Shaider for the USA!

As far as I can tell, Star Searchers was Bandai’s attempt to market Toei’s Metal Heroes to an American audience. Zeric is clearly Space Sheriff Shaider, although I’m not sure of the original toy mold.

Zeric is larger than the standard Popy size, measuring 7.5 inches high. If the back of the box is to be believed, a similar model of Sharivan was also released in America.

Zeric is a great figure, mostly plastic but with a substantial heft provided by the diecast rear leg components. The rest of the toy is executed in sharply detailed chromium, in blue and silver.

Zeric’s primary gimmick is a light/sound feature, activated by a switch on his back. His eyes and chest pulse along with a throbbing laser noise.

For a light/sound figure, Zeric is surprisingly articulated, with movement at his neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees.

The fit and finish is pure Popy. This is a quality toy.

Zeric comes with two accessories, a sword and a gun. The gun fits nicely in its holster.

Given the dearth of Metal Hero product in the US, I recommend picking up any Star Searchers product you can get ahold of.

Shout ‘Sekisha!’ and see an action figures light-years ahead of its contemporaries.

Taken from Wikipedia: "Uchuu Keiji Sharivan (宇宙刑事シャリバン ,Uchu Keiji Shariban), translated in English as Space Sheriff Sharivan, is the second installment in Toei's Metal Heroes franchise which aired on the TV Asahi network from 4 March 1983 through 24 February 1984."

The Metal Heroes have always held a special place in my heart, as someone who grew up in the age of live-action Japanese shows first being imported to the US.  Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was awesome, with their fantastic giant robots, but when Big Bad Beetleborgs and Virtual Reality Troopers introduced much more armored heroes, I was hooked.  Since finally remembering how awesome VR Troopers was, I’ve been on an information bender learning about all the Metal Heroes.  Space Sheriff Sharivan never made it to the States like his brother in-arms Shaider did in VR Troopers (along with Metal Heroes Spielban and Metalder), and it’s a shame because Sharivan clearly has some of the best toys.

GC-06 Chogokin Sharivan comes in a gorgeous box measuring 5 1/4" by 3” by 11/4".  The box is adorned with some stylish 80’s graphics, and what I assume to be a photo of the actor in-costume of Sharivan, with a lovely soft-focus effect that makes all the chrome on the costume POP!  My sample also has a Toei licensing sticker on the front, in shiny silver with orange text.  The back graphic looks painted to me, and on the back we also see an early COMPUTER NUMBER, very neat, along with the most important words "Made in Japan".

Opening the box we are greeted with a wondrous Styrofoam coffin for our hero, and a paper instruction (more like features) sheet showing off the amazing articulation of the figure (more to come on this later).  Sharivan comes out of the foam easy enough, and there is a push hole on the back if for some reason you cannot get him out.  The accessories sit to the left of the figure and basically just sit in grooves in the foam.  The total contents of the box are the foam, figure, instruction sheet, pistol, and sword.  Sharivan himself is just about 5” tall on the nose.

When we remove Sharivan from his foam packaging, it is immediately noticeable how heavy he is.  By my eye, the entire body is metal, along with the armor segments of the arms and legs.  The actual joints are all tough black plastic, and the head, hands, weapons, and holster are shiny chromed plastic.  What makes Sharivan really unique is that in order to replicate the pleated material joint covers of the Solar Armor suit, Bandai used wound metal springs to cover the shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee, and ankle joints.  This admittedly does block a little articulation in the elbows and knees, but it looks fantastic doing it.

Along with the die-cast goodness, the other thing that really sticks out for me with this toy is the amazing articulation.  In the early 80s, most toys were still lucky to have any more than shoulder joints… most robot toys like Transformers had just that, barring any joints needed for transformation.  In America, kids were stuck with Masters of the Universe and G.I. Joe figures.  G.I. Joe 3 3/4" figures are still vaunted for their great poseability for the time, but I’m going to let you in on a little secret: Sharivan's is better.  Sharivan features a neck swivel and good head elevation, shoulder swivels and lateral motion, elbow swivels and rotation, wrist swivels, hip swivels and lateral motion, knee swivels and rotation, and ankle swivels and rotation.  That’s right, ankle joints!  I know many collectors really like the addition of a waist joint to spice up their figures, but I have always felt that ankle joints are far more important, and help figures to stand up and pose well.  Sharivan also features a hip-holster for his Crimebuster Handgun, which is also made of chrome plastic and features a bit of motion to prevent it from blocking the side-to-side hip motion.

