Join CollectionDX's own Joshua Bernard and other panelists for a lively talk on Korean toys and their fascinating origins in the interplay between Korean, Japanese and American pop cultures. Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 6:30 PM at the The Korea Society, NYC

Cross-Cultural Traffic: Toying with Brands, Borders and Bootlegs

Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 6:30 PM
The Korea Society
950 Third Avenue @ 57th Street, Eighth Floor

http://www.koreasociety.org/arts/gallery/cross-cultural_traffic_toying_with_brands_borders_and_bootlegs.html

Please join us for a lively talk on Korean toys and their fascinating origins in the interplay between Korean, Japanese and American pop cultures. This panel is presented in conjunction with our current traveling exhibition, Toy Stories: Souvenirs from Korean Childhood.

Panelists:

• Joshua Bernard, editor, CollectionDX.com
• Eric Nakamura, publisher, Giant Robot Magazine
• Joanne Rudis, design director, Fisher Price/Mattel
• Seho Kim, creative director, The Korea Society

$10 (members) and $15 (non-members)
RSVP to (212)759-7525, ext. 355 or heewon.ny@koreasociety.org or
register online at www.koreasociety.org.

It doesn’t raise the bar as far as DX toys go, but it doesn’t drop that 32-year-old ball either.

Includes Video review!

This toy appears courtesy from HobbyLink Japan.

Three 1.5 volt (LR44) batteries are required to operate electronic light-&-sound feature within the Engine Soul, and should be replaced by a responsible adult.

Adequate batteries have already been installed in the Engine Soul by the manufacturer and do not need to be immediately replaced. However, to activate the feature, you must first manually remove the small white tag from the back of the cartridge before it can work; this is a one-time issue. Nothing other than the Engine Soul on this toy requires batteries.

In one of the eleven dimensions, Machine World is a planet populated by Engines- giant sentient living machines with individual personalities and capabilities. They succeed in driving the destructive Ban KiZoku Gaiarc clan off their world during one of their largest planet-wide races. Unfortunately, the Gaiarc decide to move on into the dimension where Earth is since it seems to be an easier target for them to conquer in order to turn it into the ideal world of unchecked pollution and waste which they favor. Three Engines cross the dimensional barrier to pursue them, but they will begin to suffer fatal rusting if they exist in the atmosphere of the Human World for more than ten minutes at a time! To protect against this, they separate themselves into two halves- inanimate Engine Casts which are smaller versions of their physical bodies, and Engine Souls which contain their life energy and personality. Therefore, they and their smaller rust-resistant assistant Bomper chose three young humans to fight the Gaiarc in their place, and restore them to their larger forms whenever they are needed. Together they form the Flame-god Taskforce Go-On Rangers!

. . .

Speedor, Buson, and Bear RV were the last Engines to pursue the three fleeing Gaiarc Pollution Ministers off of Machine World. The three Engines then crossed the dimensional barrier into the Human World to finish what they started. Quickly realizing that they could no longer maintain their true giant size on our planet, the three Engines separated themselves into Engine Souls and Engine Casts to prevent from rusting to death. With the help of their smaller companion Bomper, they found three humans at a race track that were trying to protect the spectators from Gaiarc’s Ugatz foot soldiers. Speedor, Buson, and Bear RV bestowed their Engine Souls to the three humans so that they could be used for their weapons and powers as the Go-Onger. Through their GoPhone henshin devices, the Engines can communicate with the Go-Onger with kawai holographic version of themselves. And when the Gaiarc present city-wide threats, Bomper back in the Ginjiro recreational vehicle/mobile HQ can launch the Engine Attaché Case which contains the scaled-down Engine Casts to the Go-Onger. And when the Engine Souls are placed back within the Casts, the Engines are restored to their original giant forms!

Engine Number 1 - Speedor (back) His partner is former stock car-racer Sousuke Esumi (Go-On Red). He is represented as a combination of both a red hot rod and a condor. In fact, he can deploy wings and thick bird legs for flight when battling Gaiarc giants, though he tends to remain on the ground with his fellow Engines; using his flaming exhaust to burn enemies to a crisp. As a life form from Machine World, he ends most of his sentences with the last syllable of his name, “Dooru, dooru, dooru!” Speedor forms the head, arms, and upper torso of the Engine-Oh.

Engine Number 2 - Buson (back) His partner is former bus driver Ren Kousaka (Go-On Blue). He is represented as a combination of both a passenger bus and a lion. Through the sign on the top of his head, he can display words of encouragement or strategy to the Go-Onger, but if words aren’t enough, his strength and pop-up Buson Missile racks on his back will do the trick. As a life form from Machine World, he ends most of his sentences with the last syllable of his name, “Onn, onn, onn!” Buson forms the lower torso, legs and Go-On Sword of the Engine-Oh.

