Mecha Baltan

Mecha Baltan comes from the 1983 series "Ultra Super Legend: Andro Melos". While not technically an ultra-series, it did feature an a host of re-imagined Ultra Kaiju as villains, and cameo appearances from Ultraseven and Zoffy. So it kind of is an ultra show, kind of isn't. It got its start in Terebi-kun and later got a series of live action vignettes.

The toy is your typical ultra-kaiju toy. Soft vinyl, about 16cm tall, with limited poseability. In addition to the shoulders and waist, the arms can rotate at the forearms.

One thing worth noting is that this figure is molded in metallic vinyl, with metallic paint, making for a beautiful figure.

The look of Kamen Rider ZO foreshadows the popular SIC line that would come many years later.

Kamen Rider ZO (仮面ライダーＺＯ) comse from the less-popular movie of the same name, 1993's Kamen Rider ZO. There just doesn't seem to be a lot of love for this rider, as evidenced by the overall lack of merchandise and it's low-key place in the rider panthenon. The rider has a grasshopper-like appearance, looking more insectoid overall than some of the previous riders.

The look of Kamen Rider ZO foreshadows the popular SIC line that would come many years later.

This toy is your typical Rider Hero series vinyl. Its about 6" tall, and features articulation at the arms and waist. Originally this figure would have come window boxed, but sadly, the box was thrown away years ago by some young Japanese child.

King Saurus's full name literally translates to "Ancient monster meteor kick zaurus King III"

King Saurus the third (or III)(キングザウルス三世) is an Ultra Kaiju - meaning he is a Kaiju (monster) from the Ultraman series of TV shows. In particular, King Saurus is first seen in the 1971 series "Return of Ultraman" (帰ってきたウルトラマン).

King Zaurus's full name literally translates to "Ancient monster meteor kick zaurus King III" (古代怪獣キングザウルス三世). He first appeared in Episode 4 of Return of Ultraman, dated 1971/4/23.

There have been many reissues of this toy over the years. This first release came out in 1989, followed by 1991, 1995 and 1998, Reisses can be marked by different colored vinyl. The original is in grey, followed by a purple-ish release.

As a special bonus...

I tried to find video of King Saurus III in action, but instead i came across this.

Daicon Film's Return of Ultraman, from 1983, an Ultraman parody film written/directed/starring Hidaeki Anno (you know, that Evangelion guy). It's pure otaku goodness. Long, but worth it.

Titanus is a HUGE toy: 22 inches long, around 10 high. Even knowing the beast’s size, I was still surprise when I got it. Out of the box, Titanus is easy to assemble… safe for the FORTY or so stickers to place. You’ll never convince me that a 4 year-old kid can do it, but I digress. Even left alone, Titanus is a heck of an addition to a collection.

First, a bit of history.

When Tommy and Jason went on a quest to find weapons capable of destroying the super putties, they stumbled upon Titanus, who was guarding them. After getting the weapons, Zordon informed them that Titanus was an ally, and would lend a hand when needed. A few episodes later, Titanus combined with the (yet unnamed on screen) Megadragonzord and formed the Ultrazord, the mightiest zord in that season. Titanus was forgotten when the Rangers powered up to the Thunderzord, but was re-activated and modified to combined with the Ninja and Shogun Megafalconzords to form a new Ultrazord.

Now, let’s talk about the real thing.

Titanus is a HUGE toy: 22 inches long, around 10 high. Even knowing the beast’s size, I was still surprise when I got it. Out of the box, Titanus is easy to assemble… safe for the FORTY or so stickers to place. You’ll never convince me that a 4 year-old kid can do it, but I digress. Even left alone, Titanus is a heck of an addition to a collection.

The monster has two modes: “carrier mode” and “attack mode”. In “attack mode”, the tail becomes the cannon, the back opens up to reveal a compartment design to house a Megazord, and the chest comes out. And of course, it has a motor, meaning you can make it roll around and dribble while watching it.

But the real fun starts when you combine it with the Original (sometimes called “mighty” or “Dino”) Megazord and the Dragonzord. Titanus was released three times. First during the MMPR season 1, Then MMPR season 3 (dubbed The Return of Titanus, including a non-functional version of the Dragonzord chest plate) and finally “Space Titanus”, during the PRiS arc (the poor thing got the head and pawns cut off, and a modified chest).

