Gougou Gattai Vehicle #1 - Gougou Drill
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Review by EVA_Unit_4A
The Super Sentai saga - created and produced by Toei Company, Ltd. since 1975 - celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2006! Every year for the past 31 years, a completely new Super Sentai [“special taskforce”] series had aired, with new characters, new villains, new storylines, and new mecha- creating a genre that has become generational in its appeal to of the island nation of Japan. In fact, some of the actors today who perform in a Super Sentai series were fans themselves when they were younger. Rarely does a franchise last for so long and succeed at being able to reinvent itself from year-to-year and continue to please fans of young and old; very few have been able to keep pace with it. It is filled with both drama and humor - with some hero characters actually dying or being replaced. And the villains- ranging from mad human scientists, buried demons, to invading space ninja aliens - are no less varied in personality, motives, and methods; aggressively attacking with carefully planned operations. Super Sentai was so popular that in 1983, “Kagaku Sentai Dynaman” was brought over to the USA Network as a dubbed comedic parody. Unfortunately, American audiences failed to stick with it. Saban Entertainment attempted to reintroduce Super Sentai to America as a children’s series in 1992 with “Choujin Sentai Jetman”, but failed with the younger test audience. Saban tried one more time the following year with a new version of “Kyoryu Sentai ZyuRanger”, and succeeded when the less-intense first season of “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” became an instant hit with children 6-to-10yrs. While “Power Rangers” is based on the previous year’s Super Sentai show, it is a separate entity that will be celebrating its own 15th anniversary in 2007. Here are the Super Sentai that have come before:
| “Himitsu Sentai GoRanger” (1975-1977) “JAQK Dengeki Tai”................. (1977) “Battle Fever J”........................ (1979) “Denshi Sentai Denjiman”.......... (1980) “Taiyou Sentai Sun Vulcan”....... (1981) “Dai Sentai Goggle V”............... (1982) “Kagaku Sentai Dynaman”......... (1983) “Cho Sentai Bioman”................. (1984) “Dengeki Sentai Changeman”.... (1985) “Choushinsei Flashman”............ (1986) “Hikari Sentai Maskman”........... (1987) “Choujii Sentai Liveman”............ (1988) “Kousoku Sentai TurboRanger”.. (1989) “Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman”.......... (1990) “Choujin Sentai Jetman”............ (1991) |
“Kyoryu Sentai ZyuRanger”......... (1992) “Gosei Sentai DaiRanger”........... (1993) “Ninja Sentai KakuRanger”......... (1994) “Chouriki Sentai OhRanger”........ (1995) “Gekisou Sentai CarRanger”....... (1996) “Denji Sentai MegaRanger”......... (1997) “Seijuu Sentai Gingaman”........... (1998) “Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGo-V”........ (1999) “Mirai Sentai TimeRanger”.......... (2000) “Hyakujuu Sentai GaoRanger”..... (2001) “Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger”........ (2002) “Bakuryuu Sentai AbaRanger”..... (2003) “Tokusou Sentai DekaRanger”.... (2004) “Mahou Sentai MagiRanger”........ (2005) |
The 2006 series - “Gougou Sentai Boukenger” [“Thundering Taskforce Adventure-Rangers”] - is a tribute to all that have come before, with old and new styles mixed together. For a more expanded explanation of Super Sentai, be sure to view this Wikipedia entry.
The Search Guard Successor museum organization (also known as SGS, or Sargess) has created a secret team to begin tracking down ancient artifacts that have been disappearing. With skills in treasure hunting/recovery, and their adventurous hearts, the Boukenger use their Accellular henshin devices to scan relics (called Precious) to discover their hazard levels and value. However, the many Negative Syndicates - the ancient stone Gordom Civilization, bio-engineered reptilian Jaryuu Clan, and covert ninja Dark Shadow - are also separately on the lookout for Precious to rule the world... or destroy it. The Precious are many, and they hold unknown power. Who will gain the most from them?
“Number six- Gougou Drill: Launch!”
Hasshin Shift On:
Drill
Go! Go!
