full issue

JAPAI
97377570041602
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U S / 9.25
CAN
H E O R I G I N A L R O B O T IN D I S G U I S E
'0041
6
TO Y CULTURE
Tentacle Schoolgirl 7.625X31.50
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05 Editorial
MECHANIZED
07 Toy Exclusives
08 Super7 Gear
10 Toy N ew s
13 U ltra Crazy by M ark Nagata
15 M y FriendThe M icro n a u t by Bwana Spoons
_0 26
17 G arbage Digger by Take-shit
18 R o bb yTh e Robot by Brian Stillm an
26 History of th e M icronauts by Dave Waugh
32 Keiji-K by Brian Flynn and Chad Flensley
36 T he G argam el S to ry by Koji Harmon
42 M ars-1 In te rv ie w by G eoff Allen
50 Yoshitaka A m an o In te rv ie w by Justin Kovalsky
56 M usic Reviews
59 A rt G allery w ith Feric and Sara M artin
61 Toy Shopping inTokyo by Brian Flynn
63 Super7 Events
..
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(I
Hanayama is a cold-blooded monster bent on the
excruciating end of all who stand before him
B e doesn’t u se w eap on s. H e is a-w eapon!
Can Baki hope to withstand the-Clesh-opping^rip
o | an u n stop p ab le tita n lik e H anayam a?
See it all play out, punchliy' mind-blowing puncl
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up to the challenge. A
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G R A P P L E R VS. G R IP P E R Step
Score the D V D ^ L l l f f n s t r O i l
Super? M agazine, Volum e 3 Issue 2 - S e p te m b e r 2005
Publisher
S uper7 M e d ia , Inc.
Founders
M ark N agata / B ria n F lynn
Editor
J u s tin K o va lsky / ju s tin @ s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
Design
Brian F lynn / G e o ff A lle n /V e ro n iq u e S to h re r
Flybrid D e sign, Inc. / w w w .h y b rid -d e s ig n .c o m
Contributing Editor / Ad Sales
Chad Flensley / c h a d @ s u p e r7 m a g a zin e .co m
National Advertising Director and Sales
J e re m y Kove / m u n s o n in d u s trie s @ a o l.c o m
Retail Director
D evon M o rf / d e v o n @ s u p e r7 s to re .c o m
The Super7 crew at San Diego Comic-Con 2005
Gracious Contributers & Special Thanks
Take-shit, Katsu Tanaka, B ria n S tillm a n , D ave W a u g h , T im
Brisko, J u n k o M iz u n o , C ircu s Punks, K o ji F larm o n, Dennis
H a m an n , Feric, Sara M a rtin , A q u a b a ts , P o lysics, B o ris, Y o sh itaka A m a n o , M A R S -1, A d a m F o rtie r o f S p e a ke a sy C o m ics,
Y u riko Inagaki, C h ris M a h , M ik e J o h n s o n .
Am erican Distribution
T ow e r Books, D ia m o n d C o m ics, In g ra m s P e rio d ica ls
and Last Gasp.
Japanese Distribution
Presspop, Inc. / w w w .p re s s p o p .c o m
O ther International D istribution
m a rk @ s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
Printing
T ra n s c o n tin e n ta l P rin tin g / LG M G ra p h ics
attn : M ike B ra d le y 1.800.661.0052 x24
P rin te d in Canada
Editorial / Subm issions
m a rk @ s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
Contact / G oodie Boxes
S uper7 M ag a zin e / P.O. B o x 330235, San F ra n cisco , Ca. 94133
415.409.4701 / w w w .s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
Retail Location
S uper7 S to re / 1630 Post S tre e t, San F ra n cisco , Ca. 94115
415.409.4700 / w w w .s u p e r7 s to re .c o m
Legal
The advertising and articles appearing w ith in th is p u b lic a tio n reflect the
o p in ions and attitudes o f th e ir respective au thors and not necessarily
those of the publisher o r o th e r persons affilia te d w ith th is pu blication .
A ll righ ts to the photographs, artw ork and articles contained in th is p u b ­
lication are co p y rig h t ow ned by th e ir respective creators. A ll righ ts to
any character names and/or likenesses are c o p y rig h t ow ned by th e ir
respective ow ners, and no assu m ption o f o w n e rs h ip is m ade by th is
publication. E verything else contained herein is ©2005 Super7 m aga­
zine, and may not be reproduced in part o r w h o le w ith o u t w ritte n per­
m ission fro m Super7 m agazine as w e ll as any c o n trib u to rs if applicable.
In the end, it's a m agazine about toys - so relax.
TOY SHOCK
W hen I w a s h ired as e d ito r o f S uper7 m agazine th re e m o n th s ago, I
th o u g h t I had a fe w th in g s fig u re d o u t a b o u t m aking m agazines. A fte r all,
before I landed here, I'd been w ritin g and e d itin g p ro fe ss io n a lly in fastpaced p u b lish in g e n viro n m e n ts fo r o ve r fiv e years. M y last jo b w as on
N e w typ e USA m agazine, a 200 page m o n th ly a n im e m ag w ith a hefty
circu la tio n and ulcer-causing dea dlin es th a t'd m ake a d a ily new spaper
e d ito r's head e xplode. Little did I kn o w th a t w ith Super7,1 w as in fo r an allne w a d ve ntu re in p u b lish in g , n o t to m e n tio n a n e w fo u n d obsession w ith
Japanese and d e sig n er toys.
But d o n 't get m e w ro n g , it's n o t th e stress o f th e jo b that's su rp risin g . It's
a ctu a lly th e am azing people w h o m ake up th e to y scene th a t have in­
sp ired and shocked me, sta rtin g rig h t here w ith th e creators o f S u p e r!
For fo lks w h o 'v e been in vo lve d in co lle ctin g Japanese to y s o v e r th e years,
th e tw o co -fo u n d e rs o f th e m agazine, Brian Flynn and M ark Nagata, are
fa m ilia r fe llo w s. Brian has a w o rld -re n o w n e d to y co lle ctio n o f vintage
Japanese su p e r hero to y s and he's a successful de sig n er w h o 's also been
crea tin g so m e o f th e fresh e st fig u re s on th e d e sig n er to y m arket. Check
o u t th e Super7/S ecret Base G h o s tfig h te rto y s fo ra sam ple o f Brian's handiw o rk.T h e n there's M ark, w h o oversees Super7 to y projects, m aste rm ind s
retail strategies, and w e a rs a th o u sa n d m ore hats w ith in th e operation,
Fle's also an a cco m p lish e d illu s tra to r and a h ig h -p ro file co lle c to r o f U ltram an toys. His n e w co lu m n on U ltra m a n co lle ctin g in th is issue is p ro o f
e n o ug h o f his crazy a rtistic skills, b u t you can also take a look at th e new
Super7 K ittyfire to y — it's based on M ark's in te rp re ta tive illu s tra tio n o f th e
cult-classic Japanese m onster!
H ow ever, I'm n o t saying th is to to o t Super7's p ro ve rb ia l horn o r to score
b ro w n ie p o in ts w ith th e bosses. M y p o in t is th a t M ark's and Brian's ta l­
ents are e xe m p la ry o f w h a t's hap pe n in g in th e larger d e sig n er to y c o m ­
m u n ity today. Ju st take a lo o k a round. C om panies co m p rise d o f im ­
m en se ly crea tive in d iv id u a ls are m aking art and to y s th a t a ctu ally m ean
so m e th in g to th e m — fro m U NKL to K id ro b o t and C ritterbox, A n d even
m ore in te re stin g ly, in o u r bizarre w o rld o f Paris H ilto n haters and Des­
perate H ousew ives devotees, m ore and m ore people fro m the outside
are sittin g up and pa yin g a tte ntio n . G ranted, th e d e s ig n e rto y c o m m u n ity
is still sm all, b u t it's g ro w in g e xp o n e n tia lly. You can bet th a t as lo n g as
it co n tin u e s to g ro w , S uper7 is g o in g to be rig h t th e re b rin g in g its o w n
ro o ts and passion fo r Japanese to ys to the fo re fro n t o f th e m ovem ent.
Justin Kovalsky
Editor, S uper7 M agazine
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M-IAIORLD S E R V IC E
L O O K I N G F O R D R P R N E S E I T E M S ? IF S O , P L E R S E E M R i l M R S R T O !
O U R S E R V IC E C O N T E N T S /
1 / D R P R N E S E RUCTIOIM S E R V I C E
W E CAN P L A C E BIDS ON A N Y J A P A N E S E AUCTION A N D A R R A N G E
T R A N S A C T I O N S FOR YOU. T A L K I N G TO S E L L E R S A N D T R A N S L A T I N G
D E SC RI P TI ON S A R E F R E E !
2 / P U R C H R S IN G S E R V I C E
W E CAN S E A R C H A N D G E T A N Y T H I N G YOU A R E LOOKING FOR IN J A P A N .
• TOYS/HOBBY
• C A R / M OR TO C YC L E PA RT S
• COLLECTABLE ITEMS
• J A P A N E S E T R A D I T I O N A L I T EM S , ETC.
3 / S E L L IN G S E R V I C E
W E CAN S E L L YOUR I T E M S AT J A P A N E S E M A R K E T S .
W E W I L L B E Y O U R A G E N T / B U S I N E S S P A R T N E R IN J A P A N !
P L E A S E C O N S U L T US A B O U T W H A T E V E R !
YOU C A N U S E OUR S T A F F A S Y O U R P E R S O N A L / B U S I N E S S
A G E N T IN J A P A N O N E S P E C I F I C P E R S O N W I L L B E IN
C H A R G E OF YOU!
P L E A S E C O M P A R E OUR S E R V I C E W I T H O T H E R D E P U T Y ON ES
S E E K I N G S E R V I C E AT F R E E !
A S K I N G S E R V I C E AT F R E E !
T R A N S L A T I O N S E R V I C E AT F R E E !
( T R A N S L A T E D B Y P E R S O N . NOT M A C H I N E . )
F A ST ! S A F E ! R E L I A B L E !
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W E H A V E L A R G E N E T W O R K S IN J A P A N !
W E R E A C H O UT H E L P I N G H A N D S FOR YO UR C O L L E C T I O N
OR B U S I N E S S IN J A P A N .
P L E A S E F R E E L Y S E N D US E - M A I L .
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P U N K Z IL L A S T R IK E S B A C K
Back in issue seven w e d e b u te d th e o rig in a l green
P unkzilla C ircus Punk. D e sig n e d by Brian F lynn o f S uper7
and m ad e by th e fin e fo lk s at C ircu s Punks, th e requests
fo r th e o rig in a l p u n k have been so o v e rw h e lm in g th a t
w e are re v iv in g th e lo va b le liza rd fo r a s e q u e l.T h is n e w
v e rs io n pays h o m a g e to th e o rig in a l 1954 G o d zilla m o vie
b y d e liv e rin g a black and w h ite p u n k w ith h a u n tin g red
eyes! O n ly 50 pieces w ill be m ade. So if yo u m isse d o u t
th e fir s t tim e , here's y o u r chance to o w n y o u r v e ry o w n
king o f m o n s te rs kn o ckd o w n d o ll!
Payment of $49.99 + $6,50 shipping
GARGAMEL
P IN K Z A R G O R A N
S U P E R 7 E X C L U S IV E T -S H IR T S
To ce le b ra te th e release o f J u n k o M izu no 's n e w ­
est b o o k, PureTrance, S uper7 p ro d u ce d 36 m en's
and 36 w o m e n 's tees w ith th e book's cree p y-cu te
c o ve r art! O n ly a v a ila b le fo r Ju n ko 's book sig n ­
ing at th e Super7 store, these shirts a re n 't available
a n yw h e re else, and w ill n o t be reprinted.
U ltra m a n is a b o u t to save th e Earth fro m aliens,
again! To c o m m e m o ra te th e S ta te sid e d e b u t o f
T sub a ra ya P ro d u c tio n s ' n e w e st m o vie U ltram an:
The Next, Super7 produced 100 tees e xclu sive ly fo r
th e fo u r US scree n in g s o f th e film . T here are o n ly
a fe w o f th e se sh irts left, (illu s tra te d b y S uper7's
ow n M ark Nagata) so get one before tim e runs out!
Payment of $22.00 leach) + $6.00 shipping
The p ro b le m w ith m ost g ia n t m o n ­
sters? People ju s t never g e t to see
th e m in real life. But Zargoran, the
latest h it m o n ste r fro m G argam el,
is a b o u t to change all o f that. This
cyclo p ic creature is sp ring in g p ro u d ly
fro m obscure m anga and Japanese
fo lk lo re s tra ig h t o n to to y shelves.
T his Super7 exclusive ve rsion o f
Z arg o ra n is cast in p in k v in y l w ith
th e sam e e ye -p o p p in g p a in t scheme
as a n o th e r elusive and m ythica l
creature - th e B u llm a rk Hawaii Hedorah! A t 9 inches ta ll, Zargoran is big
e n o ug h to strike fe a r in to th e hearts
o f adversaries, ye t sm all enough fo r
ch ild ren o f any age to m anage. O nly
60 pieces o f th e pink Zargoran w ill be
m ade, so yo u can expect these oneeyed w o n d e rs to sell o u t fa ste r th a n
yo u can say m onocle.
Payment of $69.95 + $6.00 shipping
« F L A M IN G POW ER U P T E N T IK IL L
D eadly and c u n n in g , Tentikill can hypnotize all those
w h o dare to gaze u p o n his e vil eye. F rom th e crea to r
o f M e ch a b o t co m e s th is te rro r fro m th e de p th s o f
th e ocean. S ta n d in g 10 inches ta ll by 12 inches long,
th is m assive v in y l fig u re fro m G o Hero is exclu sive to
Super7, and lim ite d to 75 pieces.
Payment of $60.00 + $10.00 shipping
To order these item s, please see details on p age 08.
—
—---------------
<->•—
B A C K IS S U E S
ISSUE 03 LTD
$9.00
ISSUE 05
$5.95
ISSUE 06
Optimus Prime / Inazuman
Booska / Gary Baseman
Alex Ross / Gatchaman
Robodachi / Bullmark Toys
Dougram / Akumaizer
Mirrorman / Angilas
$5.95
O R D ER S U P E R 7 GEAR
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w e b s ite a t w w w .su per7sto re.com to purchase
o u r e x c lu s iv e to y s , t-s h irts a nd s u b s c rip tio n s .
S u b s c rip tio n s to S uper7 are ju s t $28 p e r y e a r (for
fo u r issues). Plus, n e w and c u rre n t s u b s c rib e rs get
e x c lu s iv e access to s u b s c rib e ro n ly tees, a rtp rin ts ,
to y s a nd m o re ! Be a p a rt o f th e S uper7 fa m ily and
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e n v e lo p e v ia US Postal M e d ia M ail. W h e n o rd e rin g
back issues, please a dd $5.50 fo r p ostage. Back
issu e s are se n t u sin g US P rio rity M a il. A ll prices
are fo r th e US only, and are su b je ct to change.
M a jo r c re d it cards accepted. CA residents m ust add
8.5% sales tax. For in te rn a tio n a l p o stag e q u o te s,
p le a se e -m a il us a t in fo @ s u p e r7 m a g z in e .c o m .
ISSUE 07
$5.95
ISSUE 08
$5.95
ISSUE 09
$5.95
Godzilla 50th Art and Toys
Godaikin / Maschlnen Krieger
Japanese Talkers / Tiger-7
Raideen / Transformers
Ugly Dolls / Supersol
Tim Blskup / Secret Base
Please send check o r m o n e y o rd e r
(do n o t send cash) to :
Super7 M agazine
Attn: Orders
P.O. Box 330235
San Francisco, Ca. 94133
II ■ II I I I I
II
Be su re to s to p by o u r w e b s ite s fo r sto re updates,
e ve n t in fo and ne w s on e xclu sive m erch!
w w w .sup er7store.com
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T -S H IR T S
SUPER7 LOGO
(S, M , L , X L , X X L )
$22
MAX7
$22
CYCLE
LION POSE
$22
SPACE SHIPS
$22
I HEART THE FORCE $22
TICKET
GODAIKIN
$22
12TH LEVEL WIZARD $22
$22
SL/P E
KIKAIDA
T H E FO R C E
IBhLmWl2Aft>
A R T I S T S E R IE S T - S H IR T S
BWANA SPOONS
$22
(S , M , L , X L , X X L )
JAMES JEAN
$22
OG!
SUPeRl
7>“
A R T P R IN T S
T O Y SHELF
$75
11" x 14" Giclee print
A rt by M ark Nagata
T O Y KARMA
$100
18" x 18" Giclee print
A rt by M ark Nagata
S P A C E S H IP COLLAGE
$40
19.75” x 27 .5 ” Silkscreen print
A rt by Brian Flynn
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R O C K E T POSTER
R O B O T ORIGIN
$40
ATM OSPHERE
19.75” x 27 .5 ” Silkscreen print
A rt by Brian Flynn
19.75” x 27 .5 ” Silkscreen print
A rt by Brian Flynn
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$40
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19.75” x 27.5” Giclee print
A rt by Brian Flynn
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$120
S U P E R 7 WORLD
20” x 30” Giclee print
A rt by David Florvath
$125
ME L L A M O T E Q U IL A T O Y S
PU N C H D R U N K A N D L O V IN ' IT
A b ra n d -n e w co m p a n y is ge tting ready to ru m b le in
th e arena o f de sig n er to ys.T h is December, M u ttp o p
w ill unleashTequila, th e firs t vin y l fig u re in th e ir up­
co m ing line o f Lucha Libre-inspired figures. Based on
a g ra p h ic novel w ritte n by Je rry Frissen and illu s ­
trated by Gobi,Tequila is a masked M exican w restler
livin g in a tra ile r park. He's m arried and unem ployed,
b u t he's also strong, courageous and eager to fig h t,
"Tequila w as abandoned by his parents as an in fa n t
and raised by th e w ild cacti o f M exico," explains co­
crea to r and w rite r Je rry Frissen. "W h e n his adopted
fa m ily o f cactus died, he fe rm e n te d th e ir rem ains in
a bo ttle and m adeTequila. Now, w h e n e v e r he feels
weak, he takes a swig."
