December 2016 - DX Robo

Toy section at Lab – a Electronics retailer

Dave December 17, 2016 Bandai, Sentai, Soul of Chogokin, Transformers No Comments

When in Japan, you walk. A LOT. My feet hurt every day I was there. That is probably why people seem much thinner in Asia, everyone walks. I was only there for 5 days, so you kinda try to make the most of it. Lab was another electronics store within walking distance of the hotel. It had about the same stuff. But near the elevator was a wall of gashapon. Some of it was kind of hentai – ish. I did not know that was a thing. Anyway literally walls of gachapon machines. Dave was buying a certain line his sister liked. According to my cousin, this was a small collection of machines. I can’t imagine a large wall of machines. Lab Electronics is a good place to buy the latest greatest robot toys. They have the most popular hits but you will not find any obscure toys here.

A wall of gachapon machines at Lab electronics - gashapon (ガシャポン) or gachapon (ガチャポン) refer to variety of vending machine-dispensed capsule toys popular in Japan and elsewhere.

A wall of gashapon machines at Lab

バンダイジュウオウキューブ/ジュウオウジャー Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger DX Cube 10 Zyuoh Dodekaioh at Lab Japan 2016 Gattai

Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger DX Cube 10 Zyuoh Dodekaioh at Lab Electronics Japan 2016

The Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger DX Cube robots are an interesting bunch. Blocks 123 and 456 create their own robots on the right. Blocks 1 through 10 make the larger robot on the left.

Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger DX Cube 10 Zyuoh Dodekaioh Japan Gattai

SOC Soul of Chogokin Daitarn 3 Lupin Ranma Arcadia バンダイ超合金魂

Ranma, Lupin, Arcadia SOC Soul of Chogokin Daitarn 3

I was planning to buy a few Soul of Chogokin Tryder and Daitarn from Lab Electronics, but I ended up finding some really nice older pieces at Mandarake. Which is really what I wanted to do.

Autobots Transformers Masterpiece Delta Magnus Combiner Computron 2016

Autobots Transformers MP-31 Masterpiece Delta Magnus Combiner Computron UW-08 2016

The Combiner Computron was an interesting piece because the packaging looks just like the US packaging with Japanese characters. Shinkalion was in all the stores and it appears to be a very popular line of toys right now.

Shinkalion E5 Hayabusa & Komachi E7 Kagayaki E3 Tsubasa 05 Takara Tomy Plarail robots at Lab Electronics

Shinkalion Takara Tomy 2016 Bullet Train Plarail

The Robot Spirits Tamashii Nations Bandai Arcadia Super Robots at Lab Electronics 2016

Robot Spirits Tamashii Nations Heavy Metal Auge Vifam Aura Battler Lab Electronics 2016

I was a little surprised to see the Aura Battler Dunbine figure. I didn’t think the series was very popular. At least not enough so that they would release new versions.

More pictures from Bic Camera

Dave December 14, 2016 Anime, Bandai, Gundam, Macross, Sentai No Comments

So I guess there was a decent amount of stuff if I have to make another post for Bic Camera. If I had to guess I think Bandai wanted to get into the building block business. So they came up with the Doubutsu Gattai ZyuohKing show to cash in on the cult that is Lego or maybe to give the robots a Minecraft look. They are kind of cool. Big, heavy, blocky, robots. It is an interesting idea at the very least. I would not buy any, but they did catch my eye every time I popped into a toy section of any department store in Japan. The DX Cube 123 King Zyuoh & 456 Dodekaioh were in a display where you could play with them hands on at another department store name Lab.

Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger DX Cube 123 King Zyuoh & 456 Dodekaioh by Bandai Japan

Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger DX Cube 123 King Zyuoh Bandai Ultraman Japan Gattai 2016 バンダイジュウオウキューブ/ジュウオウジャー

Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger DX Cube 123 King Zyuoh Bandai Ultraman figure Japan Gattai 2016

Is Ultraman still a thing? Just checked now, I guess that show is still going. I did not know it was an ongoing show. Just like the Super Sentai (Power Rangers in the US).

Getter Dragon, Getter 1, Z Mazinger, Destroid Monster Macross Bic Camera pictures

Getter Dragon, Getter 1, & Z Mazinger Dynamite Action, Destroid Monster Macross at Bic Camera

The Dynamite Action Getter Dragon figure looked pretty good. It looks like it popped right out of the cartoon. Based on what I see, I prefer it to the Soul of Chogokin version. They also have a Tetsujin 28 figure that looks pretty good. Their line of robots are totally up my alley but they seem a little pricy. I guess I will have to see how big they are.

Kaiju, Mecha Godzilla, Ultraman and more figures!

Did I ever mention I was a Godzilla fan?

Tomica Cars

The cars by Tomy are cool just because of the packaging for me. Japanese packaging has always been something I have loved about the toys. You can take them out, put them away and practically keep them brand new. In US packaging you have to destroy the packaging to take the toy out, think Matchbox cars for example.

Tomica Cars

The Robot Spirits Tamashii Nations Bandai Unicorn Gundam, Zaku & Sniper

More robots under the girls anime display, which I assume is more for guys than for girls. The Robot Spirits line by Tamashii Nations has a good selection of Gundam mobile suits and 80’s robots in the line. It seems to me to be the line that replaced the MS in Action!! line.