Sharivan's only accessories are his standard-issue Crimebuster Handgun, and his standard-issue Laser Blade. Both fit nicely into the hands; the sword slips in and fits well without being too tight or loose, and the pistol can actually be pushed in so the trigger finger sits in the grip properly.  Sharivan looks great using either or both accessories, and can even be posed with a two-handed sword grip (for, you know, keeping the peace).  I know that Sharivan is a Space Sheriff, and spends most of his time fighting monsters, but I still think it's awesome that a Sheriff comes with a laser sword; Solar Armored police-brutality at its finest.

Sharivan is amazingly dynamic and incredibly fun because of his very well executed articulation.  Most figures at the time were lucky to stand up straight, but Sharivan is ready for action, able to take most poses one could think of.  Getting Sharivan to stand while doing these great poses is surprisingly manageable: my specimen is nice and tight after all these years, and holds up great.  I have handled my figure a lot since I got it, and all the joints feel solid and rugged, and I don’t have any qualms about handling this figure.  The ankles do not have any side to side motion to plant Sharivan's feet flat on the ground in any pose, but it’s fairly easy to come up with something good looking with one foot flat on the ground and the other angled for balance.  Sharivan lives on my lofted bunk-bed/desk at college, and even with my climbing up the side to get into bed every night he hasn’t fallen over once.

From my observations, GC-06 Sharivan can be had for pretty cheap, especially when buying direct from Japan.  I’m sure most fans of the show have or want this piece, and I’d highly recommend it to those that don’t.  Sharivan's also a great piece to pick up as a wonderful late-run Chogokin piece, as well as an engineering marvel way better than most of its action-figure contemporaries.  Pick one up to reenact Sharivan's finest moments of Metal Hero galactic police brutality (and heroism)!

Grandbirth is fearlessly and uncompromisingly ugly, and I like that.

The Metal Hero genre is not unlike other Tokusatsu series, featuring endless variations on a space-cop hero battling monsters. The space-cop typically operates from a spaceship base, and this spaceship base typically transforms into a humanoid robot. Grandbirth is the base for Space Sheriff Sharivan, the second of Toei’s Metal Heroes.

The Metal Hero designs are among the purest of the eighties aesthetic. Think Space Shuttle Lander, Lamborghini Countach, and Delorean. Hard lines; a white, black, and gray color palette; chrome; and the discreet use of saturated color all characterize the look of this era. Grandbirth is right at home with Laserion, Vavilos, and Juspion. Collectors, in general, aren't particularly fond of these toys. The designs are more eccentric than mainstream mecha before or after, eschewing the classic sentai or super robot proportions. Vavilos has a flat heat, giant legs, and tiny little arms. Laserion is built from hollow cages. Grandbirth has an abstracted head, weirdly faceted arms, and a big protuberant belly. That belly, more than anything else, makes Grandbirth an acquired taste.

Grandbirth comes in a largish box (measuring 12"x13"x3.5") with a nice photograph of both modes on the front, a rainbow border and an inset photo of Sharivan himself. The back and sides are similar. The toy comes in spaceship mode, rests in a Styrofoam coffin, and comes with very little in the way of accessories - just a few missiles and three tiny yellow ships. A manual and decal sheet are provided. The decals are not pre-cut.

The spaceship mode (measuring 12" long with an 11" wingspan) didn’t break any new ground, but it looks good. It's boxy yet sleek, and the blue-gray finish has a "real robot" feel to it. It is heavy. The entire Middle section is diecast, which is the only metal in the toy except for screws and wheels. The body is detailed with panel lines all over the place. The trapezoidal wings with chrome cannons at the tips are reminiscent of an X-Wing. Cannons on either side of the middle section are spring activated, popping out from a recess in the body. These fire the included missiles. A detachable, smaller ship attaches at the rear, forming a conning tower. The ship rolls on tank treads with metal wheels.

