Well, summer is upon us again and in my neck of the woods it’s going to be hot hot hot. While getting my ninja on this summer I will surely be cooling down with this official Ninja Tobikage sports fan. Yes, it’s indeed a “sports” fan intended for use in ninjitsu dojos everywhere.
Ninja Senshi Tobikage (å¿è€…戦士飛影 lit. Ninja Warrior Tobikage) looked like it was a pretty cool show. Ninja robots, combining animal robots that gattai into larger robots. Honestly, this was on the tail end of my collecting as a kid. The world of skateboarding was taking over and by the summer of 1986 the last thing I wanted to be doing was sitting in the house playing with robots, I wanted to be out building launch ramps.
So, fast forward 23 years and I’m all about the Tobikage stuff. Picked this DX Houraiou up in Japan recently and it’s actually a pretty decent piece. It combines well with the Tobikage Chogokin GC-32 and in “falcon mode” it totally delivers. There are two other pieces in the same vain as the Houraiou that combine with the Chogokin Tobikage. Bakuryuu, a blue dragon and Kurojishi, a yellow lion that are all just about the same size (10″ height).
Ohata Koichi is one hell of a designer. Known probably best for his work on Albegas, Laserion and Gundam ZZ, his Tobikage design is above average for that time period in my opinion.
Diecast content is minimal, but what do you expect for 1986. Well, back to my Sho Kosugi flicks. Later!
DX Bakuryuu nestled away safely in the case..
The awesome adjective “Ninjy” is copyrighted by Hiroko Yoda 2008.
Found in Osaka. Only $800? if I remember correctly. To bad shipping would be over $1K, otherwise I would have bought it.. Seems like most of these I see come up on YJP auctions seem to stay under $1K (Changeman, Maskman etc.).
OK, OK.. I know I’ve thrown the hype on these guys before. AND, I know they get a bad wrap, but I fucking love this store. Every time without fail I score big here. Keep in mind, the internet has killed it. It’s killed the experience of going to a store and laying your hands on the god given funk made in the land of the rising sun destined to rest its smoked filled vinyl body in your gaijin hands.. The run on sentence lives. And so does Koenji’s finest, Gojira Ya mother fuckers!
If you ever find yourself in Koenji then you need to make the pilgrimage.
Godzilla Ya (Gojira-Ya)
3-67-1 Koenji, Suginami-ku
(phone) 03-3336-3178
www.plala.or.jp/godzillaya
Hours: 2pm – 9pm, closed Wed.
Jim casing the bar. Did I mention they have a bar?!:
The stairs:
All the way up:
Entry:
Inside:
Kozaki-san in the house:
ENJOY..
Check out:
Jim Maitland, Mike Johnson and that infamous Brian Flynn guy bolting after a night of maddening scores..
Repaints? Maybe… If you collect diecast than who the fuck cares right?? Ha! Check this place next time you’re in Tokyo.
A little added bonus;
Minister Alt and I from a candid vid from 2008 (notice the stock looks almost the same a year earlier). You can almost catch Hillsy and Mark G hiding in the background if you pay attention:
