optimus prime / inazuman / denys fisher cyborg

97377570041603
J A P A N E S E
TO Y CULTURE
O P T IM U S
T R A N S F O R M E R S / J U M B O M A C H IN D E R S / D E S IG N E R V I N Y L S / M IC R O M A N / D IE - C A S T / V IN T A G E V I N Y L
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R O B O D A C H I / U .S . D E S IG N E R V I N Y L S / B U L L M A R K D IE - C A S T / M O R E
O P T IM U S P R IM E / IN A Z U M A N / D E N Y S F IS H E R C Y B O R G
G B I
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H O M E OF O F F I C I A L G E N E R A T I O N K I K A I D A T R A D I N G C A R D S ,
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of JN Productions, Inc. © Copyright 2001 TOEI CO., LTD. & 1SHIM0RI PRO.
i i mi mi muii iii i mi in uni in
05
Editorial
by M ark Nagata and Brian Flynn
09
Updates
by S taff
13
M icro nau t Colum n
by Bwana Spoons
14
Designer V inyls Colum n
by Jim C raw ford and G regory Blum o f STRANGEco.
18
20 Years o f O ptim us Prime
by Jack H urw itz o fT fo rm ers.com
28
Inazuman - Like a M oth To a Flame
by Brian Flynn
34
Robodachi: Robocon in a Parallel Universe
by W arren Schwartz
42
Half-M an, Half-M achine: Cyborg's Sorted Story
by Chad Hensley
46
Attack o f the Bull Pets
by M ike Johnson
53
A rt G allery
Featuring: Aaron Piland, Bob Eggleton, Jen Rarey,
Jon Kelly Green,Tyke W itnes
61
All Balloons Pop
By Jim b o M attison
Page 34
03
LimiTLESS IfTlAGinATIOn
»o and Its logo and TRANSFORMERS and all related <
laracters are trademark of Hasbro and are used with
.permission. © 2005 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.
E D IT O R IA L «- «A FEW W O R D S FR O M M A R K N A G A TA
Is collecting toys genetically based or a learned behavior?
I'm leaning tow ards the genetic factor... a secret gene that
is only activated when a child is exposed to cool Japanese
toys. It happened to me when I was 8. And now w ith my
son, M ax, I see the same enthusiasm and obsession.
Scary... but unlike m y ow n father, I understand when he
says that he has to collect them ALL!
Genetics may sub lim e ly hook you, but beyond th a t one has
to learn how to make good toy buying decisions.
W hich brings me to one o f the purposes w ith th is magazine,
and that is to expose readers to a variety o f to y lines and
relaying in fo rm atio n about them .
W ith this th ird issue, we em bark on a huge m u lti issue
project concerning O ptim us Prime. W hen w e're done, you
w ill d e finite ly know ju st about everything there is to know
about this cool to y line. We also cover Denys Fisher Cyborgs
and Inazuman. And ou r reg ular co lu m n s round out yet
another fan ta stic issue. If none o f these articles d o n 't
awaken you r Japanese to y collecting gene... then perhaps
you d o n 't have one!
Check out our w eb site fo r the latest in fo on upcom ing
issues and toy exclusives! We're also looking fo r pictures
from our readers of th e ir to y collections. If you have a cool
collection you'd like to show o ff in a fu tu re issue o f Super7,
please em ail me fo r m ore details.
-M ark
/
m a rk@ su p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
/
Illustration by Mark Nagata
6/18/03
Well, I've been laying pretty low up to th is point. In fact, I have
been hovering som ew here ju st below radar fo r the firs t couple of
issues. M ainly, because I have been try in g to play a bit m ore of
the Wizard behind the curtain to M ark's D orothy - if you know
what I mean (and I mean Dorothy in the m ost endearing way, Mark).
But I digress. N ow tha t I've com e up fo r air, it looks like the sun is
shining and I've got a fe w th in g s to say. In oth er w ords, I've got
some shout-outs!
First off, I w ant to thank a few people w h o have helped make a lot
of people's to y collectin g lives easier over the last fe w years.
Nam ely Tom Franck, Alen Yen, M in ister o f Mass Inform a tion M att
A lt, and the hordes o f in d iv id u a ls w h o have c o n trib u te d to
ToyboxDX.com and cooljapanesetoys.com over the last several years.
For a few o f the younger collectors, I w ill spare you the "oldtim e rs " story, but, the state o f Japanese to y collecting in the pre­
in te rn e t years was c o m p le te ly d iffe re n t tha n it is today.
Inform ation used to be held in quiet reserve, was d iffic u lt to come
by, and was generally only attained th ro u g h years o f solitude and
research (and lots o f luck). There w ere scattered h a n d fu lls of
collectors, and no form al w ay to dissem inate any in fo rm a tio n .
There was ONE to y book (actually, there w a sn't even tha t w hen I
started).
W hen the age o f the internet hit us, there were some great fan
sites, but Tom Franck's cooljapanesetoys.com was the firs t largescale, in fo rm a tio n hub th a t w e take fo r granted these days. It
was hotter than the boxes o f GA-01 m azinger die-casts bootlegs
fro m a few years back. A ltho ug h m ostly static these days, CJT
used to the nervous system that m ost new (and old) collectors
checked into on a da ily basis fo r years. It was the first.
Not too long thereafter, Alen Yen'sToyboxDX sprang up, and was,
at firs t, a personal to y hom age by Mr. Yen him self. Alen even
sold a fe w toys to help pay fo r the webspace back then! A fter a
fe w years, and a ton o f netw orking later, Alen has q u ie tly taken a
back seat to the spra w ling , contributor-laden w ebsite it is today.
ToyboxD X is a p re tty seam less flo w in g o f personal tid b its ,
investigative jo u rn a lism and good natured jabberjaw ing. I still
check the rum ble on a nearly da ily basis. (When are you going to
feature Dom o-kun? Flaro is cool, but c'm on - he's DOMO-KUN.)
That brings us to today. W ith the launch o f this magazine, as w ell
as super7m agazine.com , we hope to be another resource fo r
you, as w ell as a source of discussion and consternation. Check us
out, hit the message boards, talk some trash, and enjoy the hobby.
D on't w o rry about c10 boxes, th ro w away instruction sheets, and
unbag you r vinyls. Until then, I'll be ignoring you r emails.
-Brian
Check out:
w w w .s u p er7 m ag azin e .c o n n w w w .to y b o xd x.c o m
w w w .strangeco .com
w w w .c lu b to k y o .o rg w w w .tfo rm e rs .c o m w w w .c o o lja p a n e s e to y s .c o m
05
ALLIES OF THE
DEVOLUTION
7 1 T H E K ID S W IL L H A V E T H E IR S A Y
' 1
D IT C H W O RK, GO S K A T IN G
W W W .A LLIESO FTHEREVO LU TIO N.CO M
,
R=E &
©2002
V IV A
I
U
fcEVOlUTIGN
A V A I L A B L E AT:
T R U E ;SF
UPPER PLAYG RO UND:SF
R O L O :SF
G IA N T R O B O T S T O R E :LA
IN D IG O FL O W ER :SM
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JUST B E :PDX
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W W W .TH EG IA N TPE A C H .C O M
Super7 Magazine, V o lu m e l Issue3 - August 2003
S U B S C R IP T IO N IN F O R M A T IO N «- «-
Publisher
Super? Media, inc.
Editor
Mark Nagata
Design / Assistant Editor
Brian Flynn / Hybrid Design, Inc.
Design Intern: G eoff A llen
www.hybrid101.com
M arketing / Sales
Shannon!'. Stewart
shannon@ super7m agazine.com
Contributing Editor / Ad Sales
Chad Hensley
chad@ super7magazine.com
Gracious Contributers
Tim Brisko, M ike Johnson, Sean Bonner, Bwana
Spoons, Jim and G regory o f StrangeCo., Chad
Hensley, Jim b o, M asato Shono and Shono-Planning,
Jack Hurwitz, W arren Schwartz, Joe Salamanca,
Remy Rodis, Elvin Pena.
American Distribution
Tower Books, Diam ond Comics, Ingram s Periodicals,
Small Changes and Last Gasp.
Japanese Distribution
Presspop, Inc. +81(0)422717555
Other International Distribution
sales@ super7magazine.com
Printing
Transcontinental P rinting/ LGM Graphics
attn: Mike Bradley 1.800.661.0052 x24
Printed in Canada.
Advertising
ads@ super7ntagazine.com
We have been getting requests since day one asking "W hen are
s u b s c rip tio n s g o in g to be ava ila ble fo r S uper7"? W ell, you r
answer is- N ow ! W ith a set release schedule in place, you can now
order a fu ll year sub scrip tion of fo u r issues fo r ju st $24! It is
exactly the same cost as if you w e nt to the store and bought it,
but instead, w e w ill send the magazine straig ht to you!
We also have had m u ltip le requests fo r a Super7 t-shirt. So, we
th o u g h t, "W h a t the heck, let's do it ! " (Actually, M ark said that, and
Brian was a little unsure, but he caved in quickly enough.) Now
we also have the firs t Super7 t-sh irt ever! Available fo r a mere $15
including shipping, the t-sh irt has orange, red and w h ite ink on a
black body. You can 't beat tha t w ith a stick- and we w o n 't try.
Editorial / Submissions
mark@ super7m agazine.com
Contact / Goodie Boxes
Super7 Magazine
P.O. Box 330235
San Francisco, Ca. 94133
415.922.6612
www.super7m agazine.com
Legal
The a d vertising and articles ap pe arin g w ith in th is
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respective au th o rs and not necessarily those o f the
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A ll rig h ts to the p h o to g ra p h s, a rtw o rk and articles
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Super7 magazine, and may not be reproduced in part or
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mu i ii mi mi mi mu m n mi m mi mi in
ON T H E COVER
Optimus Prime and Deny's Fisher Cyborg,
as photographed by Tim Brisko - www.tim brisko.com
07
LIVE-RCTION T V SHOW TOVS FROM THE 1 9 5 0 S TO NOW,
SO CRHZt . P
en in Kubber, Rockin' Chicks
Cute 'n' Cuddiyr Motor Heroes
and Freaky Foes.
