Front Mission Trading Arts Stage 2 Review and Gallery

My case of Front Mission Trading Arts Stage 2 Mini Figures showed up not too long ago. I pre-ordered them ages ago from Hobby Link Japan. I was pretty excited about these little suckers as the previews had some really nice and moody toy photography which made me want to buy them immediately. I was also intriqued by the new colorways of this second series in Square Enix's line-up. For those of you not familiar with Front Mission, it's a PS2 video game published by Square Enix. It features some really cool mech designs, but it's turn-based strategy which is not my cup of tea. But when Square Enix decided to get a piece of the ga-zillion dollar toy business, I was all for it.

Stage 2 features some really interesting mech designs that include a very blocky and green Grapple that reminds me of a robot version of the Incredible Hulk. He features a Votoms-style armor-piercing spike from his right arm as well as the obligatory machine gun in his left hand. Husky is another interesting mech in that not only does he come with a very cool Binelli style riot shotgun, but also with not one, but two baseball bats and a shield in case he plans on beating on the other mecha "Baseball Fury" style (from the Warriors). The other interesting aspect of Stage 2 is the color variations. The colorways all come in a flat, matte kinda muted green, mustard yellow, silvery black, an interesting rose / pink hue and then a really cool purple-ish tiger stripe.

The scuplting is extremely detailed and the paint jobs came out very precise and include a nice bit of weathering as well which adds a cool dose of realism. This second series are a bit larger than the first, but still feature the same articulation system which is a bit flimsy. Ironically, the joints are supposed to add more articulation compared to the Gundam UO figures, but in the Front Mission, they are just not done as well. Don't get me wrong, I still love 'em to pieces and really look forward to the next series!!! If you missed it, check out my brief post on the first series Front Mission Trading Arts last year October.

































Since I bought a case, I have seven (7) extras that i'm selling on eBay right now. Click on the mosaic picture below and check them out before they are snatched up by other collectors!!!