Although most Japanese toys from the 60’s and 70’s generally still hold up well over the years Japanese model kits from the same era generally have not faired too well.

Although most Japanese toys from the 60’s and 70’s generally still hold up well over the years Japanese model kits from the same era generally have not faired too well.

Before Bandai started to produce their famous Mobile Suit Gundam Model kits most Japanese Model kits were seen as unassembled toys that one puts together and when through, still have the same play value as toys. Usually the kits had the same gimmicks as their toy counterpoints: wind up engines, shooting missiles, slot car conversions, bonus figures, collector cards just to name a few examples.

Being an avid fan of 60’s and 70’s Anime and Japanese live-action programs and an avid model kit builder things can get a bit shady when purchasing my favorite model kits representing subjects from the 60’s and 70’s. For example most the model kits from this era never pictured the actual model kit on the box. Usually it was beautiful oil or watercolor rendition of said subject on the box art. Also the kits were just as expensive as the toys. When I arrived home and opened up the box I would be disappointed to find that the model kit that I just purchased was nothing but a simplified representation of said subject with the likenesses horribly out of scale. Model kit manufacturing techniques and what modelers expect from a Model manufactures have improved signifiently since the 1960’s when many of these model kits were originally produced.

What I plan to do is review some of these older model kits and see which ones still hold up over the years and which ones should be treated like garage kits that one has to scratch build parts for or be built out of the box as historical model kit representations of our favorite subjects.

I purchased my Great Mazinger from the model kit aisle of the local drug store roughly in the early 90’s for what I remember $10.00. I believe this model kit is a Korean bootleg as it is from a company that I have never heard of before. It also looks like it was originally manufactured as a toy that was back engineered into a model kit. Also this model is called Great Maginger as opposed to Great Mazinger. A mistranslation or a licensing avoidance, perhaps a little of both. I would have to believe it’s a box scale somewhere between 1/100 scale and 1/144 scale.

Box art includes somewhat decent airbrush picture of Great Mazinger on top of and around the sides of the box and some small photos of three built, but unpainted, versions of the kit inside. It appears it was modeled in at least four different colors of white, blue, red and silver. My version came molded in dark blue and dark red with the sword molded in silver. Modelers definitely prefer kits modeled in white or light grey, as bright and dark colors are difficult to hide under lighter colors. Again going back to the toy theme most likely in was molded in so many colors so kids did not have to paint the model kit.

The kit comes with three sprue (1x red 1x blue 1x silver) 1x one sided instruction sheet and one sticker sheet.

One item I first noticed was that the kit was modeled with screw holes in Great Mazinger back inner legs and behind the arms. This is where I believe it was a toy at one time as the model kit does not include any screws and the instructions do not refer to the holes in anyway. One of the most time consuming aspect in building this kit was filling in all those holes with sheet styrene.

The kit went very well together although I wish there was some more details inside the head area, especially with Mazinger’s spaceship. The kit comes with no clear part. I would suggest scratch building some clear parts into the spaceship window, as it’s an open gap. A modified Lite Bright peg would go great here. The Mazinger face likeness looks great and modeled in crisp details and captures the Go Nagai’s design quite nice.

Many robot kits from this era had very basic movement and this model kit is no exception with movement limited to circular movement in the head, arms, wrists and very limited movement of the elbows, knees and feet. Because of this lack of movement I decided to build this kit in a static position of Great Mazinger ready to fire his rocket punch missiles. Because of the lack of internet resources back in the 90’s I did not scratch build blades coming from the forearm because simply I did not know what they looked like, although these days I would have added those blades. With its lack of movement I was still able to get a decent stance from the kit.

I scratch build the head in a looking up position with some sheet steryne. I also modified some of the enclosures on the jet pack and added nozzles to the jet back wing. I also filled in the holes in the hands, as I was not going to use the sword. The jet pack wings were curved around the leading and trailing edge with sandpaper because it looked a bit flat.

The kit was painted using Model Master flat non specular dark sea blue, Testers aluminum metalizer, Testers flat yellow and Testers flat red with a Badger 350 airbrush. I did not spray a flat or gloss sealer although looking back a flat coat would look good. The weathering ideas came from an old 1986 issue of Hobby Japan that had some pictures of a well built resin Great Mazinger model kit.

The model kit comes with a sheet of stickers for the wings and belt area. Again a very charming aspect of the kit but something that better represents the toy appeal of this model kit.

