full issue

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F IG U R E H IS T O R
& A R T G ALLER
S A N D IE G O C O M IC - C O N / N E W T O Y N E W S / J U N K O M I Z U N O
T R A N S F O R M E R S / M I C R O M A N / D IE - C A S T / V I N Y L
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TABLE OF C O N TE N TS
07 Editorial
11
Toy Exclusives
13 Toy News / Comic-Con Review
15 My FriendThe Micronaut by Bwana Spoons
17 Garbage Digger byTakeshit
20 Scorponok by Jack Hurwitz
22 Tederos by Roger Harkavy
24 Fifty Years of Godzilla by Mike Johnson
36 The Art of Godzilla
52 Raideen by Joshua Bernard
58 Tederos Part 1 - A serial comic
60 Junko Mizuno by Katsu Tanaka
On the cover: Jon Kelly Green "G odzilla"M -1 dancing Godzilla painted
sample, Popy die-cast Reideen, Generation I Scorponok in robot mode
03
From the Makers of T y l e n o l
A Com ic Series and 3 Limited Edition Vinyl Toys by Ron Rege, JR.
BOY
GIRL
(Limited to 1500)
(Limited to 1500)
(Limited to 500)
Absolutely FreeI
TLA
1
L
G iant Robot
M eltDown
WNYCMTSF
KidRobot
Toy Tokyo
I
^
1
A
DoublePunch
Kid Robot
S u p er7
.G iant Robot
To read the com ic, get the toy release dates or find out who Ron Rege, Jr. is
please visit www.ouchthewebsite.com
1
I
J
4 One F ree
V inyl Toy
q
November 2004 - While supplies last
You must have this coupon to redeem your toy
n
\ %
.
T y l e n o l
N
. c ^ jj
<
i L * ____________ ______________— -
!?
For dates, rules, and regulations ch ec k
www.ouchthewebsite.com
Redeem your toy
in these three cities
GARY BASEM AN
TIM B I S K U P
S E O N N A HONG
KATHY ST A IC O -SC H O R R
TODD S C H O R R
GARY BASEM AN
TIM B I S K U P
S E O N N A HONG
KATHY ST AIC O -SC HO R R
TO DD S C H O R R
STEAM PUNK
NUTHUGGER
TAKO GIRL
TRILOMONK
PIGDOG
W W W .N E O K A IJ U .C O M
© 20 04 Super7 Media, Inc. under agreement, license and distribution to Strangeco, LLC.
Iividuai characters of the Nac-Kaijit Project are © 20 04 by each of th eir respective creators Nuthugger & Tako C trl © 20 04 Seonna Hong.
104 Kathy Slaico-Schorr. Pupik & Gefilte © 2 0 0 4 Gary Baseman. Pigdog & Birduzasu © 20 04 Tim Biskup. Humpty Djinn & Steam Punk © 2 0 0 4 Todd Schorrj
Any likeness or s im ilarity to actuai peopie, characters or creations living or dead is purely coincidental ..and a little funny Sorry
BIRDU2AS U
E D IT O R IA L
I l l
BY M ARK NAGATA
Not Lost in Translation
Before m y firs t trip to Japan in 2001, I used to thin k
that not being able to read or speak Japanese w o uld
prevent me from com m u nica ting w ith fe llo w to y lovers
in Japan. In fact, fo r those very reasons, I d id n 't th in k
it was even w o rth m y tim e to v is it Japan in the search
fo r toys. It w o u ld all get lost in translatio n... However,
as I visited stores and collectors, we all fu m b le d fo r
the proper w o rds to talk about toys and spewed out
an aw kward sentence in each other's language. How­
ever, w hat I found was that we all understood w h a t we
were saying because we all share the same feelings fo r
these toys. It d id n 't m atter th a t m y Japanese was aw ful
because they understood m y excitem ent. And fu rth e r
binding us is the fact tha t we all have great reverence
fo r these toys not ju st as m ere playthings but also as
historical objects. F orthe Japanese collector, it's a direct
link to th e ir childhood. But fo r m ost Am erican collec­
tors, it's w h at we could have played w ith had we been
raised in Japan. We try to make each issue o f Super7
readable to not only the US audience but also to other
countries. Even if one cannot understand all the text, I
thin k the design of the magazine, artw ork, and photos
all convey our enthusiasm and respect fo r toys. In the
end, ou r frenzied collecting is feeding th a t inner child
in all o f us, regardless of na tio n a lity and language. Like
the universal language o f love, on ly th is tim e it's a love
fo r toys that binds collectors in Japan, A m erica and the
rest o f the w o rld.
- Mark N
mark@ super7magazine.com
Well, w hat m ore can I say about Godzilla tha t has not
already been said? The giant radioactive m on ste r has
been lurking around fo r 50 years, and seems to be m ore
popular now than ever. M ore toys. M ore m anufactur­
ers. M ore video games. M ore suit variations. M ore
spines. M ore toes (well, som etim es). M ore knock-offs.
More o f everything. W ith a character as big as this, can
you ever really have to o much? W ell, after v ie w in g Mike
Johnson's exhaustive docum entation o f the toys, you
m ight ju st th in k so! In addition to that, the frien ds and
fa m ily o f Super7 have turne d o u t artistic hom age to
Godzilla in force. From frien ds to foes, the breadth and
quality of th e ir collective w o rk w ill inspire you -I know it
has for us, and we thank each o f you. Rounding out the
issue, we have another deep-dive article, but th is tim e
covering the w o rld o f Raideen. A d d itio n a l articles about
the stylish ly gothic art of Junko M izuno as w e ll as the
robot defense th a t isTederos should keep you reading
from cover to cover. In the m eantim e, prepare to get
stom ped by ou r m ost radioactive issue ever!
Illustration by Mark Nagata
- brian
brian@ super7magazine.com
07
TO CELEBRATE THG 50TH YGAR OF GODZILLA IN AMGRICA!
® & © 2 0 0 4 T o h o Co., Ltd.
INTRODUCES 3
USA GXCLUSIVG FIGURES
VISIT OUR WEBSITE:
WWW.MARUSAN-USA.COM
MARUSAN TOYS INC.
M A K E R S O F T H E V E R Y F I R S T G O D Z I L L A T O Y ------------ *
ALSO SEE THE SUPERB TERRESTRIAL
DEFENSE ROBOT SQUADRON
EACH PAINTED ROBOT FROM
THE “TEDEROS'’ STORY CONTAINS
A 3-DIMENSIONAL HUMAN PILOT INSIDE
W W W .TE D E R O S .C O M
MARUSAN-USA
PO Box 3 3 4 5 2 ,
Chagrin .Fails, Ohio
4 4 0 2 3 USA
© M.H./MARUSAN
Super7 Magazine, Volume 2 Issue 3 - October 2004
S U B S C R IP T IO N S & B A C K IS S U E S
Publisher
Super? Media, Inc.
I
Founders & Editors
M ark Nagata / Brian Flynn
Design
Brian Flynn / G eoff Allen
Hybrid Design, Inc. / w w w .hybrid-d esig n.com
Contributing Editor / Ad Sales
Chad Hensley i chad@ super7m agazine.com
Retail Director
Mark M iyake / m iyake@ super7retail.com
Gracious Contributers
M ike Johnson, Bwana Spoons, Jack Hurwitz, Roger Harkavy,
T im Brisko, Junko M izuno, Katsu Tanaka & JustBe, Toygraph
Kajim oto-sah, M arusanToy-Kaminaga-san, M -1-N ishim ura-san,
Kiyoka Ikeda and YutakaTaguchi & G argam el, G ary Baseman,
Ron English, Tim Biskup, David Horvath, Pushead, Kiyoshi
Nakazawa, Souther Salazar, Jonathan Wayshak, Jerem y Fish,
M ike S utfin, Russell Richards, Keith Bow m an, M ark G iglio,
M ark Nagata, Nate Crane, David Benzler, Joel Coon, Alex
Mooney, Scott Saw, Joshua Ellingson, Bob Eggleton, Takeshit,
Chanmen* Ralph Cosentino, H irogrim , K iyoshi Nakazawa, Jen
Rarey, Jon Kelly Green, David Dopko, Bill Kerner, Glenn Barr,
Sunny Buick, Steve Forde, kozyndan
ISSUE 03 - LTD
American Distribution
Tower Books, D iam ond Com ics, 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: M ike Bradley 1.800.661.0052 x24
Printed in Canada.
