Get Get Gettaa! Gettaa Robo!

Even though we have had a ton of Getter robots reviewed here on CDX, we've really not talked much about the relevance of Getter Robo. Getter Robo is one of the Super Robot Icons.

Alongside Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger, Getter Robo fought on the airwaves of Japanese television in the early 70s. It had the fortune of being part of the massive merchandising wave that accompanied the shows of those days. It was like Toei had a direct link to what every 5 year old boy in 1974 wanted.

Getter Robo is important for many reasons, but largely because it was the first series to feature a combining robot. Getter Robo is a robot made by the combination of three ships - Getter Jaguar, Getter Bear and Getter Eagle. Depending on which order they combined, you got a different Getter Robo - Getter 1, 2, and 3. All three Getters got toys, but Getter 1 was by far the most popular, and the one who always finished the bad guy in the end.

Getter Robo never aired in the US, but its direct sequel, Getter Robo G, was aired in the US as part of Jim Terry's Force Five, renamed Starvengers. In fact, the first scene from the first episode of Getter Robo G shows Getter 1 burning up in flames. Toys from Getter Robo G would also reach the states in Mattel's Shogun Warriors line of toys.

The Chogokin line of toys was launched with the GA-01, Mazinger Z. The figure was a runaway success, so naturally, other toys in the line would follow, and the next up was GA-02, Getter 1. The toy was a full on chogokin - die cast metal and full of firing gimmicks.

Instead of firing fists, Getter 1 got fists that were simply removable. However one fist featured an axe-launching action.

Another gimmick was the spring loaded head. Push the head down and then press the button on the back and the head launches up, just like in the show.

The toy had a very folk-art feel. The metal was rough, the decals never wrapped quite right, and the sculpt was far from anime accurate. But it was Getter 1, and that was enough to inspire generations to come.

Being the Second chogokin, one would assume that obtaining this piece would set you back a tidy sum. Well, yeah, it will. But here's the thing. In the late 90s (early 2000's maybe?), an unscrupulous toy dealer in Hong Kong began making near-perfect reproductions of the GA-02. The reproduction is almost identical, right down to the box and packaging foam, making differentiating a bootleg from an original an arduous task. But this HK bootleg company did not stop there. In a surprising move, they also bootlegged the second version Getter 1 (with blue shoulders), and even released a training colors version - shown in the TV show but never made into a toy. Below is a handy guide to the differences between the two. (there aren't many).

Special thanks again to Joshua Fraser for allowing me to shoot this piece for CollectionDX.

The damaged Getter 1 replicates the final scene in the OVA and Manga, where the Getter Core is ripped out and exposed! This is a limited edition, EXCLUSIVE item from Anime-Export.

The damaged Getter 1 replicates the final scene in the OVA and Manga, where the Getter Core is ripped out and exposed! This is a limited edition, EXCLUSIVE item from Anime-Export.

Anime-Export is one of the lucky few retailers that has had the opportunity to do exclusive versions of Aoshima toys. For this release, they took the standard Getter 1 (from the new-ish Getter OVA) and decided to replicate the final scene in the series.

Here are some of the features, as described by Anime-Export (hey, why reinvent the wheel?):

"1 - For the first time an Aoshima Shin Seiki Gohkin product will be equipped with interchangeable parts. Two different left arms are included in the box, one of them is the damaged one as seen in the OVA and the manga to reproduce all the Getter poses in its final moments.

2 - Glow in the dark parts (to give the radioactive feeling): chest, Getter Core and the hole in the chest. For the hole in the chest we had to spray the glow in the dark paint instead of injecting it, we can assure you that the final result is GREAT.

3 - The Getter Core is made by a new material to allow the glow in the dark effect and needed to be partially re-sculpted. Tubes were also added.

4 - New accessories: beside the interchangeable left arm, the new Getter Core and the standard set of spare hands (six in total) a new hand to hold the Getter Core has been added, the two Getter Tomahawk are painted in a new weathering style and an exclusive bonus figure of Musashi Tomoe that is the solely Getter pilot in this final battle.

Production quantity: This item will be produced only in 1500 pieces, each one of them will have a sticker with the serial number on it (ex. 0001/1500) to certify the limited production run.

