Feel the classic gokin love.

This toy comes from Nakajima’s short-lived Ultra Gokin line. Jo Kaisaka pilots Groizer X, the titular mecha from Go Nagai's semi-obscure King of the Sky Groizer X cartoon. Nakajima only made a handful of Popy-style diecast figures, which is too bad. They hit this one out of the park.

A lot of love went into this toy. Every part is beautifully detailed and precisely painted. The toy is 90% diecast. The only plastic elements are the helmet, belt, jet-pack, gun, and the two “handles” on the chest.

Jo comes with a few accessories: A removable helmet with clear plastic visor (!), a jet-pack, and a belt with a holster to carry his gun. The gun cannot be held by the figure. The best accessory, in my opinion, is the jaunty cloth scarf around his neck.

The jet-pack is nicely finished with firing rockets and clear plastic details. The light at the top of the pack looks like it should light up. There’s a Christmas-light-type bulb inside it, but I can’t figure out how it would turn on or where batteries would go. The pack securely clips onto two clips on the back of the belt.

The head is soft vinyl. Nakajima’s expertise with vinyl toys really shows on the head’s sculpt and paint apps, which are perfect.

The size of the figure is comparable to Popy ST toys, about 5.5" tall. Articulation is typical of contemporaneous gokin. The shoulders rotate, the elbows, hips, and elbows bend, but not enough to really do anything interesting.

The Nakajima diecasts are fairly common and inexpensive (at least loose), but I cannot understand why. This is easily one of the most soulful and beautiful toys I own.

What I like about this toy is that it packs in so much play value into a tiny little funky vehicle.

Here's a weird one for you.

The Magicar comes from an obscure show called Fifth Grade Third Division Magic Class (5年3組魔法組 - go-nen san-kumi mahougumi ) or Fifth Grade Magic Class for short. The short-lived show ran from December 1976 to October 1977 on TV Asahi.

Check out this trippy intro:

I really have no idea what this show is about, but it looks like a mix between Mister Rogers Neighborhood and Robocon.

It seems that Magicar is the main ride of the Queen of the Witches, who somehow ends up teaching a class in school, and the kids and her go off on all sorts of wacky adventures. I'd love to see the show, if anyone has it.

The Magicar was released in 1977 as part of the Popynica line of diecast vehicle toys. The toy consists of two main sections.

What I like about this toy is that it packs in so much play value into a tiny little funky vehicle.

The top section seats all the kids from the magic class and the bulk of it is diecast metal.

There is a small propeller in the middle, and if you push down on it, a red missile fires from the front.

Underneath the propeller is a metal wheel. The idea is that you take the included piece of string, thread it under the wheel, and then your Magicar can zoom across the room!

Awesome!

The lower part of the ship features three multi colored towers that each has metal wheels on the bottom and spinning propellers on top. Hold on to the bottom and give the top a good twist and the two halves separate.

Look what's inside! A Compass! And over thirty years later, it still works great.

The box is typical Popy - gorgeous. The bottom has an extra special tip for the kids from the notorious Susumu Abe, a noted child educator at the time. Anyone care to translate?

The magicar is a pretty common piece from a relatively unknown show, and can be had easily for about 3,000 - 4,000 yen (as of 2009).

Our first TRUE HD video! This one comes from the collection of Josh C10 Fraser.. Bask in the glory of the tin..

I'm not a huge fan of tin. I can appreciate the beauty of a nice tin, but the fragility and high prices just turn me off from the scene, which is probably for the best.

Thankfully we have collectors like Josh F who hunt down these pristine samples of tin and share them with the world.

Not only is this tin in excellent shape, but check out the box condition. It's rare to see a tin with a box at all, nevermind a rare box in great shape.

Take a moment to watch this video. We shot this in true 720p High Definition - Youtube now supports it and it is pretty phenomenal. It may take a while to load, but it is well worth it.

My god, I think we've elevated toy porn to a whole new level here.

In regards to the tin, well it is your standard tin walker. Soft vinyl head, tin body, wind up action. It really is a work of art.

Thanks again to Josh Fraser for letting CDX play with his toys for a bit.

The Gaiking Necklace is the new must-have fashion accessory for 1977.

This Gaiking Necklace is another piece of the Joshua C-10 Fraser collection. He wore it to the 2008 Summit, and it was left behind to be documented...

