Figure review: Sentinel - Riobot - Voltron Legendary Defender

The amount of high-end to affordable figures for GoLion/classic Voltron is more than we can count on both our hands and feet, but the Legendary Defender version is not as lucky. Unexpectedly, Sentinel – a Chinese manufacturer – has come out with their own “premium” version of the new Legendary Defender.
Of my fifty-plus Voltrons, Sentinel’s Riobot Legendary Defender is the most poorly designed; but looks great on display.

1. Info
Legendary Defender Voltron
Manufacturer: Sentinel
Series: Voltron – Legendary Defender
Price: 98,000 yen
Release date: 26 Dec 2024

2. Design
It suffers three fatal design flaws.

The first is a loose structure and joints. Especially wobbly is Black Lion’s upper body – this affects feel and poseability when Voltron is formed. The chest will not hold a pose. The weight of the wings pulls the chest back, making even a crotch-thrust impossible.

Flaw number two: Voltron doesn’t hold together as a cohesive unit – this is a deal breaker for me. As part of the combination, a tab must be pulled up inside the Blue and Yellow lion’s bodies. This is difficult and frustrating, and no matter what I did… the yellow leg fell off. There’s even a warning in the instructions that Voltron must be held
by his legs. Unacceptable!

The final and most ridiculous design flaw is in Voltron’s shoulders. Red Lion has a clicky ratchet joint, allowing it to be posed in any position. Green Lion doesn’t have a ratchet joint – Green Lion doesn’t even have a friction joint. Green Lion hangs like the
arm of a stroke victim when Voltron is in robot mode – floppy and loose. This is utterly absurd. Why would Sentinel release a figure with such an obvious and easily correctable issue?

3. Articulation
Articulation is just okay – which is a shame because for $700 I expected Sentinel to shine. Modern Voltrons like the Blitzway and ThreeZero can hit the Iron Man pose. There’s just no way with this thing. It’s an unexpected let down.

The quality of materials is decent. Black Lion’s chest, crotch and thighs are diecast. The gray bodies of Blue and Yellow Lion are metal as well. The figure has some heft, but lacks a premium feel due to loose joints.

And it’s a shame because I wanted to love this figure. I’ve waited years for a serious Legendary Defender, and I am a fan of Sentinel. My hopes were high. But it’s like the designers didn’t even try.