Ode to Kaiyodo Action Figures!!

One of these days when I'm a gazillionaire, i'd like to contract with Kaiyodo to manufacture action figures of obscure licenses that haven't been done justice yet. Several Mortarheads from Five Star Stories comes to mind. Thank you Kaiyodo for being the only company that made Five Star Stories Action Figures in the first place. We want more! Or, perhaps it's only me that wants more! Kaiyodo and its toylin Xebec has to be one of my favorite manufacturers. Without knowing who made them, I have purchased several toys and action figures made by this fine company over the years including the incredible figures from Evangelion, Trigun, Gungrave, Gao Gai Gar and Fist of the Northstar. I would have to say they make some of the highest quality, detailed and beautiful figures on the market today.

So what brings me to this post on my love affair for Kaiyodo? Well, i've been thinking about picking up the latest Kaiyodo masterpiece from the Trigun Series: Gazelle the Peacemaker. This figure is incredible as you can see from the pictures. The amazing details, articulation, and paint are really outstanding. They have a very cool black-repaint that is out now and you can find it for under $40 at TISinc99.com. TIS (Treasure Island Sports) has a very wide selection of toys and action figures and I am very pleased with their prices. Reasonable indeed. Definitely check them out. Too lazy to order online or don't have a credit card? You can still find Gazelle the Peacemaker at Tower Records for $40 not including tax.

Other standout Kaiyodo figures include Gungrave: Beyond the Grave. This 8" figure comes complete with his coffin / missile launcher / machine gun. Gungrave will be a little more difficult to find these days, but I just saw one on eBay.

By far, my favorite Kaiyodo Action figure will have to be Monev the Gale also from the Trigun series. This figure was a candidate for Toy of the Year a few years ago and for good reason. The red metallic paint, incredible articulation and the attention to detail are unbelievable. Monev has these gattling guns on his wrists that are belt-fed from these huge circular magazines on his back!! Each bullet is individually held together by this long, skinny spring. To this day, one of my favorite toys of all time. You can still find it online or on eBay for under $50.

So, there you have it, a trifecta of Kaiyodo figures for your viewing pleasure!