The tiny yellow ships included with the set can fit into three small hatches which open from the front section of the ship.

Transformation is straightforward. You fold down the legs, push in the cockpit and cannons (both spring activated), fold up the wings, fold up the conning tower, and pull out the arms from the bottoms of the wings. The robot stands at 10 inches tall.

The arms are beautiful. They fold and collapse like a puzzle into a cavity in the wing. The joints and articulations (shoulder, elbow, and wrist) are a work of art, like something Syd Mead would design. The hands are just abstract paws, without any finger articulation.

The legs are chunky, but surprisingly well-proportioned. The legs twist at the hip so you can splay them. The knees bend, but the detents are so stiff that I haven't felt brave enough to force them. The head can swivel on a peg. The chest is attractive. The composition of the colors and details is really sophisticated, and creates just the right emphasis for the figure in robot mode.

Grandbirth is really meant to be viewed from the front. The back isn’t really detailed, and you mainly see the cavity left by unfolding the legs. Still, it doesn’t look too bad from behind.

And how about that belly!? Grandbirth is criticized for looking a little half-assed, like a ship with a torso and legs growing out of it. I partially agree, but I also think that the concept makes sense. I think a giant base should look clunky and ungainly when it becomes a robot, it’s more realistic that way, and realism was a hallmark of this variety of eighties mecha design. I love that Grandbirth is fearlessly and uncompromisingly ugly.

I’m not sure how rare this piece is in Japan, but I almost never see it on ebay in the states. I can’t really speculate at what a good price would be, but something in the range of 100-200 bucks seems reasonable.

Bandai also made a huge "Big Base" version, as well as two variants of the ST size.

Space Sheriff Sharivan is one of the legendary "Metal Heroes" of Japanese Television

Space Sheriff Sharivan hails from the Tokuatsu show Uchuu Keiji Sharivan (宇宙刑事シャリバン) which ran from 1983 1984. Specifically, Sharivan is a Metal Hero show, a sub-genre of tokusatsu that features characters in shiny armor as opposed to bodysuits.

As a rule, most of the Space Sheriff shows are relatively unknown in the US, but you might be more familiar with them than you think. Several toys in the Godaikin line, such as Vavilos and Daileon made its way to the us, and there was also a few larger, sound and flash figures that Bandai put out outside of the line.

I picked up this figure on a clearance sale, having largely ignored the line in the past. But with the quality of this figure I was driven to collect all three Space Sheriff figures.

These things do, in fact, rock. The basic idea is you have a plastic action figure that you apply bits or armor to. The shrunken head is a signature aspect of the Souchaku Henshin line. As lame as it looks - you really almost never display it without the armor on.

Each armor part is metal. The helmet is two parts that snap together, while the vest opens in the back to allow the figure to sit inside. All of the other armor points essentially "plug in" to the body. Be careful, some of the parts don't stay on too well. I lost one part of my shoulder armor minutes after assembling it, only to finally find it months later.

Articulation is not too bad and you can get some great poses out of it. Poseability is limited around the head area due to the helmet. it can still turn, but that's about it.

Accessories include a pistol and two different swords. One sword is clear blue, the other is solid.

This figure is a real satisfying purchase. Recommended.

You can Clearly see how awesome this Gavan toy is.

While I am not a huge Metal Hero fan, I have always had a soft spot for Gavan (ギャバン), the silver armored warrior from Space Sheriff Gavan (宇宙刑事ギャバン).

I spied this cheap little toy at Kimono My House, and knew I had to grab it. It’s a translucent PVC figure with hard plastic translucent plates that clip on to the body.

Gavan stands about 6” tall and separates into 8 pieces. The clear plastic has a green tint and has great mechanical details etched into it. The hard plastic shell parts snap onto it acting as armor plating. The two levels of plastic really adds a nice dimension to the toy. Also included with the toy is a sword and three small erasers. There are different versions of this toy with different color plating, background foils, and different erasers.

I absolutely LOVE the packaging on this toy. Victora is quickly becoming one of my favorite companies for vintage box art.