Editorial / Submissions
m ark@ super7magazine.com
Contact / Goodie Boxes
Super7 Magazine / P.O. Box 330235, San Francisco, Ca. 94133
415.922.6612 / w w w .super7m agazine.com
Retail Location
Super7 Store / 1630 Post Street, San Francisco, Ca. 94115
415.409.4700 / w w w .super7store.com
Legal
The advertising and articles appearing w ith in th is p u b lic a tio n reflect the
op in ions and attitudes o f th e ir respective a u thors and not necessarily those
o f the pu b lish e r o r oth er persons affilia te d w ith th is pu b lica tio n . A ll rig h ts to
the photographs, artw ork and articles con tained in th is p u b lic a tio n are cop y­
rig h t ow ned by th e ir respective creators. A ll rig h ts to any character names
and/or likenesses are co p y rig h t ow ne d b y th e ir respective ow ne rs, and no
assum ption o f o w ne rship is m ade by th is pu b lica tio n . E veryth ing else con­
tained herein is © 2003 Super7 m agazine, and m ay not be re produced in part
o r w hole w ith o u t w ritte n pe rm ission fro m Super7 magazine as w e ll as any
c o n trib u to rs if applicable. In th e end, it's a m agazine a b o u t toys - so relax.
ISSUE 06
S ub scrip tions are $28 per year (4 issues)
T-shirts are $15 (indicate size S, M, L, XL, XXL)
Issue
Issue
Issue
Issue
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lim ite d a va ila b ility
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sold out
"O fficialT ra nsform e rs C onvention"
Lim ited die-cut cover
Issue 4 - sold out
Issue 5 - still available
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Call the Super7 store at 415-409-4700 to order subscriptions or t-shirts.
All m ajor credit cards accepted.Please indicate which issue to start your
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please add $5.50 fo r postage. Back issues sent via US Priority Mail. All
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G o d z illa and a ll it's re s p e c tiv e m o n s te rs are © 1 9 5 4 -2 0 0 4 T o h o Ltd ., J a p a n .
09
W O R L D W ID E D E S IG N C U L T U R E
O R IG IN A L A R T
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S U P E R 7 S T O R E .C O M
S U P E R 7 M A G A Z IN E .C O M
II IIII
S U P E R 7 T O Y E X C L U S IV E S
UGLYDOLLS GREEN W EDGEHEAD
From the land o f Ugly, we have Wedgehead! But w ait! He's not supposed to be green
-he's blue! Or is he? This Super7 exclusive green version is lim ited to
is your chance to add a little ugly into you r life.Trust us, y o u 'll be glad
Call the Super7 store to order th is product: 415-409-4700
A ll m ajor credit cards accepted.
Name
Address
E-mail
Phone (
)
P aym en t o f $ 2 0 .0 0 + $ 6 .0 0 sh ipp ing per co u p o n . Enclose
payment as a money order in U.S. funds only. DO NOT SEND
CASH! All California residents must include 8.5% sales tax on
the price of the toy before shipping costs. Payments made out
to "Super7 Magazine." For mail order sales in the U.S.A. and
Canada only. No international orders accepted.
P U N K Z IL L A
Com ing stra ig h t fro m the Circus Punk cam p - a w h ole new creation: Punkzilla! Lim ­
ited to ju st 50 pieces, th is new a d dition to the Circus Punk line is available on ly from
Super? S tanding 12" ta ll and w e ig h in g much m ore than a fly in g circus ball.These w ill
debut at the Super7 store and you can ord er via phone or by m ailin g th is coupon.
Call the Super7 store to ord er th is product: 415-409-4700
A ll m ajor cred it cards accepted.
Name
Address
E-mail
Phone (
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___________________
P a y m e n t o f $ 4 9 .9 9 + $ 6 .5 0 P rio rity M a il S h ip p in g w / In su ran ce per co up on. En­
close payment as a money order in U.S. funds only. DO NOT SEND CASH! All Cali­
fornia residents must include 8.5% sales tax on the price of the toy before shipping
costs. Payments made out to "Super7 Magazine." For mail order sales in the U.S.A.
and Canada only. No international orders accepted.
11
T O Y NEW S
m
u
Sum m er brings w arm weather, vacations, and, o f course, the annual
trek to San Diego fo r Com ic Con! Boasting an attendance o f w e ll over
80,000 fans and costum ed folks, the Super7 crew loaded th e ir van and
headed south tow ards this mega event.This year, we too k over an en­
tire booth and fille d it w ith vintage Japanese toys, t-shirts, magazines
and exclusive toys. In addition, we showed o ff ou r soon to be released
Neo Kaiju toys, gave away free glow -in-the -dark figu res to lucky fans,
and all five of the Neo Kaiju artists (Baseman, Biskup, Hong, StaicoSchorr, and Schorr) signed autographs and m et m any fans.
Super7 also hosted the firs t Am erican signing and appearance of Kikaida star Ban Daisuke, courtesy o f JN Productions. Ban was m ost
gracious, sig nin g and posing w ith the m any Kikaida fans w ho co u ld n 't
believe he was there. But, it w o u ld n 't be Com ic Con w ith o u t the cra­
zy costum es and nu tty folks you see in these pictures. And th is be­
ing Southern California, we even had som e H ollyw ood celebs stroll
th ro u g h like John Landis, Patricia Arquette, and Jesus! So, m ark your
calendars as Super7 w ill be back next year w ith a bigger booth and
som e really cool exclusives.
G ARG AM EL/ w w w .gargam el.jp
Pictured here is Gachadokuro from the Gacha Mecha series by Gargam el.The qu ality o f the to y and packaging is all top-notch. Look fo r a
future article about Gargamel and th e ir new Thrash Out store inTokyo
in an upcom ing issue o f Super7.The Super7 store w ill be the exclusive
United States location fo r all Gargamel toys.
ALIEN HOMINID / w w w .a lie n h o m in id .co m
Alien Hom inid is a video game w a iting to spring upon the pu blic later
this year. A fast paced tw o-d im en sio na l side scro llin g game, players
run, ju m p, and shoot th e ir w ay around the w o rld in pu rsuit o f a UFO.
O riginally a Flash game available on the internet, A lien H om inid is the
brainchild o f Behem oth- a sm all collective o f developers. Accom pany­
ing m erchandise includes a boxed set of five detailed vin yl figures.T he
figures are neatly painted, rendered in a clu nky but stylish charm.
M-1 / w w w .m 1 g o .c o m /w w w .h m v .c o .jp
An M1-Go / HMV exclusive, the Ultraseven bubble b lo w in g fig u re is
a re-issue on ly sold throu gh HMV stores in Japan.T he o rigin al U ltra­
seven bubble to y released in the '70s is one o f the rarest Ultraseven
toys com m anding a price of w e ll over $3000.00. A no ther new M-1 re­
lease is the Gargamel exclusive black G odzilla reproduction, shown
on the far right. At W onderfest th is sum m er, M-1 also raffled away
an unpainted black version of th is to y - as w e ll as the sam ple painted
dancing Godzilla, show n here on its green base.
G argam el
M-1 / H M V
A lie n H om in id
M-1 / Gargam el
13
G g r rr... Aliens mutated us. Now we are Smarter, Faster,
Greener, & Stronger. You can run stupid human, but you
can't hide. The l.nsurgents W.ilderness G.ruppo will get
you. It's time for some serious payback. Humans Beware!
Vi V
LnsURGEIlTS W.iLDERHESS G.RUPPO
Designer Vinyl
Toys
w w w . r o c k e t w o r l d . o r g
E
I
DUD/CD/Toys/Posters/Figures
JUNGLE COLLECTORS SHOP
Store Hours: Mon-Fri 12:00-8:00 Sat 11:00-8:00 Sun 11:00-7:00
319 East 2nd Street #1 0 3 Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone (213) 621-1661 E-mail: [email protected]
http://w w w .anim ejungle.net
h i
•
h
11 i
,, '1
LOCATED IN
LITTLE TOKYO
Located under
Little Tokyo Mali's
parking garage.Floor G 1 .
Entrances to parking
garage: on S an Pedro st.
(next to Union Bank)
or on 1st St.
(next to Miyako Inn Hotel).
M Y F R IE N D T H E M IC R O N A U T
BY BW ANA SPOO NS
Mad Acroyear
Released in 1975 in three c o lo r variants: M ad Pink 311, M ad Green
312 (which has a s lig h t g o ld tin t to it}, and M a d Blue 313. The one
and on ly "M a d B lu e " A croye ar speaks here fo r the firs t time.
I wanted to tell you w hy I am so bad ass, to u g h e r and cooler than all
the other Acroyear out there. W hile m y brethren can 't pick anything
up because he has balls fo r hands, I have big g ripp y claws and a
shiny blue dagger w ith a lil' sw irly pattern engraved in its sides.
Mr. Acroyear II has little weenie feet and he falls over if there is
just the slightest sum m er breeze. I have giant ro lle r skate feet.
