B-club reproduction of the classic Bullmark Ultraman villian

B-Club Bullmark reproduction GLOW Shibozu, 215mm tall, due March 2008 for 5,250.

This is one of my favorite toys, though I tend to forget that because it's usually in storage for space reasons.

Part Jumbo Machinder, part baseball pitching machine, Battinger, sometimes referred to as Astron or Earthtron Battinger, was released by Bullmark in 1971. And as such it predates the first official Jumbo Machinder by a two years. Some purists don't consider it a Jumbo, but I think it fits right in alongside other jumbo kaiju such as the Shogun Warriors Godzilla and the World's Greatest Monsters Rodan. Unlike those two toys, Battinger does not originate from the Godzilla movies, but from the Ultraman TV show.

The toy is bigger than the Godzilla jumbo at 21" tall and is an inch taller when placed in it's platform. The feet have pegs that fit into holes in the base and there are adjustable tabs that hug the feet to hold it steady. The left arm is adjustable but the right is always fixed in place when not in it's pitching motion.

To use the pitching mechaism, you need to install two D batteriese into the back compartment. Next, close the lid and slide the unit onto Battingers back.

With this unit attached, the toy will be about 22" deep so if you intend to just display it, you'll likely want to leave this piece in the box. There is a clear plastic frame that goes over the row of balls that you NEED to have. If this is missing, the balls will not load into Battinger's hand properly. Even if it's bent (like mine) it might not work everytime. So if you are thinking of buying this toy, make sure you get a specimen that has this included. This shouldn't be a problem though as this is one of those toys that seems to show up complete and in the box more often than not.

Lastly, just load the balls into the hole in the back of the plastic covering, turn the switch in Battinger's back to ON and you're ready for some kaiju baseball! A small plastic bat is included, as well as a small plastic tennis racket.

You may have noted that the color of the ball holder and the ON/OFF switch is different in the commercial than on the toy pictured here. I'm not sure if that is a variation or a prototype in the commercial. I don't recall ever seeing the toy in red like that before, but I just may not have noticed.

This is one of my favorite toys, though I tend to forget that because it's usually in storage for space reasons. I just don't have room to display my jumbo kaiju. But everytime I take it out and fire it up, I remember how much fun it is. Jumbo collectors might be able to do without it, but it's a toy that every monster collector SHOULD have, in my opinion. For such an old toy, it's surprisingly easy to acquire. They are ALWAYS available on Yahoo!Japan and often appear in shops in Japan as well. It's less easy to get here in the United States, but they do show up. Sometimes the price is higher than it should be though. I would say that if you can get this for $350 or less, that's about right. Anything more than that and you may be overpaying.

This piece was the one that opened my eyes and filled me with real lust and drive to collect Japanese robots, jumbos in particular.

For all collectors of anything, there is always THAT item, the Holy Grail of your hobby. Be it for rarity, monetary value, bragging rights, maybe even a long lost thing from your past, we all have the "gotta have it" piece we seek. In my case, it was the Mekanda Robo Jumbo Machinder. This piece was the one that opened my eyes and filled me with real lust and drive to collect Japanese robots, jumbos in particular.

For years it seemed like just a dream that I'd ever get a chance to handle one of my own, but then a couple months ago, I took the plunge and went for it, barely managing to nab this specimen off Yahoo Japan. It's no wonder Mekanda seems to always attract high prices and extreme interest. It has to be without a doubt probably the best proportioned toy representation of Mekanda produced.

The jumbo was produced by Bullmark in 1977 and was 1 of only 2 Jumbos they produced, the other being the Battinger batting game. As such they went all out on it, packing in details and extra craftsmanship, something that seems fairly common on most non-Popy jumbos. Unfortunately this came at a price. Bullmark, being a small company, wasn't able to produce as many Mekanda as they probably wanted to. It's becoming harder and harder to find them, and when they do appear, the price is usually well above $1,000 US for loose specimens, based on their popularity as well as rarity.