The Ultrazord is definitely something to be reckoned with. Huge, heavy and scary. The Dragonzord’s tail and chest become Titanus Tail and “chest”. Titanus’ chest and pawns become chest pieces and gloves for the Megadragonzord. The chains are used as reins. Even if that combination is smaller than the next season Ultrazord, it has a little something making it more impressive.

You can also use Titanus as a “carrier” (hope so, that’s its name “The CARRIER zord”) of sort, by connecting the chain to the harness, snap them under the Megazord “Tank mode”. When the motor is activated, he’ll move around like Titanus.

Finally, you can combine Titanus with either the Shogun or Ninja Megafalconzord (or any megazord that is roughly the Original’s size), to form new ultrazord combinations. A re-release of Titanus, dubbed “Return of Titanus”, including the Dragonzord’s chest plate, have been specially made for that purpose (and to make some extra money).

The last of the Jumbo dragons, the Ryu Sei Oh is also a child's ride on toy!

Mythical Chi Beast RyuuSeiOh (気伝獣龍星王) is from the Super Sentai series Gosei Sentai Dairanger and was released as an enormous riding toy by Bandai in 1993. It features a small seat on it's back that a child could sit on and a pair of handle bars by which to steer both the head and the front wheels. Though released long after the official line had been canceled, this toy is generally considered a part of the Jumbo Machinder family due to it's large size and heavy use of polyethylene in it's construction. It also has two dragon shaped predecessors in the Jumbo line in the form of the Daiku Maryu and Dol Machinders.

This toy is often overlooked by Jumbo fans. It's sentai stylings as well as it's odd shape are two likely factors contributing to this. The box for this thing is quite silly looking. There's no fancy artwork to admire, but instead just a child riding on the back of the toy wearing a sentai helmet. Some collectors get a kick out of this sort of thing, but it's not likely to attract sales. Also, while the average Jumbo is about 23.5 inches tall, Ryuu Sei Oh checks in at 47 inches long! A drastic change from the norm to be sure and difficult to display as a result. Also it comes in a large box (21.5"x12.5"x17") so shipping on this thing can be prohibitive, even in the event that you find one for sale in the US, which is unlikely.

Still, I thought I should have at least one of the dragon shaped Jumbos and since the cost of Daiku Maryu is quite prohibitive and I never cared much for Dol, I figured I grab one of these when I saw one on Yahoo!Japan a few years back. The toy comes in three pieces and needs to be assembled out of the box. It's a pretty self-explanatory how it's done, but an instruction sheet is included anyway. Interestingly, the sticker placement is indicated right in the midst of the the instruction and make no mistake, you need those stickers for this one! Without them, the toy is very plain looking and it's amazing how much they add to it's overall appearance.

To put the toy together, just snap the back tail into the hole at the end of the main body and slide the neck into the front. Then just tighten that with a screw that's included. Be sure not to over tighten or at best the head becomes difficult to move and you may even crack the plastic here. Even without the screw, the head stays on pretty good, but it's best to have it there so that it doesn't come out when you position the neck, which is jointed in two places.

As I suggested earlier, when you turn the handle bars the whole front of the dragon turns as well as the front wheels. You can also turn the tail but this does not affect the back wheels. The back legs technically can be swiveled down, but they frankly can't go anywhere because they bump against the black chassis. That's kind of lame, but at least you can open and close the jaw of the dragon.

So, pretty decent toy, eh? Certainly a nice looking addition to your collection if you have room for it. But wait, there's more! Yep, if you lift up the seat, there is a secret compartment for storing things.

And guess what else? Your pimp ride also includes the equivalent of a car horn! That's right. Located right in between the handle bars is a small circular button which when pressed emits a roar! This would make the Ryu Sei Oh the first "talking" Jumbo since the roaring Jumbosaurus Godzilla toy from 1978. The whole compartment beneath the button slides right out for easy replacement of the two necessary AA batteries.

This is a pretty cool toy, but it's not for everyone. It's not that rare or expensive, but I don't think any of the other Jumbo collectors I know have bothered to pick one up yet. I can't say I blame them. It's jut not a "must have" Jumbo, but I dig it nonetheless. One last thing I should point out about it on the negative side though is that this guy has lots of little nooks and crannies. I tried to clean him off of dust for the pictures but it's sitting next to me now as I write and I'm ashamed to admit how many spots I missed!

