Alen Yen's ToyboxDX

	7.5.01-- 7.28.01


RUMBLE INDEX

7.28.01: More GaoGlam

The official press pictures of Bandai's latest GaoGoodies from GaoRanger. Just because we know you stay up late at night waiting for this stuff. Really.

See other recent Rumbles for specifics. Notice the RCA jacks on DX Soul Bird. Why does this remind me of Jaguar Vulcan? Probably just me wishing.

-- Darren

7.28.01: VF-1 is the Story

Mr. Facets chimes in to the VF-1 buzz with an official promo picture of Bandai's reissued Takatoku Valk.

MACROSS VALKIRYE VF-1J Transformable Robot (3 forms) with Die Cast parts (Size of 25 cm) : 12 pcs per case / Delivery in December

Now the big question: Will Bandai be cool enough to reproduce the texture and art of the original BOX?

-- TBDX Rumble Crew

7.28.01: Artificial Human Arrives

Unifive ships its Neo Action Figure Kikaider, based on the design found in Kikaider The Animation. The figure features 20 points of articulation, and b/o gimmicks activated by a switch on his belt buckle.

He ships with a display capsule for ¥7,800.

-- Darren

7.28.01: GaoCopycat!

We were wondering why it was so expensive. Now we know. Bandai's DX Soul Bird, a coming edition to the GaoRanger toy line, will apparently have a Gradion-like video game gimmick. Simply plug Soul Bird into the TV, and play the GaoRanger video game.

Bandai matches Takara. A curious industry trend -- it'll be interesting to see if the video game gimmicks lasts long. And here I was hoping it would be a Big Scale sentai transport!

DX Soul Bird ships in August for ¥7,800.

-- Darren

7.28.01: The Golden Ratio is 1:55

Bandai re-issues the Takatoku Valk, and the slopes down in Hades grow thick with a coat of frosty white packed power. Scott Hards of HobbyLink Japan offers a status update:

The price is set at ¥6,800 (it was ¥3,980 when I bought several for myself back in 1983...). Release for the "holiday season" is all we know on that, however. No word on other possible releases at this time, what kind of box, etc. We will have the promo photos on Monday to scan, but our buyer who was at Bandai two days ago confirms that it is the 1/55 Takatoku. This is 100% certain. We have about six of [the vintage Valks] at our office so we know really well what [the 1:55 Valks] look like.

Drool, maties. My only question is: will they be limited release, or will rabid gaijin overtax Bandai's production capacity?

-- TBDX Rumble Crew

7.27.01: Not-So-Ultra-Q

More and better pics of Takara's Choro-Q robot toys. Here's the official glam photo of Choro-Q Convoy. That's a nice way to handle the trailer. The upcoming Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus look like they'll be handled very similarly.

Gradion is out in early August. No henkei, though.

-- Darren & Yappy

7.27.01: Great Caesar's Gattai!

Remember the fully transforming Yujin Gaofaigar we told you about a few weeks back? Well, if you can't tell the difference between the Kotobukiya diecasts, Kaiyodo action figures, and Studio Halfeye resin kits of the big guy, check the 6.18.01 Rumble for a refresher. So what's going to set Yujin's toy apart from all the other versions? Other than the full gattai-henkei?

SIZE. This King of Braves will be a jaw-dropping 30 centimeters tall. That's right-- it'll rival Takara's DX Brave toys in height. Unfortunately, it looks like Gaigar's (the core robot) arms will have to be removed during the combination. But at a projected price of a mere ¥15800, that still seems like a relative bargain. Yujin still hasn't determined if Gaofaigar will come with a Dividing Driver, Goldion Hammer, or any weapon accessory at all. No solid release date as of yet.

-- Yappy & Darren

7.27.01: International Puff Set

In more innocent news, the kaiju-walloping Powerpuff Girls invade Nihon with Sega Toy's Japan-exclusive PVC box set. The girls come on removable choking-hazard-sized stands, unlike the American Trendmasters releases. But most importantly, god bless the Japanese for having the guts to produce of toy of HIM. ¥1980 for fourteen PVCs. They've also got flying action dioramas for ¥980 apop. Unlucky us.

-- Yappy

7.27.01: Polyethylene vs. Sillicone

Matt Alt and Sean Bonner finally justify their sordid livestyles... to the shock of numerous lonely men who only know the cold caress of polyethylene.

