Category: Other

Machine Blaster Bull Caesar by Takemi 1976

Marushin Toy Machine Blaster Bull Caesar Takemi 1976 from anime Blocker Gundan IV Machine Blaster タケミ ビッガー合金 ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター ブルシーザー

Marushin Toy Machine Blaster Bull Caesar Takemi 1976 from anime Blocker Gundan IV Machine Blaster

This is the Machine Blaster Bull Caesar by Takemi in 1976. I paid $38 for each of these(Bull Caesar and the Robo Kress) whenever I bought these.  I could not figure out what these two robots I picked were. The box and catalog were all in Japanese. The internet was not nearly as fast as it is now, so it took hours(forever) to do the research I can do in a few minutes now.  So I never really bothered until I setup this site. The seller I picked these up from had no idea either.  These were likely listed as die cast metal Japanese robots.

Marushin Toy Machine Blaster Bull Caesar Takemi 1976 from anime タケミ ビッガー合金 ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター ブルシーザー accessories, fists, shooters

Marushin Machine Blaster Bull Caesar Takemi 1976 Accessories

When I got them, I thought they were ugly, cheap, poorly made pieces of metal. Maybe even bootleg versions of some cool anime. I was spoiled by the quality of other Japanese toy companies like Bandai, Takara, and Takatoku robots. I was so disappointed with these, that I promptly stuck them in a box and did not look at them till I took this picture three years ago. When I finally found a little more about them, I was a little intrigued. This is the 5″ Machine Blaster Bull Caesar by Takemi from their Bigger Gokin series. Its from the  anime Blocker Gundan IV Machine Blaster(ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター ) in 1976-1977. It is an early super robot, so I could forgive how crudely these were made and give them a little leeway.

Marushin Toy Machine Blaster Bull Caesar Takemi 1976 from anime タケミ ビッガー合金 ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター ブルシーザー front box

Marushin Toy Machine Blaster Bull Caesar Takemi 1976 from anime タケミ ビッガー合金 ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター ブルシーザー back box

The anime was popular in Europe and especially in Italy, so you can find the robots there too. These robots have a beefy Gokin heft. There is plenty of diecast metal in each robot. The Machine Blaster robots came out around the same time as the Shogun Warriors 5 inch robots, so I am little sad they did not put more thought into the design and quality of these. When I look at them, they remind me more or cheap Taiwan knock offs of the time. That being said, these are nice little time capsules of early super robots before Popy put out the Chogokin we reminisce about today.



So I finally updated the images on this post. This is the old image below. The yellowness really seems to come out on my old iPhone 4 pictures.

Bull Caesar 1976 diecast metal robot from Takemi from anime Blocker Gundan IV Machine Blaster 1976-1977 (ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター ) aka Astrorobot Contatto Ypsilon in Italy (Army Corps IV) Machine Blaster Bull Caesar

Bull Caesar 1976 diecast metal robot from Takemi from anime Blocker Gundan IV Machine Blaster 1976-1977 (ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター ) aka Astrorobot Contatto Ypsilon in Italy (Army Corps IV)

Toy Planet East Urawa Store

My cousin Dave and I finally went on a trip to Japan together to go robot hunting. The first place we made it to after going to Midori Sushi in Tokyo was Toy Planet. The East Urawa store was an hour out of Ikebukuro Tokyo by subway. It was the closest location to us. I have no idea how my cousin found it as we had to transfer trains to get there and he cannot read kanji. Toy Planet carries a wide assortment of toys like a Toys R’ Us for used toys or Goodwill(except well organized and clean).  So old video games from the Super Famicom to the current generation of systems, Tomy cars, a lot of trains including Thomas, Super Sentai robots from the last 5-7 years, a wall of Gunpla, dolls & dollhouses, baby toys, anime figures, a few Soul of Chogokin, etc.

A couple of years ago my cousin found me a Hikaru Bandai 1/55 scale Origin of Valkyrie with armor, some loose DX Sentai robots, and my Aura Battler Billbine. Toy Planet is a big box store for Japan, but it is outside of Tokyo.

Toy Planet East Urawa Store used toy store with cousin Dave

Toy Planet East Urawa Store used toys, hobbie and video games. This is a huge store for Japan.

