Tag: transforming robot

First thing I noticed about Daitetsujin 17 is that it is so heavy. A majority of this robot is metal  which is awesome. You can see it in the pictures. Daitetsujin 17 ‘s a pretty cool robot, not so good as a flying fortress. After watching the movie, I actually prefer the toy robot to the one in the show. I tried shooting the fists and the stomach missile and they got some pow going 5 feet. I have all the parts and it looks mint. I would have transformed it if I wanted too. But it didn’t look like it was worth the time. I like the blue and red color scheme and overall it is a nice looking robot. My only beef with this robot is that they could have made the arms a little more proportional to the body.

I really don’t have that many Godaikins to go to complete my collection. Too bad the last ones I need are so expensive. This robot hails from a live action “tokusatsu” show like Godzilla and Ultraman in 1977 all its cheesy goodness. Watching the intro seems amusing enough. I listened to the movie below and occasionally watched while I was writing this post.

The movie Daitetsujin 17(大鉄人17)below appears to be a dubbed movie. The dub is so funny! OMG. The narration seems like something from Rocky and Bullwinkle. You should definitely watch this! Enjoy.

The open chest compartment and shooting chest missile.

The foot compartments and robot legs.

Daitetsujin 17 GoDaiKin by Bandai 1984 aka DX GA-81 1977 by Popy

Back view of robot and wings

Daitetsujin 17 GoDaiKin by Bandai 1984 aka Daitetsujin 17 DX GA-81 1977 by Popy

Daitetsujin 17 GoDaiKin by Bandai 1984 aka Daitetsujin 17 DX GA-81 1977 by Popy

Here is Dynaman the American incarnation of Dyna Robo from Kagaku Sentai Dynaman. This one had a Robo Machine repackaging sticker on it. I guess Bandai couldn’t sell them as Godaikins so they repackaged them as Robo Machine without creating new product, but that is what the Godaikin series was. The box is in sucky condition but the robot is mint. I would actually display these if I didn’t have to dust them. The head shoots off, and you can shoot off a missile from hole in the head. I am a big fan of the ST sized robots, this is one of them. Hopefully I can pick up a few more. Though this is one of the Godaikins where I really do like the DX version as well. The design is typical  of Popy ST robots that come with a sword, shield and shooting fists. This is one of the robots that got me into this hobby in the first place. I love this guy!

Dynaman ST GoDaikin by Bandai 1984

An Innovative Series of Super Robots

Dynaman ST GoDaikin by Bandai 1984

Dynaman ST GoDaikin by Bandai 1984

Dynaman ST GoDaikin by Bandai 1984

Dynaman ST GoDaikin by Bandai 1984

The Machine Robo line came out in 1982 in Japan as Popy robots and later from Bandai itself when they were absorbed back into the parent company in 1983 as robot sales fell. These robots came out as Gobots from Tonka in the US a couple of years later.

These are easily some of my favorite robots. I love the packaging they come in. You can take them out, transform them, then put them back in and they take up so little space. They are so easy to transform and they are the same size of Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars so they can be run on their playsets and tracks. They are by far superior to the Mini Vehicles that came out for Generation 1 Transformers in 1984 and even the Transformers Generation 2 Go-Bots line that came out 1995.

These are great little robots. It is a shame that Bandai has not seen fit to re-issue these amazing little robots. I have been looking to pickup a few more of these, but my cousin could not find them in Japan and some of them are so expensive on eBay. With a little luck, I will get one or two more.

I bought at least 6 of these in the 80’s when I went to Japan in 1984 or 1985, because they were pretty much the only ones I could afford. I remember paying 600 yen for them. I think that was around $6 at that time. That’s why I picked up Albegas in Singapore. For $40 it was the biggest, cheapest big robot I could afford at the time. Though it was definitely not my first choice. There were a bunch of awesome Popy DX robots just out of my price range at $80 a pop(which was pretty much my whole budget).  The first line of Machine Robo came out in 1982 running out to 1985.

I have been meaning to watch the Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos anime that came out in response to the Transformers cartoon coming out. I have watched the first episode below which interesting and so much better than the GoBots cartoon here in the states. A newer cartoon in 2003 aired called Machine Robo Rescue came out with in intriguing line of combiner robots that I am considering adding to my collection. The robots combine into robots that look like they came from the first series. I would love to add more of these to my collection. I will try to get some pictures of the individual robots later.

