Grendizer and Spacer USB Flash Drive

Review by JoshB

Our good friends at Incubot are at it again with their third licensed Japanese robot USB drive (the first two being Voltron and Gigantor, respectively). This time they have done something different yet again with the Grendizer and Spacer 4GB USB Drive.

Grendizer is one of the most iconic of super robots. It must have been a thrill for the Incubot guys to get the license to do Go Nagai's properties. I'm glad to say they've done them justice with this release.

The package is great, although maybe a bit large for the contents. The artwork is nice and bright with some cool nods to nostalgic representations of the character.

On the back is a straight-up homage to the classic Shogun Warriors packaging, with the awkward wording and all. Even the illustration styles are the same.

On one side you get thumbnails of past (and future) releases in the line, and on the other you get a nod to the vintage Popy-style packaging. At numerous times on the packaging it reminds you that THIS IS NOT A TOY.

Why so many reminders? Well, despite its toy-like appearance, this was able to be manufactured under a license for USB drives. Thus, not only does it get to avoid toy safety testing, but it allows Incubot to get in a license that isn't already spoken for.

The Grendizer figure is only a few inches tall and made out of hard ABS plastic. This is once again a change from the diecast metal of Gigantor or the hard rubber of Voltron or Nekobot. The end result is a decidedly lighter feeling drive than the others. But it's solidly built, and will survive transport to and from the office without damage.

There's minimal articulation in the figure but it suits the design style. The head turns and tilts back, the arms swivel at the shoulders and again at the wrists.

Included are the Harken weapons - two blades that launch from the shoulders that become weapons. The Harkens can be held individually or combined into a Double Harken with the help of an included connector. The connector is small, so Incubot included a second connector in case you lose one. It isn't entirely anime accurate, as in the show once the Harkens are made weapons they are no longer on the shoulders. In this case the Harkens are permanently molded into the shoulders.

The Spacer is nice and solid. It rests flat on the ground and the wings move up and down. Paint applications are sharp and concise.

The Spacer acts as a USB hub that the Grendizer figure can plug into. Simply split Grendizer in the middle and plug it into the front of the Spacer. Then, unfurl the USB cable from underneath the Spacer and plug into whatever device you like. The cable is a bit short, but I suppose you can add an extension cable if you need some more length.

I'll admit that I am more than I bit biased, as I've known the people from Incubot for over 10 years now. It's great that people from our circle are not only producing toys, but getting legitimate licenses from the companies and creators that inspired us. I got my Grendizer USB drives through their Kickstarter campaign, but you can get one straight from their website at http://www.incubot.com. Grendizer was available in three different colorways:

• Regular Color
• Black and Gold "Founders Only" Kickstarter Exclusive
• Alt Clear Plastic Prototype Style Kickstarter Exclusive

Needless to say, I think this is pretty rad.