Fewture and the late Taku Sato's take on Great Mazinger, courtesy of Angolz!

Woof! Bring it on! Over $200 of loud-clicking heavy metal courtesy of Angolz.

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This is Fewture's EX Gokin Great Mazinger 1969. And, yes, like the Mazinger Z 1969 from this line Josh had reviewed, I don't exactly get the connection between these robots and the year, 1969. But, hey, whatever! It's a damn cool toy.

Super-glossy outer slipcase

Equally-glossy, thick cardboard box lid

Myself and other writers here have talked about this before, but I think it's worth repeating: quality, thoughtful packaging can really make a toy experience all the better. Yes, a turd in a dress is still a turd, but something Bandai just hasn't figured out with their SoC line is how much nicer a toy experience can be with the right presentation.

Along with gorgeous styrofoam tray you see above, there's a cool double-sided print of sketches of Great Mazinger and Mazinger Z by the late, Taku Sato. Another part I love: a single sheet of instructions(2)! That's all you get; that's all you'll need.

Yes, glossy color booklets are cool, but I sure don't mind this minimalist approach. The time I have to devote to this crazy hobby is limited, so a lack of fluff is appreciated. And this sentiment is no more apparent in how I feel about accessories. The styro tray above is ALL there is. There's no double-layer or separate vacu-formed plastic tray for million other tiny bits. There is a hidden cavity on the bottom for the stand, but don't bother. You'll never need it. You just start with the basic robot and everything you need is right there.

The robot is a mixture of diecast and hard plastic. There are some PVC bits like the opening jaws(!). Again, as you'd expect from reading Josh's review of MZ, the metal and sheer size of this figure are more than a little awe-inspiring. The joints are super-tight and super-clicky and everything holds together nicely. ...With one exception. The toy comes with two PVC Brain Condors; one fixed and one with articulation to fold up in order to fit into GM's head. I don't know what I need to do to appease the toy gods, but I just can seem to get the folding one to fit securely into the head. I've seriously considered just gluing the damn thing in.

See...this is exactly the kind of thing that turns me off to most modern gokin. Designers are so desperate to offer multi-gimmickery and anime-accuracy that little details like this end up failing and annoying the collectors they're trying to impress. But I digress. Your mileage (and fundamental collecting habits) will vary!

Anyway, the good news is that the Brain Condor issue is pretty much the only flaw I have to report! The forearm magnets came securely glued to where they're supposed to be (unlike the common problem with many folks' MZ's). The Great Booster (not to be confused with the Scramble Dash!) clicks into the toy's back very firmly.

The only caveat, again, is the knee articulation. The knees are double-jointed, but the thigh, kneecap, and lower leg are all painted diecast. If you're not careful about how you flex these joints, the parts could bump against one another and rub the paint off in spots. This has already happened a little bit with mine, but as I've said before, life's too damn short to worry about paint rubs on a toy! Play with the damn thing! You won't be disappointed.

Sure, it's over $200US...but a couple paint rubs add character, right? ;)

Now, seriously, look at this toy.

It's gorgeous...that is, if you're into the whole retcon thing. I'm sure there are plenty of purists out there who don't exactly appreciate this almost McFarlane-ish take on a classic design. That's entirely subjective.

If you happen to like what you see, then you may just need this toy. Besides my gripe about the Brain Condor, the execution is essentially flawless. This was a rock-solid purchase for me.

So, let's take a look at some of the accessories and gimmicks. First, ya gotta have wings. In the cartoon, Great Mazinger could sprout wings out of his back just by yelling, "Scramble DASH!!". Now, that would be a pretty tough thing to pull off in a toy, so Fewture opted to go with the later upgrade to this feature, the Great Booster. This vehicle would be sent out from the base via remote control to dock with Great Mazinger, much like the original Mazinger Z's Jet Scrander.

Now, I guess if you're a completist and want both GM and MZ, there's something to complain about here: MZ's red Jet Scrander and GM's grey Great Booster are essentially the same thing. The sculpt of the main body of each accessory is identical. The wings are subtly different, though. Fortunately, I'm not a completist! ;)

The Great Booster features nice detents in the rotating wings and the nose of the craft is diecast. I'm not sure why many people have complained about these things not attaching securely to the robot--mine clicks in very firmly.

Next up, we have a huge sword! In the cartoon, Great Mazinger had his "Mazinger Blades" that would launch out of those things on his hips and...uh...grow in length. Well, Mazinger Z never had a sword, but Fewture gave him one anyway. This Great Mazinger toy has the same accessory, but there's nothing really to indicate that it comes from his hips. One neat thing is that, in addition to the sword, Great Mazinger comes with an alternate hilt that, when combined with the two swords from MZ and GM, forms a huge super-sword! Pretty neat. I'll have to bring this guy over to Josh's to check that feature out. Still, nothing ground-breaking.