Although this model kit had some issues with the inner head details and the numerous unneeded screw holes and being modeled in some really awful colors, generally speaking this model kit is holds up quite well and with a little work could be converted into an ace looking model kit. I build this kit about at least 10 years ago and if another came my way most likely I would like to have another attempt at it and I would purchase another one. It could also be built into a nice looking toy model with the stickers and sword, perhaps best painted in glossy colors for that Popy look. Either way I think one would be satisfied and impressed with the results.

Fewture and the late Taku Sato's take on Great Mazinger, courtesy of Angolz!

Woof! Bring it on! Over $200 of loud-clicking heavy metal courtesy of Angolz.

Jump to video teaser

This is Fewture's EX Gokin Great Mazinger 1969. And, yes, like the Mazinger Z 1969 from this line Josh had reviewed, I don't exactly get the connection between these robots and the year, 1969. But, hey, whatever! It's a damn cool toy.

Super-glossy outer slipcase

Equally-glossy, thick cardboard box lid

Myself and other writers here have talked about this before, but I think it's worth repeating: quality, thoughtful packaging can really make a toy experience all the better. Yes, a turd in a dress is still a turd, but something Bandai just hasn't figured out with their SoC line is how much nicer a toy experience can be with the right presentation.

Along with gorgeous styrofoam tray you see above, there's a cool double-sided print of sketches of Great Mazinger and Mazinger Z by the late, Taku Sato. Another part I love: a single sheet of instructions(2)! That's all you get; that's all you'll need.

Yes, glossy color booklets are cool, but I sure don't mind this minimalist approach. The time I have to devote to this crazy hobby is limited, so a lack of fluff is appreciated. And this sentiment is no more apparent in how I feel about accessories. The styro tray above is ALL there is. There's no double-layer or separate vacu-formed plastic tray for million other tiny bits. There is a hidden cavity on the bottom for the stand, but don't bother. You'll never need it. You just start with the basic robot and everything you need is right there.

The robot is a mixture of diecast and hard plastic. There are some PVC bits like the opening jaws(!). Again, as you'd expect from reading Josh's review of MZ, the metal and sheer size of this figure are more than a little awe-inspiring. The joints are super-tight and super-clicky and everything holds together nicely. ...With one exception. The toy comes with two PVC Brain Condors; one fixed and one with articulation to fold up in order to fit into GM's head. I don't know what I need to do to appease the toy gods, but I just can seem to get the folding one to fit securely into the head. I've seriously considered just gluing the damn thing in.

See...this is exactly the kind of thing that turns me off to most modern gokin. Designers are so desperate to offer multi-gimmickery and anime-accuracy that little details like this end up failing and annoying the collectors they're trying to impress. But I digress. Your mileage (and fundamental collecting habits) will vary!

Anyway, the good news is that the Brain Condor issue is pretty much the only flaw I have to report! The forearm magnets came securely glued to where they're supposed to be (unlike the common problem with many folks' MZ's). The Great Booster (not to be confused with the Scramble Dash!) clicks into the toy's back very firmly.

The only caveat, again, is the knee articulation. The knees are double-jointed, but the thigh, kneecap, and lower leg are all painted diecast. If you're not careful about how you flex these joints, the parts could bump against one another and rub the paint off in spots. This has already happened a little bit with mine, but as I've said before, life's too damn short to worry about paint rubs on a toy! Play with the damn thing! You won't be disappointed.

Sure, it's over $200US...but a couple paint rubs add character, right? ;)

Now, seriously, look at this toy.

It's gorgeous...that is, if you're into the whole retcon thing. I'm sure there are plenty of purists out there who don't exactly appreciate this almost McFarlane-ish take on a classic design. That's entirely subjective.

If you happen to like what you see, then you may just need this toy. Besides my gripe about the Brain Condor, the execution is essentially flawless. This was a rock-solid purchase for me.

So, let's take a look at some of the accessories and gimmicks. First, ya gotta have wings. In the cartoon, Great Mazinger could sprout wings out of his back just by yelling, "Scramble DASH!!". Now, that would be a pretty tough thing to pull off in a toy, so Fewture opted to go with the later upgrade to this feature, the Great Booster. This vehicle would be sent out from the base via remote control to dock with Great Mazinger, much like the original Mazinger Z's Jet Scrander.