$18.95 paperback, 136 pages,
color photographs throughout
5: W ftft
w w w ,c h ro n ic le fa o o k s .c o rfi
JAPANESE
V
U P D A T E S A N D C O R R E C T IO N S *- *
A FEW W O R D S FR O M T H E S T A F F
Luckily fo r us, we only have one sig n ifica n t correction from issue
#2. In the Hedorah article, the m ovie G odzilla vs, the Sm og
M onster was released in 1971 (not 1967). Thanks to everyone w ho
em ailed us about our error. It is nice to know you are reading
carefully! In current news, the Pushead/Devilm an article slated fo r
this issue has been pushed back u n til issue 4, pe nd ing fin a l
approvals in Japan and from m u ltip le con tribu to rs, and other cool
stuff in the works. It w ill be w o rth the w a it! Also, part 2 of the
Bandai kaiju series and our regular Jum b o M achinder colum n w ill
return next issue, as we ran out o f space in this issue due to all
this content!
We're also asking o u r readers to send in p ictu re s o f th e ir
toy collections fo r possible inclusion in a collecto rs showcase
page. If you are in te re ste d , please e m a il M ark fo r m ore
in fo rm atio n - m ark@ super7m agazine.com . We cannot pay fo r you r
subm issions or guarantee they w ill be published, but you w ill get
full credit and bragging rights if we do!
Right now, we're w orking on m ore exclusive to y offers as w e ll
a few m ore surprises. If you haven't done so, a subscription
Super7 Magazine always makes a great g ift or treat fo r y o u rse lf
anyone w ho cares about Japanese toys. Plus you w o n 't have
w o rry about m issing an issue!
as
to
or
to
For th o se o f you w h o have not yet checked o u t our web
s ite ...w h a t are you w a itin g for? Besides the latest updates, we
o ffer back issues, subscriptions, and toys. How cool is that?!! Be
sure and check out the lively discussions on ou r BBS too. Just go
to w w w .super7m agazine.com .
Be sure to check o u t Cool StuffT oys and Video w ho w ill be selling
Super7 at the fo llo w in g show s th is sum m er:
W izard W orld-Chicago
A ugust 8th-10th, 2003
http://w w w .w izarduniverse.com /conventions/chicago.cfm
W izard W orld-Texas
Novem ber 21st-23rd, 2003
http://w w w .w izarduniverse.com /conventions/texas.cfm
Future events to m eet and greet the Super7 crew:
A lte rn a tive Press Expo (APE) in beautiful San Francisco, California
on February 21st-22nd, 2004.
M ore event listings to come. Check ou r w eb site fo r the latest
updates and any changes to these events.
B A C K IS S U E S «- «-
IS S U E 01
Issue
Issue
Issue
Issue
IS S U E 0 2
1 - lim ited a va ila b ility
2
3 - norm al cover
3 -The "O fficialT ra nsform e rs C onvention"
Special Lim ited die cut cover
IS S U E 0 3
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Please add $4.30 fo r 1-4 back issue copies. For 5-8 copies , please
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Mail. A ll prices are fo r the United States only, and subject to
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09
Cool Toys for
th e Savvy Collector
Gloomy Bear
Be@rbricbs
Kubricks
Monsterism
& More!!
*S S L U j
D G Angeles)
M S E fllS a tM p p
1
Tsuburaya Pro
Collection Figures
SPECIAL! reg. price $29.80
Anime Tokusatsu Japanese Films/independent Movies
DUD/CD/Toys/Posters/Figures
JU N G LE COLLECTORS SHOP
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LITTLE TOKYO
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Phone (213) 621-1661 E -m ail: [email protected]
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E X C L U S IV E T O Y S
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11
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M Y F R IE N D T H E M IC R O N A U T
BY BWANA SPOO NS
MFTM Report > 3.0
You wish.
Yeah, and so do I. The M icrom an Mecha Cosmo Escalgot, also
known as the G yrotron, is one "s w e e t" ride, dood. M y only true
dream I have had as a M icrom an, not those dream s w here I am in
the toy store, and my dad is yellin g at me "W rap it u p !" and I only
have three d o lla rs in m y pocket, and I ca n 't decide w hich
discounted M icronauts Alien to buy at King Norm an's D iscountToy
Em porium . Nope. This was me d rivin g an Escalgot th ro u g h giant
blades of grass. It was pure joy.
Aside from the usual bad translation (i.e. "ca ta ro g " or "S p ilite d
Boys Club"), the Esgalgot, which is really a pretty cute w ro ng ing of
Escargot, is the perfect M icrom an ride. This vehicle is the only tw oseated toy made of its type. Sure, you can put a w h ole pile of
hamsters in one of those balls, but that w o uld be very bad. M ajor
Matt Mason had a sphere-shaped hotrod. Cobra, the evil nemesis of
G.l. Joe, had one too. But the Escalgot is the only one that you can
take your buddy fo r a ride, or you r Lady Com m and on a date w ith.
E scalgot cam e o u t in 1975 along w ith the M arine Copter
(M icronauts 1976 Hydrocopter) and oth er greats-- like the UFOs
and the firs t Titans. It is battery operated which w ill spin its giant
snail wheels. Or it can be configured into a satellite station/radio
to w e r w ith spinning dishes. Escalgot did not com e w ith a figure. I
always pow er m ine w ith a ye llo w buddy, on account that ye llo w is
the color o f courage.
The Escalgot was supposed to be released in the states, and was
pictured in the firs t M ego M icronauts catalog as the G yrotron,
alongside Hydrocopter. Some peeples have tall stories about how
they rem em ber playing w ith or having a G yrotron in the states
when they w ere tin y peeples. U nfortunately, they did n 't, unless
th e ir m om m ies did the grocery shopping in Japan, because it was
never released here.
Say th is phrase five tim es fast. Long live the M icrom an Mecha
Cosmo Escalgot.
Various shots o f the Microman Mecha Cosmo Escalgot and box.
13
D E S IG N E R V IN Y L S
Q U A R T E R L Y C O L U M N B Y J IM C R A W F O R D A N D G R E G O R Y B L U M O F
o ^52199 12031
I
Last issue, Designer Vinyls covered the em ergence o f Hong
Kong as an epicenter fo r lim ited edition, artist-based to y design.
This round, the focus is on United States-based artists w h o
have also been active creating serious art toys.
Since the m id-nineties, a sizable num ber o f artists from various
disciplines have transfo rm e d th e ir artw ork in to figures. Not
surprisingly, the m a jo rity o f these artists have backgrounds in
art made fo r public venues, fro m com ics and poster art to
g ra ffiti and w heat pasting. A rtists fro m tw o particular styles of
p opular art have really em braced to y m aking: un derground
com ics and gra ffiti art.
In 2001, Sony started courting US com ic artists fo r the ir new
Tim e Capsule to y projects. Sold fo r around 300 yen in capsule
m achines a ll over Japan, T im e Capsule toys featured m ini
figures o f original characters by artists such as Jim W oodring,
Peter Bagge, and Charles Burns. Recently, soft v in yl figures from
these and other com ic artists have been produced, including
designs by Dan Clowes, Dave Cooper, Archer Prewitt, Chris Ware
and Jim W oodring.
14
-
G raffiti and street artists have been especially active. NYC-based
Stash and Futura are easily the m ost pro lific, having each created
a large body o f figu res on th e ir ow n and in conjunction w ith A
Bathing Ape, M edicom , and Recon. KAWS, Doze and Seen have
also crafted original toys, and Tokion Magazine's Neo G raffiti 3D
Project in clud ed fig u re s by Barry McGee (Twist), M argaret
Kilgallen, Stash, Shepard Fairey, and Brazil’s Os Gemeos.
As awareness o f art toys increases, m ore and m ore fine artists
and designers fro m the United States w ill undoubtedly produce
lim ite d -e d itio n fig u re projects. Expect to see a variety o f high
quality, o rigin al and ho m egrow n designs in the years ahead.
JIM M Y
Above: Jim m y Corrigan b y Chris Ware, p ro d u c e d by Presspop
Below: TravelA by Doze Green, .produced b y Expo S tyle Co.
Opposite page: Margaret Kilgalien, Stash, Barry McGee ITwistI
Above, top row: Crazy N ewts by Jim Woodring
Above, middle row: M onster Teens by Charles Burns
Above, bottom row : Alien Family by Peter Bagge
Below: Eddy Table by Dave Cooper, produced by Critterbox Toys
Above: M o'W ax UNKLE figure by Futura
Left: James Lavelie Pointman 12-irtch figure by Futura
Below le ft: Futura Be@rbricks - Stroller Patroller Iblack I and No Spank (white)
Below: James, Pointman and Nigo by Futura for BARE
BE@ RBRICK
Left: Ape vs. M o'W ax Vinyl Figure by Futura - James
figure (customized by Stash!
Above, le ft to right: KAWS Companions (produced by
Bounty Hunter),
KAWS Kubricks (produced by M edicom)
Right: KAWS Chum (clear variant) produced by 360 Toy
Group
Below left: Stash Spraycan Kubricks (1000%, 400%
and 100%) sizes, produced by M edicom
Below middle: Recon 3rd Anniversary 400% Kubrick by
Futura, produced by Medicom (detail)
Below right, top: Stash Spraycan Kubrick (limited silver
variant)
The overw helm ing success o f the firs t season o f "Transform ers: M ore
Than Meets the Eye" not only established it as the top cartoon w ith
kids; it also established the leader of the Autobots, O ptim us Prime, as
the single m ost iconic fig u re in the cartoon's history Even today,
Optim us Prime is the m ost recognized character in the Transform ers
universe. Moreover, kids loved him. I am not kidding when I say kids
were really attached to the Transformers. Stories of parents hunting
store to store in search of (and at tim es resorting to physically figh ting
over) then child's "m u st have"Transform er were not uncom m on.
