LSA stands for Land Sea Air, but we know it as a bootleg of the Deluxe Voltron 1 or Dairugger XV

Perhaps one of the longest running bootleg toys around.

The DX Dairugger XV by Popy was a great toy, and one of my all time favorites. It is a remarkable toy in terms of engineering.

In 1984 Matchbox got the rights to the DX Dairugger XV and branded it the Deluxe Voltron Warrior Set. The early runs of the toy were the same as the Popy toy, just repackaged. Later runs would have different copyright information, so at some point in 1984 the molds were re-tooled. The Deluxe Voltron Warrior set had its run at retail, and then vanished from the shelves in the USA.

In 2000, something funny happened. Bootlegs of the Dairugger XV appeared in discount stores and flea markets across the country, labeled as LSA Combo. The LSA stands for Land, Sea Air. The toy is a sharp reproduction of the original toy. It came in a large box with an old-school handle. What was really great about this toy was the fact that it came with Dairugger XV’s sword, something the Matchbox version never had. Now US fans had a cheap way to get the sword for their Voltron 1.

The toy combines from 15 vehicles into the combined robot, in addition to the three teams. Construction is sharp and professional. The friction motors have been removed, the rubber tires changed to plastic, and some paint detail has been changed to stickers. Obviously, the entire color scheme has been changed, but it is done so well.

But wait, it gets weirder. This set actually appeared in Toys R Us in the mid 00’s, albeit under a different name. I wonder how they got around that? These bootleg still appear today on ebay, making a version of this toy in production in one form or another for almost 25 years.

This bootleg is worth getting, if only for the sword for your legit Voltron. Oh, you can also use the fists to replace any broken fists on your original.

The Daikyojin is a fantastic piece of modern gokin that manages to combine modern engineering with old school aesthetics.

There was once a time when it seemed that UniFive could do no wrong. In the late 90s they came out of nowhere with a series of high quality diecast toys. The licenses were a mix of the obscure and the beloved. Time Bokan, Gatchaman, Mach Go Go Go and even Goranger got the deluxe “Cho Shin Gokin” treatment. About half way through the line’s run they came out with what I think is the crown jewel of the series – Daikyojin.

For those of you not familiar with the character, Daikyojin comes from the TV show Yattodetaman, which was part of the Time Bokan series. Yattodetaman aired from 1981 to 1982 in japan and was also popular in Italy as Calendarman. I’ve never seen the show, or any Time Bokan show for that matter, but from what I gather the show is a mix of giant robots and really silly anime. Robot nerds would probably dig this show due to the mecha designs by Kunio Ohkawara (of Gundam fame).

The Box

The box may be one of the single greatest modern toy boxes ever made. It really is brilliant. First off you have the full color cover box showing the toy in all of its modes. Lifting the sturdy cover reveals a print of a sketch of the Daikyojin signed by Kunio Ohkawara himself.

Beneath that sketch is an amazing retro die-cut tray cover showing all of the glorious parts inside. Underneath that is a clear plastic tray, and then finally, the toy.

Daikyojin

The Daikyojin on its own is a remarkable toy. There is a lot of metal here – the toy is solid. It is big and blocky but still packs in a fair amount of articulation. There are FOUR joints in the shoulder assembly, double jointed elbows, and articulated fingers. Well, to be fair, the hands are broken up into a index finger and then the rest are one unit. The knees click and the lower legs are also heavy metal. In fact, the only glaring omission in terms of articulation is that there is no waist joint!

Daikyojin comes with a full arsenal at his disposal, including a metallic sword, a lance, a bow and arrow, and 2 shields with red metal centers.

The fit and finish on the Daikyojin is just a bit below SOC quality, but better than Aoshima quality. The paint is nice, but the gold plating they used is beginning to wear.

Daitenba

Included with the toy is the robotic horse Daitenba. This giant yellow horse is Daikyojin’s trusty steed. On its own, Daitenba is a fantastic toy, with diecast legs and a sturdy yellow plastic body.

Daikyojin and Daitenba can combine to form a number of different vehicles. First off, Daikyojin can be folded up and inserted into the front of the horse to form a centaur like form called Daibajin.

You can modify this form a bit and transform it into a sort of centaur tank called Daibajin Sensha. This mode requires additional parts such as a missile launcher assembly that actually fires missiles! Amazing!