 

The selection of robots is mostly current toys or from the last few years. There were only a few older pieces from the 1980’s. They had a few Chogokin pieces that were way out of my price range like the Popy Godsigma and Daltanious. Behind the counter they had a 1991 Bandai Hi Metal Super Valkyrie on layaway. I was tempted to pick up a Takatoku Macross Block System SDF-1 from 1983 for $40. But it looked and felt really cheaply made. I picked up a Destron Laserwave(Shockwave) Masterpiece Transformer, some Japanese PlayStation 1 games and Machine Robo Baikanfu which I found by accident as we were about to leave. The Baikanfu was a real find. I honestly did not think they would have and robots from the 1980’s I could afford. Dave picked up a Mushagundamcloth which came out in 1989. He found this store on a YouTube video. Go figure.

Here is a link to their site if you plan to make it out to one of their 7 branches. Google Translate helped read about them a little bit. They may have more branches but it does not look like they have updated the site since 2007 based on the copyright date on the bottom of the site. If you are in Japan for a little toy hunting, its not a bad little 4 hour day trip.

http://www.toyplanet.jp/index.html

Toy Planet East Urawa Store used toy store with cousin Dave

I think they need a bigger sign.

Here is what I picked up. I will add Dave’s later when I have the picture.

Machine Robo DX Baikanfu Series C Bandai 1987

Machine Robo DX Baikanfu Series C Bandai 1987

Transformers Masterpiece Destron Laserwave MP 29 Takara Tomy 2016

Transformers Masterpiece Destron Laserwave MP-29 Takara Tomy 2016

Realtype Mushagundamcloth DX Bandai 1989 Japan Samurai Gundam cover illustration by Yoshiyuki Takani

Realtype Mushagundamcloth DX Bandai 1989 Japan

Hawk Overlord Polyfect Toys 2013

Long time, no post. Its been over a month since my last on. When I found this at the local store and decided I just had to put it up.

Here is a knock off of a Bandai robot from the 90’s. Its the Jet Icarus from the tv show Chojin Sentai Jetman in 1991. The Hawk Overlord Polyfect Toys figure is only $7.99 at your local Tuesday Morning if they have them. It’s the cheapest way to pickup a Jet Icarus figure aside from getting a Soul of Hyper Figuration figure on Ebay. Otherwise a 8″ plastic 1990’s version will run you $140 – $200.

If you don’t mind a cheap plastic robot that does not have the quality of Bandai made product, it’s not bad. The store also had a  “Change Robot” that was of even lesser quality. Now that was an ugly robot. I should probably put it up with the other bootlegs I have posted. Sometimes the uglier it is , the better it is to gawk at. Anyway, the Hawk Overlord looks pretty decent for what it is. Polyfect puts out a decent looking bootleg. It looks like one of the nicer robots from this line, like the Voltron and Constructicon knock offs they put out. Based on the instructions on the back, it looks like it actually transforms! I am tempted to pick one up for fun. I am curious to see how well they transform and get a closer look at the finish and quality.

Hawk Overload Polyfect Toys 2013 is a knock off/bootleg of Jet Icarus Jetman ko

Hawk Overload Polyfect Toys 2013


 

Hawk Overload Polyfect Toys 2013 is a knock off/bootleg of Jet Icarus Jetman ko

Hawk Overload Polyfect Toys 2013


 

Machine Blaster Robo Kress by Takemi 1976

I bought these old clunky robots 10 -15 years ago and they were pretty cheap. I really had no idea what they were. I do not think the seller did either. They were listed on Ebay with the most generic terms. Probably something like die cast metal Japanese robot. I was curious and they were listed around $15-25. So I figured what the heck. When I received them, I was so put off, I promptly stuck them in a box and did not look at them till I took these pictures in 2013.

Over the years, I finally found a little more about them. This is the 5″ Machine Blaster Robo Kress by Takemi which is an odd little robot from their Bigger Gokin series. Its from the  anime Blocker Gundan IV Machine Blaster(ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター ) in 1976-1977.  The anime was popular in Europe, so you can find the robots there as well. If you like your diecast metal, this one has plenty. They feel like they are completely made of metal based on their weight. They remind me of the Shogun Warriors 5 inch robots of the 70’s, but so crudely made. The design and finish are pretty poor. They are like the ugly cousins of the Clover Dunbine robots I have.

I took these pictures way back when I first created the site. The quality was so bad and the pictures were so yellow that I decided not to use them. But, since I have been too lazy to post anything. Well, here it is. I used a photo editor but these are still really bad. These are pictures from when I used my iPhone 4 for pics. I promise to put up better pictures when I find these again.

