June 1999 | Ramble Index | April 1999

5/23/99: Catch-up Rambles

Whew! I've been in and out of the studio for weeks now, kind of vacant and scattered, and not really focused on the important things in my life. This includes dusting, shelving, and rambling.

About a month ago, Mechaman Roger Harkavy and I had the privilege of visiting one of the coolest collections, compiled by one of the nicest guys: Tom Vigneau.

Roger and I sped down I-93 to take a quick day-tour of Tom's astounding Clean Room -- a locked off space filled only with Things Having to Do With Toys. Here, in this protective shell, sealed off from the harshness of the package-crumbling, missile-vacuuming, sun-fading world, Tom's tremendous pile of Chogokin, Microman, and Micronauts quietly stand guard. It's a shrine of the utmost sincerity, and standing in it is like being in a 70's Kodachrome still.

Jump over to the Gallery of Love's World Collector Gallery to see some more pics from our stupendous visit. Thanks Tom!

The name-droppable Coop, on that OI' Blue Devil! SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL MAN... "I got this puppy, along with a coupla other toys, whilst on a toy safari with Mr.ToyboxDX.(Forgive me for name-dropping...) I gotta say that it didn't make the greatest first impression, but the price was right, and I needed a chogokin fix, so out came the wallet. Afterwards, though, as Alen and I drooled over our purchases (much to the chagrin of my long-sufferin' significant other) ol' Devil Man started working his black magic on us Toy Geeks. "First of all, just the fact that a beloved character in Japanese Manga & Anime is a freakin' DEVIL, this you must appreciate!! You couldn't get away with that in the good ol' bible-thumpin' U.S.A. "Secondly, this is a great interpretation of Devil Man, combining the best of old-school Popy design (bright and simple!) with the best parts of modern toy design, most notably superb articulation. TOE ARTICULATION!! "Yep, you read that last part correctly! His TOES bend!!I have no idea what useful play-purpose this feature serves, but you gotta love that somebody went to the trouble of designing such a silly trick into the darned thing! In fact, this fella is articulated like crazy, allowing a full range of Chogokin-Fu fury!! It's still those TOES that blow my mind, though Devil Man also comes with flashy red wings, an extra set of hands, and a small dinner salad. "There are a few minor quibbles. Both Alen and I were bummed by the lack of any missile-firing action, and NO STYROFOAM in the box! Those plastic trays work perfectly well too, I suppose, but I'm just an old-fashioned guy.That being said, neither of these picayune grumbles should stop you from picking up one of these for yourself. "Two (articulated) toes up!!" -- Coop

Sean Bonner and another one of his damn cool Jumbos! "I've been meaning to write in for a while about easily my biggest score on eBay to date. A Popy Grandizer Jumbo Machinder. "I usually do all kinds of searches from exact character names to stupid things like 'big japanese robot' just to see what comes up and this time I hit big. Less than 6 months before that I had just gotten the EuroMattel 'Goldorak' version and was quite pleased with it, but when I saw this sitting there with no bids, I stumbled upon a pot of gold. "Granted, up against the rest of the Mattel lineup the Goldorak is pretty damn cool, but the few things that eat away at my subconscious like Poe's 'Tell Tale Heart' are the stickers instead of molded plastic and that damn left fist. ARG! I actually considered spending all that extra money just so I could have the correct one, but for the time being this would have to suffice. So needless to say I won the auction (for less than half of what I had paid for the Euro verison by the way) and it finally arrived -- and wow. Wow. "The differences are amazing. The head cocks back, the multi colored plastic, the detail, and oh...that left fist. Amazing. So yea this one is a little banged up but c'mon, it's got character! So this Grandizer got to join it's long lost brothers on the ol' Jumbo shelf. I've got some more Jumbo rambles in the works so keep an eye out for upcoming Giant Gorg JM, and Getta Three JM Rambles... "Incidentally the missile clips on the legs are identical to those on the first version Mattel Mazinga JM and as you can see I'm missing them so if you have an extra Mazinga around that you wouldn't mind selling off those clips, let me know." -- Sean

Info Minister Alt-san" on Uni-Five Gold "Uni-Five announced the release of an all-gold set of 'Shin-Go-Kin-Grip' diecasts late last week, but there's only one way to get 'em: through their new 'Gold Rush Campaign' contest. You have to collect six tickets from any of the new 'Teki-Colle' pieces and send them in -- and 300 lucky winners will get the gold. "Nothing like a little company-induced scarcity to drive collectors wild." -- Matt

5/18/99: Lost In LA!

