Ilu Ilu's Commander Victor - An In-Depth Look

At the recent Super Festival 68, there was a lot of buzz about Ilu Ilu's new toy: Commander Victor in the Techno Loaders line. Ilu Ilu is a one-man show, with the design, execution, and packaging created and overseen by one person. That friendly fellow, Sakaguchi-san, graciously took time to show me the ins and outs of his new figure.

Here's a look at Commander Victor, its accessories, accompanying minis, and packaging.

The Figure

Commander Victor stands at 19 cm (7.5") tall. Two versions were released: red + light green. The main robot has 8 parts.

 Sakaguchi's many inspirations for the figure include robots from the 1970s-1980s such as Clover toys (Ex Dougram + Gundam), Takara toys like the Diaclone Double Changers, and Ideon.

 More after the jump:

Commander Victor comes with a sword and removable helmet.

The visor can be rotated.

A scabbard is built into the back to hold the sword.

Victor's torso shell can be removed.

The inner torso reveals a slot where two mini boxes can be held.

Minis

Each Victor comes with 4 minis.

The minis are 3.5 cm (1.4") tall. Each color variant of Victor has its own variant mini set.

 They all have some kind of articulation. For example, the red mini on the left has four parts. The arms are articulated, and the wings on the back also rotate.

Mini boxes.

Packaging

Now let's have a look at the boxes.

Victor comes in a two-piece box with a clear plastic window. The boxes were produced at a professional packaging facility. A thick, glossy paper stock is used, and the colors are vibrant and crisp.

The Techno Loaders illustration is on the back. A note about this and other illustrations by Sakaguchi-san. He does his artwork freehand, using acrylic paints. These are then scanned into a computer, and any necessary color adjustments are then done. Font work like the Techno Loaders logo is done using Illustrator.

The outer box slides off.

Outer box.

Inner packaging showing Victor well secured.

Inner packaging without Victor.

Commander Victor is one of the most ambitious, intricate, and detailed indie toys I've ever seen. It's amazing to watch Sakaguchi-san continually challenge himself with each new toy release. You have to tip your hat to a guy who goes all in like that.