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Shogun Warriors was a line of toys released by Mattel Inc. in North America from 1979 to 1980. The line consisted of several imported toys based on Japanese anime mecha.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2023) |
Shogun Warriors was a line of toys released by Mattel Inc. in North America from 1979 to 1980. The line consisted of several imported toys based on Japanese anime mecha.
The line was drawn from toys originally produced by Japanese company Popy, based on several anime and tokusatsu shows featuring giant robots. They were originally manufactured in three sizes: 24-inch (610 mm) plastic versions, 3.5-inch (89 mm) die-cast metal versions, and slightly taller but much more detailed 5-inch (127 mm) die-cast versions. Many of the robot’s original names were altered, such as Getter Dragon (Dragun) and Mazinger Z (Mazinga). Several vehicles were also offered, as well as a set that could be put together to form the super robot Combattler V (here renamed Combattra). Later on in the line, Mattel introduced toys of Godzilla and Rodan.
The toys featured spring-loaded launcher weapons such as missiles, shuriken and battle axes. Some were able to launch their fists, while the later die-cast versions also had the ability to transform into different shapes. Raideen (here renamed Raydeen), for example, could become a birdlike spaceship. These "convertible" versions were in a sense the precursors to the Transformers line of toy robots.[ citation needed ] Toward the end of production, Mattel proposed the inclusion of plastic toy vehicles for the 3.5" figures to ride in exclusively in the United States, but these toys were never released for purchase.[ citation needed ]
Similar to other toy lines during the 1970s, the Shogun Warriors toys came under pressure over safety concerns regarding their spring-loaded weapons. The concern was that children might launch the weapons and hit other children or pets in the eyes. There was also a risk that small children might choke on the small plastic missiles and other parts. Toy manufacturers then faced new regulations as a result of reported injuries received while playing with these toys. Consequently, many toy companies were forced to remodel existing toy lines with child-safe variations such as spring-loaded "action" missiles that would remain attached to the toy. Missiles were also reshaped to have a flat head instead of a pointed one. Because of this, as well as declining sales, the Shogun Warrior toy line was discontinued by 1980.[ citation needed ]
In order to promote the toys, Mattel approached Marvel Comics to produce a comic tie-in for the range, having enjoyed a fruitful relationship with the company on Godzilla, King of the Monsters . [1] Only three figures would be featured in the comic - Raydeen (originally from Brave Raideen ); Dangard Ace (from Wakusei Robo Danguard Ace ) and Combatra (from Chōdenji Robo Combattler V ). Series artist Herb Trimpe would also produce some artwork used by Mattel on toy advertisements. [2]
Due to Shogun Warriors being based on characters drawn from a wide number of Japanese TV shows, there was no cartoon produced. However, several of the characters featured in the toy line featured in Jim Terry's Force Five series.[ citation needed ]
Jumbo Machinders were 24-inch (610 mm) tall vinyl figures.
5-inch (130 mm) figures.
5-inch (130 mm) figures that could be reconfigured between two modes.
3-inch (76 mm) figures.
Vehicles with action features.
Five vehicles that could be combined to form the super-robot Combattra. Sold both separately and as a boxed set.
Several Shogun Warriors appeared in the Wonder Woman episode "The Deadly Toys" at a toy shop run by Frank Gorshin's character. [3] [ better source needed ]
Mazinger and Raideen (called Mazinga and Raydeen) appeared in the MAD sketch “Regular Shogun Warriors”, a parody of the toyline and Regular Show .
In 2010, Toynami revived the Shogun Warriors name with a new toy line, consisting of 24-inch (610 mm) Jumbo Machinder toys. The first two robots in this line were GoLion and Dairugger XV, both of which were adapted in the Western world as Voltron . [4] Subsequent entries in the line would include characters not from anime mecha, such as Bender and a stormtrooper.
Dino Mech Gaiking is a Japanese Super Robot mecha anime series produced by Toei Animation. For distribution purposes, Toei refers to this television series as Dino-Mecha Gaiking or simply Gaiking.
Mazinger is a long-running series of manga and anime featuring giant robots or mecha.
Great Mazinger is a Japanese manga comic book and anime television series by manga artist Go Nagai. The story is a sequel and direct continuation of Mazinger Z series after its initial success. The series was aired on Japanese television in 1974, immediately following the end of the first Mazinger series. It ran for 56 episodes.