It is now 2003, and
dm
moore
re than tw o decades have passed since the firs t
real Convoy toy appearec
ippeared in Japan before the Transform ers was even
an idea (do n't w orry,
•rry. we'l
w e 'll get to that in a bit). More than 100 toys, 12
series later. Optimus
diffe re nt shows, and se<
aarate:c
Prime is still the #1 Autol
ransforn
rith an average o f five
O ptim us-related figures fc
educed i
iry Transform ers series
?ers char
s, even Megatron. has
since. None o f the o th e r!
garnered the kind o f ati
■rime ha
nsistenrly retained all
dow n the line.
The real m easure of the love fo r O ptim us Prime came when
'Transform ers: The M ovie" was released in 1936. Hasbro "kille d off"
the leader to revam p the bulk o f the Transform ers lin e w ith new
characters. In th is case, Rodim us Prim e w as next in line. "There was
im m ediate reaction" says A lfred C. Carosi. corporate vice president o f
m arketing services w ith Hasbro. “ We g o t a lo t o f phone calls and
letters from kids. We were frankly surprised at the num ber o f letters.
When we killed off O ptim us Prime, I tho ugh t they m ig ht be a little bit
upset, but we had new heroes for them in the m ovie. That d id n 't seem
to matter." It was this reaction to Prime's death th a t created a bond
w ith kids tha t w o u ld encourage Hasbro to b ring h im -b a ck again,
continuing to lead the A utobots from series to series, year after year,
and w ith o u t any sign o f letting up.
W hat is it about O ptim us
attention in such a big way)
avid O ptim us Prime fans ai
been collecting nothing bu
W hen asked, Mr. Pena exp
O ptim us Prime figures is
ne that com in
fin d out, I spc
rollectors aroui
jtirn u s Prime !
s that his pass
ly because o f t
for the sim p!
"I collect O ptim us Prime to
favorite Transform er and has
nttnued to be r
various series that have exii d thu s far. As <
d always lead
Prime com m anded respect
good guy,' Prime w o u ld al
W hen I th
hought
o u g h t 'j'good
to pop inito
to m y h
head,
lead, and P
I'm
: sure m any <
fact. He was m y ichildhood
Childhood herb,
f
o f sorts, and I
a kid. I still do, by the w a y !"
s to captur the fans'
! w ith one c the most
, Elvin Pent Who has
/s fo r over
n fo r col fee
■character h
reason th a t he s m y
• favo rite across all the
baracter on the show,
e A utobots to victory.
> be the firs t character
s w ill corroborate this
loved watching him as
M
B
lilI I
less o f the
detail that
character as
I m W HH
mwm i W€wimmissm i iTs-fiU;
,
'series that
d revered,
aracters o f
lir B li”
U n ited States Patent 1193
{?i}
Patent Number:
4,516,948
Obara
(43]
Date of Patent:
May 14,1985
[5 4 ]
Hiroyuki O tora, Tokyo. Japan
[73] Assignee:
Takara Co., Lt<
| [22] Filed-
IP
WK§ ut O ptim us
■y - ■■;Ipfemwlift
' S| m y shelves
i m m n 11etj|
ny variants
ow n them
(51} lo t C M
[52]
'm
......
U.S. C L ...................
..........
6/1980 Ogswa
3/1983 Montemi
.......
7/198? N atan *
I-.-.'........
M m lw *> «.#i.:.
__
446/94
446/4 13
446/94
446/470
i
i
:
;
|
(57}'
Foreign Application
J*pe® . ..
1206.564
4,382,347
4.391.060.
4A35.916
• Primary Examiner—Mickey Yu
Attorney. Agent, or Firm—Jackson, Jones & Price
Feb. 28.1984
Sep 22. J9S3 [IP]
. U.S. PATENT DOCUM ENTS
.
; [21] Appl. No.: 584.460
[30]
W M :V § s m x
m m#S®
rS fmS?
m mSWmmB mmmmm itV W Fifm m e E l 11
IE, M i c ySSIlL ,
$ |§ i^
-7^.
RECO.NFf CURABLE TOV ASSEMBLY
{75] lj.vet.tQf.
58.t«67$5[U} j
A63H 17/09
4*6/9% 446/97, ;
446/376; 446/434; 446/487
o f Search .........
446/95, 94, 93, 97,
446/99, 2 6 1 376. 435, 433. 434. 465, 470, 478,
ABSTRACT
A rccbnfjgur&bletoy assembly having foldable portions
to allow the toy assembly, to .simulate « toy combination
vehicle having a tractor unit and a trailer unit separata­
bly connected to each other. The tractor unit when
separated from tbs trailer unit is reversibiy reconftgurable into a robotic humanoid form, while the frailer unit
is reversibiy reconftgurable into a play space for the
robotic humanoid, . :
:
:
,
;
;
11 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures
p'-;! a a &
y -m m ^
is « i
e fe w toy
iiwsr* ■ c«VmuvA; 1
B I i IS r K JHrsTim i
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CONVOY: 19 82
This may com e as a shock to m any a Transform ers fan, but the
O ptim us Prime toy introduced by Hasbro in 1984 was not the first
incarnation of the Generation 1 toy. Halfway around the globe, kids
in Japan were trashing their Battle Convoy as early as 1980. The
Convoy fig u re was actually developed as part o f Takara's new
Diaclone toy line, a spin-off from their successful M icrom an line.
The Diaclone series com bined cool science fiction concepts w ith
racecars and trucks that were popular w ith kids at the time.
Battle Convoy________________
1 98 3
Battle Convoy Plating Spectrum
1384
U l t r a ____ □
Battle Convoy DX Set
1985 "
Ultra
U ltr a
, □
i J
The Diaclone Battle Convoy is close to the exact same to y that was
introduced in the United States as O ptim us Prime in 1984. However,
there is one m a jo r difference. Because the Diaclone story was
developed around a team o f humans w ho acted as the drivers of
com m o n looking vehicles, there were accom m odations made in
those vehicles fo r the drivers to sit and stand.Thus, the drivers could
spy on and u ltim a te ly fo il the activities o f the evil Waruders. In 1983,
Takara repurposed th e Japanese Diaclone line fo r Hasbro's
Generation 1 line. Even though the “ d riv e r'' concept was dropped
fo r th is transition, the toys' accom m odations were left in place.
0PT1MUS PRIME
1984
From his head dow n to his toes, the m any facets o f the G eneration 1
(G1) O ptim us Prime w o u ld serve as the tem plate fo r all Primes to
come. M ore than anything, the ro b o t’s head assem bly w ith its
g lad iator stylin g w o u ld rem ain as the m o st consistent elem ent
throu gh ou t the character's m any incarnations regardless o f the ir
form , be it mechanical o r organic. The G1 color scheme and tractor
and trailer configuration w o uld also becom e a pro m ine nt them e
over the years.
The G1 figure was issued in the now fa m ilia r tractor and trailer
configuration, resem bling a F reightliner COE (Cab O ver Engine!
Duai-axle semi tractor and trailer. The set w o u ld transform in to a
robot (cab) and base/repair station (trailer).
The acco m m od ation s fo r th e D iaclone drive rs are pro m in e n t
th ro u g h o u t the toy. From the seats behind the :foldin g forw ard cab to
the various control panels and cockpits that are revealed when the
tra ile r is in base mode, one can easily see the original intent fo r
interaction w ith sm aller hum anoid figures.
In 1985, the "M o re Than Meets the Eye" cartoon debuted in Japan
re-dubbed as "F ig h t! Super Robot Life Transform ers." In th is
Japanese version, the leader o f the Cybertrons (known in the U.S. as
Autobots) w o u ld be renamed Convoy. The name w ould become
synonym ous w ith the character th rou gh ou t the Transformers series
show n in Japan.
Top to bottom , le n to righ t:
Generation 1 U ltra M a gnus s u p e r ro bo t
m o d h G I Ultra M a gn u s Vehicle mode.
U ltra M agnus: Diaclone + C rystal + G I
vehicles , Ultra M a gn u s: D iaclone + Crystal
+ 6 1 S uper Robots, C rystal G1 a nd P V C
U ltra M agnus.
C rystal M a gn u s R o b o t Group p ho to:
P rim es i t to R}: 0 0 Convoy + J u sco Black
Convoy + C rystal M a gnus + N e w Year
C onvoy + D iaclone M agnus +.G.1 M agnus
+
Ultra Magnus and O ptim us Prime could be brothers in m ore ways
than one. The original toys not o n ly share the same m old fo r the
cab; Hiroyuki Obara also designed the rest of Ultra Magnus. The
m old was o rig in a lly made fo r Takara's D iaclone series. W hen
M egatron kills O ptim us Prime in 2005, U ltra M agnus takes the
m atrix of leadership from him and serves as A uto bot leader fo r a
short tim e. W hile they were made into different characters in the
show, the fact that the toys are so sim ilar gives them a certain
appeal to Prime fans and collectors alike.
W hat w o uld eventually become the Ultra M agnus to y was origin ally
made in 1983 fo r the Diaclone series in Japan as a variation on the
Battle Convoy figu re. Named Powered Convoy, the to y too k the
G2 o ptim a 's Prime..
truck and tra ile r concept in a w h ole different direction. W hile the
truck cab m olds w ere nearly identical, all sim ilarities between the
tw o end there. The Powered Convoy was issued in a w arm blue
color. The cargo tra ile r was replaced w ith a tra n sfo rm in g m ulti
fu n ctio n car carrier tha t could be used to tra n sp o rt the other
Diaclone vehicles, be converted into a catapult weapon, or act as a
C ybertronian pre pa ration base. The th ird and m ost com pelling
difference between the Battle and Powered Convoy toys is the
addition o f a super robot "p o w e re d -u p " mode. The truck and trailer
joined to form a super robot that was over 10" high. The set even
included a larger super robot head that gave Convoy an enhanced
look w ith its enlarged helm et and extended antennae.
By 1988, interest in the Transform ers cartoon was starting to decline.
In an effort to revive the series, Hasbro introduced the Powerm aster
concept from which Powerm aster O ptim us Prime (PMOP) was born.