Once separated the missile launcher assembly can go on the neck of the horse to become a tank mode called Daitenba Sensha.

Finally, the Daikyojin can be transformed into a spaceship with the help of some additional parts such as a control tower and landing gear. This spaceship form is called Kyojin-Go.

As a super bonus, included with the toy is a set of two pins. One a heart shaped lock, the other, a key.

The Daikyojin DX set is a remarkable toy, one that has modern engineering while maintaining the old school styling. I got lucky and got mine at a toy show for cheap back in the day, but I think even at today’s collectors prices this toy is worth it. I would be cautious though and pay attention to the gold plating on any specimen you are considering. This toy is also the perfect combination piece to the Time Bokan Brave Gokin robots that CM’s is putting out.

Here is my addition to all the Halloween fun. My review of Resurrection of Monstress's Mask of Phanteana , the standard version.

Here is my addition to all the Halloween fun. My review of Resurrection of Monstress's Mask of Phanteana, the standard version.

Last year Josh hit us with a flurry of reviews for the very sharp line of girl figures called Resurrection of Monstress. Each being a sexier reinterpretation of a classic monster. This would be their revamp of The Phantom of the Opera.

I thought the figures looked nice and Josh was nice enough to slip me one. Halloween had passed so I hung it on the wall and waited till now to bring you this review. That's right, I cracked the package just for YOU, our faithful CDX readers!

From the back of the package:

"Big star BELLA WINDSLOW is the most popular avant-grade industrial techno music artist with beauty. But not everybody likes her and some people felt jealousy towards her. BAMBI (who thinks BELLA is her rival) set her up the trap and made a terrible burn on BELLA's left face by the CD press machine. Automatically , BAMBI became the top star after BELLA has gone. But, this situation didn't continue for so long."

"Unexpectedly a mysterious industrial tecno player with enigmatic metal mask has made debut and she took BAMBI's throne very easily. That's right! She is the phantom of BELLA WINDSLOW. Revenge has begun as the "MASKED PHANTEANA"

The figure is really more of a statue with only the head, arms and wings rotating. But I think we all know these are meant to be put on the shelf and "look good". There not really meant to be "played with." (NOTE: If you are "playing" with your girl statues please seek professional help immediately.)

In all seriousness though, THIS is a very good looking figure that pays all the right nods to the original character while being fresh and original in it's own way. The sculpt and design are top notch, though she looks like her skin should glow in the dark and sadly it doesn't.

She comes with a bunch of accessories and you can see the influence of not only the original Phantom of the Opera but several of it's adaptations. Included are a keyboard, stand, base and mixer. 2 Masks (both in gold and clear for a total of 4) are included. One looks like the more current and popular half mask from the Andrew Loyd musical, the other reminds me of the campy 70's Phantom of the Paradise.

The included Owl remind me of the Claude Rains Phantom's mask and the skull evokes the classic Phantom's Mask of Red Death masquerade costume. Also included are some mannequin heads to display the extra masks.

While I normally do not collect "girl" figures I am a big fan of the Phantom of the Opera and I think the designer and sculptor came up with a neat concept. I give it a big thumbs up.

Ultraman King (ウルトラマンキング) is – big surprise here – king of the Ultramen.

Ultraman King (ウルトラマンキング) is – big surprise here – king of the Ultramen. He comes from the series Ultraman Leo, making his first appearance in episode 26.

From Wikipedia:

He is considered to be and respected as the "God" or Elder of all Ultra heroes. Despite the name, he is not the king of the Land of Light. He is supposedly all powerful and undefeatable, but lives on his own on the King Planet. Before Leo encountered him, no Ultran had ever seen him in the flesh.

His age was reviewed to be 300,000 years in the 2003 movie New Century Ultraman Legend 2003 - King's Jubilee (新世紀ウルトラマン伝説 2003 - King's Jubilee Shinseiki Urutoraman Densetsu), but the chronological order of this work is unclear. In manga, particularly Ultraman: Super Fighter Legend, he has been depicted as a legend who has defeated many monsters on his own.

Ultraman King is part of the Ultraman Hero Series. Released in 2000, Ultraman King is made of soft vinyl and only has 3 points of articulation (waist, arms).

I kept putting it off and putting it off. But when I finally bought this Jumbo accessory, I felt like an idiot for not getting it sooner.