Illu stra to r G obi adds th a t he'd been "p la y in g around
w ith th e concept o f cactus-people fo r som e tim e."
He co n tin ue s, "W h e n I read Jerry's Luchadores Five
co m ic [set in theTequila universe] I realized th a t this
w as th e perfect w o rld to fit a cactus-guy. I w anted
Tequila to be a m onster, a huge scary dude, w hose
visual design m ixe d ele m e n ts o f th e m ovie Desper­
ado, [M arvel's] th e Hulk, and a bum."
The vin yl to y itse lf is th e h a n d iw o rk o f Japanese
sculptor, M onster5 - know n fo r his w o rk on M e lt­
d o w n C om ics' M el m ascot and the Fafi fig u re s by
Necessaries Toy F oundation.
M uttp o p 'sT e q u ila to y is a 7-inch rotocast vin yl w ith
m ovable arm s, rota tin g head and w aist, and a re­
m ovable poncho. M ore o f M uttp o p 's south o f the
b o rd e r w re stle rs are b o und to fo llo w , so lace up y o u r
w re stlin g boots, have a sip o f yo u r fa vo rite M exican
lib a tio n and save a little roo m on y o u r to y shelf.
R ig h t: O rig in a l a rt
B e lo w : P ro to typ e s c u lp t
p N fp j
S U P E R 7 K IT T Y F IR E
M fR R O R M A N V I L L A IN C O M E S T O L IF E
It's a rare th in g w h e n a us to y c o m p a n y gets to release a cu lt-classic m o n s te r fro m an o ld school Japanese super-hero sh o w . B ut th a t's e xa ctly w h a t's h a p p e n in g w ith S uper7's and
Tsuburaya's K itty fire c o lla b o ra tio n ! T his M irro rm a n v illa in m a y n o t be as h ig h p ro file as a
M o th ra , b u t th e peo ple w h o lo ve K itty fire re a lly lo ve K itty fire .T h e fie ry v in y l fie n d stands at
15-inches-tall and w ill be released in fo u r d iffe re n t co lo rw a ys. O n ly 500 to ta l pieces w ill be
m ade, so if y o u 're in to K itty fire , lo o k o u t fo r th e to y th is fa ll.
1
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S XB S U P E R 7 H A L LO W E E N
SUPER# 1 ROBOT
HAPPY H A U N T IN G
T h is O ctober, b e w a re ! Brian F lynn o f S uper7 a nd H id d y
fro m Secret Base o f Ja p a n have p u t th e ir m in d s t o ­
g e th e r to m ake h a llo w e e n special th is year. Each w e e k
in O cto b er b o th s h o p s w ill d e b u t a n e w fig u re th a t
w ill be a va ila b le o n ly d u rin g th a t p a rtic u la r w eek. H al­
lo w e e n v e rs io n s o f th e Pum pkin Head, Obache G host,
Skull M antis and G h o s tfig h te r w ill be m ad e .T o fin d o u t
w h e n and w h ic h fig u re w ill be released, yo u w ill ju s t
have to check in. T here m ig h t even be a special bonus
if y o u m anage to track d o w n all fo u r fig u re s !
T H E IN N E R B E A U T Y O F R O B O T S
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T h re e q u e s tio n s w ith T im B ris k o , p h o to g r a p h e r o f th e n e w b o o k , S u p e r#1 R o b o t.
VO LTR O N M A STER P IEC E ED ITIO N
T O Y N A M I PUTS LIO N S O N THE PROW L
These h ig h -q u a lity u ltra -d e ta ile d tra n s fo rm a b le lio n s
o ffe r th e u ltim a te re -cre a tio n o f th e le g e n d a ry V o ltro n
Force. C o n stru cte d fro m d ie -ca st m eta l and s tu rd y p la s­
tic, th e fiv e R obot L io n s (Princess A llu ra 's Blue Lion,
Pidge's Green Lion, Keith's Black Lion, Lance's Red Lion
and Hunk's Y e llo w Lion) tra n s fo rm and u n ite to create
V oltron, D efender o f th e U n ive rse.T h e a ssem bled V o ltro n
stands 11 inches ta ll.T h e V o ltro n M a ste rp ie ce E d itio n is
packaged in a bo o k-style box w ith s lid e -o u t tray, a llo w in g
fo r safe storage and fo re v e r m in t-in -b o x packaging.
1. H ow did Super #1 Robot com e to be?
T h ro u g h A le n Yen's T o yb o xD X (w w w .to y b o x d x .c o m ) I m e t all kin d s o f in te re s tin g
p e o ple in th e c o lle c to r c o m m u n ity . A t a
ce rta in p o in t a c o u p le o f ye a rs ago, it o n ly
seem ed n a tu ra l to c o m b in e m u tu a l in te r­
ests, ta le n ts and ro b o t c o lle c tio n s to b rin g
th e best d a m n ro b o t b o o k to m arket. I was
sp e a kin g to M a rk N agata, a nd I expressed
in te re s t in d o in g a co ffe e ta b le b o o k on
Japanese to y s . M a rk gave m e a lead on a
p u b lish e r, C h ro n icle Books, w h o had recent­
ly published J im b o M atison's So Crazy Japa­
nese Toys. I gave C hronicle a call, sent th e m
so m e o f m y p h o to g ra p h y, and after a fe w
w eeks o f d iscu ssio n s, M a tt A lt and I started
s tru c tu rin g th e p ro je ct. It w a s th e n w e re ­
alized w e needed s o m e se rio u s to y m uscle
so w e p ulled in Robert Duban fo r research,
e d itin g and to h e lp m a n a g e th e logistics o f
ge tting th e book o ff the g round.
2. H o w long have you been p h o to graph in g
Japanese toys?
I sta rte d s e rio u s ly fo c u s in g on p h o to g ra ­
p h y in m id 2002. Japanese to y s have been
p re v a le n t in m y w o rk fro m th e b e g in n in g .
3. W h a t is it about Japanese toys th a t
m ake such interesting subject matter?
For m e th e in te re st in Japanese to y s is pre­
d o m in a n tly a m a tte r o f a esthetics. I fin d
th e ch a ra cte rs and fo rm s c o m p e llin g and
th e re is such an e xte n sive a rray o f char­
acters and to y s to p h o to g ra p h each w ith
th e ir o w n d e sig n s e n s ib ilitie s . I p a rtic u ­
la rly e n jo y th e ch a lle n g e o f p h o to g ra p h in g
d ie ca st ro b o ts w ith th e ir c o m p le x curves,
c h ro m e d surfaces and hi g lo ss e n am el fin ­
ishes. I a tte m p t to ca p tu re th e in n e rm o s t
b e a u ty o f each piece by p la c in g th e o b je ct
in a b e a u tifu l lig h t and p h o to g ra p h in g it as
I w o u ld like th e w o rld to see it.
D ALEK IC E-B O TS
C A R N IV A L OF CHILLY CHARACTERS
K id ro b o t has ju s t released a series o f 15 cu te car­
n iva l-like characters called Ice-Bots. T hese little
guys are th e bra in ch ild o f a rtist Dalek, fa m o u s
fo r his Space M onkeys. Ice-Bots are little critters
th a t liv e in re frig e ra to rs. A t h om e, th e y have little
m icro w a ve s th a t co o l fo o d d o w n , instead o f h e a t­
ing it up. Even th e ir sh o w e rs e m it little blocks o f
ice. Ice-Bots g e t fro m place to place by skiing
and sle d d in g , and take g re a t p rid e in th e ir frid g e h om es. S oon to be released is th e Ice-B ots' evil
enem y... th e D efroster.
PRESENTS:
L IM IT E D E D IT IO N N E O -K A IJ U G IC L E E P R IN T S E T
Nine Lim ited e dition 1 1 " x 1 5 ” giclee p rin ts in an e dition o f 3 0 0 fe a tu rin g all new original art by Gary Baseman,
Tim B is k u p , S eonna H ong, K a th y S ta ic o -S c h o rr and Todd S c h o rr in s p ire d by th e c h a ra c te rs each a rtis t
created fo r th e N e o -K a iju P ro je ct. Each set of p rin ts com es in a c lo th covered c la m s h e ll box w ith s ilv e r and
blue debossed fo il-s ta m p in g , m a tc h in g rib b o n p u lls and fo il stam ped end sheets w ith acid free s lip sh e e ts.
All prints are individually numbered and hand signed by each a rtist on 100% acid-free archival paper. $ 4 5 0 per set.
il —
B u y you rs no w a t: w w w .s u p e r7 s to re .c o m / w w w .s u p e r7 m a g a z in e .c o m
or a t the S u p e r7 store: 1 6 3 0 P ost st., San Francisco, C A . (4 1 5 ) 4 0 9 -4 7 0 0
^
----- ;
Like th e elu sive Big Foot o r Loch Ness
m onster, th e re exist to ys so rare th a t m any
th in k th e y do n o t exist. Finding one is con­
sidered th e p innacle o f w h a t one collects
and is referred to as th e H oly Grail.
M y o b session is c o lle ctin g U ltra m a n fig ­
ures. M y H o ly G rail is th e all red v in y l,
B u llm a rk U ltra m a n . I fir s t s a w a p ictu re
o f th is e lu sive piece fro m Y u ji N ish im u ra 's
"V in y lT re a s u re T o y " book. Since fix a tin g
on th is to y I have learned th a t less th a n 5
o f th e m exist.
W h ile in Japan, e n te rin g th e vin ta g e to y
v in y l te m p le kn ow n as th e N akano M all,
and th e re in fro n t o f m e w a s a non-de­
scrip t glass case co n ta in in g a red v in y l
U ltra m a n . A fte r years o f searching, I stood
frozen. C ould th is be m y H oly Grail? I ask
to lo o k at it, th e n I sm e ll it (the o n ly w a y
to de tect a fake, as ag in g B u llm a rk v in y l
has a u n iq u e od o r) and it passes th e test.
I peer at th e hand w ritte n sign; in English
is scraw le d, " Ask Price I s u m m o n s th e
p ro p rie to r and th e price is a cool $5,000.
G ulp. No can do, as I hand o ve r m y Holy
G rail. M y fe llo w co lle ctin g com padares try
to cheer m e up by o ffe rin g va riou s loans
to me, b u t th a t price is o u t o f m y league.
Back hom e, I c a n 't shake th e fe e lin g th a t
th is m ay be m y o n ly real chance to o b tain
th is piece. I fo rm u la te a c o m p le x series o f
trad e s and se llin g and soon have th e cash
ready. I fa x m y co n ta ct in Japan w here
to lo o k fo r th e to y and w ire th e m oney. I
n e rvo u sly w a it several days b efore hear­
ing back th a t th e red U ltra m a n has been
b o u g h t fo r m e. It w ill be sent fu lly insured
and w e ll packed.
The package arrive s and as I c a re fu lly
u nearth m y H oly G rail and place it in m y
d is p la y case I c o u ld sw ear a beam o f lig h t
sh in e d d o w n on m e and angels sung. As I
th ro w o u t th e packing I sp y the insurance
on th e fo rm .T o m y h o rro r th e fig u re was
in sured fo r $50.00, and n o t $5000! I d o n 't
even w a n t to th in k a b o u t w h a t c o u ld have
happened if th e package w a s lost.
M y g o o d to y karm a and th e to y g o d s had
been on m y side d u rin g th is w h o le odys­
sey and th is H o ly Grail fo r U ltram an collec­
to rs w as destined to be in m y collection.
Illustration b y M ark Nagata
MARK NAGATA /
Ask anyone w ho knows Mark to describe him and the tw o
things that w ill come up are toys and art- A fte r attending
the Academ y o f A rt College in San Francisco du ring the
late SO's and picking up a N ew York artist's rep, Mark em ­
barked on a 10 year plus jo u rn e y as a freelance illustrator.
Over the years he's w orked w ith a diverse client lis t includ­
ing over 40 cover paintings fo r RL Stine's Goosebumps
bo ok series, Give Yourself Goosebumps. It's no surprise
that M ark has ended up p u blishing Super7 Magazine,
which is a synthesis o f toys and art...both his passions. “
The feeling I ge t fro m w orking on a painting, is ju s t like
scoring a rare toy, " he says w ith a big grin.
w ww.m arknagata.com / www.ultram antoys.com
II A L IE N S
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S E R IE S I
A L IE N S S E R IE S II
ANTRON
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CENTAURUS
v-:
T he ra d d e st fig u re s fro m th e M e g o M ic ro n a u ts
series are th e aliens. These w e re th e sta n ­
d a rd 4 " ta ll like T im e T ravelers, Space G lid e rs
and such. The M ic o n a u ts alie n s w e re n 't som e
b u ffe d o u t m o n s te rs , b u t ju s t as a rtic u la te d and
d e lica te as th e o th e r M ic ro n a u ts .T h e d iffe re n ce
is th e A lie n s w e re th e o n ly o rig in a l co n ce pts
fo r th e e n tire M ic ro n a u ts lin e *. E v e ry th in g else
w a s e ith e r a d ire c t c o p y o f a fig u re fro m th e
Ja p a ne se Takara M ic ro m a n line, o r a m ix and
m atch fro m M ic ro m a n .
• . G fJ
iJ k
): .
I ■;■
:
The six limbed invader from the faraway galaxy of Thoraxid. Having an extra set o f arms really set A ntron
up for some big tim e destruction.
Brains: Opaque green, and transparent lig h t green.
MEMBROS
KRONOS
A ll six ca m e w ith so m e ty p e o f te x tu re d s p in y
o r g ro o v e d skin, each had b e a u tifu l card a rt by
s c i-fi/fa n ta s y p a in te r Ken Kelly, and a re m o v ­
able g lo w in g b ra in , th e h ig h lig h t fo r these
tw is te d little b u g g e rs. A lth o u g h o rig in a l in de­
sig n , yo u can see so m e cle a r in s p ira tio n fro m
th e C o lo rfo rm s aliens, th e a rm a tta ch m e n t c o n ­
ce p t o fT a ka ra's H enshin C yb o rg , and so m e re­
se m b la n ce to th e H enshin C yb o rg Invaders.The
M ic ro n a u ts even c o -o p te d th e Invader nam e in
th e ir ta g lin e copy.
The fir s t th re e released in '79 w e re A n tro n ,
M e m b ro s , and Reptos. T he second series re­
leased at th e dusk o f v in ta g e M ic ro n a u ts in '80
in c lu d e d C e n ta uru s, K ro n o s, and L o bros.T hese
th re e w e re even m o re d e ta ile d and sleeker th a n
th e fir s t th re e .
T he re w e re also ve h icle s p ro d u c e d fo r each
a lie n , so m e o n ly in E urope, and had th e M i­
c ro n a u ts lin e c o n tin u e d th e re w a s even a g ia n t
p la yse t/b a se p ro p o se d fo r th e m .
The slithery skinned invader from the remote w orld
of Visceros. He came w ith a hydro-pipe and backpack
that connected, (same as the Rescue Command from
Microman), only the kids in the U.S. (like me) liked to
trash theirtoys, so the pipe is nearly impossible to find.
Brains: Opaque orange, and trans light green.
The clawed carrier o f destruction from the forbidden
w orld of Udanax. This is m y favorite, and I w ould
say the pinnacle o f vintage plastic. Everything is rad
about this mantis like alien. He came w ith a set of
translucent wings, a g low in the dark brain w ith horn­
like antennae, a m ilky moss color, and is the w inner
o f coolest m icro feet ever. Check out those paws.
Since th e c o m in g and g o in g o f th e M ic ro n a u ts
A lie n s , th e re have been a fe w in s p ire d copies
o f th e lil' b u g g e rs .T h e L o rd s o f L ig h t cam e out,
a fe w ye a rs later, and used 90% o f th e A lie n s
pa rts m o ld s to m ake up th e ir line o f aliens. G.l.
Jo e cam e o u t w ith so m e v e ry M ic ro in sp ired
fig u re s . P alisades red id all six A lie n s in all n e w
c o lo rw a y s ju s t a fe w ye a rs ago. A n d th e crem e
o f th e c ro p fo r to y s in s p ire d by th e m ic ro n a u ts
a lie n s is th e M ic ro Batta fro m th e b ra in o f
T akeshit, h e a dm a n o f Japan's fu n k /g rin d band
C o co b a t and H e n s h in /M ic ro s ch o la r.* M ic ro
Batta is h a lf m an h a lf insecta. Released in 2003;
th is to y is s till a ro u n d on so m e shelves.
Ok, see ya n e x t tim e . S tay geeky.
Half man, half reptile, from the distant planet of
Sauria.This is one of the tw o m ost abstract designs,
having a triangle for a head w ith no eyes.
Brains: Trans light green, and yellow.
The scaly creature fro m the deepest oceans o f Zenon.Lobros is the other alien tha t is very abstract. He
is obviously lobster based.That's a given. But check
out tha t brain. It's inside his m outh. He m ust be a
plankton sifter or som ething. Otherwise he w ould
get a headache every tim e he ate anything.
*Ok, so K a rrio is a lso an o rig in a l c re a tio n fo r
th e M ic ro n a u ts , b u t d o e s n 't re a lly c o u n t o n
th a t's it's so d a m n crappy.
*M ic ro B atta a lso d ra w s s o m e m a jo r in flu e n c e
fro m Pushead's d ra w in g fo r th e C ocobat a lb u m
"R e tu rn o f G ra ssh o p p e r
W O R L D W ID E
O R IG IN A L A R T
L IM IT E D P R IN T S
D E S IG N B O O K S
M A G A Z IN E S
Z IN E S
JO URNALS
S T A T IO N E R Y
NOTEBOO KS
POSTCARDS
A C C E S S O R IE S
TOTES
T -S H IR T S
S W E A T S H IR T S
JA C K ETS
BAGS
TOYS
ROBOTS
M ONSTERS
HEROES
TRANSFORM ERS
G O D Z IL L A
ULTRAM AN
BLYTHE
MOMOKO
BOOSKA
K IN D E R E G G S
...& M O R E !
GEARY
MIYAKO
HOTEL
POST
1 6 3 0 P O S T ST.
