Tag: Japan

MachineRobo MR-10 Fire Robo 1982 Popy

The MachineRobo MR-10 Fire Robo is one of my favorite Machine Robos. It is one of the most simple designs, simple transformations, the straight lines, with a red and silver color scheme and make a simple looking robot. There really is nothing special about this robot. But who doesn’t like a fire engine? I wanted to be a fireman when I was younger and I have always loved fire trucks since I was a kid. So this particular robot has a special place in my heart.  This is a cool little robot in a line of cool robots from Popy. The only criticism I have is the gun seems like such an afterthought. In the robots hand or even on the ladders seems a bit lame. It is just too small. Using the ladder as a weapon/gun seems just as bad as well based on what I see on the Tonka packaging.

It’s too bad the Gobots cartoon was so bad. I have never been able to force myself to watch a whole episode. I wouldn’t mind a reintroduction of the Gobots in a modernized revamp(like they did with other 80’s franchises like V and Battlestar Galactica(maybe they can make a Gobots movie since Transformers has made so much money!)). Since Hasbro owns the rights when they picked up Tonka, it would be awesome if they brought them back in a stand alone series instead of part of the Transformers. So Fire Robo did some time as Pumper in  Challenge of the Gobots back in 1983-1987.

More Machine Robos to come. They keep on coming. This is number 4? It’s because I have 25-30 of these robots. Sorry you are going to see more posts about these for a while. I found the box I stored them in so I will keep pumping out posts about these till I get bored or I am all done.

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-10 Fire Robo (ファイヤーロボ) 1982 Popy Bandai robot front angle Machine Men from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Pumper

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-10 Fire Robo (ファイヤーロボ) 1982 Popy Bandai robot front Machine Men from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Pumper

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-10 Fire Robo (ファイヤーロボ) 1982 Popy Bandai robot front Machine Men from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Pumper

MR-10 Fire Robo 1982 Popy aka Pumper

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-10 Fire Robo (ファイヤーロボ) 1982 Popy/Bandai Machine Men from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Pumper in Fire Engine form

MachineRobo MR-10 Fire Robo aka Pumper 1982 Popy Bandai Fire Engine/Fire Truck Vehicle Form

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-10 Fire Robo (ファイヤーロボ) 1982 Popy/Bandai Machine Men from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Pumper in Fire Engine form with ladder

MachineRobo MR-10 Fire Robo aka Pumper 1982 Popy Bandai

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-10 Fire Robo (ファイヤーロボ) 1982 Popy Bandai robot front Machine Men from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Pumper

MachineRobo MR-10 Fire Robo Pumper 1982 Popy/Bandai

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-10 Fire Robo (ファイヤーロボ) 1982 Popy Bandai robot back Machine Men from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Pumper

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-10 Fire Robo (ファイヤーロボ) 1982 Popy Bandai from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Pumper

MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo 1982 Popy

Here is the MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo by Popy in 1982. I actually had this robot in the 1980’s when I went to Japan.  I picked it up for 600 yen in a department store in Shinjuku. I traded all my Machine Robo figures to a friend, but I can’t remember what I traded for. I am really glad I managed to pick up another. The Jet Robo is a classic robot from this line. Easy to transform, looks good as a robot and ok as a futuristic jet, solid red, black and silver color scheme.  For me this is just a fun robot to have.

 

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men robot form from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 known as Fitor

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) made in 1982 by Popy/Bandai from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 known as Fitor

(マシンロボ) MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men robot styrofoam and box from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 known as Fitor

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men robot form from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 aka Fitor

MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo Fitor 1982 Popy Bandai Japan - instructions/comic and stickers front (Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲)

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo made in 1982 by Popy Japan

MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo Fitor 1982 Popy Bandai Japan - instructions/comic back side (Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲)

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo made in 1982 by Popy Japan

Does anyone know what this comic says? I am a little curious. I am sure it is mindless drivel, but fun mindless drivel or even amusing mindless drivel is what I am hoping for. I wish I knew someone who could read Japanese. Anyway, I have always loved the attention to detail in the packaging and other things that come with Japanese toys. The robot fits perfectly in the Styrofoam and is easy to take out and put away. The toy is easy to store, the instructions, stickers and catalog all come with this beautiful little toy. In fact I was almost as excited to get the catalog as I was to get the toy. I am sure I will never have a complete set of Machine Robos, but it is nice to see them all. I know I am probably raving on about these, but the Machine Robo line is possibly my favorite.

