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Bandai unveiled full-color prototypes of the upcoming Garada K7 and Doublas M2 Soul of Chogokin toys and — something of a surprise — the next Metal Material Model Chogokin, Impulse Gundam, at the International Character and Hobby Collection Convention 2004, held this Saturday and Sunday in Makuhari, Japan.

I’d say “words fail me,” but the above run-on sentence more than proves otherwise. Also on display were the respective prices: 5,750 yen for Garada and Doublas, with Gundam tipping the scales at 5,775 yen. Enjoy the photos… And look for a mini-gallery of more pics in the BBS!

Never heard of Banso? Join the club. This almost painfully obscure toymaker happened to produce some of the funkiest (albeit all-plastic) renditions of the Gatchaman vehicles ever seen. But don’t take my word for it… check out Robert Duban’s newest DATAFILE on the subject!

Yep, I’m stupid. It took me over eight months to discover that Bandai’s GD-56 Mechagodzilla 1974 was cool, but now I bear witness to His Rivet-Covered Glory.

Why? For starters, they absolutely nailed the likeness. Every angle, every armor segment and every rivet is right where it should be. I can imagine the sculptor sitting in front of the suit for days, whittling away and scrutinizing every detail to make sure that kaiju freaks everywhere would be satisfied.

Then there are the features. The knee missiles pop off. The hands swap out to make it look like the finger missiles have been fired. The mouth and chest hatch open. Swap out the head and fold back the arms, and you can put him in flying mode. Push on the spikes on his back and make his head spin.

There are a couple of minuses. Metal parts are limited to the chest and legs, a little disappointing for a toy that bears the Chogokin moniker. It would also have been nice if it came with a little plastic stand for when you pose him in flying mode. All of these things just amount to the difference between an A and an A- in my book, though.

Like any other toy company, Bandai can’t resist squeezing as much as they can out of tooling costs by issuing color variations. A few months after the regular one came out, a GD-56M chrome version was released. Many collectors, myself included, rolled their eyes at this, but here’s a little secret: the chrome one is better.

Even if you don’t have the normal one to compare to, once you take the chrome one out of the box you are completely dazzled. Instead of just dipping the whole thing in chrome, selected parts are left with a matte finish, and the remaining surfaces are gloss. This contrast only brings out the beauty of the sculpt even more.

Again, there are some minor downsides. The chrome one costs a bit more (7500 yen as opposed to 6800 yen), has grayscale package art, and lacks the neat clamshell presentation of the original. Also, the finish on the metal parts isn’t as glossy as the plastic ones, so in a strange way the low die-cast content works in the toy’s favor.

Relatively speaking, not too many of these were made. Less than 10,000 of the normally colored version were cranked out by Bandai, and perhaps even less of the chrome ones were produced. From what I’m told, demand for these in Japan has been steady and strong, to the point where some dealers are asking American sellers if they could re-import the toys back.

Should you get one? If you have a special place in your artificial heart for Mechagodzilla and you feel like paying for it, definitely, but if you must pick one, go for the chrome. If my words haven’t convinced you, then squint at this picture. Yep, same tan wood and tile coffee table, same perspective, same schmuck taking the picture. My apologies.

I remember having the Aquarius Camus saint action figure back in the 80’s, when the series was on TV. At that time, the figure and the armor didn’t have as much detail. The armor was still a shiny gold color and made mostly of metal. And plastic in certain areas

In 2003, Bandai introduces their new series reviving the Saint Seiya figure line called the Saint Myth Cloth series. This Aquarius is the second one in the gold saint series to be released. I ordered one from a shop in hawaii. I was actually excited to get when it came in the mail. I just ripped the package open like a kid opening a christmas present. The box itself folded in a book like manner. Which opens to reveal two sides containing the pieces. One side contains a tray insert with the main body of the figure and some armor pieces. The other side with the second tray insert containing the an extra head of Cygnus Hyoga, some armor pieces and parts for the Aquarius object. And, a cape. This is a first for me, still. I have the Leo saint. And it too came with a cape.

Taking out the figure first. I noticed it was about 5 inches tall a little larger than its predecessor. It did have a lot more detail. The face detail on both heads is close to the original on the show. The armor to has more detail and is more accurately designed to look almost exactly like the original. The armor is a gold color and made of a heavier metal. And better quality. Than its predecessor. Still a very nice piece. Unlike the 80’s version, this one has a set of different hands that are interchangeable. For a different variety of poses. Like the Camus head, the mask fits the Hyoga head too. Like on the show, when Hyoga wears the Aquarius armor. I couldn’t get over how nicely designed and detaliled the figure is. Bandai also did it in such a way that every myth cloth series figure was designed in a similar manner, making it possible for the saints in the bronze series to be able to wear the gold armor too.

I played with the figure a little. Seeing what it can do. Having to do a variety of poses. The articulation in the joints are really good. There was a good amount of it. The double hands for Camus’ Aurora Execution attack. I thought it was pretty neat to actually recreate that. Then the two open hands for Hyoga’s Hakucho-no-tsubasa pose. Like he does in the show before attacking. One thing I thought was pretty tricky was to actually have the figure posed standing and holding its head piece. It takes some patience to get it right. Like how Camus or Hyoga does it in the show, cradleing the head piece in their arm on either side. The hands have to grip the bottom of the head piece, depending on which side the figure will hold it. Visible on both Camus and the Hyoga rear view, the cape is on. This cape is part of the set. On the show, when Hyoga wears the Aquarius armor, it has no cape. I just decided to put it on. It looks better with the cape on. This new figure is a very welcome addition to my collection. ANd the best one. I have it on my shelf displayed as Hyoga. Actually, becomes he the next Aquarius saint. Its not in the story, but an original idea I thought of. The style of the figure is very good. Even the armor in the form of the Aquarius object looks really good. This is not the last gold saint in my collection.