I'm back from my quickie tour of the left coast where I bounced in and out of the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo. While there, I was subjected to intense attacks of marketing: a barrage of visuals, throbbing techno, and, well, tawdry women in skimpy clothing. (You thought Bulltaurus had plastic? You should have seen the convention gals!)

The stuff on the screens paled to the stuff around them. Check it out: one of the biggest mechs I've ever seen, courtesy of the Heavy Gear dudes. And of course, there was Pikachu swaggering around and hockin' himself like a cheap ho.

Coop and Ruth were kind and hospitable, hauling my incoherent jet-lagged carcass to some of the more palatable LA hot spots: Meltdown Comics and Timetraveller where I hauled in some awesome (and bizarre) loot.

Ever seen one of these? I hope not. It's "The Ugliest Mazinger Ever," courtesy of our Robot Brethren in Mexico. I'd take it out of the bag to scan it, but frankly it scares me. (The art on the header card is inspiring, though. Ever seen that elephanty robeast? Nope -- me neither.)

In addition to the Gorikong and Gokaiser pieces I grabbed, I found one of the silliest things ever: this cheesy-ass totally fake Semi-Diaplon Vinyl. It's got Geeg's chest, and a pile of Macross-sy missiles that shoot from the dial-sprung back-launching mechanism. The plastic is chunky and worn, and the paint is totally flaking, but you know what? This is like my favorite thing I've found all year, no kidding. (I guess it just feels good to get a big old robot that didn't cost the equivalent of a used car.)

Back at Coop's pad, I drooled like a pervert over his massive phalanx of Jumbos until my friends came to cart me away. From there on in, it was downhill: Tequila, billiards and saltwater, cruising up and down the freeways crashed in the back of the convertible, my poor lust-torn heart driven through the wee hours of the LA night...!

ToyboxDX Superpatron Warren Schwartz checks in with a tremendous Hobby Project/Super Festival Ramble! "Day 1 - First, a few observations re: Super Festival XV. It was a fluke that I was even in Japan at the right time. I found myself in a line of over 1000, judging from the number on my ticket/flyer. From what I could tell, I was the only one not speaking Japanese, the only one over 40, the only non-Asian in line, although a few gaijins arrived later. "I felt VERY cool. "Since this was the first show of this scale I'd been to, I wasn't jaded by the experience of not finding the rarest of the rare for sale. No Problem - I was there to Shop. Lots of beautiful stuffies - overload! overload! I had to step outside and cash my...YEN. No one was taking plastic or travelers checks. Much to my amazement not all the tables were filled with vintage diecast, or even new diecast. But enough were - including one table manned by Mr. Koba; Koba-san, the Genius behind Hobby Project Boss Borot, (his spelling), in person. "The only thing was, he was the only one with these particular goods at the show. And by this time I was out of yen, it was late, and he was only taking the table on the first day. My heart was pounding and I was getting a major brain cramp. In my best pigeon Japanese I asked Koba if I could visit his shop on the 6th. Yes, definitely, and we each bowed in respect. And by the way, he said, the shop was Very Small. "Day 2 - Super Festival XV: Tons of people there again, and this time I found myself face to face with Saturn S from Astro-Mu 5, in a Box! Not that it was in good shape, it wasn't, but a Box never-the-less. I knew I couldn't get to the shop the next day - too little time - too many toys - Had to buy Now. Good price, and a Jupi-Ross vinyl also to close the deal. And, these were the only two Astro-Mu 5 vinyls I saw in Tokyo. Compliments of Mr. Watanabe, Tokyo Robot (near Koiwa Station; Tel 03-3659-1990.) "Day 3 - Very Small Shop: Hobby Project and Koba-san are quite amazing. Take the JR Chuo line to Higashi-Nakano Station. Call this number 03-3360-7590 and someone will meet you at the station and take you there. OR - Take the EAST exit and walk EASTWARDS along the tracks. Walk a few (3 or 4) blocks and around a building with a dome, and back towards the tracks, and walk another couple of blocks until you come to a road that passes under the tracks. Go left about 2 blocks away from the tracks on this street until you see a white apartment building, about 4 stories, on the corner. Cars are parked at grade under the building, and just off the corner, under the building where the cars are parked, is N. Koba's HOBBY PROJECT - in a space no larger than 8' X 10' if that. "This is the shop, and the shipping dock, and the place where Koba sculpts - Geki-Ganger, in colors, black, and gold; and Boss Borot, in colors, black, and CLEAR, which I was drawn to like Mothra to an atomic flame. And Minerva X - in the process of creation, and the new and vintage diecasts which Koba sells to fund LIFE. Hobby Project is the true SOUL of Chogokin. Go - You will not be disappointed. "A Clear Boss Borot, a ST Geki-Ganger, and a Gold Baron FMF, went home with me on Day 3 - A reminder of the small Galaxy that was being formed by Koba in the back streets of Tokyo." "Talk to ya soon," -- Warren