More Robot Spirits Gundam, Iron Man, Star Wars, Dragonballz figures

Checking out the Bic Camera toy section Ikeburo, Tokyo

Dave December 13, 2016 Bandai, Takara No Comments

Bic Camera Ikebukuro Tokyo

The first stop on our robot hunt started at Bic Camera a consumer electronics retailer chain in Japan. We went to the Tokyo Ikebukuro location. They have a solid toy section. It’s like Best Buy if they had a toy department and the store was 7 stories high(If you look at the picture you can see what is on each floor if you can read Japanese. It seems like each building/floor has a directory before you even go in). It has a nice selection of the newer robots like Shinkalion, Sentai Doubutsu Zyuohger Cube robots(look like they are made of Legos), a few Soul of Chogokin, Transformers, Gundam figures and Gunpla, Kaiju and Sentai figures. Half of the stuff I have never seen before. They also had new versions of robots from older anime like Votoms, Macross, Kotetsu Jeeg, Getta Robo, and Z Mazinger which is more my style. They also had a line from the Tomica Hyper Rescue which is a part of the Tomica Town line. The robots transform into cars and combine into larger robots. So Super Cool stuff you can only find in Japan.

They also have a variety of other toys you would see in Japan(kids toys, video games, gashapon, Legos, girls toys, etc). Now how did we end up there? Dave wandered in on a previous trip since it was close to the hotel.

Here are the pictures of what we found out there.

Mecha from the Tomy Plarail Shinkalion line E3 Tsubasa 05 and Tsubasa 06 Takara Tomy 2016

Mecha Shinkalion 700 Nozomi 07 and Hikari Railstar 08 Takara Tomy 2016 from Shinkansen Transformation Robo Shinkalion (新幹線変形ロボシンカリオン)

Mecha from Shinkalion the 700 Nozomi 07 and Hikari Railstar 08 by Takara Tomy in 2016 at Bic Camera

Here are the mecha from the Tomy Plarail line – Shinkalion the 700 and E3 series. They are bullet trains that transform into robots and are slotted for a Japan only release(My cousin Dave found this particularly appealing. I think he picked up all 4 of these). Looks like they started coming out in 2015. Tsubasa 05 & 06, Nozomi 07, and Hikari Railstar 08 by Takara Tomy in 2016. You can see a few videos on Shinkalion.com or more info in English on Animenewsnetwork here. If you want any of these, please pick them up from my Ebay links on the site! They help me keep my site running.

Shinkalion E3 Tsubasa 05 & 06, 700 Nozomi 07, Hikari Railstar 08, Takara Tomy Plarail line

Bic Camera Display of Votoms, Gundam, Jeeg, Mazinger, Destroid Monster, Valkyrie robots

We also found these Tomica Hyper Series Next Stage robots White Hope & Sonic Interceptor Walker Vehicle. If I was going to start collecting a new line it would be this one(I like these a lot more than the Shinkalion robots, I am not really a fan of train robots). I am afraid these are also Japan only releases but I am sure you can pick them up on my Ebay links. Takara Tomy has the complete line here.

トミカハイパーシリーズ Tomica Hyper Series Next Stage from the Tomica Town line by Takara Tomy - White Hope & Sonic Interceptor Walker Vehicle figures 2016

Tomica Hyper Series Next Stage by Takara – Tomy White Hope & Sonic Interceptor Walker Vehicle figures 2016

Tomica Hyper Series Next Stage from the Tomica Town line by Takara Tomy - White Hope & Sonic Interceptor Walker Vehicle figures 2016 back box トミカハイパーシリーズ

Tomica Hyper Series Next Stage by Takara Tomy White Hope & Sonic Interceptor Walker Vehicle figures 2016

Tomica Hyper Series Next Stage Special Riot Police Takara Tomy 2016

Bic Camera Gunpla

Hambrabi RX-139 MSIA 4.5″ Bandai 2005

Dave December 12, 2016 Bandai, Gundam No Comments

I picked up this Mobile Suit in Action!! figure at Mandarake with the Gaza C figures. This is the Hambrabi RX-139 MSIA 4.5″ from Bandai in 2005. I am not terribly fond of this figure design wise, but it rounds out my collection. The body and color is pretty cool but the head needs a redesign. I am actually surprised this is an Earth Federation Forces mobile suit instead an Axis Zeon suit. Most of the cool suits and variation come from the Zeon suits. It give some much needed reinforcements if I ever put up an Earth vs Zeon display.

The RX-139 Hambrabi is a transformable mobile suit featured in the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam anime tv series. That is the second Gundam tv series.

MSIA ハンブラビ Hambrabi RX-139 Mobile Suit in Action!! 4.5" Bandai 2005 from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζゼータガンダム Kidō Senshi Zēta Gandamu) 1985 anime tv series.

Hambrabi RX-139 Mobile Suit in Action!! 4.5″ Bandai 2005 MSIA

Hambrabi RX-139 Mobile Suit in Action!! 4.5″ Bandai 2005

Gaza C AMX-003 MSIA 4.5″ Bandai 2006

Dave December 9, 2016 Bandai, Gundam No Comments

Here are a couple Gaza C AMX-003 MSIA 4.5″ figures from Bandai that came out in 2006. I picked up a magenta one for $8 and gray one for $5 at Mandarake. I had been seeing these at $15. I have a lot of these figures and I love the enemy armors as the variety and design are more appealing. At $15 I really could not justify the purchase and hauling these home, but at $8 each I picked up 3 I did not already have.

The AMX-003 Gaza C figures are from the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (機動戦士Ζゼータガンダム Kidō Senshi Zēta Gandamu) 1985 anime tv series.

Gaza C AMX-003 Mobile Suit in Action!! 4.5″ Bandai 2006

The Mobile Suit in Action!! series is one of my favorite toy lines and one of the most extensive parts of my collection. The paint application, range of motion and articulation, attention to detail and all the accessories are why I love these. The Gaza C really is very faithful to the anime version and is a really nice looking robot.