The American Green Dragonzord is completely made of plastic while the Japanese version has a die cast tail tip.

When Tommy Oliver came to Angel Grove, Rita Repulsa saw an opportunity do destroy the Power Rangers, turned him into the Evil Green Ranger and gave him the mighty Green Dragonzord. Once the spell broken, Tommy joined the Power Rangers and added his Dragonzord to their armada.

Included in this box:

• Power Staff base.
• Dragonzord tail.
• Chest.
• 8” Green Ranger figure.
• Instructions sheet.
• Stickers sheet.

The American Green Dragonzord is completely made of plastic while the Japanese version has a die cast tail tip. The others differences resides in the stickers (Japanese version here) and on the Green Ranger, only available in the American package.

This toy is just plain fun. Lot of actions, light and sounds. What could possibly be better? Well had the mastodon, the sabre-toothed tiger and the triceratops and you will understand. That combination is called “Dragonzord Battle Mode”. And it rocks. The tails and chest combine with the stand (that was useless before) to become the “Power Drill”. The combination is, of course, even bigger than the Dragonzord on his “Dragon” mode. Finally, if you have the complete Megazord, the Dragonzord can be put on the shoulder to form the huge Megadragonzord. Of course, the light and sounds are still there. And finally, put the Megadragonzord into Titanus to have the enormous Ultrazord, with more light and sounds and motor actions.

Finally, the Dragonzord is one of my favourite Zord. It’s always fun to combine it with the Megazord and to use the light and sounds. And the 8” Green Ranger is a great addition for a good value pack.

This is the original Power Rangers Megazord, the one that started it all in the USA. Of course, we all know by now that a genre called Sentai has been on the air for years in Japan. In the early 90s, Haim Saban got the idea to use footage from the Japanese television show ZyuRanger.

This is the original Power Rangers Megazord, the one that started it all in the USA. Of course, we all know by now that a genre called Sentai has been on the air for years in Japan. In the early 90s, Haim Saban got the idea to use footage from the Japanese television show ZyuRanger. He would then replace the Japanese actors with American ones, and write all new plots for what would become a surprise hit: The Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.

I remember Christmas of 1993 pretty well. I was in college, and I had nothing at all to do with toys anymore. I had sold all my old Transformers and Star Wars toys, and I was pretty much doing what any 20 year old would do - trying to get girls. I got a call from my Mom one day, saying that my brother Adam, who was 8 at the time, really wanted something called a "Power Ranger" for Christmas. I liked going on these hunts, so off I went. I was shocked to see the frenzy that these toys were creating; it reminded me of the Cabbage Patch kids' riots! I couldn't find a Power Rangers toy anywhere! Eventually I found a marked up flip-top Green Ranger for $17, and it would have to do.

I didn't think much of the toys.. They seemed simple, childlike. My last experience with Japanese Toys had been Transformers, and those were far more complex. These seemed aimed towards the younger crowd, so I dismissed them for years. It wasn't until I got back in to toy collecting did I realize the brilliance of Power Rangers, and the cultural phenomenon it had become.

Now, 12 years later, I got my hands on an Original Megazord, and to my surprise, it's actually a really cool toy.

The Megazord is comprised of 5 "Zords", each a robotic representation of a dinosaur. People who don't know of the Japanese origin of Sentai often claim that the Megazords were a rip-off of Voltron, but the connection goes far deeper than that. The whole concept of teamwork and conforming to a group is an idea deep-rooted in the Japanese consciousness. It has been prevalent in shows going all the way back to Goranger, or even Gatchaman ( Battle of the Planets).

	Pterodactyl Dinozord
	Saber-Toothed Tiger Dinozord
	Mastodon Dinozord
	Triceratops Dinozord
	Tyrannosaurus Dinozord

All the Megazords are plastic, and require stickers. None really have any independent play value, save for the Tyrannosaurus with his opening jaw and the Pterodactyl, which can be stood up, or laid down into flight mode.