Machine Blaster Robo Kress 1976 diecast metal robot from Takemi from anime Blocker Gundan IV Machine Blaster 1976-1977 (ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター ) aka Astrorobot Contatto Ypsilon in Italy (Army Corps IV)

Robo Kress 1976 diecast metal robot from Takemi from anime Blocker Gundan IV Machine Blaster 1976-1977 ブロッカー軍団Ⅳマシーンブラスター


 
 

Imaginext Power Rangers Morphing Megazord Fisher-Price

I found the Fisher-Price Imaginext Power Rangers Morphing Megazord(that’s a mouthful!) at Target. It was a bit of a surprise. I did not think the first Megazord(the Dino Megazord came out in 1993!) would still have any interest. I figured they would only have the current Power Rangers stuff out. Who would remember Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, except for maybe the parents. Anyway, seeing a 23 year old Super Sentai robot was a was a nice surprise. Major blast from the past.

It reminds me a bit of the Playskool Epic Optimus Prime I posted 2 years ago as it is similar in size and style. Even the back part is hollowed out like the Epic Optimus, but this is way taller. I have to think they have the same designer. While the Epic Optimus was 22″ this one is a whopping 27″. It is by far the biggest robot I have ever seen. Design wise it is a bit closer to the actual robot from the tv show, than I thought it would be. Which is a nice plus. I have always been fond of Super Sentai robots, even if I did not care much for the shows. Looks like this generation has the Epic Optimus and the Imaginext  Morphin Megazord as Jumbo Machinders for their nostalgic robot memories.

Fisher-Price Imaginext Power Rangers Morphing Megazord 2015

Fisher-Price Imaginext Power Rangers Morphing Megazord 2015

For you Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fans this may be the piece to get, if not the Power Rangers Limited Black Edition Legacy Megazord at Toys R’ Us



Polyfect Toys Firefighter 7″ combiner robots

Here is the Polyfect Toys Firefighter 7″  a combiner robot knockoff of the Transformers Defensor with a new job title: Firefighter. I guess I would rather be a firefighter instead of a defender. His new color scheme really matches his new theme and it looks pretty good. I think I prefer it to the original. Of Polyfect Toys  robots I have put up so far, this is my favorite. It looks good as a combined robot, the colors sync(which is what made Devastator a nice looking robot despite the heinous green they used), and the design as a whole robot . I would have to take this apart and play with it to see if each of the individual robots  look good by themselves, but at the very least this looks like good display piece if you do not want to fork out $130 for a reissue Defensor. Or it might be cool to display right next to your Defensor. I like displaying my Popy ST robots next to their DX counterparts.

 

Polyfect Toys Firefighter 7" combiner robots made in china C-76 Generation 1 Autobot G1 Defensor Knockoff clone bootleg Protectobots -  Foreign names- Japanese- Guardian (ガーディアン Gādian), Mandarin- Bǎu-wèi Jě (Taiwan, 保衛者, "Defensor" or "Guardian"), Shǒuhùshén (China, 守护神, "Protector God")

Polyfect Toys Firefighter 7″ combiner robots Transformers Defensor Knock off

The Polyfect versions are not the same scale as the original robots, but they are still tempting to add to the collection for fun. I don’t actually have a Firefighter robot yet, but I am thinking about it.

Polyfect Toys Firefighter 7" combiner robots made in china C-76 Generation 1 Autobot G1 Defensor Knockoff clone bootleg Protectobots -  Foreign names- Japanese- Guardian (ガーディアン Gādian), Mandarin- Bǎu-wèi Jě (Taiwan, 保衛者, "Defensor" or "Guardian"), Shǒuhùshén (China, 守护神, "Protector God")

Polyfect Toys Firefighter 7″ combiner robots Transformers Defensor Knock off





Polyfect Toys Firefighter 7" combiner robots made in china C-76 Generation 1 Autobot G1 Defensor Knockoff clone bootleg Protectobots -  Foreign names- Japanese- Guardian (ガーディアン Gādian), Mandarin- Bǎu-wèi Jě (Taiwan, 保衛者, "Defensor" or "Guardian"), Shǒuhùshén (China, 守护神, "Protector God")

Polyfect Toys Firefighter 7″ combiner robots Transformers Defensor Knock off


Slusher Car Polyfect Toys

Here is another Polyfect robot, the Slusher Car. The names for these are so bad I don’t know what to say.  So far I have put up the robots Construction, Tornadonumber, and now Slusher Car from good old Polyfect Toys. That last one is just terrible. I really wonder who came up with these names. Was it the one guy at the company that knew English or what? I mean when I read that, I see Slushee Car.