Engine Number 3 - Bear RV (back) Her partner is former race track concessions vendor Saki Rouyama (Go-On Yellow). She is an all-terrain Engine, hence her squat chassis but large suspension system & tires; all of which can be used to make her jump high and bite into Gaiarc’s transforming Bandouma fighters. As a life form from Machine World, she ends most of her sentences with the last syllable of her name, “Vee, vee, vee!” (However, her seiyu voice actress, Miki Inoue, sounds more like she’s saying “Bee, bee, bee!”.) Bear RV forms the center torso and V Shield of the Engine-Oh.

Animals imitating vehicles? Umm... isn’t it usually the other way around? We’ve seen plenty of machines that looked like animals, well, since “Choujuu Sentai Liveman” (1988); then the 25th anniversary series “Hyakujuu Sentai GaoRanger” (2001) made them actual animals that were always mecha, which just took the concept to a whole new level. But we’ve never seen vehicle mecha that are alive, have animal features, and are sentient on top of that. It’s actually rather confusing- a real chicken-or-the-egg-type paradox. But let’s be honest here- the Engines’ design style is a direct shot aimed at appealing to young kids. It’s a very lighthearted series thus far. They’re meant to look kawai [“cute”, “adorable”], potentially appealing to young girls as well, which Super Sentai usually doesn’t target. And nothing says “Take that [car manufacturer]- you uncaring, greedy, polluting so-and-so!” like cars and buses with animal features. Just look at the big emotional eyes on combat mecha if you don’t believe me on that. But I digress...

Speedor is a big ol’ red muscle car, with a huge-ass engine block sitting right in front of the green-painted windshield, a set of four exhaust pipes in back, a streamlined spoiler curving up from in front of the back wheels, and stylized silver hubcaps. And he has a bird’s head on the nose of the vehicle. Speedor has a special feature in vehicle mode, and that is the ability to flip down wings for flight and thick bird legs from below. I suppose it needed to act like a bird in some fashion. (BTW, since the elbows only lock in one position, it cannot hold itself up. So don’t have a heart attack over it like I almost did. You can’t imagine how frustrating it was to spend 5 minutes getting it into this pose... only to have it promptly tip over just after I pressed the button on the camera.) Buson looks like a bus, yes? Big blocky blue thing with a band of painted-in black windows, six wheels, and a display sign decal above the windshield. But does he look like a lion? Meh... The subtle hints to this are the puffy cheeks with very tiny molded whiskers, painted-on gold mane, and small square silver-painted teeth beneath the cheeks/front bumper. (For a good while there before “Go-Onger” came out, rumors swirled around that Buson was actually a bison... which would have made much more sense to me than a friggin’ lion. If I have to look that hard to recognize a lion’s head on the front of a bus, then somethin’ isn’t right...) Buson carries the ranged weapons of the three in the series. The Buson Missile are fired from pop-up launchers which are located on top of him. Now, the only reason the launchers appear is because the doors are needed for something else. But in acknowledgment, the front edge of each door feature three molded missile cones apiece; the doors will not partially open, so you have to wedge them open (as I have done here) or hold them open yourself. Bear RV is about as special feature-less as Buson is. As with all of the Engines (including others not released yet), they can move some parts of their chassis at will, such as Buson’s face, or Speedor’s beak, when they talk. With Bear RV, however, she does not have a mouth per se. So- in true Terrance and Phillip or Pac-Man fashion- her entire yellow half hinges upwards away from the black lower half. It will snap upwards at 45°. One way you can make it open only slightly and hold there is to lift up the V Shield’s handle inside there and then Bear RV’s head can rest on it.

In addition to the numbering system, if you look closely the hubcaps from each Engine is represented on either side of their respective Go-Onger partner’s helmet.

After beating dozens of nimble Bandou Moth fighters, the Engines and their Go-Onger partners find that this has just been a ruse to draw their attention away from the real threat- the air-polluting monster Shoukyaku Banki, giving him time to restore himself. Using a new technology given to him by the three Pollution Ministers, Shoukyaku suddenly grows to gigantic proportions! But, the human heart has provided a new power to the Engines that they did not have before...

Engine Gattai!

In this new form which the Gaiarc have never encountered before on Machine World, Engine-Oh can now take on fully-grown monsters. The V Shield is stored on its back, which can deflect many objects thrown at it, and it can also deploy the Go-On Sword from the left leg’s storage compartment. And when it dashes forward with the sword, it can perform the powered-up Engine-Oh Go-On Grand Prix slashing finisher.

"Engine-Oh: Tune up!"