Prime was now enhanced via a “ Pow erm aster'' process tha t created
a binary bond w ith Hi-Q, a b rillia n t hum anoid technician fro m the
planet Nebulos. O ptim us was reform atted w ith considerably m ore
power and mass, resulting in a hybrid character th a t could function
as a single or three separate robot entities. The firs t true O ptim us
Prime figu re that w o u ld be conceived specifically fo r the series,
PMOP was all Prime. Retaining the basic color scheme, tractor/trailer,
robot and base configuration established in the Diaclone version,
eve ryth in g else about him was radically diffe re nt. The biggest
change was in the size o f the figure's vehicle and robot modes. A
super robot m ode w o u ld reintroduce O ptim us as a w hopping 10" tall
robot. The new figure was also outfitted w ith a bigger weapons
arsenal that could com bine w ith his expanded trailer and comm and
base as w ell.True to the show character, PMOP also incorporated the
HI-Q figu re as a tiny robot co-pilot that could transform into Prime's
engine in Super Robot and Vehicle modes.
W hile the interest in Transform ers was w aning in the states, it was
boom ing in Japan. 1988 saw the in tro du ction o f the "T ransform ers
M a ste rfo rce " series th a t w o u ld present the characters as
Godmasters. The Powerm aster O ptim us Prime toy was incorporated
into the M asterforce series under the name Super Ginrai. W hile it is
not actually a true Convoy/Prime incarnation, the Super Ginrai figu re
is often considered a Prime to y because o f the basic form that Super
G inrai and PMOP share. Later in the series, a Japan-only character
known as G odbom ber w o uld be created to merge w ith Super Ginrai
to form God Ginrai. A HUGE fig u re at a hefty 12" in height, God
G inrai (the co m b in a tio n o f G odbom ber and Super G inrai) was
loaded w ith even m ore w e ap onry and a souped-up new look that
returned a good deal o f the chrom e vacuum metal that was left off
from the PMOP design. Super Ginrai and G odbom ber were later
issued as a set (C-310) tha t w o u ld go on to become a highly sought
after item by collectors untilTakara reissued the set in September of
2001 .
STAR GOMWOY 1991
After being destroyed in the Japanese "H eadm aster" series, Convoy
was brought back to life in the "R eturn o f Convoy" series as Star
Convoy.The Destrons o rig in a lly revived him as Evil Convoy. The Evil
version w o uld later be defeated by the Cybertrons and reform atted
into the Star Convoy fo rm via the use of Zodiac energy.
Like his predecessors, the Japan-only release o f Star Convoy returns
in the now classic tractor/trailer/base configuration, accom panied by
the M icro m aster sidekick Hot R odim us. The tra ile r, w hich also
doubles as a M icrom aster base, is equipped w ith treads to allow
Convoy to travel over even the m ost challenging terrain. W ith his
extended antennae, gold star, and sleek fu tu ristic styling, this is one
o f the m ost exotic Convoy renditions yet, exchanging the big blocky
truck look fo r a stream lined appearance. Because it was never
released in Am erica and w ith no TV show supporting it, the figure
was not very popular at the tim e. Today, however, Star Convoy is
qu ite rare, high ly sought after by collectors, and can run a few
hundred dollars fo r one sealed in the box.
,
ACTIONMASTER PRIME 1992
Believing the M atrix was the only way to stop the m enacing Unicron,
O ptim us Prime gave his life by flyin g w ith it into the planet-sized
Unicron to destroy him . However, just before the event. Prime
released Hl-Q w ith hopes th a t he w o u ld escape the pending
destruction. After the battle, Hl-Q was able to tap into his Nebulan
powers and, as a result, accidentally m erged m inds w ith O ptim us
Prime. In this union, Hl-Q was able to contact the Last A utobot, a
m ighty figure that had the pow er to revive Cybertron and even dead
Autobots. The outcom e o f the Last Autobot's actions w o uld return
the m elded m inds o f O ptim us Prim e and Hl-Q to a th riv in g
Cybertron as A ctionm aster Prime.
The Diaclone Battle Convoy is close to the exact same to y that was
introduced in the United States as O ptim us Prime in 1984. However,
th e re is one m a jo r difference. Because the D iaclone story was
developed around a team of humans w ho acted as the drivers of
com m on looking vehicles, there were accom m odations made in
those vehicles fo r the drivers to sit and stand.Thus, the drivers could
spy on and ultim ately fo il the activities o f the evil Waruders. In 1983,
Takara repurposed th e Japanese D iaclone line fo r Hasbro's
G eneration 1 line. Even tho ugh the "d riv e r" concept was dropped fo r
this transition, the toys' accom m odations were left in place.
In 1993 Hasbro decided to revive the Transform ers w ith a
Generation 1 style series that w o uld be based on a com ic book
series. G eneration 2 offered repackaged and later repainted
versions o f the classic figures. The G eneration 2 toys were
packaged in space age looking clear blister cards. There were
several innovations in the G2 line that yielded the firs t new
Prime figures not to be based on the series. Unfortunately, lo w
sates th a t were likely attributed to an absence o f a cartoon
influenced Hasbro to discontinue the line in 1995.
■. ' v
ERAT10N 2 OPTIMUS PRIME
1993
was also fitted w ith tw o handheld firin g weapons that also served as
side cannons on the tra ile r in vehicle mode.
I had only heard about the legendary G iant G2 O ptim us Prime when
I started w orking on this article and was lucky enough to hunt one
down. There is a good b it o f debate on w hether this toy is an official
product. Released in Korea in 1997, th is oversized Prime was
supposedly made fo r the Korean production com pany Toon Town,
licensed throu gh 3D International to accompany the Transformers
cartoon. The plastic is thin and there are no die-cast parts. The size
and rarity make this guy a high ly sought after item regardless o f its
origin.
The Hero Prime toy is kind o f hard to explain. Beginning a tradition
we still see today, this was the first O ptim us Prime toy to break
away from a known incarnation o f the character in a cartoon or
comic. The vehicle, based on a Kenworth truck design, was scaled
down enough to fit on a blister card and shed the tradition al red
and blue color scheme, replacing it w ith a m ore colorful w h ite truck
w ith brigh t yellow , orange, red, and blue highlights. This is also the
firs t Prime made w ith o u t a detachable tra ile r and base. However,
the enorm ous air-powered rocket-blaster m ore than makes up fo r it.
N um erous o th e r co lo r schemes on th is m old th a t were never
released until very recently have surfaced over the years (see part 2
o f th is article).
According to the tech specs, the Laser Rods O ptim us Prime's form
is the result o f severe dam age in flicted in the battle w ith M egatron
in Sector 17 of the IVIirtonian constellation. During his repairs. Prime
was upgraded to be faster, stronger, and ready fo r com bat! Based
on a Western Star C onstellation truck cab and oil tanker trailer, this
tim e he comes packaged w ith cool artw ork on his tra ile r that was
done by UK com ic artist Geoff Senior.
The second part o f the Generation 2 line introduced a num ber o f
new m olds and features, in clud in g increased a rticu la tion, large-
The Generation 2 toy line also introduced a new vehicle form at
known as the Go-Bots. These Hot Wheels™ sized cars were often
referred to as flip-changers because o f the sim ple transform ation
that involved flip p in g dow n the car's hood and p u lling o u t the
doors to expose the robot figure. The G2 Go-Bots line featured
twelve new cars/robots based on six diffe re nt m olds that were
repainted and named after popular Transform ers characters. An
interesting feature o f these Go-Bots was that the y w ere fu lly
com patible w ith any Hot Wheels™ track or set. W hile the tra n s­
20 Years of Optimus Prime Part II
This praje ct originally sta rte d o u t to be ju s t one article)
learned there w as m o re to O p tim u s Prim e than I ever i
graces’ o f a iot o f people all over th e w o rld w h o suppli,
to toys, it w as soon clear w e could n ot fit everything
guys at Super? .w ho insisted w e d o it all. th e article w ii
This being Part 1 in Super? Issue #3, Part 2 w ill continc
Prime and Pnmal as he evolves though the Beast \
Takara PVCs, and a fe w o th e r surprises you w o n ’t w an t
scale firin g weapons, air pum ps, and electronics, it was a big leap
forw ard, and Laser Rods Prime showcased all these new features.
W ith a battery in place, his eyes, laser gun, headlights, and sword
could lig h t up. The oil tanker trailer was som ething else too; it
transfo rm e d into a deluxe tra ile r base m ode that came w ith a
massive load o f artillery, including ripple missiles, arm or piercing
discs, and a g ia n t air powered laser-targeting m issile launcher.
Even today, this to y rem ains one of the m ost popular Optim us
Prime figu res w ith Transform ers fans.
form atio ns were nothing im pressive, this co m p a tib ility was a boon
to those w h o enjoyed and ow ned Hot Wheels™ sets.
The Go-Bot O ptim us Prime shares the same m old w ith Firecracker,
only Prime is a solid red instead o f a translucent red. The vehicle
form , based on a Lam borghini Diablo, is available to Prime via his
internal reconfiguration m atrix. By accessing this m atrix o f various
veh icle m odes, he can reach speeds th a t approach the sound
barrier on earth.
Authors
Jack H urw itz - Techie/A rtist/W m er - is 'a cyborg w h o lives in th e San Francisco
Bay Area. H e c o lle c ts h u m a n s fo r fu n and p ro fit. He can o fte n b e 'fo u n d
p rogram m ing his Transform ers n ew s-w eb site a t fottpiOTFdfBtersiOofn
Aleck Au Yeung IR em y! - A rtist/C ollector/P hotographer - lives in Hong Kong He
. m ain ta in s one o f th e big g e st O p tim u s Prim e toy co llections around, See m ore of
R em y’s to y colle ctio n or, his w e b s tte at h ttp ://T f K e n K oa co m
Elvin P e n a -C ollector/Techie-lives in N e w York C ity and keeps up one o f th e m ost
c o m p le te O p tim u s Prim e co lle ctio ns: h ttp ://w w w .g e o citie s.co m /e ivinp e n o2 0 00 /
Optimus Prime in the Comics
O ver the years th e e vo lu tio n o f O p tim u s Prim e has been tig h tly coupled
w ith th e c h a ra c te r in th e c om ics. His m a n y in c a rn a tio n s ha v e been
depicted in n u m erous lang uages th e w o rld ov e r th ro u g h th e m an y series
and sagas th a t fe atu re d his Prim eness. From th e early M a rv e l co m ic and
Jap anese m anga stories to th e m ost recent rev iva l o f T ra n s fo rm e rs by
D re a m w a ve , on th e prin ted page th e A u to b o t le a d e r has contin u e d as the
Tra n s fo rm e r in c o m m a n d .