Machine Robo Series Catalog 1983 Popy/Bandai Japan Robot MR 600 lin

Machine Robo Series Catalog 1983 Popy/Bandai Japan Robot MR 600 lin

Machine Robo Series Catalog 1983 Popy/Bandai Japan Robot MR 600 lin

Machine Robo Series Catalog 1983 Popy/Bandai Japan Robot MR 600 lin

MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men robot form from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) aka Fitor

MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men robot form from anime Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 aka Fitor

MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men bottom of vehicle form from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) aka Fitor

MachineRobo MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men vehicle form from Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 known as Fitor

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men back of robot and box from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 known as Fitor

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-03 Jet Robo(ブルー・ジェット) 1982 Popy Bandai from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 known as Fitor

MachineRobo MR-02 Battle Robo 1982 Popy

Here is the MachineRobo MR-02 Battle Robo by Popy in 1982. I am on a roll. 2 posts in 2 days, WOO HOO! Anyway this is some sort of futuristic tank. In fact this robot is named Tank in the Challenge of the GoBots. One of Cy-Kill’s evil dumb henchmen. I don’t get it, how can a robot be stupid? Bad AI software, low processing speeds maybe?

I like the aesthetics of the tank and the robot, but I imagine it is a pretty high profile for a tank though. I noticed I was missing the smaller guns that are supposed to come out of the front of the tank, which kinda sucks.  The Styrofoam was not meant for this little bugger, so the arms will not hold in place when transformed. The colors are nice, even though I have never seen a blue army tank in real life. I guess  I should not look for any realism in children’s toys, but there is always hope. The transformation is as easy as it gets. You fold the head over so he is kissing his feet and put in the guns and the turret. This is another cool robot from the Machine Robo line.

MachineRobo MR-02 Battle Robo(バトルロボ) 1982 Popy front robot tank Machine Robo(マシンロボ)

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-02 Battle Robo 1982 Popy/Bandai from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Tank

MachineRobo MR-02 Tank Battle Robo(バトルロボ) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men tank form side from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Tank, La Revanche des Gobots in France

MachineRobo(マシンロボ) MR-02 Battle Robo 1982 Popy/Bandai from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Tank

MachineRobo MR-02 Tank Battle Robo(バトルロボ) 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men box styro robot front from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Tank, La Revanche des Gobots in France

MachineRobo MR-02 Battle Robo(バトルロボ) 1982 Popy/Bandai from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Tank

MachineRobo MR-02 Tank Battle Robo 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men box robot back from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Tank, La Revanche des Gobots in France

MachineRobo MR-02 Battle Robo 1982 Popy/Bandai from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Tank



 

MachineRobo MR-02 Tank Battle Robo 1982 Popy Bandai Machine Men tank form front from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Tank, La Revanche des Gobots in France

MachineRobo MR-02 Battle Robo 1982 Popy/Bandai from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 aka Tank

MachineRobo MR-01 Bike Robo 1982 Popy

I have been meaning to put up my each of my Machine Robo since putting up a bulk post about them a couple of years ago. This is the MachineRobo MR-01 Bike Robo, the robot who became Cy-Kill in Tonka’s Challenge of the Gobots in 1983. The cartoon was not as compelling as the story of the Transformers. For me the story was pretty much crap. Which is sad, because the 3 inch robots in this line were superior to any of the small robots in the early Transformers line. It would have been nice to see another robot cartoon that gave the Transformers a run for its money in the eighties. I really wanted to like the cartoon, but it was unwatchable for me. Which is odd, because I was able to watch a lot of the crap Hanna Barbera put out. And I loved it. There also was an anime in Japan, Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos came out several years later 1988-1989 and showed the robots as human piloted mecha. I watched a little and it reminded me a bit of the Getta Robo anime.

These originally came out in 1982 in Japan as part of Popy’s  Machine Robo line. Europe had them as Robo Machine and Australia had Machine Men. It’s a great concept. Matchbox sized vehicles that transform into robots.

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Japan Robot Robo Machines Gobots Bike Robo from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 La Revanche des Gobots in France

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Japan Robot

I absolutely love the packaging for this toyline. Small boxes, robots in small Styrofoam cases, with tiny accessories, stickers, a catalog of other robots in the line, and a comic with instructions to transform the robot. I just picked this up in December. The Bike Robo tends to be a more expensive piece. At least more than I would like to pay. This may be due to being the primary villain in the Gobots cartoon. The transformation from robot to motorcycle is pretty solid. The Bike Robo looks pretty good as a robot or a motorcycle. This is one of the nicer robots in the line. The design and color scheme work very well. I think I actually had this one in the 1980’s but I traded it away to a friend.

