A cool toy, but Pegas is probably the least desirable of the three Jumbos released by Nakajima. I think it's unique design actually works against it in terms of it's appeal to collectors.

Nakajima's Jumbo Pegas Robot (ペガスロボット) is another one of those toys that gets less respect than it probably deserves, both from myself and many other Jumbo collectors. It's not that it's a bad toy. In fact, it's a fantastic toy, but it just doesn't look enough like a normal Jumbo. Although it hails from the same show and is the companion piece to the Jumbo Tekkaman, it still feels like the odd man out when displayed with the other 2 Nakajima Jumbos. But every time I take it out of it's box and look at it as an individual piece, it's appeal is hard to ignore.

I guess what really sets this guy apart from his brethren is that he's shorter (measuring in at only 19.5" tall), has no real legs to speak of and is the only Jumbo that I'm aware of that has no hands. Both arms end with missile launchers. This isn't a bad thing. It's pretty cool actually. The missile launchers are made of hard plastic and each shoots three missiles. There is a third barrel molded into the plastic beneath these that looks like it might represent another gun, but I've not seen the show so I'm not sure. A nice sticker in these would be cool, but none are included. These missile launchers are not meant to be removed and no accessories can be swapped for them, but you can unscrew them easily and take them apart if you need to adjust the firing mechanism for some reason. Mine were sticking a bit so I took it apart and reassembled it and now it seems fine.

Although Pegas does not have any legs, he does have an opening cockpit instead. The dark blue plastic can be opened up and a mini vinyl of Tekkaman (included along with another generic villain) can be placed inside. The way it closes is pretty cool. There is a small bump in the light blue polyethylene near the bottom of the left door. You push that door past it and it will stay closed. Then close the right door and turn the knob until the latch on the back grabs the opposite door. This works fine, but I remember that when I first got the toy that it wasn't overly obvious that this was how you do it. I didn't notice the bump that closes the first door and was worried it might even be broken.

Pegas also has one of the cooler sets of wings that you'll ever find on a Jumbo. A pair of large and small retractable wings adorn the back of the robot. They are on simple hinges but the smaller wing is connected to the larger, so that when you lift the large one, the smaller raises as well. These wings, combined with the large pointy missile launchers for hands and the large ridges on either side of the head really give the toy something of a vampiric appearance, which appeals to me as a horror fan.

There's probably not too much more to say about this guy. Besides the hard plastic hands, most everything else is typical of a Jumbo. Polyethylene body, soft vinyl head and wheels on the feet. It comes in a box that sort of annoys me because the top lid does not cover the entirety of the cardboard bottom, but I'm fickle that way and am probably the only person on the planet who cares about such a thing. My specimen also came with several cards of some sort, but I'm not sure if every one was issued with these or if they were just left in there by the previous owner. I've never really noticed them in other specimens, but I just might not have been paying attention.

Pegas is a really cool toy, but much like Tekkaman, it probably isn't really essential to your Jumbo collection. It's probably about the same as Tekkaman in terms of rarity and price as well. It's not exactly everywhere, but if you made it your goal to get one, it probably wouldn't take that long if you watch the auctions and ask around for it. I found mine on a Japanese website and got a really good deal on it (about 25,000yen) because it has a little sticker damage and was missing one of the metal rods on the wheel. (Fortunately, my dad works in a machine shop and made me a perfect replica.) You're likely to get a better price if you find it listed somewhere other than a Jumbo Machinder search, but it either way, it shouldn't set you back too much, at least in comparison to other Jumbos. An Italian bootleg Junior Machinder of this character was made, but is nowhere near as cool and if you like Pegas, you have to get the real deal.

Being nuts for just about any Jumbo, I like Nakajima's Tekkaman. But I suspect the average fan doesn't exactly consider it a "must have" toy for their collection.

Tekkaman comes from the anime "Space Knight Tekkaman" (aka "Uchuu no Kishi Tekkaman, 宇宙の騎士テッカマン) which aired for 26 episodes from July through December of 1975. Evidently it was a flop on it's initial Japanese run, being canceled only half way through it's planned 52 episode run. However, reports say it did very well here in the United States, though I never even knew it aired here. Must have been in another region of the country. (Source: Wikipedia and Anime News Network)

Kazunori Saito's Encyclopedia Of Jumbo Machinders stated that the Tekkaman Jumbo was released in 1977, but this seems strange to me. Why would Nakajima release a jumbo of a failed character two years after his show was canceled? Seems like a weird thing to do, especially back then, long before retro toy collecting was in vogue. Perhaps the toy came out very early in '77 and combined with the sudden cancellation of the show in late '75, maybe Nakajima was already far enough along in the process that they just decided to go ahead with it regardless. There is nothing on the box to show date of release, and while there is a copyright molded into the back, no date is shown on the toy either. Whatever the case, we would end up with two more Jumbos from this show (this one and his robot, Pegas) so I'm glad they were made.

This in another one of those jumbos that collectors are somewhat divided on. It's not a bad toy in it's own way, but it's not a robot character (though it sort of looks like one with that mask on) and the style and proportions are different from the classic Popy style. The large rounded shoulders clash with most other toys of this type. Of course, I like it (hey, have I reviewed a Jumbo yet that I DIDN'T like?!).

Much like Nakajima's previous Jumbo release, Capsule Robo G, Tekkaman comes with a missile launcher attached to each hand. In fact, these are almost the exact same launchers except that the version on Tekkaman has been molded in clear plastic. Also, I'm not sure of the significance of it, but the one on the left hand of my Tekkaman has a little number 5 molded into the outside edge of the button you press to launch the missile.

