The metal flecks mean it's Gokin

Sometimes things must be bought, because if not, nobody would believe you when you told them about it. Such is the case with this Gaiking bootleg.

It's like cryptozooloogy for toys.

Lets talk about the card and packaging first. Daiking is sold blister-carded, meaing encased in a vacu-formed plastic bubble that adheres to a card via glue. When this arrived, the glue had dried up, and the bubble was mostly off. The front card art is gaudy, loud and obnoxious - in other words - Awesome.

At the top of the card, in a small yellow box is the phrase "Pla-Gokin" (プラ合金). Below that is the character name - Daiking, likely named to avoid the obvious impending lawsuit.

The "Pla" in "Pla gokin" stands for plastic.

The bottom right has the toy safety inspection seal (no idea if it actually got inspected), and on the left, the logo of the Manufacturer, Toy Pat Co.

The back of the card is just black printed on cardboard, with an illustration of Daiking that looks remarkably inspired by the Shogun Warriors version of the Gaiking Jumbo.

The toy itself is a hideous monstrosity, but I can't help stare at it and marvel at its weirdness. It looks like Gaiking, but it doesn't. It's as if they made the toy based on a drawing by a Japanese 6 year old, without ever actually knowing what Gaiking really looked like.

The material is a smoky clear vinyl infused with large metallic flakes. I guess that's the gokin in Pla-Gokin. The vinyl is thick, smelly, with a slightly sticky texture.

Articulation is kind of a moot point with this, but it has the standard arms and waist movement. The toy stands about 6 inches tall.

Really, it's another obscure funky oddity in the world of Japanese toys. I love the almost folk-art take on one of the most iconic super robots. I am also intrigued about the fact that this appears to be a bootleg made by the Japanese for the Japanese market - something of a rarity. You almost never see these for sale. When they do come up, expect them to sell for a few hundred dollars.

Nessar was an aquatic mech piloted by Bunta Hayami, the "Big Guy" of the crew of the Daikyu Maryu. There's always one in every crew. Being a big guy myself, the inclusion of these characters in these shows helped me identify with the Japanese shows moreso than their western counterparts.

Nesser (or Nessar) is one of the three support mecha that fly alongide the Daikyu Maryu and Gaiking mecha in the 1976 anime "Daikyu Maryu Gaiking".

Nessar was an aquatic mech piloted by Bunta Hayami, the "Big Guy" of the crew of the Daikyu Maryu. There's always one in every crew. Being a big guy myself, the inclusion of these characters in these shows helped me identify with the Japanese shows moreso than their western counterparts.

It's no coincidence that Nesser resembles a Plesiosaur. The Loch Ness Monster is thought to be a Plesiosaur, and is nicknamed "Nessie". Get it?

This little diecast toy was released by Popy in 1975. A few years later it was repackaged and released by Mattel as part of the Shogun Warriors line.

Lets face it, this little guy is cute. As fearsome as Gaiking was with the giant skull on his chest, the Nesser, Bazolar and Skyler are the cute kawaii mecha that kids can relate to.

As part of the Popynica line, you would expect that there would be metal, and Nesser does not disappoint. The body and neck are solid metal. The body is that funky metallic blue, with the completely non-anime accurate stickers, blaring the characters name in all its 70s goodness. There are wheels on the bottom of the body, enabling Nesser to roll around.

While we are on the body, lets talk about the wings. The blue plastic wings are lined with red plastic. Each wing has spaces to store extra missiles. These do not fire. On the inside of the wings are more funky yellow stickers with Japanese Writing on them.

There are, however, two missile launchers in the body that are activated by pressing the red buttons on the sides of the toy.

The neck is jointed at the body and at the head, enabling you to position it straight ahead. With the head out, the wings out, and the feet turned up, Nesser turns into a sleek flying or diving machine.

The head is dark blue plastic with translucent green eyes. It's articulated at the jaw.

To put it bluntly, Nesser rocks. I love it. The only thing you have to be careful about is the tail. Over time the blue plastic of the tail becomes brittle and breaks off easily, often in the package. Be sure to have the seller check it before purchasing one.

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.

The Mecharobo Gaiking is better known in the US as the Shogun Warriors ZARGON.

The Mecharobo Gaiking is better known in the US as the Shogun Warriors ZARGON.