Take a gander at the free preview article, then cough up the bucks for the full monty. Matt and Sean will thank you. Remember, you only read it for the Jumbos.

-- TBDX Rumble Crew

7.27.01: Valkyrie Reissue Newsflash

A mysterious new addition to HobbyLink Japan's online catalog hints at an upcoming reissue of Takatoku's uber-classic VF-1J Valkyrie toy. Could it be true? God knows fans have been waiting long enough. Details are sketchy, but considering all the press that the Yamato and Toynami Macross Valkyries have been getting lately, it would make perfect sense for Bandai to throw their hat in the ring.

It's currently unknown as to whether this ressiue concerns the smaller 1:100 toys or the beloved 1:55s, but the release is scheduled for early 2002. Stay tuned for more news as we get it.

-- Matt

7.26.01: Second Time's the Charm

Still griping over the first MSiA release: the venerable RX-78-2 Gundam? Moaning about its flimsiness and lack of poseability? Bandai aims to please with the August release of the revamped "RX-78-2 Gundam Second." But that's common knowledge; we've already shown you its payload. But did you know about the swanky Perfect Grade-esque double joints? And did you know about Mr. Amuro Ray? All that for ¥1500.

Update 7.27.01: No, Roger, this isn't the "version 1.5" Gundam that comes in the US Deluxe G-Armor set.

-- Yappy

7.26.01: GaoPants!

Introducing the next set of Power Animals in Bandai's Gaoranger line: The massive GaoRhinos and the mini GaoMadillo. They combine into stylish GaoSlacks for the mighty GaoKing. Chic! GaoMadillo also henkeis into a soccer ball-like projectile propelled by GaoRhino's spring-loaded GaoNose. Daring! They'll be compatible with GaoMuscle, too. Both GaoAccessories will go on sale as a set in August for ¥3000.

-- GaoYappy

7.26.01: Kee-Yop! Kee-Yay!

The terrifyingly mysterious Mr. Facets writes in with news to warm the cockles of every Gatchaman-fan's heart... Diamond Comics Distributors and Diamond Select Toys (their new manufacturing branch) have announced an agreement with Sandy Frank Enterprises. Who? That fella that brought Tatsunoko's proto-sentai show over as Battle of the Planets, that's who. In Mr. Facet's own enigmatic words:

'DCD will import Japanese made Gatchaman toys, such as the products from Unifive, Yujin, and hopefully others as well. SELECT will manufacture all new products, including:
Action Figures
Statues
Calendars
Wall Scrolls
Building Block Figures'

There isn't much there right now, but keep checking www.diamondselecttoys.com for more information.

-- TBDX Rumble Crew

7.26.01: One More for the Bookshelf

The Keibunsha Encyclopedia Series presents Transformer Generation. Sponsored by Figure King magazine, this A4 format book promises to be an excellent guide to the overall Transformers world. Keibunsha's encyclopedias have always been the most comprehensive resources available.

It's 144 pages -- almost one hundred of those are color! The book covers the toys as well the characters, including plenty of black and white technical art. It ships either this month or next from your favorite Japanese bookseller for Y2,480. The ISBN is 4-7669-3800-3.

-- Darren

7.25.01: Gotta Getta Gato Goog

Oh boy! Another MSiA limited-edition repaint! Joy! Orders for Anavel Gato's Goog will be taken, starting on August 27th at the C3PRE "character event". If you can't make that event, you can also order through Bandai's e-commerce site, Lalabit (2 per registered customer). Either way, it'll ship in early September. Limited to 1000 pieces through Lalabit, and only for addresses in olde Nippon. Doesn't Bandai make life easy?

-- Darren

7.24.01: Bootleg Bonanza!

Call me a villain. A low-down, dirty purveyor of filth. Kiddie porn? Drug dealer? Kaiju collector? NO. Much worse. Bootleg customer!... MORE!

-- Japester

7.23.01: Crouching Gamera, Hidden Godzilla

He's really neat, full of meat, and you can be the first one to own him on your street! Marusan-USA will release their first vinyl kaiju in September: two US-exclusive repaints of Gamera, available in standing and flying flavors. Check it out here.