Th ere are m an y artists w h o have had th e o p p o rtu n ity to pen O p tim u s
P rim e o ver th e years, but fe w have been faced w ith th e d a u n tin g task of
ren dering all form s. From G e n e ra tio n 1 to A rm a d a , D re a m w a v e artists Pat
Lee and Don Figueroa have been slid ing a m ean q u ill, casting O p tim u s
Prim e in all his m ajesty. Few w ill qu estio n th a t th e ir love of O p tim u s
Prim e rad iates fro m th e ir w ork. If yo u 'v e e ve r laid eyes on one of Don
Figueroa's d ra w in g s of Prim e, you k n o w w h a t I m ean w h en I say he
captures th e character w ith a religious fervo r. Don describes w h a t he tries
to capture w h en d ra w in g O p tim u s Prim e:
"His S tren gth, basically, because that's all you can tra n s la te visually. Prim e
is a v ery im po sing looking character but not fe a rs o m e . He relies m ost on
his s treng th, but he's also a v ery s m a rt character."
Scan any o f Prim e's tech specs and y o u 'll see th a t he's all a b o u t pow er,
so m eth in g th a t Pat Lee rea lly focused on in his w o rk , adding m ass and
dim ensio n to th e fig u re like w e 'v e n ever seen before.
M ake no m istake ab o u t th e w a y th e character has been b ro u g h t back to
life in the m odern day. He is d e fin ite ly all Prim e and then som e. W h ile
m a in ta in in g all th e character's m ajesty, Pat and Don have a d ded th e ir
ow n touches to th e com ic book th e y have b u ilt a ro und these classic
robots. It's quite a m azing th a t one fig u re can be d e v e lo p e d in so m an y
w ays and by so m an y p eop le, s im u lta n e o u s ly reflecting th e m ig h t of
O p tim us Prim e and th e w o rk of th e artist. Every artist has a d iffe re n t
approach to d ra w in g him . K eying off character aspects o f th e robo t, each
artist ren ders th e le a d e r in th e ir ow n way. Don e xp la in s his approach to
a ccentuating th e fe atu re s he fin ds m ost im p o rta n t:
"I try to keep a sense o f realism w h e n d ra w in g a TF based on an earth
form . W ith O p tim u s , I w ill try to keep his torso m o re truck-like. I'll d ra w
w in d s h ield w ip e rs on it, side m irrors...etc."
W h en it com es to artw ork, Pat Lee is all a b o u t Prim e's role as a leader:
"I try to s h o w as m uch e m o tio n in his eyes as po ss ib le .T o m ake him stand
out fro m oth er characters, to m ake him look bold and strong."
N ot th a t th e y sit aro u n d d ra w in g O p tim u s Prim e all day; th e re is a deep
fa m ilia rity th a t has been d e v e lo p e d w ith th e fig u re . Pat Lee describes
w h a t it is like d ra w in g th e character c o m p a re d w ith o th erT ra n s fo rm e rs :
"I've draw n him so m uch I c an 't tell a n y m o re heheh! He's one of the
characters I can d ra w b lin d fo ld e d . He's d iffe re n t fro m o th e r characters
because he is sim plistic in design and no m a tte r h o w you d ra w him , he
still looks like a leader."
Either Prim e is really easy to d ra w , or s o m e o n e ju st got a lot o f practice.
M a yb e both. Don te lls us it's not so easy to do:
"There's a lw a y s a c h a lle n g e to d ra w in g O p tim u s P rim e. It's tric ky to
convey e m o tio n in a character th a t b asically d o e s n 't have a face. S till, th e
G1 version is still one o f th e easiest TFs to d ra w . T h e n e w e r v ersio ns are
fun to d ra w since th e y 're m uch m o re d e ta ile d and com plex."
If yo u 'v e been keeping up w ith th e T ra n s fo rm e rs com ics, you k n o w there's
a lot of good stuff in th e p ip e lin e. An in ten se n e w G1 series, th e recent
"Arm ada," and a v ery in teresting crossover in w hich Prim e and his cohorts
te am up w ith G.l. Joe in a W o rld W a r ll-style a d v e n tu re . T h e W W II P rim e is
som eth in g else. Thick and knotted w ith arm or, his a rtille ry tra ile r w ill
b lo w you aw ay. And if that's not enou gh fo r y ou, th e gang o v e r at Devil's
D ue (w h o have been headin g up th e G.l. Joe com ics) are offe rin g up th e ir
ow n serving o f "T h e T ra n s fo rm e rs m eets G.l. Joe." A re you ready for
Cobra O p tim us Prime?
IKS
j
Sources
A cknow ledgem ents:
This article could not have happened
w ho contributed to this article, i wSrv
Moyian and the folks at Dreamwavi
Taber and Josh at Devils Due for th(
Fehx at FantAsia toys for the crystal fj
the giant white G2 Prime. Glen for. j
the writing of this article. All the fans
—
f d eve lo pm e n t o f this article
i m any people
j people: M a tt
sy co ntrib u te d
s copy editing:
tg m e up w ith
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Unpainted 1999 Chinese bootleg
12" figure with mask next to the
Bandai 12" missle-fire
L IK E A M O T H T O A F L A M E
W hile it is no secret that I have a fascination w ith alm ost all o f the Tokusatsu
shows, Inazuman has always been m y favorite. From the firs t tim e I saw the
hero, covered in lightning bolts -yet still feeling the need to accessorize w ith a
scarf, I was hooked.This show is amazing, and the hero even m ore so.
Inazuman debuted O ctober 2nd, 1973 and ran until March 1974. A second
season, Inazuman Flash follow e d on A pril 1974, and ran until September of 1974.
Our hero, W atari Goro (who transform s into Inazuman), was played by Ban
Daisuke, the same actor w h o played Kikaida. In Inazuman, he battles the
m utants o f the New Human Race alongside the Youth Association. In Inazuman
Flash, he battles the Despar A rm y alongside a rogue Interpol agent. The
character design o f Inazuman is based upon a m oth. To transform (or henshin)
into Inazuman, Goro m ust firs t become Sanagiman; a cocooned pupa stage, and
w ait fo r his pow er to increase. W hen the power level on his belt has fu lly
charged, he then transform s into Inazuman, breaking out of his cocoon stage.
Overall, this show rates a fu ll 10 on the crazy scale. Lots o f ridiculous monsters,
elaborate fig h t scenes, a cool hero and enough camp to make anyone laugh.
W hat m ore could you ask for?
The S tand ard size 10" re m ovable m ask vinyl:
Generally speaking, This is the vinyl m ost collectors think o f when referring to Inazuman. The figure
was made for many years and was actually issued by both Popy and Bandai. The only difference
between the tw o vinyls, is the packaging Ishown above - Bandai on the left, Popy on the right) and
the copyright on the back o f the figure. The Popy logo is molded into the vinyl on the small of the
back for all o f the Popy editions Idetail above), while the Bandai edition has the logo smoothed over,
and a small Bandai child-logo sticker placed inside the remaining oval. Neither edition carries a
premium over the other, but there are m ore Popy editions than Bandai.
Please note: The Bandai 10" figure is not to be confused with the hyper-rare 12" Bandai figure. ISee
center photo size comparison.) The 12" figure does not have a removable mask.
On the left: Reproduction (left) and original (right) talking vinyls by Masudaya/MT
J
O pposite page:
1 -5.5" vinyl by Popy
2 - 5 " pendant by Popy
3 - 6 " vinyl figure by Popy, both blue vinyl
and grey vinyl versions
4 - 4.875" Sanagiman vinyl figure by Popy
5 - 4.375" flying pose vinyl figure by Popy.
The left figure has dashed yellow lines on
the legs, the right has solid yellow lines.
6 - 5.75" grey vinyl unlicensed figure
carded light-up figure by Masudaya/MT
carded wind-up walker figures by Popy
This page:
7 - 6.75" vinyl figure by Bandai
8 - 7" light-up figure by Masudaya/MT
9 - 6.25" unlicensed vinyl figures ; yellow vinyl with green spray,
yellow vinyl with gold spray and blue vinyl with hand painted
details. 9.125" unlicensed vinyl figure in white vinyl.
All figures are from the same sculpt.
10 - 3.75" wind-up walking figure by Popy
1 1 - 1 2 ' medicom Inazuman,
12'medicom Sanagiman,
12.5" Henshin Cyborg figure by Takara.