Engine Gattai Engine-Oh (back) has some interesting proportions to it. Looking at it from a side view, its head and arms are placed rather far back, giving it something of a thick, almost-borderline beer belly. The faces of all thee Engines remain intact along the front of Engine-Oh’s body, stacked on top of each other like some strange Native American totem pole. (Trust me- I live in the Pacific Northwest, and these things are littered all over the place, if you know where to look for them... like gift shops and tourist traps.) The head has what look like metallic blue sunshades with yellow eyes, a simple silver Go-Onger logo printed on the forehead, and three gold plated exhaust pipes on either side. The arms are very simple, with large horizontal shoulders, and smaller lower arms which are actually hollow because of how it transforms. The four light gray fingers are molded in one piece and can open & close quite well. Now, this may be me being paranoid, but the rectangular bars that the shoulders are attached to seem to stick out a tad more than seems necessary; certainly they’re more accommodating than need-be for transforming it. It feels like something might go between them like shoulder straps in a later accessory upgrade. Bear RV is sandwiched in between the other two Engines as the waist section, and serves no greater purpose than that, but the V Shield is angled up behind it against Speedor. However, you cannot put just Speedor and Buson together because they won’t fit against each other at all, and need Bear RV in there. Unlike the other two, Buson perhaps go through the least noticeable changes, the biggest mentions being the extension of the feet, and how the face flips down. The legs snap into position slightly diagonal from each other, but cool part is that the footprints have been intentionally sloped to accommodate this so that they’re always even and flat against the ground! (The legs cannot extend any farther to the sides than this, contrary to what I thought before I got this set.) So instead of one big brick, it splits into two equally-sized but inarticulate bricks.

So, like most Super Sentai mecha toys, the DX Engine-Oh suffers from ‘two-seventy syndrome’- it only looks good when viewed from the front.

. . .

For weapons, Engine-Oh has two. The first is the V Shield which is stored on its back. A small “L”-shaped tab flips out from the back, which then slips over the top of the grouped fingers. Now, the thing is, the instructions and all promotional materials show the V Shield pointing forward on the left arm, which requires the left lower arm to be bent inwards 90°. However, because the elbow only snaps into two positions- and 90° isn’t one of them- you can still use it with the arm fully extended. But regardless of how the V Shield is held, it’s still a pain to fit on that hand. It actually pinches the finger(s) so tightly that it tends to squeeze itself off! So, short of holding the V Shield up vertically, it’ll fall off just about every chance it gets due to gravity. The other weapon is theGo-On Sword, which is stored in a collapsed form inside the back of the left leg. The Go-On Sword, when folded up, is shaped just like an Engine Soul. (Since the collapsed Go-On Sword can fit into any Engine Soul compartment, it is always stored in the left leg since Buson’s Engine Soul only works properly in the right leg.) As with the V Shield, the Go-On Sword doesn’t fit very well in the hand(s) because the friction of the finger joints isn’t that strong; so it tends to droop as soon as you let go of it. (I’m guessing that, over time, if Engine-Oh holds both weapons, it won’t be able to hold them anymore because it’ll wear out both finger joints...)

In addition to future accessory DX Engine sets (which you know are coming), the common ‘collecting’ gimmick is the battery-powered Engine Soul cartridge. These serve as a replacement in all of the toys for a dedicated light-and-sound effect. Each Engine Soul shares an identical shape (2½” x 1¾” x 9/16”, or 2.57cm x 4.5cm x 1.5cm), has a single bright red LED light, a large decal which identifies it, and they all have some generic sounds. Because of this, any Engine Soul (or Change Soul, which I won’t get into here) can be fitted into any properly-fitted toy that can accept one. But, the gimmick is that each Engine Soul has a unique set of sound effects...

. . .

The DX Engine-Oh comes with Speedor’s Engine Soul. It is uniquely identified by its red ABS casing, the stylized “1”, and the phrases “ES” & “01” on the front decal. While each of the Engines in this set can accept an Engine Soul, only Speedor’s is provided; however, it will work equally in all of them since, again, all Engine Soul cartridges are the same size. The storage compartment for each Engine has a small door that must be unlatched in order to place the Engine Soul inside; Buson’s is the compartment opposite the Go-On Sword’s. When inside of them, the Engine Souls in Speedor and Bear RV can be activated by pressing in on their noses, while you have to press up on Buson’s back wheels (which explains their mysteriously spring-like suspension).

Speedor’s Engine Soul has four unique effects- all performed by the same seiyu from the series, Daisuke Namikawa (who has also performed for two other recent Super Sentai series, but is better known for more-numerous anime and OVA performances). He says, in Japanese:

• Spe-e-e-e-dor!
• Door doorae! (see above)
• Let’s go, partner!
• I won by a wide margin!

The phrases will always play in that order, each preceded by the same sound of a car racing by. Now, if you place Speedor’s Engine Soul in either Buson or Bear RV (or any other DX Engine set), it’ll say the same things, but it’ll obviously be inaccurate since that’s not the right Engine for it to go with. (Since, as of this review, I have no other “Go-Onger” toys, I can only assume that it’ll say those same phrases regardless of where it’s placed.) Also, because that LED light is so intense, when it shines through that hole in the top of Speedor’s hood/head, the light (which alone can project over 6ft / 2m in a dark room!) actually reflects off of the engine block, and then you can see the light from the front even though it’s pointed upwards! (Intentional or not, that’s a cool idea!) However, because that part of the engine block flips over to make Engine-Oh’s head, the light can’t be reflected anymore.

