Ariake Aggie: Review: Machine Robo NEXT Magnum Police

I'm no stranger to the Mugenbine toy line, having snatched up most of the figures released during my time in Japan. I talked briefly about the history of Mugenbines in my Needle Stego review but feel it's worth mentioning again. The predecessor to Mugenbines was the Machine Robo series (AKA Gobots). In fact the first Mugenbine, Air Leon, made a brief appearance in the Machine Robo Rescue anime that aired from 2003-2004:

Since his introduction, it seems the Mugenbine line shifted focus from vehicle based robots to primarily animal based ones. Everything I collected while in Japan has an animal mode. And while Needle Stego and Mugen Police have vehicle alt modes, more recent sets have done away with them entirely.

Enter Magnum Police, the newest release from Bandai. The company seems to have dropped the title Mugenbine in favor of Machine Robo NEXT, perhaps to reflect a change of direction back to vehicle themed toys. Make no mistake, however, this toy still looks and plays like any recent Mugenbine candy toy release.

There are five toys in this set: Policeroid, Magnum Patrol Car, Magnum Sonic, Magnum Wheel, and Magnum Gyro. Each comes in a standard candy toy box with pictures of the other toys in the series along one side and a picture of the standard combination on the back in addition to some other possible configurations. In fact, the box encourages you to buy four sets of robots 2-5 in order to make a slew of alternate combinations. Bandai is really pushing the potential play value of these toys, which is great. Still, I opted to only get one set and built the standard combined form. I've only got so much cash. So, lets look at each toy in order.

First up is Policeroid. Out of the box there isn't a lot to assemble. Sticker apps are also thankfully sparse, though I'll comment a bit more on that later. As always, the instructions for the individual machines are on the inside face of the box, which tears open quite nicely, while a copy of the instructions for the combined form is placed inside each box.

Of note with this release is the inclusion of additional instructions for creating arms and legs from any vehicle with the exception of Policeroid, which always forms the torso. This is what allows you to form all the alternate combined modes and even allows for a bit of customization with a standard set of five.

Back to Policeroid:

Policeroid is a bit blocky, but he has a certain style that I appreciate. I think it's mostly the hat and sunglasses.

I also like the inclusion of the tiny gun with this toy.

Pew, pew!

The new joint system took a little bit of getting used to, but it allows for a good range of motion with the arms even at this small a scale.

I also have to say that this set did a better job overall at hiding all those extra fists and heads that I found distracting in earlier Mugenbine releases. Here you can see the head of Magnum Police placed snugly in the back of Policeroid:

Magnum Patrol Car (I'm honestly guessing at that name, the kana is マグナムパトカー) is probably my least favorite in this set.

I have a serious dislike of the brown used for the window here. Sticker apps in general feel like a misstep with this series, which had recently done away with them entirely and still looked decent. I also hate toy cars with wheels that don't move. Still, not everything on this toy is terrible.

I definitely dig the front of the car. It is probably the most intricately molded piece in the whole set with the exception of maybe some of the face pieces. Also, despite my displeasure with sticker apps, I like the design choice of having a number displayed on each vehicle.

For what it's worth, the sticker for the tires add a cartoony feel to the toy that I feel is appropriate. Still, I wish they could actually roll somehow.

Magnum Sonic is a pretty neat looking jet. It has a pretty clever method of joining the front and back pieces together.

The terrible brown color is present here again, but it doesn't bother me near as much here as it does elsewhere.

Here's a bit of detail on the wings. The red fins were the hardest stickers to apply and I know they'll be the first to start peeling off. The pieces that will form the chest plate of Magnum Police also have awkward sticker apps, though they're mostly flat and thus likely to last longer. You can also see the toy's number sticker located on the tail fin.

Again, the extraneous piece, this time a fist, is cleverly hidden beneath the tail fin and out of sight from most angles.

Magnum Wheel has me torn over whether or not I like it.

From one side it looks pretty solid.

I like the color in the wheels and the simple design. But from the other side, it is a disaster.

The tires have absolutely no detail from this side. And is that a robot face?

With all the care given to the other toys, it's a shame to see this one fall so flat. Granted it's only three pieces, but at this scale that's nearly half of the overall toy. There are some positives, however, chief among them the ability for Policeroid to ride the motorcycle (with a bit of limb swapping of course):

I recommend repurposing the gun as a kickstand if you want it to stand on its own.

The toy's number is located on the front. It's probably the hardest number to get to stick properly due to the bend in the middle.

Last is Magnum Gyro, whose name may be a nod to Gyro Robo, the helicopter robot form Machine Robo.

This is probably my favorite of the bunch.

With the overall darker color scheme, the brown doesn't feel out of place and actually adds to the overall design.

My criticisms of this toy are minor and unsurprising. The blades of the helicopter can move, but don't spin freely. The lower part of the helicopter seems unnecessary, but it may represent a weapon of some sort.

Hidden robot face!

As always the big draw, and the purpose of collecting these things, is the combined form. First, here's what Magnum Police looks like with just the limbs built, before adding all the details from leftover parts. Think of it as an unarmored mode:

It's a bit slimmer than most Mugenbine toys I have, maybe as a result of employing the new joints. It also doesn't have as many extraneous parts, even when you add the rest of the pieces.

Some pieces also form a gun and night stick, allowing Magnum Police to be ready for action:

The final form is pretty cool. Even elements like his backpack, where Bandai usually sticks pieces they can't fit elsewhere, seem to work. He's not overly bulky or awkward and is able to hold a pose pretty well, though I would have liked to see some more articulation down in the ankles. The shield on the left arm also hinders movement a bit, but not so much as to be distracting. The robot face on the side of the gun is also a bit weird, but I almost expect that at this point, especially with a set that has to somehow hide five alternate faces within its design.

This is a pretty standout toy even within the Mugenbine line. It possesses a great deal of play value and is not so cumbersome or ridiculous in its combined form to be difficult to manipulate. Still, like all the candy toys before it, I feel Magnum Police is better fit for posing than playing, if only because it takes a lot of twisting and turning of pieces to get him looking just right and his joints are rather stiff. Plus, as a combiner you always run the risk that an arm or leg will pop off.