Just about every piece on it is made using separate molded plastic, all of which is of the highest quality. The color scheme chosen is quite unique for jumbos, the most striking being the baby blue used on the legs and other details. In terms of action and play value Mekanda is the Cadillac of jumbos. The chest contains a dial activated Gatling gun style 4 missile shooter (I am without any missiles for my piece so I can't testify as to their range and power, though the springs do appear to be fairly strong). Next up are the arms...while Popy would usually settle with either fixed fists, a rocket punch, or a small spinning blade as found on the Dragun, Bullmark armed Mekanda with dual gear driven spinning blades of death! Each spiked(!) arm shield contains 3 semi-soft vinyl blades that extend when the shields spin and retract via rubber bands located inside. It's truly an awesome feature, that I can well imagine young children having a blast with whacking their friends with.

Besides pure "stand there and look cool" play value that's the full range of Mekanda's features, but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up in quality. The face sculpt is very striking, soft, but at the same time its eyes seem to bore right into you.

Rather than stick with the standard 60cm height, Mekanda goes far beyond it, nearly hitting 66 cm, making it a full head height taller than most Popy jumbos (which can lead to problems with displaying it on pre-built shelves).

As I said above, Mekanda was my holy grail, and after handling it, I can say it more than deserves to be. Though mine is missing some parts and isn't in the best condition, it still manages to shock and awe. Josh was kind enough to take some very amazing pictures of my Mekanda for this review when I was at his house last, and I think that they truly convey the quality and presence of this piece better than my review here.

This particular version of the Mekanda Jumbo is missing quite a few pieces, but I am in the process of restoring it. If you have any of the missing pieces, such as missiles the head crest, or the chest parts, please contact me.
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I have a feeling that Mekanda may be worth a tidy sum as well some day. But that's an odd notion and a long way off.

EDITORS NOTE

The following review is an excerpt from a work in progress. The larger project details the rather odd circumstances that led to the authors fascination with Japanese toys. The article is written from the perspective, and with the limited knowledge he had in 1978 when he was building the collection. Therefore, much of the information on the toys will be inaccurate, the toy stores listed non existent, and the prices ridiculously low.

"Obsolete". That's what Tony over at Toys International said. "They're not making these things anymore. Besides that, nobody keeps buying Japanese robots. Except for you."

So I got a break on the price. Still, buying this toy set me back forty bucks. This is the finest piece in the now defunct Bullmark line: The Mekanda-Robo Technical Gassin Deluxe gift box set.

And when I open the Technical Gassin Set's big gaudy box, remove the inner box cover and look inside, the same word recurs: obsolete. Toys are becoming more and more sophisticated. Computer equipped gizmos like Simon can actually out smart the people who play with them. Pinball tables are being replaced by electronic games like Pong, and Asteroids. Mekanda's technology was old thirty years ago.

The Gassin Set consists of the Mekanda Robot, a rocket plane, and a super-streamlined car. Mekanda doesn't actually transform in the manner of the Popy toys. Rather, he breaks down for transport on the super-vehicles that come with the set. This, undoubtedly, is in keeping with the storyline of the animated serial that inspired the toy. The plane and the car each consist of two modules that separate to carry their respective segments of the disassembled robot.

While Mekanda is not as ingeniously engineered as some other Japanese toys, The robot, itself is a sturdy item and almost all metal. He's bright, and colorful. He's cool in a funky sort of way (or maybe funky in a cool sort of way.). Mekanda, and his transport vehicles are like an outdated science fiction story: an odd combination of futuristic vision and nostalgia.

Unfortunately, he has a lot of faults as well. Mekanda just doesn't do much, and much of what he does, he does poorly. The wrist shield spinners don't work very well, and when they do work the plastic blades rub against the black paint on the shoulder. The wind up spinner in the head doesn't work very well either. A dial on the back of the robot fires the four spring loaded missiles in the chest. Mostly it either jams, or misfires as soon as it's pointing at your eye.