Now, here’s something interesting... When Speedor has his Engine Soul inside, and he is a part of Engine-Oh, a new set of sounds can be heard! Well, just two:

• Go-o-o-o-o On!
• Door doorae!

This time, however, instead of a car whooshing by, you hear metal clashing first. But it is still Speedor speaking. (These two sounds, I’m assuming, are the generic one-size-fits-all effects that would be heard if you put this Engine Soul in something other than a DX-sized Engine toy. I’m also assuming that all other Engine Souls cartridges act like this as well, as I explained above.)

The Power Rangers’ version of the Engine-Oh has not appeared yet (hell- the show only started in February), so comparisons are impossible. If I were to take a shot in the dark, I’d say the chrome and gold parts are replaced with painted equivalents. I’d also venture that all Engine Soul cartridges (whatever those will be called) will be either modified to have fewer-or-no electronics, or completely eliminated from the line. There’s no PVC or die-cast metal, so that’s not a problem. (No metal in a car-shaped vehicle... who’d‘ve thunk it?) I doubt any plastic coloring will be changed, but there may be very minor paint changes.

. . .

I’ll tell you right now: when I saw this set, I was much more enthusiastic about it than I was of the previous year’s DX Jyuken Gattai GekiTouja. Of course, I said the same thing about the DX Gougou Gattai DaiBouken, and we all know how that turned out in the end... So, I’m being cautiously optimistic about this line. I can already tell that it won’t be just straight limb swapping either. (Attachment joints for lower arm accessories are located on top of Engine-Oh’s shoulder armor, which guarantee swapping at least there.) But there are several unused attachment holes all across the torso & lower legs, so we may be looking at different components swapping out, particularly with how the three Engines slide into each other. Oh, yeah- the attachment between the Engines is great; you never have to worry about these things randomly separating unless you pull the separation triggers on the side and back of the torso. Great! As I said earlier, this thing is designed to shoot for that younger audience. I’ve heard several theories on this online, most having to do with competition from other franchises and toy manufacturers. Hey, this may even be a step towards creating a Super Sentai series that has monsters that come out of playing cards, except we have the collectable Engine Souls instead. (Great- that means that I’ll have to go out and get other sets that I don’t want in order to complete sets that I do want! Not good...) Otherwise, I think this is a cool idea- using just a few unique Engine Souls to activate electronic F/X inside of a whole range of toys. Now, what could they have changed?

• Better grip design for both the Go-On Sword and V Shield, for starters; the Shinobi Machine sets from “Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger” (2002) had poseable hands, and they could comfortably grip the dozen-plus weapons that that line had.
• That’s a sword??? Umm... no. It looks like some kind of weird nightstick or staff crossed with a spear. Try again, please! At least the holes in the V Shield aren’t too large or in really bad places. Some shields in the past, man... (*cough*TimeRobo Alpha*cough*)
• I can see why incorporating poseable legs would have been both difficult and expensive for the consumer. But couldn’t they have at least left an indent or a line or something to indicate that there is supposed to be this fictitious knee joint there!?
• Head swiveling. Why didn’t it have this???
• We finally got legitimate elbow joints in, like four years. The problem lies in the fact that you can’t do anything with them!

Even though I kinda scratched my head over the picking of vehicle-shaped animals (if that makes any sense), they did it with moderate success here. Buson, though... here we have yet another Super Sentai lion after getting one last year and then two years before that. Besides- does that really look like a lion? I don’t think so. Probably no better than Speedor looking like an official condor... But, overall, I’m quite satisfied. It’s simple, but not dumbed down. Detailed, but not overly so that it clutters up the plain shapes of the vehicles. Coloring and paint apps are also up to standard, with a nice return of decals in subtle ways even though they are pre-applied (which, nowadays, I have no problem with). It doesn’t raise the bar as far as DX toys go, but it doesn’t drop that 32-year-old ball either. Recommendation: go get the DX Engine Gattai Engine-Oh.

Buson’s Engine Soul can be purchased along with the Self Henkeijuu MantanGun set, available from HobbyLink Japan.

Bear RV’s Engine Soul can be purchased along with the DX Highway Buster set, available from HobbyLink Japan.

QUEEN BE@RBRICK 100% ? 400% SET

QUEEN BE@RBRICK 100% ? 400% SET from Medicom Toy. You get one small and one large Be@rbrick, both with the Queen crest printed on the chest.

Preorder open until May 23, one set per address. Will ship in August 2008. 6,090 yen.

Can't afford the insanely expensive Brave Gokin Dancouga? CM's has an affordable alternative.

CM's corporation announces the Mecha Action Series Dancouga Nova. This ABS / PVC figure stands 200mm tall (about 8 inches) and will run you 8,820 yen. Due June 2008

Organic Hobby, Inc in conjunction with Happinet proudly introduces its new product for the U.S. market, “Space Adventure Cobra Collection Figure.”

