February 2000 | Ramble Index | December 1999

01/24/00: Josh Charms Japan

ToyboxDX, um, "teen hearthrob" Josh Fraser finally finishes his Travel Diary (and pokey Alen final posts it.)

Check it out: Josh stands on the streets of Tokyo for, like, a minute and ends up in print. If the ladies only knew his whip-cracking C10 box demands the the way we do! Link now to the World Collector's section of the Gallery of Love now!

Info Minister Matt Alt with a delayed Japan Report "In Bandai News: PR clones have confirmed that the SOC Grandizer's coming out in mid-February. The release date was swathed in mystery up until recently; now the end is finally in sight. Check out this Bandai promo-shot of the finished piece. Also note the subtle price-jack: this bad boy's a cool $150 dollars retail! Whoa, cowpoke! "Bandai's also going to release a huge (40cm) diecast Yamato toy that's chock full o' goodies. No word on release date or price yet, but it'll have a feature-set similar to the old DX Popy Yamato (launching spaceships, missiles, etc.) "Bandai's also just released a giant-sized, light-up Godzilla toy for 10,000 yen. It hit the shelves a few weeks ago, so no word on the specifics, but it looks great: when you press a button, his head bobs side-to-side as the spikes light up. (Hiroko says she's going to divorce me if I attempt to bring the stupid thing home. :) "Meanwhile, the Super Kung-Fu Deluxe Big-Assed Mazinger Z Daigokin, while already a beloved classic, is being sold at a discount in several places. Whether this is a sign of low buyer interest or post-Christmas bargain sales remains to be seen. "Marmit's highly anticipated Fierce Legends giant vinyl of Getta Poseidon will FINALLY be out early next month." -- Matt

Cafe Regular Lemel and a Voltron Essay "Picked up the 2-foot Voltron Classic yesterday...it was in a big TRU clearance baskets, marked with a clearance-style sign that read 'Best Price, $59.99.' Taken with the sheer size of it, I broke out in a sweat, scooped up the orphan and scuttled toward the checkout (even though I'm still half-heartedly looking for a Pokedex...) "I haven't removed it from the box, but I'll try to describe what I can from the outside looking in: "It is 19.5 inches tall, putting it just short of what I believe is standard Jumbo size of 24 inches. The Black Lion portion of the robot's body is roughly 14 inches tall, almost 3 inches taller than a DX Golion. That's big. For the proportions, the robot is a little bit squat, not tall enough for its width. The arms hang down past the 'knees' when they should actually be well above that. "The pic of him holding it just doesn't give a good impression of the size. You really have to see it in person. The window box gives a good presentation, but I defy anyone to find a box that is better than c8. There is a half-circle cutout at the top of the window so you can try out the light-up feature on the Black lion. Unfortunately, it makes a perfect place for slacker TRU employees to grab the giant box and sling it around the shelves, which is why the window is all bent and torn. I can't imagine finding a box without this kind of damage. Some consolation can be found in the fact that the window is very thick, and can tough out some of the abuse. "Using a DX Golion as a proportion guide, I would say that the blue and yellow (leg) lions aren't long enough, and the red and green (arm) lions are overall just too big. But the primary reason for this anomaly is related to a feature: The lions separate, and each has a pilot's chair able to hold a standard sized Voltron character action figure. Of course the robot is not to scale at the size of the figures, and even in the anime the scale of Voltron seemed to vary wildly from episode to episode. "The lions have various action features: Firing heads, opening and closing mouths, missile launchers similar to those on the Popy DX release, as well as 'bomb' doors, trap doors on the bottom that can release whatever payload you pack in onto the heads of unsuspecting Micromen. The shield on the chest launches out at the push of a button like an oversized Geeg gut missle. And press a small button on top of the head and the robot's eyes emit a searing glow. Not having removed it from the box, I can't be sure about this, but I believe that each lion's eyes have a similar light up feature, since there is a similar button on each head, and the package touts that there are "15 replacement batteries!!!" included which would be a bit much for only 1 light. My guess is: 5 lights = 3 watch-style batteries for each light. "Articulation is basically the same as any other Voltron toy: shoulder, elbow, elbow twist & thigh of black lion, as well as all the standard leg joints on each lion. The deco is in keeping with any other V with a couple of exceptions. While lion legs are all vac-metal chromed, the legs of Black lion are only matte silver. Red and Green lion have those small windowed portals on top for the pilots to see out of, like the other smaller plastic V that comes with mini-pilots. And of course Blazing Sword and Shield are standard accessories. "This toy is all plastic, save for whatever metal is in the spring-loaded launchers and screws that hold the toy together. "I do not collect Jumbos. I do not have an interest in large-scale robots. I'm not even the biggest Golion fan (though I like Golion a lot). So why did I buy this? To be honest, the sheer size of it, and the fact that it was well decorated. When I went looking to get a glimpse of it, I expected a large toy with few colors, no stickers, and certainly no articulation or vac-chrome! This is not your father's giant shampoo bottle, folks. This is a nice complement to the 20-inch Ultimate Iron Giant. So it's a little bit on the squat side, it still looks great. I cannot believe Trendmasters would bite the bullet to make a toy this big and featured (and did I mention big?) Do kids buy this stuff? I'm sure that Kenner and their $100 three-foot-long Naboo cruiser hope so. "Also worth noting is that there is a KayBee exclusive Voltron, about 7 (maybe 8?) inches tall that breaks down to the 5 lions. It has no pilots and feels quite heavy in the box (though it doesn't appear to be die cast at all). It is right between ST and DX and it does the Gattai, so that puts it in my collecting sights since I really like odd-scale versions of these characters. "Happy Hunting!" -- LEMEL