S F / C A / 941 15
4 1 5 .4 0 9 .4 7 0 0
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
In th e fir s t Japanese v in y l to y b o o m , o ne o f th e
la rg e st v in y l to y m a n u fa c tu re rs w a s M arusan,
p ro d u c in g U ltra Q, U ltra m a n and U ltra seve n
m e rch a n d ise fo r th e Japanese m arke t. W h e n
M a ru sa n u n e x p e c te d ly file d fo r b a n k ru p tc y in
1970, B u llm a rk b o u g h t all o f th e m o ld s created
b y M a ru sa n , changed th e m a n u fa c tu re r m arks
to B u llm a rk, and c o n tin u e d to p ro d u c e th e
sam e v in y l to y s u n d e r th e B u llm a rk m on ike r.
W h e n th e se co n d v in y l to y b o o m h it Japan
in 1972, la rg e ly in flu e n c e d b y th e n e w U l­
tra m a n liv e a c tio n film : R eturn o f U ltra m a n ,
th e n e w ly re b u ilt M a ru sa n s ta rte d c re a tin g
" O rig in a l M o n s te rs " w h ic h
w e re v a g u e ly
re m in is c e n t o f m a n y o f th e e a rlie r v in y l to y
U ltra ch a ra cte rs n o w o w n e d by B u llm a rk , b u t
w e re s till d iffe re n t e n o u g h th a t th e y w o u ld
n o t in te rfe re w ith T su b u ra ya 's c o p y rig h t o f
th o s e sa m e ch a ra cte rs. (T su b u ra y a is th e p ro ­
d u c tio n A g e n c y a nd c o p y rig h t h o ld e rs o f all
th e U ltra series.) L ater th a t sa m e year, M a ru ­
san a c q u ire d th e o ffic ia l c o p y rig h t to create
m id d le size U ltra m a n Ace re la te d m o n s te rs
fro m T s u b u ra y a , as w e ll as ch a ra cte rs based
on liv e a ctio n s u p e r h e ro L io n -M a ru . T h e y
a lso d e v e lo p e d th e ir o w n cre a tio n U ltra S at­
u rn . U ltra S a tu rn w a s based on a c o m b in a ­
tio n o f E g yp tia n m y th o lo g y and th e le g e n d o f
th e E g y p tia n p h a ro a h T h u ta n k a m u n .
W hen M aru sa n a cq u ire d a c o p y rig h t to create
m in i-v in y i to y s based on th e fa m o u s J a p a ­
nese liv e -a c tio n s h o w U ltra m a n Ace in 1972,
th e y created b o th m o n s te rs and h u m a n fig ­
ures fro m th e s h o w .T h e s tyle o f th e M arusan
m in i-v in y l fig u re s d iffe r g re a tly fro m o th e r
v in y l fig u re m a n u fa c tu re rs such as B u llm a rk.
M arusan's v in y l fig u re s can be id e n tifie d e a si­
ly since th e ir h u m a n s ty le fig u re s have u n iq u e
b o d y fo rm s , e s p e c ia lly a ro u n d th e h ip s as w e ll
as d e tail d iffe re n ce s in th e w a y th e y fo rm th e
hands and o th e r parts o f th e body.
Recently, th e m o ld s o f several u n released v i­
nyl fig u re s and m o n s te rs by B u llm a rk w e re
d isco ve re d and released by B-Club/Popy. In
a v in ta g e M aru sa n c a ta lo g , th e re are p ictu re s
o f unreleased v in y l to y s o f Z a n g o n , M e tro n
and Sabotender. H o p e fu lly so m e d a y, like
th e B u llm a rk v in y ls , th e m o ld s w ill be fo u n d
o f these u n released M a ru sa n v in y l m o n s te rs
and m ade fo r all o f us to enjoy.
These "O rig in a l M o n s te rs " and heroes by
M aru sa n , created 34 ye a rs ago, s till a llu re v i­
n yl to y c o lle c to rs to th is d a y.T h e h e a de r card
a rt fe a tu rin g th e se stra n g e su p e r heroes is still
ju s t as m y s te rio u s as it w a s th e n , le ttin g o u r
im a g in a tio n s e xp a n d in fin ite ly w ith th e p o s­
sible a d ve n tu re s o f th e se s tra n g e characters.
H
IT C A M E FROM
O U T E R SPA C E
H O W A M O V IE S T A R
NAMED RO BBY THE
ROBOT CHANGED
T H E T IN T O Y W O R LD
FOREVER
TEXT BY
B R IA N S T IL L M A N
PHOTO S BY
K R IS T IIN A W IL S O N
PATRICK KARRIS COLLECTS R o bby th e Robot
to y s w ith m o re e n th u s ia s m th a n th e d e vil
co lle cts so u ls— a nd w ith g re a te r success. W h ile
Old Nick's n u m b e rs fa ll w a y s h o rt o f th o se he
needs to co n q u e r th e heavens, K a rris has, o ve r
th e last te n years, am assed th e m o st c o m p le te
Robby c o lle c tio n in th e w o rld . In fa ct, he has
ne a rly e v e ry piece o f m e m o ra b ilia fro m th e
film in w h ich R obby fir s t m ade an appearance,
M G M 's 1956 sci-fi m aste rp ie ce Forbidden
P lan et If you can nam e it, he p ro b a b ly has
it—th e rarest o f th e rare to ys, o rig in a l m o vie
posters fro m a ro u n d th e g lo b e , and even a life-
size m ech a n ica l m o d e l o f B o b b y th e R obot. N o t
bad fo r a g u y w h o , w h e n fir s t c o n fro n te d w ith a
R obby to y back in a N e w York C ity sh o p in 1994,
ba lke d a t its $50 p rice ta g because, he says,
"I used to th in k th a t a d u lts d o n 't b u y toys."
" L ittle d id I know ," he c o n tin u e s w ith a laugh.
T he 49-year-old vice p re s id e n t at JP M o rg a n
Chase Bank is s ittin g in th e " ro b o t ro o m " o f
his S taten Island h o m e , s u rro u n d e d b y his
v a s t c o lle c tio n . "I c o u ld n 't g e t th a t little ro b o t
o u t o f m y head, b u t w h e n I w e n t back to th e
sto re , th e p rice had g o n e u p ! T h e sale sm a n
o n g o in g p o p u la rity . Plus, n e w m a n u fa c tu re rs
s till p ro d u ce R obby fig u re s , s u c c u m b in g to
th e d e m a n d o f a p u b lic th a t, fo r th e m o s t part,
w a s n 't even b o rn w h e n he fir s t s h u ffle d o n to
th e scree n .T ha n ks to th e se n e w pieces, as w e ll
as a flo o d o f re p ro d u c tio n s o f th e o ld to y s th a t
have co m e to th e m a rke t in th e la st fe w ye a rs,
it's e a sie r th a n e ve r to b e g in c o lle c tin g th is
e n d u rin g ly fa m o u s ch a ra cte r toy.
to ld m o th a t th e to y had b e co m e rare and
d e m a n d h ad in crea se d . 1 c e rta in ly w a s n 't
Later, w h e n i discusser! !t. w ith m y g irlfrie n d at
th e tim e — n o w m y w ife — she to id m e th a t if it
m akes m e ha p py, I s h o u ld ju s t g e t it. So I w e n t
back ag a in , a n d w o u ld n 't y o u k n o w it, th e p rice
had d o u b le d . It m ad e roe realize th a t there's
m o re to to y s th a n I'd p re v io u s ly b e lie ve d , arid
c e rta in ly m o re to Robby,"
As R o b b y a fic io n a d o s kn o w , th a t's an
u n d e rs ta te m e n t. Today, vin ta g e tin R obby the
R obot to y s can sell fo r te n s o f th o u s a n d s o f
d o lla rs , a tru e te s ta m e n t to th e character's
"It's p re tty a m a zin g th a t his p o p u la rity has
lasted th is long," says Karris. "E sp e cia lly, sin ce
he's so c le a rly o f a p a st era. I th in k th a t B o b b y
has character, th o u g h . He's s tro n g , he's sm art,
he can create a n y th in g — w h a t kid w o u ld n 't
w a n t th a t? A n d w h a t a d u lt w o u ld n 't have fo n d
m e m o rie s 50 ye a rs a fte r se e in g Forbidden
Planet? Japanese tin to y m a n u fa c tu re rs
realized th is e a rly on and ca p ita lize d on it."
W ith so m a n y d iffe re n t to y s on th e m arket,
and at so m a n y v a s tly d iffe re n t p rice p o in ts ,
n e w c o lle c to rs and to y e n th u s ia s ts m ig h t
fin d it d iffic u lt to k n o w w h a t pieces are w o rth
p u rch a sin g w h e n it co m e s to a d d in g to th e ir
o w n to y shelves. "B u y w h a t y o u love," says
Karris. "Y o u c a n 't e ve r go w ro n g th a t way.”
19
tllCHAHUED
THE FIRST AND GREATEST ROBBY
KNOCK-OFF WAS MECHANIZED
ROBOT MADE BY NOMURA IN 1956.
ROBBY IN JAPAN
By th e tim e Forbidden Planet h it th e b ig screen,
th e Japanese had been m a n u fa c tu rin g tin
ro b o ts fo r a lm o s t tw o decades. It w a s n 't u n til
p o s t-W o rld W a r II, ho w e ve r, th a t th e fie ld rea lly
began to b u ild up ste a m , th a n ks in pa rt to the
g ro w in g p o p u la rity o f science fic tio n , as w e ll
as th e increased c o m p e titio n in th e space race.
R obots and ray g u n s began e c lip sin g sales o f
c o w b o y hats and s ix s h o o te rs, and A m e rica n
c h ild re n — th e Japanese c o m p a n ie s ' largest
m arke t— c o u ld n 't g e t e n o u g h fu tu ris tic toys.
In th e e a rly days, n one o f th e ro b o ts had any
c o n n e c tio n to e ith e r m o vie s o r te le v is io n .
Pieces like L illip u t (KT, 1938), A to m ic R obot
M an (U n k n o w n , 1949), and R-35 (Linem ar,
1955) sp ra n g e n tire ly fro m to y d e s ig n e rs '
im a g in a tio n s , and c o n s e q u e n tly, a rriv in g in
to y s to re s in a w o n d e rfu l v a rie ty o f shapes
a nd c o lo rs w ith a m y ria d o f g im m icks. A nd,
w h ile such tre n d s c o n tin u e d th ro u g h th e n e xt
fiv e d ecades o f to y ro b o t p ro d u c tio n , R obby's
c e le b rity sta tu s h e ra ld e d a s e ism ic s h ift in th e
to y p ro d u c tio n p a ra d ig m . For th e fir s t tim e
ever, a ro b o t had e n te re d th e w o rld 's popc u ltu re le xico n a nd m a n u fa c tu re rs w e re q u ick
to ju m p on th is rea d y-m a d e d e sig n w ith its
b u ilt-in re c o g n itio n .
20
O f course, th is w as be fore S ta r Wars m ade
m e rch a n d isin g a pa rt o f e ve ry m o vie studio's
p ro fit plan, and iro n ica lly, M G M fa ile d to
capitalize on th e p o te n tia l m on e y-m a kin g
o p p o rtu n itie s o f Forbidden Planet.This a llo w e d
o th e r to y co m p a n ie s to fill th e v o id w ith
all m a n n e r o f Robby th e Robots— c a re fu lly
m o d ifie d , o f course, to avo id th e studio's
la w ye rs. "To be frank," says Karris, "it's u n lik e ly
th a t M G M c o u ld have even fo u n d a c o m p a n y
in th e States w illin g to g a m b le on Robby. Let's
n o t fo rg e t, even th o u g h th e m o vie w as a critica l
success w h e n firs t released, and even th o u g h
peo ple realize to d a y th a t it's a fa n ta s tic film , it
b o m b e d w h e n it fir s t cam e out."
T he firs t, and so m e say greatest, o f these
Japanese R obby kn o ck-o ffs w as M echanized
R o b o t (N o m u ra , 1956), a 13-inch ta ll tin
b e h e m o th , w ith
b rig h t
lig h ts, s p in n in g
a n ten n a , and cyc lin g p isto n s. Dozens appear
on eB ay e v e ry year, an in d ic a tio n o f its o rig in a l
p o p u la rity — a c c o rd in g to n o te d dealer, to y
h is to ria n , and to y ro b o t m a n u fa c tu re r Ray
Rohr, o n ly one o u t o f e ve ry 12,000 vin ta g e
ro b o t to y s s u rv iv e d u n til to d ay.
M echanized R obot u n d e rw e n t a n u m b e r o f
sm a ll changes d u rin g its p ro d u c tio n run,
m o s tly co n c e rn in g th e latches h o ld in g th e
b a tte ry d o o rs shut. H ow ever, a s ilve r-co lo re d
v e rs io n ranks h ig h on m o s t c o lle c to rs ' m u sth ave lists, c o m m a n d in g to p -d o lla rto d a y .T h e n
there's th e even less c o m m o n "C -C e lle d "
M echanized Robot, so c a lle d on a c c o u n t o f
s h o rte r legs d e s ig n e d to h o ld th e w e a k e r C
b a tte ry (as o p p ose d to th e D, fo u n d in th e
m ore c o m m o n v e rs io n o f th e to y ). "A s fa r as
w e kn o w , th e re are o n ly fo u r in existence,"
says Karris. "T w o each, in black and silver.
T he y w e re m o s t lik e ly sa lesm en's sa m p le s,
w h ich is w h y so fe w e x is t today."
N o m ura also p ro d u c e d th e p o p u la r Piston
A c tio n R obot (also ca lle d Pug R o b b y th a n ks
to its sh o rt legs and sq u a t b u ild ) in th e late
Fifties. F eaturing a c tio n s s im ila r to th o se o f
its big cousin, M echanized Robot, th e b a tteryope ra te d , re m o te -c o n tro lle d Piston A c tio n
R obot co m e s in th re e re la tiv e ly c o m m o n c o lo r
v a ria tio n s (s ilv e r b o d y /s ilv e r ch e st-p a n e l/re d
legs; s ilv e r b o d y /re d chest p a n el/re d legs; and
g o ld b o d y /s ilv e r chest p a n e l/b lu e legs), as w e ll
as tw o e x tre m e ly rare ve rs io n s, one w ith a g o ld
b o d y and black legs, and one w ith a ro b in 's egg
blue b o d y and red legs. Both o f these to y s also
have s p in n in g antenna, u n like th e ir b ro th e rs.
If you fin d one, m in t-in -b o x , h o ld on tig h t— it's
p ro b a b ly w o rth m o re th a n y o u r car.
N o m ura 's fin a l e n try in to th e w o rld o f Robby
to y s w a s a v e h ic le called R o bby Space
Patrol. T his is, in fact, th e o n ly to y to steal
tra d e m a rke d e le m e n ts fro m Forbidden Planet.
B esides re p re s e n tin g th e je e p d riv e n by
th e m ech a n ica l ch a ra cte r in th e film , it also
fe a tu re s th e w o rd "R o b b y " e m b la zo n e d on
its side. "M G M p u t a s to p to th a t real quick,"
says Karris, e x p la in in g th e to y 's s ca rcity to d ay.
T he to y re m a in s so p o p u la r th a t a c o m p a n y
c a lle d M ike 'sT ra in House re p ro d u c e d it in th e
m id N in e tie s. T hese da ys, it re m a in s o ne o f
th e fe w re p ro d u c tio n s to c o n s is te n tly increase
in va lu e ; th e o rig in a l to y so ld fo r a b o u t $600,
a nd n o w re g u la rly c o m m a n d s $1500 on eBay.
S till, w h e n c o m p a re d to th e $8,000 p rice ta g o f
a m in t-in -b o x o rig in a l, m o s t c o lle c to rs agree
th a t th e n e w to y re m a in s a b a rg a in . (For m o re
R o b b y-in sp ire d v e h icle s, see sidebar.)
N o m u ra w a s n 't th e o n ly one m a kin g R obby
to ys. A lp s,
a c o m p a n y th a t p ro d u ce d
sp e cta cu la r space to y s d u rin g th e F ifties
and S ixtie s, created th e ir o w n v e rs io n o f th e
c h a ra cte r s im p ly -n a m e d R o b o t (1958). M o re
c o m m o n ly k n o w n a m o n g c o lle c to rs as "D o o r
Robot," because o f an o p e n in g in its chest,
th is to y bears R obby's fa m o u s c y lin d ric a l
b o d y and d o m e ; a lth o u g h , th e c o m p a n y d id
change th e c o lo rin g and a d d ed a h e a lth y dose
o f in tric a te lith o g ra p h y . W ith a re v o lv in g head,
b rig h t co lo re d lig h ts , and c o m p le x in te rn a l
m e ch a n ism s, D o o r R o b o t re m a in s p o p u la r
a m o n g to y ro b o t fans.
A n o th e r in te re s tin g R o bby ro b o t w a s b u ilt by
Yonezawa in th e e a rly S ixtie s. O ffic ia lly k n o w n
as th e M ech a n ica l M o o n R obot, th is w in d -u p
JUPITER ROBBY
1. Robby Space Patrol (N o m u ra , m id Fifties)
The o n ly R o bby to y to a ttra ct th e ire o f M G M 's
la w ye rs, it re m a in s one o f th e rare st to d ay.
2. Robby in Studebaker (N o m u ra , late Fifties)
R o b b y th e R obot p im p in ' so m e v in ta g e w h e e ls.
T he b a tte ry -p o w e re d laser ca n n o n g u a ra n te e d
he a lw a ys g o t a g o o d p a rkin g space.
N o th in g m akes a ve h ic le sell fa s te r th a n a
g o o d c e le b rity s p o ke sm a n . M a yb e th a t's
w h y so m an y m a n u fa c tu re rs m ade rid es—
fro m jeeps to ta n ks to road c o n s tru c tio n
m achines— w ith R obby b e h in d th e w h e e l.
Here are e ig h t o f th e best.
3. Robby Road Roller (D aiya, late Fifties)
Exceedingly rare, probably because Robby ditched
the m anual labor once he becam e a star.
