Doks Guardian Manon Type Sofubi

Doks Guardian Manon Type Sofubi. This toy is incomplete missing the cannons on the back. If you have the cannons, let me know.

The "Disco" Giant Gorg is one example of the bootleg version of a toy actually being rarer than the toy it's designed to knock-off.

This bootleg version of the Giant Gorg jumbo is based on the same sculpt as the original Takara toy. Like most bootlegs though, it is slightly smaller and is cast in a lighter shade of blue. There are no manufacturer or release date markings on it, but I think it's safe to guess that it was made sometime in the mid to late 1980s, since the original was released in 1984.

The most obvious difference between the two is the addtion of the extra stickers on the bootleg. These are the reason the toy is referred to as the "Disco" version, though frankly they tend to remind me more of the German flag than of disco. However, this toy was made by the same company that made the "Disco Daitetsujin 17" toy. That one DOES have really loud, garish colors so perhaps this toy is also referred to as a "disco" version as much by association as anything else. The reason we know that the two toys were made by the same company is because both were sold in a bag, but with the same header card. It's amusing to note that the Giant Gorg was sold with a header card depicting Daitetsujin 17! I really like the stickers on this version as I think it tends to balance out the colors quite nicely, compared to the onslaught of blue on the original. Plus I like that Giant Gorg's name is actually written in Japanese on the top of the feet. The stickers on the shoulders actually say "Secret Service"!

Another noteworthy difference between original and bootleg Gorgs is the removal of the light up feature in the head. With this not present, the head is now made of soft vinyl like a typical jumbo. It still looks passable for a bootleg toy, but unfortunately the sculpt and paint does suffer in this area. Also, the head seems just a little bit too small to me.

This version features the same points of articulation as the original, as well as the same lack of wheels, shooting mechanisms, etc.

The "Disco" Giant Gorg is one example of the bootleg version of a toy actually being rarer than the toy it's designed to knock-off. Perhaps because the original is so easy to get, the makers decided it wasn't necessary to make an overabundance of bootleg versions. This seems plausible to me, since they did make a FAR greater amount of the Daitetsujin 17 bootleg. The Popy D17 is a much, much harder find than a Takara Giant Gorg, hence the demand for a bootleg version would likely be greater.

This is a great piece to get for collectors who are just starting out.

Giant Gorg (巨神ゴーグ) aired for 26 episodes from April 5 until September 7, 1984. Takara released the jumbo the same year, the first jumbo they'd released since Jeeg in 1975. It was also the last one made by Takara.

The toy doesn't seem to be very popular, though I'm not entirely sure why that is. One complaint is that it doesn't feature much articulation, but the head swivels, the arms move and the legs turn. Most jumbos do not do much more than this. Some do even less.

It's a nice sculpt, but one thought might be that it doesn't display as nicely with other jumbos as it could because it's arms tend to point outwards. Personally, it doesn't bother me much.

Probably the most valid complaint against it is that is isn't very colorful. It's dark blue polyethylene is augmented by just a few small stickers, many of which are also dark blue/purple. One of the ones that isn't blue is the gold outline around the neck, but this sticker can be a pain to apply. The gold on the head comes pre-applied.

Speaking of the head, it's a very nice design and is not made of soft vinyl like most traditional jumbos. Instead, it is hard plastic and actually contains a light up feature. Twisting the battery compartment lid turns this on and off. I think it's a nice addition to the toy, and certainly unique among jumbos. This requires one AA battery to work.

Giant Gorg doesn't feature any kind of shooting mechanism though and I know that is a popular favorite with Jumbo collectors. It also has no wheels on the feet, but I don't think that is considered a very big deal either way. When I first got it, I was a bit turned off by the "high heels" look of the feet, but since I've added about 30 or so Gundams to my toy collection since then, I guess I've grown accustomed to it.

One thing I don't like about the toy overall is the box. It's just too big (likely due to those outstretched arms) and doesn't display well with the thinner Popy boxes. And if you aren't displaying it, storage may be a problem.

This is a great piece to get for collectors who are just starting out. It's not rare or expensive at all, costing generally about $150, more or less. They are almost always on Yahoo!Japan and can easily be found in most Japanese shops as well. It's probably the most common Japanese jumbo (along with Bandai's Five Robo and Yutaka's Getter Robo Go). A bootleg version of this toy was released in Taiwan at some point. That toy is more colorful and is actually harder to get than the real thing.

This is another one of the treasures I brought back with me from Japan in 2003. I remember this street cart dealer just outside Akihabara station, who had maybe 7 or 8 of these for 800 yen each, case fresh. I bought two, and my friend bought the remaining ones. Satisfied that we got them all, we walked away. When we returned to the station later that day, she had restocked. I just thought it was amazing that these were toys that were almost twenty years old, still sitting around in unopened cases.

Unfortunately, the story is much more interesting than the toy. This is the 1/100 Giant Gorg "Real Proportion Model", manufactured by Takara in 1984. The toy is about 6 inches tall, and made out of ABS plastic and a some metal. It comes with a gun, base, Yue Tagami figure and instructions. The quality of the toy is pretty low, surprising for a vintage Takara product. There is noticeable sprue marks where the parts were cut off the tree at the factory. The toy is molded in color with very few paint details. Giant Gorg's hands cannot hold the gun that is provided. It has a lot of joints, but articulation is surprisingly limited.

The box art is stunning.

The main feature on the Giant Gorg is the chest compartment. Open it up and you reveal a holographic chrome sticker. there was another version of this toy called Digital Gorg, molded in black, that featured a working alarm clock in the chest. I don't know which version came first, but the holographic sticker seems like an afterthought.

I like this toy because it holds sentimental value. If you like Giant Gorg, or the Takara 80s school design, then you'll like this. If you are looking for a toy you can play with and does stuff, skip it.