Now, I guess if you're a completist and want both GM and MZ, there's something to complain about here: MZ's red Jet Scrander and GM's grey Great Booster are essentially the same thing. The sculpt of the main body of each accessory is identical. The wings are subtly different, though. Fortunately, I'm not a completist! ;)

The Great Booster features nice detents in the rotating wings and the nose of the craft is diecast. I'm not sure why many people have complained about these things not attaching securely to the robot--mine clicks in very firmly.

Next up, we have a huge sword! In the cartoon, Great Mazinger had his "Mazinger Blades" that would launch out of those things on his hips and...uh...grow in length. Well, Mazinger Z never had a sword, but Fewture gave him one anyway. This Great Mazinger toy has the same accessory, but there's nothing really to indicate that it comes from his hips. One neat thing is that, in addition to the sword, Great Mazinger comes with an alternate hilt that, when combined with the two swords from MZ and GM, forms a huge super-sword! Pretty neat. I'll have to bring this guy over to Josh's to check that feature out. Still, nothing ground-breaking.

It's worth noting here that the fingers aren't articulated. There are several different hands--all fairly flexible PVC: closed fists, open/aggressive hands, fists with separate, loose fingers, and one right hand with just the index finger extended (for the Thunder Break attack). The fists with the loose fingers look really good, but take a little effort to work the sword hilt into them. All the wrists are ball jointed as one would expect.

And speaking of the hands, here's an interesting design choice. A staple of these super robots is the launching fist weapon. For Great Mazinger, it was the Drill Pressure Punch; for Mazinger Z, it was Rocket Punch. Such weapons were also prominent features of the toys--spring-loaded fists were a much-copied gimmick from the classic chogokin era.

Modern gokin designers have addressed the problem of the launching fist in different ways. In most cases, replacement arms or elbows--lacking articulation--have been necessary to make these gimmicks work. Extra clunky bits...not exactly ideal solutions. I don't know if this was Sato's idea from the beginning or a decision made by Fewture based on the realities of toy manufacture, but either way, they have eschewed the launching fist altogether. Granted, the forearms can be removed and reattached easily via the magnetic joints to simulate these weapons, but there're no springs or buttons.

Instead, we're given...assorted brass knuckles?

Ah, the classic weapon of the honorable warrior: the noble brass knuckle. Well, what can ya do? There it is. At least ya get three sets of 'em.

Next up, one of my favorite attacks from the Mazinger era: Breat Burn. Sure, the name's a bit unfortunate, but it was sure cool to watch in the cartoons! What Fewture has done here is pretty neat. Normally, the figure is fitted with a solid diecast chest plate that can be removed and put into one of the loose fists to simulate the Great Boomerang attack (not pictured). To simulate the Breast Burn attack, this plate can actually be replaced on the figure with a translucent red plastic version with molded detail inside that catches the light in interesting ways and just looks killer!

A popular feature with these figures is the articulated jaw I mentioned earlier. Now, the original Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger robots had a simple grills covering where there mouths should be. GM could blast his enemies with the Great Typhoon, a powerful wind attack lacking the corrosive power of MZ's less-windy version, the Rust Hurricane. There really hasn't been a toy equivalent of this attack, so Sato designed one! The lower jaw drops down and the upper jaw lifts up a bit to expose the nicely sculpted Great Typhoon emitter. Sure, it doesn't actually do anything, but the addition of this detail is really cool!

Lastly, we have one of Great Mazinger's most powerful weapons, Thunder Break. GM would point his finger up into the sky and absorb all of the static electricity in the nearby atmosphere...then unleash that energy in a directed blast at the monster-of-the-week. Pretty rockin' to my 7-year-old mind back in the 80's. But don't get too excited; as far as the toy goes, it's just another alternate hand!

So, that basically covers everything. Again, besides the Brain Condor, the execution is excellent. If you can't get past the liberties Sato took with the sculpt, pass on this toy. But if this sort of thing appeals to you visually, go grab one from Angolz.

This is very likely the easiest to acquire Jumbo out there. But it's a classic and should be in your collection....

Leading the charge for Mattel's Shogun Warrior invasion in the late 1970s was Great Mazinger (called Great Mazinga on the box). This is probably the most easily recognizable Jumbo out there. Not only was it released in great numbers, it also had several different versions produced from Matttel alone. (For more on the variations between releases, check out this site.) Additionally, it was also released in such places as, of course, Japan, but also Hong Kong, Spain and Venezuela. Various different forms to be sure, but quite obviously the same basic toy.

