Finally, the last Getter Jumbo.....or is it?!?!

A couple of years ago I was in the process of purchasing a Geta 1 Jumbo from a well respected Mexican dealer. This fellow knew mostly Mego action figures, but dealt in other toys as well and had a vague recollection of these Jumbo sized Jugarama figures from when he was a child. At this time, the only figures from this line that were known were the Geta 1 as well as the Aquaman. But in the course of our conversations, naturally I asked him if he knew of any others. He said that he remembered having one that was vaguely Egyptian so I assumed he must have just had a Shogun Warrior Raydeen. But then he mentioned one that could "fold down on caterpillar legs". Immediately, I knew he meant Poseidon!

I was really surprised to hear this at the time, but in retrospect I shouldn't have been. Obviously the two previously known Jugarama toys were based on Popy Jumbo Machinders so why shouldn't they have made Poseidon? In my excitement, I continually pestered the poor guy to find out more about these for me and hopefully find some specimens. Sure enough, he came through and a few months later, boxed examples of both Geta 1 and Goro Goro appeared for sale on ebaY, as the owner refused to make a private sale. Unfortunately for me, the timing of this was bad as I had just bought my Rokuron Q9 and didn't have any money left to spend and both toys were won by a well-known Italian uber-collector.

As with the other Jugarama Jumbos, this one's box is designed to mimick the Popy version.

Jugarama Goro Goro box

Popy Getter Poseidon box

I had been warned by my Mexican dealer friend that these toys were quite rare and he turned out to be right. It would be another 1.5-2 years before I was lucky enough to come across another example of this toy. It did not have the box and, as you can see, had severe sticker damage, but I felt I just had to get it anyway.

Goro Goro is nearly identical to the Popy Poseidon. The only differences are that Goro Goro is slightly shorter and was molded in slightly different colors. Whereas Poseidon has black fists and treads, Goro Goro has dark blue. The orange of the torso is duller on Goro Goro and his pelvis is darker blue as well. I believe that Goro Goro had the "Poseidon" sticker removed from his stomach, but all other sticker placements are the same and he has the same missile launching gimmick.

So far only three specimens of this toy have come to light. This one, which I paid about $225 for; an excellent condition, but loose one that sold for about $300; and the initial boxed one, which ended at about $1000.

Discovering these toys was one of the most exciting times I've had as a collector. And though discoveries from Mexico have since slowed, with only the Jugarama Raydeen being found, I'm hopeful that there may still be ore to be mined from that country. That dealer thought there might be a Jugarama version of Getter Dragon and the very first Geta 1 found had evidence to support that. He also said he knew a collector who owned a boxed "Mazinger", though whether that was Mazinger Z or Great Mazinger, I'm unsure since he was unable to get pictures. Hopefully someday these mysteries will be solved.

Oh yeah, one last thing. The dealer also told me that he remembered that these toys were sold in supermarkets! I think that's hilarious. "Let's see, today I need to buy bread, milk, Jumbos, cereal......etc"

Popy's final Getter Robo G Jumbo, Poseidon gets more love here than in it's homeland.

Following up on the success of the Getter Robo anime, Getter Robo G (ゲッターロボG) aired for 39 episodes on Fuji TV from May 15, 1975 to March 25, 1976 and spawned a great many toys in Japan. Furthermore, the show was adapted for American audiences and retitled as "Starvengers" when it was included in Jim Terry's famously popular "Force Five" cartoons. Just like it's predecessor, Getter Robo G featured three vehicles that could combine to form three different robots. This time around, the robots had slightly more interesting names, being called Getter Dragon, Getter Liger, and Getter Poseidon(ゲッターポセイドン).

The third robot form, Getter Poseidon, is probably the least popular. The Jumbo Machinder is considered one of the easiest releases from Popy to get and as such is often one of the first that is acquired by US collectors. (It was my first Popy Jumbo.) The toy is not particularly popular in Japan, however. It has a very simplistic form that some may find uninteresting, but there are a couple of features that are unique.