First things first – this toy comes from the collection of one Mr Joshua Fraser (aka Josh C-10 Fraser). For those of you not familiar with Josh, he is not only a legend in the collecting world, but also a dear friend of mine. He doesn’t have the biggest collection – not in the least. What makes him a legend is his particular fascination with 2 things – Gaiking, and mint C-10 boxes. He will upgrade toys from a C-9 box to get a C-10 box. He has custom containers made to make sure they stay C-10. It’s an obsession that goes beyond the bounds of normal collecting. For him, nothing less than deadstock will do. It makes for and impressive, and respected collection.

That being said, Josh came up one night to photograph some items for auction, and he asked if I wanted him to bring anything. I asked for “that Gaiking that comes apart and is battery operated”.

“The Mecharobo” he tells me.

Of course I want to get this classic toy photographed for CDX. SO he brings it up, components wrapped separately from the box so not to get damaged.

What makes the Mecharobo Gaiking unique is its construction. The main torso has a motor in it that turns various connection points to the body. All of the parts are modular; so you can swap limbs, heads, etc, and then switch it on, and watch the appendages start flailing. There were only two Mecharobo toys released in the line – Combattler being the first.

First off – the box. Beautiful. You will notice that the printing is a bit off on this specimen, looking like you need 3-D glasses to view it.

The toy itself is absolutely stunning. It is one of the best representations of Gaiking, in my opinion (in toy form).

All the parts are hard ABS plastic. Each part is removable from the core body, including the skull face.

I asked Josh about the red missiles in the chest. They do not shoot. He thinks they move back and forth, but I was surprised to find out he’s never turned one on. Ok, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. But that’s our best guess.

The fists fire by pressing a yellow button on the upper arms. Unfortunately, the hands cannot hold the leg crosses.

In theory, there are hundreds of different combinations you can make with this toy. Unfortunately, we can’t show them to you. First of all there are two large yellow wheels that attach to the side that were left in his display case at home. Secondly, the rubber tank treads had never been removed from their plastic bag, and Mr. C-10 was not about to tear them out now. Such is life.

But hey, I got pictures – and what a glorious thing this is. Its huge, maybe a foot tall, and even un-motorized it has a great shelf presence.

I mentioned that this came to the US as Zargon, from the Shogun Warriors line in 1978. The only change made to this toy was that the upper arms on Zargon are white instead of blue.

The main draw here is the glorious golden skull. This screaming face is the embodiment of Gaiking. It features large opening jaws that really accentuate the ferociousness of this mode.

The Revoltech Gaiking (Open Face Version) comes from the recent "Gaiking: Legend of Daiku-Maryu" anime series. I have to admit that I haven’t yet watched the TV series, but any show that brings new Gaiking merchandise to the shelves is alright with me.

The toy is the 39th release in the standard Revoltech line. If you don’t know by now what Revoltech toys are, you must be living under a rock. Gaiking comes courtesy of HobbyLink Japan.

This black version of Gaiking represents a “Powered up” berserk mode. The face plates have come off of the chest of Gaiking and he is ready to kick some ass.

Gaiking features 35 points of articulation and a bunch of accessories including two Counter Crosses, a Hydro Blazer energy ball, six optional hands, and a display base. The crosses on the knees can be removed as well.

The main draw here is the glorious golden skull. This screaming face is the embodiment of Gaiking. It features large opening jaws that really accentuate the ferociousness of this mode.

It’s essentially the same figure as the Revoltech 024 Gaiking, with the main difference being the skull sculpt and paint job. The paint here is a dark charcoal grey with dark purple accents. It’s quite striking.

You can get your own Gaiking at HobbyLink Japan. You know you want to.

http://www.hlj.com/product/KYD01161

It's a big giant Daiku Maryu and that's what you need!

Since I knew I was not likely to ever drop the sort of money it would take to acquire a vintage Popy Daiku Maryu Jumbo Machinder, it was pretty exciting when news of this new jumbo sized vinyl broke back in early December 2006. I knew going in that this wouldn't be comparable to the original, but for the money it would be a very nice option. After nearly 6 months of waiting, I finally received it a few days ago.

Daiku Maryu (大空魔竜) is of course the "Great Space Dragon" from the classic anime Gaiking. Though there is an image of the vintage show on the back of the box, from what I can tell the old and new shows (the new show being "Gaiking: Legend Of Daiku Maryu") both feature basically the same design. The head of Daiku Maryu launches to form the body of the Gaiking super robot.

This toy is an excellent, accurate vinyl rendition of the character, but it is more in keeping with the "Soul Of Chogokin" aesthetic than the Jumbo Machinder, though it is likely jumbo fans who are most interested in it. Fortunately, I collect both lines so either way I'm happy to have it.

