Found this while cleaning out my phone the other day, forgot it was there…. I don’t think mere words can possibly convey the sheer level of awesome going on here

Though not nearly as epic as some of the posts that precede this one, I wanted to let you in on a humble discovery I made yesterday, which might “spark” your interest.

A short while back I won an auction for a Kamen Rider sparkler, with a box, that had thought was a variation of the current one I had, and written about here.
http://toyboxdx.dsri.xyz/brog/?p=8498

Excited, but cautious, as the price seemed higher than typical for a sparkler this size, I followed through and won the toy for more than what I would normally pay . I chocked it up to the box variation and called it a day.The box itself is beautiful and a wonderful rendition by Shotaro Ishinomori. I am a sucker for any Ishinomori- san illustration, so this seemed like a no brainer.

Fast forward three weeks. Box arrives from Tokyobuyers. Most of it is the girl’s, but I see packed in the corner an individually packed box, looking slightly larger then I expected.

To my utter happiness, yes the box is different but also twice the size! I put two and two together and realize unknown to my limited knowledge, much like other sparkers, the Yonezawa Kamen comes in two sizes, the ST and DX. The paint scheme is slightly different and the arms are movable. It sits perfectly between the mini and the larger flying sparkler, completing a trinity I had no idea existed.

Now there are going to be those of you reading this who knew of it’s existence and will look at my pedestrian rambling as quaint and uneducated. Fine with me. I am just psyched that I unknowingly got more than I bargained for, It rarely happens to me anymore, so I thought I would share.

Every now and then, ya gotta break out the big guns…

For Bullmark collector, there was a bit of a ruckus about a month ago. In rapid succession, a number of highly sought-after Toho vinyls popped up. Far and away, the more celebrated of these was the legendary green Godzilla that Brian Flynn scooped up!

Also causing a stir around the same time, a mysterious Mechagodzilla appeared that Mike Johnson told me was an especially rare vinyl variant. IIRC, that went for around 500k…far too rich for my blood at the moment…

Ah, but with all eyes and anxious keyboards watching what would happen with these two titans, the humble Megalon appeared (“humble”, my ass!). And no one seemed to notice! It was listed originally for 200k, which arguably isn’t a bad deal at all…even with today’s exchange rate. No action. The auction recycled. No action again; it recycles again. In the middle of its third week, I had Tokyobuyers contact the seller and offer 150k. No response, but upon the third recycling, the seller dropped the starting bid to 150k and added a BIN of 200k. Still no action…and the very morning of Brian’s green Goji, I swooped in and scored it…30 minutes before Brian’s fabled purchase!

Broke as hell, but happy, I received Megs and a bunch of other Bullmarks last week. Walker, Nekrodave, and I took a nice little group shot at the shop Wednesday night:

Anyway, here’s more fun with Megalon!

I think the caption says it all. I couldn’t ask for better inflatable friends.. ;)

E

Standard size sofubi from Bullmark, with removable mask.
Smart ass baby face.

Mirrorman was Tsuburaya’s first non “Ultra” superhero TV production from 1971.

Mission Sea Shark accomplished!
Sounds like a top secret undercover operation. But nothing really secret here.
This is only the attempt to get a smile into this poor Jumbo Grip Denjin Zaboga’s face.

I bought a very nice nice Zaboga few years ago. Nice box, nice condition…everything was nice.
Nice, nice, nice…but wait! Something was missing. Something you don’t see normally.
Something stored in Zaboga’s back. Sea Shark!

Zaboga’s little jet that could fly and also could operate underwater like a submarine.
Sound like a gadget from Q for James Bond.

But it’s “only” a little red plastic jet…you can’t even see it…so…forget it.
I tried to forget this little missing detail. But it didn’t work.

A few days ago one of Zaboga’s brothers arrived in germany with a special gift.

Incomplete, battle damaged…but with sometging very special in his back.
Noooo…the Zabogas won’t do what YOU think…

Sea Shark

Years of scanning Yahoo auctions, nightmares, incomplete-depressions
come to an end, a happy end for 1000 Yen ;-)

Mission accomplished. Zaboga could smile again.

Firts I only wanted  to post a macro picture of Zaboga’s little jet.
But the Brog got out of control…sorry for that.

But it seems that this Brog is now a kind of Jumbo Grip Denjin Zaboga review.
A little bit ;-)

Here are a few more older fotos of Zaboga’s gimicks.
His “Jet Punch” (fist on chain), transformation into the motorcycle Machine Zaboga
and his back which could be opened for the Sea Shark.

more stuff in the BBS.
If you want more infos about the real Denjin Zaboga.
Check out this site.

Box variants… at Sifu’s house.