It's worth noting here that the fingers aren't articulated. There are several different hands--all fairly flexible PVC: closed fists, open/aggressive hands, fists with separate, loose fingers, and one right hand with just the index finger extended (for the Thunder Break attack). The fists with the loose fingers look really good, but take a little effort to work the sword hilt into them. All the wrists are ball jointed as one would expect.

And speaking of the hands, here's an interesting design choice. A staple of these super robots is the launching fist weapon. For Great Mazinger, it was the Drill Pressure Punch; for Mazinger Z, it was Rocket Punch. Such weapons were also prominent features of the toys--spring-loaded fists were a much-copied gimmick from the classic chogokin era.

Modern gokin designers have addressed the problem of the launching fist in different ways. In most cases, replacement arms or elbows--lacking articulation--have been necessary to make these gimmicks work. Extra clunky bits...not exactly ideal solutions. I don't know if this was Sato's idea from the beginning or a decision made by Fewture based on the realities of toy manufacture, but either way, they have eschewed the launching fist altogether. Granted, the forearms can be removed and reattached easily via the magnetic joints to simulate these weapons, but there're no springs or buttons.

Instead, we're given...assorted brass knuckles?

Ah, the classic weapon of the honorable warrior: the noble brass knuckle. Well, what can ya do? There it is. At least ya get three sets of 'em.

Next up, one of my favorite attacks from the Mazinger era: Breat Burn. Sure, the name's a bit unfortunate, but it was sure cool to watch in the cartoons! What Fewture has done here is pretty neat. Normally, the figure is fitted with a solid diecast chest plate that can be removed and put into one of the loose fists to simulate the Great Boomerang attack (not pictured). To simulate the Breast Burn attack, this plate can actually be replaced on the figure with a translucent red plastic version with molded detail inside that catches the light in interesting ways and just looks killer!

A popular feature with these figures is the articulated jaw I mentioned earlier. Now, the original Mazinger Z and Great Mazinger robots had a simple grills covering where there mouths should be. GM could blast his enemies with the Great Typhoon, a powerful wind attack lacking the corrosive power of MZ's less-windy version, the Rust Hurricane. There really hasn't been a toy equivalent of this attack, so Sato designed one! The lower jaw drops down and the upper jaw lifts up a bit to expose the nicely sculpted Great Typhoon emitter. Sure, it doesn't actually do anything, but the addition of this detail is really cool!

Lastly, we have one of Great Mazinger's most powerful weapons, Thunder Break. GM would point his finger up into the sky and absorb all of the static electricity in the nearby atmosphere...then unleash that energy in a directed blast at the monster-of-the-week. Pretty rockin' to my 7-year-old mind back in the 80's. But don't get too excited; as far as the toy goes, it's just another alternate hand!

So, that basically covers everything. Again, besides the Brain Condor, the execution is excellent. If you can't get past the liberties Sato took with the sculpt, pass on this toy. But if this sort of thing appeals to you visually, go grab one from Angolz.

This take on the classic Go Nagai design is all about power and aggression. From the skull-like faceplate to the giant knuckled fists, this robot will chew up and spit out all the other toys in your collection.

This is a toy that I was lukewarm about at first, but has really grown on me.

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The Fewture EX Gokin Mazinger-Z 1969 (EX合金マジンガー1969) was designed by the late Taku "Professor Robo" Sato. His designs were a modern take on classic robot designs. I don’t understand why this toy gets the 1969 label, because there is nothing about this design reminiscent of the first Moon Landing, Richard Nixon, The Beatles or Monty Python.

This take on the classic Go Nagai design is all about power and aggression. From the skull-like faceplate to the giant knuckled fists, this robot will chew up and spit out all the other toys in your collection. This is a serious piece of Heavy Metal. In fact, if this toy was a Heavy Metal band, it would be Pantera. (R.I.P. Dimebag)

It is also worth noting that his was my first purchase from Angolz.com. The toy arrived from Hong Kong in a record breaking THREE DAYS.

At about 9.5 inches tall, the EX Gokin Mazinger-Z 1969 packs a serious punch. The toy is about 70% diecast, and is pretty heavy. The construction is solid and the figure manages to be reasonably articulated. All the joints are satisfyingly clicky, even in places where you don’t expect it, like in the toes.

Starting from the top, the head is made of ABS and PVC, with your choice of removable Pilders. You get both a Jet Pilder and Hover Pilder, both made out of soft vinyl. The wings on each are removable, but the tooling on the wings is a bit off. I had to trim a bit of vinyl off the side of one of my Jet Pilder’s wings to make it go up so that it can fit on the head.