If sales of our famed "friend to all children" are good, could a domestic release of Marusan's Toho kaiju like Godzilla, Baragon, and that ultra-cool Flying Mechagodzilla follow? Marusan-USA tell us that they are researching the possibilities... I want a Coke.

-- Roger

7.23.01: Club Tokyo, not Seals!

Check out the new Club Tokyo for their new layout, not to mention their new news section. This week's hot item: San Diego Comic Con exclusive Marmit vinyls!

-- Roger

7.23.01: McCrap

"Hoo boy! That brand spanking new Mecha Collection Mazinger sure looks like fun! Why it's almost a toy with that ABS plastic skeleton and them wacky rubber shorts!"

"Golly gee! Since I've built them Perfect Grades before, this should be a snap! Fun and cathartic, I'll betcha!"

Ahem. Here's some advice to to avoid infinite frustration:

Pla-mo polystyrene is softer and brittler than dried dog turds. Especially at this scale. The little hover wings on the mini-Pilder are very prone to breakage. Very.
The rubber parts are cursed. Cutting them from the sprues leaves large, ugly welts. Good luck trimming down those hideous PVC seam lines.
Make sure you've inserted the shoulder pegs ALL the way into the body before turning. Even ABS plastic breaks.
Enlarge the screw-holes in the shoulders and the thighs. As is, they're much too small. You will strip the screw heads. I had this advice beforehand, yet I managed to ruin two screws. Then I realized Bandai only packed only one extra screw...

If you build this cheap plasticky model kit straight out of the box, it will look like a cheap plasticky model kit. At least mine ended up looking like half a cheap plasticky model kit. Sure, the engineering is innovative; sure, there's surprising weight to this thing due to the thick PVC parts. But to make this model even look half as finished as a "crappy bootleg HK" SOC, you'll need Hobby Japan-level skills. Beware the model in toy's clothing. Beware!

-- Yappy

7.22.01: Zoids Resume

Tomy's mega popular Zoids toy line will once again find their way to US shores via their Hasbro connection... soon.

And not your grandfather's Zoids, but brand new Zoids based on the recent two animated Zoids TV shows that aired in Japan. There's good chance those will accompany the toys. (You know the formula.)

-- Yappy & Darren

7.22.01: Webdiver Won't Die

Takara's Webdiver toy line is a "sign of hope" on Takara's otherwise unglamorous balance sheet, says a Takara insider. The toys keep coming.

August brings Pegasion, a six-wheeled dune buggy that turns into a sabre-weilding doggie centaur, and Ligaon, a tilt-rotor Osprey clone (ala Obsidian) that transforms into a large-pawed, Digimon-styled creature.

September will see Daitalion, a very large, bulbous design that seems inspired by Big Duo. Kinda. A little white robot (included) forms his head.

Wait! That's not all! Pegasion and Ligaon may replace Daitalion's standard noggin in Headmaster fashion. Put that together with Gradion, and you have "Tower of Dissonant Plastic" mode. Seriously, all mecha fully inter-operate with Gradion.

Here's a sneak peak of October's Wyverion, another dragon mecha.

If you haven't seen Webdiver toys in person, they are a mixed bag. Some of the minor toys are relatively cheap, simple designs -- but there are a few standouts. Gradion is large, substantial, and impressive in his robot and train modes, and Garyuu-on should simply not be missed.

Also, don't forget to check out Yappy's Rumble on Garyuu-on.

-- Darren & Yappy

7.21.01: Secret Agent K Reports

Secret Agent Ken "Action" Abbe reports on the San Diego Comic Con 2001. Risking life, limb, and lunch tent privileges, we are treated to some top-secret covert pictures of Bandai of America's MSi... ahem... "Gundam Action Figure" display.

Here, we see some RX-78-2 Gundam and G-Armor toys that definitely aren't bootleg-looking, like those horrid Clover products.

And Zaku I, Kæmpfer... who cares? HARO IN ACTION will destroy all!

Picture 1 | Picture 2 | Picture 3 | Picture 4

-- TBDX Rumble Crew

7.21.01: Choro-Q Robot Revival

You might've seen pictures floating around of the upcoming transforming SD Choro-Q Convoy (aka Optimus Prime). I've seen less mention of the Choro-Q Getta Robos that will be released at the same time.