So why did I buy it? Why spend a lot of money on a clunky, obsolete toy that no one has ever heard of? First, the obvious reason: I think it's cool. I just plain like the thing. But there is more to it than that. In a way, when I look at this toy I see a future antique. I can imagine a day when this piece comes into some else's hands as a relic from preceding decades.

"Gosh, will you look at this old thing. You know it was made way back in the nineteen seventies?"

And I have a feeling that Mekanda may be worth a tidy sum as well some day. But that's an odd notion and a long way off. For now the Mekanda Technical Gassin Set occupies a prominent space on my shelf amid a growing army of Japanese Robot toys. Good luck trying to find one. It's a hit or miss prospect trying to find the Technical Gassin Set at a Toys International store. Neither of the Kunimatsuya stores has it.

*The stores (as well as the Bullmark company) are no longer in business.
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Diapolon doesn't transform. His arm joints are loose, and the leg joints are rather pointless, as they do not contribute to the ability to pose the figure.

EDITORS NOTE

The following review is an excerpt from a work in progress. The larger project details the rather odd circumstances that led to the authors fascination with Japanese toys. The article is written from the perspective, and with the limited knowledge he had in 1978 when he was building the collection. Therefore, much of the information on the toys will be inaccurate, the toy stores listed non existent, and the prices ridiculously low.

I found this little guy at Toy City. He is another soldier in what I predict will become a major invasion of Japanese robot toys. The character hails from a Japanese animated serial that melds the unlikely combination of UFO's, giant robots, and (American) Football. Meet UFO Diapolon from the Japanese toy manufacturer, Bullmark.

Diapolon, and other Bullmark toys are packaged with the same care as similar-sized figures from the Popy and Ark companies, but the Bullmark issues lack the sophisticated engineering and quality control. Diapolon doesn't transform. His arm joints are loose, and the leg joints are rather pointless, as they do not contribute to the ability to pose the figure. The spring-loaded fists are a common feature on Japanese robots, and the wind-up spinner in the chest is hardly an original gimmick. It doesn't even work very well to boot. The set includes three spinners, a spare set of fists and two ring-shaped weapons of chrome-plated plastic. There is no way to place the weapons in the hands, or mount them in a shooter. Compared to his more sophisticated cousins from the Popy line, Diapolon is downright primitive.

Nonetheless, this is a neat little toy. While UFO Diapolon lacks sophistication he fairly radiates soul. The reason can be summed up in one word- metal. Like the old toy cars in my grandmother's attic Diapolon is solid, heavy die-cast metal. Indeed, in both engineering and appearance the toy seems a throwback to the 1930's or 1940's. UFO Diapolon isn't good at doing much except sitting on a shelf looking cool. But he does it exceedingly well. UFO Diapolon is imported by the Marukai Trading Company in Los Angeles, CA.

You can find the toy at Toy City, Toys International, or Kunimatsuya toy stores*.

*The stores (as well as Bullmark) are no longer in business.

In the early 1970s, the toy company Bullmark formed, rising from the ashes of toy maker Marusan. Bullmark quickly began churning out cheap vinyl toys from popular shows such as Ultraman and Ultraseven.

Ultraman was also broadcast in Hawaii, and Japanese Bullmark vinyls were selling like crazy, so Bullmark started making vinyl specifically for the Hawaii market. These vinyls were different from their Japanese counterparts, usually in mold or paint color, and came with a new header card for the Hawaiian market.

Today these vinyls are highly sought after, often commanding hundreds of dollars each. But you just might get lucky and find them at yard sales and thrift shops in Hawaii.

I came across this Hawaii version Icarus Seijin on ebay. A guy was cleaning out his shed in Hawaii, and listed it as Japnan Monster (his spelling). I got it for $3.

**Disclaimer - I am not a huge vinyl collector, so please fell free to correct me if I got any of this wrong.