Paint: we took so long to put this item in production because of the huge paint-job required. We have been turned down two times by the factory that told us that this model was "undo-able". Finally we studied a new paint-job system and we were allowed to start the production. A normal item is usually completed after 30 to 40 paint steps, for this one over 180 were required... It was a huge task and we really hope you will appreciate it. As for now we can officially declare that there won't be any reissue, recolor or anything else after the first production run (that is common on Anime-Export products by the way) due to the huge costs required for the production.

It is a one-shot item and we consider it our masterpiece so far.. get it now!"

Getter 1 comes in a great color box with full color renderings on the front and back. The sticker denoting the number is on the front.

The paint detail on this damaged version is really nice - it looks like it has been beat to hell. In some places you can actually see brush strokes, but i really don't mind. Its clear a lot of work went into the paint on this. And it really is damaged. The head is missing one of its spikes, and the chest has the guts of Getter 1 spilling out.

Two Getter Tomahawks are included, and the hands to hold them both.

The elbows have that extending elbow gimmick that Aoshima is famous for.

From the back, there are plenty of exposed screw holes. I wish these were covered up, but it does give the toy that old school feel.

The left arm is removable, and you can replace it with a "stump" of sorts. The stump has glow paint on the tips of the wires.

To replicate the final moments of Getter 1, You need to change the right hand to an open hand, and attach the getter core to the damaged chest section.

Turn the lights out, because this thing glows!

Not only do does the Getter Core glow, but so do the eyes, chest panel, wire tips... it is really stunning in the dark.

Included with the Getter 1 is a small figurine of Musashi Tomoe, the sole pilot at the demise of Getter Robo.

I know people tend to shy away from repaints, but I assure you, this is no ordinary repaint. This is almost an entirely new toy, and definitely worth having in your chogokin collection.

The only place you can get your Damaged Getter 1 is at Anime-Export.

Get your Damaged Getter 1 directly from Anime-Export

Another super robot talker that doesn't quite fill me with joy, I think I just realized that the talker format works better for Tokusatsu heroes.

The Getter 1 talker is really the runt of the lineup, checking it at only 12" tall whereas most others in the series are closer to 15". He'd probably be even smaller if his head wasn't so huge. This guy is super deformed before there was such a thing as super deformed. It's a shame too because the sculpt of the head is good and the sculpt of the body is good but the sizes just don't match up. This could have been a really neat toy if the proportions were not so skewed.

Like most of the toys in this line, it's articulated at the hips, shoulders and neck and you pull a string from the back to make it talk. Even if I understood Japanese, I couldn't tell you what it says because the talk box on mine is broken. This has been a pretty common complaint with the re-issues of these toys. Evidently they are very prone to failure. I bought this one cheaply with full knowledge of it's condition, but I have another that I bought brand new in box that failed to work the very first time I pulled the string. I do not own any vintage talkers, but by all accounts, they were much higher quality.

Although it's not the best rendition of the character ever made, it's still a decent pickup for the Getter Robo fan. Unfortunately, Masudaya (nor any other company) ever made talkers of Getter 2 or Getter 3, though.

So here comes the review for the Getter 3, the last one from this series and probably one of the most "funky" Machinders!

Fuji TV broadcast the original Getter Robo(ゲッターロボ) anime from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975. The show featured three vehicles which could combine to form three different robots, called Getter 1, Getter 2 and Getter 3. The show was very popular and all three robots were released as Jumbo Machinders in 1974.

What makes this Machinder so different from the others? Well, it's certainly because he doesn't have legs! Instead, he's built on a white tank which is supposed to mimic the head of Getter 2. The treads on the sides are molded in one piece, so nothing moves there, but there's two pairs of wheels underneath to make him ride on the ground. The front part of the tank is a separate piece. On my specimen you can pull it a bit, but I'm not sure this was made on purpose. On the back of the tank there's two little red reactor made of plastic.

Compared to the two other Getter Jumbos, this one is the rarest and really hard to find. Maybe one of the hardest of all Machinder heroes to find. Like the two others he's quite simple in design. Well, simple but clearly nothing to do with any other exisitng Machinder. But this is more due to the design of the robot itself. So first let's talk about the color. Getta 1 and Getter 2 had a different color scheme than in the original anime serie, but strangely Getter 3 is exactly like the anime.