These aren't the first Choro-Q Super Robots toys. The 1980's saw, amongst others, Choro-Q Dougram, Giant Gorg, and Scopedog. Each of these "transformed" (kinda) into a prone position so you could race your little Choro-Q robots with their pull-back friction motors.

Recently, we've seen a re-issue of the original robots, as well as various re-colors of the newer Choro-Q Mazinger Z.

Gettas One, Two, and Three will have typical Choro-Q pseudo-transformations into their respective friction motor powered Gett-Machines. Choro-Q Gettas and two color variations of Convoy will sell in October for Y980 each.

-- Darren

7.19.01: Valkyrie High (Complete?)

Remember Toynami? The company forged from the rubble of that messy Yamato-Toycom-Harmony Gold legal debacle? They've had a trick up their sleeve all along: they're re-engineering Bandai's leftovers for re-release here in the good ol' US of A. Finally!

Details are scarce right now, but Toynami's "Masterpiece Series Veritechs" (sigh) will come packaged in a groovy slipcase. The prototype on display at this week's ComiCon Intenational 2001 seem to be a scaled-up version of the old Bandai High Complete Model (HCM) Valkyrie toys. Check out Blasto Toys' yummy photo-expose for the gory details.

It's tough to tell exactly what size these things actually are, as there isn't any frame of reference, but Toynami says they're 1/65 -- a decided increase over the 1/72 scaled HCMs. Mis-calculation? Exaggeration? Honest-to-god toy-goodness truth? Only time will tell. Looks like long-starved Macross Valkyrie fans will get their fill of fully-transforming love in the near future.

(And check out those $3,000, five-foot, made-to-order Valkyries! Yikes!)

-- Matt

7.18.01: All Hail the King of Gundams

In the beginning Clover created the Gundam Super Combination DX. And Clover said, Let there be Gattai: and there was Gattai. And Clover added spring-loaded firing gimmicks: and Clover saw it was good. And the consumers were pleased, the men and their wives, and were not ashamed... MORE!

-- Yappy

7.17.01: The GOLIATH Project

Per the suggestion of Josh Bernard, I thought I'd post a rumble on my latest custom Jumbo creation, Goliath. If you're on the MachinderShop or Jumboland lists, then you've already heard this bit of shameless self promotion, if not - read on... MORE!

-- Walter Harris

7.17.01: Kuuga Wins in 2000

Last year's sales results are in. The most popular character toys in Japan for the year 2000 were Kamen Rider Kuuga toys, specifically his henkei belt. TimeRanger toys started to catch up late in the year.

As usual, the overall toy sales winners were Zoids, card collecting games, and console games.

-- Darren

7.17.01: Otaku Argument

Ok, ok, how 'bout this one ...

Which would win in a fight, Gundam or Mazinger? And Gundam doesn't get to use White Base, or anything.

The answer.

-- Darren

7.14.01: Getta U-Haul

Hello? Is this thing on? ... Hold on, it's been a while ... there we go.

A quick word about the upcoming Soul of Popinica Gett-Machines, in theme with the current "Age of Getta Robo". While SOP Eagle, Jaguar, and Bear will be a tad smaller than their vintage-gokin counterparts, and will apparently be devoid of their older kins' gimmicks, we can look forward to one wonderful upgrade: ground transportation.

That's right, no need to slide your precious gokin toys painfully across your cement carport to simulate taxi, we might actually get trucks. The little catapult decks will raise and lower, and will be compatible with the Gett-Machine components of SOC Getta Robo as well.

So THAT's why they left the treads off of Jaguar -- it's genius!

-- Darren & Yappy

7.14.01: Jolly Green Photo-essay

After a short visit with US Customs, the Diamond Comics exclusive green Garada K-7 has arrived. It appears to be the same mold as the previous blue and red release. There STILL aren't any holes in the hands to hold his sickles.

The sickles are basically cut out of a sheet of PVC. There is no left or right, it's the same piece cut twice. However, there is a smooth and a rough edge to the cut. But because they basically only cut one shape, one sickle will have a smooth edge, and one will be a little rough. It doesn't seem like there was a lot of thought or care put into them. I would have liked to have seen some molded detail in them.

Also, some of the paint is applied poorly. The detail on the joints between the legs is a bit sloppy.