Here is the first episode for Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos anime that ran from 1986-1987.

Machine Robo Popy Bandai 1982-1985

Machine Robo Popy Bandai 1982-1985

Machine Robo Popy Bandai 1982-1985 vehicle side

Machine Robo Popy Bandai 1982-1985

Machine Robo Popy Bandai 1982-1985

Machine Robo Popy Bandai 1982-1985

Machine Robo Popy Bandai 1982-1985 robot side

My cousin Dave bought Mugen Caliber for me in Japan in the 80’s. So I was a little disappointed back then because I wanted one of those big ass Chogokin robots he had. I appreciate having this now. It’s a nice piece. Much better by far than the Ovelon Gazzette from the same anime.  I am hoping to add the 1/55 Bonaparte Tulcas tank or 1/55 Mugen Caliber which is a little bigger than the one I have from the Dorvack line to my collection. Mugen Caliber was released in Generation 1 Transformers as Roadbuster. Mugen Caliber has a realistic look to the robot that I appreciate compared to most robots that were pulled into the Transformers line. I can actually imagine it as a real robot.

My cousin is going to Japan next month. Maybe he can pick it up for me on the way back. I am glad I still have the box, he threw away most of his so he could pack as many robots into his suitcase as he could.

I never watched the anime as it was never brought to the US. Here is the intro for the anime Special Armored Battalion Dorvack 1983-1984. It’s nice to see Mugen Caliber and Bonaparte Tulcas in action. What I have seen so far is pretty good. I will have to dig around for more episodes.

Mugen Calibur Variable Vehicle VV-54AR 1/72 Scale Takatoku 1983 Japan

Mugen Calibur Variable Vehicle VV-54AR 1/72 Scale Takatoku Toys 1983 Japan

Mugen Calibur Variable Vehicle VV-54AR 1/72 Scale Takatoku Toys 1983 Japan

The Japanese as always pack the robots with a lot of accessories which is always fun. This one comes with armor, guns, some rounds and jetpack. The orange and yellow color scheme is pretty nice. I can imagine it as a realistic desert camouflage. It gives me a break from the standard Super Sentai robot colors of blue, red, yellow and silver.

Mugen Calibur Variable Vehicle VV-54AR 1/72 Scale Takatoku Toys 1983 Japan

Mugen Caliber Variable Vehicle VV-54AR 1/72 Scale Takatoku 1983 Japan

Mugen Calibur Variable Vehicle VV-54AR 1/72 Scale Takatoku Toys 1983 Japan

Mugen Caliber Variable Vehicle VV-54AR 1/72 Scale Takatoku 1983 Japan from anime Special Armored Battalion Dorvack 1983-1984

I don’t have any of the Takatoku Valkyries, but I cherish this Bandai VF-1A as it is my only Valkyrie from the 80’s. This is the Hikaru Ichijo Bandai VF-1A from the movie “Macross: Do You Remember Love?” in 1984. Bandai made this Valkyrie just after they bought the molds from the remains of Takatoku Toys. I love the big 80’s Chogokins with die cast metal. While it is not the 1/55 scale I covet, I like having both the ST and DX versions of a robot. Hopefully I will add the larger one soon. I consider the 1/100 scale ST’s and 1/55 scale as DX versions. It seems that the 1/100 scale Valkyries are harder to find than the 1/55 scale robots on the auction sites though, so I am glad to have any of them.

Bandai made some really solid Valkyries during that time in the 1980’s, like the Elintseeker or VT Trainer. The Valkyries themselves hold a special place in my heart. I only have two Toynami Masterpiece 1/55 Valkyries and one Bandai Valkyrie from 2002, but I really hope to add the original Takatoku and Bandai robots from the 80’s. They were the first robots that were amazing as jets and just as amazing as robots. Even 30 years later the quality, design and beauty of these pieces still shine. These are the must have robots of the 80’s.