These are nearly unbreakable and to ta lly hurricane p ro o f (Can't re­
ally speak fo r y o u r hip jo in ts though-B), Have you seen m y wings?
W hile the other guys have w ussy tin y je t w ings, I have these m as­
sive m etallic spinning disks, one on each side.These can be taken
off and used in any other M icro 5m m hole o f yo u r liking. Besides
all o f these im p o rta n t attributes, I gotta say that I ju s t look good
know w h at I'm saying? I'm out.
Mad Blue Acroyear 313
I have a fe w notes to add m yself. Your colors are also a bit richer
than y o u r US M ego counterpart, and d o n 't fo rg e t about y o u r SpyB ird.T his is the little m ini w in g th a t fits into yo u r feet.Take o ff those
fat boots and plug the Spy-Bird in to sail th ro u g h inner space or
a quick knifing in the m ig h ty England, one o f yo u r fav' hangouts.
A ltho ug h you have been reproduced th ro u g h Palisades in the last
year, at least Takara d id n 't reproduce you in a thousand lim ited
ed itio n im p ossib le -to -get colors, so you still retain som e o f your
old school charm. I m ust say tho u g h , yo u r face is m ore go ofy than
tough w ith the w h ole "I wear m y sunglasses at n ig h t" look.Tee-he.
Bwana.
50 Years
1
of Wreaking! m
HAVOC,
- M
TERROR, J M
M A Y H E M flH
Pevastafim aHH
O esfruefiorffiyi
z io m
m
r o a r in g m
m
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i
m M psom Jm
S C R E A M iN & fll
fig h tin g . ^ r m
Bmmm.Wmm
and jus! plalr W i
GIGANTIC
m er rim en t E E
You've got W
to FIGHT
for your Right 9
to PARRRR—TAY)
G A R B A G E D IG G E R
B Y T A K E S H IT
Heibon Punch
I was blow n away by the cover o f Heibon Punch pu blishe d in 1973. It
had a lady ho ld ing a HERO S ofubi (soft vin yl) figu re. A ccording to my
frien ds w ho are s lig h tly olde r than me, th is m agazine was extrem e ly
favored fo r th e ir news o f sex and gossip. The m odel on th is cover is
pretty much unknow n and nobody knows w h o or w here she is from .
I'm sure it w o uld 've been even m ore exciting if it was a better known
actress holding the HERO Sofubi figu re.
~^m
I was also taken by the ad o f the Canon F-1, which was also in the same
issue. The photographer him self was sinking in the bath tub and had a
mask-removed HERO Sofubi figure floating above him, alm ost as if he
was bathing the figure. To me this idea is unique, but at the same tim e
sort o f weird and eerie, and that no one can think of a situation like this.
And to top it off, the photographer was known as "The best photog­
rapher o f nude actresses," Noriaki Kato. He makes appearances on TV
shows as a guest com m entator, and every tim e I see him I think "Damn,
what a loser." But then when I saw this picture w ith such good sense,
done by this man, w ell whaddya know? M y evaluation of this guy rose.
i !’*>11i
C anon
IF S
iH
Goujin Ishihra
A t theYayoi A rt M useum , located q u ie tly behind the U n ive rsity ofTokyo, there was a solo e xh ib itio n o f my fa vo rite sashie a rtist/ illu s tra ­
tor, G oujin Ishihara. I w e nt to check it out w ith no delay.
During the 1950s, beginning w ith kam ishibais, a Japanese picture sto­
ry show, G oujin drew m any illu stra tio n s fo r various magazines, before
passing away a fe w years ago. He was excellent at dra w in g beauti­
ful wom en and handsom e lovers. He began w ith illu stra tin g fo r g irls '
com ic magazines, m oving on to draw ing kaijus, occult, and creatures
strange to the w o rld fo r boys' com ic magazines. Lastly, he ended his
career by illu stra tin g fo r S&M magazines, using a diffe re n t identity.
His w orks had a strong im pact on me w hen I was g ro w in g up. I can't
say I rem em ber every fine detail, but I can v iv id ly rem em ber the in ­
ten sity and appeal o f the kaijus and occu lt th a t was b ro u g h t out by
the illu stra tio n s in the com ic magazines I read du rin g m y boyhood. At
the tim e, I had no clue w h o th is guy was, but as I g o t olde r and got a
hold o f these illu stra tio n s again, I was able to reaffirm th a t the man
w ho drew such pieces th a t are fo re ve r em bedded in m y m ind was
G oujin Ishihara.
Sashie
During the 1960s, kaijus began appearing on b o ys' com ic magazines,
fillin g the fro n t cover fro m corn er to corner, edge to edge. I'm not
sure if it was because co lo r p h otog rap hy was tech nica lly uncom m on,
or it was the ed itor's in d ivid u a l choice, but o rig in a lly illu stra te d kai­
jus were c o m m o n ly used over photographs. Because the y w ere illu s ­
tration s, im possible kaiju battles and dissections o f the kaijus were
drawn and included in every issue. Those were w h a t captured the
hearts and eyes o f the you ng boys.
Panoramas o f illustrate d kaijus had several tim es m ore in te n sity than
photographs, and the fascinations o f the kaijus inflated as w e ll. Illu s­
tration s were also used fo r boxes and headers o f the kaiju figu rin es.
Kaiju illu stra tio n s were used as to o ls to make th a t pro du ct even m ore
fascinating and attractive.
17
W e sell Godzilla, Gamera, Mothra, and other figures, toys,
books, posters, mini posters, highgrades, hyper figures, plush toys,
models, candy toys and THEATER EXCLUSIVE ITEMS.Kaiju collectors serving
collectors, Tom and Diane lived in Japan for six years! They know the country
and they know the Kaiju! Vintage toys or new toys, toys for all budgets, they
have the largest Godzilla inventory in the USA!
Web site: http://www.clawmarktoys.com
—
E-mail: [email protected]
Clawmark Toys
1308 Tour Drive
Gulf Breeze, Florida 32563
Phone: (850) 916-4517
VISA
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F ig u r in e s fro h i th e hit
GAHIE! NOW AVAILABLE AT:
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Mechabof & All ielafed Elements TM «nd O Go Hero LLC 2004.
AH Hights Reserved- Not for children under 15 years.
Make room on yew toy sfieif!
Left: Beastwars Scorponok Robot and
Beast modes.
Below: Generation 1 Scorponok Scorpion
BEAST W AR S
BY JACK HURWITZ
Scorpions make great robots. In the tw e n ty years th a t T ransform ­
ers have been around, there have been quite a fe w o f the robotic
arachnids made. Introduced in G eneration 1, Decepticon Scorpo­
nok firs t appeared as a Headmaster Com m ander in the 1987 Re­
birth cartoon m ini-series.The gian t menacing robot scorpion was
an instant hit tha t became a great inspiration fo r som e o f the m ost
deadlyTransform er characters as w e ll as m any great toys.
The firs t and still the biggest Decepticon to y ever made at 13.5
inches tall, the Scorponok to y appeared in stores in 1987 selling
for about $35. A kid had to cut a lot o f lawns to afford the blaz­
ing orange, green and purple-colored ju m b o robot. Well w o rth it
though, he was instantly the evil ruler o f every neighborhood battle
scene. Over the years, the popular character and toys have co n tin ­
ued to reappear in series like the Am erican Rebirth and Japanese
Headmasters (1987), the BeastW ars (1996), and in the m ost recent
Energon (2004) series.The C om m ander reigns again till th in g s get
a little to o hot between he and M egatron.
Left: D-311 Black Zarak
Right: Generation 1 Scoponok Robot
Generation 1 (1987)
Released in 1987, the biggest Decepticon ever m ade w eighs in at a hulk­
ing three pounds of plastic robot joy. Being a Headmaster, Scorponok
was actually tw o robots in one. He is binary-bonded w ith Lord Zarak of
Nebulos who, as the brain o f the giant robot, transform s into the head
of Scorponok. Not on ly big, th is to y was com plex w ith three distinct
modes in one toy: Robot Mode, Beast Scorpion M ode and even a City
M odelToday the to y is a prized collection piece that can be challenging
to find com plete due to its num erous accessories.
Headmasters Japan (1987)
The Headmasters cartoon continued w ith new m aterial that was shown
only in Japan. A fter Scorponok was destroyed, Lord Zarak reb uilt the
body as a new character. Named Black Zarak, he w o u ld fo llo w Galvatron as the leader o f the Destrons.The figu re was repainted in a striking
black and ye llo w them e, came w ith a re-m olded head and a giant red
battle staff. The very lim ited Japan-only released toys start at several
hundred dollars on today's market.