4. Space Patrol Saucer X-15 (Yoshiya, S ixtie s)
C ru is in ' in style across th e M ilk y W ay, R obby's
im a g e m akes th is o ne o f th e m o s t p o p u la r in
th is series o f space ships.
5. V-3Tank (Yoshiya, late Fifties)
D o n 't let th e size fo o l yo u , th is b a tte ry-o p e ra te d
to y packs a punch a m o n g c o lle c to rs w h o va lu e
its stu p e n d o u s lith o and fu n action.
.
22
6. Space Tank (B eijingToy Com pany, Seventies)
M ade in China, th e green v e rs io n o f th is toy's
c o m m o n as d irt. But th e o b sce n e ly rare p u rple
v e rs io n keeps c o lle c to rs s c o u rin g eBay.
7. Space Robot Car (Yonezaw a, late Fifties)
A fu n k y d e sign s tra ig h t o u t o f a m ad scie n tist's
n o g g in m akes th is u b e r-fu tu ris tic je e p p op o ff
a ny to y shelf.
8. Space Car (Yonezawa, late Fifties)
S im ila r to th e above toy, R obby's ride features
flo a tin g S ty ro fo a m balls. His are b ig g e r than
yo u rs.
*A II ro b o ts
c o lle c tio n
c o u rte s y o f the
Patrick Karris
ROBBY THE ROBOT’S
CELEBRITY STATUS
HERALDED A SEISMIC
SHIFT IN THE TOY
PRODUCTION PARADIGM.
■
I
Today, R o b b y re m a in s a p o p u la r character
th a n ks to n u m e ro u s post- Forbidden Planet
a pp ea ra n ce s in such m o vie s as The Invisible
Boy 11957), as w e ll as te le v is io n s h o w s like
Lost in Space, The Twilight Zone, a nd even
The M o p p e t Show . M o re th a n ju s t a p ro p or
spe cia l effect, th e ro b o t has b e co m e a bona
fid e c u ltu ra l ico n , reco g n iza b le w o rld -w id e .
It's no s u rp rise , th e n , th a t m a n y c o m p a n ie s
c o n tin u e s triv in g to feed th e p u b lic's vo ra cio u s
d e m a n d fo r th is m o st u n lik e ly o f c e le b ritie s.
"R o b b y is a ch a ra cte r th a t never g ro w s old,"
says Ray Rohr. "H is p e rs o n a lity endeared him
a m o n g fa n s o f ro b o ts and science fic tio n in
g e n era l, and to y c o lle c to rs in particular." W hich
e xp la in s w h y R ohr p a rtn e red w ith a Japanese
c o m p a n y ca lle d Osaka T in Toy In s titu te to
p ro d u ce tw o brand n e w tin Robby th e Robots,
b o th licensed fro m Ted T urn e r (w h o n o w
c o n tro ls th e rig h ts to Forbidden Planet, and
c le a rly e x h ib ite d g re a te r m a rk e tin g s a vvy than
his fo rb e a re rs at M G M ). The firs t, a nine-inch
w in d -u p , fe a tu re s s p in n in g sca n n er rin gs and a
b e a u tifu lly lith o g ra p h e d re v o lv in g d ru m under
BILLIkEN
fe a tu re s c o lo rfu l s p in n in g rib b o n s o f m e ta l in
its p in k-sh a d e d d o m e . It's also th e la rg e st w in d ­
up R obby e ve r m ade. Yonezawa also m ad e th e
m uch s m a lle r R oby R obot, w h ic h has a s im p le
sp a rkin g a nd w a lk in g m e ch a n ism . Both it and
th e M o o n R obot rem a in e lu sive today.
S ta rtin g in th e late-F ifties, a c o m p a n y called
Yoshiya began p ro d u c in g Planet R obot. One
o f tin ro b o t m a n u fa c tu rin g 's g re a t success
sto rie s, th e lin e c o n tin u e d fro m 1958 u n til the
e a rly S eventies, and u n d e rw e n t a v a rie ty o f
p e rm u ta tio n s in c o n s tru c tio n , m a te ria ls, and
d e s ig n — c o lle c to rs can fin d th e ro b o t w ith
tin , rub b e r, o r p la stic hands, as w e ll as e ith e r
m eta l o r p la stic d o m e s. W in d -u p ve rs io n s
spark b e h in d th e ir o m in o u s , g rill-lik e faces,
w h ile b a tte ry -o p e ra te d ones fe a tu re lig h ts
and re v o lv in g in te rn a l m ech a n ism s. C o m m o n
c o lo rs in c lu d e black and d eep g re e n a m o n g
th e w in d -u p s , w h ile th e b a tte ry-o p e ra te d
to y s c o m e in a rich m e ta llic b lue. H ow ever,
like so m a n y to y ro b o ts , rare v a ria tio n s e xist,
in c lu d in g b lu e w in d -u p s a nd even o ne in a
m a ro o n , c rin k le fin is h .
Yoshiya also m ade a plastic Robby, called Jupiter,
d u rin g th e Sixties. W h ile c o m m o n , th e y possess
a q u irk y appeal that, alo n g w ith th e ir re la tive ly
lo w price-tag— usu a lly u n d er $200, m in t-in box— m akes th e m p o p u la r today. The less
c o m m o n battery-operated ve rsio n gets about
$1200, M I8. A n even rarer w in d -u p va ria tio n , in
red and blue, sits in Karris' co lle ctio n . "I fo u n d it
in Ita ly a m o n g s t fo u r o r fiv e o f re g u la r Jupiters,"
he says. "T h a t’s one o f th o se lucky breaks you
alw ays hope fo r as a collector."
24
its cle a r d o m e . The second to y is a w h o p p in g
13-inch-high b a tte ry -p o w e re d extravaganza.
Loo kin g m ore like th e o rig in a l ch a ra cte r th a n
any o th e r tin to y, th is p o p u la r e xa m p le co m e s
co m p le te w ith m o v in g p isto n s, s p in n in g
rin gs, lig h t-u p vo ice b o x, and an e le c tro n ic
ray gun. Both to y s are g e a re d to w a rd s h ig h end c o lle c to rs , w ith c o n s tru c tio n q u a lity th a t
ju s tifie s th e ir price ta g s (ju st u n d e r $300 and
$600, resp e ctive ly).
The Osaka T in Toy In s titu te also rep ro d u ced
N om ura's M echanized R obot in th e N ineties.
Nearly identical to th e o rig in a l— th o u g h
produced in a ra in b o w o f c o lo rs — th e to y p ro ve d
a h it am o n g co lle cto rs, despite its so m e w h a t
hefty $500-plus price tag. The to y p e rio d ic a lly
com es back in to p ro d u c tio n , and th e c o m m o n
black ve rsion can be re a d ily fo u n d today.
A n o th e r m o d e rn Japanese m a n u fa ctu re r,
B illike n , p ro d u ce d b o th a b ro w n and green
w in d -u p licensed R obby ro b o t. W h ile no
lo n g e r in p ro d u c tio n , th e se to y s o fte n p op
up on eBay. Like m a n y B illike n cre a tio n s, th e
ro b o ts have e x c e lle n t lith o g ra p h y and so lid
c o n s tru c tio n , a nd re p re s e n t a fu n w a y f o r n e w
c o lle c to rs to a dd a R o b b y to th e ir sh e lve s.
R ecently, a s le w o f re p ro d u c tio n Planet
R o b o ts have a rriv e d on th e scene, flo o d in g
to y s e lle rs ' sh e lve s a nd eBay's a u ctio n s.
C o m m o n v e rs io n s are p ro d u c e d b y a Chinese
co m p a n y ca lle d Ha-Ha to y s , w h ile lim ite d
p ro d u c tio n ru n s in a u n iq u e y e llo w fin is h are
m ad e b y a n o th e r m a n u fa c tu re r ca lle d Papa
San. O w n e d by lo n g -tim e d e a le r a nd c o lle c to r
R obert J o h n s o n , Papa San c u rre n tly pla n s on
re le a sin g re p ro d u c tio n s o f m a n y o th e r classic
tin ro b o ts , in c lu d in g P iston (Pug) Robot. "W e
c o u ld see th a t a m a rk e t s till e xis te d fo r th e se
to ys," says J o h n s o n . " B u t m a n y c o lle c to rs
c o u ld n 't a ffo rd to sp e n d m o n e y on th e
o rig in a ls . So Papa San trie s to strike a balance
be tw e e n h ig h -q u a lity lim ite d e d itio n to y s like
th e y e llo w Planet R obot, and m a ss-m a rke t
pieces like th e P iston. H o w e ve r, even th e n , w e
plan on re le a sin g a lim ite d e d itio n v e rs io n o f
th e to y in th e rare g o ld a nd black c o m b in a tio n ."
There w as, o f co u rse , never a n y q u e s tio n as
to w h ich to y s J o h n s o n and Co. p la n n e d on
b rin g in g to th e m a rke t: "R o b b y 's a w in n e r,
w ith o u t a d o u b t," he says. "H e's s u rv iv e d th is
lo n g , and I d o n 't see w h y he s h o u ld n ’t c o n tin u e
to m ake p e o ple happy."
As w e ap p ro a ch th e fiftie th a n n iv e rs a ry o f
F o rb id d e n Planet and R o bby th e Robot, it ’s
easy to see w h y th is ch a ra cte r re m a in s p o p u la r
to d a y. Full o f p e rs o n a lity a nd s c re a m in g de sig n
e legance, he is th e u ltim a te e m b o d im e n t o f
th e fu tu re a nd its w o n d ro u s p o te n tia l. N o t
o n ly th a t, b u t R o bby rep re se n ts th e b e st o f
w h a t th e h o b b y o f to y ro b o ts has to o ffe r— a
s tu n n in g re a liza tio n o fc h ild lik e e x c ite m e n ta n d
fu tu ris m . "I'v e o w n e d a lo t o f v a lu a b le ro b o ts
o v e r th e years," says Karris, lo o k in g back on
his o w n role w ith in th e ho b by. "A n d I've so ld
th e m a ll— e xce p t th e R o b b y to y s . A n d as lo n g
as th e y c o n tin u e to b rin g o u t th a t sense o f
w o n d e r in m e, th e y 're n o t g o in g anyw here."
ROBBY IS A CHARACTER
THAT NEVER GROWS OLD.
*
Robots co u rte sy o f the Patrick Karris collection.
M . 01 _ Space G liders
M. 02 _ Battle C ruiser
M. 03 _ (left to righ t): Galactic W arrior,
Galactic Defender, Galactic W arrio r
a
s
—
y o ) f j g &
THE HISTORY OF THE MICRONAUTS
Toy lin e s m a y c o m e and go. B u t fe w re v o lu tio n iz e th e e n tire to y in ­
d u s try , b e co m e b e s t-s e llin g b e h e m o th s , a n d th e n fa d e in to re la tiv e
o b s c u rity .T h e M ic ro n a u ts , h o w e v e r, d id ju s t th a t in th e late 1970s.
A re p u rp o s in g o f th e M ic ro m a n Ja p a n e se to y lin e , th e M ic ro n a u ts h o ld
an o d d d is tin c tio n ; th e y w e re th e v e ry fir s t 3 3 4 -in c h a c tio n fig u re s in ­
tro d u c e d to th e A m e ric a n m a rk e t.T h a t's rig h t. In 1977, b e fo re 3 3 4 -in c h
S ta r W ars and G.l. Jo e fig u re s , th e M ic ro n a u ts w e re th e to p -s e llin g
to y s in A m e ric a . (E m p e ro r P a lp a tin e a n d C o b ra C o m m a n d e r, eat y o u r
hearts o u tJ T o d a y , w h ile th e re are a n u m b e r o f h a rd c o re M ic ro n a u ts
e n th u s ia s ts , a nd th e to y s are e x tre m e ly c o lle c tib le , th e M ic ro n a u ts are
little m o re th a n a n o s ta lg ic m e m o ry in th e h e a rts o f th e m a jo rity o f
kids w h o g re w up in th e '70s. W ith o u t m a jo rT V o r m o v ie tie -in s to s u s ­
ta in lo n g -te rm p u b lic in te re s t, th e M ic ro n a u ts rise to fa m e w a s q u ite
su p e rn o v a -lik e .
O rig in a lly released b y th e M e g o C o rp o ra tio n , th e M ic ro n a u ts ' m e te o ric
rise can m o s tly be a ttrib u te d to o n e m a n : M a rty A b ra m s . A b ra m s h e ld
th e p o s t o f p re s id e n t o f M e g o d u rin g th e '7 0 s, le a d in g th e c o m p a n y to
g re a t success th ro u g h b rillia n t lic e n s in g a g re e m e n ts . U n d e r his g u id ­
ance, M e g o s tru c k g o ld w ith 6-inch d o lls fro m such se ries as P la n e t o f
th e A pes, S ta r Trek, and W iza rd o f Oz; all to p se lle rs . Yet, s o m e th in g
new , re v o lu tio n a ry a nd m uch tin ie r w a s on th e h o rizo n .
W h ile on a b u sin e ss tr ip , A b ra m s d is c o v e re d M ic ro m a n to y s by th e
Japanese co m p a n y ,T a k a ra . "A frie n d o f m in e , L a rry J o n e s, w a s re p re se n tin gT a ka ra a t th e tim e in C a lifo rn ia ," he re ca lls. "I w e n t to his o ffic e
and he had th e se Ja p a ne se [M ic ro m a n ] to y s s ittin g b e h in d h is desk.
A s I w as w a lk in g o u t th e d o o r he sa id , 'W h a t d o y o u th in k o f th e se
th in g s ? ' W h e n I lo o k e d a t th e m I g o t a c h ill in a w a y th a t I w a s s ittin g
on a p o te n tia lly h uge h o m e ru n ."
O f c o u rse , A b ra m s ' in tu itio n w a s s p o t on a nd M ic ro m a n w a s a lre a d y
a h uge success in J a p a n .T h e to y s w e re o s te n s ib ly m in ia tu re v e rs io n s
ofTakara's p o p u la r 12-inch H e n sh in C y b o rg fig u re s . V e h icle s, p la y sets,
and an e n o rm o u s v a rie ty o f a c tio n fig u re s had a lre a d y flo o d e d Ja p a ­
nese sh e lve s, so w h e n A b ra m s o p te d to b rin g th e to y s to th e US, he
had an e n tire u n iv e rs e o f p ro d u c t fro m w h ic h to choose.
□ J — y(D M
THE HISTORY OF THE MICRONAUTS
M eg o ren a m e d th e to y s M ic ro n a u ts , and th e y b e ca m e an in s ta n t h it
in A m e rica . In fa c t, th e lin e a cco u n te d fo r a lm o s t 1/3 o f th e co m p a n y's
to ta l sales in 1977. The fir s t a s s o rtm e n t o f M e g o 's M ic ro n a u ts in clu d e d
m an y o f th e m o s t p o p u la r M ic ro m a n to y s . M ic ro n a u ts h e ro e s in clu d e d
T im e T ra ve le r and th e h e a v y -d u ty d ie -ca st Space G lid e r. Seven d iffe r­
e n t v e h ic le s w e re also released, such as th e m is s ile -la u n c h in g G a la ctic
C ruiser and th e w in d -u p W a rp Racer. B a tte ry o p e ra te d to y s , fro m th e
H yd ro C o p te r v e h ic le to tw o d iffe re n t ro b o ts , th e 13 in c h -ta ll B io tro n
and his s m a lle r c o m p a n io n M ic ro tro n , w e re a b ig h it w ith kids. A n e n o r­
m ou s p la y set c a lle d th e S tra ta s ta tio n ro u n d e d o u t th e fir s t series.
A sked a b o u t th e in itia l ap p ea l o f th e M ic ro n a u ts , A b ra m s is q u ick to
resp o n d .
"W e c o m b in e d tw o g re a t p la y p a tte rn s : a c tio n fig u re s and
c o n s tru c tio n /b u ild in g sets," he says. " I f w e w e re a b le to su s ta in it past
th e S ta r W a rs e x p lo s io n , th e M ic ro n a u ts w o u ld have been o n e o f th e
g re a t to y lin e s o f all tim e and c e rta in ly th e g re a te s t a c tio n fig u re lin e
o f a ll tim e."
Even w ith th e a m a z in g p re -e x is tin g d e s ig n s a nd co o l h y b rid c o n c e p t,
M e g o had to c o n tin u a lly e v o lv e th e m a rk e tin g o f th e lin e by a d d in g
in n o v a tiv e p ro d u c ts . For th e se co n d se ries, an a s to n is h in g 12 n e w
pieces w e re in tro d u c e d . A n e w h e ro n a m e d P h a ro id h it s h e lve s a lo n g
w ith an e n e m y c a lle d A c ro y e a r II. Tw o la rg e r d ie -c a s t ch a ra cte rs fro m
a n o th e rT a k a ra to y lin e w e re a lso p lu cke d by A b ra m s a nd w o v e n in to
th e M ic ro n a u ts ' o ffe rin g s . T hese tw o c h a ra c te rs w e re th e e v il B aron
Karza and th e h e ro ic Force C o m m a n d e r.
Both ch a ra cte rs fe a tu re d m a g n e tic in te rc h a n g e a b le parts, w h ic h p ro ve d
to be an e x tre m e ly p o p u la r g im m ic k . Five n e w v e h ic le s w e re also a d d ­
ed to th e second series: th e d ie -ca st N eon O rb ite r, R h o d iu m O rb ite r,
and T h o riu m O rb ite r, th e a ll-p la s tic A q u a tro n (m a d e fo r th e b a th tu b )
and th e v a s tly in tric a te B attle C ruiser. C o m b in in g 70 d iffe re n t pieces,
th e Battle C ru ise r is e a s ily th e m o s t c o m p le x M ic ro n a u t to y. T h is tim e
a ro u n d , th e m a n u fa c tu rin g o f th e M ic ro n a u ts w a s a c tu a lly h a n d le d by
Takara. A b ra m s notes, "O nce [Takara] e s ta b lis h e d th e m a n u fa c tu rin g
side...since th e y a lre a d y had th e to o ls , w e w o u ld le t th e m b u ild sm a ll
a m o u n ts o f p ro d u c t. W e w o u ld ta ke th e m o s t su cce ssful p ro d u c t, sh ip
th e m o u t o f H ong K ong, a nd th e n d u p lic a te th e to o lin g ."
