Category: Clover

So this is my first post in a while. I have been meaning to put up some of my new robots. Here is a new one from my cousin’s trip to Japan.

Aura Battler Billbine 1/46 scale SF Fantasy Figure from anime Seisenshi Dunbine 1983-1984

My cousin found this Aura Battler Billbine in a Mandarake in Akihabara. I was surprised it was only 1,080 yen(about $10 ) for an 80’s die cast metal robot. When I got it, I realized it may be a knock off. I was looking for the little Clover leaf emblem like I see on my other Aura Battler robots. But I did not see one. See the box on the bottom right? Usually the ST icon is there. The Aura Battler Dunbine robots were the last toys made by Clover. I have read conflicting reports that this Billbine may have had the molds created by Clover, then manufactured by Tomy who picked up their licenses when they folded. The box looks a lot like the Clover boxes for Aura Battler Dunbine robots. The ST icon is a Japanese safety standard not required on exported toys. So this is likely a Tomy toy made for export, as the box was unbranded/unmarked with English instructions,  but the box and robot markings indicate it was made in Japan. So yay! I have a Tomy produced Billbine.

Aura Battler Billbine 1/46 scale SF Fantasy Figure from anime Seisenshi Dunbine 1983-1984

Even if this is a bootleg, it is solid/decent die cast metal robot. Nothing about it wows me, but Clover robots rarely do. I am guessing it was probably made in the same factory as mold seems pretty solid for this robot. I do not care for the color scheme (white, red and yellow plastic with some metallic metal stickers). The legs, arms, wings, and head are plastic. But the body is mostly metal. It would have looked a lot better if the robot was bluish gray as it shows on the images in the back and box art instead of the white plastic and paint application. The hands have big bird claws on the end, but they remind me of Wolverine’s claws from the X-Men.

Aura Battler Billbine 1/46 scale SF Fantasy Figure from anime Seisenshi Dunbine 1983-1984

It’s interesting how much time they spent on wrapping this. That is a lot of time to spend on a $10 robot. I am trying to figure out if they did this to protect the packaging from water or for some other reason. After spending some time with the box, it is pretty musty. I am starting to understand why it is under wraps. As with most of the Clover robots, the box art and images are one of the nicest parts of the toy sadly enough.

Aura Battler Billbine 1/46 scale SF Fantasy Figure from anime Seisenshi Dunbine 1983-1984

Aura Battler Billbine 1/46 scale SF Fantasy Figure from anime Seisenshi Dunbine 1983-1984

The toy comes as a robot and transforms into as some kind of flying bird form. The bird form reminds me a bit of the Brave Raideen’s transformation. The feet can be squeezed together to resemble bird feet.  The wings on the back actually provide the largest range of motion and I think this is my favorite part of the robot. I was able to pose the robot with various wing configurations. The robot comes with 2 cannons you can mount on the back or put in his hands. It comes with 3 orange yellow missiles. The sword on the box illustrations is nowhere to be found though. It would be nice to pop one of those into Billbine’s hands. The robot itself barely moves or has any articulation,  but the knees and hips rotate.

I will put out some pictures from the robot itself when I get the time…

Aura Battler Billbine 1/46 scale SF Fantasy Figure from anime Seisenshi Dunbine 1983-1984

About 10-15 years ago I picked up a few cheap Aura Battler Dunbine robots when I really did not know much about robots. Mostly I was just curious as I had never seen them before. These were not robots I wanted when I was young(like the Macross and Transformers robots), so I picked up a few for fun. None of them were amazing and I really didn’t care too much about them until I learned more about the history of them and the company that made them.

Clover made a few cool robots like the Daitarn, Zambot III, Daioja and the first Gundam robots. So having these robots now is a little bit of history. So even if I cannot pick up the Clover DX Gundam’s anytime soon, the Dunbine robots will do for now.

I found the first episode of Aura Battler Dunbine on YouTube which is kind of a kick. I did not think they ported it over to English. Go figure.

The Clover Dunbine rears its head one last time. This one is a bit smaller. The 1/86 scale Dunbine appears to be a much smaller ST version and the  1/46 scale is likely the DX size of this robot. The figure is much smaller with a lot less detail than the 1/46 scale. It reminds me a bit of the 1/100 scale Giant Gorg I had. It is a small clunky robot with very little detail and was a disappointment that had a surprising amount of die cast metal. Sadly, the robot is poorly conceived, negligible articulation, and robot size is a bit small. I think it would have made more sense to make the 1/46 scale an ST model and a slightly larger model the DX version.

For me, the packaging is my favorite part of this toy. It is a great box and the cover art eclipses the toy itself easily. It’s sad when the best thing you can say about a robot is that it has a nice box. In fact the robot looks quite a bit better on the back of the box than it does in real life. Anyway, the fact that this is the last hurrah for Clover before they went out of business is telling.

