Giga Phoenix Beast Air Combination is better known in the US as the Stratoforce Megazord. On the surface it seems to be everything I like in a toy, so why don't I like it?

Giga Phoenix Beast Air Combination comes from the sentai series Gingaman, from back in 1998. Geez, 10 years flies right by. In the US, it was from Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, and here it was called the Stratoforce Megazord.

The box is nice - has an old-school feel with a nice styrofoam tray.

Giga Phoenix is comprised of 5 separate vehicles that combine into a giant robot. Each unit is very odd looking in my book - not at all aesthetically pleasing.

Giga Wing 1

Giga Wing 1 forms the upper chest of the Giga Phoenix. It features a main body with two cylindrical engines on either side. Most of the body is plastic, with the wings being flexible rubber.

Giga Wing 2

This vehicle looks like some kind of skiff or shuttle. This small unit is mostly plastic with two metal bars connecting the parts. It becomes the chest / backpack of Giga Phoenix.

Giga Wing 3

The third vehicle resembles a dropship, escape pod, or helicopter without a rotor. This unit is mostly plastic, with diecast connecting bars onto the gray plastic portions.

Giga Wing 4

This sleek ship becomes the right leg of Giga Phoenix. This unit is mostly metal, with the front of the leg and the foot being solid diecast.

Giga Wing 5

Although it looks similar to Giga Wing 4, its actually an entirely different toy, although with similar metal content.

Combining the 5 vehicles together is pretty simple and self-explanatory. This is not brain surgery. One thing I don't like though is the addition of the rubbery helmet that goes over the face. The original face looks cool - something out of B-Fighter - but the mask is all misshapen and odd. It just doesn't work.

Armaments include firing fists and a giant wing weapon that can be stored in either hand.

Once combined, you are filled with an overwhelming feeling of... meh.

It just doesn't do it for me. I mean, its a giant diecast combining robot with shooting fists, but the design is so opposite what I look for in a toy. It's lanky, and unbalanced, and most of all its unattractive.

When it came over to the US, the metal in the lower legs was removed and the canopies of all the vehicles was changed from brown to silver. If you need metal, go with the JP version.

Here's a rarity, a soft vinyl toy of a Korean kaiju.

There may be no better example of my tendency to gravitate towards the unique and unusual than Marmit's Pulgasari toy. It's a fine toy unto itself, but it holds a real attraction for me simply because it is based on a Korean monster instead of a Japanese one. Therefore it's something different and exotic and even though I haven't actually seen* the movie it comes from, I just decided I had to have it.

The ornate design of the scales along with the gold coloring really lends a sort of royal look to the monster. Without seeing the movie, I get the impression that this is the sort of monster that would be feared and worshipped, instead of just being a target for the military. More of a god-like creature than a monster. I'm sure the film is nothing like that, though.

Part of the Vinyl Paradise line of toys, Pulgasari stands 9.5" tall and has 7 points of articulation, including at the elbows, which is pretty unusual for a vinyl kaiju toy. I certainly can't think of another one offhand that has this feature. I think it gives the toy a little more character than you usually see.

I think this is a really cool toy. The sculpt is nice and the vinyl is solid. The paint is just a little bit sloppy on the arms (notice how the gold from the outside of the forearms bleeds into the red in the picture above) but the overall look is quite eye-catching. Pulgasari was sold in a bag with a header card and was released in this color scheme as well as a black version and a gold exclusive version. Also look for a giant size version of the character that was sold in a box, as well as a baby Pulgasari that released in the Vinyl Para-Baby line.

*Hey, look. I just found out that the entire film is on Google Video. I guess I'll get to watch it now...

The last talker in my collection, the Kamen Rider 1 review has been delayed since I couldn't find it's box...

Kamen Rider 1 (仮面ライダー 1号) was included in both the vintage and modern run of talking vinyl figures produced by Masudaya. I picked this up in Japan at the same time as Mirrorman, at the Nakano Mandarake. I'd have to say that I like this one better than Kamen Rider V3, maybe because the character of V3 seems a little bit done to death.

Kamen Rider 1 stands 15" tall and is articulated at the hips, shoulders and neck. The sculpt and paint is pretty typical of the series, but the red scarf adds a neat touch. The real downside to this one is the quality of the talking feature. It broke right out of the box the first time I pulled the string. Now it may or may not retract in again, but it usually screeches and doesn't always talk right. Granted, the thing just sits on the shelf and adds to the general mosaic of my toys, but if you're gonna pay money for something, you'd sort of like it to work, even for a little while. Fortunately, I only paid about 3,000yen for it, if I remember correctly.

