First, I want to apologize for the condition of the toy that I’m going to review. I received this one from my mother (thank you mom) around 1984. It’s over 20 years old, so the condition may not be to good. But at least it’s still intact, eh.

First, I want to apologize for the condition of the toy that I’m going to review. I received this one from my mother (thank you mom) around 1984. It’s over 20 years old, so the condition may not be to good. But at least it’s still intact, eh.

Let’s start, shall we? This is a Clover made Gundam toy. Basically, it’s a windup toy with Gundam character. The Gundam itself is the RX 78-2 Gundam. The main character from the first Gundam.

It made mostly from ABS Plastics with tin covering for the body and kind of Iron plate for the shoulder and knee. The plastics is strong enough to withstand hard beatings. It had a shield that you put in the left arm and it’s made of tin and iron. Unfortunately, I lost it, so I can’t show it to you. I think it is about 75% plastic, 15% tin and 10% iron.

They toy itself had a blocky look. Although very uncommon these days, it is the standard for 80’s toys. But the blocky look is what attracts me (maybe some of you) to collect vintage toys. The sculpt and the paint although not Anime accurate, succeed in bringing the Soul of Gundam. It also had what vintage toys should have, It’s name written in the chest. The details are a far cry from today’s Gundam kit or figure, but, again, it is a vintage toy, so it’s forgivable. It has wheels in it’s feet for the walking mechanism. The wheels made of plastic.

The only articulation is in it’s arms. The legs and the feet only had articulation for the walking feature.

Considering the material, it’s not a Chogokin. But the love magnet of this toy is not the diecast part. As I mentioned before, it’s a wind up toy. So, after you turn the knob, watch as the mighty Gundam walks with glory across the battlefield (or your room). Beside the walking feature, it also has a shooting feature from the Bazooka that it carries on it’s right shoulder. It is supposed to imitate the Bazooka that Gundam uses in the Anime.

The bottom line… this is a simplistic toy that is what a toy should be about. Endless hours of play value. Imagine having it walk across the room, and stop just in time (there’s a lever to stop the toy) to shoot your enemies. Also it doesn’t disappoint us collectors. A truly must-have for toy enthusiasts or just Gundam fans.

A nice but strangely unpopular Jumbo from Clover. Probably more for Dunbine fans than Jumbo fans.

Aura Battler Dunbine (聖戦士ダンバイン)aired for 49 episodes between 1983 and 1984 and Clover would release a Jumbo sized "Big Machine" in 1983. Although Clover did release at least two other Jumbos (Tryder G7 and the elusive Daiozya), Dunbine is the only confirmed release in the Big Machine line (though rumors of a Big Machine Gundam still surface from time to time, however these have never been verified). This is one of the less popular toys among Jumbo collectors on average. The design of the character just doesn't lend itself to a typical looking Jumbo and it's distinctiveness is a turn off for some fans.

Something about the character has always appealed to me though. It's just such a unique looking design, quite unlike the vast majority of other Japanese robots. The Jumbo really stands out among it's peers. It's a couple inches shorter than most, standing at approximately 21" tall and had a wider base with the feet spread out at an angle. The feet themselves are quite interesting, with three hooked claws.

The back has an interesting dual set of wings. The main wings for liftoff are a large cumbersome piece of polyethylene which rests on a hinge. These can be lifted up to reveal a thin yellow tinted piece of plastic resembling insect wings. These are attached via stickers and it's been said that these are the most common part of the toy to be found broken/missing. But I must say that among the vast majority of specimens I've seen, it's usually very much intact. So just because it's the most likely part to suffer damage doesn't automatically mean to suggest that it WILL. This piece certainly adds a lot of character to the toy. Certainly no other Jumbo that I'm aware of has something like it.

One other great feature having to do with the back wings is that you can store the accessory sword on it! Many other Jumbos have swords, but on most if they are not holding it in the hand, there is nowhere to put it. Here, the sword has a small tab that is simply inserted into a hole on the edge of the wing canopy for easy, and cool looking, storage. It can also be held in the right hand only.

Dunbine also has an opening cockpit in the chest into which you can rest it's pilot, Show Zama. A small (approximately 4.5") articulated figure of him is included. You can bend his knees and hips (to put him in a sitting position), as well as raise and lower the arms and turn the head. It's a decent enough little addition, but I would have preferred for it to have a little color detail. As it is, it is cast entirely in green plastic.

Two white claws protrude from both forearms adding a very cool looking touch. But be cautious with these. One time, I'm not even sure how or when, one of mine actually came loose and receded into the hollow arm. I was very lucky to be able to gently shake the toy and get the claws to stick back out where I grabbed it with a pair of tweezers and pulled it back into position.

Like most Jumbos, there's not too much articulation on the toy (wrists, hips, shoulders and neck can all be turned). The head and hands are soft vinyl (with the head being a particularly beautiful sculpt) and the cockpit door is green, translucent hard plastic. All other parts are polyethylene. The stickers inside the cockpit come pre-applied, but the rest are included on a small sticker sheet.