As for articulation, you can only rotate his shoulders. You can also rotate the missile launcher to adjust to your target. Those missiles launchers are really unique. No other Jumbo shares the same mechanism and missiles. You put the missile in the launcher and it's held by two little hooks which you have to press to release the missile. Most loose specimens are missing those missiles and it's really hard to find them separately.

One of the interesting things about this little guy is his red body. It's made of a thin layer of plastic wrapped around the main yellow part. There's dark green stickers on the chest made of paper, quite similar of those on Getter 1. There's something specific with the stickers of both Getter 1 and 3. They were made out of different paper as the other Machinders, which results in a lot of cracks generated by the passing of time and storage conditions. Most specimen have those cracks in the stickers and finding one without will probably result in a higher price. The belt sticker is different from his two big brothers. There's an inversion of colors, so the background of the stickers is chrome and the letters black with the same layout and fonts as Getter 1 and 2. There's also two stickers on the head, one black line on the upper part of the head and one with eyes printed on it. This is interesting because from all Machinders, only him and Getter Poseidon have stickers on their heads instead of paint.

Like the rest of the Getter family, you can separate him in two parts by pressing a tab on the front and back waist. You can see in the pictures how he looks on the other lower part of his brothers. One funny thing about doing that is that his upper body part is quite tall, so when you put him on a regular pair of legs, this little guy becomes quite tall. Playing with them like that was not easy, Getta 3 body was a bit difficult to fit in Getta 2 legs. Well, with my specimen at least so this is probably not a defined rule.

Getter 3 body on Getter 1 legs

Getter 3 body on Getter 2 legs

So what make this Getter 3 so rare? Well, there's some theory saying that this robot didn't meet the same success as the other Getters, so fewer specimens where sold at the time, and then it's harder to find him today. And like in most collecting, when something is rare, it's quite expensive. Talking about price for this Machinder is difficult. I would say that a loose specimen in good shape should sell for around $2000, but it seems that prices for this one are raising recently. I've see a nice loose one sell for $3500, so it should be something in-between. As for boxed specimens, those are even more hard to find and I would estimate the price more around $4500-5000. So as you can see from these prices, this little guy is quite a challenge to acquire. The smallest Machinder and probably one of the most expensive, a strange paradox. But sometimes both the top and bottom parts of this toy can be seen for sale separately. Buying one half and then waiting for the other to show up can be a nice way to try to get this toy more cheaply. This can be a gamble though because you just never know when that other half will appear!

When I started collecting Machinders, I was a lightyear away from thinking that one day I'll have one. Luck was with me one day and I had an opportunity to get him at a decent price. It made me realize that with patience and some luck you can go far in this hobby.

So in conlusion, he's the most "goofy" machinder with his small size and straight look, but clearly one of the most interesting characters from the line. He's also a major piece in any collection.

If you like simple design, a bit more organic shapes, this JM is for you.

Fuji TV broadcast the original Getter Robo (ゲッターロボ) anime from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975. The show featured three vehicles which could combine to form three different robots, called Getter 1, Getter 2 and Getter 3. The show was very popular and all three robots were released as Jumbo Machinders in 1974.

Compared to Getter 1, Getter 2 is also easy to find. Some would even say it's easier to find than Getter 1, it's really depending of the market in fact but they're defenitively quite close.

Like his big brother, he's really simple in terms of design, sharing almost the same colors, with a darker blue for the upper part on the chest. It has two pairs of wheels on each feet and is articulated like most of the Machinder from the early production. The neck and shoulders rotate and that's mainly it.

Two interesting things about this Machinder: first, he has a more feminine shape than most of the other jumbos. His legs are thinner and not straight like the others and the lower part of the legs have some kind of "wings" on each side. His pelvis is really small compare to most of the JM. The second thing, it's the only Machinder who doesn't have any hands. One arm ends with a big orange driller and the other one with a giant claw. None are articulated but it gives a singular look to this Jumbo.

