This is an Ultraman Villian from the series Ultraman Tiga.

The toy is supposed to have bright red horns, but this toy has seen better days.

It was a Japan-only release.
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This is probably my favorite Gamera toy. Although it is from the movie Gamera 2, it still has the soft lines of the classic Gamera.

This is probably my favorite Gamera toy. Although it is from the movie Gamera 2, it still has the soft lines of the classic Gamera.

What sets this Gamera apart form the others is the ability to transform. There is a lever on his back that when pressed releases his shell. You can then unfold a pair of wings, and tuck his arms and legs in. The wings are made of a rubber coated plastic.

Articulation is limited to one swivel joint in each arm / leg, one joint in the tail, and each wing is positional.

Gamera also has a sound gimmick. Press a button behind the head to open his mouth and reveal Gamera's roar!

Most of the toy is hard plastic, with the exception of the head and wings. The head is actually a rubber sleeve covering a mechanical skeleton, hiding the inner workings of the jaw mechanism. It gives the toy a lifelike feel.

The toy is pretty big, about 10" tall and 12" long, with an even wider wingspan.

I really love the box art on this toy. Unfortunately, the toy is secured in the box by just a couple of cardboard spacers, so the box has a tendency to get beat up easily.

This toy is pure gokin. It's heavy as hell, weighing in at 1lb, 4oz, and it's 9" tall. The shoulders and lower body are solid diecast. It even comes in a styrofoam tray!

In 1996, Bandai Japan released a toy called the Kabuterios Chogokin DX, from the series B-Fighter Kabuto. This was the first toy released in the new Chogokin line, and it was dubbed GD-01.

B-Fighter Kabuto was brought to the USA as Beetleborgs Metallix. Bandai America imported the Kabuterios Chogokin DX and renamed it Roboborg. They then took the molds and created a new toy, called Boron. It is essentially the same toy, with some minor differences such as head sculpt, paint and stickers.

Boron was never released in Japan.

This toy is pure gokin. It's heavy as hell, weighing in at 1lb, 4oz, and it's 9" tall. The shoulders and lower body are solid diecast. It even comes in a styrofoam tray!

Boron transforms from beetle to robot. In beetle form, it features moving claws, and barely articulated legs. The legs are prone to falling off. Also, due to the weight of the toy, the legs don't actually support it. Boron looks like a squashed bug with its legs spread out.

In robot mode, Boron features a giant sword that unfortunately droops due to the soft plastic used. Articulation is great in the arms, but non-existant in the legs. The head does not move.

Although Boron looks cool, he has some serious quality control issues with the paint. Mine has paint bubbles anywhere paint is applied over metal. Big, 1cm bubbles. Attaching the stickers helps, but some cannot be covered. My Roboborg also has these issues. Combined with the floppy sword and weak legs, Boron just has too many flaws.

Boron could have been a great toy. The design is beautiful, but the paint issue really kills it for me. Maybe there are some that have not bubbled. These things are inexpensive for being DX chogokin. It's worth gambling on one; maybe you'll luck out and get one with good paint.
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The Blue Stinger Special Edition Beetleborg comes from the series Big Bad Beetleborgs. The toy is an imported version of the DX Blue Beetle from the series B Fighter Kabuto.

The Blue Stinger Special Edition Beetleborg comes from the series Big Bad Beetleborgs. The toy is an imported version of the DX Blue Beetle from the series B Fighter Kabuto.

I've never had the original toy, so I can't compare the two, but they look pretty close.

The figure is about 12" tall, and covered with a metallic chrome finish. Articulation is decent, and the toy is sturdy. With 2 "AA" size batteries inserted in his back, a button press activates light up eyes.

He comes with 2 weapons that I know of. One is a pistol that fits into the holster. The other is the Blue Stinger Drill weapon. He may have come with other accessories, but since I acquired this toy loose, I don't really know.

Beetleborg toys have gotten pretty rare and were overlooked during their short run in 1996-1997 due to the absolutely terrible English version of the show. They're definitely worth checking out.

This is a bootleg of the DX RV Robo from the series Explosive Dash Task Force Car Ranger, also known as Power Rangers Turbo in the USA. The domestic name was Turbo Megazord.

The robot can separate to form the 5 individual machines, and includes the Gekisou Sword. This bootleg was missing the Radial Shield, but I have seen others that have included it. The toy comes carded, and sells at flea markets for about $15.

The quality is pretty good for a bootleg, and would make an acceptable substitute until you get the real thing. It is made entirely out of a cheap plastic, but it does everything the original does.

The best way to tell if you have a bootleg version is to look for Bandai copywright information as the bootleg has none.

God Gundam comes from the series Mobile Fighter G Gundam. In the series, the God Gundam was developed by Neo Japan to fight in the finals. It was designed to be the most powerful Gundam in the entire Gundam Fight.

Bandai released the God Gundam toy in 1996. It features a ton of gimmicks, such as:

• Machine cannons open
• Beam Sabers
• God Slasher action on forearms
• Light up chest
• Removable core fighter
• Moveable wings
• Back of legs open to reveal thrusters

This DX Gundam is made of a softer plastic than today's DX Gundams, and it is extremely white. It holds a pose nice, and it is less prone to parts falling off than the other DXs.

The removable core fighter lacks a lot of detail, but it is solid. It fits firmly into God Gundam's back.

The light up chest is not particularly bright, and suffers from a lack of an accompanying sound effect. see animation

You can lift up the panels on his shoulders to reveal the machine cannons, and you can simulate the GOD SLASHER attack by sliding his forearms down. The arms do look short on this figure. The beam sabers hilt can be placed in the side skirt armor when not in use. God Gundam has articulated hands, but not individual fingers. He can clamp his hand around the beam saber, but it is not a fight fit.

God Gundam was supposed to be released as Burning Gundam, but rumor has it that the re-release was cancelled. Right now, the only one you can get is the imported Japanese version.