Organic Hobby, Inc in conjunction with Happinet proudly introduces its new product for the U.S. market, “Space Adventure Cobra Collection Figure.”

"Space Adventure Cobra Collection Figure" is based on a sci-fi manga created by Buichi Terasawa, later turned into an anime movie and a TV series. The series features the infamous space-pirate Cobra who was once forced to hide from enemies by surgically altering his face and erasing his own memory. "Space Adventure Cobra Collection Figure" is a ten piece assortment (full color and rare color) of 5" scale trading figures and includes three secret items. Each figure comes in a closed box along with a handy ten piece counter display case.

- "Space Adventure Cobra Collection Figure" is set to be released this July with a SRP of $14.50.

Organic Hobby is one of the largest Hobby and Toys makers/manufacturers in Japan and is also very popular for its specialty in "Anime & Manga" industry. Organic Hobby, Inc (U.S Office) is introducing these and other unique products based on J-POP culture to U.S. markets and customers. All of our company's product can be found throughout our official distributors such as AAA Anime, Diamond, Double Dragon, Entertainment Earth, BBCW, Yes Anime, etc...

Amok Time partners with MGM to produce all new collectibles - "Killer Klowns from Outer Space", "IT! The Terror From Beyond Space", and "Blacula"

1) Killer Klowns from Outer Space "In Space No One Can Eat Ice-Cream!"
The first non-zombie 7in scale action figure line will feature all new designs sure to "knock your block off!" As with our other Day of the Dead action figures they are in scale with Movie Maniacs, Cult Classics and Now Playing figures. Our first, in a series of Killer Klowns action figures, will be shown exclusively in Horrorhound Magazine issue # 12. Get a first look at the prototype in person at the Pittsburgh Horrorhound Weekend Convention June 20-22nd. Come to the show and check it out!

2) IT! The Terror From Beyond Space "IT Breathes, IT Hunts, IT Kills!"
Before Alien there was "IT"! The classic 50's sci-fi shocker will be a 1/6th scale collectors figure. As with our other collectors figures they are in scale with Sideshow, Hot Toys and Dragon figures. This amazing collectible will be approx 13.5in tall!

3) Blacula "His Bite Was Outta Site"
The Soul Cinema classic will be a 1/6th scale collectors figure. As with our other 1/6th collectors figures they are in scale with Sideshow, Hot Toys and Dragon figures. This figure features William Marshall as Blackula with interchangeable expression heads!

PLEASE NOTE: Products will not be available till late 2008.
All products will be available for pre-order (wholesale and retail) starting June 2nd.

Collector Favorite Gets A Heroic Upgrade

Not The Same Bat: RLC™ 1966 TV Series BATMOBILE™!
Collector Favorite Gets A Heroic Upgrade

Released as a Hot Wheels® 2007 New Models edition, the 1966 TV Series Batmobile™ was an instant sensation with collectors -- but harder to find than the elusive Batcave™. We got the message like a Bat Signal™ on a dark night… and POW! BAM! WHOMP! Here’s a special Red Line Club™ edition of the Dynamic Duo’s heroic ride!

The one-week Priority Window for RLC™ members only begins Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 9:00 AM PT and will end at 11:00 AM PT on Monday, May 19. Note that this edition will be made to order, meaning if you want one, this is the bat time – the only bat time – you’ll be able to order one.

This edition appears as it would have if we’d manufactured it back in 1968 with the original batch of Hot Wheels cars. It features a Spectraflame® finish, Neo-Classics™ Redline® wheels, and a full-metal chassis -- all for the first time on this casting! This is just the vehicle you need when you’re running down all the criminals in Gotham City™, and you still want to do it in high style:

• Spectraflame® true black finish
• Red pinstripes and Batman™ logo tampo
• Neo-Classics™ Redline® wheels
• Full-metal chassis
• Clear windshield
• Black interior
  

Each package features brand new artwork of the car by Otto Kuhni, an individually numbered holographic sticker and ships in a Hot Wheels® Kar Keepers® case. Priced at $14.99 each plus S&P, the RLC™ 1966 TV Series Batmobile™ will be produced ONLY in the quantity of the orders we receive during the one-week Priority Window.

Don’t forget: Club members earn an RLC™ Rewards Point for each car purchased (purchase limit of four per membership).

Additional details of a Red Line Club membership can be found here:

http://www.hotwheelsshop.com/store/hwprodc.php?p_page_id=122313&p_display_group_id=494You

Offer opens to RLC™ members only for a one-week Priority Window: 5/13/08, 9:00 AM PT

Bagged with a header card, this figure set doesn’t have an official name, but it’s essentially the ‘Y-MSF Godzilla 67’ with infant Minya, clear spine Guranma store exclusive.’ A perfectly jumbled name for figures of the, hands-down, most repugnant Godzilla suits ever made.