Most obviously, the lower legs are molded in the shape of two tank treads and can be folded down to mimick the Caterpillar Tread from the show. Unfortunately, these treads do not actually roll. Instead there are two sets of wheels embedded in the plastic for this purpose. This means that while standing, Poseidon has wheels on the outside of his calves. Though a neat feature for play value, the whole setup gives the toy a very ungainly look below the knees that may turn some collectors off. From the knees up, it's a beautiful toy, though.

The second unique feature is the missile launchers which are screwed into the back of the toy. Hollow yellow missiles (6 included) are placed on top of the launchers, while accordion-style compressors are attached below. Using these to pump air through the tubes sends the missiles flying. And man, do they fly! Of all the jumbos I've had, Poseidon definitely wins the award for having missiles that fly the furthest when launched. It's an interesting system that isn't used on other jumbos. Perhaps Popy decided consistency was more important than distance when it comes to launching missiles. Sometimes this system loses some functionality if they air is not properly held in or if the missiles are pushed down too tightly.

In addition to the folding tank tread legs, you can raise and lower Poseidon's arms, turn his hands or remove them entirely to swap them out for a separately sold accessory fists. Also, the blue collar on the neck can be turned to simulate the Getter Cyclone weapon, but it honestly doesn't move very smoothly. It would have been nicer if it actually spun.

Though the toy's design is pretty simple, upon closer inspection it's evident that it contains more parts than would be obvious at first glance. The torso, head, arms and missile launchers were cast in dark orange polyethylene, with black poly for the hands and treads. Light blue poly comprises the legs while the collar is a darker blue poly. The yellow missiles are also poly, but the blue parts connecting the treads and legs is dark blue plastic. I'm not exactly sure what the compressors on the missile launchers are. They feel like a very soft, flexible poly, the same sort that some of the cheaper carnival machinders are made from.

This is one of the few jumbos whose head is not made of painted soft vinyl. Instead, like Getter 3 it has stickers for details. Some blemishes you may find on the Jumbo Poseidon is some oxidation on the silver stickers on the waist and I've also seen several specimens on which the stickers were actually applied crookedly. In fact, my own had the black "V" sticker on the pelvis all out of whack. I had to carefully remove it and straighten it out. Typically, I wouldn't mess with my vintage toys like that, (especially a jumbo), but man, it really drove me nuts!

Poseidon stands the typical 23.5" tall when upright, but only 19.5" with the Caterpillar Treads folded down. It seems to pretty consistently sell for about $700 in mint in box condition. While this Popy toy is generally considered a fairly easy acquisition, the version produced by Mexican toy makers "Jugarama" is very hard to track down.

GETTER ROBO G:

STARVENGERS:

Of all the Getter Robo Jumbos, I like this one the best.

Following up on the success of the Getter Robo anime, Getter Robo G (ゲッターロボG) aired for 39 episodes on Fuji TV from May 15, 1975 to March 25, 1976 and spawned a great many toys in Japan. Furthermore, the show was adapted for American audiences and retitled as "Starvengers" when it was included in Jim Terry's famously popular "Force Five" cartoons. Just like it's predecessor, Getter Robo G featured three vehicles that could combine to form three different robots. This time around, the robots had slightly more interesting names, being called "Getter Dragon", Getter Liger (ゲッター ライガー), and Getter Poseidon.

While Getter Dragun may be the most popular of the three toys, Getter Liger is easily the hardest to get and quite desirable in his own right. It has a real sleek design that stands out from the pack and the color scheme, while simple, is quite alluring. The small bits of yellow on the shoulders and wingtips really add a lot. Like Dragon, Liger has "Getter Robo G" in Japanese on his stomach, with his name just beneath that.

Upon seeing the yellow tips of the wings, new collectors sometimes think they these parts might launch. While that would have been a great gimmick, unfortunately it is not the case. However the left hand does have a firing mechanism to launch his "Liger Missiles". Liger comes with 3 big red missiles for this purpopse. It should be noted as well that these missiles appear to be the same as those that come with the ZZ-06 accessory set, but are smaller and not compatible.

Probably the best part about this toy may also be the worst part. The left "pod arm" looks really beautiful, but the plastic here is thin where it connects to the arm. It's very common to see this toy with these parts broken off. So far mine is still intact, but it's something I worry about every time I touch the toy.

