Entry #6: Cooler than the Rest

 

    Fun fact that you may not have known about me, but I collect Dragon Ball figures. Why you may ask? It's more so a hobby to me; a very expensive hobby. I chose Dragon Ball figures because their line, specifically the S.H. Figuarts line, is really nice looking with great articulation and accessories. Even though I love Star Wars, their high end figures just feel the same as a toy that I could find at target. These Dragon Ball ones though are beyond that. They feel like statues that you can pose with how good they look, and I really do cherish each and every one of them. Though one stands above all the rest: Cooler.

    

Picture of S.H. Figuarts Cooler (https://www.toyark.com/2021/03/03/s-h-figuarts-dbz-cooler-final-form-revealed-419528)

   

    For those who don't know, this is Cooler, Frieza's brother from one of the Dragon Ball Z movies. Funnily enough, he's not even my favorite character, nor my favorite villain for that matter. Bandai just did a really amazing job with this release. By looks, it's phenomenal, even better than a lot of the drawing and video game model depictions of Cooler. Usually, they make him less buff and his shade of purple is more blue than red, which doesn't look as nice to me. Back to the figure itself though, the white parts have a really nice matte finish which pairs perfectly with the shading on the purple. Finally, the glossiness of the blue is stunning and accurate to the source material. To this day, Bandai has not made a figure that has perfectly captured the characters look better than Cooler here. His articulation is no joke, either. His range of motion is much better than the normal articulation that we usually get, and it allows for some of the best poses possible. This is even more impressive when you take into consideration his bulky armor and larger size. The only department where he falls slightly short are the accessories. He has no effect parts, no flight stands, and no wide eye expression. Other than this, he really is perfect. The only really serious issue is the fact that he's a Premium Bandai Exclusive, making him rare and therefore much more expensive, doubling his original price. His normal price was $70, however I paid $150 for him. Granted, he was worth it in my eyes, but the price was horrendous. And as a slight bonus, when characters get more than one figure, they usually tend to differ in quality. However, when they made another Cooler figure based off of his Metal appearance, it kept its amazing quality.

Picture of S.H. Figuarts Metal Cooler (https://en.dragon-ball-official.com/news/01_1824.html)

    Would I recommend this figure to you? Well, if you like Cooler and have money to spend, absolutely. Though for most general people, I wouldn't recommend him since he's super expensive. However, compared to most figures, Dragon Ball or not, he's ahead of a lot of the others. He may not be absolutely perfect in every regard, but to me he's perfect in most regards. Even though Vegito is my favorite character, this figure is just Cooler.