Beast Wars (1996)
The use o f organic form s in the Beast W ars show gave us ou r m ost
true-to-life scorpion form yet. Looking alm ost exactly like the character
in the show, the to y came w ith interesting claw weapons, and fantastic
articulation com pared w ith the G1 brick. The to y was really quite im ­
pressive and a high ly desirable to y w ith Beast Wars fans.
ACT PVC Chase Figures (2001-2002)
Scorponok robots were also released as PVC chase figures inTakara's
Super Collection Figure series. Individual parts in the norm al figure
were distributed in each single figure box. Collectors had to get all six
figures in order to make a com plete Scorponok.The fig u re was first is­
sued as Black Zarak in Act 5 (2001) as a cartoon color and clear smoke
versions.The G1 Scorponok fo llo w e d later in ACT 8 (2002) as a cartoon
color and pewter versions.
Super Link/Energon (2004)
Yep, he's backlTakara surprised everyone w ith the return o f Scorponok
in the newTransform ers cartoon Super Link, or Energon in the US. You
do n't have to look hard to see the hom age to the G1 figure. However,
this one is som ething else. W hile not the behem oth figu re its predeces­
sor was, this toy m ore than makes up fo r it w ith the a b ility to take on
an amazing variety o f m odes and transform ations.
Credits and Gratitude:
Ah Yeung Lap (Honk Kong) Beast and Energon Pix - http://tfkenkon.com
MOT (Hong Kong) Black Zarak Pix.
Energon Scorponok
"In the future o f the 20th century, a cataclysm has been started that
has included the appearance o f m on ste rs and invasions by aliens from
oth er planets. The U nited N ation Forces have organized a n e w squad­
ron to pro te ct against these attacks. This ne w squadron, m ade up o f
specialized robots, is nam edTE rrestrial DEfense RO bot Squadron.
- From theTEDEROS packaging (ab rid g e d )
TEDEROS is Marusan Toys' latest foray in to the w o rld o f vin yl toys
aimed at collectors. "TEDEROS is like a pastiche o f characters fro m the
'60s and '70s th a t I liked," explains Eiji Kaminaga, president o f M arusanToys. "In 2002, I'd been m aking m any vin yl to ys such asToho and
Daiei characters. I always th o u g h t about w h a t I m ig h t make next. Cre­
ating my ow n new characters was a choice, even tho ugh it w o u ld n 't
be easy. M arketing new characters usually costs a lo t o f m oney to
make the character fa m ilia r, th ro u g h th in g s like film s o r TV series,
and I could not afford to do this. However, I th o u g h t there m ig h t be a
certain way to do it w ith o u t a big investm ent."
And thus, TEDEROS was born. A t a glance, A m erican and Japanese
fans can quickly get a grasp ofTEDEROS’ heritage.The designs o f U nit
01, 03, and 06 evoke robot anim e icons G etter Robo and M ob ile Suit
Gundam. U nit 02 is an obvious hom age to T hun de rbird 2, and Unit
04 looks like the Yellow S ubm arine as filte re d th ro u g h an Irw in A l­
len show. U nit 05 is like a vin yl ren dition o f a classic tin w in d -u p toy,
which resonates stro n g ly w ith the "re tro -fu tu re " the m e o f the entire
line. W hat isn 't in sta ntly apparent is th a t one character has a heritage
th a t goes back three decades. U nit 03 is based on Ningen Robo, one of
Marusan's o rigin al character designs th a t w ere produced as standard
vin yl figures in the mid-1970s.
Z im ella is the firs t TEDEROS enem y figu re, a beastie bound to please
Kaiju fans everyw here.T he entire m onster is cast fro m a m ilky trans­
lucent vin yl th a t is painted over except fo r the nails and back spines.
He com es w ith tw o tails: one at rest and another in a " firin g " position.
Z im ella's level o f detail and con stru ction is d e fin ite ly above the level
of the average Japanese m onster toy.The same can be said about the
robots and vehicles in the series, w hich are made o f hard styrene and
thick vin yl, w ith em bedded transluce nt cockpits that show the pilots
inside.The robots are articulated as w e ll, includ in g shoulder, neck, and
w aist jo ints.
Marusan also w e nt the extra m ile w ith theTEDEROS packaging. In­
stead o f s im p ly being bagged w ith header cards, theTEDEROS figures
com e in a box tha t im itates the style o f 1960s-era M arusan and Imai
m odel kits.The pa in tings on the covers are dead-on representations of
the art th a t graced the products o f yesteryear.
"I'm not sure w h a t futureTEDEROS toys are go in g to be like," adm its
Kaminaga, tho ugh if the retro-style w eb com ics on hisTEDEROS web
site (http://tederos.com /) are any indication, m ore o f Marusan's o rig i­
nal Kaiju fo r the series m ay be next.
FIFTY YEARS OF
In 1954, Japan was still em erging fro m its post W orld War II defeat
as w ell as coping w ith the afterm ath o f the tw o atom ic bom bs it
was dealt.T hat year saw the creation o f a film th a t not o n ly made
a statem ent about w a r but also com m ented on m ankind's relationship w ith nature and the effects o f nuclear power. That film was
called G ojira, o r Godzilla, and 2004 marks the 50th anniversary o f
th is firs t Godzilla film .
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The past 50 years have seen the creation o f over 28 additional
Godzilla m ovies and the m onster has appeared in p rin t and te le ­
vision m edia o f every type im aginable. T hrough the years, film ­
makers have portrayed Godzilla as hero, v illa in , o r com ic sidekick.
This dual id e n tity allow ed the eventual m arketing o f G odzilla as a
child's toy. Innum erable am ounts o f G odzilla toys in clud in g vinyl
figures, m odel kits, candy toys, tin toys, die-cast toys, and clo th in g
have been sold. This article w ill focus on som e of the figu res that
were made o f Godzilla fro m the 1960s to the present day.
It w asn't until tw elve years after that original film that the firs t
Godzilla toy was made. This vinyl figure stands 9 inches tall and
was released by Marusan in 1966, although the to y bore little re­
semblance to the actual film character the figu re was suppose to
portray. However, the to y proved to be a very popular seller w ith the
kids in Japan. A m ongst vinyl collectors, the m ost sought-after ver­
sion of this to y is the light green version or the original J-Tail m old
(see issue #1 o f Super7 fo r an article on Godzilla tail variations).
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FIFTY YEARS OF
G O O Z IL J - A
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W ith the success o f th is toy, Marusan fo llo w e d w ith m ore vinyl
figures, m odel kits, and a sm all w in d -u p baby Godzilla. F ollow ing
Marusan's bankruptcy, a new com pany called B ullm ark too k over
the ir m old o f Godzilla and added several o th e r sizes in clud in g a
giant size tha t came w ith a Tokyo tow e r, three diffe re nt sm aller
sized vinyls ranging fro m 3.5 to 4.5 inches, a necklace version, and
several sm all plastic figures.
Both Marusan and B ullm ark released battery operated, rem ote
control tin G odzilla walkers. W ith a push o f a button, these figu res
w o uld lig h t up and sm oke w o u ld pour fro m th e ir m ouths.The firs t
editions o f these toys in th e ir o rig in a l boxes w ith co lo rfu l artw o rk
fetch a high d o lla r today. A fte r nearly a decade, du rin g the late
'70s, Bullm ark ended th e ir run o f Godzilla to ys by releasing a m is­
sile-firin g die-cast toy. But, tha t was not to be the last to y m ade o f
this now w o rld fam ous beast.
In the late 1970s, Popy created tw o Godzilla vin yls th a t featured
a m ore realistic style.T here was a slanted or fig h tin g -s ty le m old,
which was also released in the U nited States as part o f M attel's
Godzilla's Gang line, being s lig h tly sm aller and made in Taiwan.