It's a basic Popy soft vinyl robot figure with a brass ring in the head and arms up in the air. The only point of articulation is at the waist.

The brass ring is attached to a long metal chain.

The Necklace was sold in a plastic capsule, similar to todays UFO Capsule toys.

Another classic, beloved Shogun Warriors toy. Raydeen evoked fond memories in me when I first saw him again as an adult, but once I discovered the original, it lost it's appeal for me.

Two years after Popy released their Raideen Jumbo Machinder, the toy would be imported into North America and Europe as part of Mattel's Shogun Warriors line-up. Mattel labeled the toy as "Raydeen" on the packaging. Depending on who's doing the writing, you'll see it listed sometimes as "Raideen" or "Reideen". There are three versions of this Mattel release. I won't focus on those differences since that's already been done here. What I will touch on is the difference between the Mattel and Popy versions. The Mattel version I have is version 2.

The first thing that jumps out at you is that the left fist has been changed. Instead of having the original bow-fist, Mattel attached a launching "Iron Cutter" fist that was originally a part of Popy's line of Jumbo accessory fists, designated XX-13. It's nice that they wanted you to have another launching fist, but it really throws off the symmetry of the toy, with one hand now hanging lower than the other.

If you stand the Popy and Mattel versions side by sie, you'd notice that the Mattel one is actually taller. On the 2nd version, this can partly be attributed to the different wheel housing on the feet, but more significant is the fact that the legs have been elongated at the knees. In the picture below, notice that the Mattel version (on the left) has a lot more blue plastic above the screw before you get to the white upper leg. You'll also see that the Popy version comes with stickers on the side of the leg, while the Mattel (2nd version at least) did not.

I have no idea why this extra material was added, but personally, I prefer the stockier look of the original toy better. One thing is sure though, while replacing the Iron Cutter with a bow-fist will make your Shogun Warrior Raydeen look better, it's still noticeably different from the Popy version.

Other than those things, it's basically the same as the Popy toy (with the other differences detailed in the link above notwithstanding.) As with most of the Shogun Warrior Jumbos, it's very, very common on ebay.

This is very likely the easiest to acquire Jumbo out there. But it's a classic and should be in your collection....

Leading the charge for Mattel's Shogun Warrior invasion in the late 1970s was Great Mazinger (called Great Mazinga on the box). This is probably the most easily recognizable Jumbo out there. Not only was it released in great numbers, it also had several different versions produced from Matttel alone. (For more on the variations between releases, check out this site.) Additionally, it was also released in such places as, of course, Japan, but also Hong Kong, Spain and Venezuela. Various different forms to be sure, but quite obviously the same basic toy.

The version I have is the third version with the cheaper sticker on the chest. Now, most people think I'm a bit nuts for wanting to get this one instead of the more elaborate and eye-pleasing first version, but I have a solid reason for that. I simply wanted the one that was most different from the Unifive version that I already had when I bought this. Naturally, I'd love to have every Jumbo ever released at some point in my life, but until then, variety is the way to go for me. Some might suggest just getting all three Mattel versions, but frankly, I just wanted one of each character and then move on. I can also get the other versions later if desired.

If you've clicked the links above, you'll see that about the only other significant thing that sets this toys apart from the previously reviewed versions is that it has a normal right hand and a rocket launcher for a left hand, instead of a matching pair of either. Furthermore, this toy comes with only 3 missiles on each leg instead of the usual 5. Recently, someone was actually able to recognize that my tattoos were from this toy!

You SHOULD own all the Jumbo Shogun Warriors. This is a fact. But if you want only one of each character, you're probably better off getting one of the earlier versions of Great Mazinga, unless you already have the Popy/U5 version and think the same way I do. This version is not as nice, but is cheaper. I paid just over $100, I think, for mine. And they are all over Ebay.

Ok, sorry if this review stunk and that I made you look at my hairy leg. But let's face, this is basically the 5th time I've had to review essentially the same toy so forgive me if it becomes progressively harder to keep it interesting! Maybe this appearance of the toy in the 1982 made for TV movie "Don't Go To Sleep" will add some spice.

And naturally, the old commercials are always fun, too.