I've never been shy about admitting that I'm not a big fan of the Jumbo accessories. Most of them have nothing to do with the toys they go on and only serve to make a very cool robot look worse than it does in it's original form. And in such a difficult, expensive hobby, why should I spend my cash on them while there are still Jumbos out there that I don't have? Especially when you consider how easy it is to get the accessories! It's not like they won't be available later. They are always on Yahoo!Japan and litter toy shops all over Tokyo. Sure, I've had a couple in my collection here and there, but mostly as the result of trades, bulk purchases or people just flat out giving them to me.

However, one accessory did always intrigue me and that is the Jet Scrander (ジェットスクランダー) that goes with Mazinger Z. But with a price-tag in the vicinity of $150, I just could never bring myself to take the plunge. But earlier this year, I managed to get one at about $85 shipped so I figured if I was ever gonna get one, it was now or never. And boy, am I glad I did!! Much like the Scramble Dash accessory that comes with the Unifive Great Mazinger, this makes your Unifive Mazinger Z seem like a whole new toy. It's so much cooler with the wings on. This set is a necessity, not an accessory.

When I received the package, I was surprised at how small the box was. It measures only 9"x6"x4". The toy itself comes in several parts and needs to be put together. Directions are printed on the back of the box, but it's really simple to figure out just by looking at it. Although it connects at the waist differently than I would have imagined. The yellow crest is actually a loose piece with two tabs on the back. You place the larger tab into the corresponding hole on one side of the "belt" and then slide the smaller one upwards along a curved opening on the other side. It has the effect of tightening his "belt", in a way. Nothing actually snaps into place or anything like that, yet it remains securely in place.

Like the rest of the Unifive Jumbo Machine line, this is also based on an vintage Popy toy. I've never held that one, but I assume it is basically identical to the new version. Strangely, both the new and vintage versions tend to sell for about the same price.

The Jet Scrander has a wingspan of slightly more than 18.5" across when assembled and will add roughly 4" to the depth of your Mazinger Z Jumbo. This makes it harder to display on a shelf, but it's a small price to pay for the added cool factor.

Not a flawless toy, but in my opinion, the Soul Of Chogokin Grendizer is about as good as it gets for this character. It's beautiful to look at, fun to play with and comes with some great accessories.

The GX-04 UFO Robo Grendizer (超合金魂 GX-04 UFOロボグレンダイザー) is a pretty important release in the line of popular diecast toys by Bandai. It's seems to be a toy that brought alot of collectors to the line, the hobby and to other collectors. And it's no surprise with the character being as popular as it is. For myself, it was the first Japanese collector toy I would buy as an adult. It was March of 2001 and I was in Tokyo visiting a friend. At the time, I was more into movies and I spent most of my free time there looking for a copy of Kenichi Iwamoto's film "Kikuchi" (still haven't found it!). But a friend of mine was into toys and he asked me to keep an eye out for a few things. I didn't have any idea where the vintage toy stores were at this time and the only toy store my friend knew about was Kiddyland in Harajuku. When we got there, I wandered the isles until I saw some boxes of diecast super robots. I saw Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger and while they looked vaguely familiar, I wasn't sure I'd seen them before. But the box for the Grendizer jumped right out at me and I couldn't believe what I was looking at. (I was actually more surprised to find this inside the store than I was to find Marilyn Manson just outside as he departed. I didn't see what he was buying there, but he being evil, I'm guessing it was Kubricks, which are clearly the work of the devil!)

After so many years, I held in my hands something I'd always wanted as a child. A diecast, realistic looking Grendizer with a ton of features and accessories. I didn't even look at the price tag and just brought it to the counter. There was no way I wasn't coming home with this thing.

Taking it out of the box was a surreal experience. I was a child all over again (albeit, a child who could afford a $130 toy!). The box measures 14.25" long by 8.75" tall and 4" deep and the toy and accessories rest in a styrofoam tray. First thing was to get some fists on this guy. There are two forearms that connect to the upper arms via magnets. The first is the standard pose set with removable fists and flares. 3 different sets of fists can be placed on this forearm. You have a regular closed fist, partially open fist for holding the double hariken accessory and a fully open set for flying or when using your imagination to fire the "hand beam" weapon.