Y-MSF came onto the Godzilla vinyl scene in 2004, becoming notable for releasing relatively unpopular characters such as Varan, Minya and Gabara. Most notable of their initial releases was a 6-inch scale Hedorah, released right at the beginning of the still strong Hedorah vinyl craze. While Y-MSF themselves only released unpainted figures, the Japanese toy store Guranma, through an exclusive deal, released painted versions that were also sold exclusively by the U.S. web-site Temptingtoys.net. Before closing in 2007, Guranma released a lot of variants: Glow-in-the-dark and clear vinyl, metallic paintjobs (Which proved unpopular) and standard figures with clear components, the latter of which I’m reviewing today.

Bagged with a header card, this figure set doesn’t have an official name, but it’s essentially the ‘Y-MSF Godzilla 67’ with infant Minya, clear spine Guranma store exclusive.’ A perfectly jumbled name for figures of the, hands-down, most repugnant Godzilla suits ever made.

Godzilla and Minya both hail from the 1967 feature film, ‘Son of Godzilla’ If you hadn’t already guessed, Minya is Godzilla’s bratty, pug-ugly son, who’s regularly showered with malice by fans. It’s a fairly solid entry in the series and, despite the child-friendly tone, has some rather eerie moments, especially the ending, which is uncharacteristically melancholy. Minya has 2 forms in the film as an infant; a bulbous wire-controlled puppet, and as a toddler; portrayed by a suitmation actor.

Visually, these figures look pretty great. The infant Minya, 3” tall and 2.5” long, looks just as roly-poly and bizarre as he did in the film and is perfectly in scale with his dad. The texture of the skin, the vacant expression and the, obviously supported by wire, arms are dead-on. The open mouth is a nice touch as well and makes it look like Minya’s in the midst of making one of his bizarre, “Wah-waaahn” sounds. It features no articulation, but doesn’t need any as it can stand solidly on its legs, arms reaching out in front, or crawling on all fours. Also, Minya can steadily rest ‘gripping’ onto Godzilla’s tail, as well as on Godzilla’s shoulders, like a piggyback ride. The interaction between the figures was definitely thought out and works well.

The main drawbacks are the paintjob and the trademarks. Infant Minya’s cast in dark, forest-green, hard vinyl with gray eyes. The green seems to consume the sculpting detail as well as the paint of the eyes, and makes it look muddy. I have to mention that the standard releases features Minya in a more movie-accurate lighter gray and tan, which probably benefits the sculpt. The trademarks are typical and sculpted into the figure, but there’s a lot of text and it covers the entire belly.

Though Minya’s an enjoyable figure to have, Godzilla’s the obvious star of the show. The costume design is very rare in toy form and looks completely movie-accurate here, down to the last hilariously ugly detail. What’s distinctive about the design is the huge head, high angled brow line, heavy eyelids and almost pig-like nostrils. The strange thing is that the face really does look parental to me…

…Don’t know what kind of Freudian land mine I just stepped on, but moving on!

Standing just under 7” tall and 6” long, its cast in soft green vinyl with gray highlights, with painted details for the mouth and eyes. The inside of the mouth is a little too rose colored for my tastes, but works fine. The eyes catch light well, which adds a sense of life. The exclusive aspect of the figure is the translucent blue spines. This is actually a separately cast piece which fits flush into Godzilla’s back and creates a look as if Godzilla’s charging up for a blast of atomic fire. The section won’t come loose but it can be easily removed. The curves at the edges of the spines lack the rocky detail of their centers, which makes them look soft and jelly-like, which is strange and due to the translucent blue vinyl. All in all though, it’s a very nice effect and immediately adds a distinctive quality to the figure. Godzilla’s articulated at the tail, arms and le-

Uh…

Hmm…

Fail.

Welp. You can’t move the legs. You WOULD’VE been able to move the legs had there been the appropriate amount of vinyl to set it within the joint, but tragically and hilariously there isn’t. The legs will pop out when you move them more than 45 degrees. It really doesn’t ruin the toy for me, but maybe you’re part of the subculture that poses all of their figures delivering flying kicks and this is a deal breaker (I really hope that subculture exists.)

This is the first Y-MSF figure I’ve owned and I’m not disappointed. The infant Minya looks perfect, though I wish it was lighter colored, and the Godzilla 67’ is a wonderful representation, even better than the Bandai 50th Anniversary Memorial Box version in my opinion. Sure you can’t move Godzilla’s legs, but the main play value lies in the interaction between Godzilla and Minya, which is a definite success. I’m not sure how much this originally sold for but I was able to get it for $18 before shipping from Kaiju-Taro.com, which I think is a great if not perfect price. Temptingtoys.net still sells the standard version of the sculpts for $50 after shipping from both their site and eBay. Although Y-MSF’s figures are made in limited runs ranging from 30-500 pieces, unless you’re dying for Godzilla 67’ and Minya, I wouldn’t say they’re worth the retail price. The quality is about on par with 6-inch Bandai kaiju and I think the price should reflect that. That being said, this is a good set, especially sculpt-wise, and I’ve heard Y-MSF improves their figures with each subsequent release. Even though there are rumors of them quitting Godzilla toy production, they’ve announced on their site many new figures, including Gorosaurus and Biollante!

