A little BS About Toys

Yesterday I posted the picture of the black Evangelion figure, EVA Unit 03. The chrome one from the day before is unit 04. Notice that the chrome one doesn't have the power umbilical like the other five. That's because it was powered by the S-2 engine that blew up, and took out New Mexico, Arizona, and most of Colorado, if I remember right.

I started with the photo of Unit One, the purple guy, on the first of April. The red one is Unit 02. The yellow one with the shield is Unit 00, and the blue is Unit 00', the rebuilt model of Unit 00. All the figures come from the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which is as strange a work as I have ever seen. The Wiki entry provides a decent synopsis.

"Evangelion", of course, is Gospel, and Genesis, is the first book of the Bible. But the twenty six episode story is not a Christian allegory. Rather Hideaki Anno, the creator seems to throw Biblical, and Christian symbols into the apocalyptic, enigmatic, and dreamlike storyline for the sake of enhancing the the overall weirdness that stretches from the plot, to the nature of the Bio-robotic EVA, depicted in the toys. Most Japanese robots aren't robots. They're battle machines driven by a human pilot, or team of pilots. The Evas are also controlled by a human pilot. Problem is, under the armor the Eva is a living organism- a giant humanoid creature that is cloned, and then essentially pithed, and kept alive artificially. The human pilot is entombed in a cylindrical metal capsule which is charged full of oxygen bearing fluid, and inserted into the creature's spinal cord. (see the yellow one in the picture- hatch open, entry plug exposed) There, the pilot develops a telepathic bond with the thing's brain, and takes it out to do hand to hand combat against transdimensioal "Angels" which take the form of everything from bipedal insectoid monsters, to giant crystals trying to bore into the headquarters of NERV, the clandestine ultratech military science unit that created the Eva's from genetic stock that they recovered from the giant monster that they found at the South Pole after following directions discovered in The Dead Sea Scrolls. When they found the monster, it blew up, and wiped out almost everybody. NERV passed the disaster off as a giant meteor strike, and created the Evangelions to fight off the giant monsters descendants, the Angels...

Sound ridiculously convoluted? It is. It's a deeply flawed work. Nonetheless, it's one of the most powerful stories I've ever encountered. And the Angel attacks- the monster fights are some of the most heart pounding action sequences I've seen. It is a strange, and wonderful piece. Definitely worth the twelve hours, and change it takes to watch the series. The toys are cool, too. They are from Bandai's Soul of Chogokin series, which usually focuses on re-doing the classic pieces from the seventies. Neon Genesis (1996) was popular enough that Bandai broke with tradition to produce these little gems. They are almost all metal, and incredibly well articulated, and well balanced. Actually, they're the only toys in the whole Soul of Chogokin series that are actually fun to take down from the shelf and play with.They can assume almost any pose that a person can. But the picture with the post tonight isn't from the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. It's a Rick Dom, Principality of Zeon, enemy mecha from the series Mobile Suit Gundam, which first aired in 1978. And it's not a toy. It's a model kit. Anyway- that's about all for this sweetly uneventful day.

JWM

Waiting for Astro Boy

It was early in the afternoon Saturday the sixth of August in California, but about 5:00 Sunday morning in Hong Kong. This was one of those telling moments. I was aware of the time difference between Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Because in Hong Kong was the Hot Toys, Limited Edition, One of Three Hundred issue, 2005 Hong Kong Toy Show Exclusive, All metal, Zing Alloy, Chrome plated, 5 ½" Astro-Boy figure. Three available. And Hong Kong is also the place from which I wasn't getting one. I looked at the e-mail for the tenth or eleventh time:

hi John,
thanks for your purchase.
I have checked with my workers..
very sorry that this special version of the HK comics festival has
already out and the new stock has not arrived yet.
I have immediately phoned HotToys to check on their logistic schedule
but the new stock will only arrive us again fastest by the end of this
month.
I am very very sorry for the problem.
knowing that you have paid for the Express for the figure, I am very
embarassed at the situation.
pls let me know if you wish to wait for the new stock to come or you
wish for a refund.
I am very sorry once again

How did this happen? How was it that I, an otherwise mature adult, was sitting here feeling like a kid who just learned Santa isn't coming? Astro Boy? Isn't that some kid's show from Japan? Flash back to 1964. I was twelve. Astro-Boy was on TV after school, and I never missed the show if I could help it. Truth to tell, I don't remember much about the individual episodes. What I do recall is that the show fascinated me because it was the first cartoon I had ever seen that wasn't supposed to be funny. The episodes were real stories, and sometimes they were actually quite sad. Now I have more toy robots than any one man needs. But no Astro-Boy. You see, despite fond memories of the show, I had never seen an Astro-boy figure that did much for me. They all look like - well, dolls. Until this one.