The other set of forearms are a really cool addition. These also have magnetic connectors, but instead of interchangeable fists, they have the flares outstretched in "screw crusher punch" mode. Looks cool, right? Well, they do more than LOOK cool, they also launch at the press of a button! I love the Soul Of Chogokin line of toys, but the launching fist/missile gimmick is one that they have sadly gotten away from recently.

Previously, I mentioned the double hariken feature. Well, this was the sickle weapon that Grendizer usually employed to finish of his foes in the cartoon. The blades would launch out of his shoulders and he could combine them to form one double sided weapon. Two connecting shafts are included as well two cosmetic blades for in display in the shoulder. When you want him to hold the weapon in his hands, you can remove them from the shoulders for a more accurate look.

Grendizer is a really great looking robot. The feet, thighs, torso and upper arms are all diecast. The ankles, knees, hips, neck, shoulders, elbows and wrists are all articulated, but some much better than others. The lower half of the toy has movement, but isn't very poseable at all. The arms and head is where you'll get most of your dynamic poses, but herein also lies what is probably the biggest complaint about this toy. The flares on the arms are too long and bend when you bend the elbows. It's a very frustrating thing because otherwise the toy looks amazing.

The GX-04 comes with Grendizer's Spazer, the flying saucer he would dock with for flying purposes. The wings, cockpit and other details must be attached out of the box. The entire saucer is made of plastic and opens up to hold Grendizer. To fit Grendizer inside, you must first contract the legs by pushing them up towards the torso. This is a great feature but can be a bit of a pain. I find it somewhat difficult to get Grendizer to rest in there just how I like. You kind of have to fidget with the feet from the back and get the arms to be just right. I'm a nut for symmetry so if one of his arms isn't posed exactly like the other, I have to fight with it to make it right. I also wish there was a better way to blend the arms into the side of the Spazer, but I have no idea what would work better.

In addition to actually housing Grendizer, the Spazer does include a "spin saucer" on each wing. Each one has 6 triangular flaps that can be lifted to form the damage inducing blades, and furthermore, when they are open like this you can add a "spin drill" accessory that plugs into a hole in the center.

Wow, a diecast Grendizer with his own Spazer. You can't beat that can you?! Sure, you can! By throwing in a diecast "Double Spazer" that can connect to Grendizer's back! This cool little ship that was flown by Mazinger Z's old pilot "Koji Kabuto" is a great addition to this set. The main body is diecast and the rest is plastic. The wings and nose can be adjusted and the bottom of it can be openedto expose a tab that is inserted into the back of Grendizer and lift him into the air.

Previous to his flying the Double Spazer, Koji flew around in the utterly useless "TFO" saucer and a small plastic replica of this is also included in this set. With some many different parts included, naturally you need a place to store them all and there is a very simply, but effective display stand included for this purpose. Everything it comes with fits nice in or on it.

The GX-04 UFO Robo Grendizer is a fantastic toy and one that I'll always love. But I wouldn't be averse to Bandai doing a "revised" version, either. One that doesn't have those pesky bending flares or one that looks like one solid piece when it's docked with the Spazer (hey, toy technology has come a long way, so I can dream, can't I?). Maybe a tiny little figure of Grendizer's pilot, Duke Fleed, would have been nice. Bandai did re-release this in a set with two extra spazers, but the toy was not modified in any way. Perhaps some of the improvements made in chogokin toys in subsequent releases could be put to use to make an improved version of this toy. But as it stands, if you like Japanese robots, you should own this.

The last Jumbo to come from Japan......

The fourth and last entry in the Unifive line of Jumbo Machine toys would be Gaiking (ガイキング). The original anime aired in Japan from April 1st 1976 to January 27th, 1977, but would later be shown as part of the "Force Five" program in the United States. Popy would release a Jumbo Machinder of the character in 1976 and Mattel would release a radically different one as part of their "Shogun Warriors" line the next year. Most US collectors had to settle for the inferior Mattel version, until the Unifive re-issue of the Popy classic.

I have never owned the original Popy version, so I can't say for sure, but to the naked eye, the Unifive looks completely identical. One of the first things I noticed when preparing this review is just how many parts this thing actually comes with. It had been awhile since I'd taken it apart so a little dusting was in order. Much like the other two heroes in the line, Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger, I've really grown so used to this toy that I don't often appreciate how nice it really is. It's really got alot going for it besides just it's great design. The missiles in the eyes of the chest both shoot by pressing a tab just next to them. 5 missiles are included, and the spare three are stored in the chest by lifting the Daiku Maryu face and snapping them into the holders.