Nothing really else to add, actually. Other than the scarf and being a different character, this toy is the same as the rest in the series. If you're into hero vinyls, talkers are neat because they are a bit bigger and have a gimmick. Just cross your fingers and hope the gimmick actually works. It's been said that vintage talkers are much more reliable, but of course, they'll tend to be much more expensive, too. I guess as a modern collector you'll have to ask yourself what you want. Something that works but costs a lot, or something that just looks neat and is cheap? At this point in my collecting "career", I gotta go with cheap. ;)

A reissue of a classic Chogokin toy that is as good as the original.

The Yamato comes from the anime series Space Battleship Yamato (宇宙戦艦ヤマト). In the US, the show was known as Space Cruiser Yamato, or more commonly: Starblazers.

There have been many toys made of this epic battleship but I say there haven't been enough. I could have a whole fleet of these things if I had the room.

This toy is a reisuue of the 1/300 Nomura toy, originally sold in 1975. It's a faithful reproduction, right down to the stand and the small ships. This toy was reissued in 1998, likely for the 25th anniversary of the television series.

The box is a nice window box, on the back is a full color image of the Yamato's bridge. The side has a big message from Leiji Matsumoto.

The toy is largely diecast with plastic being reserved for the gun turrets and bridge. Each of the main turrets turn and there is a door on the underside that opens.

The wings spring out at the push of a button

The display stand has some statistics about the Yamato and has the units serial number. This was a limited edition run, but I do not know the full run for sure (I think it was 10,000 units).

This is a great solid peice that won't break the bank. Go get one.

"SEVEN! SEVEN! SEVEN!
SEVEN! SEVEN! SEVEN! ..."

Strangely, Ultra Seven is actually the second Ultraman.

The original line of Masudaya talking vinyls contained at least 4 different Ultraman characters, but when the line was resurrected in the late 1990s, only one, Ultra Seven, saw production. Evidently, Ultra Seven is considered the most popular of the Ultramen (at least, according to Wikipedia), so I suppose it would make sense in that context.

This figure is the tallest of the 6 talkers that I have, punching in at about 15.5" tall. This is just a hair too tall to stand on the shelf with the rest of the gang so I've had to have him standing ever so slightly hunched forward. Now that's the only way he'll stand at all. I supposed a little work with the hair dryer would probably fix that, but until I need to, I'm not gonna bother.

I like having this figure because otherwise I actually have surprisingly few Ultraman toys in my collection. Besides the Jumbo Ultraman Leo and the Ultraman Ace that came with M1's Hipporito-seijin, this is my only Japanese Ultraman toy. (I've also got some of those 20" Ultra bootlegs from Thailand, but those are in storage and never really seen.)

Otherwise, it's not that great a toy. The body is cast in red vinyl with white and silver paint application and the head seems to have been cast in silver with gold, blue and black highlights. The head seems too big to me and the arms too small. The talk box is in the back and you pull the string to make him speak.

Maybe I'm being a little hard on it though. I remember when I bought it, I placed the order almost entirely because I wanted to combine shipping with a few other things that were advertised as in stock, but really weren't. I ended up buying it anyway, but felt sort of annoyed.

I tend to think talkers look better in a group. If you like the Ultra characters or talkers and you see this at a great price, by all means grab it. But in and of itself, it's not too amazing.

Another super robot talker that doesn't quite fill me with joy, I think I just realized that the talker format works better for Tokusatsu heroes.

The Getter 1 talker is really the runt of the lineup, checking it at only 12" tall whereas most others in the series are closer to 15". He'd probably be even smaller if his head wasn't so huge. This guy is super deformed before there was such a thing as super deformed. It's a shame too because the sculpt of the head is good and the sculpt of the body is good but the sizes just don't match up. This could have been a really neat toy if the proportions were not so skewed.

Like most of the toys in this line, it's articulated at the hips, shoulders and neck and you pull a string from the back to make it talk. Even if I understood Japanese, I couldn't tell you what it says because the talk box on mine is broken. This has been a pretty common complaint with the re-issues of these toys. Evidently they are very prone to failure. I bought this one cheaply with full knowledge of it's condition, but I have another that I bought brand new in box that failed to work the very first time I pulled the string. I do not own any vintage talkers, but by all accounts, they were much higher quality.