The version I have is the third version with the cheaper sticker on the chest. Now, most people think I'm a bit nuts for wanting to get this one instead of the more elaborate and eye-pleasing first version, but I have a solid reason for that. I simply wanted the one that was most different from the Unifive version that I already had when I bought this. Naturally, I'd love to have every Jumbo ever released at some point in my life, but until then, variety is the way to go for me. Some might suggest just getting all three Mattel versions, but frankly, I just wanted one of each character and then move on. I can also get the other versions later if desired.

If you've clicked the links above, you'll see that about the only other significant thing that sets this toys apart from the previously reviewed versions is that it has a normal right hand and a rocket launcher for a left hand, instead of a matching pair of either. Furthermore, this toy comes with only 3 missiles on each leg instead of the usual 5. Recently, someone was actually able to recognize that my tattoos were from this toy!

You SHOULD own all the Jumbo Shogun Warriors. This is a fact. But if you want only one of each character, you're probably better off getting one of the earlier versions of Great Mazinga, unless you already have the Popy/U5 version and think the same way I do. This version is not as nice, but is cheaper. I paid just over $100, I think, for mine. And they are all over Ebay.

Ok, sorry if this review stunk and that I made you look at my hairy leg. But let's face, this is basically the 5th time I've had to review essentially the same toy so forgive me if it becomes progressively harder to keep it interesting! Maybe this appearance of the toy in the 1982 made for TV movie "Don't Go To Sleep" will add some spice.

And naturally, the old commercials are always fun, too.

As you can see in the pics, I'm missing the sticker for one of the knees. If you've got one, let me know. I've got an extra sticker from the pelvis I could swap for it.

This rare variant of the Popy Great Mazinger Jumbo is highly sought after by fans of the character.

Of all the famous Japanese robots to have been produced as Jumbo Machinders, perhaps none were made in as many forms as Great Mazinger. Popy made at least 2 versions of the original toy and one was re-released by Unifive. Mattel released at least 3 versions as part of their famous Shogun Warrior line of toys, and both Nacoral and Famosa had 2 releases of their versions of the toy. But perhaps rarest and most sought after version might be this unique bootleg from Hong Kong.

This toy was based on the original Popy version, but the limbs are molded in white. In addition to the alternate color scheme, a number of significant changes have been made. The wheels on the feet have been removed and the chest "V" is now a much thinner piece of plastic. The head is now one piece of soft vinyl with no removable Brain Condor. The sculpt on this piece is not particularly bad, but the paint job is.

The rest of the toy is much cheaper as well. There are no weights on the legs so it is very light. The plastic is thin and squishy and you can actually see through it on the upper part of the forearms. The missiles are one piece of cheap polyethylene that completely lack the sharp detail of their two-piece Popy counterparts. Nothing is included that would actually fire these missiles and they cannot be used in a Popy accessory fist. The missile holders are molded right onto the legs and are rather poorly done, causing the missiles to point slightly upwards instead of being strictly horizontal like the original.

You can still store a sword on either leg, but only the right hand can hold one. The waist has a simplified gold foil sticker with "Great Mazinger" written in Japanese. Though it is written in Japanese, it is unique to this toy and it seems a little strange to me that a toy made in Hong Kong would still have Japanese writing on it, especially when they didn't just re-use the original sticker. There are supposed to be stickers on the knees and pelvis, but mine is missing these.

This is a particularly tough toy to find. I've only seen 3 or 4 of them in the 6 years or so I've been collecting. It seems to sell in the $500-600 range when it turns up, but I've also not seen it at auction listed properly so who knows how it would fare in that circumstance. I do know that it is said to have been originally sold in a bag with a header card and that it is not the only toy like this to be made. Another version that can be confirmed is one with yellow limbs, and there may be others out there. Nothing would surprise me at this point.....

A must have for Jumbo fans.

Following on the heels of Mazinger Z, Unifive's next release in their line of Jumbo Machines was naturally Great Mazinger (グレートマジンガー). For many collectors, this is THE piece to get in the line. Many people loved the Mattel Shogun Warriors jumbo version of this character, but were either unwilling or unable to get the original Popy, or maybe didn't even know of it's existence. This edition from Unifive was practically identical to the original, but at a fraction of the cost. And it is a tremendous improvement over the Mattel toy.