The first of a new line of Chogokin had been released, and it was in America, right under our noses. Who knew?

In 1996, Bandai Japan released a toy called the Kabuterios Chogokin DX (超合金ＤＸ 大甲神カブテリオス), from the series B-Fighter Kabuto. This was the first toy released in the new Chogokin line, and it was dubbed GD-01.

B-Fighter Kabuto was brought to the USA as Beetleborgs Metallix. Bandai America imported the Kabuterios Chogokin DX and renamed it the Deluxe Transforming Roboborg.

This toy is pure gokin. It's heavy as hell, weighing in at 1lb, 4oz, and it's 9" tall. The shoulders and lower body are solid diecast. It even comes in a styrofoam tray!

Roboborg transforms from beetle to robot. In beetle form, it features moving claws, and barely articulated legs. The legs are prone to falling off. Also, due to the weight of the toy, the legs don't actually support it. Roboborg looks like a squashed bug with its legs spread out.

In robot mode, Roboborg features a giant sword that unfortunately droops due to the soft plastic used. Articulation is great in the arms, but non-existant in the legs. The head does not move.

Although Roboborg looks cool, he has some serious quality control issues with the paint. Mine has paint bubbles anywhere paint is applied over metal. Big, 1cm bubbles. Attaching the stickers helps, but some cannot be covered. Combined with the floppy sword and weak legs, Roboborg just has too many flaws.

Roboborg could have been a great toy. The design is beautiful, but the paint issue really kills it for me. Maybe there are some that have not bubbled. These things are inexpensive for being DX chogokin. It's worth gambling on one; maybe you'll luck out and get one with good paint.

Bandai America took this mold and bade another toy called Boron. This toy was not released in Japan.
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This toy is pure gokin. It's heavy as hell, weighing in at 1lb, 4oz, and it's 9" tall. The shoulders and lower body are solid diecast. It even comes in a styrofoam tray!

In 1996, Bandai Japan released a toy called the Kabuterios Chogokin DX, from the series B-Fighter Kabuto. This was the first toy released in the new Chogokin line, and it was dubbed GD-01.

B-Fighter Kabuto was brought to the USA as Beetleborgs Metallix. Bandai America imported the Kabuterios Chogokin DX and renamed it Roboborg. They then took the molds and created a new toy, called Boron. It is essentially the same toy, with some minor differences such as head sculpt, paint and stickers.

Boron was never released in Japan.

This toy is pure gokin. It's heavy as hell, weighing in at 1lb, 4oz, and it's 9" tall. The shoulders and lower body are solid diecast. It even comes in a styrofoam tray!

Boron transforms from beetle to robot. In beetle form, it features moving claws, and barely articulated legs. The legs are prone to falling off. Also, due to the weight of the toy, the legs don't actually support it. Boron looks like a squashed bug with its legs spread out.

In robot mode, Boron features a giant sword that unfortunately droops due to the soft plastic used. Articulation is great in the arms, but non-existant in the legs. The head does not move.

Although Boron looks cool, he has some serious quality control issues with the paint. Mine has paint bubbles anywhere paint is applied over metal. Big, 1cm bubbles. Attaching the stickers helps, but some cannot be covered. My Roboborg also has these issues. Combined with the floppy sword and weak legs, Boron just has too many flaws.

Boron could have been a great toy. The design is beautiful, but the paint issue really kills it for me. Maybe there are some that have not bubbled. These things are inexpensive for being DX chogokin. It's worth gambling on one; maybe you'll luck out and get one with good paint.
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The Platinum Purple Battle Vehicle is one of three new giant armored vehicles custom designed by original 'Beetleborgs' comic book creator Art Fortunes.

After the Big Bad Beetleborgs win the battle against their comic-book foes, the Magnavors, the three kids think that their lives can go back to normal. However, Les Fortunes- the twisted brother of the man who created the Beetleborgs comic book- has plans of his own, and decides to create a new kind of original villain to get revenge for all of his brother's success! So, as Les and his new army- the Crustaceans- move in on the city, the original Beetleborgs comic book creator, Art Fortunes, draws up designs for a new type of super hero, and the funny phasm Flabber brings them to life with his special brand of magic. Now, with new armor, new weapons, and new giant beetle-shaped machines, the Beetleborgs Metallix are now charged with defending Charterville from evil once more.