12 - Carded Henshin Cyborg suit by Takara
13 - Die-cast GT car by Popy
14 - Die-cast Haijin-Go by Popy
15 - Bubble blowing figure
V inta ge :
V in ta g e - u n lic e n s e d :
N ew :
□ 14"Taiking Inazuman by Masudaya/MT
□ 9.25" w h ite vinyl
□ 14“ Talking Inazuman R eproduction by M asudaya/M T
□ 12.5" Henshin Cyborg outfit
□ 6.25" blue vinyl - hand painted
□ 12" M e dico m Inazuman
□ 12" Missle-fire Inazuman by Bandai
□ 6.25" ye llo w vinyl - gold spray
□ 12" M e dico m Sanagiman - black unpainted suit Hyper Hobby exclusive
□ 12" Standing vinyl by Bandai (not pictured)
□ 6.25" ye llo w vinyl - green spray
□ 12” M e dico m Sanagiman - brow n painted suit
□ 10" Removable mask vinyl - Popy edition
□ 5.75" grey vinyl
□ 12" U npainted unlicensed fig ure derived from Bandai figure
□ 10" Removable mask vinyl - Bandai edition
□ 7" Light-up figure by Masudaya/MT
□ 6" Vinyl figure by Popy - grey vinyl
□ 6" Vinyl figure by Popy - blue vinyl
□ 5.5" Vinyl by Popy
□ Die-cast Raijin-Go reproduction, black box, color car edition by Bandai
□ Die-cast Raijin-Go reproduction, gold box, gold car edition by Bandai
□ M ini Raijin-Go reproduction Gashapon
□ 5" Vinyl by Popy
D 3.75" A ction figure by Banpresto (com es w ith m ini Sanagiman)
□ 4.875" Sanagiman vinyl by Popy
□ 9" S uper Im aginative Chogokin by Bandai
□ 4.375" Flying Pose vinyl by Popy - dash paint legs
□ TV style gashapon figure by Bandai
□ 4.375" Flying Pose vinyl by Popy - solid paint legs
□ M anga style gashapon figure by Bandai
□ 3.75" Wind-up figure by Popy - Inazuman
□ Keycham fig ure by Banpresto
□ 3.75" Wind-up figure by Popy - kaiju
□ SD figure by Yutaka - c o lo r edition
□ Large-scale Yonezawa frictio n cycle
□ Die-cast Raijin-Go by Popy
□ Die-cast GT car
32
□ 6.75" Bandai figure
□ SD figure by Yutaka - gold edition
16 - Banpresto action figure
and TV style gashapon
by Bandai.
17 - Super Imaginative
Chogokin by Bandai
18 - Manga style gashapon
by Bandai
19 - SD figure by Yutaka. mini
Sanagiman and keychain
figure by Banpresto.
The 12" Bandai bootleg story:
Late in 1999, an amazing auction popped up on Ebay. A hyper-rare Bandai
12“ vinyl showed up in perfect c10 condition. Needless to say, I was
amazed. I had been looking for this figure for years, and here was a
perfect example! But something was weird about it.
First off, the feet had a Popy katakana manufacturer mark. Secondly, the
figure had a removable mask. Was this a pre-cursor to the Bandai figure?
As I mentioned earlier, Bandai had already re-released the Popy 10" figure,
so that was a plausible stretch. In the end, all that mattered, was that this
was an Inazuman figure I had never seen before, and did not own. I did
my best to win the auction, but in the end, another collector beat me out.
After the auction was through, I e-mailed the winner and asked for details
and info from him about the toy so that I could start hunting the vinyl
down on my own.
From the moment it arrived, it was met with great suspicion.The vinyl was
more rubbery than traditional vinyl. The mask did not fit over the head
properly. The figure was hand-painted. Comparing this figure to my Bandai
missle-fire (which is the same exact figure but with an extra missle-firing
mechanism in the chest), it was obvious something was wrong.
After about a year of hunting for my own version of this figure, a
collector I knew in Hong Kong stumbled upon a shop re-selling an
unpainted version of the same rubbery figure. After repeated inquiries,
the shop owner revealed that he knew the source of the bootleg
figure and could round up a few more. Apparently, the manufacturer
could not properly replicate the vinyl, and the majority of the trial
samples were badly burned. Only a handful of figures were ever
produced, and the ebay version that was hand-painted was one of
these trial samples sent to a well-known bootleg toy dealer here in
the states. In the end, about 12 unpainted figures arrived; roughly half
of these vinyls had small, shiny burn marks and the rest with larger
discolored burn marks. The remaining figures were bought, and
distributed to several collectors here in the states. Considering that
an original would fetch $1500+, an affordable bootleg was a welcome
addition to many collections.
It is interesting to note that the original Bandai figure has a slit and
circle molded into the back of the head, as if the original intent was to
create a removable mask vinyl. In some ways the bootleg seems to
have been trying to finish what Bandai started.
33
BODACHI
Robodachi: Robocon in a parallel universe
Robodachi, Robodatchi, or Robo Dachi? This popular
(apparently) and obscure series has become a m ystery
even to scholars o f the super alloy (Chogokin). Although
Robodachi characters are ple n tifu l to o ve rflo w in g , and
have been produced as m odels, erasers, board games,
and diecasts, in plastic, rubber, vin yl, and zinc, there
seems to be little or no knowledge base available to the
com m o n to y collecto r. A cco rd in g to Tom Frank of
CoolJapaneseToys.com, if w hat passes fo r in fo rm atio n is
inaccurate, the author w ill soon hear about it from toy
enthusiasts. So, w ith this opening disclaim er, I foolishly
rush in to present the facts.
Matt A lt writes, "Robodachi was created in the 1970s, and
although Takara was the main producer of the toy line,
Onda and Imai were also involved. It appears to be an
origin al series, not based on aTV show or movie."
In 1975, the very firs t Robodachis were models produced
by Imai o f fo u r ninja-robots. They were sold in a set, and
th e ir p o p u la rity spaw ned a tid a l w ave o f in ven tive
characters. They were inexpensive to make, colorful, and
m ost im p ortan tly cute, and so became a big hit in the
stores.Takara m anufactured the diecasts and some others,
like the large, plastic, battery-operated Tam agoro 01 in
1976, w h ile Onda made the fo u r vin yl characters featured
in this article. Onda seems to have shared Takara's other
licenses fo r Geag, G odamu, and Gakeen as w ell w ith Imai
producing m ost o f the m odel kits.
The main character, Tamagoro (which sounds som ething
like "M r. Egg"), in the original story created A ll the other
Robodachis! The m om ent of creation, a Big Bang of sorts,
is depicted not only in the catalog which comes packaged
w ith all the diecasts, but seems to be referenced by the
character him self. A lthough the Father Ship is referred to
in the catalog as 0 0 1 , there seems to be no corresponding
toy. Invisible but O m nipresent.
35
O pposite page:
2 - Robo Q, boxed and loose
3- Robo Z, boxed and loose
4 - Robo X, boxed and loose
5 - Robo Baseball, boxed and loose
6 - Robo Football, boxed and loose
7 - Gama Ninja Robo, boxed and loose
1 - Tamagoro 01 boxed and loose.
Photos sh o w the D X (larger) and
ST (sm aller) versions byTakara.
In term s of size,Tamagoro 01, aka M ekaTam agoro, was produced as a
toy, and is the largest in the series. He seems to have been created by
001 as well. He is the largest Robodachi and all plastic. The feet and
arms plug into the body just like the diecasts. But the extra trick is
that after inserting the battery, Tamagoro walks, or shuffles, and the
little light on his head turns on. In addition, if you push on his tail,
the plunger inside his stomach ejects the eggs which are loaded
inside w ith little Robodachi figures. Both genders in one creature.
And the "e quipm ent" is also shared by Robo Q, Z, and X.
No. 2, Robo Q is blue and sports a propeller and carries w hat looks
like a small nightstick in his rig ht hand. No doubt to chase No.3, Robo
Z, the black one w ith the heavy eyebrowed frow n . Robo X, No. 4, the
green one has a little top knot (which is fragile), and is som ewhat
rarer than the others. Ears stick out, eyes bulge, and stomachs open
up on these characters as they m ischievously chase each other.
No. 5 and No. 6 are Robodachi sports figures w ho play baseball and
football respectively. Others such as a tennis player is depicted in the
catalog, but no diecast figu re was produced.The baseball and football
players are the easiest to find, are highly detailed and accessorized,
and are very cute w ith googley eyes. They are engineered w ith
spring action batting and passing arms.
No. 7, Gama Ninja Robo, is larger than the others, heavy, accessorized
w ith m issiles and a ninja living inside the body o f the frog.T his figure
is rare and usually attracts m any bidders on Yahoo Japan's auction
website when it appears, and is the m ost beautiful o f the Robodachi
characters. N ot bad fo r a frog.
37
It *■«•»
No. 8 and 9 are each com plex, sm all, and designed to be sim ultaneously animal
and machine, in one sense they transform . No. 8, Rider Robo, is both a motorcycle
and its rider on wheels, rem inding me o f Denjin Zaborger by Bullmark. No. 9,
M ogura Robo, is one of the m ore d ifficu lt pieces to find, and although one recently
appeared on eBay, I have yet to see one surface on Yahoo Japan. The nose drill
spins when you turn the w h ite tail w ith you r fin g e r and thum b.
O pposite page:
The last three are large, d ifficu lt to find, expensive and pack a lot of play power.
8 - R ider Robo
11 - Robo R oller Z
12- F irefightin g Robo Q
H ikooki Tamagoro
No. 10, Hikooki Tamagoro, is theTam agoro character fitted w ith all the accessories
necessary to become an airplane/helicopter com bo. One o f the interesting aspects
o f the design is th a t the w ings are not attached to the body. Instead, the w ings are
attached to the hands by posts so that Tamagoro can m anipulate the w ings into
different positions fo r flig ht. I've only seen this com e up tw ice on Yahoo Japan.
S ignalm antoys, o w ne r o f the Robodachi w ebsite geocities.jpg/signalm antoys,
w rite s "If you w ant these guys deadstock, be prepared to give up a month's salary
fo r each o n e "! He'd o rig in a lly th o u g h t that No. 10, 11, and 12, were never produced,
until they began to show up on Yahoo Japan, No. 11 and 12, Steam roller and
Firetruck, are also diecasts w ith extensive accessorization and display the ab ility of
this series to transform and becom e m any different characters. Roller Robo Z is of
course the bully challenging his better nature to build rather than tear down, w hile
Firefighting Robo Q is the hero m aking the w o rld a safer place.The transform ation
is quite com plete, and the design is so creative that one wishes that the other 33
characters depicted in the catalog had come to life as diecasts too.
a - Robo Z andTamagoro 01 vinyl figures
b - Robo Q and Robo X vinyl figures
c - Robo Z and Robo X vinyl figures (loose)
d - carded PVC set featuring Tamagoro 01
and three o th e r characters (set 2 o f ?)
