October 27, 2000 CURRENT RUMBLE Disc-o-rama Vincent Chew 10.27.00 When I first heard news of Gear Senshi Dendoh (Gear Fighter Dendoh), I was rather ecstatic as from the scarce info at the time, I had thought that it was a step up from the Disc Fighters and Knuckle Fighters series...But after reading the detailed review from www.toyboxdx.com, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. But first, a little introduction to the Disc Fighters. Toy line: Disc Fighters Maker : Bandai Year : 1993 Price : I got it for RM$70 (about US$18.50) but I’m not too terribly sure of its actual retail price. It was mid 1993 when I first saw pictures of the Disc Fighters as well as the Knuckle Fighters form a Hong Kong plastic model magazine. Who would have guessed that a few months later, the Disc Fighters were available in, of all places, Toy World from my hometown (among other Japanese toys which shouldn't be in there...). All 3 Disc Fighters were available and I picked Greyzon up...testing the toy line first, before getting another one for their raison d 'tre... The toy comes in a kit and while the assembly wasn't too terribly difficult, I managed to mess up *big time* and it has taken about 2 years before my neighbor gave me his Disc Fighter to fix mine up. Prior to that, my dad managed to give it a temporary fix. Now the fun part, the Disc Fighters can do 2 main attacks, a left hook punch and a right straight punch while the timing of these attacks are 'controlled' by a rotating disc attached to the back of the Disc Fighters. A small motor inside the upper torso drives the disc. The location of the outer chips (colored red in the picture) controls the timing of the left hook punch while the inner chips control the other arm. I have to note that Bandai did a remarkably job in introducing a more than reasonable *simple* system which works incredibly well- while the upper torso of the Disc Fighters abruptly swivel to the right, the left arm rises for the hook punch (you can make it stay in that final position for defense), the upper torso returns to its original position before the Disc Fighters straightens its bent right arm for the straight punch. Of course, it would look silly if the Disc Fighters just *stand* there while going through the punches but the most amusing part is...they don't. Each of the attacks actually asserts enough momentum to inch the Disc Fighters forward. This also hints as to why the AA batteries are housed on the back of each shin - their weight stabilizes the Disc Fighters and keeps them from toppling over while they 'move forward' (another clever design approach). Now their raison d' tre...The Disc Fighters were designed for tournament fighting! The rule is quite simple, 2 competiting Disc Fighter players first adjust the timing of the Disc Fighters' combo attacks before placing the Disc Fighters' legs between a long narrow plastic strip (comes with the kit). The plastic strip acts to reorient and correct the direction of the Disc Fighters while they 'move' forward (again a simple yet very effective solution). Eventually they will come meet at one point and start whacking each other silly. A direct hit to the chest will unhook a latch which secures the upper torso with the lower torso, causing the Disc Fighter to topple to the back, marking the end of the bout. For me, the early information of the Gear Fighters hinted as being the next reincarnation of the Disc Fighters and Knuckle Fighters (*see note below) toys, but in reality Gear Fighters do not belong to the same category, hence my disappointment. Gear Fighters is merely a fully poseable 'action figure' spiced up with the innovative rotary drive gimmick. Note: The Knuckle Fighters, also from Bandai, were actually available in my hometown (selling for less than the Disc Fighters) but I did not pick one up. The design is very different from the Disc Fighters, both look and automation wise. The Knuckle Fighters has a long cord sticking out of their backs which connects to a controller - yep, this means that you could actually control their movement and punch attacks;)  RUMBLE INDEX  |  CURRENT RUMBLE