Soul of Chogokin Gx-37R King Joe
Same as before, the set comes with alternate optional antennae for King Joe’s ship modes.
Display base
The base is still the same, featuring the “secret” spring trap door that reveals the alien ship controlling King Joe.
Alternate “hands” for the head unit in ship mode.
When King Joe first appeared in the show to fight Ultra Seven, it appeared as various spaceships before combining to form the giant battle robot.
Flight stands for the four spaceships.
Same as the previous release, the ships are combined in some sections using magnets. Also note, since the figure is held together with just magnets in some areas, make sure to hold the figure by the legs to prevent accidents.
King Joe
First appearing in the 14th episode of 1967’s Ultraseven, King Joe is sent by the Pedan alien race to conquer the Earth. Its armor is so impenetrable, Ultraseven could hardly do anything against it. It was only through the help of the Ultra Guard’s intervention that they were able to defeat the powerful robot.
The figure is a lighter-shade redeco of the previously released Gx-37 King Joe from way back in 2007.
The name “King Joe” is actually a pun, named after the head writer of the Ultraseven series Tetsuo KINJO.
In the series, the machine mostly relied on physical attacks, but it could also fire electrical beams from the two emitters below its visor.
Thanks to it’s dense Pedantic armor, none of Seven’s physical attacks could damage it.
When King Joe is fully combined, the spare flight stands can be all stored underneath the base.
To mount the combined King Joe onto the display base, one of the flight stands is rotated around and used as an attachment arm.
I didn’t have time to break out the original King Joe for a comparison shot, but the newer version definitely has a lighter shade of gold with highlights in the waist area compared to the original.
Original Gx-37 King Joe
The old Gx-37 King Joe gallery
The Good
-King Joe weighs 383 Grams and stands roughly 6.5 inches
-Diecast parts include
–Main torso section
–Upper legs
–Lower legs
–Feet
-Still the same bells and whistles as the original release.
The Bad
-The ankles still suffer from the same balancing issues as the original, causing the figure to tip over if not positioned properly.
-A straight up redecoed release for this figure, nothing has been significantly changed or added.
The Ugly
No quality control issues here thankfully.
Overall, a decent re-release of a figure from 16 years ago. I guess it’s a nice way to homage the Ultraseven property from 55 years back, but I do wish Bandai changed something up with this release, adding a bonus figure or something would’ve been nice compared to getting a straight up minor redeco with an increased price tag.
Definitely recommended for die-hard completists of the SOC line only. Casual collectors will most likely give this a skip.
Sidenote: I’m really curious to see if Bandai will still release any of the winners of the poll they did a while back that were supposed to get the “R” treatment. Seriously, no one bothered to vote for this guy and it gets re-released?? Lol… c’mon, Bandai.
Gold