Gaiking also shoots his right fist and his left fist, which doesn't shoot but can be removed, has a hole in it so that it can hold one of his "Counter Cross" weapons. Both of these can be removed from the legs so it would have been nice if each hand could hold one. In addition to these offensive weapons, Gaiking also features a removable set of wings that can be easily slid on and off via two hooks that are placed into openings in the back.

Gaiking also comes with a pair of great big horns so that you can create the head of Daiku Maryu. In order to do this, you need to remove the wings, head and arms. The head just slides out of a hole in the shoulders. You should remove the wings before trying to remove the arms. This is because the arm sockets have two openings, one big and one small, that allows that shoulders to separate when they are lined up properly with the plastic of the shoulder joint, which is molded to match the two holes. The arms need to be pointing backwards, where the wings would be, in order to achieve this. Then, simply replace the arms with the horns and you've got your Daiku Maryu head.

I suppose this is a pretty interesting feature, but personally, I'm not sure it's worth the downside it creates. That being that because the arms are designed to come off, they sometimes seem a little loose and frankly I don't like that the head comes off so easily. I mean, honestly of all the people I've ever met who own this toy, I don't think any actually display it as the Daiku Maryu head. I guess anything that adds play value is nice, but I just don't see much appeal of a Daiku Maryu head with legs.

One last thing I don't like about this toy is it's packaging. While the previous entries tried to emulate the original boxes, this one just has a lame picture of the toy on front. Of course, if the original Gaiking box wasn't so beautiful maybe it wouldn't hurt quite so much to get this one.

I'm not complaining though. Had U5 gone ahead and kept producing these toys, I'd have bought every single one, regardless of how the boxes looked. But as it stands, this is not only the last Unifive Jumbo, it is also the last Jumbo produced in Japan. It's still a pretty easy find and will generally cost about $100-150.

GAIKING:

It's nearly impossible to review the Unifive Garada K7 Jumbo Machines without also discussing it's relationship to the legendary Popy toy.

Rather than review each of Unifive's Garada K7 (ガラダK7) Jumbos separately, I think it would be best to talk about all three at once, for the benefit of newer collectors who might be confused about how many versions there are, and why. As we know, the Unifive Jumbos were basically an homage to the original Popy Jumbo Machinders. Unifive released Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger first, banking on the popularity of these characters for sales. But they decided to try something different for their third release, producing a new version of Mazinger Z's number 1 enemy kikaiju, Garada K7. This was also to be based on the original Popy toy, but there was a problem. The original toy was so rare, no one had an original specimen, or even a picture, of the toy to use as a template.

In order to get around this problem, the toy would be manufactured based upon the only images known to exist at the time. These were pictures of the original prototype seen in a catalog, as well as on the box for the second series Machinder villains. The project was announced and a mysterious teaser image was included with the Great Mazinger jumbo. An image of an unpainted prototype would even turn up.

The original Popy Jumbo Machinder villain box, featuring the Garada K7 prototype.

Unifive promotional teaser included with Great Mazinger Jumbo Machine.

Unifive Unpainted prototype.*

So eventually the toy would be released. It stood slightly smaller than regular Jumbos at 20.5" tall and was made entirely out of soft vinyl, with the exception of the styrene sickles in the head. The sickles could be removed but there was no place for the toy to hold them. Each one is about 9" across and placed into small slits in the back of the head. With the sickles in place, the width of the toy is about 19" across, which might be a bit of a problem when displayed with other Jumbos. There is slight articulation at the neck and waist, as well as at the shoulders and hips. Garada has a tendency to lean slightly forward when it's feet are flat down and pointed forward. Turning the legs inwards straightens it out, but makes it look a bit awkward. Copyright markings are molded directly into the back. Painted just like the original images showed, now everyone could have a Garada just like the original....right? Well, not exactly.