Machine Robo(マシンロボ) MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Japan Bike Robo Machines Gobots Machine Men from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 La Revanche des Gobots in France

Machine Robo MR-01 Bike Robo(バイクロボ) by Popy in Japan 1982 aka Cy-Kill in Tonka’s Challenge of the GoBots


Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-01 Bike Robo(バイクロボ) made in 1982 by Popy Japan Machines Gobots Machine Men -robot back from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 La Revanche des Gobots in France

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Japan Robot

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Japan Bike Robo Machines Gobots Machine Men - stickers from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 La Revanche des Gobots in France

Machine Robo MR-01 Stickers

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Japan Bike Robo Machines Gobots Machine Men - instructions front - from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 La Revanche des Gobots in France

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Instruction Manual

Machine Robo(マシンロボ) MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Japan Bike Robo Machines Gobots Machine Men - instructions back - from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 La Revanche des Gobots in France

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Instruction Manual

Machine Robo(マシンロボ) MachineRobo MR-01 Bike Robo made in 1982 by Popy in Japan from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 known as Cy-Kill - box robot back - from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos(Chronos no Gyakushuu マシンロボ クロノスの大逆襲) 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 La Revanche des Gobots in France

Machine Robo MachineRobo MR-01 Cy-Kill 1982 Popy Japan Robot



Machine Robo Series Catalog 1983 Popy/Bandai Japan Robot MR 600 lin

Machine Robo Series Catalog 1983 Popy/Bandai Japan Robot MR 600 toyline

The catalogs are one of my favorite parts of the toys. I love getting these and checking out the other robots Bandai put out. I have used them to figure out other robots to pick up or just check out other robots that never made it to the US.

Machine Robo Series Catalog 1983 Popy/Bandai Japan Robot MR 600 lin

Machine Robo Series Catalog 1983 Popy/Bandai Japan Robot MR 600 line

Machine Robo(マシンロボ) MachineRobo MR-01 Bike Robo made ibn 1982 by Popy/Bandai in Japan Robo Machines Machine Men Motorcycle form - from anime Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos 1988-1989 and Challenge of the Gobots 1983-1987 known as Cy-Kill

Motorcycle form Machine Robo(マシンロボ) MR-01 Bike Robo(バイクロボ) made in 1982 by Popy/Bandai in Japan Robot

Soul of Chogokin Getter Dragon GX-18 Bandai 2003

Here is my Soul of Chogokin Getter Dragon.  This is another robot I found cheaper on eBay than robot shops in Akihabara Japan.  The old Shogun Warriors Dragun version was pretty good for its time in 1979. But the 2003 SOC version blows it way. You can pose it and the robot itself is faithful to the original anime. We managed to catch the anime for Getter Robo G on our VHS tapes way back when. But for us here, it was Starvengers as part of the Force Five series.

Soul of Chogokin Getter Dragon(ゲッタードラゴン) GX-18 Bandai 2003 Getter Robo G from anime Getta Robo G (Japanese), Jet Robot (Italian), Robo Formers, Starvengers, ゲッターロボG (Japanese), 게타로보 (Korean)

Getter Dragon GX-18 2003

Getter Dragon(ゲッタードラゴン) GX-18 Bandai Soul of Chogokin 2003 Getter Robo G back of box from anime Getta Robo G (Japanese), Jet Robot (Italian), Robo Formers, Starvengers, ゲッターロボG (Japanese), 게타로보 (Korean)

Getter Dragon. I looked for this in Japan but it was about 150 dollars. I purchased this on Ebay on 100.

Getter Dragon GX-18 Bandai Soul of Chogokin 2003 Getter Robo G front of box from anime Getta Robo G (Japanese), Jet Robot (Italian), Robo Formers, Starvengers, ゲッターロボG (Japanese), 게타로보 (Korean)

Getter Dragon GX-18 2003

Soul of Chogokin Getter Poseidon GX-20 Bandai 2003

Here is my Soul of Chogokin Getter Poseidon. I picked it up cheap on eBay. I had the others, so I figured I would pick this one up too. It was cheaper to buy it on eBay than any of the robot shops like Mandarake in Japan. I have the older one from the 70’s so you can see how far the toys have come since then.  You can actually pose this one.