There was also a m ore erect style th a t came in fo u r diffe re nt sizes
ranging from ro u g h ly 2 to 10 inches. The m ost im pressive of the
Top ro w : Four sizes o f the Popy s tan ding Godzilla, Godzilla gang / 2
Popy versio ns o f the "attacking p o s e " Godzilla, 3 larg e & 3 m in i Beetland Godzillas, 4 c o lo rs o f th e Popy reissue Godzilla b y Slash
S econd ro w : P opy reissue m id d le & m in i Godzilla (g o ld eyes 8t silve r
chest, s ilv e r eyes & g o ld chest variations), Popy reissue large scale
Godzilla (same p a in t variationI, Popy m in i w in d -u p Godzilla, 2 m in i
(g o ld & silver) an d 2 m e d iu m scale Yamakatsu vinyls, varie ty o f
Yamakatsu ru b b e r figures
Third ro w : S upe r P rem ium 64 Godzilla 184 & 88 release), Banda i Super
Prem ium bronze 64 Godzilla, Bandai S uper P rem ium 94 Godzilla,
□
Bandai S uper Final P rem ium M e ltd o w n Godzilla, 1991 16" Godzilla,
1984 Godzilla
Fourth ro w : Bandai 1962 Godzilla, Bandai 1964 G odzilla, 3 Bandai 1992
m o ld (open m o u th ) / 1991 G odzilla m o ld (closed m o uth), Godzilla
1991 / G odzillasaurus carded set, Bandai 1995 m o ld (Forever series
ressurection g litte r version / the ater p re m iu m M e ltd o w n version /
Forever series cen turies e nd version / o rig in a l b u rn in g version)
Bottom ro w : Bandai 1996 6 " Godzilla (green crysta l lo tte ry version /
p e a rl event exclusive w ith tag / crysta l e ve nt e xclusive / vs. M egaguirus theater exclusive / clear orange fin version / orange g litte r theater
exclusive / re g u la r version), Bandai 1995 & 1992 6 " Godzilla figu re
(M eltdow n Bandai m useum / red B andai m useum / g litte r Bandai
m useum / bu rning re g u la r version / 3 tag & c o lo r variations o f the
1992 version), Bandai m useum 1962 G odzilla carded figure
Godziiia is <©1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
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FIFTY YEARS OF
GODZILLA
Popy Godzilla toys is the Jum boT alking G odzilla.The fig u re is over
16 inches tall, can fire its fist, and comes w ith a p u ll-strin g ta lk­
ing box. M attel released a ju m b o sized G odzilla as part o f th e ir
Shogun W arriors line o f figu res in the US, tho ugh th e ir version
com pletely redid the style and look o f the toy.
In the early 1980s, Beetland took the Popy style figu res and p ro ­
duced a lam p, a bank, a phone rest, and several sm aller figures.
Beetland also made Godzilla lighters, a shaver, and candles.
In the mid-1980s, Yamakatsu produced an inexpensive line of
Godzilla toys. They m ade tw o diffe re nt 6-inch vin yls and a sm all
2-inch vin yl. Yamakatsu released several diffe re nt sized rubber fig ­
ures in an assortm ent o f colors.
During th is tim e, the to y com pany Bandai took over the Godzilla
license and released the firs t set o f super realistic G odzilla figures.
Unlike figu res o f the past, these new toys featured realistic propor­
tions, super detailed skin and h igh ly accurate head sculpts.
Today, Bandai continues to produce Godzilla vinyls, m ostly in con­
junction w ith current film releases. Bandai's early vinyls featured the
classic King-Goji and M osu-Goji suit m olds.The M osu-Goji was re­
leased in a giant version around 18 inches tall. A bronze version of
this m old is considered a holy grail w ith in the collector com m unity.
Top ro w : Bandai 9 " G odzilla 2001 (H yper H obb y exclusive g litte r ver­
sion / crysta l eve nt exclusive / tra nslucen t black the ater exclusive /
re g u la r version), B andai 9 " G odzilla 2002 open m o u th versio n (red
Itoyokado exclusive / translucent w h ite the ater exclusive / re g u la r
version), Bandai 9 " Godzilla 2003 closed m o u th version (translucent
green H M V exclusive / tra n s lu c e n t g re y Itoyokado exclusive, green
theater e x c lu s iv e /re g u la r edition), Bandai 6 " 73 G odzilla
Second ro w : Godzilla 6 " 73 next to Godzilla 1954 (sepia event e xclu ­
sive / sm o ke-grey eve nt exclusive / m o v ie m o nsters p a in t scheme
/ re g u la r edition), g ro u p o f Godzilla Bandai figures, H yper H obby &
s m a ll ru b b e r Godzilla 64, 1983 re m ote c o n tro l Characon Godzilla
Third ro w : Bandai Godzilla h is to ry set, M l Godzilla 1964, M l Godzilla
1954, M l Godzilla 65-66 da ncing poseable figure, M l Godzilla 65-66
non-dancing version
Fourth ro w : M l Godzilla 1962, M1 Godzilla 1989, M l Godzilla 1973-75
B ottom ro w : M l Hara N akajim a in 1954 G odzilla waders, M1 Godzilla
1999, M1 Godzilla 2001, M l Godzilla 1954 based on M a quette from
G-shock set
Godzilla is ©1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
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FIFTY YEARS OF
GSODZII-I-A g
Over the years, like Marusan and B ullm ark o f the past, Bandai has
produced G odzilla to y figu res in all sizes, m odel kits, candy toys,
capsule toys, electronic toys, the ater prem ium s, and box sets. Fig­
ures like the M eltd ow n Godzilla, G litter G odzilla, Super Prem ium
Godzilla, Pearl G odzilla, and the Bronze G odzilla can com m and
very expensive prices on the after market.
The 1990s ushered in a new phase in the G odzilla to y phenom e­
non. Sm aller com panies appeared and started to produce G odzilla
vinyls. Unlike Bandai w h o m arketed to children, these new co m ­
panies targeted the olde r collecto rs w ith high er priced, lim ite d run
toys. M ost o f these com panies produced th e ir toys in extrem ely
lim ite d num bers o f 100 pieces (or less) versus 10,000 plus fo r
com panies like Bandai.
One o f these new companies, called M1-Go, has developed a reputation for high quality sculpts and paints as w ell as an attention to de­
tail that only a true fan can appreciate. M l has produced many inter­
esting versions o f Godzilla and recently found the original Bullm ark
m olds from the 1970s and has re-released these classic figures.
_
The com pany M a rm it also started du rin g th is tim e and has p ro ­
duced a m in d -n u m b in g am o un t o f G odzilla figu res in ju s t about
every vin yl color one can th in k of. The Vinyl Paradise line in tro ­
duced m any new Godzillas suits not done before in to y fo rm but
the sculpts lacked detail and looked m ore cartoon-like than the
m ore realistic Bandai versions. M a rm it too k a step back and re­
th o u g h t th e ir Godzilla line. W hat fo llo w e d w ere tw o m ajor lines
called Parababy and M onster Heavens.These tw o lines introduced
m ore realistic sculpts to the to y collecto r and have proven m ore
popular than th e ir o rig in a l series.
Yet another com pany is Bearm odel.They have produced a standard
and medium-sized line o f Godzilla figures th a t focused on the clas­
sic m ovie suits. The standard line features a m ore realistic sculpt
w hile the m edium line has a m ore retro or Bullm ark to y look.
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:
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Top ro w : M1 ba by Godzilla (M arusan type), M l ba by Godzilla 2000,
M a rm it Vinyl Paradise 55 Godzilla
S econd ro w : M a rm it V inyl Paradise 65-66 (from G hidorah the Three
Headed M o n s te r, M a rm it V inyl Paradise 65-66 (fro m M o n s te r Zero),
M a rm it Vinyl Paradise 65-66 (from Godzilla vs. The Sea M onster)
T hird ro w : M a rm it V inyl Paradise 62 (x4), M a rm it V inyl Paradise 62
(x4i, M a rm it V inyl Paradise 64 (x6)
Fourth ro w : M a rm it Vinyl Paradise 54 (x8), M a rm it V inyl Paradise 6869 (x3), M a rm it V inyl Paradise 71 (x3), M a rm it Para-baby 54 (x10)
B ottom ro w : M a rm it Para-baby 55 (x6), M a rm it Para-baby 62 (x7),
M a rm it Para-baby 68-69 (x4)
G odzilla is ©1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
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FIFTY YEARS OF
if
GODZII-I-A g
Yutaka, a subsidiary o f Bandai, released several sm aller Godzilla
toys, m ostly in sets du rin g the '90s. Several o f these toys even
reused Bandai m olds. This tra d itio n w o u ld be continued by Banpresto, another Bandai subsidiary, w ith cheap, realistic, non-articulated Godzilla toys. A round 2001, still another Bandai subsidiary,
th is tim e called B-Club, started to reproduce the o rig in a l Bullm ark
Giant Godzilla to y to the ad ult collector.
M arui produced tw o incredible rem ote-control Godzilla figu res
that stand around 18 inches ta ll. Either a Shodai-G odzilla or bioGodzilla rubber su it fits over a ro b o t skeleton, th o u g h this co m ­
pany was not the firs t to produce the rubber suit idea. There is a
series o f Com bat Joe (like Gl Joe) figu res th a t you can fit a scaled
dow n rubber G odzilla suit over replicating in sm all scale the man
in the rubber suit affect.Takara firs t released a man in Godzilla suit
and then the com panyTim ehouse made one. Finally, M edicom re­
leased th e ir tw o versions in the '90s.