This robot took forever to figure out which robot it was a copy of. I love the mystery this presents. After digging, this is the Transformers Sixbuilder Micromaster in 1992 from the Generation 1 series. At first look, I do not particularly care for the color scheme. Design wise it does remind me of Devastator a little bit, but more solid(which I like).  Especially the wing on the chest. So it may grow on me. While the colors really throw me off, there is a version of Sixbuilder comes in Devastator green that I would pick up. If you are going to make a knock off, you could at least try to improve it by using  a better color scheme. At this point I cannot say it will ever grace my display shelves. It is 6 robots that combine into one, so if each robot transforms it may be fun to play with. I can bring it to work and transform it on my desk when I am bored.

 

Polyfect Slusher Car  based on the Transformers Sixbuilder (Micromaster, 1992)  Japanese ID number: TF-01

Slusher Car Polyfect Toys

Anyway, it is hard to beat the cheap fun of a combiner Transformer for $5.99. Checkout your local Dollar Store for one of these cheaply made plastic robots.

 

Polyfect Slusher Car  based on the Transformers Sixbuilder (Micromaster, 1992)  Japanese ID number: TF-01

Slusher Car Polyfect Toys

Polyfect Slusher Car based on the Transformers Sixbuilder (Micromaster, 1992) Japanese ID number: TF-01

Polyfect Slusher Car

 

Harmony Super Change Avion Transformable Robot

I was just resizing my images when I found this last bootleg the Super Change Robot from Harmony on my trip to France last year.  Two of the same robots in red and yellow. I can’t figure out which robot this is a knockoff of. I am guessing it was a Transformer, but not sure which one. This is from the same store in Lourdes(France) right across the street from the chapel on the field. They sell a lot of religious tourist trap stuff at the store, but they also had some toys to keep the kids from driving their parents nuts religious pilgrimage. I would not pay 5 euros for these robots.

 

Harmony Super Change Avion Transformable Robot Bootleg KO Knockoff

Harmony Super Change Avion Transformable Robot

From the first picture you can see Harmony makes a bunch of other cheap toys. I could not find any info on the net for the Harmony Super Change Avion Transformable en Robot Plastique. So I guess I am the only one who has a post on this little bugger. Anyways, I always find the bootlegs pretty fun to post. I am sure I will find more soon. It is odd that the text ,”Avion Transformable en Robot Plastique” means Transformable Robot Plastic airplane when it is clearly a robot car. Go figure.  Someone needs to learn French.

Harmony Super Change Avion Transformable Robot

Harmony Super Change Avion Transformable Robot



Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 2009 Taito 1/590 scale

So I have been looking for a gift to myself this year and I have decided on the Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale made by Taito. Sadly the wave motion gun does not light up. I found it on Amazon for $80 and it is pretty amazing. It is 45cm of ship from Taito(17.5 inches long!). No pictures yet(I finally got it March 3! I blame the West Coast port strike), as I am still waiting for it to ship to my house from Japan(Time frames are 30-50 days, does that sound right?). But it looks pretty amazing. I was not planning to get anything from this series, but just started(Finished, and it was frickin amazing) watching Space Battleship Yamato 2199 and started to look for something cool to pick up since I do not have anything from that series. I am trying to figure out how to watch Space Battleship Yamato Resurrection. I am having a hard time finding it anywhere. I watched the American version of the anime in the late 70’s as Star Blazers and I loved it. It was the best cartoon I had seen in my life up to that time. This is the reason I love anime and most likely robots as well. The Transformers and Robotech cartoons came out, then I was hooked.

Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale from 2009 is made by Taito. It is 45 cm or 17.71 inches

Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale from 2009 is made by Taito. It is 45 cm or 17.5 inches

Thanks to Ourstarblazers.com(see more cool Star Blazers toys on that link) I found out this ship is one of the first toys that matches the specs on the ship from the anime exactly. The  computer generated graphics specifications can be used to generate  a solid real life version of what you see in the cartoon! That makes this particular piece pretty amazing. I wish the ship had the wings, but it really does not take away much on the ship. But honestly I just wanted the largest, nicest, cheapest version of the Argo(Yamato, whatever!)  I could find. Usually I really lean towards the die cast metal version(like the Nomura one in 1978 or the Soul of Chogokin BPX-01), but this Yamato really captures everything I love about the ship. The details are amazing. I love the moving turrets, gun barrels you can raise and lower, and the 3rd bridge hatch opens . It’s all plastic, but it’s a beautiful piece and I love it.

Thanks for checking out the site. I went from 768 page views last year which were mostly all me and my cousin, to 8,868 views so far this year and counting. Wishing you all a merry Christmas!

Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale from 2009 is made by Taito. It is 45 cm or 17.71 inches back of box

Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale from 2009 is made by Taito. It is 45 cm or 17.71 inches

Shock Cannons(ショックカノン) Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1590 scale 2009 45 cm

Shock Cannons Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1590 scale 2009 45 cm

Hangar Deck & Pulse Lasers Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale 2009 45 cm

Taito Yamato Hangar Deck & Pulse Lasers 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale 2009 45 cm

Wave Motion Gun (波動砲 hadō hō) Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale 2009 45 cm

Wave Motion Gun (波動砲 hadō hō) Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale 2009 45 cm

Pulse Lasers & Bridge Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 2009 45 cm

Pulse Lasers Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 2009 45 cm

Wave Motion Engine (波動エンジン hadō enjin) Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale 2009 45 cm

Wave Motion Engine Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale 2009 45 cm

Wave Motion Engine Rear View Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 2009

Wave Motion Engine Rear View Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 2009

Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale 2009 45 cm by Taito

Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale 2009 45 cm by Taito

Cannons, Pulse Lasers and Bridge Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1-590 2009 45 cm

Cannons, Pulse Lasers and Bridge – Taito Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 2009 45 cm

Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale from 2009 is made by Taito. It is 45 cm from anime Yamato Resurrection

Space Battleship Yamato 2220 Super Mechanics 1/590 scale from 2009 is made by Taito. It is 45 cm

This picture give you a little more perspective on how big it is. Leave some comments if you think it is as amazing as I do…

Polyfect Tornadonumber

Tornado Number is from Polyfect Toys. It is another dollar store find. It appears to be a knockoff of a series that never made it over to the US. Granbird  from the anime  Brave Fighter Sun of Great Fighbird back in 1991-1992 came right after Transformers Generation 1 ended. I am not a fan of the Brave Series robots design wise. Takara made some robots for this in DX deluxe or STD standard versions. A lot of the robots from the series are recycled and modified from the Transformers cartoon.

Sorry, I won’t be putting up any images of this in robot mode as I will not be adding it to my collection. But the quality and build looks better than most robot knockoffs I have seen. If I actually liked the robot it would be on display now. It may be cheaply made, but it does not look cheap. They are fun additions to the site, so I will put them up on my site until they stop making them.

 

Polyfect Tornadonumber Tornado Number aka Granbird  from the anime  Brave Fighter Sun of Great Fighbird in 1991-1992 Taiyō no Yūsha Fighbird 太陽の勇者ファイバード (Japanese)

Polyfect Tornadonumber

Polyfect Toys makes a number of knockoff toys or KO for short, but the quality is much better than I would have thought initially based on Construction the Devastator KO I picked up from them. Even if they do not last, $5.99 for a cheap plastic robot will not break the bank for a nice little display robot.

Polyfect Tornadonumber Tornado Number aka Granbird  from the anime  Brave Fighter Sun of Great Fighbird in 1991-1992 Taiyō no Yūsha Fighbird 太陽の勇者ファイバード (Japanese)

Polyfect Tornado Number

I put an image of the Takara Granbird below. Look familiar?

Yuusha The Brave Fighter Of Sun Fighbird DX Granbird Takara 1991 タカラ 太陽の勇者ファイバード   グランバード DX

Yuusha The Brave Fighter Of Sun Fighbird DX Granbird Takara 1991

Polyfect Tornadonumber Tornado Number aka Granbird  from the anime  Brave Fighter Sun of Great Fighbird in 1991-1992 Taiyō no Yūsha Fighbird 太陽の勇者ファイバード (Japanese)

Polyfect Tornadonumber Tornado Number