Bowser Taito 12" figure

My 12” Bowser by Taito is here! I’ve been anxiously waiting for this big boy to arrive. He is a crane game prize in Japan at Taito arcades. I’m not entirely sure but I believe they don’t actually have you pick up this big box and drop it into the prize chute. I think they have you drop something smaller and more challenging. Anyway, the fun part of these big 12” figures is assembling them. You get to see all the inner workings of the toy from its joints to its spikes. They all need to be put on the figure. One thing I don’t particularly care for about these prize figures is that they are almost entirely hollow. His torso, arms, legs, shell, and even his head are all hollow. It does make him lightweight but it also gives him many unsightly seem lines where halves of molded plastic pieces meet. I guess this is a necessity for a crane game prize where the goal is to offer big prizes affordably and still be able to make a profit. The finished bowser is awesome! He does have articulation at his shoulders and hips however I consider this more of a display piece rather than an active play toy. His hollowness makes him fragile and could possibly break easily. His paint application is for the most part great but there are several parts with missing and chipped paint, particularly on his cuffs and choker. Overall this is an impressive figure in a massive size that can allow you to live out Bowser’s kaiju sized dreams with some articulation to help you destroy that ugly Mushroom Kingdom castle! Unfortunately that articulation is limited and the coupling of unsightly seems, chipped paint, and it’s fragility may relegate it as a display piece only. I give this guy 3 out of 5 stars, it’s okay, you may or may not be crazy about it