To form the Megazord, the Tyrannosaurus becomes the body, and the Saber-Toothed Tiger and Triceratops form the legs. The Mastodon separates, and the body wraps around the back of the Tyrannosaurus. The Pterodactyl attaches to the chest, finishing the Megazord combination. The finished Megazord stands about 10" tall. It's articulated at the shoulders, elbows and legs. Weaponry includes a giant chrome sword, the Mastodon head as a shield, and 2 cannons on his back. In the TV show, this mode is called Megazord Battle Mode. There is also a mode where the legs are stretched out in front, called Megazord Tank Mode.

The Megazord can combine with the Green Dragonzord to for either the Dragonzord Battle Mode, or the amazingly huge Megadragonzord. If you add Titanus into the mix, the combination of all three makes the totally insane Ultrazord. This combination of toys makes for hours of play value.

Aesthetics aside, the thing that really sells this toy for me is that it is just plain fun. Its transformation is simple enough for a child, but challenging enough to interest adult collectors. Things snap into place with satisfying clicks, it can interact and combine with other toys, and it's made up of giant robotic dinosaurs. What more could you want in a toy?

Not surprisingly, the Megazord, being the first to make the transition to the states, went through a few changes. The original robot, the Daizyujin Evolution Combination DX came to the USA relatively free from structural changes. Where it was hit hard though was in the stickers. The shoulder stickers and the chest stickers were replaced to make it fit in with the Power Rangers brand. Some of the other Dinozords had slight modifications, but essentially the toy is pretty close to its Japanese counterpart.

Aside from play value, Power Rangers Megazords stand to be one of the ultimate collectibles for the next generation. Think about it: Star Wars, GI Joe, Gundam and the like are all partially geared towards adult collectors. Millions of these things are being hoarded in basements and attics. But not Power Rangers. Power Rangers have consistently been marketed towards children, and while there is a subset of adult collectors, the group is relatively small. These Megazords were taken out of the boxes. They were played with, and pieces were lost. They are never reissued, and molds are not re-used. Although the Japanese versions of these toys are often superior, American collectors are going to want the versions they played with as children. Just take a look around on eBay, and see what prices for Mint in Box Megazords are going for - they are already skyrocketing.

What people don't seem to realize is that these toys are cultural icons for a different generation. While we grew up on Shogun Warriors, Robotech and Godaikin, the early 90s set will have grown up on these. While some of us dug deeper into the origins of our childhood shows, so will them. In retrospect, don't you wish you had bought every single Godaikin that hit the shelves in 1985? That Tetsujin 28 Godaikin is now worth about $2000. Sure, it was expensive back then. Some of the Power Ranger toys today are pushing the $60 mark. Expensive, yes, but I think they are worth it.

Granzaurer is part of Tomy's Eldoran series of transforming robots. Eldoran was Tomy's answer to Takara's Brave Series of robots. Granzaurer was designed by Yamada Takahiro.

Granzaurer is a thick plastic robot with almost no articulation. He transforms into 3 modes: Robot, Dinosaur and Jet. His transformation consists of completely disassembling and re-assembling him into the three modes. He's more like a puzzle than a Transformer.

In robot mode, Granzaurer is about 12" tall with wings. He is articulated at the shoulders, and that's about it. His two weapons are a spear and a sword, both molded in translucent plastic.

Dinosaur mode is kinda cool, but not all parts go into this transformation - the cockpit is left out. In jet mode the dinosaur head is left out. All modes are flimsy, with parts falling off frequently.

Taken on his own, Granzaurer is not that great of a toy. But the great thing about the Eldoran line is the insane combinations. Granzaurer combines with Magnazaurer and Gozaurer to create King Gozaurer.

This is the mid size version of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers Megazord. This is not the big DX combining Megazord; this is a smaller, cheaper 8" version that separates into 3 pieces.

The toy is the domestic version of the Puradera Daijuujin (Daizyujin) from Dinosaur Task Force ZYURANGER. Puradera translates to "Pla-Deluxe" (plastic deluxe), a cheaper line of robot for the Japanese market. The line is designed to provide an affordable alternative to Japanese consumers. The original toy was released in 1992.

The toy itself comes with a cool launching fists feature. It also comes with a sword and shield. The legs of the Megazord can be removed, and the feet turn down to make a somewhat alternate mode. The legs and main section have wheels on the back to roll around on the floor. The US version appears to be identical to the Japanese version.
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http://www.fantoysia.com/toy/msip_f91.htm
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