Bandai Variable Fighter VF-1A Valkyrie 1984 from movie Macross: Do You Remember Love? 1984

Bandai Variable Fighter VF-1A Valkyrie 1984 from the movie Macross: Do You Remember Love? 1984

Bandai Variable Fighter VF-1A Valkyrie instructions and stickers from the movie 超時空要塞マクロス 愛・おぼえていますか 1984

Bandai Variable Fighter VF-1A Valkyrie 1984 from the movie Macross: Do You Remember Love? 1984

Computer Number 0302526

The SDF-1 DX 1/3000 scale is my holy grail for robots. I have bid on this guy several times, but I still don’t have one. Having the smaller ST 1/6300 scale robot provides me some solace. But displaying this one really doesn’t have as umph as the DX.

I really hate how the white plastic parts yellow with age. I have to dig around and find out why so many robots yellow after a while(L Gaim, Macross Valkyries, and the SDF-1 for starters). Grey would have been a lot better choice for this robot. I guess they use cheap plastic in Japan. I remember my Super Nintendo Entertainment System SNES was grey and it yellowed too.

This is a nice little piece. You can tell the how white it was suppose to be when you see the metal part in the middle. Like most 80’s robots, it is not very poseable.  There is not much detail on the ST version. The Takatoku Storm Attacker Construction looks identical except it has black plastic cannons instead of red, the shoulder cannons are not included(even though the box images and instructions indicate otherwise), there is a yellow painted outline for the chest pieces and grey plastic instead of white which looks a lot nicer. I am tempted to get that as well.

Anyway, Macross/Robotech was one of the main reasons I am still into the whole robot genre as the cartoons kept going for a few years. As Shogun Warriors faded for me, I got into Macross, Godaikins, and Transformers. I really did not have any Robotech robots until I got the G1 Transformers Jetfire for $30 down at Talbot’s Toys in San Mateo. Takatoku and Bandai Valkyries were like $80+ in the 80’s in Japantown, so Jetfire was a bargain. Most of the time, I just went to my cousin’s house to enjoy his Valkyrie collection. It is quite impressive. He has them all, but 3 are reissues. I hope he puts out his Macross robots soon.

Here is intro to remember Robotech.

Robotech Miniature SDF-1 Battle Fortress by Harmony Gold from Robotech: The Macross Saga 1985

Robotech Miniature SDF-1 Battle Fortress by Harmony Gold from Robotech: The Macross Saga 1985

Robotech Miniature SDF-1 Battle Fortress by Harmony Gold from Robotech: The Macross Saga 1985

Robotech Miniature SDF-1 Battle Fortress by Harmony Gold Stickers/Decals and Instructions from Robotech: The Macross Saga 1985 超時空要塞マクロス

Its funny how the instructions are still in Japanese in the US release of this toy.

Robotech Miniature SDF-1 instructions and decals/stickers from Robotech: The Macross Saga 1985

I would be tempted to get one of the newer SDF-1 below, but they are a bit beyond my price range.

I am not a big Sun Vulcan fan. The design is a little too boxy for me, but all the accessories and the big ass sword make up for it. It’s kinda like the Megazord before they came up with it. Big, clunky, dorky. That is the Sun Vulcan Godaikin in spades. Hmm, checking out the design a little more, the top part is ok, only the legs need a redesign to make this a cool looking robot. This one has the standard red, yellow and blue color scheme as many of the Super Sentai robots have from the 80’s. Based on what I have read, this is the first Sentai combining robot.

I got this in mint condition. I don’t this thing has ever made it out the box as the tape is still on it. Guess the previous owner was not a big fan either. Still, it’s better than Abega or Machine Dolphin. The Sunvulcan DX came out first as a Popy Chogokin robot GB-32 in 1981. We got it here in the States in 1982 in the Godaikin line.

Though it would be nice if this was more than a rectangle chunk of plastic with arms, legs and a head. It’s kinda like a Rubik’s cube with a head and some arms. That being said, it is nice having a Godaikin in mint condition.

Sun Vulcan Godaikin – Popy Sun Vulcan Robo GB-32 from Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan 1981-1982

Sun Vulcan Godaikin – Popy Sun Vulcan Robo GB-32 from Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan 1981-1982

Here is a funny video of Taiyo Sentai Sun Vulcan from 1981-1982 playin with their own toys.