Getter Poseidon(ゲッターポセイドン) GX-20 Bandai Soul of Chogokin 2003 Getter Robo G from anime Getta Robo G (Japanese), Jet Robot (Italian), Robo Formers, Starvengers, ゲッターロボG (Japanese), 게타로보 (Korean)

Getter Poseidon GX-20 Bandai Soul of Chogokin 2003 from anime Getta Robo G ゲッターロボG in 1975-1976

Getter Poseidon(ゲッターポセイドン) GX-20 Bandai Soul of Chogokin 2003 Getter Robo G back of box from anime Getta Robo G (Japanese), Jet Robot (Italian), Robo Formers, Starvengers, ゲッターロボG (Japanese), 게타로보 (Korean)

SOC Getter Poseidon. Also purchased on Ebay 11/14 for 80 dollars.

Soul of Chogokin Getter Poseidon (ゲッターポセイドン) GX-20 Bandai Soul of Chogokin 2003 Getter Robo G front of box from anime Getta Robo G (Japanese), Jet Robot (Italian), Robo Formers, Starvengers, ゲッターロボG (Japanese), 게타로보 (Korean)

Getter Poseidon GX-20 in the Soul of Chogokin line by Bandai in 2003 from anime Getta Robo G ゲッターロボG in 1975-1976

Zaku MS-06S Polystone Collection Bandai 2001

Zaku MS-06S Vol. 1 Bandai 2001 Polystone Collection Scene G-3

Zaku MS-06S Vol. 1 Bandai 2001 Polystone Collection Scene G-3

The Bandai Polystone Collection covers various properties like Godzillla, Gundam, Kamen Rider, and Naruto. They are miniature sculpted dioramas that are 3 3/4 by 2 3/4 inches. My personal favorites were the Godzilla dioramas. I may have to pick up  a few eventually. I picked this up in the early 2000’s when all things Gundam were harder to come by. It was one of the few Gundam items I had to display. Not long after all the Gundam anime came out on Cartoon Network and I could pick up Gundam robots at all the local stores.

Zaku MS-06S Vol. 1 Bandai 2001 Polystone Collection Scene G-3

Zaku MS-06S Vol. 1 Bandai 2001 Polystone Collection Scene G-3


 
 

Victory Robo Gogofive 1999 Yutaka

99Machines combine to make Victory Robo Gogofive 1999 Yutaka from Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive from 1999-2000(救急戦隊ゴーゴーファイブ Kyūkyū Sentai GōGō Faibu)

Victory Robo Gogofive 1999 Yutaka from Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive from 1999-2000

I am looking at this robot and I have no idea why I got it. It’s another decent Sentai robot, but it’s not really from the late 70’s, the 80’s or even the early 90’s. I think it was because it was just $10 and did not take up much space. Which really is not a good reason. This robot is made up of the 99Machines. They are five rescue vehicles which can combine to form the Victory Robo from Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive in 1999-2000(The 23rd entry to the Super Sentai series).  Some of that footage made it into Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue here in the states. I am a little surprised the robot is by Yutaka instead of Bandai. Its the first Super Sentai robot I have ever seen that was not made by Bandai or Popy.  All the other GoGoFive toys show Bandai branding on the box.


I found a pretty cool video of the transformation process. Like I have said before I do like the robots, but I am not a fan of the Super Sentai shows. This video made me smile. I guess I can take it in small doses.

99Machines Victory Robo Gogofive 1999 Yutaka front of box (救急戦隊ゴーゴーファイブ Kyūkyū Sentai GōGō Faibu)

Victory Robo Gogofive 1999 Yutaka from Kyuukyuu Sentai GoGoFive from 1999-2000

VF-1J ST Battroid Valkyrie 1/100 scale Takatoku 1983

Macross VF-1J ST 1/100 scale Hikaru Ichijyo (一条 輝 Ichijō Hikaru)- Takatoku Toys(タカトクトイス) 1983 from anime Super Dimension Fortress Macross( 超時空要塞マクロス or Chōjikū Yōsai Makurosu) VF-1J ST

Macross VF-1J ST 1/100 scale Hikaru Battroid Valkyrie by Takatoku Toys 1983 from anime Super Dimension Fortress Macross( 超時空要塞マクロス)

The Takatoku 1/100 scale Valkyries as a whole are a lot harder to come by than the 1/55 scale version. Except for the Hikaru VF-1J ST. This appears to be the only one that keeps coming up on the sites I usually buy from. I hope to add a few more of these to my collection next year. This is actually my first Takatoku Valkyrie. I actually added the brown cannon fodder 1/55 scale this year as well from David’s trip to Japan. Before this I only had the 1984 Bandai VF-1A, so it is nice to have one of the original Takatoku toys that started it all. I consider the these the gold standard of  robots from the 1980’s.