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•
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IE III 111! Ill I i I II III III
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•
III IIII I I I
In the m id 1970s, the Denys Fisher Toy Com pany in England released
an eight inch action figure series sim p ly titled ‘C yborg’.Though sim ilar
in size to Mego dolls, Cyborg utilized Hasbro's Gl Joe body; all boxes
and blister packs bearing 'Licensed by Hasbro'. Stranger still was the
fa ct that th is British Cyborg was n o n e oth er than a scaled dow n
version of a Japanese toy line-- Takara's Henshin Cyborg! Not only
w ould Denys Fisher reduce the size o f three Henshin characters from
the Japanese series (which featured a tw elve inch hero, his eight inch
boy sidekick, and several tw elve inch and eigh t inch enem ies),
England's Cyborg w ould include only a handful of carded costumes
and accessories sets compared to the m ultitu de o f item s in Takara's
original Henshin to y line.
A dvertised as the m an-m achine w ith fle x ib le jo in ts and inter­
changeable lim bs, Cyborg came in a very colorful and elaborately
illustrated box. The back of the box featured a story in com ic book-like
panels very sim ila r to those fou nd on the packaging o f the o rigin al
Gl Joe toys.
The tale to ld o f a doom ed fu tu re Earth invaded by a race called the
Mu.ton-- insidious evil aliens from the barren voids o f deepest space.
As a last effort to counter the M uton, m ankind's greatest th in k tanks
united in a final attem pt to build a weapon in the hopes of defeating
the M uton. From this m eeting o f m inds. Cyborg was made w ith a skin
form ed from fused diam onds w rapped over corded sinews o f pure
plutonium . His 'm ille ce llu la r' brain transm itted the collective w ills o f
Earth's last geniuses in th e ir final defense as Cyborg fo u g h t to save the
entire human race.
44
III
III III III III :i
III
A boxed Cyborg came w ith tw o arm, attachments called Cybo-Nators
th a t could be fitted onto his elbow joints. One weapon was the Cybo
Liquidator; a squirt gun-like device tha t could shoot water. The second
w eapon was a bazooka-like cannon called the Cybo Elim inator that,
according to the box, fired either the plastic m issile that accompanied
the w eapon or match sticks. In addition to these tw o weapons, Denys
Fisher released three blister carded attachm ent sets. It should come as
no surprise tha t these sets were actually accessories from Takara's
eight inch Shonen Cyborg Boy, already the perfect size fo r Britain's
hero, repackaged and renamed.
Set #1 contained a sw ord-like Cybo Cutter blade, a Cybo M obile (a
circular hover platform that attached to Cyborg’s knee joints), and a
Cybo Paralyser w ith a revolving barrel. Set #2 featured a Cybo Laser, a
Cybo Phaser, and CyboTracks (two tire treaded leg attachments). Set #3
consisted o f a m issile firin g Cybo Rocket (that could be fitted on
Cyborg like a pack back), a Cybo Mace w ith plastic ball and length of
metal chain, and a Cybo Scanner. Denys Fisher also put out a CyboInvader vehicle fo r Cyborg to pilot. This to y was a large flying saucer
th a t was o rig in a lly released byTakara fo r an eight inch Henshin Cyborg
enem y called the UFO Invaders. Even w eirder was that the saucer's
central control seat was actually a rem ovable winged chair vehicle
called a Cybo Interceptor and was also sold separately as part of
Fisher's Cyborg series.
Denys Fisher made tw o enemies fo r Cyborg. These too were scaled
down tw elve inch Takara Henshin characters-- an eight inch Muton
(called King W alder in Takara's series) and an eight inch A ndroid (also
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known as Android inTakara's line)-T hree m onstrous carded costume
sets were available fo r M uton. These were three elem ental Subform s
representing earth, water, and fire, designed to aid M uton in his
fiendish endeavors to destroy th e Earth. TheTorg costum e is a ghoulish,
horned skeletal corruption (an eight inch Dokuro King costume).
The Am aluk is a nightm arish am phibian insect (an eight inch Fish man
costume). W hile X-Akron is a devastating m onster machine (an eight
inch costume o f the Japanese live-action hero, Red Baron).Two carded
'A nnihilator' sets were made fo r Android. Unlike the accessories fo r
Fisher's Cyborg, Android's 'A nn ihilator' sets were scaled dow n from
the original Takara series. Set #1 came w ith a Flypotator head and tw o
Kryptonator legs. Set #2 included the Zerconators-- tw o laser hand
attachments and head.
Cyborg is very popular w ith Flenshin collectors in Japan and Am erica
but British toy collectors seem to have little interest in the series. As far
as rarity. Android appears to be the hardest figure to find, follow e d by
Muton. Two of Muton's carded costume sets (Torg and Am aluk) are
som ew hat com m on but the X -A kron costum e is very rare and
considered by som e Cyborg collectors as the holy grail o f the Fisher
series. The carded attachment sets fo r both Cyborg and A ndroid are
fairly com m on. After all, Cyborg's w eapons are the same as Flenshin's
Shonen Boy.
Finally, w ithTakara's re-release o f the origin al Flenshin Cyborg figure,
including m agnetic versions o f King W alder and carded live action
super hero ou tfits, the interest in Flenshin related to y s rem ains high.
Some o f this renewed attention can be attributed to the success of
M edicom 's Real Action Flero line, m any o f which have em ployed the
Takara Com bat Joe body. Vintage Takara Flenshin Cyborg pieces
(especially figures and certain costumes) continue to be very desirable,
w hen the y can be fou nd. Unlike other retro toy lines, Takara has done
less dam age to the collectible m arket for the original Flenshin Cyborg
since the new incarnates are not m erely recasts of old toys.
Denys Fisher's science-fiction action fig u re certainly seems to be
gaining in po pu larity w ith Japanese cyborg aficionados everywhere.
The British Cyborg line is already in great dem and by Japanese
collectors w ho adm ire it sim ply, because o f it's're latio n to the original
Takara series. An interesting tid b it is that Am erican toy freaks seem to
be able to use British Cyborg toys w ith amazing leverage when trading
w ith collectors in Japan, that is if the Yanks can be persuaded to part
w ith them in the firs t place!
0
Bullmark also did a set of die-cast key
chains on a bubble card. The set includes
Godzilla, King Kong and tw o robots.
BULL
Around 1977, Bullm ark took one last try at the to y business by entering the new realm o f diecast toys, in th e ir new toy line, Bullm ark released a handful o f popular Godzilla characters. The
firs t set o f five featured semi realistic m olds and included Godzilla, Baragon, Gigan, G hidorah,
and M echagodzilla.The m ain body section was cast in m etal and bore a strong resem blance to
the actual character. Each to y came w ith a variety o f attachm ents and stood between five and
six inches tall. A t the end of the series, Bullm ark shifted gears and introduced the A ngilas figure,
which looked m ore like a robot than the actual character.The packaging of the toys also changed
from a picture box to a w in d o w box sim ila r to the Ark die-cast m onsters. Luckily, all these toys
are easy to com e by w ith the exception o f A ngilas (which can dem and a huge price). During this
period, Bullm ark advertised a M othra and M oguera die-cast toy, but neither was produced.
These die-cast Godzilla figu res were sold both in Japan and abroad, sim ila r to other Bullm ark
toys. W hile the actual toys w here not changed fo r the inte rna tiona l m arket like som e o f the
vinyl figures, the box art was. The inte rna tiona l box art was much sim p ler than the Japanese
versions. The international boxes are much harder to com e across and were o n ly done fo r
Godzilla, G hidorah, and Baragon. I have on ly seen the G odzilla and G hidorah boxes. The
Japanese boxes were also sold abroad to d istrib u to rs, som e bearing a sticker from the local US
d istribu to r. A ll figu res bear the Bullm ark co p yrig h t and each has a num ber w ith the exception
o f Baragon and A ngilas. They are p la yfu lly referred to as Bull Pets (abbreviated "BP"). A west
coast distribu to r, Space Joe, com m issioned posters fo r the o rigin al five figures. The posters
were rou gh ly the size o f a one-sheet m ovie poster and pictured the to y w ith diffe re n t backdrops.
46
Above: A w est coast distributor, Space
Joe, com missioned posters for the
original five figures. The posters were
roughly the size o f a one-sheet movie
p o ster and pictured the toy with
different backdrops.
BP-17 : G O D ZILLA
Godzilla (BP-17)- There are three basic versions: green, lig h t
brow n (pink), and dark brow n. The spray also ranges fro m a few
lines across the chest to the w h ole fig u re being covered. The
body, arm s, lo w e r ja w and legs are all made o f m e ta l.T h e head
swivels causing the mouth to open and close.There are levers on the
back o f each arm that allows for a snap punch at the jointed elbow.
The chest opens to reveal a jet, a tank, tw o cannons, four missile
holders, and a telescoping control center w ith tw o people inside.
BARAG O N
m
Baragon - There are tw o color versions o f the figure: blue and
green. The blue version is slig h tly tou ghe r to find. Both colors of
the Baragon also came w ith and w ith o u t the fro n t horn on the
head. A small plate on the chest opens to expose a cannon. A drill
accessory fits in a hole above the cannon and can be turned from
the back by inserting a to o l accessory.The arm s, ears, head, and
accessories (cannon w ith w ings and three drill bits) can all be
interchanged and placed in the ear holes, neck holes, chest hole,
and the holes in the knees, to allow m any strange configurations.
The lo w er section o f the m outh is jo inte d but made o f plastic. The
body and legs are made o f metal.
BP-18 : M EC H A G O D ZILLA
m
M echagodzilla (BP-18) - The fig u re is e n tire ly m ade of metal
except fo r the m id dle o f the tail, chest door and accessories.The
chest door opens to reveal a cannon. Both hands can be shot via
buttons on the arms. The sm aller m issiles can be stored in the
knees w h ile the long m issile can be stored in a hole in the belly.