Info Minister Matt Alt with Toystuff "Word on the street is that Bandai's getting REALLY nervous about the slow sales of the three Soul of Chogokin released up to now, and has drastically slashed the size of the run for both Black Great Mazinger and Combattler V. (Don't worry, though: 'slashing the size' for Bandai means only producing hundreds of thousands instead of millions of pieces.) "Meanwhile, UNI-FIVE will be releasing tiny, plastic, 300 yen Time Bokan figures. These will be of the enemy characters from the show, and as such the line has been dubbed 'TekiColle' (Enemy Collection). "Uni-Five has also released the first promo shots of the previously-reported Shin-Go-Kin 'Yatta-Wan' and the 'Grip' diecasts. The Grip series will be released in late July at 2,200 yen each; the large Yatta Wan will be out in August at 9,500 yen." -- Matt

5/8/99: Mega-Knife Weekend Ramble!

Check it out: some stuff that's totally true to the ToyboxDX spirit. Animator/Flashmaster Marc Raley kindly shares a slew of his proprietary robot designs, straight outta the 80's.

These wondrous, aged master-drawings done in draughtsman's 2B graphite show a young creative mind already aspiring to the heights of Super Robot coolness. Reviewing the vast arrays of imagined weapons -- "Roter Missles" and "Mega Knives" -- warms bones and chills beer.

Link now to the Hall of Collector Art in the Gallery of Love to see the full portfolio...Thanks Marc!

Matt Alt deals Toy Crack "In their latest attempt to create the world's first toy analogue of crack cocaine, Bandai has announced a series of 1,200 yen ($10) vinyl Gundam toys. Blister carded, fully articulated, and loaded with extra weapons, the scale seems to be somewhat smaller than 1:144. Bandai plans these as 'export models' for sale in Asia and America, and the packaging is all in English. Just watch out you don't get hooked. Look for 'em this summer. "Speaking of crack, you'd have to be smoking it to understand Takara's reasons for picking Spectreman as the first separately-sold costume for the Neo Henshin Cyborg line. (Actually, it's probably due to the cheap licensing fees and the fact it was never released in the old Henshin line.) At any rate, the release date is June. "The recent wave of Jumbo-nostalgia seems to be driving nearly everyone to make big-ass toys, and Marmit's no exception. Look out for their 2-foot Machinder-esque (is that a word?) Giant Robo: it's HUGE, man! Fully painted and assembled, it retails for 16,000 yen. (A kit version is also available.)" -- Matt

And by the way: thanks to everyone who emailed in with feedback on the interview with Masato Shono. I've added his email address to the interview if you wanted to contact him directly...

Also: check out Matt's Review of the Go Nagai Premiere Toys Catalog, now live in the Info Library!

