It’s nice to have family over.

The Great Mazinger Infinity Model Kit is a natural evolution of the one for Mazinger Z. Most of the parts will feel extremely familiar and for the most part, are compatible with the previous figure. As much as I like the figure, I think they could have added a few more goodies but it’s not a deal breaker. You will definitely get this one if you want one, and it is a very detailed and fair representation of the mecha in the Infinity Version. I prefer to build through the series without hassle, enjoying the process.

The Brain Condor requires three stickers of careful placement. As you will see later on, it does fit atop the head unit but there’s a catch. You have to remove the nose cone to fit it in. I guess that’s a bit unavoidable given that you don’t want to hollow out the head just for accuracy, but that small nose cone is bound to get lost. I don’t see myself ever displaying it without the Brain Condor, once I put the whole thing together of course.

The arms are almost exactly the same than Mazinger Z’s except for the additional fins. It also comes with some very useful “holding” hands so it can wield its swords. And yes, you can share those hands with M’s and arm him instead, but Great M’s arms do not have ports to fit in the steel cutter – because there is no steel cutter for Great M. I also see no added stand or terminals to simulate the rocket punch action take.

The legs follow the same design than the original but they’re larger. They also have a lot more pointy ends and silver guards on the knees. They balance the figure well and are very poseable. Just don’t expect him to kneel or cross his legs.

The torso is very much the same with the ab crunch movement that barely crunches. The chest has the heat sink, one piece instead of M’s two, also translucid for the Breast Fire attack. Although very mobile, it is the same as M’s. It doesn’t stretch past a point. You can bring the arms and legs out a little more for additional angles, but it looks better the closer to the body it is.

The full body of Great Mazinger is particularly imposing. He’s a bit taller than the original M with sharper angles and a more aggressive look.

Finally, here’s the final figure with the Scramble Dash, Great Mazinger’s version of the Scrander. In Great M’s case, the wings would grow out of his back and were not a separate unit as the original Mazinger Z. Putting both Infinity models side by side, you can see Great M’s is bigger in stature.

When it comes to preferences, the original Mazinger Z is the one I grew up with. Great Mazinger does make an appearance in the last episode, and I’ve always consider him a nice addition to the series, as well as to my collection. If I couldn’t have both, I’d still go for Mazinger Z, but it’s nicer to have them side by side. The only thing better would be for the third brother to attend this gathering.

That will do for now.