Although it's not the best rendition of the character ever made, it's still a decent pickup for the Getter Robo fan. Unfortunately, Masudaya (nor any other company) ever made talkers of Getter 2 or Getter 3, though.

This might well be my least favorite toy rendition of this character that was produced by a major Japanese toy company.

Make no mistake, from a worldwide standpoint there are some pretty unbelievably horrendous portrayals of Mazinger Z. But within Japan, even the cartoonish looking toys have a charm to them that makes them appeal to the eye. But when I look at this one, I almost feel like someone was making fun of Mazinger Z.

The over-sized cavity in the head looks just too far out of proportion to my tastes, almost like in inverted dunce-cap. And the legs are too skinny where they connect to the pelvis. It looks like he's got a diaper on. Also, the depiction of Koji Kabuto in the cockpit of the Hover Pilder is done by way of a silly looking sticker. The only other toys that I know of that do that are the bootleg Jumbos from Italy and Argentina. Now I admit, I do love those toys for what they are, but it just seems like bad company for a major Japanese toy maker to keep.

With that said, like most toys it looks ok when you add it to a lineup of others from it's series. And I got a good deal on it, so I can't complain too much.

The toy stands about 14.5 inches tall with 5 points of articulation (neck, shoulders, and hips). You pull a string to make it talk, but I have no idea what it says.

In the 1998 Super Sentai show Seijuu Sentai Gingaman, the main robot, Gingaioh is composed of 5 Starbeasts that combine to fight evil.

Partway through the show, the Gingaman receives the power of the Lights of Ginga to become Super Armor Shine Gingaioh (超装光銀凱王 Chōsōkō Gingaiō). This power up consists of a new chest plate, sword hilt, and head crest.

Of course, these parts were not included with the Bandai Chogokin Gingaioh robot – you had to buy them separately as part of the Ginga Dai Ketsusen Set

The armor parts are made of a soft plastic. Not quite rubber, but the same material as Gingaioh’s sword. The Chest piece attaches to the front of Gingaioh and attaches to the base of the new head crest. The existing horns need to be removed to add these parts. The sword crest just snaps onto the existing sword. They are not exciting pieces on their own, but they make a big difference to the already beautiful Gingaioh.

The giant axe for BullTaurus is called the Knight Axe, and as it appears later in the show, it did not come with the original DX BullTaurus.

The BullBlack figure is your standard Bandai Sentai figure. It comes with a removable cape, two weapons, and a removable belt. Also included is a mini-version of the Knight Axe.

This set, although hard to find, is not terribly expensive. There was also a black version of the set available as a mail away to go with the black and gold limited version of Gingaioh.

We all know Godzilla had many different designs over the years, but did you know that each Godzilla design had a different name?

We all know Godzilla had many different designs over the years, but did you know that each Godzilla design had a different name?

This Godzilla design was used in the 1992 film Godzilla & Mothra: The Battle for Earth. Named Bato-Goji, It seems more muscular than the other Godzilla designs.

Godzilla vs. Mothra (ゴジラVSモスラ, Gojira versus Mosura), released as Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth in the U.S., is a 1992 daikaiju eiga (giant-monster movie). Fourth in Toho Studios' "heisei" era of Godzilla films, it was directed by Takao Okawara from a screenplay by Kazuki Omori with special effects by Koichi Kawakita. (Wikipedia)

The figure stands about 6” tall and is made out of soft vinyl. The vinyl is charcoal grey in color and features blue spray on the fins, yellow eyes, and grey toes. Articulation is limited to the legs, arms and head.

This figure was also released with a different paint scheme as part of the Godzilla Monster Island series. The figure was also re-released as part of the Godzilla Memorial Box Set.

From UltraSeven, its a robotic chicken!

Windam (ウインダム) is a Capsule Monster (カプセル怪獣) from the first episode of UltraSeven, entitled “The Invisible Challenger” (1967). Windam has the ability to fire a beam of energy from his forehead.

The figure is your basic soft vinyl (or sofubi) Ultra Kaiju. These things are hung on racks by the hundreds in Japanese toy stores, and retail for about 700 yen.

Articulation is limited to the arms and waist.