REVIEW: BingoToys BT-02 Windgirl (part 2)

We’re back for the second part of our assessment of the new offering from BingoToys, the equally absurdly-named Windgirl! This is their take on the fan-favourite (and fan-created) character of Windblade.

Last time, we talked about that stylised jet mode, which eschews many of the core elements familiar to fans of Windblade’s signature design in favour of a more futuristic and pointy affair. However, it’s the robot form which is sure to get tongues wagging for better or worse, so let’s get to it.

Before we get to some of the more contentious points at play here, let’s start with the real positives, and I promise, I’m writing all of this without any intentional sense of a knowing wink. Firstly, this is a very well-made, nicely-designed robot mode with plenty of positive attributes. It’s quite a sizeable departure from Windblade’s more traditional aesthetic (some of which we’ll talk about shortly), but by and large, I do like a lot of the choices that have been made here.

Proportionally, there are some obvious strengths to the toy, as no matter how you choose to pose Windgirl, the robot mode cannot help but look natural and balanced despite its lithe dynamic. Whether you’re opting to take advantage of the extensive articulation on offer or simply going for something more stoic, there’s little denying it’s a very striking figure that draws the eye in more ways than one.

That’s aided by a simply gorgeous finish, with a lovely matt black on much of the body contrasted with a shiny metallic red paint on the wings and armoured pieces. It looks very premium and really adds a lot to the look of the sculpt and presentation of the figure overall.

That’s accentuated by the incredible paint applications and colour highlights found all over, with very attractive pops of bright blue and gold and smidges of translucent pink from the jet mode shining through the backpack. In many ways, these elements make this toy a photographer’s dream, as they add so many welcome splashes of additional colour, and all serve to make the toy look more vibrant.

That’s especially evident in areas such as the face, where the sculpted detail and extensive paint applications work wonderfully together to make this a real tour de force of head design. The presentation of it is honestly flawless, and touches such as the chromed green eyes add a sense of life to the toy that helps elevate it too. It’s a breathtaking result that I believe would win over most Windblade fans, even if they were entirely unconvinced by other elements in the overall design.

The other outstanding thing about this toy is the range of articulation on offer. There’s a terrific combination of joints that can move fluidly, not to mention precisely how you would want them to for decent poses and many individual points of articulation across the design. The more you investigate and try to push the posing options further, the more possibility you realise has been baked right in here.

That’s best exemplified in the legs, where you’ll find not only double-jointed knees but hips with additional points of movement so to allow the legs to move up and out of the way of the body and achieve a more significant range overall. The same goes for the ankles, where the joint can be rotated around to suit any position you might care for, meaning there are endless possibilities for how one could pose the toy. Even the heels can be moved back and forward to allow for an extra dose of stability should you need it. It’s exceptionally clever stuff and rivals the likes of official efforts such as Masterpiece Arcee or Nightbird in that regard.

No doubt it helps that the joints are all tight, too, with no concerns about arms or legs giving way and leaving the figure feeling like it will topple at any stage. It leaves you able to contort Windgirl into some even quite extreme poses, and trust she can hold them just fine, making the experience a lot more fun. In fact, most of the toy feels stiff right out of the box, with only some parts of the wings being a bit of a letdown on my copy.

The wings themselves can be moved around quite a bit, either raised up and fanned out to the sides or paired back slightly to resemble a bow in terms of the overall shape. Stylistically, that’s another notable departure from Windblade’s classic depiction, but it does make for an intriguing silhouette for this toy, nonetheless. Sadly, I found the wings to be the least stable part of the execution here, especially the longer sections underneath, which feel a little loose and wobbly.

Still, execution-wise, there’s a lot to admire, with the final element of posing being offered through a series of swap-out hands and faces. If you’ve read my reviews before, you may know that this solution for hands is not my personal favourite, but there are some decent options here, at least. As well as the default fists, you have a pair for holding the various swords on offer and more expressive variations besides. There’s even a set which can be posed together to make a little finger heart symbol, which isn’t my thing but may be of interest to some.

The different faces are easy enough to swap out and look relatively good. There’s a shouty option and a more pronounced alternative to the default smile of the main face, though, to my eye, neither comes close to that in terms of looks.