Though there are 13 points of articulation (3 on the tail, 3 on each leg, both horns, the jaw and the neck), you would do well to consider this more of a display piece than a toy. I'm just not sure how well the joints will hold up to actual play wear over time. It feels like the tail would fall off if you lifted this by just the body and the legs seem a little too soft to withstand the weight of the figure. So far it seems fine on mine, but I've been keeping the legs pointing almost straight down. It just seems like it would be stronger that way. Maybe I'm wrong and time will prove otherwise, but for my part, I'd rather play it safe and keep it just for it's looks.

And it looks great! The sculpt is detailed, though not overly so, and the paint is fantastic. The metallic silver, gold and blue really shine and honestly this will look better displayed with your SOCs than your jumbos or vinyls. All the wheels are molded in place so there's no movement there and the fins on the back might be position a little closer together than I would prefer, but these are minor complaints at best. It's a big giant Daiku Maryu and that's what you need!

But it's not JUST Daiku Maryu. Nope, included are 3 mini vinyls of Skylar, Nessar and Bazoler. A mini, in-scale Gaiking vinyl would have been perfect to complete the set, but maybe we'll see that later. In the meantime, apparently the new Revoltech Gaiking makes a great companion piece.

A couple words about the size of this thing. It is a legit 24" long, but that's diagonally from the tip of the tail to the front of the face. Actual front to back length is more like 20" but that's nothing to sneeze at either. It comes disassembled, but putting the necessary parts together is a piece of cake. Just pop the head and tail parts on and you're good to go. The box measures 14.5" long by 9.5" high and 9.5" deep. Not only the toy, but even the box is reminiscent of the Soul of Chogokin line. Not exact replicas, just similar in style.

I never heard of the company "Most Wanted" before this release and for all I know this is the first thing they've done. It's certainly the first in the "Project Super Robot" line, but hopefully not the last. It's a very impressive piece to have in your display and I highly recommend you pick one up.

Another Gaiking Jumbo, this time Venezuela's take on the Mattel Shogun Warrior toy.

Although Mattel's Shogun Warrior Gaiking is generally regarded as an inferior product to it's Popy ancestor, there is no denying it's enduring popularity. Kids at that time loved the toy and as adults now have nothing but the fondest of memories. Furthermore, the Shogun Warrior Jumbos were such a smash hit that they were copied by two different toy manufacturers. Nacoral in Spain and Famosa in Venezuela were two companies that produced toys mimicking the Shogun Warriors. Both produced versions of Gaiking that are nearly identical to each other, but are significantly different than the Mattel version. I once won the Nacoral version on ebaY but it was destroyed in shipping and I've never managed to replace it. But I do have the Famosa version so I can tell you about that.

The first thing you might notice about the Famosa version is that it has two jointed elbows instead of just the one on the Shogun Warrior. Furthermore, both fists can be launched. (Although I can't see any specific reason why, the left fist on my specimen likes to fire off on it's own.) The Famosa Gaiking (which is actually labeled as "Robot Lanze Punos" on the box) also comes ready for battle with 10 extra missiles that are stored on the legs. These are the same legs as the Great Mazinger and the missiles clips are held in place in part by a screw.

Next, you'll notice that the head on this version is also different. Instead of being made of soft vinyl with painted highlights, it is hard plastic with stickers for details. The mouth grill is a gold foil sticker with black lines and there is also supposed to be stickers in the eyes, but my specimen is missing them. The same stickers as the Mattel version adorn the torso. The torso itself seems to be a harder plastic and the yellow is also brighter. Overall, I really like the look of this toy, even though it is even further removed from what the original Jumbo Machinder looked like.

I suppose the final thing to mention is the box. As I said in the Great Mazinger review, all the Famosa jumbos came in the same box. Each shows Great Mazinger and says "Mazinger Z", regardless of which robot you are getting. The way to know what you are buying was to read the name checked off on the top of the lid.

The Famosa Gaiking seems to be the second most common jumbo in the line (following Great Mazinger) but is still not easy to get. I think I've seen or heard of something like 5 of them selling. But the line as a whole is still a fairly new discovery so I'm sure more are out there.

Gaiking was broadcast in Latin America in a show similar to Jim Terry's Force Five. It was called "El Festival de los Robots" and featured Gaiking ("El Gladiador"), Starzinger ("El Galactico"), Gakeen ("Supermagnetron") and Jeeg ("El Vengador").

