[Alen Yen's ToyboxDX]


    01.16.02-- 03.20.02
RUMBLE INDEX

03.20.02: Sentai Fever!

Now that Sentai Fever is raging across the TBDX community, I thought I would spread some further misery by rumbling about another toy everyone simply must have...MORE!
--Keith
03.20.02: Some Assembly Required...

A few weeks ago in one of the ToyboxDX chats, a certain little dog shared some pics of the newish B-Daman (otherwise known as Bomberman) Calibur toy from Takara.  The first few shots showed a bunch of Super Deformed vehicles and characters.   "Phah," I thought.  "SD sucks.  Nothing to see here..."  Then I saw the picture of the various vehicles in full gattai mode and become slightly more interested.  Something about the final combination appeared to be somewhere between super robot and transformer gestalt design...MORE!
--Inwards
03.20.02: OreGOKIN!

Recently my partner in crime (my wife) and I decided to head up north to Oregon for an extended weekend of snowboarding Mt. Hood and some well deserved R&R. Well, being the toy fiend that I am, and her being the understanding toy widow that she is, a quick Portland toy hunt was inevitable...MORE!

--Erik Sjoen
03.19.02: SUMIMASEN! SO SORRY!

Yikes!

The site's been down, and it's my fault. In the last two months, we've moved ToyboxDX hosting onto the premises of our ass-kicking digital media friends at Interactive Factory. A classic case of executive abuse, if you will.

Publicly, the reasons for this are to help me with the personal financial burden of keeping all this traffic going at a real ISP. In private, it's a GAAP legal method for transferring massive amount of ToyboxDX debt onto the books of our "partner" Ifactory, thereby transforming us into a profitable .com venture and maximizing our short-term shareholder value. Rest assured, you all know what we know, and should feel nothing but confidence in converting your retirement funds into TBDX stock.

In all seriousness, a major apology for the downtime. Please bear with us as we beef up our IT infrastructure for some coming changes.

Best regards,

Alen
03.10.02: Hunka Hunka Jumbo Love

First things first, It's a HUGE box. Excellent... no bigger joy than walking into a toy store and taking a box up to the register that is SO humiliatingly large (a Power Rangers box no less) that you are reduced to feeling exactly like a child. Your sense of scale is reduced... it's like sitting in a chair that's 6 inches too short. You just have to smile and say "I'm a kid"...MORE!
--Keith
03.04.02: The Beautiful Lady Mazinger...

Hot on the heels of the GX-08, Minerva X, GX-09 is in my sweaty little palms. Who would have thought that the once annual production runs of SOCs would turn into a monthly affair. Luckily at the new and improved price point, affordability isn’t an issue. For a mere $36 dollars USD I had Minerva express mailed to me direct from Japan...MORE!
--Tim
03.04.02: Mo' Money Grade Gundam!

The March issue of Dengeki Hobby disclosed some interesting tidbits about the upcoming Hybrid Grade Gundam project. This is all still grist for the rumor mill, but makes for interesting reading anyway. Dig it:

There's a good chance Gundam's not going to be in the same 1:12 scale as the previous Zaku. It'll be 1:24. (That's still nothing to sneeze at. For those of you without a slide-rule, that's roughly 75cm -- or a full two and a half feet.)

Why? According to the Bandai project-manager interviewed for the article, the only way to ensure full posability (the Zaku's was limited to the upper torso) without increasing the price is to scale the sucker down. This time around, Bandai doesn't plan to compromise in articulation.

But what's more, the four-and-a-half foot size of the Zaku proved to be a little too much to handle for the general fan. Says Bandai: "At half size, it should have the feel of something that someone could actually display in an average house." But what's more, "Imagine a row of robots like that displayed together. Wouldn't that be incredible?" Indeed it would. Is this the start of a whole new Jumbo-sized series of Gundam figures? Only time will tell.

Those disappointed in the scale reduction can console themselves with the fact that a shrinkage in size also means a shrinkage in price. To wit: "We're thinking to reduce the price even beyond half of the Zaku. If at all possible, we're aiming to bring the price to around 50,000 yen." The Hybrid Models seem to be rapidly evolving into a "neo-Machinder" series of toys. Keep those fingers crossed....