If you’re interested in getting the Y-MSF Godzilla 67’ with infant Minya, clear spine Guranma store exclusive, they may show up again at Kaiju-Taro.com, otherwise I would check eBay or Yahoo Japan. To check out the standard release, along with other Y-MSF Godzilla kaiju, go to Temptingtoys.net.

At least it has legs.

Although ugly in it's own right, this representation of Mazinger Z may actually look nicer than the previously discovered toy from Argentina, the Paladin de la Justicia. At least it has legs. And I have pictures to prove it.

The toy is about 15" tall, though maybe just a bit more if you measure all the way to the tip of the horn on the head. That horn is interesting, too. I wonder why it was added?

The body of the toy was cast in blue polyethylene with painted red and silver highlights, but the fists and head were cast in silver, with just the eyes painted red. There is limited articulation as usual. You can rotate the head, arms, fists and I think even the legs. I'm not digging this guy out again to check. No one cares anyway. ;)

I've also seen this toy with a yellow head with black highlights.

Not long ago, I commented that I'll occasionally publish a review for no other reason than to show the world "this exists". This has been one of those times.

This movie reduced me to a 7 year old, and I loved every minute of it.

Let me preface this by saying that I love a lot of crappy movies. I am no means qualified to review any movie, due to the fact that I love films like Xanadu.

My first memory of anime (not that I knew it at the time) was Speed Racer. It was the first show that my parents remember me being insane over. I must have been 2 or 3 years old, and I have a vague memory of being in footie pajamas and watching it on a black and white TV.

It was probably the exposure to this show at that early of an age that imprinted my fondness for Japanese animation.

So naturally, when I heard that the Wachowski's (the creators of the Matrix trilogy) were making a live-action Speed Racer movie, I was thrilled. I love the Matrix movies (yes, ALL of them) and I could only wonder what they were going to do with my childhood hero.

What they did do was bring Speed Racer to life in a way that I never could have imagined. This movie is a fast-paced action-packed kids movie. That is not to say that adults won't like it too, but they have to be the kind of adult that has a bit of kid in them. Those going into this movie expecting high art will be disappointed. Those expecting a visual spectacle like they have dropped acid on the Shinkansen will be delighted.

For those of you not familiar, Speed Racer was the US version of Japan's Mach Go Go Go!, a story about a boy who could drive like a demon on wheels. The US version was campy and good-natured, but the car races and the gadgets and the fantastic visuals what really sold the show. The Wachowski brothers must have been huge fans, because there are so many good tributes in here that any fan of Speed Racer will be going "ooh OOH!" throughout the picture.

For me to talk about the plot here is not necessary. Speed Racer likes to drive fast. It's in his blood. His brother dies during his childhood, and now Speed is coming into his own as a legendary racer. Team Speed gets an offer from a major corporation to sponsor the team, and Speed gets a lesson in corporate evil. Oh yeah, there are also Ninjas, Monkeys, Piranhas, candy, milk, flinging poo, and heart attack-inducing racing.

What really did it for me with Speed Racer is just how fun the whole thing was. All the colors are saturated to the point of being like a world seen through a Jolly Rancher candy. This is not reality. This is a world of fancy cars and futuristic cities. There are loads of great details all over the place, but there were a few things that the Wachowski brothers did that no other comic book/anime has managed to do so far:

Dont f*ck with the Mach 5. Or the costumes.

The Mach 5, like you knew it from the show, is there. Exactly. It's not made "extreme", nor does it have flames on it. It is EXACTLY as it should look in real life. And it gets a LOT of screen time. Sure, there is a Mach 4 and a Mach 6, but those were made for a different purpose. And the same goes for the character designs and costumes. Speed, Trixie, Pops, Spridle, Chim-Chim - all look like they just stepped out of the show. And they all ACT like they came from the show. Hell, Speed jumps out of the car at the end and does this pose that only fans of the show would really get. Even the bad guys have bad 60s anime hairstyles. It's just awesome.

No corporate sponsorship

You watch movies today, and its likely you are bombarded by obvious product placement throughout the movie. This annoys me to no end. In the world of Speed Racer, billboards are everywhere, the cities are lit up like Neo Tokyo. You would think that the producers would have sold this thing to every company that wanted their soda on a billboard. Fortunately, there is none of this. There is No McDonalds. No Pepsi. No Doritos. In fact, I couldn't find a single product placement in the entire movie. Considering one of the main plot points is about how Corporations are the Devil, this shouldn't be a huge surprise, but STILL it is a welcome change from the status quo.

