Biorobo Custom Jumbo Machinder
…..Are there any Jumbo Machinder collectors out there who haven’t wished that they possessed a Jumbo they couldn’t find or afford? Of course not, or you wouldn’t be a Jumbo collector. But how about wishing for a Jumbo that was never made? I know I have wished for a few, including Boss Borot, Albegas and of course Lightan (just kidding). I did a few minor alterations to existing Jumbos which were definitely cool, but not entirely satisfying. I decided it was time to try and make a Jumbo that I didn’t already have.
*Note: this occurred around 1996*
…..My first project was an attempt to make a Mazinga Z starting from a Mattel Great Mazinga head and Dragun body. This ended up looking like hell and shaming my shelf, but luckily UniFive re-released Mazinga Z and I was able to replace it. A little discouraging, but I was soon inspired again by a game I saw that included a plastic Bioman head that appeared to be roughly Jumbo-sized. I bought it from a guy in Taiwan, the head turned out to be exactly Jumbo-sized and the Biorobo Project was born.
…..The next step was a suitable base body and I decided that Daimos was the one, so I waited until I found a loose Daimos for cheap and then got started. I know there has been some discussion about what type of paints stick and don’t stick to polyethylene plastic, but I used regular sandable spray primer, then a flat black, with no difficulties. If you try to pull off a sticker once it is on, you may peel the paint off, but it can otherwise be handled normally without a problem. I tried a gloss black on the Mazinga Z project, it was sticky and peeled off easily, so I recommend flat-finish paints. I painted the entire torso, legs and fists of Daimos black, leaving only the red forearms original. Luckily, the Daimos body required very little physical modification to become Biorobo, one of the reasons I think it turned out to be so much more successful than the Mazinga Z.
….. The stickers were created in Illustrator and Photoshop using the Bandai GoDaiKin Biorobo as my guide, and printed on adhesive sheets using a laser printer.The only custom additions I had to make were the belt buckle in the front, the wings on the back and the pointy shoulders. These pieces are all made of cardstock, cut out, folded, glued and painted. I also added two small cuffs to the fists so they matched, cut from a paper towel tube and painted the same black as the rest. The missile holders added to his legs were originally on the shoulders of a Great Mazinga, and replaced the Daimos leg launchers (though I think those would look good as well, I just didn’t have any extra Daimos missiles). I decided to use both of the Daimos straight, non-shooting upper arms for Bioman, leaving my Daimos with two hinged arms (though the left fist doesn’t shoot). Beware my fearful symmetry! To make the shooting right fist fit on the non-shooting arm I cut a small square in the end to accommodate the peg.
…..Overall I’m very happy with the way he turned out. Even right next to his body-double Daimos I think he looks distinct and original.
….Are you interested in a Biorobo Jumbo of your own? Check the thread in the BBS, I am including the sticker sheets and cardstock guides there.
Well, I guess that’s it, good luck to my fellow customizers out there and keep the Jumbo ranks growing! -ChemicalEggs
