Full Metal Alchemist Gashapon Series 1

Product Information/Specifications

Introduction

I got these from J-Hobby when they first came out.  I wasn't too keen on buy them, despite that I was a FMA fan when the anime was still showing.  They weren't too appealling to me, but I still brought it for reason unknown.  Probably I had some sort of buying urge at the time.

The Full Metal Alchemist Gashapon Series 1 had made way for other FMA gashapons for Bandai.  This set has been out of production for a long time & no reissues were made.

The Review

Full Metal Alchemist Gashapon Series 1 gashapon paper

There are six figures in this gashapon set.  There are Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric in a sitting position, Risa Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, Alphonse Elric, & Edward Elric unleashing a blade. Winry & sitting Edward make a diorama when put together & replacing Edward's right arm with the one that comes with Winry as an accessory.  Al comes with an extra head to make variation of him.  It involves a cat popping out of his chest area with a stun look on his face.

Full Metal Alchemist Gashapon Series 1 Full Set

The assembly of these gashapon figures are easy, but require some force.  Winry's feet had to be push in all the way with a quite fair amount of force as it won't go in.  In the end, the feet weren't all the way in.  Also, some of the parts are loose.  Al's arms can be adjusted vertically with his wrist being twistable so easily & Roy's right hand falls out at times.  I would suggest that some drilling & glue would be required to make the pieces stay put.  Also, the pieces don't join together properly.  For example, when creating the Winry & Edward diorama scenery, Winry isn't holding Edward's arm properly.  The arm is "floating" up in the air.

A majority of the poses are pretty much static & don't add a lot of life.  Risa & Roy's poses are plain.  Al is also the same case.  Even with the variation change, it does add some light, but it's still a little plain.  Winry & the two Edwards are pretty good.  But still, I find that they don't add any colour to the room when they are displayed.  Personally, this set is very plain & dull.

As for the paint job, it's pretty solid since it's mainly one colour on each piece of clothing.  Al's armour is pretty nice with the dull paint lines to show some shadow. 

There are some bleeding on the lines.  The most noticeable is the cat's stripes.  The top part of its head is pretty bad as it looks like the painter tried to double paint the line.

The faces almost don't look like their anime counterparts on some of the characters.  Probably because of the area to draw it on.  Al's head is molded unevenly.  I'm not sure if it's to show some wear & age of the armour or the molding process of it was bad.

The details on the faces are so-so.  The lips have some bleeding & Risa's eye lining is uneven with some bleeding on her right eye.  The blade-wielding Edward has a face that looks too feminine.  It's probably his thick lips that's creating that feeling.  It's almost like lipstick.

In terms of the facial expressions, it's too dull.  They don't give off energy.  The figures don't seem to express any emotions in the poses they are in.

Overall Conclusion

Full Metal Alchemist Gashapon Series 1 isn't a exciting set.  I felt it need a lot of work in terms of the poses & facial expressions.  Although the paint job is forgivable for its size & the price range it's in, this set isn't something I won't recommend FMA fans should get really.  I had been displaying on my shelf ever since I got them.  I sold them away since I lost interest in them.

Full Metal Alchemist Gashapon Series 1 receives a 6.5/10.  It's too dull & doesn't have any life.  Also, these are quite small in terms of height when comparing them to gashapons today.  I actually went easy on the grading here.

If you really want to get this gashapon set, search hard.  This is hard to get now due to its age & availability.  The market price for this should be lower now since the series is pretty much dead.  However, I would suggest staying away from this & possibly get series two instead.  It's cheaper, a bit easier to get, & has more exciting poses that gives off some life.  The characters in that though can be a turnoff to some people.

hotos were taken using Sony DSC-F828 digital still camera & HP scanjet 4470c.

Last updated on February 19, 2008