So here comes the review for the Getter 3, the last one from this series and probably one of the most "funky" Machinders!

Fuji TV broadcast the original Getter Robo(ゲッターロボ) anime from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975. The show featured three vehicles which could combine to form three different robots, called Getter 1, Getter 2 and Getter 3. The show was very popular and all three robots were released as Jumbo Machinders in 1974.

What makes this Machinder so different from the others? Well, it's certainly because he doesn't have legs! Instead, he's built on a white tank which is supposed to mimic the head of Getter 2. The treads on the sides are molded in one piece, so nothing moves there, but there's two pairs of wheels underneath to make him ride on the ground. The front part of the tank is a separate piece. On my specimen you can pull it a bit, but I'm not sure this was made on purpose. On the back of the tank there's two little red reactor made of plastic.

Compared to the two other Getter Jumbos, this one is the rarest and really hard to find. Maybe one of the hardest of all Machinder heroes to find. Like the two others he's quite simple in design. Well, simple but clearly nothing to do with any other exisitng Machinder. But this is more due to the design of the robot itself. So first let's talk about the color. Getta 1 and Getter 2 had a different color scheme than in the original anime serie, but strangely Getter 3 is exactly like the anime.

As for articulation, you can only rotate his shoulders. You can also rotate the missile launcher to adjust to your target. Those missiles launchers are really unique. No other Jumbo shares the same mechanism and missiles. You put the missile in the launcher and it's held by two little hooks which you have to press to release the missile. Most loose specimens are missing those missiles and it's really hard to find them separately.

One of the interesting things about this little guy is his red body. It's made of a thin layer of plastic wrapped around the main yellow part. There's dark green stickers on the chest made of paper, quite similar of those on Getter 1. There's something specific with the stickers of both Getter 1 and 3. They were made out of different paper as the other Machinders, which results in a lot of cracks generated by the passing of time and storage conditions. Most specimen have those cracks in the stickers and finding one without will probably result in a higher price. The belt sticker is different from his two big brothers. There's an inversion of colors, so the background of the stickers is chrome and the letters black with the same layout and fonts as Getter 1 and 2. There's also two stickers on the head, one black line on the upper part of the head and one with eyes printed on it. This is interesting because from all Machinders, only him and Getter Poseidon have stickers on their heads instead of paint.

Like the rest of the Getter family, you can separate him in two parts by pressing a tab on the front and back waist. You can see in the pictures how he looks on the other lower part of his brothers. One funny thing about doing that is that his upper body part is quite tall, so when you put him on a regular pair of legs, this little guy becomes quite tall. Playing with them like that was not easy, Getta 3 body was a bit difficult to fit in Getta 2 legs. Well, with my specimen at least so this is probably not a defined rule.

Getter 3 body on Getter 1 legs

Getter 3 body on Getter 2 legs

So what make this Getter 3 so rare? Well, there's some theory saying that this robot didn't meet the same success as the other Getters, so fewer specimens where sold at the time, and then it's harder to find him today. And like in most collecting, when something is rare, it's quite expensive. Talking about price for this Machinder is difficult. I would say that a loose specimen in good shape should sell for around $2000, but it seems that prices for this one are raising recently. I've see a nice loose one sell for $3500, so it should be something in-between. As for boxed specimens, those are even more hard to find and I would estimate the price more around $4500-5000. So as you can see from these prices, this little guy is quite a challenge to acquire. The smallest Machinder and probably one of the most expensive, a strange paradox. But sometimes both the top and bottom parts of this toy can be seen for sale separately. Buying one half and then waiting for the other to show up can be a nice way to try to get this toy more cheaply. This can be a gamble though because you just never know when that other half will appear!

When I started collecting Machinders, I was a lightyear away from thinking that one day I'll have one. Luck was with me one day and I had an opportunity to get him at a decent price. It made me realize that with patience and some luck you can go far in this hobby.

So in conlusion, he's the most "goofy" machinder with his small size and straight look, but clearly one of the most interesting characters from the line. He's also a major piece in any collection.

