Aquaman is often missing the belt and other accessories, and it is not uncommon to see it with the wrong fists.

Aquaman may not have been the first Jumbo to show up from Mexico, but when it first appeared about 5 years ago, it signalled the start of a new wave of discoveries from south of the border that continues on even now. This toy is based on the Popy Kamen Rider X Jumbo Machinder. It was initially sold mostly under that name and it would be quite some time until it was discovered what the toys name actually was, or the name of the company that released it.

The toy was made in Mexico and released by a company called Jugarama. Although it was initially thought to be just a true bootleg, it was actually licensed by Bandai/Popy. They used the same mold, but changed the character's name to "Aquaman". I thought this was quite silly at the time, but later found out that the Kamen Rider X character was designed to be an underwater specialist so it actually makes sense.

Although Aquaman uses the same mold as Kamen Rider X, there are differences between the two toys. Aquaman is about 1.5 inches shorter. The blue polyethylene is darker and the paint on the soft vinyl head has been changed. The orange on the head of Kamen Rider X has been changed to red on Aquaman and the blue in between the eyes has been dropped entirely. The fists have been changed from black to red. Although most specimens of Aquaman no longer have it, the belt was included. It was also advertised as having the whips, but I've never seen them.

Jugarama released at least four known Jumbos. Besides Aquaman, there was Geta 1 (Getter 1), Goro Goro (Getter Poseiden) and Ultraman (Raydeen). The boxes for each of these toys are notoriously hard to find. Only one specimen of each of Aquaman, Geta 1 and Goro Goro are known to exist and the Aquaman one is nearly destroyed. In fact, the dealer who found it for me seemed to think it wasn't even worth buying, but I wanted to at least see it so much that I kept asking him to get it for me. I paid $40 for it and though that may seem like alot for something in that condition, I felt it was worth it at least in the interest of "jumbo scholarship". What makes these boxes so interesting is that they all have artwork designed to mimic the photos that were on the original Popy boxes!

Popy Kamen Rider X box

Jugarama Aquaman box

The side of the Aquaman box features images that suggest that Jugarama also released items based on several Popy Jumbo Machinder accessories. In particular, the XX-1 Rocket Punch fists, the XX-11 transport and the XX-12 stop watch. (Please excuse the poor images, as I said, this box is nearly ruined!)

Rocket Punch fists

Transport

Stop Watch

I've never actually seen any of these items for sale. (The only Jugarama accessory I've ever seen is based on the XX-3 Missiles launcher. I believe this was included with the Geta 1 toy.)

Aquaman isn't exactly easy to find but he does show up from time to time, moreso than any of the other Jugarama Jumbos. It is often missing the belt and other accessories, and it is not uncommon to see it with the wrong fists. Depending on what condition you find it in, it generally costs between $75-$200, much more if a boxed specimen showed up.

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.