Getter Liger is the standard 23.5" tall and has wheels on his feet. The arms raise and lower and the head can be turned side to side. The wings on the back are held securely in place by four screws. The feet each have 3 white protrusions made out of rubber. These provide a bit of added detail, but the toy would probably be just as cool without them. Lastly, the box art is similar in style to the other two Getter G Machinders and also features the original prototype.

Even though Liger is the rarest of the Getter Robo G set, relative to the Jumbo Machinder line as a whole, it's still a fairly easy acquisition. Just getting it complete, in the box and with that pod arm unbroken is the trick. If you find such a specimen, expect to pay somewhere between $800-1200 for it. But this one comes with my highest recommendation. It's a really beautiful jumbo and makes a great set with his two brothers.

GETTER ROBO G:

STARVENGERS:

The original Japanese version of the popular Shogun Warriors toy.

Following up on the success of the Getter Robo anime, Getter Robo G (ゲッターロボG) aired for 39 episodes on Fuji TV from May 15, 1975 to March 25, 1976 and spawned a great many toys in Japan. Furthermore, the show was adapted for American audiences and retitled as "Starvengers" when it was included in Jim Terry's famously popular "Force Five" cartoons. Just like it's predecessor, Getter Robo G featured three vehicles that could combine to form three different robots. This time around, the robots had slightly more interesting names, being called "Getter Dragon"(ゲッタードラゴン), Getter Liger, and Getter Poseidon.

Popy released all three robots in Jumbo Machinder form in 1975, but two years later Mattel would create their line of imported "Shogun Warrior" toys and one of the most popular of the jumbos they released would be Getter Dragon (renamed simply as "Dragun"). It was also one of the most highly produced of the bunch and it is arguably the easiest to get today. In fact, though the original Popy version is not that hard to get in Japan, here in the US, the Shogun Warrior version is EVERYWHERE! It's probably the most common jumbo out there and one of the first most collectors get when they are just starting out. Though Mattel released four different versions of the toy (for more on that, please see John Eaton's Shogun Warriors Dragun Page), the first version released was identical to the original Popy toy, repackaged in a new box.

There isn't too much to say about this toy that isn't either commonly known, or detailed in the link above. It's 23" tall with wheels on the feet. The saws on the arms spin and he can hurl axes from his left hand. Although the Shogun Warriors version comes with a "star shooter" accessory, the Popy version did not include it. In typical Jumbo Machinder fashion, the toy's colors are inaccurate in comparison to the animation.

One interesting thing about it that you might not know is that even though Getter Dragon would likely be considered the "leader" of the Getter Robo G team, in Jumbo Machinder form, he is actually slightly shorter than his two partners. Also, in additon to the Popy and Mattel releases, at least two other companies released Jumbos of Getter Dragon. The first was released in Spain by a company called "Nacoral" and was called Robot Nacoral Lanza Discos. The second was released in Venezuela by a company called "Famosa" and was called "Robot Lanza Discos". Both toys are rare, but it's much harder to get the Famosa version.

As I said before, getting the Getter Dragon Jumbo is pretty easy, but the Popy version is more of a challenge than the Mattel. Most collectors aren't too picky about which they get, but for me, I really wanted to have a Popy version since it would display better with the Getter Liger and Getter Poseiden Jumbos. All three toys feature similar artwork on their boxes, which looks good together. (You might notice that the box features an image of the prototype, which appears to include a vinyl cape, much like the one on the Getter 1 Machinder!) The Popy Getter Dragun usually costs around $500 mib, though you may see prices higher or lower than that. Typically, it will be less in the US than in Japan since there are so many Shogun Warrior versions available as an alternative for American collectors.

GETTER ROBO G OPENING:

STARVENGERS OPENING:

A very ugly toy, but it has a certain pathetic charm I just can't resist.

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 Dragun

Previously, I reviewed the 12" Carnival Machinder called Super Robot. Now I'd like to take a look at another 12" Carnival Machinder. This one has no name on it's stomach like the last, but while Super Robot was clearly intended to represent the character of Getter 1, this one seems to at least casually mimic Getter Dragun, as evidenced by the five spikes on the head. As a result, this toy has come to be known as "Super Dragun".