If you like simple design, a bit more organic shapes, this JM is for you.

Fuji TV broadcast the original Getter Robo (ゲッターロボ) anime from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975. The show featured three vehicles which could combine to form three different robots, called Getter 1, Getter 2 and Getter 3. The show was very popular and all three robots were released as Jumbo Machinders in 1974.

Compared to Getter 1, Getter 2 is also easy to find. Some would even say it's easier to find than Getter 1, it's really depending of the market in fact but they're defenitively quite close.

Like his big brother, he's really simple in terms of design, sharing almost the same colors, with a darker blue for the upper part on the chest. It has two pairs of wheels on each feet and is articulated like most of the Machinder from the early production. The neck and shoulders rotate and that's mainly it.

Two interesting things about this Machinder: first, he has a more feminine shape than most of the other jumbos. His legs are thinner and not straight like the others and the lower part of the legs have some kind of "wings" on each side. His pelvis is really small compare to most of the JM. The second thing, it's the only Machinder who doesn't have any hands. One arm ends with a big orange driller and the other one with a giant claw. None are articulated but it gives a singular look to this Jumbo.

Also, one interesting thing is that it's probably the only Machinder to have no stickers except the one on the belt. The belt sticker is the same as Getter 1, black background and chrome lettering with a big number 2. The specimen displayed here has a repro belt, so the size of the writing on the belt is probably not accurate.

Like the two other Getters, he can be separated in two parts by pressing a tab on the front and back waist. You can see in the pictures how he looks on the other lower part of his brothers.

When it comes to prices, I would say he share a bit the same price range as Getta 1, so loose specimens generally sell for between $300 and $500. Most of the loose specimens I've seen didn't have the belt sticker. A perfect boxed example might be about $1200 to $1500. Unfortunately we've never seen a bootleg of this one (compare to Getter 1) so you'll have to dig in your wallet a bit if you want to get this one. But compared to other Popy Jumbo Machinders, it's one of the cheaper and probably one of the first you'll hit if you decide to start collecting the Japanese Jumbo line.

So in conclusion, if you like simple design, a bit more organic shapes, this JM is for you.

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One of the most popular super robots ever gets the Jumbo Machinder treatment.

Fuji TV broadcast the original Getter Robo (ゲッターロボ) anime from April 4, 1974 to May 8, 1975. The show featured three vehicles which could combine to form three different robots, called Getter 1, Getter 2 and Getter 3. The show was very popular and all three robots were released as Jumbo Machinders in 1974. Of the three, Getter 1 is probably the easiet to get, followed by Getter 2. Getter 3 is indisputably the rarest and most sought after. These three Jumbos were the first hero characters in the line to not be numbered on the box. Why Popy chose to assign numbers to just the first 5 toys in the series is unknown.

The character of Getter 1 is one of the most popular of Japanese Super Robots and the Jumbo Machinder is a perfect example of what most Jumbo collectors like about the line...a simple design, bright primary colors and just enough gimmicks to make it interesting. And, of course, size. Getter 1 is the standard 23.5" tall, with a soft vinyl head and polyethylene body. It has two pairs of wheels on each feet and the hands, which can be removed and swapped with separately sold accessory fists, feature some nice white spikes on the forearms. This toy also has something that no other Popy Jumbo had....a cape! White on the interior and shiny red on the exterior , it really gives the toy an added dimension.

The soft vinyl head has painted details and is actually more orange than the red on the rest of the toy, but it can be hard to see in pictures. The rest of the toy features stickers for details, green on the chest and red on the legs. Note that the green on the chest has a thin line of black along the outside edges. This is an easy thing to overlook, but should be noted for those that might need to do some repro work, as these stickers are often damaged or missing. The waist sticker is black with "Getter 1" written in Japanese, in shiny silver. It may not be very noticeable, but "1" is written both numerically and also phonetically in Japanese (ワン). Copyright information is stamped into the back of the toy, just above the top of the cape.

