Goshogun

Review by JoshB

When CM's went out of business, their molds landed at various other companies, one of which being legendary toymaker Marusan. They have since reissued a few of the old Brave Gokin toys under the banner of Dica-Model.

The second release in the Dica Model line is the 8th Brave Gokin, Goshogun.

This however is not a straight reissue. Marusan has made a few improvements to this fantastic design. 9 years since the original issue, how does it hold up?

First off, this one is an "Animation Color" version, so gone is all the chrome, replaced with more anime accurate colors. The box has been reconfigured, and now features a wide styrofoam tray that better shows off the piece. Removing the styro cover gets you a vintage-style insert.

The original was a pretty great toy, so even if it was just a straight-up reissue it would be worth buying. But Marusan has upped the ante by improving a few things over the original toy.

- Better hip articulation. This version now features an extending hip for greater articulation.
- Bigger sword and axes (by 25%)
- Improved horn to prevent breakage.
- improved shoulder joints.

Picking it up makes you fall in love all over again. it is no less impressive than it was 9 years ago.

All the diecast remains. The chest, hips and legs are all metal, and heavy as hell.

The legs now feature pull down joints at the hips, for a greater range of motion.

The arms and shoulders feature the same articulation, but they are much more substantial than before. The click is deeper when you move the joints around.

The panels on the chest and legs open to store the three small vehicles. I had one door fall off when opening, but it seems to click back into place.

The Go Flasher effect still clicks into the launcher on the back, and it still launches with a hair trigger. That's one part that could have used improvement but was overlooked.

Six hands are included, which feature various openings for the weapons.

The hand with the trigger finger is for holding the Space Bazooka.

The new, larger Go Saber can be held in one or two hands, and has a removable hilt.

Two sizes of the Go Stick are included, now 25% larger.

The small ships that fit into the small compartments in Goshogun are actually components of a robot called Tri Three. The three ships are King Arrow (becomes the torso), Jack Knight (becomes the head and arms) and King Rose (becomes the legs).

The original came with a rainbow colored cloud formation to hold all the ships, but this is omitted in the reissue.

Like the original, a set of screw hole covers are included, but this time around I decided not to put them in. Something about screw holes gives this an old-school feel.

If you missed out on the original, this is a must-buy. If you have the original, it's different enough that its probably worth getting. However, as I said before, I really do miss the chrome. Yes, this is more "accurate" but I am a sucker for chrome. That being said, Marusan did a great job not only reissuing an amazing toy, but actually improving upon it.