Opposite page:
M. 04 _ Pharoid (type 2, US)
Pharoid (type 1, Japan)
M. 05 _ A quatron, H ydro Copter
M. 06 _ M obile E xploration Lab
M. 07 _ A strostation
M. 08 _ Galactic Cruiser
M. 09 _ S tar Searcher
M. 10 _ G iant A croyear
M. 11 _ Hydra, Photon Sled
Right:
M. 12 _ A lie ns series 2
(left to righ t): K ronos, Centaurus, Lobros
M. 13 _ A lie rfs series 1
Repto, M em bros, A n tro n rid in g in
Terraphant (vehicle)
M. 14 _ H ornetroid
M. 15 _ (left to righ t): Force Com m ander,
Geag (Geeg, Jeag), Baron Karza
M. 16 _ B iotro n (Phobos in background)
29
u
j
—
v o m
g .
THE HISTORY OF THE MICRONAUTS
It w a s a ro u n d th is tim e th a t, o th e r US c o m p a n ie s sta rte d to see M ic ro ­
In a n o th e r r e v o lu tio n a ry m a rk e tin g m o v e , A b ra m s d e cid e d th a t th e
nauts as a m a jo r m o n e y m aker. M a rve l C o m ics crea te d a M ic ro n a u ts
n e w fig u re s re q u ire d n e w p a cka g in g . M e g o d e cid e d to ta p in to th e
c o m ic b o o k series th a t g a rn e re d d e ce n t sales. S e e m in g ly ra n d o m lic e n ­
ta le n ts o f re n o w n e d m a s te r p a in te r, Ken Kelly. "I g o t a ca ll fro m a g u y
so rs also c lim b e d a b o a rd to create s o m e o f th e o d d e s t M ic ro n a u ts c o l­
n a m e d Jo h n M cN e t, w h o w a s th e m a rk e tin g d ire c to r [fo r M e g o ] at th e
le c tib le s e v e r p ro d u c e d -fr o m th e b u b b le -b lo w in g ro b o t "B u b b e ltro n "
tim e ," says Kelly.
to M ilto n B ra d le y's b o a rd g am e. H o w e ve r, M e g o re m a in e d th e m a jo r
n e w p ro je c t, a nd he had seen s o m e o f m y w o rk , like d it, a nd w a n te d
fo rce in M ic ro n a u ts m e rch a n d ise , th o u g h th e y w e re s u b tly tw e a k in g
m e to ...T h e w a y he sta te d it w a s...'M a ke o u r 4 -in ch -h ig h p ro d u c t lo o k
He c o n tin u e s , "T h e y w e re p re p a rin g to launch th is
th e ir fo rm u la w ith th e release o f each n e w se ries. T he th ird lin e w as
like it's 3 0 -fe e t ta ll.'" Ken had ju s t fin is h e d th e c o v e r a rt fo r K iss' De­
refre sh e d w ith n e w s p in -o ffs o f a fe w o f th e p o p u la r e a rlie r d e sig n s.
s tro y e r a lb u m a nd he a cce p te d th e M ic ro n a u ts a s s ig n m e n t. His eye­
Phobos and N em esis, e vil ro b o t v a ria tio n s on B io tro n and M ic ro tro n
p o p p in g p a in tin g s c o m b in e d w ith th e n e w u ltra co o l fig u re s p ro v e d to
resp e ctive ly, w e re ad d ed . In te re s tin g ly , a tr io o f c o m e d ic a cro b a t ro ­
be y e t a n o th e r h it.
b o ts ca lle d th e T ro n s w e re a lso released. N a m ed A lp h a , Beta and G am m a tro n , th e T ro n s w e re c u lle d to g e th e r fro m a m is h m a s h o f le ft o ve r
H o w e ve r, n o t e v e ry M ic ro n a u ts to y w a s as b rillia n tly realized as th e
accessory pa rts and th e S tra ta s ta tio n ca r bo d y. A m o re in te re s tin g 4-
A lie n s.T a ke f o r e x a m p le , th e p o o rly fu n c tio n in g R ocketTubes p la y set.
in-1 " e x p lo ra tio n " v e h ic le , th e S ta r S earcher, w a s also in c lu d e d in th is
P ro d u ced in th re e d iffe re n t v a ria tio n s (the "re g u la r',' th e " d e lu x e " and
th ird w ave. Lastly, e n o rm o u s c ity p la y sets w e re b ro u g h t to th e m ix.
th e "Z in g W in g " set) th is Lo g an 's Run knock o ff lo o ke d g o o d on paper,
T hese co o l e n v iro n m e n ts in c lu d e d th e G a la ctic C o m m a n d Center, In­
b u t w a s ju s t to o b u lk y and u n a p p e a lin g fo r m o s t c o n s u m e rs .
te rp la n e ta ry H e a d q u a rte rs, M ic ro ra il C ity and S a te llite S u rv e y S ta tio n .
A s th e S ta r W a rs craze to o k o v e r in A m e ric a , M e g o w as s ta rtin g to
EACH MICRONAUTS ALIEN CHARACTER
#
FEATURED A GLOW-IN-THE-DARK BRAIN...
#
w in d d o w n . S o m e o f th e ir la st releases in c lu d e d th e M ega C ity b u ild ­
in g and a M o n tg o m e ry W a rd 's e x c lu s iv e G a la ctic C ruiser, s im p ly re­
n a m e d Space V e h icle . Cast in b lu e in s te a d o f g re e n , th e Space Vehicle
c a m e p ackaged in a s m a ll c a rd b o a rd m a ilin g b o x w ith fig u re in c lu d ­
ed. S o m e w h e re a lo n g th e lin e to o , th e T im e T ra v e le r w a s re-released
By 1979, M e g o la u n ch e d its 4th w a v e o f to y s , m a rk in g th e fir s t o rig in a l
in fo u r o p a q u e c o lo r schem es, ro u n d in g o u t th e series. M e a n w h ile ,
M ic ro n a u ts fig u re s p ro d u c e d — th e A lie n s se ries. "W e w a n te d to sta rt
A m e ric a n kid s had g o n e b o n k e rs f o r to y s based on Luke, Leia and
ta kin g th e b ra n d in d iffe re n t d ire c tio n s ," e x p la in s A b ra m s . L a rry J o n e s
Han, all b u t fo rg e ttin g th e 3 3^4-inch lin e th a t kick sta rte d th e n e w tre n d
and Cal R&D w e re b ro u g h t in to h e lp M e g o d e v e lo p s o m e o f th e m o s t
in to y s . B u t w a s th is re a lly th e e nd fo r th e M ic ro n a u ts ? W as th e re life
u n iq u e M ic ro n a u ts d e s ig n s to date. Each M ic ro n a u ts A lie n c h a ra cte r
fo r th e lin e a fte r M eg o ? You k n o w th e clich e : ju s t as one d o o r closes,
fe a tu re d a g lo w -in -th e -d a rk b ra in a nd re m o v a b le h a n d w e a p o n , and
a n o th e r o n e o p e ns...
s o o n th e A lie n s be ca m e v e ry p o p la r w ith b o th A m e ric a n and Ja p a ­
nese M ic ro n a u ts c o lle c to rs . Repto, A n tro n a nd M e m b ro s w e re p a rt o f
th e fir s t w a ve o f A lie n s w ith th e ra re r C e n ta u ru s, L o b ro s a nd K ro n o s
released in th e second w ave.
31
H A TS O F F T O KEIJI-K
THE ORIGINAL ROBOT IN DISGUISE
T E X T B Y B R IA N F L Y N N & C H A D H E N S L E Y
P H O T O S B Y T IM B R IS K O & G E O F F A L L E N
ROBOT DETECTIVE KEIJI-K was created by S hotaro Ishinom ori,
m a ste rm in d o f such iconic super heroes as Kamen Rider,
Kikaida, and Inazum an. The live-action sh o w firs t aired on
Japanese TV in A p ril 1973 and ran th ro u g h Septem ber w ith a
to ta l o f tw e n ty -s ix episodes.
W h ile th e p lo t o f Keiji-K is ra th e r sim p le , th e u n d e rly in g issues
o f th e series are a b it m ore co m p le x. In th e T okyo o f a notso -d ista n t fu tu re , a renegade ro b o t m a n u fa ctu re r creates a
gang o f fe lo n io u s rob o ts. To co m b a t th e e n su in g c rim e spree,
Dr. S aori K irish im a co n stru cts th e firs t R obot Detective and
a ffe ctio n a te ly (and n a rcissistically) nam es h im " K " K jo in s th e
T okyo M e tro p o lita n Police Force and is p artnered w ith a hum an
inspector. A lth o u g h K is an a rtificia l crea tio n , he has a lo t o f
heart. In fact, he w a n ts n o th in g m o re th a n to u n dertand hum ans
and to be a p ro d u c tiv e m e m b e r o f society. In o rd e r to keep his
co ve r and to be a to p ro b o t su p e r sle u th , Keiji-K sp o rts a y e llo w
hat and red jacket to conceal h is m etal id e n tity.
Popy 5 " K eiji-K w ith re m ovab le h a t in re d and
blue vinyl, Popy 7.5" Keiji-K w ith rem ovable hat
12" K E IJ I-K F IG U R E S B Y M E D IC O M
Bootleg anim ation style Keiji-K figures, bootleg Keiji-K
in street clothes. Bootleg Goddess vinyl Idetail)
Z O K K I IS A S Z O K K I D O ES
L_
B o o tle g s are a necessary e vil in th e v in ta g e c o lle c tio n . M a n y c o lle c to rs
tu rn th e ir nose at u n lice n se d to y s , b u t th e se c ru d e fig u re s a lw a ys fill
a need th a t th e lice n se d fig u re s seem to m iss. In th e case o f Keiji-K
th e re are th re e re a lly g re a t b o o tle g s .T h e fir s t is th e K e iji-K fig u re in
his s tre e t clo th e s. N o t u n til M a rm it and M e d ic o m ca m e a lo n g in th e
late 90's d id a n y o n e m ake a fig u re o f K eiji-K in his n o n -ro b o t fo rm .
Very w e ll s cu lp te d , th is fig u re is th e easiest o f th e th re e b o o tle g (or
zokki) fig u re s to fin d . N e xt on th e lis t is th e m an g a style K e iji-K fig u re s .
Released in a fe w p a in t v a ria tio n s , th e se v a ria tio n s are a re s u lt m o re
o f loose q u a lity c o n tro l ra th e r th a n in te n d e d d iffe re n ce s, b u t th e re su lt
rem a in s th e sam e -a re a lly g re a t re n d itio n o f th e m an g a style fig u re
w ith rou n d e d , s im p lifie d h ands and fe e t and a head m o re c h ild lik e
lo o k in g th a n usual. La stly th e re is th e b o o tle g o f th e G odess statue
fro m Keiji-K. W h ile fe w sta tu es e ve r g o t th e ir o w n to y s , th is b o o tle g
is one o f th e h a rd e st K eiji-K pieces to track d o w n . C o m b in e a re la tive
o b s c u rity (h o w w o u ld m o s t p e o ple even k n o w th is w a s fro m Keiji-K?)
w ith a g e n u in e ra rity, and th is fig u re is a lm o s t n e ve r seen fo r sale.
A fte r te n ye a rs o f lo o k in g I s till have ye t to be a b le to p u t o ne on m y
shelf. A n y o n e care to h e lp o u t in th e hunt?
6 ” K E IJI-K B Y B A N D A I / 5" IM A I M O D E L K IT /
6" M A S U D A Y A L IG H T U P K E IJ I-K
__
H A T T IT U D E
T he y say th e c lo th e s m ake th e m an , b u t in th e case o f K eiji-K , th e
hat d e fin ite ly m akes th e to y. T he hat o fte n d e te rm in e s th e d iffe re n ce
b etw een a co o l to y and p u re to y g o ld fo r any v in ta g e K e iji-K fig u re .T h e
5-inch Popy fig u re s , fo r e xa m p le , are fa irly in e x p e n s iv e w ith o u t hat,
b u t easily d o u b le th e price w h e n th e h a t is s till in clu d e d . T h o u g h these
to y s can be a little tric k y to fin d , th e y 're n o t to o hard to track d o w n . By
co n tra st, th e 12-inch Bandai v in y l is p ro b a b ly th e m o s t s o u g h t a fte r o f
th e Keiji-K v in y ls , and fin d in g a h a t fo r th is fig u re is v e ry d iffic u lt. H aving
th e hat easily trip le s th e p rice fo r a c o m p le te fig u re . A rare r fig u re , b u t in
less d e m a n d , is th e 7.5-inch Popy v in y l. F in d in g a h a t fo r a loose fig u re
in th is scale is a lm o s t im p o s s ib le . E xpect a h a t fo r th e 7.5-inch fig u re to
q u a d ru p le th e value, if n o t m o re . So th e re yo u have it. If d ia m o n d s are a
g irl's best frie n d , th e n a y e llo w hat is a K eiji-K c o lle c to r's !
33
This page (Left to rig h t):
A ssorte d sm aller, n e w K eiji-K item s, B andai
C hara-W heel Joker, Popy J o k e r die-cast,
S.I.C. K eiji-K re d version, S u p e r d e fo rm e d
bank, o rig n a l K eiji-K H enshin C yborg s u it
M A R M IT M O N S T E R M A N IA
■Q W h ile m a n y s h o w s m a n a g e d to g e t a fe w m o n s te rs (or kaiju) released
w h ile th e o rig in a l s h o w w a s on te le v is io n , K eiji-K w a s n e ve r g iv e n th a t
lu xu ry. So, a fte r w a itin g fo r 20+ ye a rs, M a rm it fin a lly gave th e s h o w it's
due and p ro d u ce d n e a rly e ve ry m o n s te r e ve r seen on th e sh o w . In th e
end M a rm it p ro d u ce d 19 d iffe re n t K eiji-K m o n s te rs fro m e p iso d e s 1-19, as
w e ll as 2 d iffe re n t c o lo r v a ria tio n s o f 4 m o n ste rs. A lo n g th e w a y M a rm it
also released 4 v e rs io n s o f K eiji-K in his s tre e t clo th e s, and 5 v e rs io n s o f
Keiji-K in his ro b o t fo rm .T h e re m a in in g 7 m o n s te rs fro m e p iso d e s 20-26
w e re n e ve r m ade, b u t a fte r w a itin g so lo n g to have ju s t o ne m o n s te r
released, it w a s g re a t to fin a lly have w h a t th e y d id release!
K E IJI-K C H E C K L IS T
B andai 12" K eiji-K
w ith re m ovab le hat
VINTAGE /
IQ
I
I
IQ
I
!□
I!
li i
12" H enshin C yb o rg C o stu m e
12" Bandai w ith re m o ve a b le hat
7.5" Popy w ith re m o ve a b le hat
6 " M asudaya lig h t-u p fig u re
5 " Popy w ith re m o ve a b le hat - red v in y l
5 " Popy w ith re m o ve a b le hat - b lu e v in y l
5 " B o otleg fig u re w ith jacket
5 " B o o tle g fig u re - dark b lu e v in y l
IQ
5 " B o o tle g fig u re - lig h t b lu e v in y l w ith red eyes
and th re e head s trip e s
5 " B o o tle g fig u re - lig h t b lu e v in y l w ith d a rk red eyes
and fiv e head strip e s
5 " B o o tle g fig u re o f th e S ta tu e G oddess
4 " Popy fly in g pose (m o ld e d hat) - red v in y l
4 " Popy fly in g pose (m o ld e d hat) - b lu e v in y l
4" Popy p e n d a n t - red v in y l
4 " Popy p e n d a n t - b lu e v in y l
Popy d ie -ca st J o k e r ca r (PA-XX)
Im ai m o d e l kit
I
IQ
IQ
IQ
IQ
IQ
II.
I
NEW /
IQ
12" M e d ic o m d o ll
w ith jacket
12" M e d ic o m d o ll
in ro b o t m o d e
6 " Bandai v in y l
IIQ 5 " M a rm it fig u re s (32 d iffe re n t fig u re s s h o w n
IQ B a npresto a ctio n fig u re w /m in i g o d d e ss sta tu e
IQ . B a npresto a c tio n fig u re w /m in i g o d d e ss sta tu e
I
Bandai SIC fig u re - red
IQ Bandai SIC fig u re - b lu e
IQ G ashapon fig u re w ith ja cke t
IQ G ashapon fig u re in ro b o t m od e
IQ S u p e r D e fo rm e d fin g e r p u p p e t
IQ S uper D e fo rm e d fig u ra l bank
IQ S u p e r D e fo rm e d keychain
IIQ Bandai C h araw heel Jo ke r car
II I Bandai C h araw heel J o k e r car w ith fig u re (fro m
IQ
IQ.
above)
- blue
- red
DX set)
armon
A&ftitional pftotojs
Dennis ftamann
O l & i$ H e m
ing kaiju b o o m , w ith fans b u yin g e ve ry th in g th e y co u ld get th e ir hands
on. Several to y s h o w e xclu sive v e rsio n s w e re released as w e ll as co lla b o ­
Flip th ro u g h a Japanese to y m agazine and y o u 'll like ly sp o t th e m , those
ratio n s w ith o th e r to y b o u tiq u e s, o n lin e e xclusives, and p a in t-it-y o u rs e lf
antique-esque v in y l fig u re s by G argam el. But d o n 't be fo o le d , these lim ­
m od e ls. M o re m o n ste rs soon jo in e d th e V in yl F ight series in c lu d in g Bull
ited-run b o u tiq u e to y s a re n 't vin ta g e at all. T hey're u n m is ta k a b ly ne w
M ask, P inw heel, and W heel Barrow .
and th e y're m aking w a ve s w ith v in y l co lle cto rs a ro u n d th e g lo b e .T h o u g h
G argam el's catalog o f re tro -th e m e d p ro d u cts have o n ly rece n tly seen
d is trib u tio n in th e US, m a n y S tateside fa n s o f so ft v in y l m o n ste rs and
d esigner to y s are a lrea d y fa m ilia r w ith th e b ra n d — chalk it up to th e c o m ­
pany's rep u ta tio n fo r q u a lity cra ftsm a n sh ip and th e ir u n y ie ld in g desire to
create w h a t excites them .
