Let's take a look at our review for the Pokemon Scale World: Johto Edition Sets. This is only part one, but it includes the widely available Gold + Pokemon set (shown above) and the Premium Bandai exclusive Silver, Crocoknaw, and Sneasel set (sold separately.)
First up is the wide release set. You can find these at almost any online import shop, but for the best deal I highly recommend AmiAmi. Other reccomended shops include BigBadToyStore, HLJ, and Nippon-Yasan.
You can also order the set via Amazon: The set includes Gold/Ethan (or Jimmy or Hibiki if you wanna get crazy--how many names does Gold need?!), Cyndaquil, Quilava, Typhlosion, Wobuffet male, Wobuffet Female, G Unknown, S Unknown, Aipom, Totodile, Togepi, Pichu, Chikorita, Espeon, and Umbreon. The scale is 1/20, very similar to the Pokemon Zukan / Pokedex line which was 1/19. Theoretically you could display these two together, but you get a slightly larger size for the price here, especially considering that the Zukan line has been discontinued. The retail price is is 4400 JPY (about $42.00 USD). Individually, the prices vary, but retail for around 3-500 yen (about $4). There are 8 boxes included per set. They aren't blind packaged like most Bandai items and you can see clearly on the outside of the smaller boxes what's included, making this a good set to shoot for if you just want one or two Pokemon from it. Or if you're like me, I mostly wanted Gold/Ethan for my Pokemon Gold / HeartGold collection.
First up is Espeon and Chikorita.
Let me briefly discuss the packaging. Inside the outer box are the 8 smaller boxes. They have a pull tab but the top is glued so be careful if you want to preserve the packaging for later! Each piece and the stands are included in separate pouches all strung together. Once you cut across the top, each piece can be removed. Espeon comes carefully packaged as to avoid breaking the many fragile parts, such as it's tail. Same goes for Chikorita. While the leaf looks beautiful, I wouldn't give these to your younger kids--this line is definitely made for collectors. There are a few seam line issues on Chikorita's leaf and Espeon's nose is a little off-model, but otherwise they are fantastic and truly one of the more valuable pairs in the box.
Cyndaquil and Quilava.
What can I say? I absolutely love this line and these two don't disappoint. I could find no flaws with them and the translucent plastic used for the flames on their tail/backs looks great. They even packed the flame parts in a bit of cardboard for extra protection. I did feel that it really stood out against the matte finish of the entire line, but the effect does more good than bad. They really make these simple figures shine. Cyndaquil even has his tiny mouth open, if you turn the figure over, which I didn't notice at first glance!
Totodile and Umbreon. Umbreon is one of my favorite Pokemon ever and this one looks so good it makes this set a day one purchase! I would be careful to avoid scratches, though. I've barely handled mine and you can see one in the flash. Mine didn't have any paint issues--look at those yellow stripes! Totodile looks good also. I was surprised at the detail on his teeth which is hit or miss in this line. Outside his jaw, there aren't any noticeable seams, either.
G Unknown and Wobuffet Male.
I really do appreciate them including the G and S Unknown in this set (I love to pair them with Ethan and Silver for a cool effect.) The Unknown are simple figures with unique stands--although one of mine did have a little paint issue on it's eye. This is barely noticeable unless you're nitpicking.
S Unknown and Wobuffet Female.
While the Unknown looks fairly good in both of these sets, the Wobuffet had the small issue of bad seam lines down the sides. Not to mention including the female is redundant! There are several Johto Pokemon (for example, my other favorite Murkrow) that could have been included over what essentially amounts to a repaint! Easily the most dismissable figure from the entire set. Unless you're a Wobuffet fan, I don't recommend picking these up. Even if you just wanted the Unknowns I'd look for a super cheap listing.
Pichu, Aipom, and Togepi.
