There was a little “oopsies” with this one.. Here’s another deep look into another Yoroiden Samurai Troopers/ Ronin Warriors figure release by Sentinel.
Unboxing / Assembly / Review
Figure Review
I bought it here
More info about the figure here
Otaku Sinh’s collection
$144.99 (Figure)- $15 (Coupon Code off) = $129.99 (Total)
Entertainment Earth (EE)
Overseas or in the US? If you were buying this figure from overseas on release day, you’d be looking at about 14400 Yen. Before the Japanese decided to devalue their currency further, you’d probably be looking at about $125 before shipping. With EMS, DHL or Fedex shipping, it would be close to the $144.99 US retail price tag it had on it. As always I mentioned before, surface parcel or any of the slower shipping methods could save you a little bit more money. Of course, if you want it faster, deem the pricing still reasonable and are okay with the shipping risk, buying overseas makes a lot of sense. In my case, having a $15 off coupon definitely helps make the decision easier and I didn’t mind waiting that extra 4-5 months to receive it from EE.
Consumer Winning Policies!
EE is great because they have a “no questions asked” 90-day return policy and they price match! They also guarantee that your package will come in the best quality possible. It’s probably why they are sold out compared to BBTS, where they have plenty in-stock. EE doesn’t just provide anime figures, they provide a ton of western pop culture collectibles as well. They even have their own Exclusive Funko Pops that you can only get off of EE.
Buying Off of EE
Buying off of EE is a pretty easy experience. If you ever need to cancel your order, you are pretty much free to do so as long as it’s not processing. If you DO make an order that had a collection of items that satisfied free shipping, you may have to pay shipping on the rest of that order, if you end up cancelling any items that doesn’t satisfy the free shipping requirements. Just be aware of which orders you are canceling because it could cost you.
Changing Credit Card Info
If you are a credit card churner like me, then being able to switch your credit card information on orders is vital. You can’t really do it on the website. If the product you are looking for is still available for pre-order, it’s probably more convenient just to cancel the order and make a new one. Otherwise, you’ll have to contact customer service and update the credit card information over the phone. I’ve done this for multiple orders.
Overall, my experience with EE has been nothing but positive. The only real negative thing I can say about them is that maybe their prices are too high? Even then, they have a “low price guarantee” using other US based retail store prices. There was also that one time that they canceled the Aniplex Fate/stay night 2nd movie Sakura figure. That was a bummer. Other than that, EE is a very good and trustworthy company. I totally recommend buying from them!
Box & Parts
Comparing the Biggest Issues
One of my worst nightmares kind of happened after I tried moving the pieces off of the “sitting chair pose” back into the “bow and arrow” pose.. So, what happened? The hand happened.. In the video, I used the toothpick to open the hand. This time, I used too much force and half of his hand completely fell off the lining as I was trying to force the bow into his hand. It still does reattach. Now, his hand is loose and comes off easily if you are not careful in moving the figure. When I was adjusting his pose, its very difficult for his hand to stay attached without falling. I’ll probably have to get some epoxy glue some time down the line.. Good thing gluing his hand back into one piece will does not compromise the aesthetic look!
The next issue I had is pretty minor compared to the hand issue and that is the chest armor piece. The front chest piece comes with the hanging blue armor piece that hovers over the figure’s “private area.” I’m not sure if it was supposed to be permanently attached or if I accidentally broke it off. Either way, it’s mostly a non-issue. When you attach the chest and back armor piece, make sure you are holding the chest and flap piece together when you are clicking the chest and back armor piece together.
These two issues happened after I removed the pieces of the figures multiple times. I didn’t have an issue with the hand, until the 2nd time I tried putting the bow into the figure’s hand. I probably broke off that chest piece into 2, after trying to maneuver the figure around by pose or assembly. These issues are annoying, but they are manageable.
