October 3, 2000 CURRENT RUMBLE A Robot, and the Horse He Rode in on Darren & Yappy 10.3.00 Soul of Chogokin. How long was that name our standard? Our benchmark for quality? Soul of Chogokin was our best monument to our love of Japanese super robots and Japanese toys. But even that iconic name is less revered as time goes on. Fans complain about quality. Fans complain about the robots chosen for induction to the SoC hall of fame. Fans complain. But more recent times have seen companies that challenge the SoC standard. Aoshima / Miracle House's Shin Getta One proved that better robots can be built. Unifive has slowly built their Cho Shin Gokin line into an incredible challenge to the SoC empire, showing up their corporate cousins. There is clearly a growing trend of high quality, diecast toys in Japan. The next year should be fun. Unifive Cho Shin Gokin DX DAIKYOJIN The latest offering from Unifive's Cho Shin Gokin (Super True Gokin) line would make any Japanese toy enthusiast take notice. Daikyojin, from the Time Bokan series "Yattodetaman", may not be the best known or best loved super robot in Japanese fandom, but I humbly predict his stock is going up as a result of this toy. Where do we begin with Unifive's first DX Cho Shin Gokin toy? I start with the box. It's trimmed in the standard Unifive Shin Gokin box treatment, but also bears images of the toy inside. The box art harkens back to the old days of DX Chogokin toys. Very retro. Very good job. Hey, no need to worry about "flap crease" when prying the box open, either -- it's a ''bento'' style box. No nasty tape to cut, either. Yappy: The box is also full-on industrial thickness cardboard. None of that cheapo single-ply stuff here, no sir. Inside, I'm treated to a window display. I remove the instructions, note with surprise the signed and slipcovered Kunio Ohkawara print of Daikyojin concept art, and pull away the window frame and the clear plastic cover. The styrofoam-encased wonder lies before me. I have to remind myself that this is a NEW toy. I keep wanting to think I've won an old DX toy off of eBay. Y: Ah, Ohkawara, famed Gundam designer, so often criticized today for his less than realistic mecha designs. While Daikyojin doesn't stray too far from the designer's standard "Gundamium" template, it highlights Ohkawara's true strength: his ability to design seemingly wacked-out, illogical gattai-ing Super-Robots that are actually translatable into toys. And dig the prophetic multi-culturalism of the design-- the Roman headpiece and the Chinese design motifs in the flame/wings. And the brush-stroke Kanji on the box are clearly indicative of Chinese calligraphy, not classic Japanese sumi-e brushwork. Freaky! Daikyojin, our hero robot, instantly brings a smile. All diecast lovers know this feeling: the robot comes out of his tray, and you are instantly assured your money was well spent. Action figure quality articulation in the wrists, elbows, and shoulders. The head and ankles pivot smoothly on two axes. The knees ratchet nicely. The hips have some limited play for poseability. If the hips had a better mechanism, he'd be as poseable as Kadou Senshi Gundam -- but the hips are best left the way they are, it give more of an old school DX feel. Y: Darren forgets to mention the wonderful hands. The index fingers move independently and the other 3 fingers are fused together on a hinged block (like a contemporary mecha toy or kit). What's nifty is that each index finger is permanently pointing-- Daikyojin's ready to give the snake-style death touch. But what's more important is that the hands perfectly summarize the toy's design philosophy -- it's the meeting of the once segregated worlds of mecha and super-robot. It's the fusion of Hi-Complete Model engineering and classic Gokin heftiness, much more so, I'd argue, than the fragile and model-kit-like SOCs. Unlike Aoshima's Shin Getta One, Daikyojin is not entirely diecast, but his diecast content is more than enough to please. He feels heavy, and well-made. The lower legs clank together under their own weight. Being a geek, I instantly go for the spaceship transformation. The process is uncomplicated and effortless. The arms and legs collapse on smooth sliders. The head disappears behind a very trick hatch cover. The toes extend to form a nose wedge. Regretfully, an