--Matt & The Rumble Crew
03.01.02: Money Grade Gundam

High Grade...Master Grade...Perfect Grade...Metal Grade...MONEY Grade! The Hyper Hybrid Model (HY2M) RX-78-2 is in the works kids. According to Bandai the big beast is in the preliminary sculpting phase. Finally, your favorite five foot tall Zaku will have a playmate. (Shocking, isn't it?)

--The Rumble Crew
03.01.02: Gorgeous Goranger

New scoop on the Unifive Varidoreen! If you liked the gimmick laden Godphoenix, you're sure to love this baby. Motorized propellers, fold out camera, deployable 'auto-missle' and the nose cone opens to launch the Varitank.

A gold version will also be available for those obsessed with re-color mania. It will be available exclusively through Toei's Heronet website.

--The Rumble Crew
03.01.02: Mammoth SOC?!

Bandai has released this design illustration of the infamous Dancougar, but very little else. With all the Dancougar SOC Rumors running rampant, you tell us, is a SOC Dancougar a possibility?

--The Rumble Crew
02.25.02: Karma My House

LeMel sent in this beautifully written piece some time ago. I wish I would have taken the time to read it sooner. It is simply beautiful. Please enjoy...KMH
--Tim
02.25.02: Jumbo Revival!

Fans hungry for polyethylene love have no further to look than their own Toys R' Us shelves. Hot on the heels of the recent 24" Jumbo Wildforce Megazord, Bandai has announced MORE Jumbo action!

Up next are two additional 24-inchers. One is another as-yet-unnamed Megazord to stand alongside Wildforce. Another is everyone's favorite symbol of nuclear holocaust: Godzilla! Look for the 'Zord in July and Godzilla in October.
--Matt
02.25.02: Hello, Haro!

It's HERE! Bandai's new 1/4 scale Haro is in da house! If your house happens to be in Japan, that is. It walks, it vibrates, it lights up, it flaps its ears, it wets! 3,980 yen. Just kidding about the wetting part. We hope.
--Matt








02.25.02: MSIA - Char's Crack Attack!

I have really mixed feelings about Bandai's Mobile Suit In Action series. It doesn't spare me from temptation though. With the abundance of Gundam merchandise sitting on US shelves, it can be downright agonizing to resist picking up a little rubber warrior that puts the action figures of yore to shame.

The mixed feelings certianly dont stop with the latest Char's Counter Attack figures.

What's Cool:

-The figures are big, really big for MSIA. Props to Bandai for keeping 'em 'in scale'.

-Holy mother of God these things come with accesories out the wazoo. If you're a sucker for accessories, these are your bag.

-The sculpts are fabulous, well except for the clunky hands.

-Price. Come on, even YOU have $8 to throw away!

What's not so cool:

-Rubber, rubber, and more rubber. Not so bad on the figures themselves, but nothing ruins the mood like a limp weapon.

-Articulation. Here is where they lose the most points for me. Standard MSIA articulation. This proves very dissapointing as most of the CCA Mobile suits have HUGE Skirt armor that restricts hip movement.

-Paint work. Mine were pretty clean, but I had to dig for the nice ones.

If these figure were any more expensive, I would have to pass. But for those who dont have the time or inclination for a model kit, these are big Gundam fun.
--Tim
02.23.02: On the scene like a Walker Machine

In case you missed ToyboxDX BBS resident drifand's most excellent exposition on all things Walker Garrier, we have put it in print rumble plus style! What are you waiting for? GO! READ!

--The Rumble Crew
02.22.02: As Good As It Gets

Let me get this right out front - there is not a "collectors" toy that can match this thing. The engineering itself is staggering and that, coupled with a really cool robot design, adds up to a real treat...MORE!
--Keith
02.19.02: J I N - R O H

Medicom's 1/6th Scale Jin-Roh figure happened along at just the right time for me. I have been on a real die-cast kick lately and quite honestly haven't been all that interested in 'things 1/6th'. In this case absence absolutely made the heart grow fonder, for I can hardly put this figure down...MORE!
--Tim
02.18.02: Just Picture It!