Aura Battler Dunbine 1983 Clover 1/86 Scale

Aura Battler Dunbine 1983 Clover 1/86 Scale

Aura Battler Dunbine 1983 Clover 1/86 Scale styrofoam insert from anime Holy Warrior Dunbine 1983-1984

Aura Battler Dana-O’Shee Clover 1/58 scale 1983 from anime Aura Battler Dunbine 1983-1984

Gotta love those Japanese! I laugh every time I look at the placement of this insect mecha’s “tail’ as it were. Reminds of the Zone of the Enders robot or the trigger on the Shockwave before they made it a Transformer. Do a quick image search and you will know what I mean. LOL, I am dying here. Sorry, I have to figure out how to move on. I have never seen the anime, but after reading the synopsis it makes me think of Vision of Escaflowne. Robots, knights, and fairies in the time of chivalry. Sounds like fun if they set it up right.

Checking out Dana O’Shee, the robot has such an organic feel. Rounded body parts, insect like, its kind of awkward looking for a robot. The legs look like they walk the other way. The design is kind of funky, but it does have character. I can imagine this would have been a great Insecticon if it could transform, but it doesn’t. I got these around 2003-2007 because I was curious and I got a cheap run of them for about $40 each. I had never seen or heard of them before. When I got them I remember being disappointed. Now oddly enough, I am glad I got a few of these, as they have an ungodly amount of die cast metal. It’s a heavy little bugger. They have a satisfying heft to them.

The design, articulation and build are pretty standard for a Clover robot. Clunky poor design, lots of metal, barely any articulation, and does a poor job of representing the anime robot. Now that I know more about theses robots and have watched a little bit of the anime.

Here is the opening for the anime Aura Battler Dunbine from 1983-1984. Fun stuff.

Aura Battler Dana-O’Shee Clover 1/58 scale 1983 from anime Aura Battler Dunbine 1983-1984

Aura Battler Dana-O’Shee Clover 1/58 scale 1983 from anime Aura Battler Dunbine 1983-1984

Aura Battler Dana-O’Shee Clover 1/58 scale 1983 from anime Aura Battler Dunbine 1983-1984

This is a robot from the 80’s I have only seen online. I knew nothing about this series before I bought it, but I found it when I was searching for the Clover Gundam. It is from an anime series from one of the guys who brought you Mobile Suit Gundam. The Aura Battler Dunbine is a series based on knights  with robots  instead of armor. So if you dig medieval times with dragons and fairies, just throw in some kick ass robots and voila you have Aura Battler Dunbine.

Unfortunately, this is the last batch of toys Clover came out with before they went out of business. These little robots are amazingly heavy and full of die cast metal goodness. Too bad these are a bit clunky when compared to Takatoku’s amazing Valkyrie but this may be part of the reason Clover is not around anymore. The Gundam robots Clover made are really terrible design wise, but they have a heavy die cast metal appeal for me. The Virunvee is one of the better looking robots this line.

Here is the opening trailer. The robots are pretty sharp in the cartoon, not so much as a Chogokin. Looks like it might be worth an episode or two to check out.

Aura Battler Virunvee Clover 1/58 Scale 1983

Aura Battler Virunvee Clover 1/58 Scale 1983

Aura Battler Virunvee Clover 1/58 Scale 1983

Aura Battler Virunvee Clover 1/58 Scale 1983

Honestly, not really sure why I got the Britt Jetter. I must have found the box art appealing(I actually like the Srungle ST and DX which are part of this line). But when I opened the box to check out the robot, I was not impressed. This one is a chunk of metal with arms and legs that move. This is one of the worst pieces I own. At least with the Shogun Warriors they were classic and appealing to look at.  The robot itself reminds of an old 80’s robot I really feel distaste for, the Starriors or a Zoid. If they had only stayed true to the image on the box I think we would have something. Sadly they made a short, stumpy version of what looks like a pretty decent mech.

Though Clover seems to be known for making big clumsy clumps of metal they call robots. I would like to pick up one of their pieces though. The Clover Gundam pieces I feel are pieces of history and I would love to have one.

Britt Jetter is from the anime Akū Daisakusen Srungle or Mission Outer Space Srungle from 1983-1984.

Britt Jetter 1/100 scale Srungle System Mecha Colection No.2 ST Clover 1983 from anime Akū Daisakusen Srungle 1983-1984

I am curious about the robot on the side of the box Babysaurs. It looks like a cool robot, but never seen it on ebay or on the internet. It is like it does not exist, which is interesting in itself. Maybe I will find it one day.

Britt Jetter 1/100 scale Srungle System Mecha Colection No.2 ST Clover 1983

Britt Jetter 1/100 scale Srungle System Mecha Colection No.2 ST Clover 1983

Britt Jetter 1/100 scale Srungle System Mecha Colection No.2 ST Clover 1983

Britt Jetter 1/100 scale Srungle System Mecha Colection No.2 ST Clover 1983