Assembly
Besides the aforementioned assembly piece issues, I think everything else was relatively easy to put on. Maybe you’ll have some difficulties reattaching his hands. Those “joint socket balls to hands “attachments can be tricky sometimes. In the “sitting chair” pose, you might want to remove the arms first to attach the shoulder armor, as it can get in the way of putting on other parts of his armor.
When you are detaching the head armor piece, if you have long enough finger nails on you or have a box cutter like I have in the video, you can use it to help split open the armor without dangerously trying to detach it from grabbing it from the bottom. Also, when you put the arrow in his hand, there’s a little hole in his hand to fit in the arrow. I would have liked for it to fit in a bit more snug. With the arrow and the loose hand in mind, I have to move his pose into the desirable position first, before reattaching his hand and bow; or else they would keep falling. Other than that, I don’t think anyone should have an issue with building multiple poses, seated or on his body.
Functionality
All of his joints seem to be able to move in 360 degrees. With the armor on the body, the figure would be able to move his arms almost straight up. With the armor on, his arms can move into a “T” shape, showing the figure’s wingspan. His legs bend all the way to where you can have the figure on its knees. His legs go to the side at least at a 45 degree angle split. It moves rather smooth with little to no “clunky-ness” without the armor on the figure. But with the armor on, if you are moving him too much, his chest and back armor piece has a tendency to fall out of place. Although, it is very easy to reattach it. I guess that would be where any “clunky-ness” would come from. Overall, it’s easy to move. Where the issues may stem from is from the armors falling apart from adjusting the pose.
Aesthetics
When it comes to the visual aesthetics, I think it looks amazing! Like I said with the Sentinel Sage of Halo one, the choice of paint and gloss is something I personally prefer. It does reflect the light, which can be a bit annoying. But I really like the shiny look with the right lighting.
When it comes to any paint or sculpting errors, I didn’t see anything that seemed out of place. By no means is it “perfect,” but it’s pretty darn close.
Sentinel vs Bandai’s Armor Plus
To be very honest, I think I’m going to edge it to Bandai Armorplus right now. The Armorplus Cye of the Torrent figure was very sturdy. When I took the pieces off to reattach it to the “sitting pose,” I didn’t have many issues that couldn’t be easily solved. When it comes to the painting color preference, I think you can’t really go wrong with either. Although, I wasn’t that big of a fan of the dull metallic colors on the Armorplus Infernal Armor. I think they are all above the “acceptable” threshold for my personal taste.
I do edge the color choices on all the figures I have now to Sentinel. I still really like the Cye of the Torrent painting aesthetics. I think I just have something against metallic colors, so that’s why I don’t like the Armorplus Infernal one too much, albiet they are the “Special Color Edition.” I am getting the Armorplus Kento of Hardrock figure probably by the end of next week at the latest. If it turns out anything like the Cye of the Torrent one, I’m going to be a very happy collector!
Pictures
Last Thoughts
When it comes to the Sentinel Rowen of Strata figure, I think the hand breaking off might be 50% my fault and 50% the combination of QC & design. I hate dealing with weapon accessories that involve grabbing because of this very issue with parts breaking! I have a hate & love relationship with action figures because it gives you flexibility, but increases the risk of you breaking it. There’s so many damn pieces that you have to maneuver with good dexterity. If something breaks, you’ll be regretting that you paid for this product with your hard earned money!
Thank god it doesn’t ruin the aesthetic look. I’ll just buy some epoxy glue and just deal with it. The broken hand aside, the assembly was relatively easy. There wasn’t any painting or noticeable sculpting errors. You guys know how much I like the choice of paint with the shiny glossy look. I don’t think buying this figure is a bad choice. Just beware of the hand piece that holds the bow. He’s still available on BBTS with 24+ quantity in-stock, so he has a chance to be available long enough for us to get our hands on the Armor Plus version that’s coming in July. Seeing that Samurai Trooper figures are hard to come by, it’s hard for me not to say to just buy both! In the end, its up to you. Let me know what you guys think!
OTAKU SINH 