Inspired by all those cool pics on the ToyboxDX BBS but flummoxed by this new fangled 'web technology'?. Want to share pictures of your new finds, or the pride and joy of your collection? Resident Toyboxer JoshB decided to help you out by putting together a little how to guide on posting photos to the BBS. You can access it here and by a link from the top of the BBS. Big thanks to JoshB and the venerable BigScience for making this happen.
--The Rumble Crew
02.18.02: AFRO Attack!

If it weren't for the fact that I never stopped in the first place, it'd be enough to get me collecting again. That's how great Bandai's new Soul of Chogokin "Afrodai A" is...MORE!

--Matt & Tim
02.12.02: Diamond Delivery

In light of the recent 'Battle Action Stinkdog', lets just say I am a bit hesitant to pick up any more of Kaiyodo's 'Action figures'. I do, however, have it on good authority that the Studio Nue Powered suit is quite an interesting little diecast/plastic hybrid.

Inspired by Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers, this figure clocks in at five inches tall with 17 points of articulation. It boasts roughly 15% metal content while the rest is made up of PVC.

As with many Kaiyodo licences, Diamond Comics is the exclusive North American distributor and is bringing these babies over in three color variations (sans the way cool Japanese packaging, we get crappy blister carded figs): Who knows, at the suggested retail of $24.99, how bad can it be? Certianly beats the hell out of the ¥5800 Japanese price tag.

Big props to Mr. Facets for the scoop and the hard facts.
--Tim
02.11.02: When Programs Attack

Sick and tired of crappy American takes on great Japanese licenses? Now's your chance to get even by buying a crappy JAPANESE take on a great AMERICAN license!

To wit: 27cm "standard" vinyls of Tron, Sark, and mini-Lightcycles, with more horrors undoubtedly to follow. Medicom, five whopping points of articulation, ¥4800 a pop. Slurp 'em up while they last. Vintage Bullmarks got NOTHING on these babies.

UPDATE: These bad boys are Wonderfestival exclusives
--Matt
02.05.02: Re-Ride of the Valkyries

Hop on over to Macrossworld.com to see the swanky new shots Yamato's just posted of their upcoming fully-transformable "Strike Valkyrie" toy.
--Matt
02.05.02: Project Jumbo Rescue

To restore, or not to restore? One of the eternal questions and frequently debated topics of our hobby. Given my "customizing" addiction, it's no surprise that I clearly fall on the side of returning pieces to their "former glory"...MORE!
--Walter
02.04.02: Gasha-Gokin!

Excited about the Gashapon Popinika?

What if you could get your favorite Gokin, gashapon style?

Bandai has plans in the works to provide you with that very thing. Dengeki Hobby reports that four 'old skewl' favorites will be rendered in ALL PLASTIC, sport a cool gimmick and presumably be released as crane prizes like the Popinika cousins. Here's the lowdown (with prototype pics!):
--Darren & Tim
Photos courtesy of Dengeki Hobby
02.03.02: Dogs Of War

I have all but packed up my 1/6th scale figure collection, abandoning them for shiny enameled die-casts and vinyl monster treasures, but every once in a while there is still something irresistible that catches my eye...MORE!
--Tim
02.03.02: Mythical Megatron Confirmed!

I'm only a low-level tech at the Polyethylene Institute for Super Robotechnology (PISR). Yet even I couldn't miss the buzz of excitement that swept through the complex today. Evidence had been found. Concrete evidence. We may finally know the origins of the first widely available hobby Jumbo Machinder.

Scientists have been debating which hobby JM was the first. Names like Neckosaur, Cho Jett Turbo, and Gigamech: 33G have been discussed for the last 100 years. But archeological proof has been scarce. (Ironically, the 33G camp claims that their project came the closest to fruition, until the project founder, a mysterious Keith F., attended his first and last Gundam convention in 2003.....and was subsequently crushed to death by the accidental toppling of a 7m tall Gundam statue.) A recent find in our Washington dig site has changed all that.