Also, one interesting thing is that it's probably the only Machinder to have no stickers except the one on the belt. The belt sticker is the same as Getter 1, black background and chrome lettering with a big number 2. The specimen displayed here has a repro belt, so the size of the writing on the belt is probably not accurate.

Like the two other Getters, he can be separated in two parts by pressing a tab on the front and back waist. You can see in the pictures how he looks on the other lower part of his brothers.

When it comes to prices, I would say he share a bit the same price range as Getta 1, so loose specimens generally sell for between $300 and $500. Most of the loose specimens I've seen didn't have the belt sticker. A perfect boxed example might be about $1200 to $1500. Unfortunately we've never seen a bootleg of this one (compare to Getter 1) so you'll have to dig in your wallet a bit if you want to get this one. But compared to other Popy Jumbo Machinders, it's one of the cheaper and probably one of the first you'll hit if you decide to start collecting the Japanese Jumbo line.

So in conclusion, if you like simple design, a bit more organic shapes, this JM is for you.

62454

Fewture Getter 2 is the third figure to be released after Fewture Getter 1 Black (a rare limited edition) and Fewture Getter 1 (red, regular edition).

The Fewture Getter Series has been the most exciting modernization of the classics I have ever seen. The designs were created by Taku Sato, who unfortunately passed away the same year that this series was released. Although Taku Sato has passed on, his legacy will be forever set in diecast.

Fewture Getter 2 is the third figure to be released after Fewture Getter 1 Black (a rare limited edition) and Fewture Getter 1 (red, regular edition).

Let me first comment on all the negatives on this figure:

1. This figure is EXPENSIVE! And you may want to think twice on this series, there are the three regular Fewture Getter’s (Getter 1, Getter 2, and Getter 3), and the very limited Black Getter (which is even more expensive). This adds up to be one costly series.
   
2. This figure you’ll find has some balance issues. It’s not horrible or impossible to have a free standing pose on this figure, but I wouldn’t advise displaying the figure without support. But the balance varies on what you display with. With Getter 2 having its chest cavity open, it is very unstable. Getter 2 was definitely balanced with the chest plate on. Displaying the figure with the drill arm (either the large drill bit or the small one) stabilizes the balance quite a bit, versus both regular arms.
   
3. Getter 2 has some really small issues that I’ll just point out in this section. The Chest plate on this figure is very difficult to put on. On Getter 1, the chest was very loose. They must have over compensated on Getter 2. The chest fits a little bit too tight, and you will need to put some gentle force to put it in. Another small issue is in the difficulty of opening the secret compartment in the hip. The instruction manual that came with the figure clearly shows that there is a compartment. But I fear to investigate any further may cause damage to my hip plate. On another note, be careful when you pick up your Getter 2. The mid section or spine part is only made out of plastic.  Though the plastic is fairly strong, you may want to avoid any chance of cracking or snapping.

Aside from these faults, there are still a lot of pluses (this time round I’m finding the faults of Getter 2 are far fewer then Getter 1.

The design is very striking. Taku Sato outdid himself when designing this figure. It has a nice balance of the classic design, but still able to have a modern industrial look. The chest plate and face plate on this figure are removable, to reveal the inner skeleton.

A Getter Generator and Radioactive tube can be placed inside the Getter.

Specific details like these make this figure stand out.

1. The amount of diecast in this figure is quite clear the moment you pick it up. It’s heavy, plain and simple. There is some plastic but it’s solid and sturdy. The paint job is quite nice too. The paint job seems able to withstand any normal scratches you might get from playing.
   
2. Most of the hinges are ratchet jointed and hold firm when posing, so you won’t see any loose joints over time. The pose ability in the thighs has a greater range then Getter 1. This helps balance it a little better on its very thin feet. Overall there are a lot of small technical improvements that they’ve made over Fewture Getter 1.

Getter 2 also includes the Getter 2 machine Jet. Even though it plays second fiddle to Getter 1 machine, its quality is equal. It’s mostly diecast, and fairly heavy. There’s very little gimmick to it. The most is you can do is pop the fists into the back of the engines (arms, and they have elbow joints) to replicate the forming of the upper torso. Though simple, it has a nice touch.

Overall it’s a very high quality figure, if you can afford it; I would recommend getting this figure.