Unifive Garada K7

Immediately, hardcore Jumbo fans could tell that Unifive had dropped the ball. At 20.5" tall, their version of Garada stood about 2" taller than what the original likely would have been, when you consider that all the other villains in the second series were about 18". And the sculpt was not the same as the original and the sickles protruded at a more horizontal angle than they should have. Furthermore, even though Garada appeared on the second series box, the Unifive version came in a box that was more like the first series villain boxes, plain brown cardboard with a single color image on front. If I had to make a guess at the reason for this, I'd say they probably figured since they were not making 6 different villains, why copy a box that has 6 different villains on it? Better to mimic the first series boxes, which only had the included character.

Popy 1st series villain Kame Bazooka box

Unifive Garada K7 box

Next, a limited edition, hand-painted recolor of the toy would be offered through the magazine "Gangu Jinsei" (aka "Toy Life") in their second issue. The toy would get the traditional black repaint with silver limbs and gold detail on the chest plate, as well as a new sticker on the back. The box would be the same, except that it featured a sticker on the front to distinguish it from the regular version. While releasing black versions is pretty common in the field of Japanese toys, this would be the first and only time it would be done with a Jumbo. It is the hardest of the three to get now and, in my opinion, the nicest looking.

Gangu Jinsei #2

Unifive Limited Edition black Garada K7

But this would not be the biggest draw for this issue of the magazine. They would have an article about Popy Jumbo Machinders, including the first ever officially published photos of the original Garada K7! (An image had appeared on the internet not long before this, but was removed, and the magazine photos were higher quality.) Regardless of which came first, people everywhere could now see what the Popy Garada K7 looked like.

The Popy Garada K7 that appeared in Gangu Jinsei #2*

Clearly, we have ourselves another problem. Not only was Unifive's release of Garada the wrong size and sculpt with an inappropriate box, it wasn't even remotely colored correctly! Furthermore, there was no ball launching gimmick in the chest. Due to these differences, many fans and collectors were very disappointed in Unifive's release, especially since the silhouette in the flyer looks more like the Popy original than the actual toy would. In an interview with Matt Alt of ToyboxDX, toy scholar Koji Igarashi went as far as to call the toy a "total sham". Others simply believed it to be a nice toy, but a poor attempt at a replica of the original. And others didn't care either way, but were just happy to have a Jumbo villain that was easy to get and afford, even if it wasn't just like the vintage ones.

After the release of the fourth Jumbo in the line, Gaiking, it was becoming apparent that sales could no longer justify the continued production of these toys. Plans to release a Jumbo Combattler V were scrapped, but Unifive would still go ahead with one more Garada. A limited "original color" version would be release exclusively in the United States via Diamond Comics Distributors. It would be painted like the original Popy Garada, but would not include a ball launching mechanism or any change to the sculpt. You'd get the same box again, but this time with a sticker designating it as a Diamond Comics "Previews Exclusive".

Unifive Diamond Previews Exclusive Garada K7

You may also hear talk of a "test color" version of Garada K7. This would be a couple of specimens that are the same as the Diamond version, except that they had no packaging, no holes in the head to hold the sickles and the sickles themselves are just hand cut pieces of plastic. These were essentially prototypes and were not available to the public.

So where does that leave us? Well, probably with the most convoluted review I've ever had to write. But hopefully it all makes sense. Essentially, there are five Garada K7 jumbos that you would need to know about. They are:

• white Popy Prototype (seen on box)
• green Popy toy
• white Unifive toy (basesd on Popy prototype)
• black Unifive limited editioin toy
• green Unifive toy (based on Popy toy)

If you want the Unifive Garada K7 toys, the green is the easiest to get and cheapest, typically about $50-100. The white would be second at about $100-200 and the black hardest at about $150-300. None can compare to the original but are cool jumbos to have.

*Many thanks to Matt Alt for letting me use the picture he took of the Unifive prototype Garada, and also to Sean Bonner, for letting me borrow it from Jumboland, where it was originally featured. While I'm at it, thanks also to Tom Franck and his old CoolJapaneseToys website, where much of the original Garada mystery unfolded as it happened.

** While this is the specimen featured in Gangu Jinsei, this particular image was saved from the Mandarake website.

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.

Unifive's Mazinger Z Jumbo Machine is a great piece to get for the new collector.

It must have been a most exciting time for Jumbo fans in 2000 when Unifive began releasing their line of "Jumbo Machines". Unfortunately for me, at the time I wasn't collecting yet and would only come on board at the tail end of the line. I never really thought about it until now, but I suppose there's a decent chance that if Unifive (or U5) hadn't produced these, I might never have ended up involved in the hobby.