The toy captures the robots from the anime in great detail. The VF-1J looks fantastic both as a robot and a plane! The toy is solid with a great design and fun to transform. Normally when the robot looks good the form suffers. But  this is definitely not in this case.  The Valkyries easily outclass any transforming robots from the 1980’s with their perfect transformations(kanzen henkei). Plus it helps that the anime was one of the better ones to watch in 80’s. I like this particular color scheme as I can imagine an actual combat jet with these colors.

Macross VF-1J ST 1/100 scale front of box Hikaru Ichijyo (一条 輝 Ichijō Hikaru)- Takatoku Toys(タカトクトイス) 1983 from anime Super Dimension Fortress Macross( 超時空要塞マクロス or Chōjikū Yōsai Makurosu)

Macross VF-1J ST 1/100 scale Ichijō Hikaru Battroid Valkyrie by Takatoku Toys 1983 from anime Chōjikū Yōsai Makurosu( 超時空要塞マクロス)

Macross VF-1J ST 1/100 scale back of box Hikaru Ichijyo (一条 輝 Ichijō Hikaru)- Takatoku Toys(タカトクトイス) 1983 from anime Super Dimension Fortress Macross( 超時空要塞マクロス or Chōjikū Yōsai Makurosu) VF-1J ST

Macross VF-1J ST 1/100 scale Hikaru Ichijyo Battroid Valkyrie by Takatoku Toys 1983 from anime Choujikuu Yousai Macross( 超時空要塞マクロス)


 

Popy GC-22 Bismarck DX 1985

Popy GC-22 Bismarck DX 1985 from anime Sei Juushi Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985 Star Musketeer Bismarck

Popy GC-22 Bismarck DX 1985 from anime Seijuushi Bismarck 1984-1985

So this is my Bismarck DX. I just picked it up this year. Dave got his back in the mid 80’s in Japan. It is one of the last branded Popy Chogokin super robots before Popy was reabsorbed into Bandai. The anime cartoon Sei Juushi Bismarck is a cowboy western, sci-fi frontier setting, with a super robot from 1984-1985. You may know it here as Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs from World Event Productions the same people who brought over Voltron. The ship turns into wings for the robot and you an insert the robot into the ship or you can say it transforms into a ship.

It is a nice heavy 9 inch diecast metal robot with a black and white theme, which is a welcome change  from the red, white and blue sentai robots. It was not one of the must have robots from the 80’s for me, but it is a nice addition.

Popy GC-22 Bismarck DX 1985 from anime Seijuushi Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985 Star Musketeer Bismark

Popy GC-22 Bismarck DX & Space Cruiser 1985 from anime Seijuushi Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985 Star Saber and the Star Sheriffs

I have the Space Cruiser, but sadly no missiles or tank treads either. I also am missing Bismarck’s pistol. I never really cared for the cruiser converting to wings on Bismarck. The cruiser itself is a nice piece.

Popy GC-22 Bismark Space Cruiser DX 1985 from anime Seijuushi Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985 Star Musketeer Bismarck

Popy GC-22 Bismarck Space Crueser 1985 from anime Seijuushi Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985 Star Saber and the Star Sheriffs

Popy GC-22 Bismarck DX 1985 Standing Back Side from anime Seijuushi Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985 Star Musketeer Bismarck

Popy GC-22 Bismark 1985 from anime Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs 1984-1985

Check out the absolutely solid metal construction on the legs and chest giving it a solid heft.

Popy Bismarck DX GC-22 1985 chest detail from anime Seijuushi Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985 Star Musketeer Bismarck

Popy GC-22 Bismarck DX 1985 from anime Star Musketeer Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985

Popy Bismarck DX GC-22 1985 robot figure from anime Seijuushi Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985 Star Musketeer Bismarck

Popy Bismarck DX GC-22 1985

Popy Bismarck DX GC-22 1985 chest detail from anime Seijuushi Bismarck(星銃士 ビスマルク) 1984-1985 Star Musketeer Bismarck

Popy Bismarck DX GC-22 1985 from anime Star Musketeer Bismarck


Here is the intro for the anime Seijuushi Bismarck 1984-1985. It kinda reminds me of a cowboy anime version of the Super Sentai series. The uniforms have a Power Ranger look to them.

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