Getter 2 had a limited production run of 2,500 units.

Just like the other Jugarama jumbos, it is nearly impossible to acquire this in a box.

Geta 1 was the second Jumbo to surface from Mexican toy makers Jugarama. It is nearly identical to the Popy Getter 1 Jumbo Machinder, but does feature some distinct differences. First of all, the toys are obviously named slightly differently and have unique stickers on their waists. While the Popy toy says "Getter 1" in Japanese, the Jugarama says "Geta 1" in English. The yellow on the pelvis of the Popy version is a thin vinyl covering, while it is simply painted on the Jugarama toy. The top and bottom of Geta 1 are not intended to be separated and are actuallly connected with two screws. The paint on the head is sloppier and the vinyl softer. Also ,the legs of the Jugarama version are softer. I can actually squish them just by squeezing the sides. Lastly, the Jugarama toy is slightly smaller, measuring only about 22.5" tall. All the other proportions are shrunken as well, so that a fist from a Popy Getter 1 will not fit on a Jugarama Geta 1.

Much like the Aquaman Jumbo before it, when specimens of this toy first starting appearing, they were often seen with incorrect fists. For awhile it was actually unknown if it really had two matching fists like the original. Sometimes it had a missile launcher, sometimes two right or left fists, sometimes even an Aquaman fist. But most notably, it first appeared with an axe throwing fist like that of a Getter Dragun Jumbo. This is significant because the fist from a Popy or Shogun Warrior Dragun should not fit on this toy, which would suggest the existence of a Jugarama-made Getter Dragun, although to date no such toy has been discovered.

Note also that the specimen above does not have the waist sticker, but does have all the other appropriate sticker details, which are missing from mine. Though neither pictured here has the cape, I have seen at least one specimen that did. It often seemed like no two specimens of this toy were the same!

One very cool thing that Jugarama did was to include the missile launching accessory with this toy. You didn't have to buy it separately like with (most of) the Popy Jumbos, nor did it replace the correct hand like with the Mattel Shogun Warrior Jumbos.

Just like the other Jugarama jumbos, it is nearly impossible to acquire this in a box. So far, just one example of the box has surfaced. It features artwork that mimmicks the Popy Getter 1 box. While this toy generally costs between $100-200 loose, the auction for this single boxed specimen ended at around $1000. The following image is from that auction.

Jugarama Geta 1 box

Popy Getter 1 box

The side of the box shows the other toys in the Jugarama Jumbo lineup. There is no Dragun listed as you can see, but I have also been told of a Mazinger Jumbo from Jugarama so it's possible there was a second wave of releases. It has always been my hope that since there definitely is a Getter Poseiden and that there may be a Getter Dragun, there might even be a Getter Liger out there somewhere! Hopefully more of these toys will some day come to light.

One of the most popular super robots ever gets the Jumbo Machinder treatment.

Fuji TV broadcast the original Getter Robo (ゲッターロボ) anime from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975. The show featured three vehicles which could combine to form three different robots, called Getter 1, Getter 2 and Getter 3. The show was very popular and all three robots were released as Jumbo Machinders in 1974. Of the three, Getter 1 is probably the easiet to get, followed by Getter 2. Getter 3 is indisputably the rarest and most sought after. These three Jumbos were the first hero characters in the line to not be numbered on the box. Why Popy chose to assign numbers to just the first 5 toys in the series is unknown.

The character of Getter 1 is one of the most popular of Japanese Super Robots and the Jumbo Machinder is a perfect example of what most Jumbo collectors like about the line...a simple design, bright primary colors and just enough gimmicks to make it interesting. And, of course, size. Getter 1 is the standard 23.5" tall, with a soft vinyl head and polyethylene body. It has two pairs of wheels on each feet and the hands, which can be removed and swapped with separately sold accessory fists, feature some nice white spikes on the forearms. This toy also has something that no other Popy Jumbo had....a cape! White on the interior and shiny red on the exterior , it really gives the toy an added dimension.