EL FESTIVAL DE LOS ROBOTS

EL GLADIADOR

Though inferior to the Popy toy it's based on, the Shogun Warrior Gaiking is one of the most famous and beloved Jumbos worldwide.

Among the characters that Mattel chose to import from Popy's Jumbo Machinder line, the Shogun Warrior Gaiking is easily the most different from it's predecessor. It's almost a completely different toy. Since I don't actually own a Popy Gaiking, for the purposes of this review I'm actually comparing the Mattel version with the Unifive version, which is basically the same thing.

The first difference you can't help but notice is that the torso has been changed. Instead of separately molded parts that open to reveal the missile launchers/storage racks, the entire torso of the Shogun Warrior version is one molded piece. Stickers provide the black of the eyes as well as the silver and red off the mouth and the effect is far less impressive. The missiles still shoot from the eyes, but now the firing mechanism is located on the back. It utilizes the same mechanism as the one found on the Popy Dangard Ace Jumbo. Of course, what this means is that now there can be no wings on the back like the Popy Gaiking.

The firing right fist was carried over, but here Mattel added a hinge that allows for greater poseability than before. But the downside to that is that now the symmetry of the design has been compromised. And the extra black on the right arm has always sort of reminded me of Canada's Greatest Athlete. With the missile racks no longer available inside the chest, they are now stored on top of the shoulders. Most of the Shogun Warrior Jumbos had the regular red shaft/white fin missiles, but my Gaiking has the opposite color scheme.

The "Counter Cross" weapons that could be removed from the legs of the Popy toy have been replaced with simple stickers on the Mattel toy. Most people hate this, but in a way, I think it works better on this toy, since the chest has also been simplified. I think if you had separately molded "Counter Cross" weapons on the legs, they would stick out much further than the now flat torso and the effect would be strange looking. Of course, it would have been better if none of these changes were made at all.

About the only things that were not changed here are the hips and the head. The head looks like the exact same sculpt, but the paint job is much, much poorer on the Mattel toy. Not only is it more sloppily applied, but there is no color within the grills of the mouth. That missing detail makes a huge difference. The horns were molded in yellow instead of gold, but I have to admit, even though the gold looks nicer on the head, I sort of like that it now matches the color of the chest.

Now, you're probably reading all this and thinking, "Gee, Dave really hates the Shogun Warrior Gaiking" and that couldn't be further from the truth. I'm just acknowledging that it is in fact inferior to the Popy toy. But it's also the toy I grew up with and loved as a kid. Due to it's inclusion in the "Force Five" cartoon, which was widely loved where I grew up, Gaiking was a VERY popular robot and remains so to this day. Though the cartoon wasn't one of my favorites of the group, only it and Getter Dragon were chracters from the show to be released in Jumbo form in the United States, so familiarity alone made me love the toy as a child. And despite it's flaws, I still love it as an adult.

It seems all the Mattel Shogun Warrior Jumbos were produced in great numbers and are pretty easy to find on Ebay. However, as easy as it is to get the Shoguns, it's not so easy to get them in PERFECT condition. Often the boxes are pretty beat up and things like inserts and paperwork are missing. A perfectly deadstock example will command a much higher premium.

I've listed the original price for Gaiking as $13.88 because I've seen a picture advertising Mazinga, Dragun and Raydeen for that much, and until I know better, I'd assume that Gaiking was the same cost. If you know otherwise, please let me know.

First of all, let's get one thing clear. This is not the classic Gaiking from the 70's. This is the new version of Gaiking from the 2005 series "The Legend of Daiku-Maryu". It looks just like the classic Gaiking, but with some subtle differences.

Revoltech Yamaguchi Series Gaiking
リボルテック・ヤマグチシリーズ 「ガイキング」 （THE　LEGEND　OF　DAIKU-MARYU）

First of all, let’s get one thing clear. This is not the classic Gaiking from the 70’s. This is the new version of Gaiking from the 2005 series “The Legend of Daiku-Maryu”. It looks just like the classic Gaiking, but with some subtle differences.

Gaiking is the 24th entry into the Revoltech line. Never has one toy line covered so many different licenses and done it with such quality. I really hope Kaiyodo and Organic continue to do more of the modern super robots. Gaiking (and the rest of the Revoltech line) can be found at HobbyLink Japan.

Included with Gaiking are the following accessories

• Counter Cross x2
• Hydro Blazer
• Optional Hands x 6
• Display Base

Gaiking features 11 Revoltech joints and stands about 130mm (5.1 Inches) tall. The figure is comprised of 37 pieces and went on sale Sunday, April 14, 2007.