Tom the Greek on the might-have-been Robotech Orguss "It is almost midnight. The baby finally stopped crying, and I am wired from the ten cups of coffee I had. Ok, I will do a Ramble. "I have been meaning to write about one of my favorite pieces for a while. It is a 1/40 Scale Takatoku Orguss Orgoid, the main mecha from the show. It is not rare or anything, but just looks real cool. This item also has an interesting past that I will explain at the end. "First, the toy is great. It transforms into 4 forms: robot, tank, gerwalk, and flyer. That's one more than a Valk. It also comes with a gun that looks like a frisbee, and shoots missles that could poke an eye out. An additional interesting item is that the rider sits in this tiny green bubble in the middle of his chest. The rider even comes out of the bubble. (Sorry, forgot to open the hatch in the scans.) He also comes with a huge sticker sheet. All in all, a great toy in my opinion. I highly recommend this piece especially since one thing it doesn't come with is the $800 price tag the Valks do. "Ok: about this toy's past: I purchased it, along with a Nikick, about two years ago when I first got into this hobby. The seller was none other than Carl Macek. Who is he you ask? He is the creator of ROBOTECH. I had an extensive phone conversation with him that lasted over an hour. He was moving, and wanted to clear this stuff out of his collection. He specifically had this toy for one reason: he had intended to bring the Orguss series to the U.S. as the Robotech sequel. Harmony Gold wanted to see potential toy merchandise, and he showed them the Orgroid and Nikick I bought from him. "For some reason, the show wasn't picked up by Harmony Gold, and the toy went back on his shelf. It now resides on my shelf. Oh well. Too bad it never made it to U.S. television..." -- Tom The Greek

5/6/99: Giant Sixteen-Inch Ramble!

Wow! Much gratitude and great thanks to well-known dealer, publisher, and toymaker Masato Shono for taking the time to be interviewed by ToyboxDX Minister of Information Matt Alt!

Mr. Shono and his company Shono Planning are responsible for the cool limited-edition Mazinger figures that are for sale through the book Go Nagai Premiere Toys Catalog.

Read the interview NOW, live in the Info Library's Eau de Alt...

Roger Harkavy's piles on the Mechaman! Meanwhile, you've probably already seen the massive update to Roger Harkavy's Mechaman2 page, also in the Info Library. This month, the mecha-meister reminisces on the affordable mid-80s Reagan years of collecting. Updates include new Buy This, Great Finds, Rant and The Negi! Jump by clicking right here!

Matt Alt speaks on Impending Gokin-rama! "News! News! News! There's a whole slew of gokin coming you way this year, kids. Here's just a little taste: "Bandai has announced a new 'Chogokin Nano' series. These are tiny (about 60mm), fully articulated, fully diecast figures. The first three will be RX-78 Gundam, MS-06R Zaku II, and Turn-A Gundam. "In related chogo-news, the previously announced Daitetsujin 17 re-issue will be coming out in September. It's NOT a straight re-issue, though: it's jazzed-up, repainted, and 'noticeably larger in size,' according to Figure-Oh magazine. In fact, it's not even the same toy! The most fascinating thing about this toy is the fact that it TRANSFORMS BY ITSELF! It's still unknown as to what the actual metal content of this baby is going to be, but it will retail for 12,800 yen. "A Chogokin of Char's Zaku is definitely in the works: Dengeki Hobby published photos of the prototype. Bandai has pushed back the release of Gundam until June, and Zaku will follow if the Gundam sells well. BUY IT. It's only 4,500 yen, you cheapskate." "And speaking of prototypes, Figure Oh ran a full two-page spread on the much-rumored Marmit 16-Inch diecast Mazinger! It's unpainted, weighs two and a half kilos, and contains nary a hint of that evil material known as 'plastic.' Yep, this baby's all metal, with the exception of rubber-spacers placed between the all-metal joints to prevent chafing. Although no price has been announced, Marmit says that they fully intend to go into production - with a final product ready by August! While this production schedule is undoubtedly more than a little optimistic, it looks as though the wait for an all-metal Machinder is finally coming to an end!" -- Matt