In the late '90s, Marusan w o u ld resurface issuing to ys based on
the o rig in a l Marusan to y sculpture to the ad ult collector. Marusan
also started a new line o f G odzilla vin yls th a t featured all new de­
signs of Godzilla 1954 and 1955.
And, in 2004, a new com pany called Toygraph w o u ld produce a
Godzilla vin yl fea tu ring the m onster in a cute, seated position
holding a M othra larva sculpted by Kajim oto-san.
As much as Super7 w o u ld like to say th a t th is article is a com plete
Godzilla to y checklist, it is not. We've barely skim m ed the surface
o f Godzilla related toys and collectibles fro m Japan (much less
from countries all over the w o rld ). S till, after 50 years, G odzilla
rem ains one o f the m ost recognizable m onsters and related mer­
chandise w ill continue to be produced, sold, and collected, no
do ub t fo r another fifty years.
□
Top ro w : M a rm it Para-baby 85-66 1x3), M a rm it Para-baby 73-75 1x5),
M a rm it Para-baby 67 (x2), M a rm it Para-baby 71 (x2>
Second row : M a rm it Para-baby 64 (x3I, M a rm it M o n ste r Heaven 54
1x4), M a rm it M o nster Heaven 64 (x1), M a rm it M o n s te r Heaven 64 (x6)
T h ird ro w : M a rm it M o n s te r Heaven 64 w ith M o th ra spray, M a rm it
M o nster Heaven 62 (x5), M a rm it G odzilla C oncept A rt version 1x3),
M a rm it M o n s te r Heaven 55 1x2), M a rm it M o n s te r H eaven 2003 (x2)
Fourth ro w : M a rm it M o n s te r Heaven 2004 1x4), M a rm it M o n ste r
Heaven 2002 (x3), M a rm it M o n s te r Heaven 1989 1x2), M a rm it 57 p o st
p ro d u c tio n version, M a rm it M o n s te r Heaven 54 illu s tra te d 1x4)
B ottom ro w : M a rm it 2004 re tro s tyle (x3), M a rm it g ia n t I 1-69 1x3),
M a rm it candy case 1x4), B earm odel 54 !x6l
Godzilla is ©1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
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FIFTY YEARS OF
O O O Z I I .L A
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□
Top ro w : B earm odel 73-74 ix 5 l B earm odel 65-66
(x5), B earm odel 62 (x4), B earm odel 67 m in i GodzitU
S econd row : B earm odel 55 m in i Godzilla (x4), Bear
Godzilla 1x3), M arusan b a llo on b lo w e r re produc
reprod uction 1x2), M arusan s w im m in g Godzilla, M
Third ro w : M arusan 64 1 x 3 )/M arusan 62 ( x 2 )/ M a n
san 54 (x3), M arusan 55 1x2), M arusan 54, Tsubar,
bo x sets, B illiken tin w in d -u p Godzillas
Fourth ro w : M edicom Godzilla costum e dolls, X -pl
figure, Bandai USA burning & regular Godzilla, Toygr,
B ottom ro w : 2002 Toyota Godzilla, various h ig h g
ures, various hyp er G odzilla figures
Godtiilo is s&1954-20Q4Toho Ltd., Japan.
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BEEI
Mike Sutfin
Opposite page: Jonathan Wayshak
Souther Salazar
M echa G odzilla, G odzilla & B iollante are © 1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
Jerem y Fish
Sunny Buick
Mark G iglio
Pushead
Russell U. Richards
David Benzler
Joshua Ellingson
G odzilla & Rodan are © 1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
Jen Rarey
Jen Rarey
Nate Crane
Takeshit
Hirogrim
G odzilla, H edorah, B io lla n te , E birah and Rodan are ©1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
Jen Rarey
Jen Rarey
Keith Bowman
Keith Bowm an
Katope
kozyndan
Baragon, M in ya , G odzilla, Hedorah and King G hidrah are ©1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
Gary Baseman
Gary Baseman
Alex M ooney
Alex M ooney
B aragon, G odzilla, M inya, M echa G odzilla, Kum onga, R odan and K ing G hidrah are © 1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
Chanmen
Ron English
Bob Eggleton
Ralph Cosentino
G odzilla, G igan, Hedorah, Rodan, M o th ra and K ing G hidrah are ©1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
Glenn Barr
David Dopko
G odzilla, M iss N am ikaw a and K ing G hidrah are © 1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
O pposite page:Tim Biskup
w
w
Joel Coon
Opposite page: David Horvath
Gary Baseman
G odzilla, G igan, and Je t J a g u a r are © 1954-2004Toho Ltd., Japan.
I can trace the obsession back to Christm as of 1978. I'd dis­
covered com ic books, and m y favo rite was the Shogun War­
riors. I had begged m y parents all year long fo r a Shogun
W arrio rs' toy. I d id n 't care which one; I ju st had to have one.
On C hristm as m orn ing m y w ish was granted. I tore open the
w ra p p in g paper to fin d m y very firs t gian t robot: Raideen.
It was the Raideen Jum b o Shogun W arrior. It was the third
version, but I w o u ld n 't know th a t fo r years later. M y dad in ­
stan tly to o k it o u t o f m y hands and cut o ff the sharp point of
the shield w ith toenail clippers. I was five years old. I was the
o n ly kid I knew w ith a Shogun W arrior. I ruled the neighbor­
hood w ith a sho otin g fist.
Years w e n t by, and Raideen got burnt, painted, buried and,
eventually, lost. As a teen, I ignored m y toys and all but for­
g o t about him . A fte r college, I began to get into toys again
and, once I got online, I decided to look fo r m y favo rite child­
hood toy. I discovered Alen Yen'sToyboxDX and eBay. It was
d o w n h ill fro m there.
Raideen's origin al name was Brave Raideen, orY u ush a Raideen.The
Japanese TV show aired fro m A p ril 4, 1975 to March 26, 1976, and ran
fo r 50 episodes. Produced by Sunrise, Brave Raideen to ld the story
of Akira Hibiki, w h o p ilo ts the gian t ro b o t to fig h t against the Devil
Empire. Akira w o u ld ride his "S u p e rca r" m otorcycle o ff o f a c liff and
yell- "Fade in !" as he entered the d o rm an t Raideen.
YoshiyukiTom ino, the creator o f M ob ile Suit G undam , directed the firs t
26 Raideen episodes. He q u it and was replaced w ithTadao Nagahama,
w ho also directed C o m b a ttle rV and Voltes V. YoshikazuYasuhiko (and
Suzuki Yoshitake) created Raideen's m echanical design. O riginally,
Raideen was intended to be green, but M r.Yasuhiko changed this.T he
show was also the firs t to incorporate m ystical or supernatural robots
in to the super robot genre.
Popy produced the very firs t Raideen toys. Raideen was the ninth to y
in the Popy GA series o f die-cast robot toys known as Chogokin. It has
a place in history as being the firs t Popy to y w ith the DX label, and the
GA-09 is usually regarded as the firs t transfo rm ing die-cast robot toy.
The story o f the Popy GA-09 is a com plicated one. The firs t version of
the GA-09 came w ith w hite legs and a green accessory tray. Later ver­
sions w ould have chrome legs and a w h ite tray.The GA-09 was reissued
in the "Etarnal Heroes" (yes, that's how the y spelled it) series and again
in the m id '80s in a blue and w h ite box. Raideen was also released in
1978 as part o f the Shogun W arriors "2-in-1" line by Mattel.
Popy issued an extrem ely lim ite d Black version o f the GA-09, w hich has
become very expensive over the years. Released three years after the
origin al, the to y was sold in lim ite d qu an tities and intended fo r older
fans. In the m id '90s, there was also a re-release o f the Black Raideen,
along w ith a black ST C om battler and black ST G odsigm a. Unlike the
original, th is black version has no go ld trim . Rum or has it tha t these
Opposite page: Popy Chogokin Raideen GA-09
Left: Popy Chogokin Black Raideen GA-09
Top: Bandai GA-09R Raideen
Center: Bandai The Chogokin Series Raideen, The Chogokin Series Black Raideen
Bottom : Black Raideen in bird mode
toys were made w ith o u t Bandai's consent by
the m oldin g com pany. The boxes have no
m arkings and the toys are less detailed than
the originals, due to the degradation o f the
m olds over tim e.
In 1999, Bandai released the GA-09R, a re­
to o lin g o f the o rig in a l Popy toy. Over an inch
taller, the reissue featured an e n tire ly new
sculpt and paint job. Some o f the notable
differences are red w in g s instead o f w h ite
and m etallic gold horns instead o f yellow .