The behind-the-scenes m aste rm ind s at G argam el are a ctually ju s t three
In A u g u s t o f 2004, G argam el o p e ne d T h ra sh Out, th e e xclu sive G argam el
store. "W e started T hrash O ut as a w a y o f e xp a n d in g Gargam el," says
store m a n a g e r Y utakaTaguchi. U n til th is p o in t, m ost o f G argam el's cus­
to m e rs w e re d ie h a rd regulars, se riou s c o lle cto rs w h o g o t e ve ryth in g
G argam el released. W ith T hrash Out, G argam el w a n te d to attract o th er
sh o p pe rs; peo ple o ff th e street, and th o se w h o read m agazines. Flaving a
shop m ea n t m ore m agazine coverage, w o rd o f m o u th , and th e p o ssib il­
high school pals fro m Japan w h o share one th in g in c o m m o n — a serious
ity o f a w id e r g ro u p o f cu sto m e rs. In a d d itio n to G argam el m erchandise,
passion fo r toys. Kiyoka Ikeda sculpts; YutakaTaguchi produces th e to ys
T hrash O ut stocks v in ta g e to ys and rem akes o f kaiju soft v in y l figures.
and m anages the G argam el retail store inTokyo; and Hiroaki Okada (Chan-
A lso on d is p la y at th e store are o rig in a l pieces o f a rtw o rk as w e ll as Gar­
m en) designs graphics. U nd o u bte d ly, it's the trio 's lon g -la stin g love affair
ga m e l's o ld e r releases.
w ith to ys that bring G argam el p roducts to life. "W e m ake to ys fo r our­
selves firs t, custom ers second," says Ikeda. T his hardcore co lle cto r ethic
m anifests in every G argam el p ro d u ct—th e detail and q u a lity in each piece
is com parable to, if n o t greater than, o ffe rin g s fro m m a jo r to y com panies.
F o llo w in g th e o p e n in g o fT h ra s h O ut, G argam el released the G argam el
3 series o f heroes and v illa in s .T h e G argam el 3 s to ry w as q u ite sim p le , a
g ro u p o f g o o d -m a n n e re d sm oke rs ve rsu s th re e b a d-m annered sm okers
and th e ir evil c o u n te rp a rt, a big skull-faced cigarette m o n s te r called To­
G argam el's actual designs are inspired by a plethora o f Japanese toys
bacco G a im a n .T h e fig u re s in th e series w e re rath e r sm all (under 4 inch­
fro m the past— fro m M icro m a n to M arusan and B u llm ark vinyls. By pay­
es), in va rio u s shades o f clear s o ft v in y l, and had no a rticu la tio n w h a ts o ­
ing hom age to these old-school to ys in fresh ne w ways, G argam el has
ever- re m in isce n t o f cheap, vin ta g e, b o o tle g -style fig u re s.
captured th e hearts o f nostalgic collectors as w e ll as n e w co m e rs to the
Japanese bo u tiqu e to y scene.That p ro b a b ly explains w h y it's not u n co m ­
m on fo r a new G argam el to y to sell o u t w ith in days o f its release inTokyo.
N ext in line w a s th e Gacha M echa series: cute, clear, b u lk y rob o ts, w ith
m ove a b le arm s and legs, and a rem o va b le in n e r m echanism . The firs t
ro b o t in th e series, Gacha D okuro, appeared q u ite silly, w ith buckteeth
T hough th e in te re st fro m d ie -h a rd c o lle cto rs m ay su g g est o th e rw ise , Gar­
and a h o rn on th e to p o f his head. Gacha D okuro w as released a n u m b e r
gam el has a ctu ally o n ly been in business fo r 3 years. D u rin g th a t tim e ,
o f tim e s, w ith d iffe re n t in n e r m echa co lo rs such as chrom e, blue chrom e,
they've produced v a rio u s kinds o f je w e lry, accessories, apparel, and, o f
grey, etc. T he second ro b o t in th e series, Gacha Dos, w a s ju s t recently
course, s o ft v in y l toys. D e b u tin g at W o n d e r Festival in th e w in te r o f 2002,
released. Gacha Dos is a little to u g h e r, w ith tw o horns, detachable arm
G argam el firs t released an e xclu sive M ic ro m a n R obotm an s ilv e r rin g and
parts, and a se riou s lo o k on his fa ce .T h is line is set to c o n tin ue , so watch
a M arusan t-s h irt. Soon after, m ore je w e lry fo llo w e d , such as a M ic ro ­
o u t fo r m o re Gacha series rob o ts in the near fu tu re .
m an Mecha A cro ye a r ring, Gigan rin g, Jet Ja g u a r rin g , Flenshin Cyborg
w alle t/ke y chain, D o kurom an bracelet, and M ic ro -s h it rin g (a c o lla b o ra ­
tio n w ith T a k e s h it o f C ocobat). Asked w h y th e y p ro d u ce so m a n y classic
characters as rings, Ikeda responds, "I like je w e lry. I th o u g h t th o se [to y]
designs w o rk e d w e ll as accessories." G argam el's rin gs w e re exce lle n t
re p ro d u c tio n s o f th e o rig in a l characters, d one ju s t sm a ll e n o u g h to be
w o rn on a finger, and m ade o f h ig h q u a lity s ilve r.T h o u g h th e rin gs w ere
n o t o v e rw h e lm in g ly successful, th e y garnered G argam el th e a tte n tio n o f
Being huge fans o f Japanese "k e s h ig o m u " o r gachapon eraser toys,
G argam el g o t to g e th e r w ith Konno Sangyo Co., Ltd. (a keshigom u maker)
and G reifen last year to release the Baikin Gundan series o f soft vin yl fig ­
ures (see Super7 issue #8 fo r m o re details).The fig u re s w ere reproductions
o f p o p u la r characters in th e Baikin G undan eraser series. So far, several
crazy characters have been done in va riou s b rig h t colors. Look o u t fo r
these, as G argam el expects to release m ore in th e series ve ry soon.
h ardcore M ic ro m a n and kaiju fa n s because o f th e ir o rig in a l packaging
In a d d itio n to th e ir o rig in a l item s, G argam el has also released several
and th e ir fin e ly detaile d sculpts.
co lla b o ra tiv e e d itio n toys. T he y've a lrea d y team ed up w ith s o ft vin yl
W ith a little m o re s c u lp tin g experience u n d e r his belt, Ikeda and Gar­
gam el decided to go b ig g e r and released th e ir G argam ess to y in late
2002, a s o ft v in y l ka iju -in flu e n ce d fig h tin g m onster. G argam ess w a s the
firs t fig u re o f th e c o m p a n y's "V in y l F ig h t" series. S ta n d in g a b o u t 5 inches
m akers M 1 ,Y a m a n a ya , and M a rm it to release G argam el o rig in a l co lo r
e xclusives. O th e r p ro je cts are also in th e w o rks, som e o f w h ich y o u 'll be
seeing ve ry soon.
W h a t's n e xt fo r G argam el? Ikeda su m s it up like o n ly a to y m aven w o u ld .
ta ll, G argam ess fe a tu re d m ove a b le a rm s and head, and w a s released in
"W e w a n t to m ake a lo t o f toys," he says. G argam el has ju s t started a
a v a rie ty o f c o lo r schemes. G argam ess w a s so ld o n lin e , as w e ll as at
n e w line o f so ft v in y l fig u re s called th e Zokki Kaiju series.The Zokki series
d e signer b o u tiq u e s such as Osaka's Base X ero X ero,Tokyo's Secret Base,
is in sp ire d by cheap kaiju to y im ita tio n s .T h e firs t m o n s te r in th e series,
and M ed ico m 's Project 1/6. W ith th e help o f these shops and th e ir d is tri­
called Z ag o ra n, is a one-eyed lizard beast sta n d in g a b o u t 10 inches tall.
b u tio n , G argam ess becam e a huge success. W h a t fo llo w e d w as a fig h t­
Z agoran sold o u t on th e firs t w e e ke n d o f its release.
O pp osite p a g e (le ft to rig h t): H e n s h in Y e llo w G argam ess, G argadeth,
MORE INFO/
C h rom e G achaD okuro, B ro w n W h e e lb a rro w , O ran g e Z a g o ra n
For m o re in fo rm a tio n a b o u t G a rg a m e l and th e ir p ro d u c ts , check o u t
th e ir h o m e p a g e (w w w .g a rg a m e l.jp ) o r th e S u p e r 7 S tore. A n d w h e n
in T o kyo , s to p b y T h ra s h Out: 2-51-9 2F K o enji M in a m i, S u g in a m i-ku ,
T okyo (K oenji S ta tio n on th e C huo Line).
VINYL FIGHT
G argam ess P ro to typ e , W h ite
G argam ess 55 Blue (G arg a m e l o rig in a l c o lo r). Blue
G argam ess vs S kull Bee, Black & S ilv e r
Rainy Day G argam ess (Rainy Day Ltd. Item ), Blue cle a r
In v is ib le G argam ess, Clear
Rakugaki G argam ess (Paint yo u rs e lf version) Baketsu Blue
Secret Base G argam ess, H e n s h in Y e llo w
Project 1/6 G a rg a m e ss (M e d ic o m S h o p Excl.) G reen
Secret Base 2nd A n n ive rsa ry Gargam ess & Bullm ask, G lo w
B u llm a sk w ith G argam ess head, Black
BBS p ro je c t G argam ess w ith B u llm a sk head
(fan choice c o lo r) Pink g lo w
P roject 1/6 B u llm a sk w ith G a rgam ess head , C lear green
P roject 1/6 P in w h e e l, B lack& Red
B u llm a s k w ith G a rgam ess head, In d ia n B ro w n
P in w h e e l R isin g -su n fla g , Red
B u llm a s k 55B lue (G arg a m e l o rig in a l c o lo r) Blue
P in w h e e l 55B lue (G arg a m e l o rig in a l c o lo r) Blue
P in w h e e l 1P, c o lo r G ray
P in w h e e l 2P, c o lo r G ray
P inw heel RF, c o lo r Green
Ring ty p e s a v in g s box, W h ite
OTHER FIGURES
SRG 3#00
SRG3#01
SRG3#02
SRG3#03
SRG3#04
SRG3#05
SRG3#06
SRG3#07
SRG3#08
S m o ke C orps & Poison Party Set, Clear
N ic o tin e Red & Poison Party Pink Set, C lear red
M in t G reen & Posion Party Purple Set, C lear green
T a rY e llo w & Poison Party Black Set, C lear y e llo w
C ig a rette H arm M an C learV er., C le a rV e r
C ig a rette H arm M an C o lo rin g Ver., C o lo rin g Ver
Fake N ic o tin e Red, C lear red
Fake M in t G reen, C lear green
F akeT arY ellow , C lear y e llo w
GM#01
G M #02
G M #03
G M #04
G M #05
G M #06
G M #07
Gacha
Gacha
Gacha
Gacha
Gacha
Gacha
Gacha
D oku ro # 1 , p ro to ty p e
D oku ro # 1 , P la tin g s ilv e r
D okuro#1 (g re ife n ver.), C lear (+Gachagacha)
D okuro#1 (w ith pragan). P lating green
D oku ro # 1 , C lear x W h ite
Dos#2 (plug ver.), p ro to typ e co lo r
Dos#2 (Big arm ver.). Black clear x G low
DM#01
DM #02
D M #03
DM #04
DM #05
DM #06
DM #07
D o ku ro m a n
D o ku ro m a n
D o ku ro m a n
D o ku ro m a n
D o ku ro m a n
D o ku ro m a n
D o ku ro m a n
P rivate G argam ess, O range
B ullm a sk, G reen
W h e e lb a rro w P ro to typ e , G litte r G rey
O m ik u ji G argam ess & B u llm a sk & G a m e p p a , 2nd green
Ring ty p e s a vin g s b o x, Red
W h e e lb a rro w Ib u sh iG in , G litte r G rey
D a ish in g e ki G argam ess, 3rd blue
D a ish in g e ki B u llm a sk, Red
D a ish in g e ki P in w h e e l, Purple
D a ish in g e ki W h e e lb a rro w , B ro w n
D a ish in g e ki C u m b e rlia n ,Y e llo w
Ring ty p e s a vin g s b o x, Black
B aby G argam ess, C lear
Baby B u llm a sk, Clear
Baby P in w h e e l, Clear
B aby G argam ess, 55 b lu e
Baby B u llm a sk, B ro w n
B aby P in w h e e l, 1P G rey
Rakugaki P in w h e e l & W h e e lb a rro w , Baketsu Blue
P rim itiv e G argam ess, G ree n T atto o
C u m b e rlia n No.1 & N o .2 (set), G reen & Red
G a rg a d e a th, Black & G rey
Clear x G old
Clear x Red
Clear x Blue
Blackclear x s ilv e r
Purple cle a r
Y e llo w clear
G reen clear
Z a g o ra n , 5 5 b lu e & S ilv e r
Z a g o ra n , 55blue
Z a g o ra n , O range
B u llm a rk replica
B u llm a rk replica
B u llm a rk replica
B u llm a rk replica
B u llm a rk replica
B u llm a rk replica
D ogora
T oh o T ainy
M ic ro m a n M101
1st G od zilla , Black
M in i G a ra m o n , Black
M in i Pegira, Black
M in i Ragon, Black
M in i K anegon, Black
M in i G om ess, Black
G lo w & Clear
V a rio u s C o lo rs
M101 C o lo r (clear)
Jwrmmo.
VF # 01
VF # 02
VF # 03
VF # 04
VF # 05
VF # 06
VF # 07
VF # 08
VF # 09
V F # 10
VF # 11
V F # 12
VF #13
V F # 14
VF # 15
V F # 16
V F # 17
V F # 18
V F # 19
VF # 20
VF # 21
VF # 22
VF # 23
VF # 24
VF # 25
VF # 26
VF # 27
VF # 28
VF # 29
VF # 30
VF # 31
VF # 32
VF # 33
VF # 34
VF # 35
VF # 36
VF # 37
VF # 38
VF # 39
VF # 40
VF # 41
VF # 42
SMOKING CORPSE
GACHA DOKURO
BAIKIN GUNDAN
COLLABORATIONS
M 1_G odzilla
M ic ro m a n M101
Yam anaya
D o gora
L IV IN G IN A
T H E A R T O F M A R S -1
PETRI DISHI
IN T E R V IE W B Y
G EOFF ALLEN
O p p osite page: C o ld A ir B a llo o n s
B e lo w : Q u a ntu m R e a lity
MARS-1, AKA MARIO MARTINEZ, IS AN
OLD SOUL WITH HIS SIGHTS ON THE
FUTURE. WITH A BACKGROUND IN
GRAFFITI, MARS-1 HAS HONED HIS
SKILLSTO BECOME ONE OFTHE MOST
TALENTED ARTISTS TO COME OUT OF
THE SAN FRANCISCO UNDERGROUND.
H o w does th e c o n ce p t o f o u te r space fa c to r in to y o u r w ork?
W h e n I w a s v e ry y o u n g , m y p a re n ts h ad a clo se ra n g e UFO s ig h tin g .
A lth o u g h th e y th o u g h t it w a s in te re s tin g , th e y n e v e r re a lly ta lk e d
a b o u t it m uch .
But, it m ad e a s tro n g im p re s s io n o n on m e at an e a rly age and
m ad e m e v e ry c u rio u s a b o u t th e subject. So, I began to read
e v e ry b o o k on u fo lo g y I c o u ld g e t m e ha n ds on. T h is shaped the
w a y I lo o ke d a t th e w o rld , th e u n ive rse , and u ltim a te ly o n m y art.
W h e n I sta rt to th in k o f th in g s o f th a t n a ture , it o p e ns m y m in d to vast
p o s s ib ilitie s . H o w m uch g o e s on a ro u n d us th a t w e are o b liv io u s to , and
th e fa c t th a t w e e x is t is so a b stra ct in itse lf. It can be o v e rw h e lm in g to
p o n d e r at p o in ts. It's e n o u g h to m ake yo u ju s t fo rg e t a b o u t it all and go
in to a H o m e r S im p s o n m o d e , s it o n th e couch, w atch th e b o o b tu b e, and
d rin k h m m m beer. N o n e the le ss, I fin d it all v e ry in s p irin g .
M uch like y o u r su b je ct m atter, y o u r c o m b in a tio n o f m e d iu m s is unusual.
W h a t lead yo u to c o m b in e ink, o il, and w a te rc o lo r, fo r exam ple?
I w a s lo o k in g fo r a b ro a d e r ran g e o f v isu a l in fo rm a tio n . I w as searching
fo r s o m e th in g th a t d id n o t have a n o rm a l, c o m m o n lo o k th a t com es
fro m u sin g ju s t one m e d iu m . I w a n te d m y o w n fo rm u la . I fo u n d m ix in g
d iffe re n t m e d iu m s lets m e utilize d iffe re n t m ate ria ls, as w e ll as d iffe re n t
style s o f w o rk in g .T h e free flo w sp la sh in g a ro u n d o f w a te r c o lo r a nd ink
Above (left to right): Space inTime, Observer Affect
Below right: 2005 San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Observer
Opposite page: Vanishing Point
a llo w s m e to be loose, relaxed, and fre e to e x p e rim e n t, as w e ll as have
fu n like in a ch ild fin g e r-p a in tin g ty p e o f w ay. It also adds th e ele m e n t
o f serendipity. Later on in th e piece, I fin ish up b y sw itch in g to oil p a in t o r
acrylic and begin a m ore focused, te d io us, m o d e o f rendering. T ha t stage
adds a m ore realistic e le m e n t to th e w o rk. It really m akes th e piece com e
to life. O verall, w o rk in g in these d iffe re n t w a ys m akes m e feel m ore like it
1/ h s
-}
l
‘
i / i A S ,
\
X\ i
\
is a personal e xp lo ra tio n in creating.
The p a in staking level o f de tail in y o u r w o rk is a sto u n d in g . H o w d o yo u
decide w h e n e n o ug h is e n o u g h and a piece is done?