The jaw features two soft moveable sections that open to reveal a mouth weapon. A word of warning to you – DO NOT try to pull open the jaws by pulling the top one upwards. Sanjeev accidentally broke the top of the head off by trying this. Its easily fixable with superglue, but still, don’t do it. Instead, push the head forward and then pull down on the front jaw.

The neck is articulated in two places and attaches to the body via a ball joint. The chest is solid metal, with removable chest plates. Mazinger-Z 1969 comes with two sets of chest plates. The solid red chest plates are painted metal, and the translucent plates are plastic. Both are fixed to the chest by a hexagonal peg that fits securely. The torso is jointed with a detented joint and there is also a waist joint.

The arms are also attached to the body by hexagonal pegs which are removable. The shoulder pads are metal and the shoulder actually has motion in the chest with a fantastic piston mechanism that allows you to bring the shoulders forward for more aggressive poses. Each arm features a strong magnetic connection joint midway through the forearm that allows you to swap out regular arms for rocket punch arms. These sections are diecast as well. There seems to be a common QC issue with the right arm – the magnet becomes unglued from the upper arm and gets stuck to the lower part. Just remove the magnet and add a dab of superglue and stick it back it – it’s fine. Included with the toy are a variety of fists that can easily plug into the forearms. You can attach the included spiked knuckles in various configurations on certain hands, depending on just how menacing you want the figure to be. You get spiked knuckles that go forward (like wolverine from the X-Men), spiked knuckles that go out, and nubby spiked knuckles.

The legs are also all metal, and can be put in almost any position. The hips can go forward and back, side to side, all with clicking action. The knees are double jointed and here is another small QC area – the blue paint on the leg tends to rub against the silver paint of the upper leg. To avoid this, try to bend the knee at the top part of the double joint. It’s a tougher joint, but worth it to avoid the scraping. The legs terminate at the end with large heavy feet. The feet can be posed in any fashion at the ankle, but they go further by adding a toe joint.

Mazinger’s classic Jet Scrander is also represented here in updated form. The scrander is all plastic and features a beautiful paintjob. The scrander attaches to the back by attaching a tab to a tab on the back of the figure. If you pull down and get a click you know you have made a secure connection. The wings can be positioned in either up or down mode, and the clicks the wing parts make when they move borders on orgasmic. Seriously.

Finally, Mazinger comes with a big sword. You would think that with the amount of metal used in this figure that the sword would be metal, but no, it is plastic. It has an articulated handle, and can combine with the sword of the upcoming EX-Gokin Great Mazinger 1969 to form a super sword.

A stand is included, but it is pretty useless. Its basically a large round disc with a metal pole sticking up through it. The stand has a metal knob that looks like a medical instrument with a clip at the end that attaches to the crotch of the figure. The figure stands fine on its own without the stand, and the stand has no places to store the other accessories. I put mine back in the box.

To say that I am impressed with this figure is an understatement. I was a little dismayed at the quality control of this figure when I first took it out of the package, especially with its $250 price tag. However, once the few nagging issues were taken care of, the figure is BEAUTIFUL. It really is a well done toy. It makes me wish I didn’t skip out on the other EX gokin offerings, and now I have the misfortune of having to pay secondary market prices for them.

You can get your own slice of heavy metal heaven at Angolz.com.

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Fewture Getter 2 is the third figure to be released after Fewture Getter 1 Black (a rare limited edition) and Fewture Getter 1 (red, regular edition).

The Fewture Getter Series has been the most exciting modernization of the classics I have ever seen. The designs were created by Taku Sato, who unfortunately passed away the same year that this series was released. Although Taku Sato has passed on, his legacy will be forever set in diecast.

Fewture Getter 2 is the third figure to be released after Fewture Getter 1 Black (a rare limited edition) and Fewture Getter 1 (red, regular edition).

Let me first comment on all the negatives on this figure:

1. This figure is EXPENSIVE! And you may want to think twice on this series, there are the three regular Fewture Getter’s (Getter 1, Getter 2, and Getter 3), and the very limited Black Getter (which is even more expensive). This adds up to be one costly series.
   
2. This figure you’ll find has some balance issues. It’s not horrible or impossible to have a free standing pose on this figure, but I wouldn’t advise displaying the figure without support. But the balance varies on what you display with. With Getter 2 having its chest cavity open, it is very unstable. Getter 2 was definitely balanced with the chest plate on. Displaying the figure with the drill arm (either the large drill bit or the small one) stabilizes the balance quite a bit, versus both regular arms.
   