As you can see in the pics, I'm missing the sticker for one of the knees. If you've got one, let me know. I've got an extra sticker from the pelvis I could swap for it.

A cool toy, but Pegas is probably the least desirable of the three Jumbos released by Nakajima. I think it's unique design actually works against it in terms of it's appeal to collectors.

Nakajima's Jumbo Pegas Robot (ペガスロボット) is another one of those toys that gets less respect than it probably deserves, both from myself and many other Jumbo collectors. It's not that it's a bad toy. In fact, it's a fantastic toy, but it just doesn't look enough like a normal Jumbo. Although it hails from the same show and is the companion piece to the Jumbo Tekkaman, it still feels like the odd man out when displayed with the other 2 Nakajima Jumbos. But every time I take it out of it's box and look at it as an individual piece, it's appeal is hard to ignore.

I guess what really sets this guy apart from his brethren is that he's shorter (measuring in at only 19.5" tall), has no real legs to speak of and is the only Jumbo that I'm aware of that has no hands. Both arms end with missile launchers. This isn't a bad thing. It's pretty cool actually. The missile launchers are made of hard plastic and each shoots three missiles. There is a third barrel molded into the plastic beneath these that looks like it might represent another gun, but I've not seen the show so I'm not sure. A nice sticker in these would be cool, but none are included. These missile launchers are not meant to be removed and no accessories can be swapped for them, but you can unscrew them easily and take them apart if you need to adjust the firing mechanism for some reason. Mine were sticking a bit so I took it apart and reassembled it and now it seems fine.

Although Pegas does not have any legs, he does have an opening cockpit instead. The dark blue plastic can be opened up and a mini vinyl of Tekkaman (included along with another generic villain) can be placed inside. The way it closes is pretty cool. There is a small bump in the light blue polyethylene near the bottom of the left door. You push that door past it and it will stay closed. Then close the right door and turn the knob until the latch on the back grabs the opposite door. This works fine, but I remember that when I first got the toy that it wasn't overly obvious that this was how you do it. I didn't notice the bump that closes the first door and was worried it might even be broken.

Pegas also has one of the cooler sets of wings that you'll ever find on a Jumbo. A pair of large and small retractable wings adorn the back of the robot. They are on simple hinges but the smaller wing is connected to the larger, so that when you lift the large one, the smaller raises as well. These wings, combined with the large pointy missile launchers for hands and the large ridges on either side of the head really give the toy something of a vampiric appearance, which appeals to me as a horror fan.

There's probably not too much more to say about this guy. Besides the hard plastic hands, most everything else is typical of a Jumbo. Polyethylene body, soft vinyl head and wheels on the feet. It comes in a box that sort of annoys me because the top lid does not cover the entirety of the cardboard bottom, but I'm fickle that way and am probably the only person on the planet who cares about such a thing. My specimen also came with several cards of some sort, but I'm not sure if every one was issued with these or if they were just left in there by the previous owner. I've never really noticed them in other specimens, but I just might not have been paying attention.

Pegas is a really cool toy, but much like Tekkaman, it probably isn't really essential to your Jumbo collection. It's probably about the same as Tekkaman in terms of rarity and price as well. It's not exactly everywhere, but if you made it your goal to get one, it probably wouldn't take that long if you watch the auctions and ask around for it. I found mine on a Japanese website and got a really good deal on it (about 25,000yen) because it has a little sticker damage and was missing one of the metal rods on the wheel. (Fortunately, my dad works in a machine shop and made me a perfect replica.) You're likely to get a better price if you find it listed somewhere other than a Jumbo Machinder search, but it either way, it shouldn't set you back too much, at least in comparison to other Jumbos. An Italian bootleg Junior Machinder of this character was made, but is nowhere near as cool and if you like Pegas, you have to get the real deal.

Being nuts for just about any Jumbo, I like Nakajima's Tekkaman. But I suspect the average fan doesn't exactly consider it a "must have" toy for their collection.