If I tr y to do a piece stra ig h t th ro u g h fro m b e g in ning to end, w ith o u t
breaking it up w ith chunks o f tim e, it ju s t does n o t w o rk o u t rig ht.T h e w o rk
suffers. M ost often, I w ill w o rk o n m u ltip le pieces at th e sam e tim e. W hen
I get to th e p o in t on any one piece w h e re I am n o t sure w h a t to do next, I
sto p w o rk in g on th a t piece. I th e n p u t th a t piece o ff to th e side.Then, I can
took at it over th e course o f a fe w days. T h is g ive s m e tim e to let it kick
a ro u n d in m y head w h ile I w o rk on a n o th e r piece u n til it kind o f te lls m e
w h a t to do next. I go back and fo rth like th is u n til it feels fin ish e d w ith th e
rig h t a m o u n t o f elem ents, co m p o sitio n and balance.
W h a t's m o re im p o rta n t, im a g in a tio n o r te ch n ica l a b ility?
Both im a g in a tio n and te ch n ica l a b ility are v e ry im p o rta n t to m e.
But, w h e n it co m e s to art, im a g in a tio n rules. O th e rw ise , yo u e nd up
so m e th in g like a h u m a n c o p y m ach in e w ith o u t an o rig in a l idea.
Y our w o rk is h ig h ly m eta p h ysica l. Can y o u speak to th a t a little?
To e xp lo re m y subconscious m in d is pa rt o f th e challenge and jo u rn e y o f
m y w o rk. It starts in th e fo rm o f a d o o dle o r sketch.This begins to p la n t the
seeds o f ideas fo r p a in tin gs a n d sculptures. Little b y little , th is o th e r w o rld
o f creatures and e n viro n m e n ts th a t I create reveals m ore o f itse lf to m e and
th e view ers. I watch it like an in visib le plan u n fo ld in g b efore m y eyes.
"
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t i n , iu I/ <
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L/V
w
Later on, a fte r I fin is h a piece o r p ro je ct, I can s it back and spe cu la te w h a t
m a y have in s p ire d th e w o rk.
D escribe o ne d e fin in g m o m e n t th a t h e lp e d tra n s fo rm M a rio M a itin e z
in to MARS-1.
P ro b a b ly th e fir s t tim e I picked u p a sp ra y can.
The b u ild in g s in y o u r w o rk seem to b e co m e pa rt o f th e n a tu ra l landscape,
ra th e r th a n s ittin g on to p o f it...
I fig u re th a t s o m e w h e re in th e u n ive rse , th e re is a m o re advanced
c iv iliz a tio n o f B eings th a t have m e rg e d th e tw o a t so m e p o in t like w e
p ro b a b ly w ill d o if w e are a ro u n d lo n g e n o ug h .
H o w do use eyes as a sym bo l?
It represents a h ig h e r co n scio u sne ss o r a w a re n e ss o f o b s e rv in g w h a t
is ta kin g place, w ith an e le m e n t o f m y s te rio u s in te n tio n s . A s w e ll, it
sym bo lizes th e " th ird e y e " a n d im a g in a tio n . I use th is to re m in d m e th a t
th o u g h ts are real and h u m a n s are cap a ble o f so m uch m o re th a n u su a lly
m o s t o f us e ve r b o th e re d ta p p in g in to .
Your w o rk has been co m p a re d to w h a t G eorge Lucas ca lls " th e used
future." Does th is seem accurate?
Yes, b u t to m e m y w o rk fe e ls like it has a b ig d isco n n e ct o f tim e as w e
k n o w it.
You have been in 25 s h o w s in less th a n 2 years. A re y o u m ad?i
I fig u re I'll have p le n ty o f tim e to sleep w h e n I a m dead.
Painting, d ra w in g , sc u lp tu re , to ys, skate decks, t-sh irts, g ra ffiti, p rin ts
a nd in s ta lla tio n . W hat's n e x t fo r MARS-1?
M ore o f the above and ju st keep w o rk in g on g ro w in g and e vo lvin g m y art.
Opposite page: Observer
Flight: Original Mars-1 toy
Below: Space Mountains
W h a t is th e b ig g e s t in flu e n c e fro m y o u r y o u th th a t s h o w s th ro u g h
in y o u r c u rre n t w o rk?
K v ijif e ljip i
U fo lo g y.
Do yo u and y o u r w ife M ikas e ve r c o lla b o ra te on a piece?
W e have in the past, w e especially ha ve more fun w hen w e collaborate on
murals together.The w ork seems to mesh better in the mural form at.
If yo u c o u ld tra v e l to any p e rio d in tim e (past o r present) w h e n and
w h e re w o u ld it be and w h y?
The ancient Sum erian civilization to witness the birth of the first
advanced civilization.
If y o u co u ld m eet one person fro m history, w h o w o u ld it be & w hy?
Nikola Tesla to witness som e of his crazy inventions before the
governm ent took and classified all his inventions.
W h a t is one im p o rta n t lesson th a t y o u r s tu d y o f o u te r space and
e x tra te rre s tria l life has ta u g h t you?
We live in a big petri dish.
One w o rd th a t su m s up M a rio M artin e z...an d yo u c a n 't use MARS?
Sexy beast... that's tw o words, oh well.
M A R S -1
P O P Q U IZ
Back to th e F utu re - rig h t on o r w a y off?
W ay off.
Best Science F iction m ovie?
it's g o tta be W est W o rld o r 2001 Space Odyssey.
F avorite to y? Tron Cycle.
F avorite sup e rh e ro? W o lve rin e
Favorite v illa in ? S ke le to r
Favorite place to escape to? M y s tu d io
A re y o u at a ll in s p ire d by Japanese to ys?
Oh, yeah.
W h a t to y s do y o u collect?
Robotics, M ic ro n a u ts , G1 T ra n sfo rm e rs, M asch in e n K rieger, a lo t
o f d iffe re n t v in y l fig u re s , R obotech, and so m e o f th e D ragon b ra n d
tw e lv e inch fig u re s .
W h a t a rtis ts o r d e sig n e rs are ch a n g in g th e to y scene?
I like w h a t Dehara Y u k in o ri fro m Ja p a n is d o in g a lot. Fie p u ts a real
hand m ade and p e rso n a l to u ch to h is to ys.
Opposite page: Wandering Pineapples Idetail)
Right: Isotopic Simulation (detail)
Below: 2 Observer toys (large), Invisible Plan toys (small)
*
You may already feel like you know Yoshltaka Amano, the veteran Japan­
ese artist who crafted the character designs and concept lustrations for
Gatohaman, Vampire Hunter D and f ie Final Fantasy video game series.
But the- truth is, after 35 years of illustrating and painting for anime, games
and US comics , and showing his work in major galleries from New York to
Paris, AmanO" is still uncovering new mysteries in his own brilliant career,
51
FROM AM AN O 'S LATEST
MASTERPIECE, HERO
THE ART OF
YOSHITAKA AMANO
★ W hen S uper7 s its d o w n w ith th e 53-year-old a rtis t w e ask h im a b o u t
s o m e th in g th a t he m ig h t k n o w b e tte r th a n a n yo n e else on Earth— th e
la sting appeal o f su p e r heroes. "S u p e r heroes re p re se n t o u r dream s,"
he says. "T h e y have th e a b ility to realize th e ir p o te n tia l in w a y s th a t w e
n e ve r w ill."
T h o u g h his c o m m e n t seem s s im p le e n o u g h , it's also fa irly iro n ic . A fte r
all, if any a rtis t ap p ea rs c a p a ble o f a ch ie vin g th e p in n a cle o f his o w n
p o te n tia l, it's A m a n o . S ta rtin g w o rk a tT a ts u n o k o s tu d io s at th e te n d e r
age o f 15, A m a n o created co u n tle ss ch a ra cte rs— so m e o f th e m fo r the
m ost p o p u la r a n im a tio n in th e w o rld to d ay. "I s till re m e m b e r th e day
b efore I le ft to T okyo [w h e re T atsu n o ko is lo ca te d ]. T he m e m o ry has a l­
m o s t becom e m y root," he recalls. "I d id n 't feel m uch w o rry o r a n xie ty,
b u t fille d w ith h ope and p o s sib ilitie s."
A m o n g th e m a n y s h o w s th a t A m a n o to ile d o ve r a tT a ts u n o k o w e re
Casshern, Tekkaman, Tim e Bokan and, o f co u rse , Gatcham an. W h ile
all o f th o se s h o w s are ico n ic in th e ir o w n rig h t, G atcham an in p a rtic u ­
lar co n tin u e s to resonate w ith fa n s across th e g lo b e .T h e tim e le s s teen
su p e r hero a n im e is o ne o f th e s h o w s (alon g w ith Robotech and A kira)
th a t helped kick-start th e c u rre n t Ja panese a n im a tio n and p o p cu ltu re
b o o m in th e US.
GATCHAMAN CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION
A m e ric a n kids fe ll in lo ve w ith G atcham an w h e n it w a s re p u rp o se d and
d u b b e d in to E n g lish in th e '8 0s u n d e r th e nam es B attle o f the Planets
and G-Force. "B ack th e n , w e w e re all so y o u n g a tT a tsu n o ko. W e p o u re d
o u r p a ssion and h ope in to G a tc/ra m a n .T h o u g h th e fo rm a t w a s Science
F ictio n , it's a g ro u p p o rtra it o f o u r y o u th , and I th in k th a t is w h y it can
s till appeal to y o u n g e r g e n e ra tio n s," A m a n o says. (See sidebar.)
A fte rT a tsu n o ko , A m a n o fre e la n ce d a nd created th e o rig in a l illu s tra tio n s
fo r o ne o f th e m o s t b e lo ve d Japanese h o rro r n o ve ls and a n im e o f all
tim e , Vampire H u nter D. He also w o rk e d on M a m o ru O sh ii's e x p e rim e n ­
tal film , Angel's Egg, th e Final Fantasy g a m e s and created th o u s a n d s o f
im a ge s fo r v a rio u s m e d ia d u rin g th is tim e .
YOSHITAKA AMANO
We poured our passion and 6
hope into Gatchaman. .and I. thir
that is why it can still appeal
younger generations.★
By th e late 90s, h o w e ve r, A m a n o w a s rea d y fo r a change o f pace, so he
m o ve d to N e w Y o rk w h e re he began e x h ib itin g his w o rk s in a rt g a lle ries.
"N Y C w a s v e ry e x c itin g and s tim u la tin g . I m e t a lo t o f ta le n te d p e o ple
th e re . I e n jo ye d th e rh y th m and pace o f th e city," he says. It w a s also
a ro u n d th is tim e th a t th e m a ste r a rtis t d a b b le d in US co m ics. His c o lla b ­
o ra tio n w ith th e c re a to r o f Sandm an, N eil G a im a n , on Sandm an: Dream
Hunters w a s a m a jo r critic a l and c o m m e rc ia l success. A s to ry fo r M arve l
C o m ics title d Elektra a n d Wolverine: The Redeem er soon fo llo w e d th a t
w as e q u a lly w e ll rece ive d . (As a y o u th , A m a n o w a s h e a v ily in flu e n c e d by
US co m ics.) O b vio u sly, at th is p o in t in his career, A m a n o had tra n sce n d e d
c u ltu ra l b o u n d a rie s a nd achieved a rt s u p e rs ta r sta tu s on a g lo b a l scale.
In te re s tin g ly , even w h e n he's s h o w in g in w o rld re n o w n e d g a lle r­
ies, A m a n o s o m e tim e s re tu rn s to h is ro o ts in ch a ra cte r cu ltu re . In
an e x h ib itio n in 2002, fo r e xa m p le , w h ile e x p e rim e n tin g w ith tra ­
d itio n a l Japanese S u m i-e style p a in tin g on h uge a lu m in u m p a n ­
els, he chose ch a ra cte rs fro m G atcham an as his su b je ct m atter.
W h e n asked w h y he re v is ite d th o se ic o n ic heroes, he re p lie s "I have a
s tro n g a tta ch m e n t to G atcham an, so I b ro u g h t it back as a re p re se n ta ­
tio n o f m y past w o rks. A c tu a lly , it is n o t e xa ctly th e sam e as o rig in a l
G atcham an characters. T he re are s lig h t changes in de tails." Indeed, it
w o u ld a p p e a r th a t A m a n o has d o n e it all. But, in his m o s t rece n t w o rk ,
th e g ra p h ic n o ve l Hero, he's fa cin g a ll-n e w ch a lle n g e s as a creator.
GATCHAMAN UNCUT
A s d ie -h a rd fa n s kn o w ,
th e cla ssic 80s ca rto o n
G-Force w a s a c tu a lly
d e riv e d fro m th e 1972
a n im e , G atcham an. The
ta le o f fiv e n in ja te e ns
w h o b a ttle an in te rg a la ctic m en a ce u sin g h y ­
p e rte c h n o lo g y , G atcha­
m an is o ne o f th e m o s t
in flu e n tia l a n im e o f all
tim e . N o w , th e o rig in a l
se rie s is a va ila b le on
DVD c o u rte s y o f ADV
F ilm s. Each DVD packs
s ix fu ll e p iso d e s plu s
e x tra s fo r ju s t $14.98,
a nd th a t's a d e ce n t deal
h o w e v e r yo u c u t it.
53
Super7: H o w does Hero d iffe r fro m y o u r p a st w o rks?
A m a n o : Hero is th e fir s t w o rk th a t I have in itia te d fro m th e g ro u n d
flo o r.T h e w h o le c o n c e p t is m y o w n , m y o rig in a l. It's m o re p e rs o n a l fo r
m e. I have th e to ta l fre e d o m to shape th e m ain ch a ra cte r a nd I w a n te d
to crea te h im w ith m o re d im e n s io n a lity and a real so u l.
ANEW
KIND OF HERO
★ In Hero, released th is S e p te m b e r by Speakeasy co m ics, A m a n o fin d s
h im s e lf in uncharted te rrito ry . For th e fir s t tim e in his career, he's cra ft­
ing a g ra p h ic novel fro m scratch, b re a th in g life in to e ve ry aspect o f the
w o rk —fro m th e basic p lo t s tru ctu re to th e m ost su b tle o f brush strokes.
A t its co re , Hero is th e s to ry o f a s u p e rn a tu ra l b e in g in search o f his
tru e id e n tity and th e w o m a n w h o has b e tra y e d h im .T h o u g h a fin is h e d
c o p y o f th e fir s t v o lu m e o f th e b o o k w a s u n a v a ila b le a t p re ss tim e and
d e ta ils a b o u t th e p ro je c t have been scarce, S u p e r7 g o t to p ic k A m a n o 's
b ra in a b o u t his la te st m a s te rp ie c e a nd w h a t it m e a n s to h im .
RED LADY
W h a t w e re s o m e o f y o u r m a jo r in flu e n c e s on th e w o rk?
W e ll, th e s to ry a c tu a lly b e g in s in NYC... I w a s v e ry in flu e n c e d b y th e
c ity its e lf, its a tm o s p h e re , p e o p le I m e t in th e city, e v e ry th in g . I w as
also in flu e n c e d by v a rio u s a n c ie n t m y th s fro m all o v e r th e w o rld .
You re ve a le d e a rly illu s tra tio n s fro m Hero back in 1999 d u rin g a solo
e x h ib itio n in NYC. D id yo u have th e s to ry p la n n e d back th e n as w e ll?
I had a fra m e w o rk done by th e n, m ore o r less, b u t th e details came later.
So, d o e s th a t m ea n y o u a lre a d y k n o w th e fa te o f th e m ain character?
I have th e s to ry lin e m o re o r less d o n e in m y m in d , b u t it's n o t c o m ­
p le te ly co n cre te . H ero m a y s ta rt a ctin g on his o w n and I m ay let h im
go w h e re v e r he g u id e s us.
H o w are y o u h a n d lin g c o m p le te c re a tiv e c o n tro l?
it's a tre m e n d o u s a m o u n t o f fu n . A lth o u g h , sin ce n o b o d y 's te llin g me
y o u c a n 't do th is o r th a t, I do s o m e tim e s fe e l like I'm v e e rin g o fftra c k .
I o fte n have to ste p back to reg a in p e rs p e c tiv e .
Has y o u r co re c o n c e p t o f h e ro e s ch a n ge d at all o v e r th e years?
A c tu a lly , it h a s n 't ch a n ge d sin ce I w a s a b o u t 2 0 -ye a rs o ld . Heroes m ay
ta ke th e fo rm o f d iffe re n t c h a ra cte rs b u t th e y a ll re p re s e n t s o m e in h e r­
e n t g o o d in m a n k in d .
F in a lly, do yo u have a n y p la n s to a n im a te Hero, o r a d a p t it as a liv e a c tio n film ?
In m y m in d . I'm w o rk in g as if it's a liv e -a c tio n film . So, yes, I'd like to
m ake it in to film , e ith e r a n im a tio n o r liv e -a c tio n . H o w e ve r, rig h t now ,
I'm re a lly ju s t e n jo y in g p u ttin g th e im a g e s on paper. I have a v e ry
s tro n g a tta c h m e n t to H ero as a character. I h o p e th a t y o u and y o u r
re a d e rs e n jo y th is w o rk to o !
PRODUCTION PAINTING FOR TEKKAMAN
CONCEPT ILLUSTRATION FROM CASSHERN
55
M ix S o u th e rn C a lifo rn ia p u n k w ith S a tu rd a y
m o rn in g c a rto o n s fr o m th e '7 0s a n d y o u 're
le ft w ith th e ko o k y , c o s tu m e -c la d A q u a b a ts .
T he b a n d 's n e w CD on N itro R e co rd s is
title d C h a rg e !! a n d it's packed w ith ca tch y
s o n g s p e p p e re d w ith O in g o B o in g o - and
D e v o -lik e b its . S o n g s a b o u n d a b o u t s in is te r
ro b o ts , b iz a rre h e ro e s, a n d th e o u tla n d is h
a d v e n tu re rs
of
th e
band
th e m s e lv e s .