It was a close call. Garada K7 landed in June with a thump, cushioned on a nice bed of hype. The mighty (yet wobbily) pseudo-reissue made such a splash that you'd think he'd cuddled his way into a shoe-in for Toy of the Year. Lord knows that UniFive deserves applause for the tremendous service they've done for Jumbo Love. At the last minute, tho', evil gets nailed: crushed no less by the old nemesis, Z!

Marmit's Daigokin Mazinger Z delivers exactly where Garada don't. In terms of quality, truth to concept, presence and sheer gall, our collective hats are off to a company that has gone out of its way to break the envelope. (It's not hard, is it, to please a gokin punk? Make it large, heavy and we'll come.)

To emphasize a point tho: it ain't just the size. The whole idea of making a 17" articulated diecast toy defies reason. The fact that a company was willing to follow through with what clearly would be a low-run, cost-inefficient hunk, just juices my pilder. That the toy is by all accounts a winner is just icing on the cake.

So check below for raves by Sean Bonner, Bic and Yappy. And start saving those pennies!

Notable acquisitions included the totally weird-ass Takatoku Zendagorira. It's goofy, but well-featured. Hilights of the piece include googly eyes, wheeled feet, and, um, shooting "grapple nipples."

As Roger Harkavy (at left with Astro Boy) pointed out, this is now two years in a row for me that "nipple-shooting Gorilla toys" have been featured at Christmas. I suppose this is how traditions start.

Thanks to Steve G. for his usual good cheer!

So stick around. It's just starting to get good!

Best regards for you and your families in the coming year,

Alen

Jumboland's Sean Bonner scores at Monster House "January 1st, 2000. Much like any other saturday. wake up, go to House of Monsters. Only today was a little different. I knew they were getting in some new stuff from Japan but what? I was hoping for an Action Gokin... I got that and much more... Seconds after walking in the door Damien picks up a box from behind the counter: "'You wouldn't be interested in this would you?' The box is huge... is it? No... yes! It's Mazinga Z Daigokin!!! "Would I be interested??? It's the closest I'll ever come to a diecast Jumbo. Of Course! I snatched it up, well tried to... "The box and everything tops out 10 pounds, the figure itself is over 15 inches and it has to be 98% diecast. The paint is shiny and the smell is like a drug. The only plastic I can see is the clear window on the pilder with Koji looking out and some little pieces inbetween the major joints. I'm totally blown away by this thing." -- Sean

