CM’s seems to go the extra mile to make sure that their Brave Gokin toys will feel at home next your vintage gokin. It seems that no detail is overlooked in recreating a truly nostalgic experience.

Sankan-Oh (三冠王) is the second Brave Gokin release from CM’s Corporation from the show Ippatsuman. This toy is beautiful in almost every way – the only thing I don’t like about it is the price.

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It’s clear the people at CM’s have a true love and respect for vintage gokin. While Bandai pumps out SOC with all the modern touches (and horrible packaging to go with it), CM’s seems to go the extra mile to make sure that their Brave Gokin toys will feel at home next your vintage gokin. It seems that no detail is overlooked in recreating a truly nostalgic experience.

But that experience is not without a price. CM’s does not have the volume or resources that Bandai does. People bitch about the price but you are really getting an amazing toy filled with soul and craftsmanship. I’m sure if CM’s were as big as Bandai or produced toys in their numbers the price might be more in line with a mid-level SOC.  But CM’s is a smaller company, who largely make their living with PVC figures and racecars. This project is someone’s baby, and it shows. Thank god for the Brave Gokin line. You too can pray to the alter of Sankan -Oh by getting your own at HobbyLink Japan.

With each release the Brave Gokin toys seem to get better and better, and Sankan-Oh is no exception. This toy is, in a nutshell, awesome.

The toy comes in a similar box to that of the Gyakuten-Oh. I love it when a company keeps consistency in packaging. The toy inside is packed in an old-school Styrofoam tray. The only thing that reminds you that this toy was made in 2007 is that each part is additionally wrapped in plastic.

First of all – metal content. The amount of metal in this toy is staggering. Feet, legs, arms chest – all metal. Joints are tight and clicky. The hip joints are so tight that you at first think they are immobile. The knees click, the feet are tight. This thing rocks on so many levels. There is even a smooth waist joint.

The chest features an opening cockpit with a removable figure. The two chrome sets of guns on the chest can move. The paint is clean and sharp. No flaws. None.

The head is attached to the back assembly, and is much more secure this time than on Gyakuten-Oh. The whole backpack assembly actually is removable, but we will get to that in a minute.

Included with Sankan-Oh is a ton of accessories. You get 3 sets of variant hands, a gun, axe, shield, a bird creature called “Sharekoube Dachou (シャレコーベダチョウ) ” and a vehicle called “Tokyu Mammoth (トッキュウマンモス) ”.

The gun, axe and shield can be held by the set of opening hands. The shield’s handle has pegs on it that hold it securely in place. The axe is very very shiny.

The wings of the back unit are actually removable and can combine to create a giant red weapon. The hands don’t really hold it all that well, but it is still cool. The wings are keyed in such a way that they can only go in one particular side.

The Sharekoube Dachou is a purple bird that has articulated legs and a removable head. The top of the head appears to be a sort of “Escape Capsule”.

The Tokyu Mammoth is a large wheeled vehicle that can combine with Sankan-Oh. The Mammoth is all plastic. It first I really felt that it needed some metal, but once combined, I realize why it needs to be plastic. The transformation requires some tight tolerances that if both were metal, would result in paint chipping.

The wheels roll freely, and the bays on the back open up to create a platform for Sankan-Oh to ride on.

Combining the two is very simple and remarkably toy-like. It can be done in under a minute. The head and backpack assembly are removed from Sankan-Oh and become a ship called the Dangan Booster (弾丸ブースター号). This ship has moveable landing gear!

The chrome guns need to be removed from the chest of the robot, and the hands are folded into the forearms. The arms swing around the back and the legs are bent backwards.

The doors on the bottom of the Tokyu Mammoth open outwards and the tusk and trunk of the mammoth are pulled out. The doors are then pushed inwards and the tail is pushed out. This shell then clips onto the body of Sankan-Oh. There are several connection points to ensure a secure connection. Remember those chrome guns you removed? Well CM’s included a different set cast in gray that get inserted into the side of the mammoth.

The combined mammoth is pretty cool, but it doesn’t do much. The head and ears can move, and the trunk can swivel. There is a small ladder that can attach to the end of the trunk to simulate an entrance into the Mammoth.

But wait, there's more!

Parts from Sankan-oh are interchangable with Gyakuten-Oh. You can swap heads and even the back unit!

It’s all a little silly, isn’t it? A giant mammoth that houses a super robot, a purple mechanical bird with an escape pod? Ippatsuman (like all othe other Time Bokan series) was a silly show, but it had great mechanical designs done by Kunio Ohkawara (Gundam, Dougram). In fact, when you have the head and backpack removed, the torso looks incredibly like a Dougram in proportions.

So yeah, this thing rocks. But the price makes my wallet cry. I think it is worth it though, so if you can afford it I say go for it. Get yours at HobbyLink Japan.

VIDEO REVIEW

Ippatsuman OP

Get yours at HobbyLink Japan

Gyakuten-Oh is a really really nice toy. This is the second “Vintage style” Brave Gokin toy CM’s has done, and it lives up to the quality of its predecessor, Goshogun.

Gyakuten-Oh (逆転王) comes from the series Time Bokan Series Sudden Change Ippatsuman (タイムボカンシリーズ逆転イッパツマン), an animated television series by Tatsunoko that aired in Japan from 1982-1983.  The original toys are classic examples of Japanese toys of the time and were produced by the legendary Takatoku Toys (who also created early Macross and Orguss toys). Not including gashapon or trading figures, the last toy from Ippatsuman appeared in 1982. Now, 25 years later, CM’s Corporation brings us the remarkable Brave Gokin Gyakuten-Oh.

Click here to skip to the video review.

Gyakuten-Oh is a really really nice toy. This is the second “Vintage style” Brave Gokin toy CM’s has done, and it lives up to the quality of its predecessor, Goshogun.

The toy comes in a much larger box than Goshogun due to all of the accessories included. The tray is old-school Styrofoam, and each piece is wrapped in plastic. The whole trend of putting plastic sheets between the toy and the Styrofoam irks me a little – it ruins the “vintage” feel. The main components are embedded in the front while the smaller accessories are stored in a tray in the back.

Gyakuten-Oh is a chunk of die cast love. It is mostly metal, save for the hands, head, and wings. It clicks in all the right places, and feels great in your hand. The cold metal is reassuring to the touch.

The hands can be swapped out with a number of accessory hands and can hold a variety of weapons including 2 large spears, sword and shield. The arms and hands are designed with a gimmick that allows you to replace the hand with a claw for the combined toy. Two panels on the forearm open, and you can rotate the fist inside of the arm to reveal the blue claw hand. Unfortunately, this joint is much too tight, and trying to turn it results in you popping off the hand. It is best to swap the hand and forget about this gimmick.

Included with the set is a dinosaur like vehicle called Tokyu Zaurus (トッキュウザウルス). This toy is all plastic, much to my dismay. Even the wheels, which could have been rubber, are plastic. The wheels spin freely, and it retains the classic look from the 80s. The main point of the Tokyu Zaurus is that it can combine with the Gyakuten-Oh. In vehicle mode, the Tokyu Zaurus is called Relief Don (リリーフドン)

Gyakuten-Oh must be first folded up to fit inside the shell of the Tokyu Zaurus. First you remove the head, and then you move the shoulders up and out of the way. The back sections slide down and swing around front, reversing the front panels in the process. The arms then go back down to the side and the hands are swapped out with the claws. Then finally the legs get bent up around the back and the whole unit snaps into the open Tokyu Zaurus. The yellow knee guards fit into a slot at the bottom and the top plate snaps into where the head was. The combined unit is goofy, but that is what this show was about. In this mode the Tokyu Zaurus’ head can move a bit, the mouth can open (where you can attach a long set of stairs) and if you press one of the horns the eyes on the side of the cockpit open, revealing pilots inside.

The toy also comes with a trailer called the Cargo Unit. This too is all plastic, and features a translucent blue plastic cover, which can open to store the giant egg. The egg can separate into two parts, but as I have never seen the show, I have no idea what it is for. When not being towed behind the Tokyu Zaurus, it can be stored inside of it in Relief Don mode.

When combined, the head becomes its own ship called the Dangan Head (弾丸ヘッド), and also included is a small vehicle called the Sharekoube Buggy (シャレコーベバギー). The buggy can be separated into two parts.

So everything is great about this right? It’s neat looking, has lots of great features, but there were a surprisingly large number of things that I think they could have done better.

1. The Head – The head looks great, but turn it and it pops off. The connection here is a ball joint and it is just too small. When you remove the head for it to be a separate vehicle, the peg assembly should come with it, but I find unless you move it just so, the connector stays in the body.
2. The Hands – The whole gimmick with the hands and the rotating posts into the forearm are poorly done. You are better off just removing and replacing the hands than deal with this issue.
3. The Tokyu Zaurus – While it looks neat, it feels surprisingly cheap. It would have been great to have even a little bit of metal to this toy, and maybe rubber tires.
4. The Shield – Upon trying to get the hand to hold the shield, the entire handle just came off. It looks like it just came unglued, and looks like an easy fix, but still…
5. The Price – This thing is very expensive. Japanese retail price is 20,790 yen. That comes out to about $180.00 USD. Organic Hobby plans to release this to the US market at about $230.00. That’s insane. I mean, it is a great toy, but is it a $230 toy? I guess that is up to what it is worth to you. Maybe at $150 it would be a bit more reasonable but I think most of the buying public is going to scoff at the price. I recommend getting at Japanese retail through HLJ and even with shipping it still comes out less than the US price.

Regardless of the price, it still is a nice piece. A few flaws but nothing earth shattering. Let’s hope CM’s works out the bugs on the next piece, the Sankan-Oh.

Video Review

Ippatsuman Opening