The Platinum Purple Battle Vehicle is one of three new giant armored vehicles custom designed by original 'Beetleborgs' comic book creator Art Fortunes. It is based on the real beetle, and spots the familiar small antennae extending from the front of its body. Piloted by Jo McCormick- the Platinum Purple Beetleborg Metallix- it flies with two large-diameter turbofans, a pair of powerful jet engines, and has a pair of small energy cannons built under the nose of it.

Even though it isn't a part of any of the "Power Rangers" series of Deluxe transforming robots, the Platinum Purple BV stands quite well on its own, and spots a similar lineage in toy design from Bandai.

The six small black plastic wheels spin freely at the end of the three dark gray landing gear assemblies, and the light gray laser cannons on the nose are soft PVC. The two jet engines on the long tail can each spin separately or together through 360°. The large wings pivot at the base where they're mounted, and click forward/backwards together via an internal gear set-up.

What makes the Platinum Purple BV the most unique of the three is that it has a special mounting feature under each turbofan that can lift the other two BVs like a flying crane. This way, the Deluxe Chromium Gold BV< (sold separately) fits under the left wing, and the Deluxe Titanium Silver BV (sold separately) can fit under the right wing, and all three can travel to the battle zone faster. The combined BVs are a little awkward and the connection between them is not very stable, but it's an interesting change from having to get a larger carrier-like robot or vehicle to move all three. To release the clamps from the tops of the ground-based BVs, all that was done was to pinch the tabs above the separate wings together. This is quite a convenient way to get them around the house compared to doing that juggling thing...

As far as I can tell, the Deluxe Platinum Purple BV is identical in every way to its Japanese counterpart- the DX Stealth Gyro, from the Metal Hero series "B-Fighter Kabuto".

It is a good little toy, but it took a bad drop-or-two since I got it. It's the most fragile of the three, and I had to do a little amateur repair work, so the pivoting wings on mine no longer work correctly. The few paint details are sharp, and the large & numerous decals were a little tricky in some places to apply but they still look good. In many ways, it is just as good, if not better than, some conversions that were made to some of the Deluxe "Power Ranger" zords by Bandai America. The only discouraging part may have been that it couldn't transform or combine into a larger robot like some of its tokusatsu [Japanese live-action] or Anime cousins do, but it worked out well, and I'm not disappointed. Simple, but fun!

Even though it isn't a part of any of the "Power Rangers" series of Deluxe transforming robots, the Titanium Silver BV stands quite well on its own, and spots a similar lineage in toy design from Bandai.

After the Big Bad Beetleborgs win the battle against their comic-book foes, the Magnavors, the three kids think that their lives can go back to normal. However, Les Fortunes- the twisted brother of the man who created the Beetleborgs comic book- has plans of his own, and decides to create a new kind of original villain to get revenge for all of his brother's success! So, as Les and his new army- the Crustaceans- move in on the city, the original Beetleborgs comic book creator, Art Fortunes, draws up designs for a new type of super hero, and the funny phasm Flabber brings them to life with his special brand of magic. Now, with new armor, new weapons, and new giant beetle-shaped machines, the Beetleborgs Metallix are charged with defending Charterville from evil once more.

The Titanium Silver Battle Vehicle is one of three new giant armored robots custom designed by original Beetleborgs'comic book creator Art Fortunes. It is based on the real hercules beetle, and spots the familiar twin claws extending from the front of its body. Piloted by Rolland Williams- the Titanium Silver Beetleborg Metallix- it rolls on 4 sets of tractor tread assemblies, and has a small but powerful energy cannon turret built onto the top of it. The BV is also capable of a controlled descent from high altitudes with a set of small rocket boosters built into the back of the main body.

Even though it isn't a part of any of the "Power Rangers" series of Deluxe transforming robots, the Titanium Silver BV stands quite well on its own, and spots a similar lineage in toy design from Bandai.