While the Mattel toy has a missile launcher in place of the left fist, this version restores the originals symmetry with normal matching fists. This version also has a nicely molded chest piece instead of the sticker that some of the Mattel versions had. While most collectors are pretty familiar with this toy, seeing it in it's proper form reminds of just how nice it is.

But Unifive wasn't content to just match the beauty of the Popy toy. Instead they went the extra mile and actually included the Scramble Dash accessory. This set of removable wings makes Great Mazinger go from just a great jumbo to an absolute MUST HAVE. The Scramble Dash included here is different from the original. The original came in 4 parts and you had to connect the wings to the center. Here you only have to connect the yellow fin on top. Then just slide the connector around the robots waist and it will rest snugly on it's back.

I can't overstate how much cooler this toy is with this feature than without it. The only minor downside is that it can be slightly hard to display it with your other jumbos with the wings on. because of their size. The wingspan is about 17.5" across and the finadds another 5" to the depth of the toy. Perhaps the best way to display it might be with the wings on, but the fin detached. But that is a very small price to pay. I thnk the only other minor gripe one might have with this toy is that although it comes with two swords that can be stored in and removed from the hips, only the right hand actually has a hole that you can hold one in.

Everything else is like the vintage Popy Jumbo Machinder. There are 5 missile clips on the exterior of each leg and two more on each shoulder for a total of 14 missiles. Unfortunately, there is nothing to shoot them with, but since you got the wings included, I guess you can't complain too much about having to buy the separately sold missile launcher accessory.

The Brain Condor can be removed from the head, the fists removed to accomodate the accessory fists and there are wheels on the feet. The soft vinyl head can be turned side to side and the arms raised and lowered, but neither of the fists shoot. The box is a new image, but an obvious homage to the original Popy box.

While all the Unifive Jumbos can still be found fairly easily, this might be the hardest of the regular releases (ie; not including the exclusive black Garada K7) to get these days since demand for it is so high. You can probably expect to pay roughly $200-300 for it, I would think. But if you're into Jumbos, it's a no brainer. You need this one.

Jumbos from Venezuela have come to light and these are nearly identical to the Spanish Nacoral Robots. The easiest one to get is Great Mazinger.....

It is becoming more and more apparent in recent years that the influence of Popy's Jumbo Machinder line of toys was more far reaching than anyone had previously realized. Initially, it was thought that Mattel's line of Shogun Warriors were the only other source of Jumbos. Then the line of Spanish Nacoral Robots was discovered, as well as bootlegs from countries such as Italy, Hong Kong, Korea and Mexico. Recently, more jumbos from Venezuela have come to light and these are nearly identical to the Nacorals, even bearing the same names.

Famosa is known to have released 6 different Jumbos. Each came packaged in the same box. The front of the box shows the Great Mazinger Shogun Warrior with it's right hand replaced by a missile launcher, just like the box of the Nacoral Great Mazinger. It is in fact the exact same image. The style of the box is the same, except that now it says "Mazinger Z" on the front as well as the company name in the bottom left corner. One side of the box shows the Great Mazinger and Gaiking Jumbos, while the other side shows Dragun, Daimos and Gaiking again. On the top of the box is a checklist of the toys with a mark specifying which toy is inside.

The Great Mazinger toy is much like the Nacoral Great Mazinger....sticker on the chest, 14 missiles (the missiles are slightly more orange than others), two missile launchers and a different head. But the size of the two toys is slightly different with the Famosa being a little bit smaller. The head in particular is thinner. The chest on the Nacoral is a bit more robust than on the Famosa version, though it is difficult to see in pictures. My Famosa version did not come with stickers on the knees, although some do.

The only other difference is that the Famosa Great Mazinger has some VERY noticeable woodgrain in the molded plastic. It's obvious both in the chest and in the legs. I find this pretty interesting. I'm not sure if it means that the Famosa toys were made before the Nacorals or after. Or if the same prototypes were used for both or not.

Earlier, I said that Famosa made 6 Jumbos but only named 4. It turns out that they made 2 versions of this toy. (The 6th Jumbo was a fascinating and rare hybrid of Gaiking, Daimos and Dragun!) The first was released in the late 1970s and the second in the early 1980s. The first version had a small circular base attached to the feet. This was a battery operated "bump and go" feature. The toy would roll around and change directions upon contact with an obsticle. This version also came in a slightly different box. There is a yellow box on the top left corner denoting this feature. The following pictures were from a Venezuelan auction.