Gaiking’s head is a double Revoltech joint that allows for a full range of motion. It seems to be that this double joint is now the standard for Revoltech releases.

The skull chest assembly is actually 2 parts, with the lower jaw being movable. The whole assembly is removable and attaches via 2 pegs. It actually comes off a little too easily, if you ask me.  The shoulders are swivel joints and the elbows are Revoltech joints. The hands are removable and can be swapped with any of the option hands.

The lower legs are your standard Revoltech fare, but it is worth noting that the leg crosses are removable (although smaller size than the other Counter Cross weapons.)

In terms of accessories, the only weapons included are the 2 large Counter Cross weapons and a Hydro Blazer ball. The Counter Cross weapons can be held by two of the option hands, but they don’t hold them well.

The Hydro blazer is a ball that is held by another optional hand. A peg in the Hydro Blazer fits into a hole in this special hand.

The base is your standard Revoltech base, with a slight difference. This base has a long arm with a Revoltech joint on the back, which we have seen before with Getter 2. The difference with this base is that it has an additional peg on the base. What this means is that you can connect Gaiking to the base in 2 places. This makes for a much sturdier display. Another new thing with the stand is that Gaiking has 2 connection points on his back – one on his back and one in the exhaust port of his back jet.

The only problem I had with this figure is that there was a small area on the outside of the leg that looks like a factory defect. Not sure if it is a scuff mark or what, but as HobbyLink Japan says, these figures may have minor imperfections. Another thing I was a little disappointed in was the lack of spear and shield that the new Gaiking uses.

Still, it’s a cool new poseable Gaiking action figure, and a no-brainer for any classic super robot fan.

The last Jumbo to come from Japan......

The fourth and last entry in the Unifive line of Jumbo Machine toys would be Gaiking (ガイキング). The original anime aired in Japan from April 1st 1976 to January 27th, 1977, but would later be shown as part of the "Force Five" program in the United States. Popy would release a Jumbo Machinder of the character in 1976 and Mattel would release a radically different one as part of their "Shogun Warriors" line the next year. Most US collectors had to settle for the inferior Mattel version, until the Unifive re-issue of the Popy classic.

I have never owned the original Popy version, so I can't say for sure, but to the naked eye, the Unifive looks completely identical. One of the first things I noticed when preparing this review is just how many parts this thing actually comes with. It had been awhile since I'd taken it apart so a little dusting was in order. Much like the other two heroes in the line, Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger, I've really grown so used to this toy that I don't often appreciate how nice it really is. It's really got alot going for it besides just it's great design. The missiles in the eyes of the chest both shoot by pressing a tab just next to them. 5 missiles are included, and the spare three are stored in the chest by lifting the Daiku Maryu face and snapping them into the holders.

Gaiking also shoots his right fist and his left fist, which doesn't shoot but can be removed, has a hole in it so that it can hold one of his "Counter Cross" weapons. Both of these can be removed from the legs so it would have been nice if each hand could hold one. In addition to these offensive weapons, Gaiking also features a removable set of wings that can be easily slid on and off via two hooks that are placed into openings in the back.

Gaiking also comes with a pair of great big horns so that you can create the head of Daiku Maryu. In order to do this, you need to remove the wings, head and arms. The head just slides out of a hole in the shoulders. You should remove the wings before trying to remove the arms. This is because the arm sockets have two openings, one big and one small, that allows that shoulders to separate when they are lined up properly with the plastic of the shoulder joint, which is molded to match the two holes. The arms need to be pointing backwards, where the wings would be, in order to achieve this. Then, simply replace the arms with the horns and you've got your Daiku Maryu head.

I suppose this is a pretty interesting feature, but personally, I'm not sure it's worth the downside it creates. That being that because the arms are designed to come off, they sometimes seem a little loose and frankly I don't like that the head comes off so easily. I mean, honestly of all the people I've ever met who own this toy, I don't think any actually display it as the Daiku Maryu head. I guess anything that adds play value is nice, but I just don't see much appeal of a Daiku Maryu head with legs.

One last thing I don't like about this toy is it's packaging. While the previous entries tried to emulate the original boxes, this one just has a lame picture of the toy on front. Of course, if the original Gaiking box wasn't so beautiful maybe it wouldn't hurt quite so much to get this one.

I'm not complaining though. Had U5 gone ahead and kept producing these toys, I'd have bought every single one, regardless of how the boxes looked. But as it stands, this is not only the last Unifive Jumbo, it is also the last Jumbo produced in Japan.

GAIKING: