This toy was the fourth entry in CM's Brave Gokin line, and as such, the engineering leaves a little bit to be desired. It's a huge set, and it suffers from being overly ambitious. In short - it's kind of a mess.

God Raijin-Oh (ゴッドライジンオー) comes from the 1991 anime series "Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh" (絶対無敵ライジンオー}. It was the first in the Eldoran series, sort of a Brave series for the younger set.

This toy was the fourth entry in CM's Brave Gokin line, and as such, the engineering leaves a little bit to be desired. It's a huge set, and it suffers from being overly ambitious. In short - it's kind of a mess.

A pretty mess, but a mess nonetheless.

So much of a mess that I didn't do a video review - I figured I would just get too frustrated.

So here it is.

The box is big, making it a bitch to store. Inside is two beautiful old-school styrofoam trays.

The toy consists of two robots - Raijin-Oh and Bakuryu-Oh.

Raijin-Oh

Raijin-Oh is a combining robot, consisting of three smaller robots:

Ken-Oh

Ken-Oh is the humanoid robot, the core of Raijin-Oh and God Raijin-Oh. He's a fantastic figure, almost entirely metal. Articulation is great and the figure has swappable hands. Ken-oh's sword is stored in his back (just the hilt) and the blade can be attached. I had difficulty attaching my blade - there was excess plastic in the hole in the hilt that had to be carved out with a hobby knife. Ken-Oh comes with two head crests - a gold chrome one for display and a flexible yellow one for transformation (shown here).

Hou-Oh

The Eagle is all plastic but has a tremendous wingspan. The quality on this one is so-so, with pieces falling off during handling. The head pops off easily, the tail is just held on by friction, and one of my foot claws won't stay on. On the plus side, the jaw is articulated, the wings are jointed in several places and the legs are articulated.

Juu-Oh

The Lion is the heaviest out of the three, with the entire torso being diecast metal. The feet are articulated, as well as the tail. The jaw moves, but thats about it. In the show, Ken-Oh can ride Juu-Oh, but I have no pictures of that.

Raijin-Oh Gattai!

Raijin-Oh

Combining the three units to form Raijin-Oh is almost identical to the anime. Really, if you want to know how it goes together, just watch the clip above.

Essentially, Ken-Oh folds up and becomes the core - Hou-Oh becomes the head, arms and wings, and Juu-Oh become the legs. The thing is massive, and heavy as hell. It retains a great amount of articulation, pretty much everything Ken-Oh had, just bigger.

Some of the flaws are glaring though. For one, once you add the heavy lower legs of Juu-Oh, the upper legs (which are compacted) will not stay locked into place. Pick the thing up and the legs just come sliding down, the left moreso than the right. It is as if there is no mechanism to click them in place.

There are two sword blades included with the toy. The silver blade is for the tail of Hou-Oh. When used as the sword we switch to the gold blade.

Another fatal flaw is the hands. For one, all the hands have this film on them.. maybe an oxidation of the rubber? But either way, they look bad until you wipe them down. And then they are brittle. 3 years later, and while trying to place the shield (which, incidentally is Juu-Oh's head) into the holding hand, the hand broke in half.

It looks pretty, but don't let it fool you.

The second robot in the set is the Bakuryu-Oh

Bakuryu-Oh

Bakuryu-Oh is a bulkier robot than Raijin-Oh, and is very plain looking (in my opinion) with the only saving grace being the large wings. it's very... white.

The upper body is all plastic, with limited articulation. The head turns, the arms are on ball joints, the upper arms swivel and the elbows bend. It's very plasticky and toy like - fitting of a Brave-type toy. The lower legs are solid metal, but have almost no articulation due to the connection method to the body (pegs). The knees bend, and the feet can move a little.

The hands on Bakuryu-Oh have the same issue with the film on them, and swapping them out sucks. The reason? at the end of each arm there is a peg, and that whole assembly can slide into the arm. To get it out, you push a small peg under the arm. Well, the fit is so tight with the fists that applying force to the wrist peg while holding the small peg underneath results in - you guessed it - peg breakage. I ended up putting a flat-head screwdriver in the space behind the peg to force the wrist peg into the hand.

Bakuryu has a large cannon that can be held in his hand. Unfortunately, it does not shoot anything. It is articulated, but that is for another purpose. Also included is a shield.

Bakuryu-Dragon

Bakuryu-Oh can transform into the Bakuryu-Dragon. It's really just a bunch of parts-swapping. The big gun becomes the tail with articulated segments and the shield unfolds origami-like to form the head. Combined the thing is immense.

Combined, the two form

God Raijin-Oh

This is a messy process.

If you already have Raijin-Oh combined it is not so bad. Bakuryu-Oh dissasembles like a puzzle - there are parts everywhere. Each part needs to be folded and arranged just so to fit on or over Raijin-Oh. Once again, the video is spot-on.

Together, God Raijin-Oh is a heavy fiddly clusterfu*k. You can't touch it without something falling off. It's just too much.

Some of the notable flaws - The head looks too small for the crown that it wears. That crown does not snap on at all, and grazing it will send if off across the room as if it were spring-loaded. The same thing goes for the chest panels, shoulder panels, eagle head etc...

The "shoes" on the feet are the solid metal legs from Bakuryu-Oh and they just klink and klank each time you pick the thing up. The connection method is just two clips for each leg, and you really have to jam them in there.

The large blue wings slip over the red wings, giving the combined figure a wingspan of over a foot. They include small blue wing tips to keep the red and blue wings lined up.

It's big, for sure.

Bakuryu-Oh's shield combines with Raijin-Oh's sword to create a giant arm blade. This requires a special hand that has two posts pre-attached to it that connect with the shield.

God Raijin-Oh can now hold the large cannon with two hands. The hands have angled wrists to accommodate the pose.

So there you have it. It's a great concept, and much more anime-accurate than the old Tomy version, but you really sacrifice durability and play value here. Once you get it in the mode you like - put it on the shelf and leave it alone.

CM's included a ton of screw-hole covers, but honestly, I don't have the time or the motivation to put them on. Also included was a small sticker sheet of clear stickers, die-cut into shape. Nowhere in the instructions are these shown, but my guess is these stickers help protect parts that are prone to chipping.

Not cheap. Not durable. Handsome as all get-out. My advice - display it as the two separate robots - Raijin-Oh and Bakuryu-Oh.

PS - in an odd move - CM's is re-releasing JUST the Raijin-Oh.. I wonder if that is an acknowledgment that the design went too far.

Limited to 300 pcs, this toy has too much metal for its own good.

I was never a fan of Galient, or any of its sequels, but when CM's announces a toy thats 90% gokin, well, I'm gonna check it out.

Tetsukyojin actually comes from a sequel of Galient called "Crest of Iron", which features an alternate take on the classic Galient mecha.

Tetsukyojin appears courtesy of Anime-Export

For the price you pay, the toy is surprisingly small. $180 gets you 6.5 inches of gokin, just slightly taller than your average SOC.

There are hardly any accessories - just some variant hands, a sword and a shield.

Articulation is very good considering its all metal. All of the joints that I can see are plastic with metal support parts.

The head is plastic and rests on a simple ball joint. The fit is tight.

The shoulder pads are solid metal, and conceal a dual ball joint beneath.

The upper arms are metal, and the elbow features a sliding out dual joint similar to the one Aoshima uses. However this joint is not as stiff or precise as that one, and the weight of the forearm makes this joint loose.

The upper chest is all metal while the torso is made out of a few layers of plastic. These parts conceal a dual ball joint that attaches to the waist. There is also a small door on the chest that can open. A cockpit maybe?

The waist section is metal, and there are four poseable metal skirt sections.

The upper legs attach to the hips via ball joints that snap into embedded polycaps. These legs can pop off if you want them to.

The knees are great. They feature several different moving parts that give a decent range of motion.

As for the feet, well, they could be better. They are all metal, first of all. The feet are on ball joints and are actually constructed of four moving parts. However these parts move too easily, so it can be tough to find a pose that is stable. Tetsukyojin likes to fall over if not posed properly. The toy could have use more ankle movement to aleviate that.

The sword is all metal. Unfortunately the sides are flat instead of sharp, so using it as a letter opener is out of the question.

The shield is the only thing without any metal, and with good reason. The weight would cause Tetsukyojin to tumble. Its hard ABS plastic and features a handle to grab on to, and a loop in the back is supposed to hook onto the back of the forearm.

The sword can be placed in the shield when not in use.

The paint is a glossy deep blood red. This color is the anime color and is limited to 300 pcs. The regular version is a metallic red, and if given the choice, I probably would have gone with that one.

In all, it is a neat toy, but not a good value for the money unless you are a diehard Galient fan. It's cool, but not $180 cool. They should have used a little less metal and improved instead on the joint work.

Darkness, what does it mean? Does it mean the true evil or more Legioss toys?

You know me, I like weird variants. They don't get any weirder than the Dark Legioss Pilotless Type. Right now, this is the only toy of this variant. Picture a normal heroic Legioss all bright and shiny. Now picture an evil killbot, all dark with nasty claws. Put them together and you've got the Dark Legioss Pilotless Type. This Legioss is only seen in the last episode Genesis Climber Mospeada and even then it had maybe a minute of screen time. If you've seen my review of the regular Dark Legioss you get the gist of what I like and dislike about CM's Corporation's Legioss toys. I will point out the changes made to the design in this review.

This toy easily converts to Armo-Diver mode.

It is fairly stable in this mode if a little stiff.

Here's a group shot of Armo-Divers.

In Armo-Fighter mode, more changes are apparent. The canopy has been replaced with a solid piece adorned with a simple painted sensor eye. The canopy is removable and there is a normal cockpit underneath (with no pilot of course). The leading edge root extensions (the wing like pieces on the side of the nose section) are now much more angular. The new sternum piece is also too big to allow the Pilotless Type to rest on its nose wheel. As such, this toy does not roll along like the other two.

Up close we can see the basic tampoo printing and optional missile cluster. These are plugged into screw holes underneath the intakes.

The gun can still be plugged in between the shoulders.

One good thing about the new foot pieces is that they are easier to line up in Armo-Fighter mode.

Armo-Fighter group shot.

In the end, CM's Corporation's Legioss toys are durable, fun toys but their premium price turns off the casual buyer. Despite all my reservations about the cost, I think it was worth it just to get a toy of the Pilotless Type and the normal Dark Legioss. They are easily the best of CM's Mospeada toys.

Beautiful Earth, I love your Caliburs.

Tokusou Kihei Dorvack (Special Armored Battalion Dorvack) is one of the many "also ran" shows that followed in the wake Macross. Real robots that transformed were now big, and after Super Dimension Century Orguss Takatoku toys was looking for another hit. At the same time, model kit manufacturer Gunze Sangyo was looking to get in on the Powered Suit craze started by Kow Yokoyama's Maschinen Krieger (SF3D) designs and Nitto's model kits. Both companies would end up as the sponsors for Dorvack. So in one part of Dorvack you have our galliant crew of anime protagonists lead by Masato Mugen who was voiced by none other than Toru "Amuro Ray" Furuya with his awesome Mugen Calibur transforming jeep and in the background were a bunch of hapless soldiers in Powered Suits who just died by the dozens in elaborate (and sometimes hilarious) ways. CM's Corporation, never shying from almost any dead franchise has taken up the mantle of releasing a new Dorvack toys that hope to cover both sides of the mecha. This particular example of the Mugen Calibur was created to resemble boxart from one of the transformable kits. This particular kit was called the Calibur Special. This toy is called the Miyazawa Mokei version and lacks the armor set included in the regular Mugen Calibur release.

The Mugen Calibur can be considered the hero mecha of the show. Masato Mugen himself is your typical anime good guy, quick witted, smarmy, and never without his trademark red goggles. The toy comes with two Masato figures, one for the driver's seat and one standing ever so non-chanlant with his hands in his pockets. The Mugen Calibur stands roughly 7 inches high (about the same size as the old Takatoku toy) and is bristling with weapons and equipment. On its legs it carries a rack of five grenades and its folded up rifle. On its back it has one shoulder mounted cannon, a jump pack, and a vehicle mounted gun. The CM's toy is quite skinny and reflects the animation model more than the original Takatoku toy. It is mostly plastic with the notable diecast parts being its thighs and the front wheel mount.

Up close we can see this version of Mugen Calibur is mostly gray with a few orange highlights. It features minimal tampoo printing, which includes a Dorvack patch on each arms and a "6" on each thigh. The head features limited movement and the visor is painted with sparkling green.

From the rear we can get a better look at the jump pack. In the show there is a special long armed tank robot that attaches the jump pack and wheel covers to the Mugen Calibur. Using the jump pack, the Mugen Calibur could make great leaps in a very Starship Troopers inspired "on the bounce" manner. The jump pack features a small antenna and two control arms. The arms are simply pegged into the pack, however on mine one of the arms was fixed in place and snapped off. This is probably from dried paint gluing it in place. I managed to fix it enough for these photos. Also be wary of the tiny antenna as its not made of flexible plastic.

The vehicle gun and assault rifle share the same gun barrel. Simple unfold the rifle and swap out the barrel to complete it.

One thing you may notice about this review is that the Calibur isn't exactly "dynamic." While the arm joints are quite nice and there is a waist joint the hips are just awful. Given the way the hips are designed there is little clearance to use them and even still they are only made to rotate along one axis. By unlocking the leg from the waist as per the transformation, the Calibur can achieve a more natural stance, but the limited ankle joints and looseness of the hips in this pose don't let you get much more than that. The tiny feet and hefty diecast body also make this guy a bit top heavy.

Each of the grenades from the leg rack are removable and can be inserted into the assault rifle. This is not mentioned in the manual. The rifle itself resembles an AR-15 or similar M-16 variant. The Calibur's articulated fingers grip the gun well enough.

Also included is a large double barrelled cannon. This cannon includes its own fist already grasping the gun so all you have to do is replace the right hand with the cannon. The small fist inside even features full details like fingers but cannot be removed without disassembling the gun.

From this side we can see the gun has some basic detail. The small peg at the bottom is removable and is used for mounting the cannon to the Calibur in jeep mode.

On our way to the transformation, we can see the working cockpit detail. The small Masato is plugged into the seat via a butt peg and goes along for the ride as you rotate the seat forward. There is also a small steering wheel that flips in and out. The toy has very little detail inside. It's all very basic.

Before transforming the toy, all wheel covers and the jump pack must be removed. The toy is actually packaged with these covers already attached. They slide off the wheel wells smoothly to reveal the toy's rubber tires.

The Mugen Calibur makes for one of the blockiest jeeps in all of anime. Given the way its so low to the ground thanks to the arms getting tucked underneath, the Mugen Calibur is also probably one of the worst jeeps in all of anime. No wonder they gave it awesome flight armor during the second half of the show. The detailing in this mode is pretty basic, but functional. I like the molded windshield wipers and winch. I do like how the transformation completely hides the orange bits. That gives it more of an authentic feel.

I guess since the driver's seat is in the middle, this jeep is pretty much street legal anywhere right?

All that's missing is a sweet vanity plate.

Loaded for bear, the Calibur looks a bit more impressive.

You can also bring the jump pack along in jeep mode. It just slots over the vehicle gun.

So to appease the Powered Suit fans, CM's included a Nove and Halk (Hulk?) suit. They have a few accessories of their own which includes a giant camera and optional chef's hat for the Nove. The Halk has a blaster.

The Nove's arms can be replaced with a Mega Man blaster while the Halk picks up a plunger gun.

In the end, CM's Mugen Calibur is an alright toy. It will probably please those who like the design but articulation may turn away the skeptical modern fan. Oh and by the way, did I mention this set costs around $200 MSRP? Don't worry, nobody is buying these so prices are plummetting. It's a shame really. A little more effort and this toy could have been the definitive modern Mugen Calibur toy on par with Bandai's SOC and Soul Spec toys or Yamato's Macross toys. At the very least it would make up for the asking price.

I've had a lot of time to sit and absorb Baldios. He is an interesting toy that I think had the misfortune of being released at an unfortunate time.

I suppose its about time I finally got around to writing a review of this thing. With the holidays and all, things have been really crazy, then we had this weird stomach virus that ran through the house, plus setting up the TOTY poll.. Things have been really hectic.

I've had a lot of time to sit and absorb Baldios. He is an interesting toy that I think had the misfortune of being released at an unfortunate time. But I do like it, although I think I was a little off put about it at first.

Brave Gokin Baldios comes courtesy of Anime-Export.com

There are two versions of this Baldios toy released. This version is the limited anime color version, limited to 500 peices. The regular version is the same mold with the same accessories, Just a different color scheme.

The box is great - glossy cardboard with a full, old-school styrofoam tray. Included is a glossy fold out manual and a sprue of plug hole covers should you decide to put them on.

Baldios is 19th in CM's Corporations Brave Gokin line, at after a lot of gokin-less releases, I am proud to say the gokin has returned. Baldios is significantly loaded with metal. The whole chest, most of the arms, upper legs and feet are metal.

Baldios is a combining robot. The three individual components are called the Pulsarburn, Baldiprise, and Cutteranger.

The Pulsarburn forms the torso, while the Baldiprise is the right leg, and the Cutteranger is the left leg.

In combined robot mode, Baldios stands about as tall as the other Brave Gokins, standing just a little taller than Goshogun.

The head is all plastic but has a full range of motion. The shoulder pads are connected to the back with diecast rods. Each shoulder pad can be swapped out with poseable cannons.

The arms have a full range of motion, with clicky shoulder joints and diecast throughout. The lower arms have an opening compartment for storing the hands in robot mode. There are only one set of hands - no swapping. The hands feature articulated trigger fingers.

There is no waist joint. Kind of unfortunate, but with the transformation mechanism it can't be helped.

The legs attach at the waist with a rather flimsy connection method, which can really be shown best on video. I understand WHY they are this way, but I felt it could have been done better.

The upper legs are diecast metal, and have a joint right at the top that allows forward and backwards motion. Unfortunately, the legs do not allow for any kind of swivel motion.

Are you sensing a theme here? See, Baldios is really limited by its transformation mechanism, but whats great is that its an anime-accurate PERFECT transformation.

The engineering on Baldios is outstanding, and you really have to give kudos to whoever worked on this thing. Baldios is know for its really odd transformation, and CM's pulled it off in a way that only the Japanese can. Must be all that origami.

The transformation sequence is covered in the video, but I really cant stress how surprisingly cool it is. You just don't think it can possibly do what it does, yet it does. Its a marvel of toy engineering.

There are a few accessories included with Baldios including the Baldiguard shield:

Laser Bowgun

Two Pulsabers that come with two Pulsaber extension parts that enable you to extend the weapon in various combinations.

Also included is a small enemy ship! I can't say Baldios has much to fear from this guy.

The Pulsarburn ship looks fine, and has the nice touch of some pull-down landing gear. It would have been nice if the wings had something to lock into as they just kind of sit there and are easily bumped out of position. Also be on the look-out for a small piece inside the chest plate that can easily become dislodged during transformation. (again, watch the video).

Baldiprise is the right leg, and is another flying ship. The wings fold out rather intricately from the inner mechanism, and the way they stash the cockpit inside the foot is really great.

Cutteranger is the left leg, and is the mandatory tank vehicle that is prevalent of all great anime of the time (Voltes, Combattler, Ideon etc...) This one features a cool hidden gun that is articulated, and also includes a second more anime accurate set of tank treads that are real rubber and really turn. I still say its a perfect transformation because there is a smaller set of tank treads that do come out as part of the transformation.

At first I was a little let down with this toy, as the waist connection and lack of articulation were really missed. But once you get into transforming it, the true joy of this toy comes to light. The transformation is so nicely executed.

Unfortunately, the only downside to this toy is the price. At 21,00 yen, its not cheap, almost double what Goshogun cost, not but a year ago. In my opinion, the rise in cost has to do with the increased cost of materials, increased engineering and tooling costs, and lower production numbers. Its a neat toy, but you have to really want it to pay that kind of money for it. Had it been released in different economic times, I think more people would take a chance at it.

And if you have the money to spare, by all means, go for it. Its very cool. But budget conscious shoppers will likely find the price a big turn off, unless you are a huge Baldios fan.

Baldios is available at Anime-Export.com

GN-U DOU Baldios vs Brave Gokin Baldios

Nomura ST Baldios vs Brave Gokin Baldios

The Dark Legioss is a quality toy hampered by its niche appeal and high price.

Every now and then I find myself fascinated with a rare variant mecha. For Macross it's the VT-1, for Gundam it's the GM Sniper Custom, and for Mospeada it's the Dark Legioss. In terms of screen time, the Dark Legioss is prominently featured in the last episode of Genesis Climber Mospeada (Robotech: New Generation) as part of the 3rd Invasion Force. The thing I like about the Dark Legioss is that it is the evil version of the Legioss with its dark color scheme, claws, and evil red eye. For a review of CM's Corporation's Legioss & Tread set, check out Josh's review. CM's Brave Gokin Dark Legioss is mostly the same as its standard brethren, however since this is my first Legioss toy I hope I will bring a new perspective with this review.

People familiar with the Legioss know that its most notable feature is its ability to transform for a robot into a fighter jet. The Legioss is different from its most obvious cousin, the VF-1 Valkyrie from Macross (also used in Robotech) as it is more of a robot that turns into a jet rather than a jet that turns into a robot. The Legioss has three modes: Armo-Fighter, Armor-Diver, and Armo-Soldier.

The toy comes with a few accessories that includes the Synchotron cannon, a hand to hold the cannon, two missile clusters, and three tiny Ride Armors. The extra hand simply plugs into the Synchotron cannon and then attaches to the toy's ball-jointed wrists. It is a little annoying that the toy cannot just hold the cannon with its own claws, but the extra hand keeps the weapon firmly attached to the toy so it has it's advantages. The cannon also features a removable magazine that must be detached before it can be mounted to the Armo-Fighter. The three little Ride Armors (one standing, one riding, and one collapse in box form) are a nice touch, but they are so small you will probably end up leaving them in the box.

The missile clusters are a holdover from the standard Legioss and are plugged into the screw holes underneath each chest intake. Also included is a sticker sheet filled with all the standard sci-fi jet markings you could want along with the prerequisite Mospeada decals.

Armo-Fighter mode has always been hit or miss with the various toys made over the years. This toy has a fairly mediocre Armo-Fighter mode. The most notable deviation from the typical artwork is a bulky underside and an extra long nose. As it stands, this mode emphasizes the design's toy aesthetic with its diecast landing gear, simple panel detail, and chunky look.

This toy features some limited tampo printing around the intakes which gives it a military jet feel. There are some unfortunate gaps, which can be seen in profile. One of the unexpected improvements over the standard Legioss is the Synchotron cannon. Because the cannon is mounted between the arms in Armo-Fighter mode, it keeps them pegged together which makes the Armo-Fighter mode very solid. It is certainly good enough to fly around the room while making, "swooshing" sounds.

Moving on to Armo-Diver mode, it is here we can see that this mode is the weakest of the three modes. Part of the problem comes with the toy's unusual knees that allow the shins to collapse into the thighs. Ideally, they also have enough flexibility to allow the legs to attain the necessary "chicken leg" appearance.

In reality it just looks like a robot bending over. Part of this is a fault in the original design, but the toy does not do much to improve the awkward stance of Armo-Diver mode. It's a far cry from a Macross style GERWALK.

The most playable and arguably the main mode of this toy is Armo-Soldier mode. The toy is in fact packaged in this mode, which invites you to pick and play with it immediately. The "clicky" joints in its legs and hips and the diecast shoulders make the toy feel really well built. The cockpit section is also attached via a diecast hinge. This hinge was initially very tight on my toy and I had to disassemble it in order to loosen the hinge using a pair of pliers. I actually couldn't transform the toy into any other mode before loosening this hinge. Other than that, the toy really shines in Armo-Soldier mode.

You really get the sense that the Dark Legioss is a mean looking robot with its chunky limbs and big gun. I like to say it's like a robot that went out, skinned an airplane, and now wears the hide like a cape. The toy is also covered in little panels that open up to reveal little missiles. While this is true to the original design, the execution on this toy is pretty poor overall. However, it is also a problem with the Legioss design because at the end of the day, unless those missiles are firing they look like little red dots. One thing that would have enhanced this toy would be a stand. It looks pretty good in my handmade stand, but a custom stand would probably work a lot better.

Now the biggest problem with the toy is that it costs over a hundred dollars. I hate to echo Josh's review, but the Dark Legioss costs about twice as much as it should. Mospeada itself is a low tier franchise in Japan, and the Dark Legioss is an obscure design. I imagine CM's Corporation has to set the price pretty high just to offset the toy's niche appeal. As such, I think the Dark Legioss will probably find itself in the clearance bin come the next Hobby Link Japan sale. Overall, its a pretty nice toy with an unfortunate cost.

As a bonus, here's a picture of the Dark Legioss with other 1:48 scale toys.

I'm not saying this isn’t a good toy – in some respects it’s a great toy. The engineering on each individual piece is marvelous. It is only in the connection of the two that the toy fails horribly. Oh yeah, and the fact that its about 300 bucks.

I’ve been kind of dreading doing this review for a number of reasons. There are so many expectations for this toy and I don’t know if I can accurately portray all that is good and bad with this without being a little biased. The fact that a Tread toy has been made sort of makes the set worth it for me, but for others, not so much.

The CM’s Brave Gokin EX-01 Legioss & Tread (Eta) (レギオスwithトレッド ブレイブ合金EX (エータ)) is the first Brave Gokin toy to get the EX designation. EX must stand for Extra Deceiving, because a Gokin toy this is not. In fact, the only metal in this toy is in the joints of the Legioss, the landing gear, and the large cradle that connects the Legioss and Tread. If you are expecting metal, you will be disappointed.

That’s not to say this isn’t a good toy – in some respects it’s a great toy. The engineering on each individual piece is marvelous. It is only in the connection of the two that the toy fails horribly.

Another point of contention with this toy is the price. At a Japanese retail price of 28,000 yen (figure about $350 USD once you factor in shipping), this thing is horribly overpriced. It’s cool but not $300 cool. So when I mention that something is really great about this toy, remember - $300 for the set, and almost no metal.

Packaging

Nothing special here with this packaging. The box features nice product shots and inside is a large clear plastic tray that holds the Legioss and Tread. There are very few accessories as most of the play value is in the units themselves. Included are a stand, gun, fists, sword, small ride armors in various modes, and a sticker sheet.

Legioss

Jump to the Legioss video >

The Legioss comes packaged in Armo-Soldier mode. It’s about 6.5 inches tall and weighs about 6 ounces. That’s pretty light, considering Toynami’s Alpha fighter weighs in at 15 ounces. Both the Toynami and CM’s Legioss are about the same size, but have drastically different proportions.

The engineering and QC are fantastic on the Legioss. Each part fits perfectly, the joints are tight, and nothing about it feels half-assed. Although the toy is light, it is extremely durable due to its use of POM plastic and diecast metal in the connecting joints. Articulation is great with some standouts being a waist joint and innovative elbow joints that allow for an amazing array of movement. One notable omission is the lack of any kind of head articulation.

The toy is molded in color with small amounts of tampo printing for the finer details. The paint is clean and sharp, with no visible over spray. Included with the toy is a sticker sheet that serves all three versions of the toy, but I think the toy looks great as-is. CM’s has also included a bunch of screw hole covers, but once again, I think it looks just fine, screw holes and all. It reminds me that it is a toy I guess, albeit an expensive one. The mold detail is crisp and clean, with etched panel lines, vents with interior detail, and few sprue marks.

One thing you may want to watch - there are two holes in the chest where the front fuselage locks into the body - those seem to be showing some stress marks

In Armo-Soldier mode, the Legioss can make use of several weapons. The EP-13 80mm 3-barrel Gatling beam gun features a moveable stock, and a removable armor clip. The hands of the Legioss have articulated trigger fingers, but there is no peg in the handle or hand to secure the gun to, making a weak connection. The Legioss also includes a sword, of all things. In episode 13 of Mospeada, Ley has a dream that he is fighting off monsters with the Legioss, brandishing a sword. I think it’s cool that CM’s included this as a sign of respect to the series.

In addition to the hand held weapons, the Legioss features two snap-on missile banks that attach to the underside of the chest, and a third, auxiliary missile bank that attaches to the left shoulder. And if the Legioss was not already armed to the teeth, it is covered with opening doors that reveal missile banks all over the figure – I count 14 of them. Not too shabby.

The Legioss is fully transformable into all three modes – Armo-Soldier, Armo-Diver, and Armo-Fighter. The Armo-Diver mode is similar to a Gerwalk mode from Macross – it sits somewhere in between fighter and soldier mode.

In fighter mode the Legioss looks good, but there are a few things that could have been done better, especially for the price. Once transformed into Armo-Fighter mode the parts just kind of sit there – there aren’t any pegs to lock parts into place. For example, it would have been great to have some kind of connector on the back of the legs to lock them together, or pegs on the bottom of the arm assemblies to attach them to the legs. As it is, you just have to put it in the position that looks best. Granted, the parts stay where they should pretty well, but it is not precise. Just look at the placement of the arms in fighter mode – things just don’t line up as well as they should.

The extra missiles and gun can all be attached to the Legioss in Fighter mode. The gun can be stored either under the wing, or in the back of the optional third missile bank. The gun slides into the back of the part by using a replacement gun clip.

The landing gear is all metal, and the wheels spin freely. Each landing gear is hidden behind a panel that is easily opened. The cockpit can also be opened, as well as a storage door on the underside for the Mospeada Ride Armor.

Tread

Jump to the Tread video >

Those of you not intimately familiar with Mospeada or Robotech: The Next Generation may not understand the big deal about the Tread. The Tread fighter (or Beta Fighter) is a support mecha that “docks” with the back of the Legioss for added firepower. Back in the day when Gakken came out with the original Legioss toy, they had planned on a Tread, but it was only released in limited numbers in Europe, and only for the smaller version of the toy. The toy has become a thing of legend, and when a specimen appears, it fetches a LOT of money. Fans have been clamoring for a Tread toy for years, and while Toynami announced theirs first, CM’s beat them to market with the first Tread toy since 1985.

The AB-01 Tread is a fantastic toy. It also fully transforms into three modes: Armo-Soldier, Armo-Bomber and Armo-Diver mode.

In Armo-Soldier mode the Tread is about 8 inches tall and weighs 10 ounces. It is extremely toy-like in its construction and articulation. In fact, I might go so far as to say the Tread is MORE articulated than the Legioss. The Tread has clicky joints all over the place, fantastic elbow joints, articulated fingers, a waist joint, and even head articulation. The toy is the same quality as the Legioss, but this time with almost no metal connector joints (the only one I can see is in the neck).

In terms of armament the Tread has 2 missile banks that open up on the chest and 2 that pop up on the shoulder, as well as cannons molded into the arms. The Tread can hold the Legioss’ gun, but the same issues occur. It’s really really great, and this makes the set for me. It ALMOST convinces me that it’s worth the money.

Transformation has an almost playskool-like simplicity. Fold up the legs, fold in the arms, and fold out the cockpit and the wings. That’s pretty much it. The wingspan in Armo-Bomber mode is a fantastic 14 inches. The cockpit can open and reveal a small pilot – a nice touch.

In Armo-Bomber mode, the Tread has no built-in landing gear, so it relies on the metal cradle to rest on. The cradle is secured to the Tread by way of 2 spring loaded ball connectors in the tail section. Unfortunately, the Tread is a little back-heavy and there is no way to connect it to the front, so it tends to tilt to the back. This is an example of one of many little things that CM’s could have done to go the extra mile. Why not also make connectors for the front to make this mode stable?

Legioss + Tread = FAIL

Jump to the FAIL video >

Here is where it all goes horribly wrong. Each toy on its own is pretty awesome, and if CM’s could have nailed the connection of the two it might, MIGHT have justified the price. But it is as if someone simply gave up when trying to engineer this. A little background information may be helpful here as I explain what went wrong. See, the Legioss was designed as a stand alone toy by Shinji Aramaki.. Gakken decided that they needed more transforming mecha in Mospeada so they had another designer, Hideki Kakinuma design the Tread, with no set means to connect them. In the show, animators relied on “Anime Magic” to make the transformation work. Unfortunately, that left today’s toymakers in the dark as to how they connected, and each maker has to come up with their own solution. Both CM’s and Toynami have come up with a connector bar solution, but CM’s is the first one we have seen in production.

Essentially, the connector bar is a solid metal cradle that attaches to the Tread in the rear and the Legioss in the front. The connection to the tread is reasonably secure aside from it being back-heavy (see above). The connection to the Legioss seems like a total afterthought.

First, you have to move the arm assemblies on the back of the fighter together, and push the tail wings down. These parts have no kind of peg or connector to keep them rigid, so they just mash together. The legs need to be splayed out to the sides so that they look like frog legs. To connect the Legioss to the metal cradle, you have to line up the hip connectors with the U-shaped connectors on the cradle. There is virtually no tension in this connection, so it just rests there. From there you have to “tuck” the Legioss in behind the front of the Tread.

Don’t let the pictures fool you – it’s a floppy mess.  Nothing really connects to anything, and if you pick it up it’s just going to separate. This is a real disappointment – shame on you CM’s. For $300 you couldn’t have figured this out? Added a couple extra clips to lock it together? It feels like you didn’t even try. How can you put so much love into one facet of the toy and completely ignore something like this?

You can also put the dock the Legioss and Tread when the Legioss is in Armo-Soldier mode, but this too suffers from the same issue. The included stand is more like a crutch to hold the unit up. While the pictures on the box show the combined unit floating up off the ground, the stand is not tall enough, nor is the toy balanced properly, to get its feet off up of the ground.

In Conclusion

Taken as individual toys, the Legioss and Tread are great. Not $300 great, but as well engineered toys they succeed. These should probably be priced around $60 each. Look at what $300 gets you for other toys – Soul of Chogokin, Fewture EX gokin – no other toy gives you so little for so much. It’s like an Otaku tax – we pay the premium to get these short run toys of obscure mecha, and even though we are disappointed, we come back for more. It’s like its some kind of sick game at the CM’s head office to see just how ridiculously priced these things can get. The upcoming CM’s Dancougar Nova will be around SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS.  Well, here is where I throw in my towel with CM’s. I’m done with toys like this. If you are going to charge me over $100 for a toy, it better be worth it. For this price I demand that the quality and detail and engineering are nothing but the best.

It just kills me that this was the price I had to pay to get a Tread toy.

So obviously I have mixed feelings about this. I don’t think it is worth it, but maybe you are a bigger Mospeada fan than me. I can still say though I would recommend this one over the Toynami version. Hell, I would recommend something my 3 year old son made out of Lego before I recommend one of those. What the hell were they thinking? But I digress…

You can get your Legioss & Tread at HobbyLink Japan if you are so inclined, but you will not be able to get the Red or Green version there. Those are going to be magazine and convention exclusives, which will undoubtedly drive up the already high price, even higher.

Good luck with that.

VIDEO

The Mospeada Trilogy

Legioss

Tread

Combination

http://www.hlj.com/product/CMS65132

This is the same review I did for the Stick Type. If you've read that, there's nothing different here. It still kind of stinks.

The VR-052T MOSPEADA Ride Armor hails from the anime series Genesis Climber Mospeada, better known as Robotech: The Next Generation here in the states. In Mospeada, the VR-052T ride armor is used by Ley. In Robotech he was renamed Rand and the Ride Armor was renamed the Cyclone.

The last transformable Mospeada Ride Armor toy was made by Gakken in 1983. I got that toy for my 10th birthday, and I still have it to this day. I love that toy and that design.

Last year, no less than FOUR companies announced that they were making new Ride Armor toys. Twenty five years with no ride armor toys then BOOM, 4 toys. These are crazy times we live in.

The first of the four companies to hit the shelves is CM’s Corporation. They released 2 versions of the Ride Armor – a Stick type and a Ley type. I got them both from HobbyLink Japan about a week ago.

I can’t remember the last time a toy filled me with such internal confusion. I want to love this toy. I really do. I just love the ride armor design, and I love CM’s toys. It sounds like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, it seems like someone at CM’s dropped the ball here, because this toy is kind of crap.

LET’S BREAK IT DOWN SHALL WE?

Ley

The Ley figure is about the size of a Microman or GI Joe figure. This figure is actually really nicely done, with great articulation and paint detail. The translucent visor flips up and down, the arms are double jointed and pretty much everything moves where it should. The feet have the pull down action to accommodate the ride armor and they pop out just like the old Gakken toy did.

The chest and waist of the figure is painted but the arm and leg armor are just plastic. I’m not sure why these are different, but the figure would look a whole lot better if it was all the same color.

The Bike comes packaged in bike mode with only a few parts to assemble. It features nice printed-on markings, removable saddlebags with opening hatches, rubber tires. The frame is diecast metal as are the swing bars on the legs. Also included is a small stand that clips onto pegs on the bottom of the frame.

Once you begin to handle the bike, it all begins to go horribly wrong. The two parts of the front cowl never seem to line up right, and the headlights on the front have no locked in position, so they are always pointing the wrong way.

The panels on either side of the front wheel are really awkward. Lets see if I can explain this in a way that makes sense. The struts that come from under the front of the bike are supposed to clip onto the pegs on the inside of the plates. This peg is removable, so each time you try to clip it in, it pops out. The front of the panel is supposed to attach to a peg on the wheel, but the hole isn’t deep enough for it to really grip. The rear wheel armor has a similar problem.

Riding the bike

In theory, Lei should be able to ride on the bike, but it takes an extraordinary amount of patience. This is the worst part of the entire toy. The interface between the bike and the rider is just terrible.

First off, you have to swap fists on Stick so he can grab the handlebars. Then there is a small “hook” on the back of the seat that is supposed to attach to Stick’s rear, but there’s just no way its gonna work, the fit is all wrong.

Beneath the rear wheel armors there are small riding pegs that fold out and you can insert them into the holes in Stick’s feet. Not only are these pegs small and fragile, but they like to fall off for no apparent reason. If by some sheer luck you get both hands on the handlebar and both feet on the pegs, you will notice that you can’t get the Stick figure anywhere near that peg.

Oh, and as you are doing all that, you will be swearing because the other parts keep falling off. The foot pegs just come right off of the armor.

RIDE BABY RIDE

So, next is the Ride Armor. You’ll be happy to know it’s not all that bad, but still there are some glaring flaws.

Transformation is similar to the vintage Gakken toy, just made more complicated. I’m not going to go through all the steps here, you can watch the video for that. Put it this way, CM’s included some spare parts in case you break something.

Once you go through all that to get it together, its not actually half bad. The figure remains poseable and can stand on its own, but is aided by a stand of sorts. The stand is actually just a stick that plugs into the back. 6,000 yen and they couldn’t pack a real stand?

The most noticeable thing wrong with the ride armor is the giant seam right through the center of the metal. I can’t help but think there was a better way to do this. It just looks like crap.

On the good side, there are some nice touches, like the rubber tires, targeting scope, and the pop-out articulated vents on the wheels.

SIZE MATTERS, NO MATTER WHAT SHE SAYS

This thing is SMALL. Disappointingly small. When I held the box in my hand I had this feeling of dread. It felt light like a model kit. In Ride armor mode, the toy is only 12 cm (4.75in) tall. The metal content is almost laughable. Apparently, at CM’s they apply the Brave Gokin label to anything that has ANY metal in it.

I am going to have to recommend that you don’t buy this toy, unless you meet the following criteria:

1. You have a high tolerance for frustration
2. You are good at origami
3. You are a complete and utter Mospeada maniac (and even then…)
4. You plan on never taking it out of the package

It just misses the mark… sorry CM’s. Let’s hope the Legioss is better.

I can’t remember the last time a toy filled me with such internal confusion. I want to love this toy. I really do. I just love the ride armor design, and I love CM’s toys. It sounds like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, it seems like someone at CM’s dropped the ball here, because this toy is kind of crap.

The VR-52F MOSPEADA Ride Armor hails from the anime series Genesis Climber Mospeada, better known as Robotech: The Next Generation here in the states. In Mospeada, the VR-52F ride armor is used by Stick Bernard. In Robotech he was renamed Scott Bernard and the Ride Armor was renamed the Cyclone.

The last transformable Mospeada Ride Armor toy was made by Gakken in 1983. I got that toy for my 10th birthday, and I still have it to this day. I love that toy and that design.

Last year, no less than FOUR companies announced that they were making new Ride Armor toys. Twenty five years with no ride armor toys then BOOM, 4 toys. These are crazy times we live in.

The first of the four companies to hit the shelves is CM’s Corporation. They released 2 versions of the Ride Armor – a Stick type and a Ley type. I got them both from HobbyLink Japan about a week ago.

I can’t remember the last time a toy filled me with such internal confusion. I want to love this toy. I really do. I just love the ride armor design, and I love CM’s toys. It sounds like a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, it seems like someone at CM’s dropped the ball here, because this toy is kind of crap.

LET’S BREAK IT DOWN SHALL WE?

Stick Bernard

The Stick figure is about the size of a Microman or GI Joe figure. This figure is actually really nicely done, with great articulation and paint detail. The translucent visor flips up and down, the arms are double jointed and pretty much everything moves where it should. The feet have the pull down action to accommodate the ride armor and they pop out just like the old Gakken toy did.

The chest and waist of the figure is painted but the arm and leg armor are just plastic. I’m not sure why these are different, but the figure would look a whole lot better if it was all the same color.

The Bike comes packaged in bike mode with only a few parts to assemble. It features nice printed-on markings, removable saddlebags with opening hatches, rubber tires. The frame is diecast metal as are the swing bars on the legs. Also included is a small stand that clips onto pegs on the bottom of the frame.

Once you begin to handle the bike, it all begins to go horribly wrong. The two parts of the front cowl never seem to line up right, and the headlights on the front have no locked in position, so they are always pointing the wrong way.

The missile launchers on either side of the front wheel are really awkward. Lets see if I can explain this in a way that makes sense. The struts that come from under the front of the bike are supposed to clip onto the pegs on the inside of the missile launcher plates. This peg is removable, so each time you try to clip it in, it pops out. The front of the panel is supposed to attach to a peg on the wheel, but the hole isn’t deep enough for it to really grip. The rear wheel armor has a similar problem.

Riding the bike

In theory, Stick should be able to ride on the bike, but it takes an extraordinary amount of patience. This is the worst part of the entire toy. The interface between the bike and the rider is just terrible.

First off, you have to swap fists on Stick so he can grab the handlebars. Then there is a small “hook” on the back of the seat that is supposed to attach to Stick’s rear, but there’s just no way its gonna work, the fit is all wrong.

Beneath the rear wheel armors there are small riding pegs that fold out and you can insert them into the holes in Stick’s feet. Not only are these pegs small and fragile, but they like to fall off for no apparent reason. If by some sheer luck you get both hands on the handlebar and both feet on the pegs, you will notice that you can’t get the Stick figure anywhere near that peg.

Oh, and as you are doing all that, you will be swearing because the other parts keep falling off. The foot pegs just come right off of the armor.

RIDE BABY RIDE

So, next is the Ride Armor. You’ll be happy to know it’s not all that bad, but still there are some glaring flaws.

Transformation is similar to the vintage Gakken toy, just made more complicated. I’m not going to go through all the steps here, you can watch the video for that. Put it this way, CM’s included some spare parts in case you break something.

Once you go through all that to get it together, its not actually half bad. The figure remains poseable and can stand on its own, but is aided by a stand of sorts. The stand is actually just a stick that plugs into the back. 6,000 yen and they couldn’t pack a real stand?

The most noticeable thing wrong with the ride armor is the giant seam right through the center of the metal. I can’t help but think there was a better way to do this. It just looks like crap.

Speaking of crap, there’s the gun. The gun comes attached to a hand, but the glue is so weak that it just pops off. The hand doesn’t stay on that well due to the armor, and then get it to try and hold the gun, well, you get the picture.

On the good side, there are some nice touches, like the rubber tires, targeting scope, and the pop-out articulated vents on the wheels.

SIZE MATTERS, NO MATTER WHAT SHE SAYS

This thing is SMALL. Disappointingly small. When I held the box in my hand I had this feeling of dread. It felt light like a model kit. In Ride armor mode, the toy is only 12 cm (4.75in) tall. The metal content is almost laughable. Apparently, at CM’s they apply the Brave Gokin label to anything that has ANY metal in it.

I am going to have to recommend that you don’t buy this toy, unless you meet the following criteria:

1. You have a high tolerance for frustration
2. You are good at origami
3. You are a complete and utter Mospeada maniac (and even then…)
4. You plan on never taking it out of the package

It just misses the mark… sorry CM’s. Let’s hope the Legioss is better.

http://www.hlj.com/product/CMS65185

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.

Jump to Video

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