More weaponry is included with the toy in the form of another missile launcher, this time from the very forehead of the toy. This missile appears to have the same shaft as the other Nakajima missiles, only the front has been changed from the typical red, 4-finned nose to a circular disc with a sticker on the front. There is a button on the back of the head that you press to fire this missile.

But that's not all. Tekkaman also comes with a pretty cool and unique weapon that he can hold in either hand, a double sided and extendable spear. The blades on either side of this weapon can be pulled out to increase the size of the weapon. Getting Tekkaman complete isn't really that hard, but this is one of the items that is most often missing from loose specimens. Lastly, you also get two more mini vinyl monsters for Tekkaman to do battle with.

The articulation on the arms of this jumbos is different than most others. You can turn the arms at the seam where the red and blue meets. Since the joint is at an angle, you get a different look than the most straight forward jumbos. He can achieve a pose that is reminiscent of an Old West gun fighter, hands at his sides, waiting to draw. You can also turn the head and waist, and there are wheels on the feet.

I've also encountered one very minor variation in the Tekkaman specimens I've seen. While the waist sticker on mine is red, I've seen at least one other that was blue. The box image (which is really kind of boring) doesn't show this sticker at all and the red is more uniform throughout the toy. But otherwise, it's the same sculpt as the finished product. And one thing I never really consciously noticed until now is that with the exception of the missiles shooters, everything above the waist on this toy is made of vinyl. On most Jumbos, just the head is vinyl.

The Tekkaman Jumbo isn't for everyone. Unless you are a Jumbo completist or just love the character, I'm guessing you could probably do without it. It might be a bit too funky for most. But I think it makes a great companion piece to Capsule Robo G, even though the characters are not from the same source media. If you do want a Tekkaman Jumbo, it's probably one of the easier ones to get. Maybe I should say "less rare" than most Jumbos instead of easy to get, but they definitely turn up several times a year, in varying conditions. Mint in box specimens probably cost less than $500 at this point, though I made the mistake of paying more than that when I started. You win some, you lose some I guess...

A stand alone entry from the Astro Mu 5 line of toys, Capsule Robo G is a funky Jumbo if ever there was one. Not as common as it once was, but worth tracking down.

Capsule Robo G (カプセルロボＧ) was one of my first Japanese Jumbos, arriving along with Getter Poseidon from the now defunct Kuru Kuru Toys. The specimen I received was missing a few missiles, but strangely, not long afterwards, there was an auction on ebay for some. What a nice stroke of luck! It's not uncommon at all to see missiles for Jumbo Shogun Warriors or Popy Jumbos for sale, but not since have I seen loose missiles for a Nakajima Jumbo on ebay. [A quick note about the missiles. Nakajima Jumbo missiles look very much like the missiles that come with the Italian bootlegs Jumbos, such as Space Valour, but they are NOT the same. The bootleg missiles are shorter and have a wider base. What this means is that while a Nakajima missile MAY shoot out of a bootleg jumbo (It worked on my Titan, but not my Space Valour), a bootleg missile will NOT work with a Nakajima Jumbo.]

Anyway, this is a great toy and it's the only non-bootleg Jumbo to not have been based on a character from a TV show. Instead, Nakajima created the character specifically for their line of Astro Mu 5 toys, which only had an original comic book to provide backstory. This was the only character from the line to be released as a Jumbo. It would also be released as a 10" missile firing vinyl and a 3" mini vinyl, both of which are much harder to come by than the Jumbo.

Capsule Robo G is a really great toy. It combines the sheer size, majestic stance and simple colors normally associated with Jumbos, but in terms of design really harkens back to the tin robots of the 1950s. Some don't like this break with (or return to!) tradition, but I think it's really neat looking and sure stands out from the pack as a result. The design of the face alone is worth your toy dollar.

The toy comes armed with 4 working missiles launchers. Only the ones on the shoulders and hands work. The missiles in the chest are just for show/storage. They can be manually turned, but they do not shoot. I really dig the ones on the hands, always at the ready, just waiting to take on some foolish enemy.

While the toy is made primarily of polyethylene, the head, hands and missile holders on the chest are all soft vinyl. Both the head and hands can be easily removed. The head is lifted out to allow you to place an Astru Mu 5 action figure inside to pilot the robot. The head of the figure should then be able to look out of the hole in Capsule Robo's neck. The hands can come off and be replaced with accessory fists. Evidently, Nakajima planned an accessory fist for this called "Gun Hand", but I'm not sure if it was ever released. I've certainly never seen it. But fear not, the Popy fists will work just fine, too.

This toy has the standard articulation you would expect from a Jumbo and has wheels on the feet. One of the cooler ways that Nakajima set themselves apart from the pack with their Jumbos was that they also included 2 mini-vinyls with each. I typically don't actually display these with my Jumbos, instead putting them in my vinyl case. So sometimes I forget which ones came with which. These two are for Capsule Robo G.

While this is still considered one of the easier Japanese Jumbos to find, in the years since I started collecting, they seem to have become much scarcer. Back when I got mine, it seemed like they were everywhere, and always mint in box. (It was only the excitement of a Jumbo newbie, along with the prospect of combined shipping, that convinced me to get one missing parts.) But recently I've not seen nearly as many. I'm sure they are still out there, but I'm guessing the price has probably gone up (like it seems to be doing with all Jumbos unfortunately!). A typical price a few years back was around $350, but something closer to $500 seems more likely these days.