All that aside, Garada is cool. (and he knows it). Just the fact that this is the first true Jumbo Machinder EXCLUSIVE to the USA is enough of a reason to pick it up.

-- Josh Bernard

7.14.01: Matsushiro Madness

Ginrai, webmaster of Masterforce.org, writes in to shed light on his reality-shattering discovery:

"I recently got quite an interesting toy. It's a 1/55 scale Valkyrie from Matsushiro, the company infamous for its U.N. Spacy insignia-laden Transformers Jetfire. However, the Valkyrie I just got was not a Jetfire... it was a VF-1J with a Takatoku copyright. Confused? It seems before all that Hasbro monkey business, Matsushiro was releasing Valkyries in the United Kingdom. I suspect they produced more after Takatoku's death and the one I got was just one of the pieces of stock left in Takatoku's warehouse when they went belly up. Anyhow, in my opinion the most interesting thing about this toy is the box it came in, with Matsushiro branding all over it and even a mailing address and phone number for Matsushiro U.K.! My quest to learn all I can about Matsushiro just took a giant leap forward."

Click here for the spine-tingling tell-all.

-- TBDX Rumble Crew

7.14.01: Robo Release

Just a quick heads-up-- the Yamato/Toycom Giant Robo diecasts will ship domestically beginning July 25. Both missile and bazooka versions should retail for $44.99.

-- Yappy

7.14.01: Tsubu Two

Romando has just released the second in their line of 16cm tall Tsuburaya Productions Tokusatsu Collection action figures (previously and erroneously reported as being from Kaiyodo-- Bad Yappy!)-- the mighty Mirrorman. The silver giant comes with an in-scale Jumbo Phoenix 2 ship that combines with the Phoenix 1 ship from their previous Jumborg Ace figure and Phoenix 3 from their future Jumborg 9 release to form the mighty Jumbo Phoenix. Here's hoping for Triple Fighter, Redman, and Fireman figures in the near future.

-- Yappy

7.5.01: Steam Punk Samurai!

Basking In the residual wake of my newly purchased Popy Nessar, I found myself ripping apart the the packing tape of an EMS box from the great folks at Rainbow Ten. Inside there was truly a sight to behold for the 12 inch figure enthusiast. Enclosed was the new Megahouse 1:6 scale Manji figure from the Mugen No Jyunin manga. I have to plead ignorance for the manga, I just thought he was an awesome looking samurai...with an arsenal of jugular splicing weapons to boot. Dig that crazy Steam Punk Hairdo!

Manji utilizes Megahouse's new base body that was created for the Lone Wolf and Cub figures, and is of excellent quality. All the joints are stiff and posing him is a dream. The coolest feature of the base body is the ball-in-socket ankle joints. I have been complaining for years that 12" figures don't sport this articulation that mecha and robot collectors have appreciated for eons. He crouches well and his ball jointed shoulders allow him to perform all the classical samurai katana poses we have come to appreciate from figure akin to the Alfrex line of samurai figures. His arsenal is well sculpted, but alas, mostly plastic. The chain and the two curved blades are metal, but everything else is plastic, albeit well executed plastic. I don't know why but I assumed all the weapons would be metal. The kimono is well made and actually hangs fairly well on the figure.

Overall, I am terrifically pleased with the figure, and outside of the horrific 20000 Yen price tag have no complaints.

-- Tim Brisko

7.5.01: Journey into the Unknown

Fans of the recent Souchaku Henshin Kamen Rider line (those chogokin-armored action figures, for those scratching their heads) will be pleased to know that Bandai has just released a ¥2980 companion set of three Kamen Rider Agito "Unknown" villains. Snake Lord Angis Muskles, Jaguar Lord Panteras Albius, and Tortoise Lord Testuud Okeanus (forgive my romanization) are all-plastic affairs, but feature the same poseability of their Kamen Rider counterparts.

Lest you feel bad purchasing glorified action figures, keep in mind that the Unknowns were designed by Yutaka Izubuchi, famed mecha designer of Dunbine, Patlabor, and Char's Counterattack. Future Crow Lord, Zebra Lord, Scorpion Lord, Jackal Lord, and Jellyfish Lord (!) figures are in the works.

-- Yappy

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