A ltho ug h it looks very sim ila r to the original,
it is an en tirely diffe re nt toy. Bandai created
a lim ite d gold version o f th is to y available
only at the Tokyo Toy Festival in February
2000. O nly 1000 were made and the y sold out
im m ediately.
O ther Popy Raideen die-casts include the
G odbird, S pitfire, Sparcar, Bluegar, and
M utrop olis w ith the Sparcar being the hard­
est to find.
The PA-56 G odbird is the bird-m od e o f Rai­
deen and features a sho otin g head section.
The S pitfire is actually the sm all vehicle that
sits on the nose o f the Bluegar toy. It features
Bottom left: Popy Sparcar
Bottom right: Popy Sparcar box
Very bottom left: Popy Sparcar & Charawheel Sparcar
Very bottom right: Popy Spitfire
Top left: Popy Bluegar
Top right: Popy Bluegar box
Center left: Popy G odbird loose
Center right: Popy Godbird box
an ejection seat action w ith a delicate trig ­
ger. The Sparcar (also known as Super Car
or Sparker) is the m otorcycle th a t Akira rides
on his w ay to "fade in " to Raideen.This toy is
one o f the m ore rare popynica and features
shooting m issiles and opening blades on the
fro n t. Bandai recently released a version of
the Sparcar as part o f th e ir Charawheels line.
Blugar was later released as Rydoto in Am er­
ica as part o f the Shogun A ction Vehicles from
the Shogun W arriors line. It has pop-open
w in g s and a launching m in iatu re silver Spit­
fire vehicle.
In ad d itio n to die-cast toys, Popy m anufac­
tured vin yl, plastic and tin toys o f Raideen.
Popy released a Pla-Delux Base tha t included
a m ini G odbird, Sparcar, Blugar and Spitfire.
These m ini-vehicles w ere also released as a
stand-alone set. A no ther interesting Raideen
to y was the fly in g Sora-Tobu Raideen. Not
quite Jum b o Machinder-sized, th is to y trans­
form ed in to go d-b ird m ode and could "fly "
along an attached string. There was also a
w in d -u p tin to y o f the rob ot character.
Raideen also got the Jum b o M achinder
treatm ent. There were tw o versions o f the
o rig in a l Popy Machinder, the m ain differ­
ence being th a t one version had a blue chest
m issile whereas the m ore com m on version
had a ye llo w m issile. Once M attel got the
rig hts to Raideen, the y included the Jum bo
in th e ir Shogun W arriors line. For added play
value, M attel replaced the bow fist w ith an
iron cutter fist from the Popy XX-13 Jum b o
Machine accessory set. The leg and head
sculpts also changed a bit, reflecting changes
in the m anufacturing process. There are
at least three docum ented versions o f the
Shogun W arrior Jum b o Raideen.The firs t ver­
sion had a soft vin yl head, m aking the head
w arp if exposed to heat.This firs t v ersion also
had the wheels m olded into the feet, and a
vacu-form ed softer m issile, w hich w o u ld
not w ork in a second version launcher. The
second version had a firm e r head w ith d u lle r
details, a diffe re nt m issile, and the w heels on
the feet were screwed on. The th ird version
was alm ost the sam e as the second, m inus
the shoulder pads.There are tw o known b o o t­
leg Raideen Jum bos. One is called Argus,
made by Plasticos Rosita Ind. and the oth er is
by an unknow n maker.
Popy released a m issile-firing Raideen vin yl, a
talking vin yl, and several sm all and m e d iu m ­
sized vinyls, w hich were released in bags and
on cards.There are also several bootleg vin yl
Raideen toys flo a tin g around, m ost co m ­
m only in blue, black and orange.The bootlegs
do not have the Popy logo on the feet.
Once Popy transition ed in to Bandai, Raideen
got a fe w m ore toys. He was the on ly super
robot to be included in th e ir High Com plete
Model series, a line o f high -qua lity, pre­
assembled plastic m odels. Mazinga Z was
supposed to be the next, but his design got
shelved and w o u ld later becom e the firs t
Soul o f Chogokin figure. The Super Robots
In Action line also had tw o versions o f Rai­
deen; the firs t version had w h ite lim bs, and
came in a w ide box. The second version had
silver lim bs and diffe re nt accessories. Bandai
continued to produce num erous m odel kits,
vinyls and other to ys o f the character. M ost
recently, Bandai released a sm aller version
o f the GA-09 as part o f th e ir THE Chogokin
series. They released a black version as w ell,
but it was sold o n ly at the 2004 Chogokin
Expo, held in Harajuku,Tokyo.
Popy and Bandai were not the o n ly co m ­
panies to release Raideen toys. Banpresto
released dozens o f toys due to his in clusion
in the Super Robot Wars video gam e fra n ­
chise. Products included banks, gashapon,
m odel kits, tra n sfo rm in g figures, UFO catcher
prizes, and key chains. K it m aker Romando
produced a Flexible Jo in t M odel in both color
and gold versions as w e ll as a lim ite d "G od
Face Rock" base to hide Raideen in.
Top row (left to right): Popy m ini die-cast, Popy missile-firing vinyl, ???
Middle row (left to right): Popy Mutropolis base, Stand alone Popy set
Bottom row (left to right): Popy Jumbo Raideen, Mattel Shogun Jumbo
Raideen
MedicomToy released three diffe re nt versions
of its M iracle Action Figure - norm al color,
gold color, and chogokin color. The chogokin
color was released at the 2000 20th Century
Toy M useum exh ib ition , and it retailed fo r
5,980 yen. A ll three versions have the same
features: 30 points o f articu la tion, bird change
transfo rm a tion , varian t hands and weapons, a
m iniature enem y fig u re (Dorom e), and a Akira
Hibiki figu re on his m otorcycle (Sparcar) that
fits into Raideen's w aist. Diam ond Comics
D istributo rs im ported the MAF Raideen to the
US in 2000, fea tu ring E nglish-language pack­
aging and in stru ction sheet created spe cifi­
cally fo r the US release.
U nifive even released block style figu res as
part o f th e ir DeQue Super Robot W ars tra d ­
ing figu re line. In ad d itio n to the m andatory
norm al and g o ld -co lo r versions, they m ade
the very firs t Raideen villa in toy, Prince
Ashura.
In the late 1970s, Raideen to ys were im ported
as part o f the Shogun W arrior line from
Mattel. Raydeen was also featured in the
Marvel Comic book but was rarely show n on
television in the U nited States. As part o f the
Shogun W arriors line, Raideen got m odel kits,
colorin g books, t-shirts, gum , reissued Popy
die-casts, Jum bos, and even an inflatable
punching bag.
Raideen got a face lift in O ctober 1996 when
Super Raideen (Chousha Raidiin) debuted
on Japanese Television. The series was not
a remake, but rather a re-interp re tation o f
the Raideen legend. Bandai produced a few
toys fo r th is series, includ in g three versions
o f the die-cast G odbird GD-03 (norm al, black,
and the ultra-rare color version).
Bandai
also produced five "B ird F ighter" action fig ­
ures but none had die-cast and w ere not w ell
received.
This is by no means a com plete list o f Rai­
deen toys. W hat you see here is a sam pling o f
goods from one o f the m ost p o pu lar Japanese
Super Robots. To me, Raideen was a sym bol
of m y you th and still represents a tim e of
innocence and purity. Its clean lines and bold
colors bring me back to w hen the w o rld was
a sim p ler place and all yo u r problem s could
be solved w ith an Iron Cutter Fist.
"Fade In !"
Top row (left to right): Two Bandai model kits
Second row (left to right): Bandai m odel kit, Popy 3.5” pendant, Takemi tricycle Raideen
Third row (left to right): Clear plastic figure with paper backing, Popy 5 " Raideen vinyl, bootleg vinyl,
Popy flying pose vinyl, Bandai 1991 vinyl
Bottom row (left to right): Bootleg vinyl, bootleg vinyl, bootleg vinyl, Popy 10” vinyl, Raideen punching bag
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In the operation room of the TDRS Far East Base, Captain Smith announced that the
UNF had dispatched TEDEROS to Asahi Island to investigate flood damage as a result
of a typhoon. “We need to check out Area 138, and rescue the victims. TDRS 02, 05
and 06 stand by!" In response, Michael, Kury and Erika each boarded their own
robots. TDRS 02, 05 and 06 loaded and took off from the base and started the rescue
operation as soon as they arrived on Asahi Island.
The United Nation Forced have organized a new
squadron to protect against these attacks as well
as prepare for the development of space. This new
|squadron, made up of specialized robots, is named
lejerrestrial Defense Robot Squadron - TEDEROS!
The next day, TDRS 05, 06 and the UNF rescue squadron started their rescue again. ?