Though this line is an obvious homage to the vintage Popy Jumboo Machinders, many things were slightly changed to differentiate the two brands. Most notably the name, but also the toys themselves are new, unique sculpts slightly modified from the originals. Unifive released 4 characters in the line, beginning with the most popular of all Japanese super robots, Mazinger Z and ending with his most famous enemy kikaiju, Garada K7. Great Mazinger and Gaiking rounded out the series and a fifth entry, Combattler V, was planned and a prototype made before the line was cancelled due to poor sales.

Probably the most comprehensive review of this toy would include a comparison with the original Popy Mazinger Z Jumbo Machinder. But I'm one of those collectors who prefers to buy the remake and wait on the original until I have all the other characters that were not remade. So I've never owned an original Mazinger Z. Therefore, I'll try to just focus on this specific toy, making note of things I've been told about the original where applicable.

The most notable difference that anyone can see between this and the original is the paint on the eyes and horns. Here it is gold, whereas the original was yellow. This makes it very easy to distinguish between the two, so you won't have any question which one you were buying. Most everything else seems basically the same (though if you have both and want to correct that, leave a comment!). 23.5" tall with wheels on the feet, though the wheels on mine don't roll particularly well. Mazinger Z comes with a full compliment of 14 missiles, but nothing with which to shoot them. Unifive did release a separately sold missile launching set of fists, as well as rocket punch fists (diagrams of which are on the side of the box) that could be swapped out for the regular hands. I've never bought any of these, but I believe that they are not compatible with vintage jumbos (nor vintage accessories compatible with the U5 Jumbos).

One of the things that I like most about this toy is how much easier it is to remove the fists than it is on the vintage Jumbos. These slide on and off pretty smoothly. In additon to the fists, the Hover Pilder in the head can be removed too. This is a simply vinyl piece with a hole in the bottom that is placed over a tab in the head cavity. Stickers adorn the front and sides for added detail. Besides the Hover Pilder, the head and red chest pieces are also made of vinyl, with the rest of the toy being polyethylene. A sticker saying "Mazinger Z" in Japanese (マジンガーZ) is on the waist and copyright markings are on the back, including the word "Unifive" to further distinguish this from the original.

One of my biggest regrets from my time as a jumbo collector concerns this toy. Several years back an auction appeared on Yahoo!Japan containing the wooden prototype for this toy. The auction also had second specimen with the head removed. Though I didn't realise it at the time, apparently this was the specimen that Unifive had used for the photo on the box! In addition to this already desirable bounty, the auction include a Shogun Warrior Great Mazinger as well as the Unifive release of the Jet Scrander accessory. The auction ended at about 100,000 yen (or roughly $900 at the time) and for some reason I decided to buy a Getter Liger instead! D'oh!! What in the world was I thinking!? Most frustrating was that this was before I realised that massive credit card debt is totally acceptable in the pursuit of cool toys, so I easily could have bought both.....but didn't. A once in a lifetime opportunity gone by the wayside....

Maybe it was because of this that when I later saw a listing for a "Unifive Mazinger Z prototype" on a Japanese website, I didn't hesitate. I emailed Japanese toy dealer Masato Shono and asked him to find out about it for me. What I was told was that a former employee of Unifive had sold this to the shop and that it was planned to be a recolored release of the toy, but never went into production. I was told it was displayed at a toy convention and it came with a card saying something to the effect of "For future release", though this card appears to be entirely in Chinese. I've never heard anything else to corroborate this story and I honestly have no idea if it is in fact true, or if it is a custom that someone sold to the shop under false pretenses (I sincerely doubt the shop would make the story up.) I'd be inclined to dismiss it entirely if not for the fact that Unifive had already released repaints of their Garada K7. Perhaps they tried it here and decided that it wasn't worth doing since paint wouldn't stick as well to polyethylene as vinyl (note the chip on the right arm). Or it's just as likely a total fake. Either way, I think it looks pretty good and it's an interesting conversation piece, if nothing else.

Unifive's Mazinger Z Jumbo Machine is a great piece to get for the new collector, or even if you're already into the vintage jumbos. It's a nice toy and still pretty easily attainable. It will typicallly sell for about $100-200 and is well worth the money.