1st Version Toy

1st Version Box

Now that the existence of these toys is known, they are appearing with a good degree of regularity, especially the Great Mazingers. Gaiking has also been seen several times. But getting Dragun is MUCH harder, and the Daimos has not ever even been seen by anyone I know in Venezuela. Some even speculate Daimos was not actually made. It would seem this and the hybrid Gaiking are the real prizes of the line. Time will tell. This toy originally retailed for 280,00 bolivares (approximately $13) and now seems to typically sell in the $100-200 range.

The Nacoral version of Great Mazinger was based on the 3rd version of the Mattel Shogun Warrior.

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).

The Nacoral version of Great Mazinger was based on the 3rd version of the Mattel toy, having a "V" sticker on the chest rather than a separately molded piece of plastic. The main differences between the two toys are on the head and hands. While Mattel removed the left hand from the Popy Great Mazinger Jumbo Machinder and replaced it with a missile launcher, Nacoral went all the way and replaced both hands. Now with no hand in which to hold a sword, the openings in the hips are no longer present. The box shows the original Mattel toy, with the right hand replaced by a missile launcher.

The next most noticeable difference is in the head. Instead of "L"-shaped yellow horns, there is now straight, red ones. Furthermore, the whole head is of significantly lower quality. The elegant lines and perfect symmetry of the soft vinyl original has been replaced with a sloppily molded hard plastic. The Brain Condor on the Nacoral looks too big to fit in the head and the eyes and mouth grill are now made of stickers.

The Nacoral version is slightly smaller than the Mattel, measuring at approximately 22.5" tall. The sticker on my Nacoral is shinier than the one on my Mattel version, and the lettering for "Great" (????) is not colored yellow as well. Lastly, although the Nacoral is based on the third version Mattel Great Mazinger, it comes with a full compliment of 14 short-vaned Machinder missiles, where the Mattel had only 10.

Nacoral is known to have released two variations of this toy. The second has a different, all blue head. Another version of this toy was also made, but this time it was released in Venezuela by a company called "Famosa". This toy is nearly identical to the Nacoral one, but does have a few minor differences, such as a slightly smaller head.

When I first started collecting Jumbos, it seemed that the Great Mazinger was the hardest to get out of the 4. But the last couple of years has seen them coming out of the woodwork, so to speak. Loose specimens are frequently seen on eBay (though often in poor condition) and boxed ones show up from time to time too. Meanwhile, Nacoral Dragun, Gaiking and Daimos seem to be getting harder to come by. Great Mazinger, and really all the Nacorals, should sell for between $200-400 in mint in box condition.

Sometime last year there was a sudden appearance of large bootleg toys originating in Taiwan calling themselves Jumbo Machinders. Three robots were included in the set-Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger and UFO Robo Grendizer.

Sometime last year there was a sudden appearance of large bootleg toys originating in Taiwan calling themselves Jumbo Machinders. Three robots were included in the set-Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger and UFO Robo Grendizer. Before reviewing the toys themselves, let's look at the packaging.

Each toy is sold in a bag with a colorful header card. The header cards may be the most interesting thing about them. The say made in China, by a company called "Boby" ("Popy? Never heard of 'em") which is written in Japanese on the lower right hand corner. The upper right hand corner says "Jumbo Machinder Power Punch Model" in English, even though no power punch feature is included. Below that it says "Jumbo Machinder" misspelled in Japanese. Lastly each card says "Grendizer" on the front, regardless of which robot you are actually buying.

As for the toys themselves, they all share the same generic body slightly modified to suit each robot. Great Mazinger has a separately molded piece of plastic for the V on his chest, though it is a little too flat for my liking. He also has a sticker with his name written in Japanese on his waist. The sculpt and paint job on the head are very good, but unfortunately the neck seems to be a bit asymmetrical. It's very slight, but noticeable when you look for it. The Scramble Dash is fixed in place. Probably the worst part of the toys is the tops of the fists. The mold here is very flat, which is a shame because the fingers on it my be the best part of the body.

The toy is made of both hard plastic and polyethylene and stands at 18", not the 20" that it is often listed as. Still, these things cost less than $10 and are a great way to add some sizable toys to your collection for short money.

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

Great Mazinger comes with a variant pointing hand, as well as his wing assembly. The sculpt is powerful, and gives him a sense of authority.

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 toy lines 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.