I don't have the clearance to see the full datafiles, but this is what I've learned so far. A head has been found! It is obviously a test mold, since it is incomplete, and no other body parts have been found---but it is DEFINITELY a Megatron JM. The PISR experts agree on that much. Initial spectral analysis findings date its casting to 1/04/2002. We all have high hopes that with further digging, a little time, and a lot of luck.....we will uncover a full Megatron JM eventually.

Here's the best part----pictures! Keep in mind, I had to bribe the chief project tech with my antique autographed copy of Dragon Warrior 7 (signed by Matt Alt, himself!) to obtain these. He gave me a quick shot of the head after being placed in the spectral analyzer. And another in it's temporary vacuum storage unit until the custom, hermetically sealed unit could arrive from Frasertech Industries.

Uh-oh, someone's coming.........
--Deep Jape

And for those of you who prefer the Rumble News without all the fanciful prose and unnecessary humor, here is the condensed version:
Marvin Gives Head To Jape
Jape comments, "Well, it was obviously his first attempt, since it was a bit rough. But I was still very appreciative and thanked him for his generosity."
02.03.02: Waltzing Minerva

Check it out! Bandai has released one of the first PR photographs for the upcoming Soul of Chogokin series diecast Minerva X. Featuring more than 20 points of articulation, it'll be on shelves in Japan at the end of February with a retail price of ¥3,500.
--Matt
02.03.02: 'Jumbo' Babes

The Playboy Jumbo Machinder / Naked Chick photoshoot that I art directed last year, with SWEET commentary by Matt Alt, has made it into print! that's right, the newest issue of Playboy's Sexy Celebrities has a 3-4 page spread with photos from this shoot. Everyone who was too chicken to pay the $.95 to see the full online version can now rush out and spend $7 and see 1/20 of the pics. Yeah!
--Sean
01.30.02: There's no place like tin, Totoro!

A recent posting of a mysterious tin-toy pic on the BBS piqued my curiosity, so I decided to do a little digging.

Anime fan-fave Studio Ghibli has authorized the production of a series of lithographed tin toys based on characters from stoner-fave "My Neighbor Totoro."

Check out T-Money himself, at a paltry ¥1500, along with his lowrider Cat-Bus, also ¥1200. But perhaps most intriguing is the "Totoro's 'Hood" tin playset, priced at ¥10,000. Straight outta Tokyo!

Tim says he can't speak for the Cat Bus or the 'Hood', but the Totoro is the cutest chunk of lithographed metal he owns!
--Matt & Tim
01.27.02: Mein Führer

I have never really been a huge fan of the whole Zoids phenomenon. Generally speaking the all plastic construction half model half wind up toy simply never appealed to me. I could see why the line was a success, but the spark just wasn’t there somehow. When Yappy first recommended that I pick up the Zoids KZ-02 Metal Action Berserk Führer, I was mildly interested, but other pieces invariably won out in the toy buying queue...MORE!
--Tim
01.27.02: Almost Perfect Perfect Grade

Let me say first that I am not a model builder. I typically shy away from models based on the fact that you have to paint, sand and putty the average model to make them look good. The PG series, however, do not really need this level of detail. The only thing really demanding about a PG kit in my opinion is the time it takes. If you’ve ever put together a snap-together model you can build a PG kit...MORE!
--JoshB
01.25.02: Motorized Mobile Suit

A nearly 13-inch tall Gundam toy with light up-eyes, light-up beam sabre, and motorized movement and sound, planned by a Japanese company, produced by an American company, manufactured in China that comes in a box with light-up pictures that talk to you about the features of the toy inside. And what exactly am I smoking, you ask...MORE!
--leMel
01.24.02: Super Crack

Pusher of toy crack Banpresto brings us Super Valk versions of their tiny, fully transforming, crane game Valkyries.

These will be available in June. Matt notes that we are seeing the brown version of the VF-1J and VF-1S for the first time ever in toy form (thanks to the magic of swappable heads).

Tour de Crack ... 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

And don't miss Banpresto's July Hurricanger offering. Hey, so the Valk's hard to follow up on.