It should go without saying that the visual effects in Speed Racer are amazing. But you don't get a good idea really until you see it on the big screen. Yes, the movie is mostly digital, and has a very cartoony look, but that was the idea. When people get into fights, the screen slows down and motion lines fill the screen, just like in anime. The cars defy the laws of physics in tracks that just could not ever exist. The details are sharp and each race is treated with respect - each has a story with it to advance the plot. While it is eye candy, it is not JUST eye candy.

Readers of CollectionDX will probably love this movie. Kids will love this movie. People who are prone to seizures will not.

Oh yeah, and Christina Ricci is smokin' hot in it.

Go see it and have fun, and then let us know what you think!

My first exposure to Japanese Yokai came not from the original trilogy of Daiei movies released in the late 1960s or even from the recent Takashi Miike film "The Great Yokai War". Nope, sandwiched in between those more famous offerings was "Sakuya: Slayer Of Demons". I thought that the movie was fun, but the strange monsters within it really stole the show. They were quite unlike any others I'd seen elsewhere. At the time, I had no idea how famous they really were. Nor was I aware of any toys based on them. A chance discovery at a famous Japanese toy store would change that.

It was December 2006 and I was in Godzilla-ya, hunting for Jumbos as usual. No luck on that front so naturally I focused on plan B...scoring some vinyls. Now, usually I just get contemporary vinyls. Vintage is great, but too expensive. However, something caught my eye in one of the cases. Isn't that..? It is! It's that crazy umbrella monster from that movie!

At the time, I had no idea what the actual name of the character was and of course, the toys were new to me as well. But since these guys are so bizarre, it was easy to tell that there were 3 more toys with him that were all from the same line. I had my friend ask the shopkeeper if he would give me a discount if I bought all four and he agreed.

Even with a 15,000 yen discount, I had just dropped 70,000 yen on 4 toys I knew nothing about from a genre I didn't really collect. Later, it occurred to me just how dumb and out of character that was and for awhile, I really agonized over whether or not I truly wanted these things. But when I finally returned home and put them on my own vinyl shelf...oh man, I was hooked. They really stood out and added a flavor to my collection that I didn't realize it was missing. A year later, the fifth and final piece in the set would be obtained.

Kara-kasa ( からかさ) was released in 1968 by Nitto, thus making it my oldest Japanese character toy. It stands 8" tall and is articulated at the shoulders. The single leg also turns but doesn't move smoothly and there's really no reason to do it anyway. Of course, with just the one leg, and a Tengu-Geta sandal on the foot, this toy is nearly impossible to stand up on it's own. Of course, when it was originally released, the toy had an elastic through the head that could make it "bounce". You could have easily used that to hang it, but most specimens today are missing that.

If you are interested in learning more about traditional Yokai monsters, be sure to check out the upcoming book Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide. It's available this summer in Japan and later this year in both the US and the UK. The book is written by good friend Matt Alt (of ToyboxDX fame) and his wife Hiroko Yoda, both stars of the aforementioned "Great Yokai War".

Another Telco Halloween decoration, the Wolf Man is the closest thing in my collection to a Muppet!

Even though it's a far cry from looking anything like he does in the movie, I really like the look of this figure. Although the sculpt of the face is somewhat simple, it does have an elegance and personality to it that is appealing to me. I love that they added so much hair to this thing. It's got a really wild look on the one hand, but it also sort of reminds me of a Muppet, too!

Although some might consider it excessive, the hair protruding from his sleeves and pant legs is another nice touch. But honestly, it sort of makes me wish I had a nice, creepy looking scarecrow one. Telco did release a scarecrow in one of their earlier batches of Motionettes, but it's more cute looking than scary.

This Wolf Man figure has much more poseability in the arms than the Creature did. You can actually bend the arms to whatever pose you want basically, as beyond the vinyl hands the arms are just a flexible wire armature.

You know what else is great about this one? That bright yellow shirt! It's a welcome change in a genre dominated by gloomy blacks and greys. It's the closest thing to sunshine that the Wolf Man will ever get anyway...

You get the same features here as on the other Motionettes...light up eyes, moving arms/head and sound effects. The sound is much more appropriate to the character this time around, too. 17" tall to the top of the head, it actually looks more like 18" with all that hair standing up. The Wolf Man was included in both series' of 17" licensed Universal Monster Motionettes, but I don't think there's any significant difference between the two. My favorite part of this thing? I got it for a measly $5 on Ebay! When the last time you bought a Japanese robot for $5?* ;)

Figures and vehicles from Gonzo's 2008 anime Blassreiter

These figures are from the new Blassreiter anime, done by famous animation house GONZO.

BR-01 is 140mm tall and is due in July for 3,990

Blassreiter Cycle, as part of the Perfect Piece line:

350cm long, Due September for 10,290 yen

Two limited releases of popular brave series characters, done in metallic finishes.

CM's is releasing two HK exclusive Metallic finish Sunrise Mecha Action Series PVC toys. Both are due May 2008.