extra part must be added from the box to form the cockpit and air intakes of the spaceship, but this does little to distract from the toy's quality (and my euphoria). Snap-on landing struts are available in the box -- but we won't be sitting Daikyojin down to rest quite yet. Daitenba, the horse, comes out to play. The detail in Daitenba is typical of Unifive's high standards. His body is plastic, but the legs are diecast, contributing to a substantial amount of weight. His joints are racheted and crisp. The head is powerful; his mouth opens slightly. Daitenba's back opens, and his horse-head neatly folds away. Daikyokin's lower legs fold up behind his back, allowing him to slide into Daitenba with a satisfying snap. The centaur, Daibajin, is formed. Our four-legged friend is converted to a wheeled tank easily. His hind legs disappear into a space so tight, it fools the eyes. The tank rolls like butter on teflon. There are hidden wheels in the belly of the horse that work just fine, or he can half-roll on the shields on the horse's forelegs. Y: My God! The red wheel caps are diecast! If that doesn't sell you on the quality of the toy... then I'll come after you swinging my 3 lb. Yatta Wan. Need more? He comes with an arsenal of plastic weapons, including (read this carefully, folks) SPRING-LAUNCHED MISSILES. Also included are two gold pins for you to wear, symbolizing the lock-and-key gadget gimmick seen in the anime. His armory also includes a halberd, a small sword, and a bow with a single arrow, although these are rather cheap, plasticy trinkets. Initial information on this toy raised fears that too much of the toy's transformation may be dependant on snap-on pieces. That turns out not to be true. The spaceship's cockpit and a pair of non-functional treads are snap-on's that purists may argue shouldn't have been. However, this did not detract too heavily from an otherwise wonderful toy in my mind. Note that the original Daitenba toy had the same snap-on parts. If forced to find things to complain about, I'd whine that the gold trim on Daikyojin is EXACTLY the same gold tone plated plastic that you've seen on older diecast toys, and will bubble, tear, or break if mishandled. Be careful! Yappy & I already saw damage to the gold plate the first time we tried to equip Daikyojin with his shield(s). Y: Damn Straight! The shields simply peg into holes on the chrome-plated forearms. When you pull them off, chances are some chrome will begin to flake from areas around the peg holes. Early prototype shots of the toy showed much less chrome (only on the chest), and I really wish they'd kept it that way. The spaceship mode of the toy doesn't seem complete. Although they did a good job hiding Daikyojin's head, his legs and feet have enough play to prevent them from staying properly aligned. It took a little posing to get the spaceship ready for his picture. Worse, the cockpit doesn't have any way to attach it securely to the toy, and will fall off even under light -- ah -- maneuvers. Y: Unfortunately, in spaceship mode, there's no mechanism that locks the legs together. You've got to rely on the clip on the front landing strut to keep Daikyojin looking... um... decent. And yes, Darren does "fly" his Kyojin-Go around the room. While making jet noises... and trying not to trip over his poor, neglected Shin Getta. Minor flaws aside, this is a recommended item. It falls into a gray area between collectors' items and pure toys -- a hybrid. It's not quite at the SoC level, but it's certainly biting at Bandai's heels, and has many virtues the SoC line lacks, such as playability and bulk. If anything, I'd categorize Unifive's Daikyojin as the "New & Improved" version of the old Daikyojin toy. It's not trying to be an SoC wanna-be. It's created it's own niche and identity. Good for Unifive! Any way you slice it up, Cho Shin Gokin DX Daikyojin is made by toy lovers for toy lovers, and it shows. Handy Guide to Daikyojin Modes: Daikyojin (Great Giant God) - The robot Daitenba (Great Heaven Horse) - The robot's steed Daibajin (Great Horse God) - The centaur Daibajin Sensha (Daibajin Tank) - The centaur in tank mode Daitenba Sensha (Daitenba Tank) - The horse in tank mode Kyojin-go ("The Giant God") - The robot in spaceship mode 10.3.00 shieldwulf's Review  RUMBLE INDEX  |  CURRENT RUMBLE