Sanjeev: With my jollyness still filled with dancing cha siu bao and other delights, we left Chau Chow City. It had already been a great day–Dave and I had just spent the previous night crashing at my place, talking about movies, sports, and He-Man. It was a blast to see Ryan and Ed again…not to mention Mason and getting to meet his squeeze, Lisa. Regan and Josh? Good peoples, of course–always a great time. Ben…well, can’t go wrong with the lil squirt… :P

Josh: After everyone parts ways, Dave and Sanjeev hang out with Regan and I. Not much is going on, until Uncle Warren and I talk on the phone and plan an impromptu get together at the God father of Sofubi’s box filled room.
This is a first for both Sanjeev and Dave. I can see the excitement on their faces as I mention the potential plan. It takes little convincing and we head over to Warren’s for an afternoon of toy induced mayhem. And in true fashion turns out to be a memorable evening.
We arrive and jump head first into the deep end. Dave and Sanjeev look from corner to corner, scanning over boxes and bags and handle various loose toys that are scattered about.

Sanjeev:Now, I’ve had the pleasure of hanging out with the Sifu several times before–and it’s all true: he’s a fantastic guy!–but I’d never actually had a chance to visit his home. So now an opportunity to do so? You kidding me!?

Sanjeev: It’s kinda funny…Warren is such an open and warm person, you almost get the feeling you’ve known him all your life. And with Regan and Josh’s awesome brog posts chronicling their epic visits, it even feels like you’ve been there! Almost. Well, we rolled up to his pad that afternoon and I was beaming.
Warren welcomed us in with his usual sincere open-heartedness and as his wife baked cookies (which we never actually got a chance to try! :P ), he led us upstairs to the toy lair. I was honestly expecting a bit more of a mess, but the place was surprisingly organized. Sure, there were loose treasures laying about, waiting for greedy hands, but the overall feeling I got was that of reverence. Like, these were things to be enjoyed, but also that they told a decades-old story about how a generation played. It was beautiful.

Josh;Needless to say, Warren shows us vintage gold, and we work our way into the side room where he has two boxes sitting next to one another. These are not just any boxes… these are boxes that barely anyone on the planet has one of, let alone two.

Spoken about before and documented a few times, the coveted Bullmark Red Baron missile firing vinyl.

Warren had bought the second box not long ago and had wondered which one to keep. Knowing that I was an obsessive idiot…er.. I mean interested in box condition, he asked me to advise which of the two to hold onto.

It took me 5 seconds to reach my decision.

“You keep both”
“Really”

Yeah. Here is why.

As it turns out,( and is obviously evident to those who have looked at the photo above), Warren had in my humble opinion inadvertently stumbled on one of the greatest packaging finds of recent memory.

Both boxes were variants, and not simply a matter of a different pantone being used on a logo… these were visibly different from afar.
The box Warren won with the original auction (with toy) was on the windowsill on the left. The main logo on the top of the box was about twice the size, and although somewhat faded compared to its counterpart, it was evident that the second box with the smaller logo was in fact earlier! Not only that, the secondary logo on the left of the Red Baron head was simply a cut out piece of paper placed by the hands of some long forgotten but careful worker.

As with some Gaiking boxes in my collection of GA51’s I have seen variants of all sorts. Printing is expensive, and though we all look at them with awe now, vintage toy boxes started their lives out simply as a way to get the contents from point A to point B. So printing new screens for a new run or redoing a whole box was sometimes out of the question. Often they simply cut out a new logo and pasted over an existing out of date or incorrect image. This was well before digital printing, and looking at the old skool fix, warmly reminded me of my own early years as a graphic artist at my first job in the early 90’s. These boxes were a beautiful reminder of a point in time when mistakes were not so easily fixed by the click of a mouse.

In addition there were less important variants on the secondary logos on the sides of the box, really showing the evolution. In fact, for a moment I even daydreamed that the second box Warren won, might potentially be the early proto or proof copy for this very toy. How could one in their right mind, a man who searches the globe for one character above all others part these two boxes again, when they so effortlessly tell a history together, thirty years after their creation.

After coming down from that high, Warren takes Regan over to the Astro Mu corner and she finally gets her first vintage Capsule Robo vinyl. Warren had an extra apparently! The girl is simply besides herself with happiness and we all are basking in the good natured mood that hums about the room.

Sifu then rushes off to find something none of us have seen, to complete the circle. The Astro Mu playset.
A hush hits the room and a billowing of old vinyl meets our collective nostrils. I have flashbacks of my early childhood Sesame Street place mats in upstate New York in 76′, as Warren with a grin, pulls out the printed vinyl sheet complete with Atromu battle scenes printed ever so innocently on the intense blue of the background.

Shock and awe ensues and so an idea dawns on us all to reenact the scene on the cover of the box as best we are able in the time we have left. Warren is game, and I jump at the opportunity to embarrass myself further on the internet (complete with epic black socks) with him.

Ta da’…

As always, an afternoon we won’t forget.

Sanjeev:The Red Baron box discovery and the Astro Mu playmat were, of course, little slices of magic. Heh…and I admittedly had butterflies in my stomach when Warren asked to see Gin Gin! But really, unsurprisingly to me, the best part of the trip was the man, himself. Warren simply exudes joy and passion for these silly things! He really gets what it’s all about. Even surrounded by his own cherished collection, he never once hesitated to let us pick something up and try it out. Hell, he didn’t bat an eyelash when Josh came up with the idea to recreate the scene on the cover of the Astro Mu playset!

I gotta say, it was a most pleasant way to cap off the Dim Summit and I’ll always take a piece of that experience with me.