Probably the most noteworthy feature of the toy is that it can be separated into two parts by pressing a tab on the front and back of the waist. Each of the three Getter Robo Jumbo Machinders have this feature and you can mix and match the parts to create different forms! Sadly, I do not own either Getter 2 or Getter 3, so I will let the box art show you what I mean.

The other side of the box is less interesting and simply shows you which Jumbo accessory fists were available in stores at the time.

Although Getter 1 is an easier acquisiation than the other Getter Jumbos, it can still be on the expensive side since it is a popular character. Loose and/or damaged specimens generally sell for between $300-500, while a perfect MIB one might be about $1500, or more. But once again, there is hope for those not willing to go that high, in the form of another bootleg version from Mexican toy makers Jugarama. They released a slightly different version of this toy, that can be found occasionally for about $100-200.

Here is the opening of the show. Note how the color scheme differs. For this reason, many collectors have made custom Getter 1 Jumbos to more accurately match the anime.

Additional images! Please see the reviews for Getter 2 and Getter 3 for more!

Getter 1 top with Getter 2 bottom

Getter 1 top with Getter 3 bottom

One of two Kamen Rider Jumbos, "X-Rider" is the more difficult of the two to find.

Kamen Rider X (仮面ライダーＸ ) was the third in the Kamen Rider series, following Kamen Rider and Kamen Rider V3. It ran for 35 episodes in 1974 and the the character was the second from the series to be released as a Jumbo Machinder. Kamen Rider V3 preceded him the year before in 1973. Kamen Rider X is far and away the rarer of the two toys. (It's interesting to note that at this point in Jumbo Machinder history, 15 Jumbos had been released....10 villains, 3 human characters and only 2 robots!!)

Both Kamen Rider Jumbos share the same mold on the feet and hands, except that there are holes in "X-Rider's" hands for him to hold his "Ridol Whips". These accessories are almost always missing when specimens of this toy show up today, but they are a real neat feature and add a great deal to the toy's look. The same could be said for his black scarfs.

It's much more common to see the "Henshin Belt" on this toy, but it's pretty difficult to get one that isn't rusted.

This belt is one of the few examples of tin on a Machinder. Besides this and the cloth scarf, the toy features the same materials as most jumbos, polyethylene for the body and soft vinyl for the head. The red stripes on the limbs are stickers as is the silver on the torso. Most every specimen has silver only on the stomach and abdomen, but a recent auction on Yahoo!Japan also had silver stickers on the chest. I've never seen that on any other and do not know if it was a variation or if they were custom made.

Kamen Rider X stands the standard 23.5" tall, with wheels on his feet. His head turns, his arms raise and lower and you can remove his fists to add separately sold accessory attachments.

Loose specimens of this toy show up from time to time, but it's VERY rare to see it in a box. I've only seen the box available in an auction one time, early in 2006 on Yahoo!Japan. The following image was saved from that auction.

Kamen Rider X is a pretty simple looking jumbo but it can add flavor to a robot dominated lineup and makes a great companion piece to the V3 jumbo. A loose specimen would probably cost about $500, give or take. I managed to score mine for $125 as it was mislabeled on eBay, along with several other Kamen Rider vinyls. I wouldn't count on such a great stroke of luck, but if you'd like to add this character to your collection, there is a version from Mexico called "Aquaman" that generally costs about that much. It's noticeably different and of cheaper quality, but makes for an excellent placeholder while you look for the Popy one.

If you're looking to add this toy to your own collection, it will certainly require patience.

Ultraman Leo (ウルトラマン レオ) was the seventh show in the Ultraman series of programs from Tsuburaya Productions and by all accounts was the most grim and therefore unpopular of the bunch. Still, it managed to run for a total of 51 episodes from April 12, 1974 to March 28, 1975 and many toys from the program were produced, including the very rare Jumbo Machinder from Popy. It was the second Ultraman jumbo to be released, following Ultraman Taro which was released the previous year in 1973. Both Ultraman jumbos are very hard to get, but there is no question that the Ultraman Leo is the rarer of the two, with fewer than 10 known examples that can be accounted for today. In fact, it is generally accepted as being the rarest Popy hero Machinder, with only a couple of the villains being harder to find.