Sean Bonner , with the funniest Ramble I've read in awhile, weighs in on the Jumbo ASS-tro megazord "So in one of my many talks with japanese toy majii Matt Alt about our self-realized idiocy for spending the kind of money we do on our addiction to jumbos, he spilled his guts about his love for one newer piece in particular, The Jumbo Astro Megazord1 "Since he's been chewing my ear off about this thing for months, when I told him I saw one on ebay for the low low price of $20 he talked me into getting it.2 "So I did and let me tell you, that was $20 that would have been spent better by crumbling it up and throwing it out the window and waiting to see who picks it up first. "This 18" polyeurothane hunk of crap is from the Power Rangers line, as if that wasn't warning enough. It isn't really a Jumbo and probably fits more in the Mini Machinder genre, but figured it couldn't be that bad. Boy was I wrong. "Alright I'll get off Matt's case, he's not too fond of it either, but he did pinpoint the only saving grace of it, that is that you can stick it in your closet and wait 10 years and when all the kids who love Power Rangers today grow up and get jobs you can probably con one into buying it off you. "I tried to put it with the rest of my jumbos thinking that maybe it would just kind of blend in...but no way: it might as well be a Raggedy Ann doll. No one could confuse it for a Jumbo. Plus I got this crazy feeling that the real jumbos were almost pissed I even considered putting in near them. "So, back in the box and back in the closet it goes, hopefully not to be see again for a very long time. "If you do happen to come across one of these for under $30, swiftly smack yourself in the head if you even think about buying it. I know I will be regretting this purchase for many days to come." -- Sean 1 conversation may not have happened, claimed opinions might not be exactly accurate 2 might not be the 100% truth

5/3/99: Gekikan-Ramble!

If you ain't seen Gekikanger, you ignorant! The story of this brilliant creation reads like the genetic code of our collective DNA. It's as if the guys making Nadesico shoved their fists into my gut and punched out a hunk of zinc!

I'm rambling because I'm incoherent. I'm dizzy and numb from finally getting the Hobby Project Gekikanger III [thanks Josh!.] The elves at Hobby Project should be knighted, or at least paid, because they've slammed the soul back into gokin, and it's not because of the feature set.

Geki III is a heavy sunovabitch: twice as heavy as GA05 Great Mazinger [whom he's obviously based upon, and possibly even sculpted over. Talk about pedigree...]

Cast out of soft pewter, the thing's articulation is totally wacked, and the legs will buckle stupidly if given the chance. Also: there's some major pitting in the ankle area.

Do I care?

Not a damn bit. Look at this box. Look at this face. If you specifically collect the 5" STs and prefer them over DX Godaikins, and if you don't care if you see another plasticky "mecher" as long as you live, then this is a toy worthy of its own shelf!

Now I just gotta get that colored one...!

Matt Alt with some Bandai News "Bandai will be releasing the next 'Slotroid' figure in the Robocon series later this month, Robo Geta. For those who have forgotten (or are trying to forget), the Slotroids are all-plastic figures with a little LCD gimmick built into their bodies. They are the Anti-chogokin. "Bandai has also firmed up the release date for the much-anticipated Combattler: it will be go on sale sometime during the last week of May. "And for those language-crippled readers desperate for more info about the upcoming Grandizer Soul Of Chogokin, look no further. According to the latest article on the toy in Dengeki Hobby magazine, the sculptors are doing their best to make the toy as close as possible to the animated portrayal of Grandizer: 'In comparison to the "macho" styling of Great Mazinger, Grandizer's upper torso is a bit more shaped, and the head has a much stronger angular feel,' says the article. It continues to stress the impressive size and feeling of weight of the Grandizer-Spacer combination, which it claims puts the original chogokin piece to shame. "The most interesting fact to pop out, however, is that Bandai currently plans to include only TWO spacers, not the four that have been reported previously. The 'UFO Spacer' and 'Double Spacer' are a given, but the 'Drill Spacer' and 'Marine Spacer' are only theoretical at this point. There's always a possibility they'll be included, but Bandai's cost-cutting efforts will probably strand these two babies on the prototype bench... In somewhat better news, though, the UFO Spacer will have a 'Spin Saucer' shooting gimmick built-in." -- Matt

Tom the Greek on his newest acquisition! "I recently acquired a new piece from the Son Of Chogogreek line, and had to do a Ramble. The figure's name is baby George, and he is 22 inches tall. He weighs 9lbs 11 ozs, and isn't even made of diecast. He is extremely articulated at the joints and comes with accessories, including loaded diaper, and loud sonic attack. He can also emit super stink from his diaper when necessary. He is a very limited edition, with a production run of 1. I recommend that everyone get one in his or her lifetime. Thanks Much," -- Tom the Greek

Finally, it's chat night in the Cafe Chogokin ! (As if you hadn't remembered ;-)

June 1999 | Ramble Index | April 1999