In Task 04- “Lost Vehicles”, Bouken Red was the only one of the five Boukenger to make it out of a large avalanche created by an uncontrollable Jaryuu Clan weather Precious which had buried them in their Gougou Vehicles alive. Only Gougou Vehicles #6 could penetrate through the ice and maneuver through the uneven terrain beneath to successfully rescue the cold and stranded Boukenger. Bouken Red’s fear and determination not to lose more teammates drove him to overcome and eventually tame the orange overload-prone Gougou Vehicle, though it was still a draining experience for him. Even after its first use in combat, Gougou Drill would prove to be difficult for the other Boukenger to control. When launched from the Sargess mecha bay, Gougou Drill appears through a subway tunnel beneath Tokyo’s city streets.
Gougou Drill (back) is an articulate looking vehicle which is much more appropriately sized in comparison to most of the other Gougou Vehicles seen in the DX Gougou Gattai DaiBouken. As the first of the Gougou Gattai Vehicles released, it is similar in many ways to previous auxiliary mecha from “Hyakujuu Sentai GaoRanger” (aka “Power Rangers Wild Force”, 2002), and “Bakuryuu Sentai AbaRanger” (aka “Power Rangers Dino Thunder”, 2004). As opposed to a battery-driven movement like in “AbaRanger”, the first Gougou Gattai Vehicle is hand activated: when rolled along a smooth, flat surface, the large drill bit slowly rotates clockwise. But, instead of just a simpler, single-piece drill bit, PLEX added a very clever twist- three smaller drill bits within the larger drill, which rotate counter to the larger drill! As the combined bits turn, there is an internal part which also spins, along with the cone-shaped nozzle on the back. I can’t get a good picture of it, but the golden tip of the large rotating head is molded in a drill-like pattern as well. The two large fixed tractor treads towards the rear both can rotate in 90° increments backwards, which angles Gougou Drill’s body downwards so that it can begin burrowing.
For those of you wondering what the differences are between the Gougou Gattai Vehicle #1- Gougou Drill from “Gougou Sentai Boukenger”, and it’s English-speaking counterpart - the —
Wait a minute --! What am I saying!? “Power Rangers Mystic Force” only came out a few months ago! We don’t even know what the 15th anniversary “Power Rangers” series will officially be called yet! I’m pretty sure, though, that there will be a few paint alterations on the yet-unnamed accessory Zord. They may release it as a paired set with another Gougou Vehicle, but that is just a guess. However, I suggest you appeal to Bandai America immediately and tell them, “Leave It Alone!”
For the first of the Gougou Gattai Vehicles to be released, Gougou Drill is fairly basic in operation. The spinning drill with the smaller bits inside, and the exposed rotating internal pieces are very cool and add much to what could have been a very boring piece of plastic otherwise. And how it can spin while moving is also really fun. I recommend it with high regards.
Gougou Gattai Vehicle #1- Gougou Drill in action!
Sets required for combination: DX Gougou Gattai DaiBouken (sold separately)
Gougou Gattai Vehicle #1- Gougou Drill
“Gougou Gattai!”
Gattai Shift On:
Drill
Drill: Power On!
When the weather Precious changed itself in to a giant monster, DaiBouken engaged it, but the Gou Picker and Gou Scooper weapons prove ineffective against its hardened ice crystal-like body. Only Bouken Red, still inside Gougou Drill, was able to cause it any real damage. The five Boukenger decided to combine their two mecha to create DaiBouken Drill. Even though combined, Gougou Drill still proved to be a shocking experience for them. Its finishing attack, Maximum Penetration, shattered the weather Precious monster.
DaiBouken Drill (back) is the first arm-swapping upgrade seen in “Boukenger”, and the most resent since “AbaRanger”. In stark contrast to the smaller arms of DaiBouken created by Gougou Dozer & Gougou Marine Diver, Gougou Drill gives some much-needed bulk to the right side, and it can rotate in 45° increments, and the drill can be spun by hand via the silver-painted nozzle on the top. This, coupled with the DX DaiBouken’s unusual flexibility allows for some interesting poses. One thing about the combination, though, that isn’t explained very well is what happens to Bouken Yellow’s Gougou Dozer. The instructions say it’s supposed to attach inside DaiBouken Drill’s left leg, but on the show so far, there’s no mention of it. It does help a little with balance, though, and eliminates extra pieces from lying around all over the place. Also, because Marine Diver is already kinda small, it makes the combination look a little off-balance. The rotating tractor treads on Gougou Drill cannot be used in this form either.
Author Information
| Posted 12 June, 2006 - 09:08 by EVA_Unit_4A |