Now we get to the tiniest figures in the box (excluding Aipom, so let's cover him first.) Aipom has bright, wonderful colors and great detail on the face. His pose makes him ready for action and the base fits in really well! Unfortunetly, from the side you can see his face section is almost popping up! Pichu and Togepi both share the amazing attention to detail, without the seam flaws. I didn't find anything too bad with them except for Pichu's stand. Even for someone with dainty hands like myself, the stand is near impossible for me to make work for such a tiny figure. Pichu will stand on his own and since you will most likely be displaying these 99% of the time, this shouldn't be an issue. I'm suprised at the detail on Togepi's face and the tiny tiny scale most of all!
Typhlosion and Ethan. These two are separate boxes. Typholosion is the largest and one of my favorites of this set. However, he has a lot of issues. His paint color is more of a yellow and doesn't match the rest of his evolution line. This isn't specific to my figure, either, as I've seen others complain too. He has the same fire effect as the others, though, which does tie him back in nicely. It's just a shame about the paint.
Gold--Er, Ethan on the other hand... Well, he has a bit of paint smudging on his cap, but otherwise I don't find any flaws with the trainers in this line and he doesn't disappoint. They matched the art for HeartGold very well here. His stare is a bit dead-eyed, but this effects all the humans in the line. Otherwise his pose is optimistic and ready for his Pokemon adventure!
Well, here we are. The first release for the Premium Bandai Exclusives in the Johto Edition line! This set includes Sneasel, Croconaw, and Silver!
Sneasel is an interesting choice and reminds me a lot of manga Silver. The Croconaw is an obvious choice. I doubt he's a big seller, but coupled with the other two fan favorites in the box, no one will mind anyway. Sneasel has no cosmetic issues, but I did have issues with it's tail peice. Be careful while moving it as I had to keep reinserting the tail. Also be mindful when placing it. Like the Cyndaquil line's flames, you can easily get it upside down! Croconaw I have to admit I don't really care for. He's kinda there for me. The design never appealed to me anyway and he has seam line issues and the paint is sloppy. I'm finding as we go further along that the PB sets actually have WORSE quality issues than the general release ones. Why Bandai?! I'm paying premium and you can't even paint them right or cover horrible connection lines?! Well, even if you didn't want the Pokemon, Silver is amazing! I just realized now that his design in HeartGold/SoulSilver reminds me a lot of Tatsuya from Persona 2.... Anyway, Silver is fortunate that he avoids the dead eye stare of the trainers in this line and is glancing slyly to his left. His outfit looks good, but the flash lighting makes it look kinda sloppy. The little flaws aren't visible in normal light. His sleeves however are super sloppy. What a disappointment! Mine even has a bad leakover of paint from the belt buckle onto the jacket. If you don't preorder the Bandai exclusives I can assure you, having looked at Silver and Morty's set, THEY ARE NOT WORTH THE SECOND MARKET PRICE AT ALL. Are they worth it to own? For the only true figure of Silver, you bet your Pokedollars its worth it! I always have to keep in the back of my mind that these are 1/20 scales... but it doesn't excuse the lack of quality control on a PREMIUM item!
Overall, I would say the set is definitely worth the price! The quality control is good (on the Gold set, anyway), the detail is beyond what something this scale normally has for a candy figure. (Did I mention each box comes with a piece of ramune flavored gum? Short review of the gum: tastes great, lasts like 30 seconds.)
The Scale World line has a lot of exclusives (like the Silver set) and the price on the aftermarket is nearly 7 times retail! Although the wide release sets like Original Red, Gold, or the Galar Heroine are easier to come by, even they tend to double in price. Do not sleep on these sets! They add more figures every month or so! I will be updating this blog in the future to review the remaining sets: Legendary Dogs, Lyra, Morty, and Lance (with their respective Pokemon) If you would like to be notified when I will be posting these reviews, please sign up for our weekly newsletter! In Fall/Winter 2020 I will be doing monthly giveaways which include a small item from my backstock! What is your favorite figure from the Scale World - Johto line? Is there a set you would like us to review? Do you have a wish for a specific Pokemon or Trainer? Let us know in the comments! You can also click here (or the shop link on the left) to check out what I currently have for sale!
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Author: ShindoW
I am a anime and video game enthusiast living in Texas. I have been collecting since 2005. During that time I've collected a variety of merchandise and knowledge to help other collectors. Archives
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