Hot on the heels of their amazing Cosmo Dragoon replica, Taito brings us another Leiji-verse weapon, the Gravity Saber.

Depending on which Matsumoto series you watch, it's pretty safe to say that the Gravity Saber was the most prominent weapon used. The basic principle of the weapon is fairly simple and straight forward, a long laser gun modeled after a classic early cutlass, giving you both a long range blast weapon as well as a melee weapon for close quarters swashbuckling action.

The version here is the one that appeared in the 1978 Harlock tv series and the Galaxy Express 999 movies. There is another version used by Captain Harlock that appears in Arcadia of my Youth. The biggest difference is that the hand guard on that one is molded in the shape of a skull face. Here's to Taito coming out with that version as well down the road. Now, on to the review...

Like the Cosmo Dragoon, we're given a great replica that's amazingly well crafted given the price. When I first heard that this was coming out, I was worried that Taito might fiddle with the size to cut the price, but fortunately they didn't. From cocking lever to muzzle it measures a full 36 inches. That's a machinder and a half!

The Gravity Saber comes in 3 pieces that need to be assembled, consisting of the handle and 2 barrel sections. The connection points are very tight and surprisingly strong. The peg that attaches the barrel to the grip extends roughly an inch and a half into the grip. I was able to swing this thing around quite a bit with nothing slipping or snapping. The overall construction is fairly well executed.

There are a few seam lines that are slightly misaligned but overall it's nothing I can't forgive. Taito did an impressive job on the paint job. The weathering is very realistic and well executed, not too much and not too little. Being a simple weapon, there isn't too much that this thing can do. The trigger is spring loaded but like the Cosmo Dragoon the cocking handle doesn't move. One cool detail it does have is a small Leiji Matsumoto circular computer display screen inside the hand guard.

Overall the execution and details on this are superb. While there are a few small QC issues with this versus the Cosmo Dragoon, they're nothing that would make me not recommend this to anybody who's into Leiji Matsumoto or fantasy weapons in general. With the Cosmo Dragoon being based on a real pistol, different import laws made it very hard to get one from most major online shops. The Gravity saber is much easier to get. The one that was reviewed here was purchased through Hobby Link Japan and while it is currently listed as back ordered there is another release scheduled later in the year with the added detail of a skull and crossbones marking on the hand guard.

Act out all your 70's Japanese Pro Wrestling fantasies with this 1:1 replica of the Tiger Mask!

Act out all your 70's Japanese Pro Wrestling fantasies with this 1:1 replica of the Tiger Mask! This authentic mask is a PRIZE toy will retail for 1,280 yen. Due 01/09

I know what I am being for next halloween!

Model builders delight?

It's not too often that a secondary support ship is as recognizable as the lead ship, but the Cosmo Zero from Space Battleship Yamato is one of those exceptions. In the USA we recognize this ship from the anime Star Blazers.

Today, I will be reviewing The Cosmo Zero from Space Battleship Yamato, from Taito's Super Mechanics line of UFO catcher prize toys.

Removing the ship from it nicely illustrated box and assembling is a snap. You only have to add the wings and the stand. Ship is made entirely out of plastic.

In my opinion, If you are a modeler and you like to customize your toys then this toy will be a big hit for you. As for myself I was disappointed with the lack of paint detail on this model. Unlike other releases in this line you can find this one easily and relatively cheap.

This is the original inspiration for Space Battleship Yamato.

The powerful, fearsome and famous, Imperial Japanese Navy Yamato.

Some people may not know this but, this ship was the inspiration for Leiji Matsumoto's Space Battleship Yamato.

IJN Yamato’s keel was laid down on November 4th 1937. She was built under secrecy in a specially built dry-dock at the Kure Naval Shipyard. IJN Yamato, and her sister ship IJN Musashi were the largest, heaviest, most powerful battleships ever built. Both these ships bested even the famous German battleship Bismarck.

Today, I will be reviewing the IJN Yamato. This will be my fifth entry into Taito's Super Mechanics line of UFO catcher prize toys.

Like most entries in this line of toys so far, IJN Yamato does not disappoint. Packaging is the usual familiar window box. The box has a few nice illustrations of the IJN Yamato.

Unlike other toys in Taito‘s Super Mechanics line-up, IJN Yamato has no assembly, Just remove from the box and display.

Yamato is a full 35cm long. That’s almost 15 inches from the gold bow medallion to it’s stern aircraft catapults. The IJN Yamato is well made and sturdy. Comprised from quality plastic and ABS.

One of IJN Yamato’s really cool features are its five rotating adjustable turrets. Another cool feature is the details, just look at those four bronze screws (propellers). Check out the realistic looking deck planking. You can clearly see all the deck hardware down to the anchor chains.

When IJN Yamato is displayed with Space Battleship Yamato you can really see how the sleek modern profile of the IJN Yamato was an inspiration for Leiji Matsumoto.

I really like this toy. It is a really nice display model without all that pain of assembly, glue and paint. As with Space battleship Yamato, its getting even harder to believe that Taito's IJN Yamato, costs only $15.00 USD. IJN Yamato is out now and can still be bought cheaply. Get it before the price goes up.

And the hits just keep on coming!

Captain Harlock, has always conjured images of swashbuckling space pirates with facial scars and eye patches. Captain Harlock, is probably one of the most popular of Leiji Matsumoto's space operas, second only to Space Battleship Yamato.

Today, I will be reviewing, the Galaxy Express 999 movie version of Captain Harlock's Arcadia. This will be my fourth entry into Taito's Super Mechanics line of UFO catcher prize toys.

Like Taito's TV version Arcadia, this version of Arcadia does not disappoint. Packaged in the now familiar window box, you will see a striking illustration of Captain Harlock himself as well as the Arcadia.

After Arcadia is removed from its box, some very light assembly is required (wings and display stand). Then, and only then, will you truly appreciate the detail and beauty of this toy.

Arcadia is a full 35cm long. That’s almost 15 inches from it's Jolly Roger flagged stern, to the skull emblazed bow. The Arcadia is well made and sturdy. Comprised from quality plastic and ABS.

One of the Arcadia's really cool features is rotating adjustable turrets, including a belly mounted turret and a miniature pilot's helm with ship's wheel.

The included stand does not take away from the side profiles ominous upswept appearance. As you can see, the classic skull and crossbones really standout on both port and starboard sides.

Even with the above mentioned flaws I must profess that I really like this toy. As with Taito's Yamato, its hard to believe that this version of Arcadia, originally cost only $15.00 USD. Consider yourself lucky if you can acquire it at that price now.
:

Queen Emeraldas or Hindenburg? You be the judge.

Anyone who is familiar with the works of Leiji Matsumoto, has surely heard of Galaxy Express 999 the movie. One of the characters in this movie is Pirate Queen Emeraldas. She appears in this movie along with Captain Harlock, another well know Matsumoto character.

Today, I will be reviewing, the movie version of Pirate Queen Emeraldas flagship, ironically named the Queen Emeraldas. This will be my third entry into Taito's Super Mechanics line of UFO catcher prize toys.

The Queen Emeraldas comes packaged in the now familiar window box. As usual Taito has done a great job on the packaging. You can always count on Taito using vibrant colors and detailed illustrations on their boxes.

After getting the Queen Emeradas out of its box, you have to install two small wings on the left and right sides, hardly a challenge.

The Queen Emeraldas ship is much smaller than Taito’s Yamato and Arcadia. It’s length being only 30cm or about 12 inches. The ship is comprised from quality plastic and ABS.

Unlike previous entries in this collection, Queen Emeraldas really lacks paint detail and gimmicks. However, it does have a small 17th century pirate ship slung underneath it's hull.

I have to say that I was expecting a little more "bang for the buck" from this toy. I know, I know, its a prize toy, but I was not impressed with it. It is really nothing more than a fixed pose model with no actual play value. I truly had high expectations after reviewing Taito's Yamato. Its hard to believe that this is from the same Super Mechanics line of toys. My opinion, at the original cost of $15.00 USD, its hardly worth it. I would pass on this “Hindenburg” unless you are a really dedicated fan of Leiji Matsumoto.

Ahoy Matey! Captain Harlock's Arcadia, off the starboard bow!

In my mind, the name Captain Harlock, always conjures images of swashbuckling space pirates with eye patches. Captain Harlock, is probably one of the most popular of Leiji Matsumoto's space operas, second only to Space Battleship Yamato.

Today, I will be reviewing, the TV version of Captain Harlock's Arcadia. This will be my second entry into Taito's Super Mechanics line of UFO catcher prize toys.

Like Taito's Yamato, Arcadia does not disappoint. Packaged in the now familiar window box, you will see a striking illustration of Captain Harlock himself.

After Arcadia is removed from its box, some light assembly is required (wings, front knife, and front 2 ailerons). Then, and only then, will you truly appreciate the detail and beauty of this toy.

Arcadia is a full 40cm long. Thats almost 16 inches from it's Jolly Roger flagged stern, to the tip of the bow mounted knife blade. The Arcadia is well made and sturdy. Comprised from quality plastic and ABS.

One of the Arcadia's really cool features, is the paint detail. Notice, the deck planking and stern, are painted to give the authentic look of wood. Other cool features included are, rotating adjustable turrets, wing mounted missiles, and a miniature pilot's helm with ship's wheel.

The included stand does not take away from the side profiles ominous appearance. As you can see, the classic skull and crossbones really standout on both port and starboard sides.

I really like this toy. As with Taito's Yamato, its hard to believe that Arcadia, originally cost only $15.00 USD. Consider yourself lucky if you can acquire it at that price now. Even if you pay a little more, it will certainly be cheaper than the Shin Seiki Gokin version made by Aoshima. If Taito keeps this up, I'll have to buy the whole line.

Arrrgh! Get this hidden treasure! Before it be gone!
:

A home run from Taito? A bargain you can't afford to miss!!

Almost everywhere you go in the world, people will recognize this anime icon, Space Battleship Yamato. Here in America, we know the anime as Star Blazers, and the ship as Argo. I just know it as my first experience watching a Leiji Matsumoto "space opera".

Today, I will be reviewing Space Battleship Yamato, from Taito's Super Mechanics line of UFO catcher prize toys.

I know many people would think, that when you use the term "prize toy", you would be referring to some lame piece of garbage. Well in this instance, many people would be wrong.

As soon as you remove the Yamato from its window box, you will be impressed with its detail and size. The Taito Yamato, has real shelf presence at a whopping 40cm, thats almost 16 inches! The ship is constructed of quality plastic and ABS, making it very sturdy yet lightweight.

Unlike Bandai's expensive BPX-01 SOP Yamato, you don't have to worry about playing with Taito's version. Its not very fragile and at 1500 yen, about $15.00 USD, you wont be too upset if you drop and break it.

Despite its cheap price, you'll be surprised at some of the feature's of this toy. Such as, extendable wings, swiveling turrets, and gun barrels that can be raised and lowered.

If the price and features listed above don't impress you, the detail and classic original anime styling will.

In my opinion, a home run is the only way to describe Taito's Yamato. With its sheer size, features, and detail at only $15.00 USD. How can you go wrong? Go ahead, pick one up, while you still can.

Taito brings us some UFO catcher prize toys of Raideen for only 1,500 yen!

Taito brings us some UFO catcher prize toys of Raideen for only 1,500 yen!

Seemingly out of nowhere, Taito blasts on the radar of toy collectors with its Super Mechanics line of ships and Super Robonics line of Robot toys. Crazy.

This Raideen is a prize toy - meaning it isn't sold at retail, you have to win one by plunking down cash until you can grab one in the crane game. However, its not uncommon for these to be offered for sale on-line or in second hand shops all over Tokyo.

Raideen is just under a foot tall - 30cm and is made out of soft vinyl. He has swivel joints at the knees, waist, hands, elbows and shoulders. The shoulder pads also move.

Raideen's face plates are removable and repositionable so you can simulate "God Bird" mode... sort of.

Word has it that a lot of these have QC issues, such as glue drips and fingerprints, but you have to remember that these cost about $15 each which is pretty amazing if you ask me.

Taito also released an all black version of this Raideen.

“You’re holding the only Cosmo gun that can kill machine men”
-Boss Antares to Hoshino Tetsuro, Grape Valley Titan

In the Leiji Matsumoto universe, few items inspire the kind of awe and fear as the Cosmo Dragoon. Simple versions of this weapon appeared in the Space Pirate Captain Harlock manga and tv series, but it wasn’t until Galaxy Express 999 that this particular gun took on a mystical aura. The Cosmo Dragoon pistols were designed and built by the legendary engineer Oyama Tochiro, best friend of the space pirate Captain Harlock. The exact origins of how he came up with the design of the weapon is never revealed, though it is stated that their outward appearance was inspired by the 6 shooters of the old west. In the Leiji-verse there are 4 of these guns produced, each with it’s own “serial number” and owner. They are as follows:

Serial #1: Owned by Oyama Tochiro
Serial #2: Owned by Tochiro’s mother, later given to Tetsuro Hoshino on Titan.
Serial #3: Owned by Captain Harlock
Serial #4: Owned by Pirate Emeraldas

As mentioned before, the gun gains most of it’s notoriety in Galaxy Express 999. It first shows up when Tochiro happens to meet Tochiro’s aging mother on the planet Titan. She gives it to Tetsuro saying it’s a gun that will protect you. The sheer awesome power of the gun is plainly seen when, upon first firing it, Tetsuro is hurled backwards several feet from the sheer recoil of it after shooting down a small fighter plane. As the galaxy express 999 story continues, the gun plays several key roles in the storyline and overall plot of the GE999 Universe.

Having said all that, it’s obvious that there are several different toys and replicas of this gun out there right? Wrong... As a tie in with the Galaxy Express 999 film there was a cap gun toy of the gun made by the Marushin company, but it is woefully lacking in detail or accuracy. Over the years there have been about half a dozen or so garage kit resin replicas made, but these are hard to find, expensive (ranging from roughly $100 up to over $300), require a certain amount of skill to assemble and paint, and the end result is little more than a display piece. There was a very high quality metal and wood licenced replica released a few years back, but at a sticker price of over $800 it wasn’t really something most folk could afford. Skip ahead to 2007 and Taito corp., known for making small UFO Catcher crane game prizes comes out with the item I’m reviewing here. This really came up way under the radar. I only happened upon an auction for one of these doing a random search on yahoojp. After I got over my initial “huh, wha?” I had one coming to me via a proxy service.

It’s really an awesome piece. For a cheap UFO prize, the sculpt, the details, everything is dead spot on with this replica. The packaging is pretty good for a crane prize. It features a nice image of the gun on the back with a brief description of it, as well as a punch out Galaxy Express pass. The front has a plastic window that shows the entire gun inside. The main reason for the window is so that you can check the serial # on the gun. Taito is releasing the 4 different serial numbered Cosmo Dragoons from the GE999 universe. It’s little more than a small number engraved on the gun’s cylinder, but it really is a nice touch. The gun is enclosed in a simple vacu-formed plastic tray and comes with a simple, but effective cardboard display stand and a license card “signed” by Leiji Matsumoto and printed with the gun’s serial number. I’m not too sure if this means they’re only making this in limited numbers, but it’s a nice touch regardless. The gun is held pretty tightly in the tray, mine got a bit scuffed up removing it so care should be taken removing it.

The paint job is very well executed, with a nice realistic weathered effect. On mine there wasn’t really any over spray or horrific blemishes. The woodgrain pattern for the grip seems to vary from gun to gun. I’ve seen pictures of some that look like fake 80's rumpus room wood paneling, and others that are very realistic (mine luckily is the later). The sculpt of the Jolly Roger in the grip is crisp and well painted. Besides the serial number, the gun is printed with the Tochiro patent date and location on the top strap and sides as seen in original artwork. Luckily there are no other trademarks on the gun. The entire piece is hollow styrene and features snap assembly. Looking it over, every little screw location, panel line and component location is as it should be. I’m really shocked at the details I found on an item such as this.

When I first saw this I had hoped that it would have an anime accurate firing action with a working cocking lever, maybe even light and sound action. Unfortunately that isn’t the case. The only features of this piece are a rotating cylinder and working trigger. Overall this is really a neat item and I give it a 9 out of 10. My only gripes about it are the lack of heft and the lack of the working action. The weight issue could be solved by simply opening it up and adding material, and being a relatively cheap, mass produced item, you don’t need to worry about spinning it on your finger and tossing it around.

Being a realistic looking gun with no orange barrel cap, HLJ and other online importers won’t be importing these due to US toy gun laws, though that might change if there’s demand for them. There are a few popping up on ebay right now, but your best bet would be to find one on yahoojp and have a middle man get it to you. At an average price of a little bit above $15 before fees and shipping, this is a great buy for anybody who collects sci-fi/ anime weapon replicas, and for any fan of Leiji Matsumoto, it’s really a MUST to pick up one of these. Hopefully Taito will continue this series and release more 1/1 scale guns from other Matsumoto series.