Tag: Super Sentai

Here’s a Dynaman DX that I bought from the Japanese toy store in Japantown, San Francisco in 1984. I bought so many toys from that shop, I hated to see him retire.  I remember he would also have a Nintendo out in the front for the kids to play.  He had a display case for all the Godaikins and it inspired me to get the collection. I wish I had kept my boxes. I have lost a lot of the accessories and it would have been a great place to store them.

Dynaman DX – Bandai Godaikin 1983 Popy GB-96 Dyna Robo from Kagaku Sentai Dynaman

Kagaku Sentai Dynaman Still of Dyna Robo in action 1983-1984

Here’s another Godaikin Super Sentai robot that I bought on my Japan trip 1985.  I’m pretty certain I bought the Bioman DX at a department store, either Matsuzakaya or Mitsukoshi. That was one of my favorite trips. So this has to be the Bioman Deluxe Popy GC-13 release in 1984. The Bioman Bio Robo is mostly metal in the body and legs giving him the heft of a real Chogokin. It is one of the better Super Sentai robot designs.

Bioman DX Godaikin – Popy Bio Robo GC-13 1984 from tokusatsu Choudenshi Bioman 1984-1985

Bio Robo from tokusatsu tv show Choudenshi Bioman 1984-1985

Live Robo and Five Robo – 1988 from Liveman & Fiveman Super Sentai shows

Here are two Super Sentai robots – the yellow one is Liveman Live Robo and the blue one is Fiveman Five Robo. They are about 19 cm or 7.5 inches. These are my cousin’s – he likes the Sentai stuff but I never really got into them (except for the ones that came out as Godaikins).  They are both entirely made of plastic and pleasantly were both still made in Japan. I’ve attached images of what they looked like on their respective shows.

Liveman Live Robo from Super Beast Squadron Liveman 1988-1989

Fiveman FiveRobo from Chikyuu Sentai Fiveman 1990-1991

Meet Flash King from Choushinsei Flashman. He joins all of his Sentai brethren in my collection. This is not a robot I coveted in the 80’s. Mostly found out about Flash King from my love of other 80’s robots as most of the information on this guy is in Japanese. This robot is pretty light for an 80’s Popy robot. I always expect some diecast metal goodness when dealing with Popy robots. Seems to be all plastic, but he is decent looking. After looking him over, looks like only the feet and chest are metal. Oops, looks like I forgot to take a picture of the front of the box. Oh well.

Flash King  is one of the nicer designs for a Super Sentai robot, I really like the color scheme and proportions. Though most ST robots don’t have an issue with this. This usually is an issue with the DX robots like Combattra, Daimos, and Daltanias. I wish i had his bigger brother Flash in Box, the DX version which seems pretty rare. Flash King looks great for a DX. This is one of my few Popy robots. I am a bit surprised,  as Popy had been reabsorbed back into Bandai in 1983 and this came out in 1986. ***

Flash King GC-33 ST by Popy Bandai Japan 1986 from tokusatsu tv show Choushinsei Flashman(超新星フラッシュマン) 1986-1987

Flash King GC-33 ST by Popy Bandai Japan 1986

Flash King GC-33 ST by Popy Bandai Japan 1986

Flash King GC-33 ST by Popy Bandai Japan 1986 from live action show Chōshinsei Furasshuman 1986-1987

Flash King GC-33 ST by Popy Bandai Japan 1986

Flash King GC-33 ST by Popy Bandai Japan 1986 from live action show Choushinsei Flashman 1986-1987

I always thought this was an ST version of Daidenjin, but I stand corrected. It is the Daidenjin DX version. That’s why it comes with all the cool stuff and it actually transforms into a space ship. I don’t think any of the ST’s tranform. So it’s not the GB-15. This is a good heavy piece chock full of die cast metal and it has a nice build, but I can’t say I like the big D on his chest. Most of the parts are very square or rectangular, so the designers hardly used any imagination when making this guy as a robot. But the design is light years better than say Sun Vulcan. The transformation is not great but at least it does more than my old Shogun Warriors did.

I noticed these robots remind me of the my old Shogun Warriors from the 70’s. Now I know why. They were made by the same company. Originally the Shogun Warriors were issued as Popy Super Robots in the GA series. So the reason the design, die cast metal heft, and shooting fists(don’t Daidenjin’s fists look like Daltanias DX large fists?) were all so familiar is that they came from the same company. This one was issued in the Popy GB series.

Daidenjin GoDaiKin Bandai 1984 from tokusatsu show Denshi Sentai Denziman 1980-1981

When transformed it becomes Denjin the space port. The robot hails from the Denshi Sentai Denziman TV series 13 years before the Power Rangers ever made it out here. Nope, never watched it, but I like the robot. I don’t really have the space to display my robots, but this site works out well as a virtual display case.

Daidenjin GoDaiKin Bandai 1984 from live action show Electronic Squadron Denziman 1980-1981

Daidenjin GoDaiKin Bandai 1984 from tokusatsu show Denshi Sentai Denziman 1980-1981

Daidenjin GoDaiKin Bandai 1984 from live action show Electronic Squadron Denziman 1980-1981

Daidenjin GoDaiKin Bandai 1984 from tokusatsu show Denshi Sentai Denziman 1980-1981

Daidenjin GoDaiKin Bandai 1984 from live action show Electronic Squadron Denziman 1980-1981

Daidenjin GoDaiKin Bandai 1984

Think this is a reissue of the original Popy GC 28 which has a red shield. The five Super Sentai guys pictured on the cover kinda look like cops. They are from Dengeki Sentai Changeman. Even though I am not a fan of Super Sentai, I still like the robots. Change Robo is one of them. I try to only collect the 70’s and 80’s chogokin robots. I couldn’t fit the sword in the fist because it was so tight, but it was fun shooting the head off. The fists do not shoot off with much zing and the robot is a little light in die cast metal, but I really like this ST robot which fits in well with my Godaikin collection, but the DX robot looks really good too. My copy is missing the 5 little plastic Changeman Sentai figures.

Plastic Changeman figures from the Change Robo GC-28 by Popy Bandai 1985

The DX robot came out as a late release Godaikin in 1985 or 1986. Change Robo is pretty rare as Godaikins go. I have only seen him a few times on auction and lost every time. The ST is a Popy robot as it has the Popy label, though I did not know it at the time I purchased it. So it’s one of the only  two Popy robots I have.

The robot’s design reminds me a lot of Goggle V robot. It is a simple but solid design, that you can change into a decent looking jet, car and helicopter(the Jetchanger, Helichanger, and Landchanger). The only real difference between Goggle V and Change Robo is in color scheme. A few tweaks to the design & color and you would have Goggle Five which is a good thing. It is a lot like the Generation 1 Transformers that all used the same molds like Bluestreak, Smokescreen and Prowl . If I ever display these two, I would have to put them right next to each other.

Change Robo GC-28 by Popy Bandai 1985

Change Robo GC-28 by Popy Bandai 1985

Change Robo and accessories. Lightning Sword, Change Shield, propeller and head missile

Change Robo GC-28 by Popy Bandai 1985

Change Robo GC-28 by Popy Bandai instructions

Change Robo GC-28 by Popy Bandai 1985 from tv show (電撃戦隊チェンジマン Dengeki Sentai Chenjiman) 1985-1986

Change Robo (チェンジロボ Chenji Robo) GC-28 by Popy Bandai 1985

Change Robo(チェンジロボ Chenji Robo) GC-28 robot toy by Popy Bandai 1985 from Super Sentai tv show 電撃戦隊チェンジマン Dengeki Sentai Chenjiman 1985-1986