The box for Dunbine is one of the more boring vintage Jumbo boxes. Plain white cardboard with two color artwork, including simple directions on the back, doesn't make for a particularly great display piece.

The Aura Battler Dunbine Big Machine is one of the easier Japanese Jumbos to get, but it appears with much greater regularity on Yahoo!Japan auctions or in toy shops in Japan than it does on Ebay. Price-wise you are probably looking at something like $300-500 for a mint in box specimen. As always, some sellers may try to charge more or you might find one pretty cheap. It's just a matter of timing and waiting for a price you can live with. This is definitely not a "must get it because you'll never see it again" -type of toy. Worth having, but not worth breaking the bank over.

To be fair, these toys aren't all that great. The detail is lacking, and the articulation almost non-existent. But it is a diecast representation of a pretty cool character, and if it has anything, it has the FUNK.

I don't know why, but these Clover Dunbine diecasts get absolutely no love in Japan. Each time I have gone, I have picked up a few from the series at dirt cheap prices. I'm talking like 1,500 yen. That's insane.

To be fair, these toys aren't all that great. The detail is lacking, and the articulation almost non-existent. But it is a diecast representation of a pretty cool character, and if it has anything, it has the FUNK. I mean, the thing has teeth in its CROTCH.

The Aura Battler Virunvee 1:58 SF Fantasy Figure (オーラ・バトラ バトラ ビランビー 1:58 SF Fantasy Figure) is largely diecast, with plastic arms, lower legs, backpack and head. The 'œwings' are made of a translucent orange flexible sheet of plastic. The only accessory included is a chrome sword. The sword can fit into either hand, or be positioned on the back section for storage.

A sticker sheet is included. The toy shown here has stickers unapplied.

These toys were some of the last toys that Clover ever produced. They folded in 1983. If only Clover had given the attention to these toys that they did to their earlier Gundam line, who knows what could have happened. But at the end, these toys were just kind of shoddy. If you like the Dunbine designs, you might like these. Casual collectors should look elsewhere for their diecast fix.

The Tryder G7 Ride-On Combination Set is one of only three jumbos to have been produced by Clover......

Clover's Tryder G7 jumbo was a landmark purchase for me for a variety of reasons. It was the first Japanese jumbo that I'd ever actually purchased from Japan, via renowned toy dealer Masato Shono (our first of many transactions). It was also the first time I'd actually spent $1000 on a toy. This is memorable because it's a surefire sign that you're in deep and there's no turning back. I'll also always remember it since it arrived at my house on the morning of 9/11/01, at almost the exact moment the planes hit.

Though the toy is most often grouped with the Jumbo Machinder line of toys, it is technically called the "Tryder G7 Ride-On Combination Set", because it is designed to transform into 3 of the 7 combinations that the robot can form in the animated series. It was also intended to be able to be ridden by a small child. I'll try to touch on all three forms of the toy in this review.

First up, the robot Tryder G7.....

Assembly of the robot is pretty simple. It's basically held together by 3 plastic rods with a bolt on either side. You put the feet at the bottom of the legs and slide them onto either side of the little rod with the raised part in the middle. (This doesn't allow the feet to be pushed together.) Then tighten with the bolts on the outside. Then connect the legs to the pelvis and and slide the next rod all the way through and add the bolts to either side here. The pelvis is a thin piece that runs up the middle of the torso to the stump of the head. You need to place both parts of the torso against this and slide the long rod through all three parts to hold them in place. There will be extra length on either side and you slide the arms on here, finally tightening the whole thing with two more bolts. Then slide the vinyl head over the stump on the top and place the chest emblem into the holes. Lastly, you'll need to attach the wings. There are two vertical columns on the back of the robot, each with a hole on the top and bottom. To get the wings on there, you simply line up the bottom tab on the wing with the bottom hole, insert and then line up the top part to allow it to rest in place.

When completed the robot stands approximately 25.5" tall and 12" wide. It is 22.5" from wingtip to wingtip. Though Tryder's size is impressive, it can be very difficult to display him with more traditional sized jumbos. It does have shooting fists like most jumbos, but it is also one of the few to actually have metal in it. The connecting pieces at the ankles are metal. In robot form, the jumbo has very clunky proportions. Everything is a little too squared off for my tastes. However, I think that the impressive wingspan and excellent design of the head and chest piece make up for that.

Next, Tryder Beagle....

Tryder Beagle is basically Tryder G7 sitting down and as such is very easy to transform into. Simply remove the legs from the pelvis, reposition them 90 degrees and reattach. You must also place a set of wheels in between the legs before tightening. This wheel goes in the same place in both Tryder Beagle mode and Tryder Cosmic mode.

Another set of wheels on a metal bar is placed into slots on the bottom of the feet, which need to be turned down. This will also allow you to place the included "handle bars" into a hole on the top of each foot. (This hole is hidden in robot mode.) Finally, slide the third set of wheels onto the ridge on the back and tighten using the small rod and bolt.

Finally, Tryder Cosmic.....

