to hold all the piece together.
All in all, with Maketoys, you probably just need to find that sweet spot for transformation. Once you are familiar with how the joints moves and et cetera, your next transformation will be smooth.
Lastly, the transformation to attach the combiner hands into the arms is very clever and genius. Once there, the hands is not going anywhere and easy to pose/articulate.
Vulcan came with 2 different guns, and these 2 guns can combine with the other guns (that came with the other 4 robot) to form into 2 big guns (resembles a bazooka). All the guns is in one single solid gray color.
Articulation
There are few strong ratchet joints for Guardia, and it really does wonder to help the stability of the combined form. You will have no problem posing Guardia as the joints and will be able to handle the articulation.
Guardia is strong, stable, and very dynamic.
It is amazing achievement for Maketoys to be able to create a combiners that is enjoyable, fun, solid, and plays just like an action figures.
During shake-test, some combiners that i have (from other companies) is very prone to have some parts falling off and some joints flapping around, or worst that all the limbs fell off. Guardia, on the other hand, can withstand the shake-test without similar issues that i mentioned above.
One small complaints that i have though, the side part of the torso is easily unpeg by itself when you pose or lift the arms. As i tried to pose Guardia, i did notice this issue and i heard some "clicking" sound as i played with the arm. I just hope that i didn't break any parts or pieces in the process
However, to be on the safe side, here's my recommendation. When you play with Guardia, kindly hold firmly the left and right side of the chest piece (picture below), so that it doesn't get unpeg and you minimized the risk of any possible stress mark or breaking any parts.
Guardia is a combiner, and usually combiner do have limited articulation than individual robot. So, all the above review on articulation is relative and relevant only to a combiner toy (not an individual robot/figure).
My Thoughts
Amazing. You should really consider getting this whole Guardia set. This is how the transforming toys and combiner toys should be. Maketoys clearly set the bar higher and they really have a high quality standard on their own.
Their QC is impeccable and their attention to detail is extraordinary.
Without a doubt, Guardia is the best combiner that i have now.
3rd party toys is not cheap, and Maketoys product is quite expensive as well. Hence, you should wisely spend your hard-earned money for a good quality product.
I believe that no toy is perfect, but i do believe that some toys are much better and stand out compared to others. Maketoys Guardia is one of the best and one of a kind.
I will send back Vulcan sample back to our friend at Victory Toys as i wait for my Vulcan to arrive. But i know now that the wait will be worth it.
I only hope that Maketoys will continue producing more combiners down the road. With this kind of quality and improvement, i will still be on their bandwagon for many years to come.
Cheers,
eToys
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