Mark "Bic" Smith sez "MAAAAAAAAZINNN-GOOOO!!!!!!" "For 48 hours after receiving my Daigokin Mazinger-Z, I was in a perpetual state of bliss, amazement, and awe. The mere fact that such an insane idea actually made it all the way from someone's mind, to the drawing board, to a prototype, to an actual produced piece work of art, has reaffirmed my belief in dreams and in attaining a goal. The fact that I purchased one also strengthens my belief that I am as well insane. But now, I see this giant metal figure for what it is, a magnificent statue. It is an ode, a tribute to Go Nagai. "The articulation of this metal hunk is very limited: rotation about the shoulders and wrists limited bending at the elbows, and rotation around the hips and ankles. I only wish there had been some rotation or bending allowed in the head and/or torso. But, maybe the engineering to do so would have made the costs even more exorbitant. We'll never know, and honestly, I refuse to waste any more time complaining about it or even thinking of anything 'bad' about this piece. The mere fact that this item was even made is reason enough to rejoice and celebrate! Even if it didn't move anywhere at ALL, just the mere fact it EXISTS is cause for joy in all our diecast collecting hearts. (Yes Roger, after a certain monetary limit, they DO become pieces.) "The coloration and shininess of the metal is top notch. It glistens wondrously, casting off those opalescent sparkles that animators are so fond of when sunlight hits their robot's metal body. The detail is also top notch. Looking closely into the Pilder, one can make out his helmet, his facial features, jumpsuit and his hands. This Mazinger-Z is, to me, the most beautiful Mazinger-Z I own. (I now have three: a regular SOC, a black SOC, and now the Marmit Daigokin.) "I do not own any original Popy Jumbo Machinders, nor any of the bastardized Mattel Shogun Warriors, much less any of the Uni-Five reproductions, but I would safely bet that if one were to place the Daigokin in line with some Jumbos, those two foot tall shampoo bottles would be extremely intimidated by this 17" junior metal-machinder. The only robot I own taller than the Daigokin is the Ultimate Iron Giant, and his goofy metal smile disarms him, makes him into a teddy bear. But this Daigokin Mazinger-Z has weight you can not only feel upon holding, but you can see it, and feel it in it's presence. It truly has a soul that fills the room. It captivates not only me, but also others who have seen it. I can feel the other robots in my collection looking up to the Daigokin Mazinger-Z (metaphorically as well as literally). I can actually hear 'MAAAAAAAAZINNN-GOOOO!!!!!!' every time I look at it. "Daigokin Mazinger-Z is ready for anything. Now I REALLY need to find a Uni-Five Garada K-7, I bet they would look FANTASTIC next to one another. The bottom line: If I had seen one before purchase, would I still have bought one? YES. Is it actually worth the outrageous hefty price tag? YES, it is to me. If Marmit makes a Great Mazinger, or Gaiking, or some obscure robot in the same manner, will I purchase it? YES. If Marmit were to actually make a 'line' of Daigokin robots, would I happily go broke purchasing them all? YOU HAD BETTER BELIEVE IT! "Overall, I am very happy and pleased with this toy, and am also happy that I had the opportunity to purchase it. MONSTROUS PROPS GO OUT TO JUST BE DISTRIBUTION!" -- Bic

Yappy on the The Weight of it all "First off, a disclaimer: there's no way I can ramble about the Daigokin objectively. It was a gift -- and probably the single-most extravagant gift I have ever received. Here's heartfelt kudos to my #1 girl, 'the Pokemistress.' XoXoX "Mushiness aside, Bic's totally right... the Daigokin is a 'piece,' a Franklin Mint-esque memorial to Go Nagai. Bic did forget to mention that Mr. Big-ass Mazinger does have 'swivel arm battle-action grip' a la 3" GI Joes. But that's pretty much all its 'play' features. There're no spring-loaded accessories either; in fact, I'd say there was no way to engineer any firing mechanisms for the Daigokin -- no non-lethal mechanisms, anyway... "Cuz it all boils down to the simple fact: THE MUTHA'S ALL METAL. "Everything except the windshield of the Pilder (and maybe the mini-Koji piloting it). Any gimmick would take away from that simple mind-numbing fact that it's 17 inches of 99 44/100% DIE-CAST. I don't have a scale, but it's gotta be 7-9lbs. It HURTS to hold the damn thing for more than ten minutes (which might mean I need to hit the gym). But it's definitely much denser than the DX chogokins of yore; I don't remember having problems carrying my old Voltes V or my Godaikin Tetsujin 28 around when I was 6. "This all brings up a paradox: The Daigokin's a collector item, but one that begs to be touched. You can't help but want to pick it up... to feel that cold die-cast on every external surface... to hear the loud ratcheting industrial strength joints... to feel the AWESOME WEIGHT of it all... THE WEIGHT... THE WEIGHT... oh the madness of it all..." -- Yappy

February 2000 | Ramble Index | December 1999