Sometimes stuff just grabs you. You know- you see something on the street, in a store or in a catalogue; it might be a motorcycle, a stereo, a first issue comic book, or a toy robot. And there is no question in the world; it is axiomatic- you are going to have that thing. Period. So it was, one week earlier, when I saw the auction on e-bay. Limited edition. One of three hundred pieces. Three available. I hit the "Buy it now" button so fast it bruised the computer. I even sprung for express shipping from Hong Kong because I not only wanted that thing, I wanted that thing NOW!

The next day I got the e-mail back from the seller. My order had been received. I was getting one of the three remaining pieces. Hooray!
It was Saturday morning when I placed the order, and Sunday when I heard back from the dealer. I figured with two to four day shipping it should have arrived Friday. Friday came and went.

It didn't get here. But the e-mail did. Remember when you were too young to have any self restraint, and threw a crying fit on the floor of some store or other because Mom or Dad said, "NO. You're not getting that."?

And it wasn't like I was getting ripped off. I'd get my Hot Toys 5 ½" all metal Astro-Boy sooner or later. It's just that I wouldn't be getting the Hot Toys, Limited Edition, One of Three Hundred issue, 2005 Hong Kong Toy Show Exclusive, All metal, Zing Alloy, Chrome plated 5 ½" Astro-Boy. (none available) I'd just have to settle for a plain old all metal painted finish Astro Boy. Just like everyone else. Or so I figured.

Nonetheless, I held my breath for two months until the ninth of October. I heard the dog in the front room yapping at something, and I came out of the den to find my wife signing for a small package wrapped in green paper and covered with Hong Kong Stamps. I opened it. and... (Channeling Sam Kinneson)
WOWWWWWWW WOWWWWW WOWWWW

But I should have bought a painted issue too. You can't get one now for love or money.

JWM

Reflections on a Talking Robot (part two) Arrival of the Arkrons

Entire collection for sale. Click for private auction info

"They had some other Japanese robots at the toy store," my girlfriend said. "But they were complicated looking things with a million parts, so I didn’t think you’d be interested."
I had my second Japanese robot within the day.

This one was like a mecha-dinosaur crossed with a Lego. It was a blast to mess with.

But the Black King (I know. He’s not black) was only one of a series, and I found out that they had most of the others at Toys International, which was not far from where I lived.

The Red King came home to fight, and then combine with the black.














Soon King Joe (right) and Gomorra joined the fray.
I have fond memories of sitting up late watching movies on TV and reassembling those little guys in all sorts of ways.
Sometime later Baltan Seijin, and King Kong completed the set.














I didn't know it at the time, but all these monsters were villains from the Japanese television show Ultraman. Here's a clip of King Joe and Gomorrah in action. (The Black Joe is an ally.)

It wasn’t long before the top of one bookcase was set aside to display the Arkron family.

And Toys International had a lot of other cool stuff as well…
Part Three

JWM

Reflections on a Talking Robot

Entire collection for sale. Click for private auction info

Sometime late in 1977 my girlfriend gave me a talking robot. It was partly a gag, and partly a not too subtle dig at my lack of maturity. I was twenty-five. I had a laid back job working swing shift, and I was more concerned with surfing and partying than career, and marriage. The box was all in Japanese. The robot was a silly looking thing like a bright red trashcan on stilts, and when you pushed a button on his chest he sang a little song, or yelled at you in Japanese. The talking mechanism was a tiny phonograph, with three different records. The thing was a crackup. You couldn’t push the button without laughing.

Robocon was the name of this ridiculous creature, and he turned out to be a Trojan horse. He would soon open my imagination, and my home to an invading army of interplanetary war machines.

"They had some other Japanese robots at the toy store," my girlfriend said. "But they were complicated looking things with a million parts, so I didn’t think you’d be interested."
I had my second Japanese robot within the day.

Part Two

JWM