This may be the ugliest of the carnival machinders. The head sculpt is so poorly done as to almost be laughable. No, wait. It is laughable. It's just extrememly silly looking. Further silliness is on the hands, which are not hands at all. The are a sort of "grill", like one would cook waffles on. It's a really odd thing to have for hands.

So far, I've been able to track down 4 different color variations of Super Dragun.

The first and most common has a blue body and legs, with red arms and head. Even though it's the most common, it's still quite rare. I think I've seen it maybe 3-4 times at most.

This second version I've seen three times. It has an orange body and legs with yellow arms and head.

This third version I've seen has a green body and legs with red arms and head. I've seen it twice.

The last I've only seen one time. This one has a blue body and legs with yellow arms and head.

Each version has a gold foil sticker with black decorations on the legs, arms, body and face. There are no markings of any kind indicating either name, manufacturer or year of release anywhere on the toy.

Once again, it's a very ugly toy, but it has a certain pathetic charm I just can't resist. It is my hope that since there are at least 5 different variations of the Super Robot toy, that there may be another variation of this one as well to make a matching set. And since there is an 18" version of Super Robot, I can't help but fantasize about there perhaps being an 18" Super Dragun as well. If there ever was, it is thus far undiscovered.

This version of Getter Dragun is very slightly smaller than the Popy version and although it is nowhere near the same quality, it's a very interesting and different take on a popular character.

Sometime in the late 1970s, Spanish toy makers "Nacoral" produced at least four bootleg versions of the Mattel Shogun Warriors Jumbos. Although the original toys were produced by Popy in Japan, it was clearly the US Mattel versions that were being mimmicked. The four toys that were released were Dragun (Robot lanza discos), Daimos (Robot lanza cohetes), Great Mazinger (Robot Lanzamisiles) and Gaiking (Robot lanza punos).

Of the four, the one I always wanted the most was the Robot Nacoral Lanza Discos (which from here on I'll refer to simply as "Dragun", since that's what we all know him as.) While each toy is distinctly different from the original, I've always thought that the Dragun was so cool that it almost looked better. Several changes were made to the toy. First and most noticeably, the color of the lower arms and the cape was changed from red to black. This really gives the toy a darker look. The red plastic is lighter than the Popy version, having an almost orange hue to it.

Instead of having a painted soft vinyl head, this version's is molded in two pieces of hard plastic and glued together. Silver stickers are added to the eyes and mouth and the dot in the forehead is not colored. The neck is still painted silver.

This toy comes with axes that can be hurled from the left hand like the previous version and it also included the "star shooter" that came with the Mattel Shogun. The star shooter is the clip on kind, not the kind with the strap and attaches to the ridges in the right arm. For some reason, both lower arms are screwed into the upper arms and cannot be turned.

The Nacoral version of Dragun differs from all previous versions by having one thin straight sticker on the front of each leg, rather than the "V" or lightning stickers seen on the legitimate releases. The sticker on the stomach is most interesting. It appears to be a completely made up set of symbols designed specifically for this toy. It's certainly no language I am familiar with, at least.

One of the things I love about this release is the box. It's clearly designed to look like the Mattel Shogun Warrior boxes, but has some interesting things about it. Firstly, the toy shown on the box appears to be the actual Mattel version and not the toy that comes in the box, except that the eyes are all silver. Secondly, for some reason there are black circles inside the chest stickers. This rather sillly addition makes the whole chest look like a face. Thirdly, the sticker on the waist of the toy on the box is simply the sticker for the Great Mazinger jumbo turned upside down! Fourth, even though the "discos" part of the title is simply Spanish meaning "discs", I love how the glittery lights in the background give an actual "DISCO" feel to the presentation. It was the '70s after all. Fifth, and lastly, it just makes me laugh that they decided to take one picture of the toy and show it FIVE different times on the box. (Once on the front and two times on both sides.)

This version of Getter Dragun is very slightly smaller than the Popy version and although it is nowhere near the same quality, it's a very interesting and different take on a popular character. It's not easy to find and will likely cost in the $300-500 range. A nearly identical version was also released by the Venezuelan company, "Famosa".

In 2002 Marmit released a series of scaled down reproductions of classic Tin Robot toys. Retailing for 4800 yen, these reproductions are the perfect way to get some tin without spending a ton of dough.