Tekkaman comes from the anime "Space Knight Tekkaman" (aka "Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman, 宇宙の騎士テッカマン) which aired for 26 episodes from July through December of 1975. Evidently it was a flop on it's initial Japanese run, being canceled only half way through it's planned 52 episode run. However, reports say it did very well here in the United States, though I never even knew it aired here. Must have been in another region of the country. (Source: Wikipedia and Anime News Network)

Kazunori Saito's Encyclopedia Of Jumbo Machinders stated that the Tekkaman Jumbo was released in 1977, but this seems strange to me. Why would Nakajima release a jumbo of a failed character two years after his show was canceled? Seems like a weird thing to do, especially back then, long before retro toy collecting was in vogue. Perhaps the toy came out very early in '77 and combined with the sudden cancellation of the show in late '75, maybe Nakajima was already far enough along in the process that they just decided to go ahead with it regardless. There is nothing on the box to show date of release, and while there is a copyright molded into the back, no date is shown on the toy either. Whatever the case, we would end up with two more Jumbos from this show (this one and his robot, Pegas) so I'm glad they were made.

This in another one of those jumbos that collectors are somewhat divided on. It's not a bad toy in it's own way, but it's not a robot character (though it sort of looks like one with that mask on) and the style and proportions are different from the classic Popy style. The large rounded shoulders clash with most other toys of this type. Of course, I like it (hey, have I reviewed a Jumbo yet that I DIDN'T like?!).

Much like Nakajima's previous Jumbo release, Capsule Robo G, Tekkaman comes with a missile launcher attached to each hand. In fact, these are almost the exact same launchers except that the version on Tekkaman has been molded in clear plastic. Also, I'm not sure of the significance of it, but the one on the left hand of my Tekkaman has a little number 5 molded into the outside edge of the button you press to launch the missile.

More weaponry is included with the toy in the form of another missile launcher, this time from the very forehead of the toy. This missile appears to have the same shaft as the other Nakajima missiles, only the front has been changed from the typical red, 4-finned nose to a circular disc with a sticker on the front. There is a button on the back of the head that you press to fire this missile.

But that's not all. Tekkaman also comes with a pretty cool and unique weapon that he can hold in either hand, a double sided and extendable spear. The blades on either side of this weapon can be pulled out to increase the size of the weapon. Getting Tekkaman complete isn't really that hard, but this is one of the items that is most often missing from loose specimens. Lastly, you also get two more mini vinyl monsters for Tekkaman to do battle with.

The articulation on the arms of this jumbos is different than most others. You can turn the arms at the seam where the red and blue meets. Since the joint is at an angle, you get a different look than the most straight forward jumbos. He can achieve a pose that is reminiscent of an Old West gun fighter, hands at his sides, waiting to draw. You can also turn the head and waist, and there are wheels on the feet.

I've also encountered one very minor variation in the Tekkaman specimens I've seen. While the waist sticker on mine is red, I've seen at least one other that was blue. The box image (which is really kind of boring) doesn't show this sticker at all and the red is more uniform throughout the toy. But otherwise, it's the same sculpt as the finished product. And one thing I never really consciously noticed until now is that with the exception of the missiles shooters, everything above the waist on this toy is made of vinyl. On most Jumbos, just the head is vinyl.

The Tekkaman Jumbo isn't for everyone. Unless you are a Jumbo completist or just love the character, I'm guessing you could probably do without it. It might be a bit too funky for most. But I think it makes a great companion piece to Capsule Robo G, even though the characters are not from the same source media. If you do want a Tekkaman Jumbo, it's probably one of the easier ones to get. Maybe I should say "less rare" than most Jumbos instead of easy to get, but they definitely turn up several times a year, in varying conditions.

I bought my JAKQ Dia Jack at an IPMS Model kit show at the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel in Buena Park about 1986. It was in a huge box full of blow out priced Japanese toys and I believe I paid $2.00 for it. Looking back all these years later I wonder what other toys were in that box that I failed to recognize! This was also the same show that I saw the Tetsujin 28 Godaikin for sale for only $100.00! Boy, have times changed!

The concept was real simple for this once 12-year-old kid in the mid 1980’s. If the toy looked Japanese…I bought it, regardless if I even knew what series it was from or not. Years later I had assembled a huge collection of Japanese toys and when it came to identifying some of these toys pre-internet days it was near next to impossible.

So I now introduce one of these toys that I haphazardly bought, JAKQ’s Dia Jack Blue. JAKQ was the second Super Sentai series from 1977. Although now considered a groundbreaking program, JAKQ only ran for 35 episodes and was cancelled about a third of the way through the series. The costume gimmick of JAKQ was that all colored hero’s wore card shapes on their helmet’s visors: Spade Ace, Dia Jack, Heart Queen, Clover King, Big One and Commander Joker. The subject of this review is Dia (Diamond) Jack.

