Next up is the Umi Tryon, aka “the one that looks like a Stingray”. Initially I expected this to be the most disappointing, but instead it ended up being my favorite of the bunch.
The Umi’s body is made from the Tryon’s torso, and its “fins” are the unit’s arms. These are then combined with a unique headpiece, as well as a tailpiece from the Tryon 3’s sword hilt. The overall result is a much bigger figure than I anticipated. And while it might sound silly, the extra size is what really sells it for me. It feels … substantial, in a way that the other two animal forms aren’t.
It also has a surprising amount of articulation. The various wings and fins on the arms can be rotated and adjusted, and of course the arms themselves can move up and down. The Umi doesn’t have any weapons perse, but you can still come up with some action poses using its fins alone.
In terms of construction, this took longer to build than the Riku Tryon, as the arms alone involved quite a bit more work. As an aside but the arms of this kit may be my favorite part. Those little wing/fin/whatever pieces are so versatile, and can add a lot of extra character to any pose you make.
I don’t think there were any major hiccups with the Umi Tryon. A couple of pieces were aggressively sanded, but not in areas you can easily see. Also, for some reason the clear coat really took well to this part of the kit, which may be another reason why Umi Tryon looks so sharp.
In the next post, we take a look at the Sora Tryon (AKA the one that looks like a bird), and after that, the full figure itself. For now, enjoy this gallery of images of the Umi.