I love Gamera, but was never a big fan of his enemy kaiju. But I just couldn't pass up a good deal on a nice clear vinyl.

This is one of those toys that I tried really hard not to buy. I saw it on Yahoo!Japan auctions for what I thought was a very reasonable price (3,000yen), but just didn't want to spend any money. I even tried to talk Sanjeev into buying it instead of me, but he wasn't having it. But a couple months later I was ordering some other stuff, and it was still there so I took the plunge. And I'm glad I did. This isn't exactly one of my favorite characters, but this particular vinyl is pretty neat.

Guiron is from the 1969 Toho film "Gamera vs. Guiron", released in the US as "Attack of the Monsters".

This toy was made by Marusan and stands the standard 9 inches tall. It's articulated at the shoulders and neck only. Of course, it's real appeal is that it is made out of clear soft vinyl. Adorned with light blue spray and highlighted in yellow and purple, I thought this was the best looking Guiron vinyl I'd ever seen. Really, my one and only gripe with it is that the teeth are not painted. I think that detail would have really made for a nice touch.

Guiron comes packaged in a bag with a header card.

I'd say that if you are a kaiju fan, you should definitely get this.

The announcement that Gamera was going to be added to Bandai's series of Chogokin toys was met with great initial excitemtent. However this quickly turned to disappointment when people saw the new design of the kinder, gentler Gamera from the latest movie entry, "Gamera The Brave" (aka "Gamera: Chiisaki yusha-tachi" aka "小さき勇者たち～ガメラ"). Gone is the ferocious appearance we've grown accustomed to in the last three Gamera films, replaced by a cutesy, almost comical looking kaiju.

Initial reports of the toy were also rather unflattering, but now that I've held it in my own hands, I think this had more to do with not liking the new design than not liking the toy. I nearly let the bad word of mouth stop me from buying this one, but I'm glad I didn't. I think it's a really neat toy.

It comes in a typical Chogokin box, roughly 10"x10", with a styrofoam tray inside to hold all the parts. Gameras body and shell are one piece, but the head, tail and limbs all need to be attached.

For accessories, Gamera comes with 3 heads, 2 tails, two sets of limbs and an extra fist that has a hole in it. I think this is just a "battle damaged" hand, but I haven't seen the new movie yet so I don't know if there is any further significance to it. Other accessories include a baby Gamera, an egg from which it hatches and a small nest to rest it in. The egg has three pieces. First there is a solid bottom, then a solid top, which can be replaced with a cracked top that you can display with the baby Gamera hatching out of it.

The nest has a rounded bottom and will tend to fall over, but Bandai included a small rubber ring that you can place under if for added stability. Unfortunately, it is not attached so be careful that you don't lose it. Otherwise the nest/egg/baby Gamera will be a bit more difficult to display.

The extra limbs that come with Gamera can be used to represent him in a crawling mode. This is an interesting change of pace, but I still prefer the old school flying style. I would hope that Gamera still flies in the new movie, and if so, it would have been nice to get the relevant parts to depict this.

As you can see, one of the heads on the toy is horizontal for the crawling mode. The other two are different mostly because one has the mouth open wider and molded into place, whereas the other has a jointed jaw so you can open or close the mouth.

Not including the opening mouth, there are 17 points of articulation, including a subtle one in the neck that allows you to slightly maneuver the head up and down. There isn't a wide range of motion, but it is there. The ankles are on ball joints so they are very poseable, but I wish the feet and legs blended together better. You can see a noticeable gap in between and it sort of shatters the illusion of a fleshy kaiju. It looks like he's wearing pants. All the limbs pop on and off with ease, a bit too much ease in the case of the right arm on mine. It tends to come off without much pressure. I suspect it's just this particular example since the left arm stays on tight.

So, what's the diecast content you ask? Well, the entire body of Gamera is made of plastic. However, almost the entire shell is metal. There is a small, half inch or so of plastic along the outside edges (safety reasons maybe?) but everything else is metal. It gives Gamera a good deal of weight (about 1.25 lbs worth anyway). It's certainly heavier than the featherweight "Chogokin" Gigan.

In summary, I'd say that if you are a kaiju fan, you should definitely get this. But if you're more into chogokin toys, then you can probably do without. At least for now, since the negative buzz surrounding the new Gamera design as well as the toy leads me to believe you may be seeing this on clearance in the future.

Here is an excellent vinyl toy that doesn't seem to get the credit it
deserves.

Here is an excellent vinyl toy that doesn't seem to get the credit it deserves. The head and tail both turn and the arms raise and lower. It's well sculpted with great painted detail, particularly in the mouth and on the teeth and claws. At 10.5" from head to toe and nearly 16" from head to tail, the toy has a commanding presence next to most standard size vinyls.

Best of all, it has a small price tag. It can be pretty easily had on eBay for between 15 and 20 dollars. This Gamera comes in a bag with a header card. A great addition to any kaiju fans collection.

This is probably my favorite Gamera toy. Although it is from the movie Gamera 2, it still has the soft lines of the classic Gamera.

This is probably my favorite Gamera toy. Although it is from the movie Gamera 2, it still has the soft lines of the classic Gamera.

What sets this Gamera apart form the others is the ability to transform. There is a lever on his back that when pressed releases his shell. You can then unfold a pair of wings, and tuck his arms and legs in. The wings are made of a rubber coated plastic.

Articulation is limited to one swivel joint in each arm / leg, one joint in the tail, and each wing is positional.

Gamera also has a sound gimmick. Press a button behind the head to open his mouth and reveal Gamera's roar!

Most of the toy is hard plastic, with the exception of the head and wings. The head is actually a rubber sleeve covering a mechanical skeleton, hiding the inner workings of the jaw mechanism. It gives the toy a lifelike feel.

The toy is pretty big, about 10" tall and 12" long, with an even wider wingspan.

I really love the box art on this toy. Unfortunately, the toy is secured in the box by just a couple of cardboard spacers, so the box has a tendency to get beat up easily.

This Gamera toy was made by a company called Rocket Pro. Released in Japan, it was a crane game prize, meaning you had to play a game of skill to win one. Fans unlucky at those games could also go to their local store and pay an inflated price for one.

The paintjob on this is exquisite. it features a level of detail that I have never seen on a vinyl figure. it looks so alive that you almost think it is going to reach out and bite you. At 12" tall, Gamera is an imposing figure.

As good as it looks though, it has absolutely no play value. It has no articulation whatsoever. The tail is removable, and falls off with handling. Still, it looks great on the shelf. A must-have for any Gamera Fan.