Do You Feel… LUCKY?
Do boys like guns? Silly question! In the sub-sub-sub genre of realistic gun-transforming robot toys, most folks immediately think of Takara’s Walther (a.k.a. Megatron). But try to recall any others? No, the space-y looking ones don’t count! How about a Smith & Wesson M469 in 9mm Parabellum? From BANDAI, no less…
A couple of months back, I spotted this neu-vintage piece at the local toy market: BANDAI’s Combat Robo S&W M469 GUNMAJIN. It was slightly pricey and my budget was already blown, so I kept my fingers crossed that no one else was hankering for it. Even from just the simply stunning. There’s even a small box of extra bullets! Check out the detailing: From the engraved model number to the textured finish on the grip, it just screams “I AM REAL!!!” The spring-loaded magazine takes up to 8 rounds of the brass-colored bullets, and of course, it slides into the pistol-grip with a satisfying ‘CLICK’.
The gun features two main gimmicks. First, when you pull back the slide, a round from the magazine is ejected from the port. And while the rounds don’t feed directly into the muzzle, you can insert one at a time like a standard ‘missile-firing toy’, and launch it with a pull of the trigger. For a small dose of silliness, each bullet features a face molded onto it. (Anyone notice the slight resemblance to the biomechanoid-pistols by H.R. Giger?)
Any downsides? Sure…
Most noticeable is the total lack of diecast on the toy. For all its realistic detailing, there’s not a single metal part unless you count the screws and springs! And then of course we have the robot itself. I doubt there are (m)any gun-robots which look good in BOTH modes. For GUNMAJIN, here’s a mug shot… In robot mode, he basically can’t do much at all. You can insert the magazine again, but that’s about it. As for poses… ha ha. THIS is about the best I could pull off! :P
Overall, a pretty satisfying addition to the collection, although the main attraction has got to be the superb detailing and gimmickry of the gun mode. If you know of any other similar or cooler gun-robots, I’d love to hear from you!
P.S. Oversized wristwatch, ear mufflers and S.W.A.T. patch not included!
P.P.S. No smoking-gun effect either! (But you KNEW that.)