The soft vinyl head has painted details and is actually more orange than the red on the rest of the toy, but it can be hard to see in pictures. The rest of the toy features stickers for details, green on the chest and red on the legs. Note that the green on the chest has a thin line of black along the outside edges. This is an easy thing to overlook, but should be noted for those that might need to do some repro work, as these stickers are often damaged or missing. The waist sticker is black with "Getter 1" written in Japanese, in shiny silver. It may not be very noticeable, but "1" is written both numerically and also phonetically in Japanese (ワン). Copyright information is stamped into the back of the toy, just above the top of the cape.

Probably the most noteworthy feature of the toy is that it can be separated into two parts by pressing a tab on the front and back of the waist. Each of the three Getter Robo Jumbo Machinders have this feature and you can mix and match the parts to create different forms! Sadly, I do not own either Getter 2 or Getter 3, so I will let the box art show you what I mean.

The other side of the box is less interesting and simply shows you which Jumbo accessory fists were available in stores at the time.

Although Getter 1 is an easier acquisiation than the other Getter Jumbos, it can still be on the expensive side since it is a popular character. Loose and/or damaged specimens generally sell for between $300-500, while a perfect MIB one might be about $1500, or more. But once again, there is hope for those not willing to go that high, in the form of another bootleg version from Mexican toy makers Jugarama. They released a slightly different version of this toy, that can be found occasionally for about $100-200.

Here is the opening of the show. Note how the color scheme differs. For this reason, many collectors have made custom Getter 1 Jumbos to more accurately match the anime.

Additional images! Please see the reviews for Getter 2 and Getter 3 for more!

Getter 1 top with Getter 2 bottom

Getter 1 top with Getter 3 bottom

KaijuZoo's take on the iconic Super Robot!

One obsession of mine that's no secret is my insatiable lust for glowies. The problem with many vintage-style (usually kaiju) glowies, though, is that their paint schemes are...well...boring. I'm no stranger to customizing toys myself, but some time ago, I stumbled across a website advertising expertly-done custom/restoration work for vinyl kaiju figures at very reasonable prices. I contacted the owner of the business, John Groff, and a great friendship was born...

His site, KaijuZoo Toys, offered something great for folks like me: not wanting to deal with the hassel of paint supplies, the mess, worrying about wrecking your vinyl(!), etc., clients are able to relax and focus on the paint/color scheme of whatever vinyl figure--glow or not--they want painted. John even offers services to remove old/damaged paint jobs prior to restoration or custom work.

It's really a very cool service if you think about it. Many vinyl kaiju manufacturers these days release unpainted exclusives of their molds...in glow or varying colors of opaque or translucent vinyl. The thing is that most folks may have no desire whatsoever to paint their own figures. I don't own an airbrush, for example--let alone the space to set one up properly! This is where Jonee comes in! Besides being a great guy to chat about Godzilla and other monsters with, he'll work directly with you via phone or e-mail, and take as long as needed to come up with the perfect paint scheme for your figure. He's an experienced kaiju toy collector, himself, making his feedback in this process invaluable. He's a real fan, a true artist, and it clearly shows in his work.

So as a client, I get to sit back, relax, and let my imagination take off. This figure is actually my fourth KaijuZoo custom...and we're even in the process right now of discussing a fifth! I even do searches now for unpainted (glow) vinyls for anything that catches my eye as something that Jonee can transform into a masterpiece.

And that's what led me to this figure. I'd been a pretty big fan of Marmit's Fierce Legend of Super Robots soft vinyl figure line for some time, and I'd already picked up a few over the years.

...And then I saw it: an unpainted Getter 1, the lead robot in Go Nagai's classic, Getter Robo...in glow in the dark vinyl! It didn't take much deliberation to plunk down the cash for it! :P

Didn't take long for Jonee and I to work out the color scheme for this guy, either. Because of my love for vintage robot toys and the considerable size of this figure (15 inches!), we decided on something reminiscent of the 24-inch Getter 1 Jumbo Machinder: pretty much anime-accurate colors except the white parts in the show would be painted light blue.

The results were striking.

The figure now has a translucent, metallic paint application that really needs to be seen in person to appreciate fully! When looking closely at it, the color density seems to shift subtly as you tilt the figure. Very cool!