Eye candy courtesy of Gamespot Japan.
--Darren
01.23.02: GX-07, For The Love of Chogokin

After the debut of the quite unexpected and utterly amazing Marmit Daigokin, I had pretty much forgotten about all things Mazinger. In fact, when Bandai announced the GX-07, I was not exactly thrilled with the idea of buying up another Mazinger related item...MORE!
--Tim
01.21.02: A Small Gripe(formerly: Anime, American Style)

Let me begin by saying I was pretty dead set against ever buying anything from McFarlane toys that was realted to Anime. He gets kudos for upping the bar in the American action figure market, but I lost interest in that years ago. I saw some of the AKIRA figures from the first series and passed. The sculpts looked good, but with shelf space a precious commodity, I just couldn't justify picking up more 'action figures'.

I wandered into a local Anime store recently and saw the Kaneda and bike deluxe box set. I picked it up, and put it back. I wandered over picked up some Godzilla 2002 vinyls and got in line to pay. Well, for some reason, ol' Kaneda and his bike beckoned me...so I picked it up too.

The figure is poseable, but really only works in the sitting position. He does come with some swanky rubber pants that conceal his hip joints for cool poses on the bike. The bike it self is a nice heavy chunk of ABS with a hood that lifts to expose the engine block and keen rubber tires. The worst part of the toy os the insane over packaging, its like McFarlane was afraid Kaneda was going to drive the damn thing out of the box. All in all for $20 bucks you can't go wrong for a little piece of AKIRA nostalgia.
--Tim
01.21.02: Daitarn it!

I came into this hobby through the backdoor, utterly ignorant and convinced that the bulk of the diecast toys I was seeing were undesirably corny blocks of primary colored zinc and plastic. While many of their modern counterparts appealed to me, I felt I had little fear of ever being sucked into that bottomless pit called 'vintage diecast lust'.
--Corey
01.20.02: Time-Capsule Popinika!

Hyper Hobby has published shots of the prototypes for the upcoming Soul of Popinika series of gashapon toys (which were inspired, no doubt, by the success of the Soul of Bullmark mini-vinyl toys.)

Now dubbed "Capsule Popinika," it's still unclear as to if they'll contain any metal or not. But that being said, the toys look like dead-on miniature (as in, barely larger than a quarter!) replicas of famous Popinika -- right down to engraved "Popy" copyright info, just like their full-sized compadres.

First up appear to be the Raijin-Go, Kamen Rider's Cyclone mototcycle, and the "Grand Car" from Kyodain, among others. No word as to the actual release date yet, but it should be in the next few months!
--Matt
01.20.02: Just Another FIX

I needed a FIX. I needed a FIX bad. Well what I got was truly just another hit of toy crack in the grand scheme of things. I picked up the Gundam FIX Figuration 0004 - G-Armor by Katoki Hajime and our dear friends at Bandai...MORE!
--Tim
01.19.02: Anticipated Trooper VOTOMS

Anticipation and hype can ruin a toy. I’m not entirely sure anticipation is the only thing to blame regarding the Kaiyodo Battle Action Scopedog. This figure held the promise to right all the wrongs Kaiyodo had done with their previous ATM-09ST offerings, but lets face it, maybe Votoms wasn’t well suited for action figures... MORE!
--Tim
01.18.02: Voltes V - A 'Paper' Study

Following in the multi-media toy theme, John Parras sends in a crazy rumble on his feat of paper mastermind engineering...the one, the only infamous All Paper Voltes V!!! Several hours of intense effort and 763 paper cuts later this Japanese inspired, all paper super robot menace is born! Check it out!
--Tim
01.16.02: Dougram Do-Over!

"Fight! Robert Duban to save accuracy of the Datafiles!" That's right: the crazy toy-cataloging foo' has given the Dougram Datafile, one of the first ever completed here at ToyboxDX, a makeover!

Thrill to new pics (including lusciously clear scans of all the boxes), new toys (including crappy vinyls you never thought existed), even some new prose (including crappy writing by yours truly)!
--Matt
01.16.02: Groovy Gashapon a-Go-Go

In what seems like an inevitable turn of events, 2002 heralds the release of an all-new "gashapon" series: the Art Capsule Toy Project. Featuring whacked-out designs by indie artists such asJames Jarvis and Jim Woodring, they're only being sold through select locations in Japan. But hey, when was the last time you got a piece of art for ¥300?
--Matt


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