P a ra d in g as m a s k e d h e ro e s w h o b a ttle a lie n s
a nd th e m u n d a n e tra p p in g s o f m o d e rn life ,
th e A q u a b a ts liv e o u t th e ir g e e k y fa n ta s ie s
o n e p u n k n u m b e r a t a tim e .
T he fe a rle s s le a d e r a n d f r o n t m a n o f th e
A q u a b a ts , M C Bat C o m m a n d e r a d m its th a t
his m in d w a s w a rp e d d u rin g c h ild h o o d by
56
J a p a n e s e liv e -a c tio n s h o w s a n d c a rto o n s .
" G ia n t R o b o t fr o m th e '6 0 s tw e a k e d m e
fo r life ," he p ro u d ly p ro c la im s . " I a lso lik e d
B a ttle o f th e P la n e ts, K ika id a , A ku m a ize r-3 ,
a n d all o f th e G o N a g a i ca rto o n s ."
N a tu ra lly , M C B at C o m m a n d e r a ls o c o lle c ts
Ja p a n e se to y s .
"I
h a ve s o m e J u m b o
M a c h in d e rs a nd a little d ie -c a s t b u t m o s tly
I c o lle c t v in y ls ," he says. " I'm in to th e
sta n d a rd -s iz e re m o v a b le m a sk v in y l h e ro e s
and th e ir v illa in o u s c o u n te rp a rts ... B a n d a i's
o ld K a m e n R id e r v in y ls . U ltra m a n , B a ro m
O ne, T ig e r M ask... I a lso h a ve a b u n ch o f
G ia n t R o b o t s tu ff a n d G o d z illa v in y ls . I have
a fe w z in g e rs b u t n o t to o m u ch s u p e r rare
s tu ff. I re a lly lik e th e M a s u d a y a ta lk e rs t o o ! "
T h e A q u a b a ts have a lso w r itte n s o n g s a b o u t
Ja p a n e se s u p e rh e ro to y s . "T h e s o n g 'G ia n t
R o b o t B ird h e a d ' on th e CD T he A q u a b a ts
v e rs u s T h e F lo a tin g Eye o f D ea th ! is a b o u t
J u m b o M a c h in d e rs ," re p lie s th e C o m m a n d e r.
'"G re e n G h o s t' is a b o u t th e s u p e r h a rd
to fin d v illa in J u m b o G u re n G osu. On o u r
n e w re c o rd , 'T ig e r R id e r v e rs u s T he T im e
S p r in k le r' w a s in s p ire d by T ig e r M ask and
T ig e r 7. I th in k th e n a tu re o f o u r b a n d b e in g
a t ig h t k n it u n it o f ru b b e r h e lm e t w e a rin g
a c tio n h e ro e s w h o fig h t ru b b e r m o n s te r
a lie n s to p ro te c t rock a nd ro ll has s o m e th in g
to do w ith th e im m e n s e Ja p a n e s e in flu e n c e
on o u r b a n d ...o r it c o u ld be th e o th e r w a y
a ro u n d ," he says.
—Chad Hensley
H o w e ve r, so m e o f P o lysics' im a g e ry m ig h t
n o t c o m e fro m D evo at all. Lead s in g e r/g u ita r
p la ye r H ayashi co nfesses a fo n d n e s s fo r the
Ja p a ne se s u p e rh e ro , U ltra m a n , and w h e n
yo u see th e P olysics on stage th e y m a y lo o k
a lo t m o re like space-age c a rto o n s th a n rock
stars. O f co u rse , H ayashi is q u ick to p o in t o u t
th a t "T h e m e m b e rs o f D evo are th e P o lysics'
tru e heroes."
T O W AVE OR
N O T T O W AVE
Polysics is a q u a rte t o fT o k y o b o ys and g irls
m a d ly in s p ire d by Devo, th o u g h th e ir so u n d
is fa r m ore ca u s tic .T h e y 'v e m ade a n a m e fo r
th e m se lve s in th e u n d e rg ro u n d by c ra ftin g
ca co p ho n o u s p unk rock th a t's p u n ctu a te d
b y keyboards, sa m p le s, and a m o re g u ttu ra l
scream s th a n M ark M o th e rs b a u g h ever
w o u ld have im a g in e d . Devo's in flu e n ce on
th e band's im a ge and s o u n d is o b v io u s —
fro m th e m o n o c h ro m e ju m p s u its th e y
w e a r on stag e to th e q u irk y -b u t-in n o v a tiv e
c o m p o s itio n s th e y create.
E ith e r w ay, th e band's liv e s h o w s are m o re
e x p lo s iv e th a n a c ity -le v e lin g m elee b e tw e e n
U ltra m a n and B altan. H ayashi sp e n d s as
m uch tim e w rith in g a ro u n d on th e flo o r w ith
h is g u ita r as he does s ta n d in g u p rig h t and
scre a m in g in to th e m ic ro p h o n e . His band
m e m b e rs — each a ta le n te d m u sicia n in th e ir
o w n rig h t— back h im up d e ftly b y cre a tin g a
crisp w a ll o f m e lo d ie s and n o ise .T h e re s u lt is
N eo-N o-W ave, th e band's o w n nam e fo r th e
g e n re o f m u sic th e y h o p e to b u rn in to th e
c o lle c tiv e he a rt o f th e m asses.
The g ro u p 's la te st CD title d P olysics o r
D ie !!!! w a s released e a rlie r th is y e a r b y Tofu
R ecords. C o m p rise d m o s tly o f p re v io u s ly
released m a te ria l, th e c o lle c tio n is a p e rfe ct
in tro d u c tio n to th e band's le n g th y ca ta lo g.T o
s u p p o rt th e a lb u m , th e y 're a b o u t to e m b a rk
on th e ir fo u rth US to u r in S e p te m b e r.
T h o u g h a ctual to u r dates a re T B A , u p -to -th e m in u te in fo rm a tio n w ill be p o sted at w w w .
to fu re c o rd s .c o m as it b e co m e s a va ila b le . If
th e P olysics pass th ro u g h y o u r city, be sure
to check th e m o u t; w h e th e r y o u 're a rock
sn o b o r a to y geek w ith a p e n ch a n t fo r p u n k
rock, y o u 'll be g la d to w itn e s s th e m adness.
—Lance Scott Walker
J A P A N ’S A N T I-H E R O E S
O F H E A V IN E S S
B oris is a th re e -p ie ce rock g ro u p fro m Japan
w ith an u ltra heavy so u n d th a t churns m etal,
p sych e de lia, and p u n k in to a p u lv e riz in g sonic
p u rity .T h e ir so n g s run th e g a m u t o f extre m e s,
ra n g in g fro m w h ip la s h fa st to s lu d g y slow ness.
On th e ir la te st A m e ric a n release title d A ku m a
No Uta (S o u th e rn Lord), p o w e rfu l b u rs ts o f
g u ita r noise fu e l th e band's e x p e rim e n ta l
attack. " M y fa v o rite track is 'Ibitsu'," e xp la in s
d ru m m e r A ts u o . "T h e m usical e n v iro n m e n t
th a t I g re w up in is ca p tu re d and condensed
in it," he adds.
M u sica l in flu e n ce s aside, bassist Takeshi's
lo ve o f g ia n t m o n s te rs o ffe rs an in s ig h t into
B o ris ' a b ra sive b ra n d o f rock and roll. "Z e tto n
and J a m ira [fro m U ltra m a n ] are m y fa vo rite s,"
he e xp la in s. " B u t I re a lly p re fe r ka ijin rather
th a n ka iju . I've lo ve d th o se kinds o f a n ti-h e ro ic
ch a ra cte rs sin ce I w a s y o u n g ...O b s c u re th in g s
e xcite d m e. I w a s n o t at all a lo v e ly kid."
B o ris' ta ste fo r o b s c u rity sh ines th ro u g h in
th e ir m u sic, b u t d o n 't be m is le d — th e y 're
m o re th a n a n o th e r e x p e rim e n ta l noise band
fro m Japan. In th e ir so lid m ix o f a g g re ssive
vo ca ls, riffe d -o u t g u ita rs and u n c o m p ro m is in g
a p p ro a ch , th e y 'v e d e ve lo p e d a so u n d th a t's
u n m is ta k a b ly th e ir o w n .
■Chad H e n sle y
57
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
C law m ark Toys
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Phone: (850) 916-4517
—
E-mail: clawmarktoys2000@yahoo.com
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V IS A &
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ACCEPTED
T H E A R T O F F E R IC
B o rn in T aiw an , E ric Feng (Feric) m o v e d to th e U.S. and
a tte n d e d th e S ch o o l o f V is u a l A rts in N e w York. He has
had in te rn a tio n a l success w ith e x h ib itio n s in C anada,
H o lla n d and th e U n ite d S ta te s. " D ra w in g is n o t ju s t a
to o l to e xp re ss m y e m o tio n s ; it has b e c o m e an a d d ic ­
tio n . It p u sh e s th e d o o r to c re a tiv ity . T he m o re I d ra w ,
th e m o re a d d ic te d I b e co m e , y e t th e m o re h o llo w I feel."
In 2004, Last G asp p u b lis h e d a b e a u tifu l p rin te d b o o k o f
F eric's w o rk e n title d fevolution. Check it o u t.
I
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Sara is fre s h o u t o f a rt s c h o o l and c u rre n tly rests h e r b o n e s in
B ro o k ly n , N e w Y o rk . T h ro u g h o il w a sh a nd c o lla g e , s c u lp tu re and
to y d e s ig n , Sara w o rk s to c re a te a d is tin c tiv e la n g u a g e in w h ic h to
c o m m u n ic a te in. T h e re s u lt is a s in is te r, b u t c u d d ly -c u te u n iv e rs e
w h e re e v e ry th in g is a t fa u lt, b u t ju s t b e g g in g to be h u g g e d .
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1
(to Koenji)
In response to the m u ltitu d e o f requests th a t w e g e t fo r
advice on w h e re to lo o k fo r to ys in Japan, w e here a t
S u p e r7 have d e cid e d to m ake a h a n d y fie ld g u id e to
so m e o f the b e st to y sh o p s in Japan. In each c o m in g
issue, w e w ill p ro v id e a m a p to a m a jo r to y d e stin a tio n
in Japan, a n d g iv e yo u the in sid e sco o p on w h e re to
h ead to fin d the c o o le st to ys a n d the co o le s t shops.
II
o
rr
c
o
juku)
NAKANO
N akano is b o th th e s im p le s t, a nd th e m o s t c o m p li­
cated to y s h o p p in g m ap to m ake. If y o u are in to to ys,
y o u need to go to N a k a n o .T h is is th e s in g le b e st sp o t
fo r to y s h o p p in g in T o kyo .
M a n d a ra ke (2*). (As so o n as y o u pass th e sta irs,
th e re w ill be an e sca la to r to th e th ird flo o r. You can
ta ke th is as w e ll, b u t I re c o m m e n d s ta rtin g w ith
flo o r2 w h ich yo u need to take th e s ta irs for.)
Take e ith e r th e C huo local (y e llo w ) o r C huo e xp re ss
(orange) to N a kano fro m S h in ju ku s ta tio n , and e x it
th e s ta tio n th e d ire c tio n th e tra in w a s h e a d in g . It is
a v e ry sm a ll e x it gate o f fiv e ticke t m ach in e s, n o t th e
la rg e r e x its w ith m o re tic k e t m ach in e s on th e o th e r
side. As so o n as y o u e x it y o u s h o u ld see a g ia n t b o w l­
in g p in in th e d ista n ce. If yo u do n o t see th e g ia n t
b o w lin g p in , s im p ly w a lk a ro u n d th e s ta tio n e x te rio r
u n til yo u see th e pin.
M an d a ra ke has 7-8 sm a ll s p e c ia lty sh o p s scattered
all o ve r flo o rs 2, 3 & 4 o f th is b u ild in g . A ll a lo n g
all o f th e se flo o rs are also c o n s ig n m e n t a nd case
sh o p s g a lo re , in c lu d in g R ough. On flo o r 3 th e re is
a lso a g re a t sh o p ca lle d R o b o t Robot. W a n d e r all
over. If th e re is a n y th in g yo u are lo o k in g fo r, n e w
o r o ld , chances are yo u can fin d it here.
A cro ss a sm a ll c o u rty a rd o f m in i-b u se s, y o u w ill see
an e n tra n ce to an o p e n a ir m a ll w ith a la rg e arch. W alk
th ro u g h th e m a ll. It is q u ite lo n g , y o u m a y even th in k
y o u have g o n e to o far, b u t yo u h a ve n 't. Pass all th e
shoe sto re s and M cD o n a ld 's re stu a ra n ts. A lo n g th e
w a y yo u w ill also pass q u ite a fe w sid e a lle ys. N ow ,
on y o u r fir s t v is it yo u w ill p ro b a b ly n o t n o tice th is,
b u t, a s h o rt b it a fte r th e M cD o na ld 's, yo u w ill e n te r
a n o th e r b u ild in g ca lle d N a kano B ro a d w a y. R ig h t a f­
te r yo u enter, y o u w ill see a la rge sta irca se o ff to th e
rig h t. Take th is sta irca se to th e se co n d flo o r and yo u
w ill be a lm o s t face to face w ith th e v in ta g e to y sto re
T h e re is o n e o th e r sh o p , M o ja -Q , w h ic h is ju s t
o u ts id e th e b u ild in g . A s y o u are a b o u t to e x it, it
is e a sie r to see th e d iffe re n c e b e tw e e n th e b u ild ­
in g s. Take a r ig h t as yo u are e x itin g (o r a le ft as
yo u are e n te rin g ) a n d w a lk a b o u t 30 fe e t. O n y o u r
r ig h t h a n d sid e s h o u ld be a s m a ll s ta irca se h e a d ­
in g up to th e se co n d flo o r, w ith c o lo r c o p ie s o f
to y s p a ste d o n to th e w a lls .T h is is M o ja -Q (1), and
is p ro b a b ly m y fa v o rite s h o p in T o k y o to a c tu a lly
fin d v in ta g e to y s a t an a ffo rd a b le p i ic e .T h e o w n e r
speaks a lm o s t n o E n g lis h , b u t y o u can sa y S u p e r?
says h e llo a n y w a y !
G oo d luck and happy hunting!
T H I S IS S U E /
> T IM BISKUP SIG NING AT SUPER7 STORE
> 2005 SAN DIEGO CO M IC-CO N
> 2005 CHICAGO G-FEST
> U LTR AM AN :TH E N EXT MOVIE PREVIEW
(1)T im B isku p n e ve r d is c rim in a te s , h a n g in g
a ro u n d w ith c o o l a rt c o lle c to rs as w e ll as
S u p e r7 sales n e rd s d u rin g th e o p e n in g o f
his G am a-G o a rt s h o w a t th e S u p e r7 sto re .
(2) G a m a -G o ne ! A packed h o u se ca m e o u t
fo r th e G am a-G o a rt s h o w . (3) Dora D rim a las a nd M a rk N agata ta ke a m o m e n t to pay
h o m a g e to th e m a s te r o f a n im a tio n , Ray
H a rryh a u se n at th e San D ie g o C o m ic-C o n .
(4) G a ry B asem an c lo s e ly in s p e c ts e ve ry
s in g le N e o -K a iju p rin t se t fo r accuracy.
Really, he does. (5) T odd S c h o rr and K athy
S ta ic o -S c h o rr a n s w e re d q u e s tio n s at th e
N e o -K a iju P rin t set s ig n in g , w h ile (6) T im
B isku p and S eo n n a H o n g (flo p )d o o d le d on
e v e ry th in g in s ig h t. (7) Ja so n Bacon and
Derek W elch o f U N K L pose w ith a ca r fu ll o f
n e w p ro d u c t, th in k in g "S a n D ie g o is a lo n g
w a y a w a y fro m P ortland." (8) H ikaru fro m
B o u n ty H u n te r se e m s less th a n pleased
w ith o u r lack o f BxH co ve ra g e , lo o k fo r a fu ll
w rite -u p in issue 11. (9) T h e m o re th e m e r­
rie r in San D iego, so s to p on by. (10) J u s tin
and D evon e n jo y a m o m e n t o f San D iego
m a d n e ss b e fo re c o n te m p la tin g th e d riv e
h o m e . (11) B arbecue e x p e rts be w a rn e d ,
G e o ff A lle n d is p la y s th e b e st and w o r s t o f
his tra its w ith o u t e v e r even n o tic in g th e d if­
fe re n ce b e tw e e n th e tw o . (12) Toy B a ro n ­
ess N ich o le c h ills w ith an iced o u t, p la tin u m
g rille d Fett. W o rd on th e s tre e t is, a lth o u g h
he rocked a m ean b o o m b o x , his m o o n w a lk
and b a ckspins w e re n o t up to sn u ff. (13)
Bw ana S p o o n s reve ls in his p ro to ty p e S te ­
ven fig u re s , w h ile (14) M a x N agata is h a p ­
py to g e t s o m e new , e x c lu s iv e U ltra m a n
th re a d s . (15) Props to th e p ro p U ltra m a n
sta tu e a t th e Los A n g e le s o p e n in g o f U ltra ­
m an: The N ext. (16)Y oshikazu Is h ii, fir s t as­
s is ta n t spe cia l e ffe cts d ire c to r o f G odzilla:
Final Wars (2004) at G-Fest w ith th e S uper7
e x c lu s iv e tra n s p a re n t g re e n CCP H edo ra h .
(17) Bwana s h o w s o ff his in n e r w iz a rd in San
D ie g o .T h e hat acts as a +5 style re p e lla n t.
NOTES ON ISSUE 9
We have had lots o f responses to Steve A gin's diecast h isto ry article. U nfo rtun ately his article was
much long er than we co u ld run in last issue, b u t
i f you w o u ld like to read the article in it's entirety,
please em ail Steve at: agin@ nac.net fo r a copy o f
the w hole article. It w ill be w orth you r while.
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SKUMBO BY TBISTAN
SEPTEMBER 15
www.kidrobot.com
N E W YORK CITY 126 P rin ce S treet, S o H o
SAN FRANCISCO 1512 H a ig h t S tre e t @ A s h b u ry
LOS ANGELES 3rd S tre e t P rom enade, S anta M on ic;