Bandai's D-Arts Charizard (Lizardon) is now up for pre-order.

Charizard is the second D-Arts Pokemon slated for release and may be somewhat overshadowed by his predecessor, Mewtwo. Like the D-Arts Mewtwo, Charizard is an incredibly articulated figure and is the sort of figure for which many fans have waited about a decade. He features an extraordinarily jointed neck and tail, allowing for additional movement, although the jointing doesn't seem as thorough as D-Arts Mewtwo's tail. He comes with a fire attack (flamethrower) accessory as well as a stand.

Until recently, I was always under the impression that Charizard was among the most popular of Pokemon (partly why he was among the first to come to mind whenever I hear that a company will be be doing Pokemon figures) but, surprisingly, he seems to have detractors. Maybe it's an anti-hype thing? Personally I've always thought his character design was pretty neat which makes it a shame that this figure doesn't appeal that greatly to me. I really dislike Bandai's decision to go with an incredibly clear translucent tail flame and can't say that I care for the flame's shape, either. The larger segments used for the neck and tail also strike me as unseemly. 

Conversely, I love how they handled the wings. They look great despite seeming to be functionally articulate. The headsculpt is also really cool, although that pin-joint at the jaw is somewhat distracting. I somewhat hate to sit this pre-order out because the D-Arts Charizard is, in very many ways, a pretty good figure. However, with Venusaur and Blastoise possibly being on the way, I feel that I have to prioritize and I just don't like the look of this figure as much. Of course, I expect many readers will feel very differently.

Charizard is slated for an April release and is priced very reasonably as far as childhood dreams go. I'm hoping that both he and Mewtwo sell exceptionally well so that Bandai will continue producing D-Arts Pokemon figures. I know that I'd love to see a Blaziken, Gyrados, and Tyranitar, as well as some trainers.

[ Pre-order at HobbyLink Japan | Hobby Search | AmiAmi ]