Even though the typhoon had passed Asahi Island, a black cloud was spreading, and
strong winds started to blow. It thundered on Lake Nakajima. At the lake, the thunder
sparked with a giant splash. The spark went from the splash to the sky. In another
splash, something appeared that looked like a giant tail. The top of the tail was like big
scissors, and when the scissors were closed, they sparked making an electrical
beam. The tail moved into the water and then a giant monster’s head appeared.
Sonny Johnson, pilot of TDRS 01, asks the TDRS 03 pilot Ken Ishida, “Ultra- express
HAYABUSA must go to Asahi-lsland. It just opened last week. Do you know how it
was, Ken?" “No problem at all. HAYABUSA is operating on the normal time table," Ken
replied. “Ultra Express HAYABUSA uses the latest technology and a maximum speed
of oyer 500km per hour as it travels in a tube made of tempered glass. Therefore it can
be operated without any affect from weather”.
“GWAAAAAAAAOOOOOOO!!!!!" the monster howled. As it moved from the lake and on
to land, it destroyed the woods, and thenn houses. The
monster looked like a
dinosaur with big fins on its back. Soon the monster found a hog farm, and the hogs
howled with panic. The monster destroyed the hog pen, then it picked up a hog with
it’s big tusks and ate it.
Upon arrival at Asahi Island, TDRS 06 joined the UNF rescue squadron for the
operation and TDRS 05 started medical treatment for the victims. Erika, in TDRS 06,
was taking care of an old man who was seriously injured. “Zimella! Zimella!” the old
man was talking in delirium, but Erika did not understand what he meant.
Michael, in the TDRS 02, found the monster and flew over it. He immediately called
Captain Smith. “This is Michael. TDRS FE over. A large monster has appeared from
lake Nakajima. It is huge! It must be more than 50m tall! It is destroying houses, the
woods and everything that it comes into contact with!”
Picture Stories with the sound on Web-site
www.tsderos.com
Captain Smith was shocked. He was looking at the screen in the base as the image
was sent from Michael of TDRS 02. “This is Captain Smith. Michael, listen. I will send
01 and 03 right away. Until then you and 06 try to minimize the monster's destruction."
“Wait! The monster is approaching the tube of the HAYABUSA! I will make an emergency
contact to the HAYABUSA for them to stop."
“Captain Smith! Ultra-Express HAYABUSA is already approaching lake Nakajima” , one
of the correspondents in the base shouted!
‘This is Smith speaking. Listen, the HAYABUSA is almost there. You must save its
passengers and the crew.”
“This is TDRS-02, roger,” said Michael.'This is TDRS-06, roger,” said Kury. TDRS-02
fired missiles toward the monster in order to make it go away from the tube but the
monster never flinched from the missiles.TDRS-06 tried to threaten the monster using
the drills. But it did not work.The monster moved its tail above its body. It looked like a
scorpion. As soon as the scissors of the tail touched its pointed end, the monster shot
a ray like a thunderbolt. The ray grazed a wing of TDRS-02 and hit the tube.
The tube, even though it was made of tempered glass, was destroyed. The crew of the
HAYABUSA had received the emergency call but the HAYABUSA was already approaching
the point where the tube had been destroyed! The operator of the HAYABUSA tried to
come to a stop, but they were travelling at a speed of 500km/h.The operator was afraid
that the HAYABUSA would shoot out from destroyed tube into the sea. As the brakes
squealed, the HAYABUSA finally stopped -but almost half of the first car was hanging
outside of the destroyed tube! Just then TDRS-03 arrived at the scene.
“TDRS-01, attack the monster! TDRS-03, rescue the HAYABUSA!” Captain Smith
commanded from the base while watching the image that was on the screen. “This is
Sonny, TDRS-01, roger.”“This is Ken, TDRS-03, roger” The monster became more
brutal and shot a ray like a thunderbolt. It hit TDRS 06 and made it roll. But at next
moment, TDRS-01 arrived in the sky and shot its cannon into the monster, “Kury! Are
you OK?" “Yes, you saved my life!” TDRS-01 turned from horizontal to vertical for
landing and started to shoot his cannon at the monster as soon as he landed.
TDRS-03 then started to rescue the HAYABUSA by carefully removing the HAYABUSA to
safe place on the shore of lake Nakajima.
The monster started a counter attack to TDRS-01. The ray from the monster’s tail shot
down TDRS-01. The monster tried to jump to TDRS-01, but TDRS-01 dodged the
monster. Still TDRS-01 could not stand up, and tried again to shoot the the monster
with his ray.
“Sonny! Are you OK?” Kury shouted. “Shoot your ray and hit the monster’s fins!” “Ken!
Shoot the monster’s tail!" Kury was analyzing the monster in the TDRS-06 using the
computer that uploaded its biological and paleontology data. TDRS-01 shot another ray
to the monster’s tail, and TDRS-03 shot his cannon into the tail. The monster’s tail was
exploding, finally causing the monster to die.
“That was a terrible monster. What kind monster was it? Do you know Kury?” Sonny
asked to Kury, the paleontology expert, over the radio. “I don’t know. But the monster is
a legend in this island and called Zimella.”
With everyone in the HAYABUSA safe, and Zimella the monster dead, the TDRS robots
had saved the day, headed back to the Far East Base.
continued next issue....
An interview w ith Junko Mizuno
by KatsuTanaka from Compound Gallery
At the age of twenty-three, Junko Mizuno became a professional comic
artist in Japan's manga scene. Her eye-catching mix of cute manga girls
with beaming smiles frolicking w ith rotting corpses and skulls is both cap­
tivating and disturbing. Her work has garnered attention outside of Japan
and is gaining popularity in the US. Like Walter Keane's Runaway on acid,
Mizuno's girls are big-eyed, bare-breasted, and tattooed, the world they
inhabit just as demented. As a result, Mizuno's manga is strikingly unique
with a distinct style that has crossed over into t-shirts, books, and toys, not
to mention her growing fan base around the world.
Where do you live and w hat does your studio look like?
I live in suburb ofTokyo. I do not have my own studio but I remodeled one of
the rooms at my apartment and use it as a studio. It is not big or fancy at all.
Vour style is influenced by Japanese manga. When did you start drawing
in the manga comic style?
I have drawn manga ever since I can remember. It is definitely before Kin­
dergarten. I never thought of becoming anything else but a manga artist.
When did you start publishing your artworks overseas?
Back in 2001,1received an offer from a publisher overseas.They were inter­
ested in publishing my artwork in a book. I happily accepted that offer.
What do you thin k about your po pu larity in the US? Some people think
you are more respected in American than in Japan.
I am taking the success in foreign countries very happily but I still wish
more people to be interested in my work in my own country, Japan,
Do you feel the difference between Japanese fan and US fans?
Japanese fans are generally very shy and they do not want to talk to me at
book signing events. Also, most of the fans are female in Japan, By con­
trast, US fans talk to me directly what they think about my work, A lot more
variety of people in gender as well as age are interested in my work in the
US.That makes me very happy.
What are some o f your current and future projects?
The main project is the manga I have been working on over the last 3 years.
It is in the final phase. I am also working on a new illustration book coming
out next year.There are new goods and toys coming out next year and I am
working on the designs for these products.
If you could chose to be an animal, which animal w ould you pick and why?
Most difficult question of all! Someone mentioned that I look like a raccoon!
Your work is very dramatic, bold, and has clean line work. Do you think
that helped separate you from other manga artists? Or do you think there
was an in itia l period where other artists did n o t appreciate your work
since it did n o t look like other manga?
I never intentionally try to draw something different. Everything I draw
comes from inside of me very naturally. I agree my manga is different from
others and I know some people find my manga obscure and some may
hate my manga. But I think there are many manga artists who have very
distinguished styles. I also know a lot of fans that appreciate my style as
well. I try not to think how people categorize my work.
Your work can be considered "dark" or “gothic" to American sensibilities. Do
you see this as a style inherent to your work, or is it an American aesthetic?
I never intentionally try to draw so called "D ark" or "G othic" style. I actu­
ally find many parts of my manga very happy and quite funny. Since I was
born and raised in Japan, my style m ight be very new and eccentric to
American audience. I am maybe subconsciously creating something new
to foreign audience but I would like to mention that I was also very much
influenced by western culture throughTV and movies. I am not a big fan of
categorizing artworks, especially my work. I think each audience has differ­
ent impression from my work not based on where they are from.
What artist or illustrator has influenced you?
A few are manga artists- Leiji Matsumoto, Hideshi Hino, and OsamuTezuka, I am also heavily influenced by British illustrator Audrey Beardsley,
as well as numerous other artists & illustrators.
www.MIZUNO-JUNKO.com
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