The thick rubber treads slip around a pair of wheels inside the back two light gray tractor assemblies, and there are four small black ABS wheels in the front two assemblies. When a small black tab on the left side of the BV's shell is pressed, the entire toy springs apart and separates into three sections- upper body/antlers, back shell, and lower tractor assembly. This new upright mode raises it up and makes it look like it's going to pounce. It can still be rolled along the ground, but only along the lower tractor assembly. Unfortunately, the rubber for the treads weren't cut very well, so it doesn't roll all that easily. Depressing a small black button under the BV's upper cannon turret causes the antlers to spring forward about another 3/4th inch. If the antlers had been individually jointed, this would have increased the BV's reach even more. In either case, just pressing the parts together again is easy. The only problem with this set-up is that the antler-spring button cannot be reached when the toy is in its normal form.

As far as I can tell, the Titanium Silver BV is identical in every way to its Japanese counterpart- the DX Kuwaga Tank, from the Metal Hero series "B-Fighter Kabuto".

It is a good little toy, and has taken a few good drops since I've gotten it. The paint details are sharp, and the few decals were relatively easy to apply and look good too. In many ways, it is just as good, if not better, than some conversions that were made to some of the Deluxe "Power Ranger" zords by Bandai America. The only discouraging parts may have been that it couldn't transform or combine into a larger robot like some of its tokusatsu [Japanese live-action] or Anime cousins do, or the claw-like antlers couldn't open and close, but it worked out well and I'm not disappointed. Simple, but fun!

The Chromium Gold Battle Vehicle is one of three new giant armored robots custom designed by original Beetleborgs' comic book creator Art Fortunes.

After the Big Bad Beetleborgs win the battle against their comic-book foes, the Magnavors, the three kids think that their lives can go back to normal. However, Les Fortunes- the twisted brother of the man who created the Beetleborgs comic book- has plans of his own, and decides to create a new kind of original villain to get revenge for all of his brother's success! So, as Les and his new army- the Crustaceans- move in on the city, the original Beetleborgs comic book creator, Art Fortunes, draws up designs for a new type of super hero, and the funny phasm Flabber brings them to life with his special brand of magic. Now, with new armor, new weapons, and new giant beetle-shaped machines, the Beetleborgs Metallix are charged with defending Charterville from evil once more.

The Chromium Gold Battle Vehicle is one of three new giant armored robots custom designed by original Beetleborgs' comic book creator Art Fortunes. It is based on the real elephant beetle, and spots the familiar t-shaped horn extending from the front of its body. Piloted by Drew McCormick- the Chromium Gold Beetleborg Metallix- it rolls on 6 large wheels, and has a powerful energy emitter built into the front of it. The BV is also capability of limited flight with a set of small rocket boosters built into the swing-wing armor on the back.

Even though it isn't a part of any of the"Power Rangers" series of Deluxe transforming robots, the Chromium Gold BV stands quite well on its own, and spots a similar lineage in toy design from Bandai.

The 6 wheels, with thick rubber treads, are all free. When two small black tabs on the back of the BV's shell are squeezed together, large arms with four of the wheels spring downwards, jacking up the main body to about a 30° angle, and pointing its large gold-plated horn towards the ground. It can still be rolled along the ground, but this simulates how the real BV could tunnel itself underground for stealth attacks. Depressing a large silver-plated button on the top of the BV's shell causes a pair of wings to spring out 90° to either side. This reveals a small set of exhaust nozzles inside. In either case, just pressing the parts together again is easy.

As far as I can tell, the Chromium Gold BV is identical in every way to its Japanese counterpart- the DX Kabutoron, from the Metal Hero series"B-Fighter Kabuto".

It is a good little toy, and has taken a few good drops since I've gotten it. The paint details are sharp, and the few decals were relatively easy to apply and look good too. In many ways, it is just as good, if not better, than some conversions that were made to some of the Deluxe"Power Ranger" zords by Bandai America. The only discouraging part may have been that it couldn't transform or combine into a larger robot like some of its tokusatsu [Japanese live-action] or Anime cousins do, but it worked out well, and I'm not disappointed. Simple, but fun!