Lego 21311 Voltron (Lego Ideas #22)

Lego has released some interesting sets in their Lego Ideas range, and I do have the Delorean and ECTO-1 sets. When this Voltron was announced, it was definitely a set I had to have just purely based on the nostalgia I have for the cartoon. I also wanted to see how they would tackle the set from an engineering perspective.

Overall, I think Lego have some a pretty good job with the set. However for the price, I expected a bit more in terms of articulation and accessories. Click through below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel, or scroll on down for some written thoughts!

The box art certainly shows off the set to its best, with a great front on shot of the fully assembled robot. More photos on the rear show the lions and individual parts. The biggest disappointment for me with the set is that it does not include any mini-figs at all. I would have thought at this price point, including mini-figs for the pilots would be a no-brainer! That would have taken the set to another level of collectibility, and it's a real shame that Lego did not include them.

It's good that they separated the instructions for each lion with their numbered bags, so the build can be done concurrently with multiple people. I had my son and daughter help me out which they enjoyed.

The builds for the yellow and blue lions are pretty similar as expected for the two legs. There are enough variations to keep things interesting. One thing I continue to hate is Lego's insistence on using stickers! On sets in this price range, full use of tamped on decals should be the norm, not bloody stickers! It's really disappointing that they use tamped on decals on some parts, but then make you apply stickers on other parts.

For the legs, I do like how they built the heads of the lions, and the legs give some articulation. However I was a bit disappointed in the lack of any sideways movement in the head or torso area of the lions. The lack of movement in the head results in zero ankle rocker or pivot action in robot mode, which detracts from a more natural look in robot mode.

The red and green lions also have a similar build as expected for the arms. This time due to the elbow joint in robot mode, there is at least some sideways movement in the torso area of the lions and some head rotation. Again there are enough differences between the two to be interesting, and I do like the lion heads on these too.

The black lion is definitely the most complex lion to build. In order for stability in the robot mode waist, there is no articulation in the rear legs of the lion. The legs are pegged securely into place, and have to be removed and repositioned for robot mode.

I was hoping to be able to pose the black lion sitting down on the rear legs, but that is impossible with the design. The front legs also have to be taken out and repositioned to form the chest of the robot, but at least the lion legs have some articulation. Still, the head movement is pretty lacking, so all in all the black lion isn't as nice looking as I hoped it would be.

I do already have the Bandai Soul of Chogokin Voltron displayed in robot mode, so I might actually keep the Lego Voltron in its separate lion mode. Together they do look decent, but some weapons from the cartoon would've been nice to have to display with the lions.

In full robot mode, the size of the set really does become apparent. It's a towering set that is about 40cm in height. The robot head swivels side to side, and the head design is decent. The arms can rotate forward and backwards, but there is no ability to swing the arms out to the side at all. Even just a bit of sideways movement would've been nice to give a more natural stance instead of having the arms right down near the sides.

As I mentioned before, the legs do not move at the waist at all, and there is no knee bending action either. This is a set that is purely for static museum display only. I really wish they had worked out a way to build in some ankle rocker motion so at least the lion head feet could be flat on the ground. As it is, the legs are fixed in a splayed position with the heads at an angle, which isn't a very natural pose.

All that being said, the set does command a lot of presence on display because of its size. The silver paint app on the chest pieces are nicely done, and the sword is pretty nice too (although one side shows the back of the Lego pieces so it really can only be displayed from one side).

If you're a fan of the 80s cartoon and Lego, then this is still a set worth having in your collection. I do think Lego missed an opportunity to really make this a set for the ages. Just adding some mini-figs would've elevated this set to legendary status for me. But in the end, it's a great looking set that will stand proudly in many collections for years to come!

Bandai Soul of Chogokin GX-71 Voltron

After getting the Toynami 30th Anniversary diecast Voltron back in 2014, I was pretty disappointed in its lack of quality. But at the time, it was pretty much the best Lion Voltron around in the classic 80s cartoon style.

But then in 2016, the Bandai Soul of Chogokin Voltron was finally announced, and I was told that no company does diecast robots better than Bandai! And I'm glad I put my faith in those collectors advising me, because this new SoC Voltron is so much better it's not even a fair comparison! This is now the definitive Lion Voltron, and will likely remains so for quite a number of years!

Click through below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel :)

Since I got mine from Big Bad Toy Store out of the USA, the box comes with an extra outer slip cover that has the Voltron emblem and additional text in English. The actual box itself has the traditional Japanese writing and artwork.

The lions out of the box look fantastic, and the overall improvement in quality over the Toynami is immediately obvious. The ratchets in the legs feel so nice to move, with no weakness or marred chroming. The main body parts of plastic with a metallic finish, but it's abundantly clear this is a toy designed with diecast components where they're needed for strength and stability.

The Toynami made the fatal mistake of upgrading a toy designed for plastic with a lot of diecast weight, resulting in weak plastic joints and heavy bodies. For this SoC version, all the joints and key areas of articulation are all diecast, and the design simply works to perfection!

The stand to house all the weapons is a nice touch, and everything simply clicks together. The design of the lions is awesome, and each can articulate in lion mode to actually pose in the crouching/sitting position. The Toynami had legs that were loose and not stable, whereas the SoC has incredible ball joints and hinges that help with very natural lion poses. Even the feet have ankle and swivel articulation!

Forming the main robot is pretty simple, and nothing feels fragile at all. Even with the legs in place, the weight can be supported by the waist joints so that the legs do not clang together like previous Toynami versions! It is just so well built!

The mechanism to connect and disconnect the limbs is robust, and won't appear to damage to loosen the figure over time. Every little facet about unpegging or pressing a button to release a limb is just well thought out.

The overall proportions of the body are much more cartoon accurate than the Toynami. The torso is much wider, and the thighs have a better width to give the figure bulk and presence on display. Rotating the leg and should joints feels nice and sturdy too, and they hold their poses.

Now I just hope Bandai get the license to make a Vehicle Voltron too! The one I have is the old Miracle Productions MA-01 version. I was lucky to get a later version that had many of the QC issues fixed. But if Bandai are able to make one in the Soul of Chogokin line, there is no doubt in my mind that they would build it to be far superior. If you're a fan of Voltron, do NOT hesitate to get this new SoC Lion Voltron figure. It's a figure built to last for another 30 years! Love it! :)