Many people don't seem to actually like this jumbo as it is admittedly rather boring looking. Besides the nice sculpt on the head, everything else about it is very plain. The entire body is cast in red polyethylene with a separately molded white poly crest screwed into the upper chest. A blue emerald (missing from this specimen) is embedded into the crest and the wrists feature silver and yellow stickers. Also missing from this specimen is a sticker that simply says "Ultraman Leo" that is normally on the stomach.

Like all the early Machinders, Leo has wheels on his feet and and you can remove the lower arms to add separately sold accessory fists. Of course, it makes absolutely no sense to be able to remove the arms from a human-style character, but I'm sure Popy was thinking more about the dollars generated from the extra sales than anything else. This toy is actually slightly, but noticeably, smaller than other jumbos, measuring in at slightly more than 57cm (or 22.5") as opposed to the standard 60cm.

All of this information is well and good, but there are really two things about this toy that make it stand out. First is that even though it is so rare, it would seem to have had two production runs as there is a very significant variation in the known specimens. The variation lies in the way the head attaches to the body. On some, the vinyl head is inserted down into a hole in the shoulders, just like most Machinders. But on others, there is a tab poking UP from the shoulders that the head is fitted over. This causes a noticeable difference in the shape of the head. The first style is much thinner looking than the second. Note the difference below:

Thin Head version

Thick Head version

Normally, I really don't have much interest in variations and do not consider my collection to be incomplete if I don't have all the different versions. But I think in this case the contrast is so striking that someday, I'd really like to have both. I'd also like to note that I think it's just the different lighting, camera, etc.. that causes the difference in color in those two photos, not another variation.

The second thing that makes Ultraman Leo stand out from the pack is how difficult it is to get in a box. And when I say difficult, I really should just say impossible. For whatever reason, this toy's box is almost never seen. In fact, it's only been seen once. Last year there was a specimen of it located at the Bandai Musuem in Japan (see image below). On my recent trip there in February 2006, for whatever reason, it was no longer there, or at least no longer on display. If anyone visits the museum and sees it, or can find out what happened to it, I'd love to know about it.

I must say that I really like this toy, in no small part because I tend to become enchanted by rarity. Though there are certainly many Machinders that are nicer toys, this was one that I always longed to get simply because I knew it would be so hard to do so and I thought that having it in my jumbo lineup would give the overall presentation a unique look. I've spent way more time gazing at pictures of jumbos than I'd care to admit and I've found that the less I see of something, the more I want it.

If you're looking to add this toy to your own collection, it will certainly require patience. And with so few specimens sold, it's really difficult to say what one would have to pay to get it, but anything between $1000 to $3000 wouldn't surprise me, depending on where it sold and what condition it was in. And if one ever showed up for auction in a box, I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to what the final bid might be.

Here is footage from the Ultraman Leo show, accompanied by the theme song:

Thanks to Tom Franck for the additional images of the thin head version and box!

Soft Vinyl Analyzer from Space Battleship Yamato (IQ-9 from Starblazers for us Americans).

Analyzer (アナライザー) or Analyzer Robot (アナライザーロボツト) comes from the Japanese Televison series Space Battleship Yamato (宇宙戦艦ヤマト UchÅ« Senkan Yamato).

In the USA, we know him as IQ-9, from Starblazers. Normally he is Red, but for some reason, this vinyl is blue. I can't think of any logical reason for him to be this color, but that's the thing with vinyls... There are always liberties taken with the character.

Analyzer articulated at the arms and waist. He's about 4" tall, and hollow (like all soft vinyl).

When I got this figure, he was still sealed with his header card, bearing a price sticker from the now closed New York city toy store "Children of Paradise". Only $60.00! (I paid considerably less than that on ebay).