Tryder Cosmic is easily the better of the two ship modes that this toy can form. Naturally, it's also the more difficult of the two. First, remove the head, chest piece and wings. Then take the entire torso apart as well. You will need to place the front and middle wheels exactly the same as in the Tryder Beagle mode, but the third set is different this time. Slide the two sides of the wheel piece around the thin part of the pelvis (the part that normally runs through the two torso pieces) and tighten as before. Then there are two more plastic rods that need to be pushed UP through two more holes in the side of the wheel piece allowing for the attachment of the two torso pieces on top. The torso pieces need to be turned so that the arms can go on top of them (on the same rods), as opposed to on the side. Place the arms on top pointing backwards and tighten with the bolts. Add the wings on the side and the handle bars in front and you're all done and ready for a ride.

Personally, I'm no fan of either of these modes. Though I had a wee bit of fun assembling them for this review (the first time I'd actually done it since purchasing this), I can't see myself ever doing it again. I bought this for the robot, nothing else.

The box for this toy is 15" tall, 11" wide and 9" deep. All the instructions for the toy are shown on the side and back of the box. Surprisingly, in doing research for this review, I discovered that there are at least two different box variations out there. The difference lies in the back side of the box.

My specimen

Other Box (thanks to Matt Alt for the image!)

Having just discovered this variation, I'm unsure which is the more common of the two.

With the exception of the chest piece, all the detailing on the toy are from the enclosed sticker sheet, a copy of which is shown below.

The Tryder G7 Ride-On Combination Set is one of only three jumbos to have been produced by Clover, along with Daiojya and Aura Battler Dunbine. It is not as common as Dunbine, but far easier to get than Daiojya, which almost never shows up. A MIB specimen typically will sell for betwenn $1000-1500, depending on the condition of the box.

Here's the show's opening:

A glorious metal god amongst common robots. He was the Clover Tryder G7 Bird attack.

I first set eyes on him at Alen's house. He stood out amongst the other toys, with his translucent firebird wings. They sparkled with metallic flecks in the sunlight. A glorious metal god amongst common robots. He was the Clover Tryder G7 Bird attack. I had to have him.

Eventually, via ebay, I secured a specimen through a Hong Kong dealer. I couldn't wait to open him. Inspecting the package - the box was a bit worn, but the toy looks as if it had never been removed from the box. Interesting note about this box - there's no back, it's just a styrofoam tray and a window-box cover. There are actually 2 versions of the box for this toy - solid and window boxed. As you take off the flimsy cover, you notice a very cool detail - the character's name is embossed in the styrofoam in katakana. Awesome.

Tryder G7 comes with quite a few accessories:

• 2 fists
• 4 missiles (2 in the tray, 2 on the toy)
• Disc weapon
• Missile launchers
• Trident
• Wings
• Wheel

Each accessory has its own resting place in the tray.

Right away, I notice something is wrong - the firebird wings. They don't have the metallic flecks in the translucent orange plastic! Bummer! But have I stumbled upon an unknown variant? This needs further investigation. The wings plug into Tryder G7's back via 2 pegs. The wings have moveable sections, with little tabs to make sure they stop in the appropriate place.

The Tryder figure itself stands about 6" tall and is heavy. Most of this toy is diecast metal. There are several cool gimmicks packed in to this beauty. First, there is a lenticular sticker on the chest. Depending on which way you tilt the toy, the image changes. Next, the fists fire, and you can also insert missiles or the disc weapon in his arm and fire those as well. The Fists can hold the giant Trident weapon. The legs open up to reveal hidden missiles, and the head is removable and becomes a small ship. The yellow wings on the back can swivel.

Tryder G7 can transform into 2 vehicle modes, both kind of lame, but you have to give Clover credit for getting the most out of a toy. The first mode is simply the toy lying on its back, with toes pointed down and a missile launcher placed on the feet. The second mode places the toy on its stomach, and adds a third wheel that plugs in the chest for support.

Not only is this a fun to to muck around with, but it is a work of art. It has that 70s funk, mixed with 80s mecha. Truly a beautiful toy, and one of my favorite pieces.

Drumlo comes from the anime "Aura Battle Dunbine", created by Yoshiyuki Tomino. The Drumlo mecha itself was designed by Yutaka Izubuchi.

This toy was one of the last toys produced by the ill-fated Japanese toy company "Clover" in the late 80s. Drumlo comes from the anime "Aura Battle Dunbine", created by Yoshiyuki Tomino. The Drumlo mecha itself was designed by Yutaka Izubuchi.

Drumlo comes nicely packaged with instructions, Decals, and 2 small missiles. the missiles fit in the launchers at the end of the arms and fire with a press of a button.

This toy is a brick. This is the kind of toy that if you hit someone in the head with it, you would send them to the emergency room. It is made almost entirely of die cast metal.

Articulation is limited. You have little movement in the shoulders, legs and feet. Also the back plate lifts up to reveal a set of translucent plastic wings.

It's a cool toy, but not something that can be compared to todays hyper articulated action figures. Consider it a testament to the way they used to make toys.

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