And the glow really just jumps out of it! The real triumph of this project--something Jonee does amazingly well when it comes to glowies--is the fantastic balance struck between how the figure looks under normal light and in the dark. Whereas many glowies tend to be a little lackluster under normal light in order to maximize the glow effect, this figure identifies itself boldly with its high-contrast metallic red sheen. The characteristic gold of his trunks and green on the chest panels just pop, too, completing the overall look.

Not much articulation in these guys...but just enough to add a little heroism!

So Jonee's first non-kaiju glowie (unless you count Jet Jaguar, Moguera, and Mechagodzilla!) is clearly a resounding success. ...And now, of course, the good part: the glow pics!

Ah, makes ya wanna hear that theme song again, huh!? ;)

Consider yourselves lucky: I was gonna make some awful crack about the figure "glowing with 'Getter Sen'", but the non-geek side of me won out!

These toys are probably not going to be very popular with most collectors. They are very cheap and ugly. But I love them for those very reasons!

Carnival Machinder Overview

Back in the 1970s when super robots were at the peak of their popularity in Japan, many of the programs were exported to other countries around the globe. They really took root in Europe and many toys were made there. Some of the most simple yet interesting ones were never sold in stores, but were instead given away as game prizes at traveling carnivals. These toys were of very poor quality and only barely resembled the robots they were based on. There is no official name for these toys but since they are most closely related to the Jumbo Machinder family of toys, they have become known as "Carnival Machinders". In fact, many of these toys have a sticker on them that seems to resemble the missiles from classic Popy Jumbo Machinders.

12 Inch Super Robot

The most common of these was a toy robot that is obviously based on the character of Getter 1, from the Getter Robo anime. It stands 12" tall with only 3 points of articulation, at the neck and shoulders. The face is depicted in it's entirety by a simple foil sticker. Two stickers also decorate the chest and arms (with the left arm showing the aforementioned missiles), and a final one on the stomach says simply "Super Robot". On some specimens of the toy, there may still be a string attached to the top of the head, which was used to store the toy on a wire, ready for easy removal should some lucky game player win.

To date, I've been able to find 5 different color variations for this toy. The first features a blue body, with a red head and arms. This is easily the most attainable color variation. I've seen it for sale many times.

The second version of this toy has the color scheme inverted, with a red body and blue head and arms.

The third version also has a blue head and arms, but the body is this time a lighter red. It almost looks orange, in fact. This version is most notable for being the only carnival machinder to feature what might be a company logo. The words "conformite a la norme garanti par ECO" are molded into the back of the leg. It seems "ECO" might be the manufacturer, but I'm not sure.

The fourth version of this toy has the red/orange colored body, but this time the arms are the same color. Since in all other specimens the arms and body are different colors, I'm inclined to believe that at some point in time, a child who owned it probably swapped arms with another specimen and that this version is likely supposed to have blue arms like the one above. But if I'm right, then that would suggest that there is a blue body/orange arms version out there somewhere that I need to find.

Furthermore, when I found this toy, it was wearing a bizarre mask! Again, I suspect that a child just put it on there for fun and it stayed there until I got it, but I think it's worth documenting, just in case.

The fifth and last version I've seen of this toy is the most interesting for a couple of reasons. First, it has yellow arms and head, a color not seen on any other version. The body is blue. Secondly, this toy came in a bag with a header card! This is the only carnival machinder I've ever seen to feature any kind of packaging. It's interesting to note that even though the toy came in a bag, it still features the string on the head to hang it by. The header card is very generic. It doesn't have any art or words at all.

Each toy is molded in very thin, poor quality polyethylene. They could not possibly stand up to the same level of abuse that a real Machinder could and they are as light as a feather. It is common to see the feet bent, causing the toy to be difficult to stand.

The reason I specify this as the "12 Inch Super Robot" is because there also exists a larger version. It stands 18" tall and also depicts Getter 1, but is a different design. I'll cover that toy in a later review.

These toys are probably not going to be very popular with most collectors. They are very cheap and ugly. But I love them for those very reasons! I've also always loved going to the carnivals and the very idea that you could get a robot toy there really appeals to me. Plus they are so mysterious and hard to find, that I really enjoy the hunt and the possibility of discovering new ones that haven't been seen before.