A die-cast toy is a toy or a collectible model produced by using the die-casting method of putting molten lead, zinc alloy or plastic in a mold to produce a particular shape. Such toys are made of metal, with plastic, rubber, glass, or other machined metal parts. Wholly plastic toys are made by a similar process of injection molding, but the two methods are distinct because of the properties of the materials.
Reideen the Brave, also known as "Brave Reideen" or "Heroic Raydeen", is a super robot anime series created by Tohokushinsha and Produced by Soeisha. It aired on Nihon Educational Television from 4 April 1975 to 26 March 1976, with a total of 50 episodes. The series is marked as the first mecha anime series to introduce and popularize the concept of Transforming Mecha, which is also tied to its marketing gimmick in the 70's.
Chogokin Sometimes spelled either Chougokin or Cho-gokin is a fictitious material which first appeared in Go Nagai's Mazinger Z manga and anime and is later adopted by Popy in 1972 as the name of a new line of die-cast metal robot and character toys sold in Japan - the first of these is "GA-01" Mazinger Z, which, in spite of questionable engineering that led Popy to offer a free replacement campaign, ignited a craze that changed the face of the Japanese toy industry in the 1970s. Bandai, the parent of Popy, continues the Chogokin line to this day, branded under their own name.
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Jumbo Machinder is the name of a series of large-scale plastic robots sold by Bandai's character toy subsidiary, Popy in the 1970s. Although a trademarked brand name, in common usage Jumbo Machinder is often applied to any large-size robot toy roto molded out of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a sturdy plastic also used for shampoo bottles. Jumbo Machinders are generally 24" in height. After Popy's success with the Jumbo Machinder series, several other Japanese companies, including Takatoku, Nakajima, and Clover began producing large-size plastic robot toys as well. Several of the Jumbo Machinders were retooled for sale in the USA and Europe in the late 1970s as Shogun Warriors.
Combattler V, full name Chōdenji Robo Combattler V, is a Japanese mecha anime television series produced by Toei Company and animated by Soeisha that aired from 1976 to 1977. It is the first part of the Robot Romance Trilogy of super robot series created by Saburo Yatsude and directed by Tadao Nagahama.
Toynami is an American toy company based in Van Nuys, California. Founded in 2000 by George Sohn, Toynami is primarily focused on anime licenses for specialty retailers and collectors in the North American market. The company's name is a portmanteau of the words "toy" and "tsunami".
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Soul of Chogokin (SOC) (超合金魂, Chōgōkin Tamashii, lit. "Soul of Super-alloy") is a popular line of adult collector's toys produced by the Japanese company Bandai.
Go Nagai's Mazinger related mechas and characters have many different toy lines, developed since Mazinger first appeared in the 1970s. Some of the most well known ones are described here.
Daitetsujin 17 is a 1977 tokusatsu series created by Shotaro Ishinomori and produced by Toei. It revolves around a giant battle robot commanded by a young boy who fights the giant robots of an evil organization bent on world conquest. It is similar to Giant Robo in premise and how it ends.
Space Ironman Kyodain is a Japanese tokusatsu science fiction superhero television series. The show, like numerous others of its type and era, were produced as a joint effort between manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori and Toei Company producer Toru Hirayama. It premiered in 1976 and ran for 48 episodes. The show is well known for its strange plot and costume design, rapid-fire and purposefully disorienting editing, and unique, sometimes surreal, atmosphere. The late Yūsuke Natsu and Takeshi Sasaki starred as Skyzel and Grounzel respectively.
The Shogun Warriors were a fictional team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The series was based on the Mattel toyline of the same name, itself licensed from Japanese toy company Popy. The storyline followed a trio of young heroes recruited by the Followers of Light to pilot the eponymous mecha against Maur-Kon and the Followers of Dark.
Popy (ポピー) was a Japanese toy manufacturer of the 1970s and early 1980s. The company was owned by Bandai. It was founded in 1971 and merged back into the parent company in 1983. The company is best known for its groundbreaking Chogokin robot figures.
Godaikin or GoDaiKin was a line of Super Robot toys released by Bandai America from 1982 to 1985, composed of figures from Popy-created series such as Chogokin and Popinika.
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