As for the swords, three sets are included, all of which also make up some part of the jet mode. They clip relatively well into the fist holes and it’s fair to say look suitably intimidating once in hand! The translucent pink on offer catches the light superbly well, and coupled with the outstanding range of articulation, they make for quite a bit of fun when posing the figure.

As well as the main larger set of swords, two pairs of smaller sizes look similar but make for a welcome alternative depending on how you want to display the toy. On the one hand, it’s a small shame there’s no rifle or gun accessory of any kind here, although given that’s not something the character of Windblade is necessarily synonymous with, I can live without it, too. Besides, the swords do the job very nicely.

You can add the swords to the wings for a different look to the robot form, too, as they all clip in solidly at various places and help to give a larger silhouette. It’s quite a distinct look and adds a welcome creativity to the proceedings.

With the various positives on offer discussed and out of the way, what else is there to say about this release? Well, there’s no point skirting around it: the design takes some major liberties regarding Windblade’s classic appearance, and ultimately, this element of the design, more than any other, will likely determine your interest in this toy to begin with.

Yes, I am referring to the chest area, although only in part, truth be told. The more… stylised elements included in that region are the most obvious point of contention. Still, even past that, there is a lot about this toy’s aesthetic which could be considered more than a little contentious and will no doubt create some debate. There’s an element of ‘hyper-femininity’ to the design, which feels like a definite departure from how the character was created initially, reimagining her with a distinctly different vibe overall.

That’s seen in the aforementioned shape of the wings, but also touches such as the bow on the back of her head. On the one hand, these stylistic flourishes could be perceived as quite clever in and of themselves, adding a bit of flare to an otherwise very different take on the character. However, when coupled with some of the more divisive aspects of the design, they could also be considered more fuel on the fire, depending on your perspective.

Ultimately, the main point of contention will always be the chest and ab section, particularly the ‘bra’ and prominent belly button. Whether you appreciate such general facets of design on action figures is one thing, but perhaps the more relevant point here is that it’s a massive deviation from how the character of Windblade is typically portrayed. The character was never conceived with such a provocative form in mind, so perhaps it’s easy to understand why introducing these elements retrospectively feels quite egregious to some.

Speaking personally, it’s not to my taste and isn’t an aesthetic I’d choose to have represented on my shelves. I suppose I’d not appreciated how on the nose some of the design choices on offer here were going to be, and it’s only now, having the toy in hand for proper appraisal, that I find them to be somewhat counterproductive to what I had hoped for from this release. Indeed, if you’re looking for a suitably faithful Windblade figure to stand alongside the likes of your Masterpiece figure, this may not be the option for you.

Or perhaps it will. After all, who am I to say what works (or doesn’t) for your collection? Certainly, in terms of size, there’s an argument to suggest Windgirl stacks up well next to any 3P/MP figure you might already own, even if aesthetically, she’s a lot more svelte and stylised versus your typical blocky ‘bot.

Again, it’s that last element that stops me rather cold from thinking that a comparison like this works as far as my tastes are concerned. For whatever strengths there are to the design, Windgirl feels too out of left-field to me and far too stylised versus what I was hoping for in terms of seeing the character represented.

That’s a shame in some regards, as there are honestly so many elements of this toy that I really appreciate and like, and it has proven to be tons of fun to pose and photograph. Truthfully, I wish more releases could boast the kind of attention to detail and high-quality presentation we’ve been afforded here, so there’s no doubting BingoToys in terms of the amount of care or effort that’s gone into it all.

I suppose, ultimately, the thing with Windgirl is that the aesthetic on offer is either something you’ll appreciate or you won’t, and I fear I fall into the latter camp in this case. So much of it works, but the more ‘titillating’ elements of this design cross a line into different territory here, and I think it’s just not a journey I’m wanting to make.

None of that is to say I haven’t enjoyed what merits the figure offers, mind. Again, the articulation, presentation and engineering involved are all top-notch, so if you like what you see in terms of aesthetics, I’m sure Windgirl might prove worthy by any estimation you care to make.

For my part, I’m content to wait for a more faithful stab at the character of Windblade further down the line. When such a day comes, I only hope that toy delivers on all the elements I fully appreciated about this release.

WHAT’S HOT? Stunning presentation and finish overall, with some fantastic paint applications and detail.

WHAT’S NOT? The jet mode has some compromises and my copy has some loose elements in the wings. Otherwise, the aesthetics of the robot mode will be the major deciding element for most, in this case.