Check out the reviews done by PTK members!

• SOC GX-31 VOLTES V - Gold
• Trailer of 20th Anniversary OP - Buffy, Diesel & Ziggy Stardust
• Hasbro SW ROTS ARC-170 - Garvy

 First off, I apologize if the color is a bit off, the brightness of the lights I use can change the color sometimes, the actual toy is a bit darker when it comes to the blue parts

Freight box each one houses 6 units of Voltes Five



..Because you can't say Voltes without the "FIVE"

















... hehehe, actually not all of those are mine, one belongs to a friend and another belongs to my brother



For the curious, the box is actually the same height and length as Gx03 Combattler V, the only difference is the Voltes box is thicker by 30% due to the accessories tray(their styrofoams are of the same size, too..)


Also, the "Popy styled" windows are just cut-outs, hehe no celophane/acetate windows glued to them.



Volt Machines




Crewzer One has the following gimmicks
-Opening c0ckpit("Steve "/Kenichi is just painted red though)
-attachable Crewzer Cutters(those are really sharp!!! No Joke.)
-the white"gattling gun ports" on each side of the c0ckpit slide in and out
-retractable landing gear(wheels don't roll though)
-best of all - magnetic connection joint to Bomber Two




Bomber Two
-Magnetic connection joint to Crewzer One
-retractable front landing gear
-built in Voltes Bazooka
-retractable dorsal fins
-attachable diecast landing gear(x4), be warned though, 2 of the landing gears have rubber washers to hold them in place, I'm not sure if frequent playwear will wear them out of tear them badly





Panzer
-retractable pincers
-Laser Sword compartment
-there's also a part in the c0ckpit that opens up, I'm not sure what it's for.






Frigate
-spring loaded rear "towers"/antenna(press hidden switch to reveal)
-new innovative system for rotating rear thrusters/landing gear




Lander
-Balljointed Voltes ankles
-chrome plated Lander Drills





A note about "Volting in"
-Make sure the Bomber wings are in the right position, there's a nub and hole system in the wingslots, that's where the wings are supposed to lock in.


-make sure the Frigate's.. uhh.. groin pieces are retracted into the "shorts", it's going look like Voltes is having a bad case of chodenji Hernia if those stick out





V-Together! Let's Volt IN!!

 Boxed ARC-170

To date, Hasbro’s Star Wars ROTS ARC-170 remains to be one of the locally rarer vehicles.

The vehicle itself required some assembly and decal application but that was not much of a problem. However, if you intend to buy this for a kid, I suggest that an adult supervise the assembly and sticker application as that can be a bit tricky.

Once assembled, at first glance, the ARC-170 looks so much like a futuristic WWII fighter bomber. Such a resemblance is most likely intentional given the shape of the thingypit and the inclusion of a gunner compartment to man a rear turret. Even the shape of the wings look to be very retro. Based on several sources, I’m told that the ARC-170 gets its design elements from Northrop’s P-61 Black Widow.

 Overhead shot

Similarly, the ARC-170 clearly has design elements of the X-Wing fighter given the large engines by the fuselage as well as the x-shaped attack foils. Apparently, the designers of the ARC-170 break away eventually and form Incom, the company that manufactures the X-Wing for the Rebel Alliance.

Appearance-wise, it looks great but on one side of the ship, holes where the factory assembled screws go in are immediately visible! I think Hasbro could have rectified this by providing decals to “plug” the holes. As time goes by, you get used to the holes and from a certain distance, they’re hardly noticeable.

 Notice the screw holes on the right side of the ship

The paint job of the ARC-170 is very similar to the AOTC Republic Gunship. This one though is quite pristine, lacking the “carbon scoring” and weathering details that we’ve come to expect from most Star Wars toy vehicles.

Referring to the attack foils, I don't recommend fooling around with this too much as the plastic tends to be a bit "bendy" and the foils on the ventral portion of the wings seem to overextend downwards. Taking a look at the preliminary reference pics I've seen in books and on the net, this shouldn't be so.

 Ventral attack foils overextending downward

I first thought that I may have gotten a dud and that such a problem was specific to the unit I got. After getting a second one, it seems that all the ARCs share this fate.

For "action" features, it also has two large laser cannons at the end of each wing that fire one missile each. Other playbility factors include a gunbutt-like handle that folds out from the bottom of the ship. It actually helps one grip the ship with one hand! The handle is quite small, most likely meant to fit a child’s hand. The handle also has a trigger which in turn deploys 2 bombs. If you don’t like it, just push it back up and close the two ventral doors and its totally hidden from view.

 ventral doors closed

 handle with trigger deployed

I would still suggest holding this baby with two hands as its fairly sizeable and heavy. Size wise, its comparable to the Republic gunship.

It would have been a great touch if this had some electronic effects, but alas, they’re lacking this time around. Hasbro was most likely trying to keep the price point down.

Personally, what blew me away with this toy is that it actually fits 3 clone trooper pilots and when fully manned, the vehicle looks gorgeous! Put it alongside a republic gunship which shares similar colors, and you'll fall in love with it all the more.

 If Hasbro remains true to form, we may one day see a repainted version of this, either with “weathered” detailing or in different squadron colors or a combination of both.

Until then, I maintain that this is a great ship, bottom line, a great toy! I highly recommend it.

Review done by Garvy