I bought my JAKQ Dia Jack at an IPMS Model kit show at the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel in Buena Park about 1986. It was in a huge box full of blow out priced Japanese toys and I believe I paid $2.00 for it. Looking back all these years later I wonder what other toys were in that box that I failed to recognize! This was also the same show that I saw the Tetsujin 28 Godaikin for sale for only $100.00! Boy, have times changed!

Dia (Diamond) Jack figure stands at 3 ¾ making it one of the few Japanese action figures lines next to microman in this scale that would later prove popular with Kenner and Hasbro with their respective lines. As my Dia Jack did not come with any packaging and was bought “as is” I do not have any photo reproduction of what the outer package looked like. My example came with: 1x Dia Jack Figure, 1x Strengthening Capsule.

Typical of many Japanese figures of this era, the figure is not a realistic depiction of a human body; I hate to see what the female Heart Queen figure looked like! Dia Jack bends at the knees, hips, elbow and shoulder. The gloves, head and waist also spin around. The figure comes with a cool yellow vinyl cape that adds a lot of character to the figure. I also love the look of the diamond visor helmet. In my opinion JAKQ helmets are the best looking in entire 30 year series and one of the most easily remembered.

One of my favorite features of Dia Jack is the strengthening capsule that is included with the figure. In the series each character henshin into their respective outfits in these strengthening capsules that was located in their ship, Sky Ace. It is a great carrying case for Dia Jack and it holds the figure securely inside the capsule. The capsule could also explain why my Dia Jack was in clean condition when I purchased it and why stayed in mint condition in my possession for so many years.

Over the last few years I have been clearing out many of my Japanese toys and focusing my collection on Chogokins, Macross, Robotech and 1980’s GI Joe related items and I have since sold this figure on Ebay to a local collector for $23.00.

If you are a fanatic about this classic Super Sentai series I would definitely try to assemble a complete set as it would be an impressive and unique display. But to be honest I’m going to patiently wait for a better and true to life toy depiction of JACQ’s characters, sadly something I do not see happening any time soon.

For More information on JAKQ: http://www.supersentai.com/database/1977_jakq/index.html

Leonardo Flores “Uplandmod”

Voltes V (Pronounced Voltes FIVE) was the second part of Tadao Magahama’s Romance Trilogy.

I had gone back and forth on whether or not to pick this toy up. I had all of the other Shogun Warrior ST figures, so I thought I should eventually get it, but I was in no rush. To me Voltes was never as cool as Combattler. However a deal came about with a partial trade and I figured I would go for it. It wasn’t a Shogun Warrior box, and it wasn’t in the best of condition, but the price was right. (Thanks Sanjeev).

Voltes V (Pronounced Voltes FIVE)  was the second part of Tadao Magahama’s Romance Trilogy. See our other Voltes V Reviews for more background info on the show.

The Chogokin GA-80 Voltes V ST (超合金 ボルテスＶ) is a really nice toy. It features firing fists, Firing head, and a removable chest part that becomes the hilt for the sword.

Included accessories:

• Manual
• Rocket Punch (4)
• Swords (2)

The swords can be held in either hand and use the red chest section as the hilt. The Swords have a tendency to tarnish really easily.

Voltes V can also transform into Battlewagon mode in the same fashion as Combattler V. With Voltes, you have to pull the rear wheel assemblies out to the sides, rotate them down, and then push them in. The plastic here tends to get worn and loose so be careful.

Packaging

The packaging features a painting of Voltes V instead of a photo of the toy. Towards the end of the GA series, Popy had moved away from photos of Jumbo Machines and Prototypes and began using character artwork on the boxes.

Another thing you might notice is the smiling mug of a jolly Japanese fellow on the box. That’s Susumu Abe (阿部進), a famous Japanese educational commentator. Born in 1930 (and still alive) Susumu Abe had a weekly serialized column in Shonen Jump Magazine in the 70s. From there he took his advice for children and by agreement with Popy (a heavy sponsor of Shonen Jump) and placed small nuggets of wisdom on the back of  Chogokin Boxes.