S w iveling the head causes the m outh to open and close. The
figu re was also released as a kit and included tools for building,
springs, bolts, and all the body pieces separated out in a
Styrofoam holder.The kit version o f the Mechagodzilla is probably
the m ost d ifficu lt o f all the Bullm arkToho die-casts to find.
s ., ®
■
V
BP-22 : GIGAN
Gigan (BP-22) -The fig u re has the m ost points o f articu la tion out
o f all the die-cast to ys in the Bull Pet series. The arms p ivo t in
tw o separate directio ns at the plastic shoulder jo in t. The arm s
also telescope out using tw o segm ents. The hands p ivo t up and
down. As the head is turned, the ja w opens and closes. W hile the
ja w horns m an ua lly sw ivel up and dow n. Even the feet can be
rotated around at the ankles. The saw blades in the chest spin and
can be removed from the toy by pressing a lever on the back. Two
cannons can be attached to the sides of the legs while below them
is a hole to store the missiles. There are also a couple of plastic
gears that can attach to the base of the tail, hands, or the chest gear.
The body, chest gear, feet, hands, lower jaw, and horns are all metal.
3se«(yig:%fv
BP-21 : G H ID O R A H
m
G hidorah (BP-21) - There are tw o m a jo r va ria tio n s: one has
bro w n spray on the three necks w h ile the o th e r does not.
A nother sm all variatio n is a fain t rainb ow spray on the w ings.
The plastic w ings open sim ila r to an oriental fan and p ivo t at a
jo in t on the back. O pening the chest causes to cannons to slide
out fro m the side. The m issiles fo r the cannon can be stored in
pockets along the ou ter sides o f both legs. The legs, body and
lo w er ja w are all made o f m etal. A com m on problem w ith this
fig u re is the plastic inside the chest tha t holds the neck is place
often breaks.
F R O N T VIEW
9
A N G ILA S
Angilas - The only variation in this figu re is the plastic shield,
which comes in either purple o r pink, accom panying the toy. This
spiked shield fits in the back of the figu re and is held in place by a
plastic pin. The tail is a hard, flexible vinyl sim ilar to the other
figures in this series, but the rest o f the figu re is very different.
Pressing the back top o f the head causes the jaw s to swing open.
;
There are several plastic accessories that can be interchanged
w ith the metal claw-shaped hands. The fro n t wheels are attached
to a w in d -u p m o to r in the chest. The rear w heels can be
extended/retracted by a lever on the back o f the legs. Using the
wheels, the figu re races across the ground and sparks.
ROLLIN' ON
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and they know the Kaiju! Vintage toys or new toys, toys for all budgets, they
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rrlOnTSTSR ZERO
DaikaijuEiga List
Searchable Database Discussion Forums News & Articles
The ultimate resource for daikaiju collectors
http://www.clubtokyo.org/
Mailing Lists
A R T B Y A A R O N P IL A N D
«- «-
Aaron Piland has been w o rking as a freelance
illu s tra to r since gra du ating in Decem ber o f
1999 from Kendall College o f A rt and Design
in M ichigan. C urrently, he resides in Japan
w ith his w ife, Ayum i.
Aaron prim a rily w orks in d igita l using the w eb
and p rint as vehicles fo r his ideas. In his work,
he likes to explore the ju x ta p o s itio n o f the
org an ic and m echanical. He has alw ays
enjoyed taking thin gs apart to see how they
w o rk and then p u ttin g them back to g e th e r
again in a different way, creating som ething
new out o f the old.
To see m ore of Aaron's w ork, v is it him online
at w w w .apa kstudio.com . For a free postcard,
contact him at aaron@ apakstudio.com .
Above: Electro, 5x7
Above right: Foo, 7x8
Right: Octo, 5x7
53
- -* A R T B Y B O B E G G L E T O N
Bob Eggleton was born in 1960 into not ju s t the Space Age, but
the Age o f Kaiju Eiga. His interest in dinosaurs led him to Godzilla
at the tender age o f six w hen his m othe r bought him the Ideal
Toys "G odzilla Game," and the rest is history. G row ing up on all
thin gs fantastic, he developed an a ffin ity to draw ing m onsters and
spaceships. G odzilla becam e an obsession th a t led him to
collecting toys o f Godzilla and repeat vie w in gs of the Japanese
m onster film s. In the field of science fictio n , he has w on 7 Hugo
Awards, 2 Locus Awards and 11 Chelsey Awards fo r his w ork. He
gives lectures and slideshow s to hardcore science fictio n fans on
the im portance of the JapaneseTokosatsu film s and th e ir place in
fantasy and science fictio n . He w orked fo r Random House and
Dark Horse Comics on th e ir Godzilla m erchandising efforts from
1995 throu gh 1998. He has con tribu te d covers to the fanzines GFan and Japanese Giants. In 2001, he became frien ds w ith giant
m onster suit-m aker Shinichi W akasa.The next year, he made three
trip s to M onster Island (Japan). On one o f these trip s, he was
asked to be an extra in the 2003 film
GODZILLA X
MECHAGODZILLA (which was hard, hot and sw eaty w o rk but a
chance he w o u ld never have passed up). Bob and Wakasa came
up w ith the term "K a iju Kids" or "K a iju S ho un en " as a sort of
secret associational club o f people w h o seem to have been born
from 1960 onward into the Kaiju Eiga influence. His w o rk resides
in m any private co lle ctio n s in clu d in g th a t o f S hinichi Wakasa and
M V sY u ji N isham ura. PaperTiger has released several volum e s of
54
his w o rk includ in g ALIEN HORIZONS, GREETINGS FROM EARTH,
THE BOOK OF SEA MONSTERS and DRAGONHENGE (a fictional
story w ith w rite r John Grant). He has also done film w ork as a
conceptual designer fo r STAR TREK: THE EXPERIENCE, SPHERE
and JIM M Y NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS. Currently, Bob is w orking on
the upcom ing W arner Brothers/Playtone/DN A anim ated film THE
ANT BULLY. His w ebsite is w w w .b o b e g g le to n .co m .
A R T B Y B O B E G G L E T O N «- «-
Oppopsite page:
Above: GMK: GODZILLA VS. BARAGON (2002): Done for
the: legendary fanzine JAPANESE GIANTS.
Bottom: DRAGON QUINTET (2003): Done for The Science
Fiction Book Club, cover art.
This page:
Above top: GODZILLA 1962 (2002): Used on godzillashop.com.
Above bottom: The Battle o f SF vs. Fantasy (2003): Slightly
inspired by the film ATRAGON (the idea was to show a
dragon and a spaceship representing the worlds o f science
fiction and fantasy).
Top right: GAMERA (1999): Cover for G-Fan.
Bottom right: GODZILLA X MEGAGUIRUS (2001): Commission
for suit-maker Shinichi Wasaka, used for Hyper Hobby
"Monsters Inc." exclusive shirt.
The characters o f Godzilla, Baragon, and Megaguirus are all
copyright Toho Pictures. Gamera is copyright to Daiei Motion
Picture Company. Otherwise, the rest are © Bob Eggleton.
55
-* -* A R T B Y JE N R A R E Y
Illu s tra to r Jen R arey is crazy fo r all things Japanese,
esp ecially J-Pop, w asabi peas, and super-deform ed kaiju,
robot, and character toys. She was first hooked by the cam py
"W arning from Space" and G am era film s, but it's the m onsters
of U ltram an th a t really m ake her lose control. (And don't even
get her started on th e genius of Booska and Kure Kure
Takora!) She currently plans to conquer the w o rld w ith a
stuffed arm y o f cuddly kaiju.
S om ebod y better call U ltram an!
56
A R T B Y JO N K E LLY G R E E N
ty o r W 0f
J o n K elly G re e n is a g u y in lo ve w ith tw o th in g s : d ra w in g an d J a p a n e se
m o n s te rs .
S o it s e e m e d n a tu ra l to c o m b in e th e tw o ! A s a kid, seeing
m o v ie s like " G re e n S lim e ? " L a titu d e Z e ro " a nd " D e s tro y A ll M o n s te rs " at
th e lo cal d riv e -in th e a te r m a d e h im s w o o n .
S e e in g his firs t e p is o d e of
U ltra m a n d u rin g a v a c a tio n to M a u i o n ly m a d e his lo ve g ro w stro nger.
N o w , a fte r y e a rs o f c o lle c tin g to y s a n d v id e o s , y o u can v ie w th e fru its of
his lo ve a ffa ir at w w w .s tu d io -r a m a .c o m .
57
-* -» A R T B Y T Y K E W IT N E S
Upcoming Toynami BigFoot toy
e y e -w itn e s s
Sprouting from the greenest, newest branches of the
tree isTyke W itnes. His studio paintings appear to be
m ore or less orthodox (at least w ith in the lim its the
te rm describes), cro w d e d w ith references to
com m ercial com ics th a t d istin g u ish his w ork, and
com plem ent his sculptures o f w arriors, all exploring
the urge to escape throu gh fantasies o f the fu tu re and
the postgalactic or medieval and the po stm ille nn ial.
This w ork appears to be in stark contrast to his urban
street art, but the tw o do not negate nor clash - the
same unm istakable self-assured and graceful ta le n t is
evident thro u g h o u t. Indeed, his w orks on canvas and
in three dim ensions, taken as an integral part o f all
Tyke W itnes' w ork, d o n 't appear to be at all at odds
w ith the cu rre n t ta lly o f his in te rje c tio n s in the
plenary conference o f stre e t language. His w o rk
debates
a n im a tio n
and
c o m m e rc ia l
de sig n,
popularizing m onochrom es and u p liftin g the com ic
art form . Tyke is a m em ber o f the n o to rio u s g ra ff
crew, AWR (Angels W ill Rise) as w e ll as NASA (No Art
Survives After), and is considered the in ven to r o f the
Hybrid form , m ixing styles learned from other artists
and m aking them his ow n; a d d itio n a lly Tyke W itnes is
considered the p re cu rso r o f the u n io n betw een
w ritin g and phenom enon.
58
Specializing in exclusives from
M l,B a re M odel,M arm it,Medicom
JR YA NJ
V intage Popy Diecast
Vintage Bullm ark Vinyls
Contact me w ith your w ant lists.
I travel to Japan nearly every month.
Email me atjryanj@ san.rr.com
or call (858)4830324 and leave a message
Look fo r my auctions on ebay under irvan i
John Jackson
4010 Riviera Dr.
San Diego,CA 92109
New Feature! Behind-the-scenes
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