3. Getter 2 has some really small issues that I’ll just point out in this section. The Chest plate on this figure is very difficult to put on. On Getter 1, the chest was very loose. They must have over compensated on Getter 2. The chest fits a little bit too tight, and you will need to put some gentle force to put it in. Another small issue is in the difficulty of opening the secret compartment in the hip. The instruction manual that came with the figure clearly shows that there is a compartment. But I fear to investigate any further may cause damage to my hip plate. On another note, be careful when you pick up your Getter 2. The mid section or spine part is only made out of plastic.  Though the plastic is fairly strong, you may want to avoid any chance of cracking or snapping.

Aside from these faults, there are still a lot of pluses (this time round I’m finding the faults of Getter 2 are far fewer then Getter 1.

The design is very striking. Taku Sato outdid himself when designing this figure. It has a nice balance of the classic design, but still able to have a modern industrial look. The chest plate and face plate on this figure are removable, to reveal the inner skeleton.

A Getter Generator and Radioactive tube can be placed inside the Getter.

Specific details like these make this figure stand out.

1. The amount of diecast in this figure is quite clear the moment you pick it up. It’s heavy, plain and simple. There is some plastic but it’s solid and sturdy. The paint job is quite nice too. The paint job seems able to withstand any normal scratches you might get from playing.
   
2. Most of the hinges are ratchet jointed and hold firm when posing, so you won’t see any loose joints over time. The pose ability in the thighs has a greater range then Getter 1. This helps balance it a little better on its very thin feet. Overall there are a lot of small technical improvements that they’ve made over Fewture Getter 1.

Getter 2 also includes the Getter 2 machine Jet. Even though it plays second fiddle to Getter 1 machine, its quality is equal. It’s mostly diecast, and fairly heavy. There’s very little gimmick to it. The most is you can do is pop the fists into the back of the engines (arms, and they have elbow joints) to replicate the forming of the upper torso. Though simple, it has a nice touch.

Overall it’s a very high quality figure, if you can afford it; I would recommend getting this figure.

Getter 2 had a limited production run of 2,500 units.

The Fewture Getter Series has been the most exciting modernization of the classics I have ever seen. The designs were created by Taku Sato, who unfortunately passed away the same year that this series was released. Although Taku Sato has passed on, his legacy will be forever set in diecast.

Ex Gokin Getter 1
Ex 合金ゲッター1

The Fewture Getter Series has been the most exciting modernization of the classics I have ever seen. The designs were created by Taku Sato, who unfortunately passed away the same year that this series was released. Although Taku Sato has passed on, his legacy will be forever set in diecast.

Fewture Getter 1 is the second figure to be released after Fewture Getter 1 Black (a rare limited edition).

Let me first comment on all the negatives on this figure:

1. This figure is EXPENSIVE! And you may want to think twice on this series, there are the three regular Fewture Getter’s (Getter 1, Getter 2, and Getter 3), and the very limited Black Getter (which is even more expensive). This adds up to be one costly series.
   
2. The poseability is some what of a mixed bag. There are only a few areas where the mobility is bad, the thighs, and the joint between the shoulder and chest. The poseability in the thighs is very limited, 30° at the most, giving Fewture Getter 1 a very limited posing stance. The joint between the shoulder and chest has a limited range of motion once the chest plate has been installed. Trying to maximize the range of motion tends to pop the chest plate off fairly easy. I’ve dropped the chest plate countless times while posing the figure for photos.
   
3. I also have concerns with the torso and neck joint. The body is heavy die cast. But the joints for the neck and torso are just very thin plastic joints. Word of caution folks - don’t pickup the figure by the head or upper body. I would suggest picking it up by the hip, to ease any strain on those joints.

Aside from these faults, there are still a lot of pluses. Here are all my comments on the positive side.

1. First off, the design is very striking. Taku Sato outdid himself when designing this figure. It has a nice balance of the classic design, but still able to have a modern industrial look. The chest plate and face plate on this figure are removable, to reveal the inner skeleton.
   
   A Getter Generator and Radioactive tube can be placed inside the Getter.
   
   Specific details like these make this figure stand out. Two axes and the Getter cape are also included.
   
   
2. The amount of diecast in this figure is quite clear the moment you pick it up. It’s heavy, plain and simple. There is some plastic but it’s solid and sturdy. The paint job is quite nice too. I have dropped the chest plate a few times already and so far no scratches (the chest plate will drop quite often when playing around with the Getter).
   
3. Now I know I mentioned some joint problems. But in general the other joints are quite sturdy. Most of the critical joints are ratchet jointed and hold firm when posing, so you won’t see any loose joints over time.

Getter 1 also includes the Getter 1 machine Jet. Even though it plays second fiddle to Getter 1 machine, its quality is equal. It’s mostly diecast, and fairly heavy. There’s very little gimmick to it. The most is you can do is pop the fists into the back of the engines (arms, and they have elbow joints) to replicate the forming of the upper torso. Though simple, it has a nice touch.

Overall it’s a very high quality figure, if you can afford it, I would recommend getting this figure.