In 2002 Marmit released a series of scaled down reproductions of classic Tin Robot toys. Retailing for 4800 yen, these reproductions are the perfect way to get some tin without spending a ton of dough.

Each tin comes in a slipcase box. The toy is wrapped in a plastic bag, with a separate bag for the key. The tin is high quality, a really top notch job. I've never owned a vintage tin before, but if they were this quality, I may have to look into it.

Each 6" tin features walking action. Simply insert the key in the figures side, turn and let go. The figure waddles away at a slow pace.

And that's about it really. They look great, and have a solid, old-school vibe. The head sculpts are really sharp, and if you are a fan of this character, it will look great in your collection.

In 2002, Yamato Toys released the Hero Collection series of die cast metal super robots. Each robot was 6" tall, featured 14 points or articulation, and were almost entirely made out of metal. In the series were:

• Great Mazinger
• Getter 1
• Mazinger Z
• Getter Dragon

Getter Dragon is a fantastic sculpt and features an anime accurate paint job (as opposed to the metallic finish of the Soul of Chogokin version). He comes with 2 Getter tomahawks, but unfortunately, no cape.

The sheer metal content alone is enough to drive any chogokin fan crazy. But add solid detented joints for fantastic posing and you have one of the best toys of 2002.

The Hero Collection toys originally retailed for ¥4800 in Japan, but they were imported to the states by Diamond Comics Distributors for a substantially lower price later on.

If you grew up with the Shogun Warriors or Force Five, then Getter Liger holds a special place in your heart. Whether you know him as star Arrow, Raider, or Liger, the GX-19's distinctive design is immediately recognizable. He was the swift one, but always second best to Getter Dragon. Well, this toy changes all of that.

Getter Liger is the second mode of the three mode Getter Robo G. The three ships combine in different ways to make either Getter Dragon, Liger, or Poseidon.

Liger comes with a drill arm, chain arm, and Liger missile, as well as a set of right hands only, and a closed version if the Liger missile. The missile does not fire. Also, the drill does not spin like it does on the Getter 2. When not in use, the accessories store on the back of the base. The base connects to the other Getter G bases. Be careful - prolonged storage of the hands and accessories on the pegs of the base will stretch out the holes, and makes them fall off when attached to Liger.

Also included is the Getter Liger ship and a launch pad. The launch pads for the three getter ships combine, simulating the launch sequence in the show.

The toy is tight and mostly metal. The paint job is like a brand new automobile. The waist separates via a button on the back, and requires a bit of force to connect them. The head has a full range of movement, and even has moveable ears to simulate the combination procedure. Getter Liger is top-heavy, so you cannot really do much with it in terms of poses. Still, he makes a great display piece.

If only they could have made those missiles fire...

This is the one of the Soul of Chogokin robots I always wished they'd make. When I was a kid, the only two die cast shoguns I had were liger and poseidon. I loved those things to death. I broke their arms off eventually, and buried them in the sandbox behind my grandmothers house.

Getter Poseidon brings me right back to that place, only this time i'm going to be a bit gentler with him. The first thing you notice about him is that he is solid. The lower legs, waist and body are solid metal. He has to be one of the heaviest SOCs. He comes with two different legs - tread mode and regular mode. I wish Bandai could have found a way to make the legs transform, but he does look more anime accurate this way. The treads are rubber, and they do work.

Another great feature about Getter Poseidon is that his missiles actually fire! They only go a short distance, but it's a step in the right direction. You can flip up the chest plate and spin the getter hurricane as well. His waist has a special joint so he can be posed for this attack. One thing that is missing though is Poseidon's net; In the anime, he could cast out a net from his fingertips. If Liger can come with the chain, I don't see why Poseidon can't come with a net.

Also included with the set is a variant set of hands, the Poseidon Getter Machine, a launch pad that stacks with the other Getter G Machines, and a base. Interesting to note that the base is the same base for all 3 Getters, therefore there is no place to store the spare treads. The base can click into the other getter G bases to create a unified display stand.

There have been reports of the waist on Poseidon not staying together. All I can say is make sure you push it together really hard, and it will snap into place. The same goes for the legs. They are hard to remove and replace, but use a little force and you're all set.