Soul of Chogokin Gx-108 Rhein X1 & Gx-11R Dianan A
Gx-108 Rhein (Rhine) X1
Appearing in episode 61 of the original Mazinger Z Anime, the Rhein (Rhine) X1 was the creation of one of Dr. Hell’s collaborators, Schtroheim Heinrich. Schtroheim’s daughter, Lorelai is later revealed to be an android, which functions as the core system of the Rhine (Rhein) X1. She battles Mazinger Z to the death to fulfill her father’s wishes to see who is stronger.
Like the other female figures from the Mazinger Z series, this figure is a retool of the Aphrodai A base body.
Be mindful of these sharp points on the figure.
Rhein’s helmet tends to get in the way of posing her head, so it severely limits her pose options.
Initially, the human face on Rhein X1’s chest is colored blue. After Lorelai integrates with the Rhine X1, the machine’s full potential is unleashed and the face changes to a flesh tone with brown hair.
The Rhein X1’s only attack when not combined with Lorelai is the whip-like tentacle on the back of its head.
A simple parts swap is all it takes to change the chest face.
Rhine X1’s completed form.
With Lorelai in control, additional attacks become available to the Rhine X1, such as belly missiles, as well as fan blades that pop out from its chest to repel Mazinger Z’s Rust Hurricane right back at him. The Rhine X1’s armor is also able to render Mazinger’s ranged beam attacks useless.
After a tough battle, Mazinger Z manages to shoot Drill Missiles into Lorelai’s chest face, giving Mazinger the opening to fire an Iron Cutter that badly damages Rhine X1’s back. Conceding defeat, the machine uses its own tentacle on itself and self-destructs.
There’s a whole sidestory in the episode, too, involving Koji’s kid brother, Shiro, befriending Lorelai before things went south, but I don’t think we care about that. It’s all about the giant killer robots!
Gx-11R Diana (Dianan) A
Scarlet Mobile
Sayaka’s cool, new wheels. Previously, Sayaka had to run back to the base on foot and jump into the Aphrodite’s c0ckpit to control her machine. This new unit allows for her to quickly dock onto the Dianan A during emergencies, similar to how Koji docks with Mazinger Z via the Hover Pileder.
Since her bike can’t fly, to access the Dianan A, Sayaka has to ride a projected beam bridge from Dianan’s head called the “Aurora Ray” to dock onto the head of her robot.
For docking, you can opt to be lazy and plug the Scarlet Mobile in directly into the receptacle…
…. Or you can make it more show-accurate and remove the back piece of the receptacle and then plug in the bike. Either option works.
After the Sayaka’s original machine, the Aphrodite A, is destroyed following the events of episode 74 by the Harpia π7, a new machine is built for Sayaka to pilot starting episode 76 to continue helping Koji in battle. The Dianan A features improved Super Alloy Z armor plating, as well as a newly-added attack that greatly improves Sayaka Yumi’s effectiveness on the battlefield, the Scarlet Beam.
The figure is a straight up redeco reissue of the original Gx-11 Diana A. Her colors here are based on the Mazinger Z Vs. General of Darkness movie animation models instead of her original TV appearance colors.
Lol… I never realized it until now.. but Diana A has a 5 o’clock shadow. I can’t unsee it now.
Similar to Aphrodite A, Dianan A can launch explosive Breast Missiles at her opponents. The toy reflects this by having spring-loaded firing gimmicks in her.. er.. chest.
The set also provides optional plates to cover up the chest launchers when they “run out of ammo”.
In the cartoons, the animation models for her breast missiles sometimes vary. But this look is accurate for her later appearances at the end of Great Mazinger when she appears alongside Venus A. This particular missile design also matches her animation model in the “Grendizer, Getter Robot, Great Mazinger: Kessen! Daikaiju” 1976 movie (the missiles anyway, not the body deco).
Dianan A also comes with a new attack called the Scarlet Beam from her forehead (projected from the Scarlet Mobile’s headlight). The Scarlet Beam can sometimes also be fired from her eyes.
I didn’t have the time to dig out the old Diana A for a comparison (it’s stored alllll the way in the back of the storage room). So I guess I’ll have to revisit this figure one day for a proper comparison. For now, I’ll just leave this really old image of Diana A I took from back in the day.
I was really surprised Bandai decided to bundle these two together. I was half-expecting them to bundle Gx-12R Venus A with the Diana A or something. Ah well, at least we get a new character added to the Mazinger Z villains roster.
Display bases
The Good
-Rhine X1 stands roughly 6.75 inches and weighs 160 Grams.
-Diecast parts include:
–Torso
–Arms
–Legs
–Main joints
-Gx-11R DianaN A stands roughly 6.25 inches and weighs 151 Grams.
-Diecast parts include:
–Torso
–Arms
–Legs
–Main joints
-Rhein X1 comes with an alternate chest face.
-Rhein X1’s helmet whip is multi-segmented, so you can pose it in a variety of ways.
The Bad
-Nothing new for Diana A in terms of accessories.
-Rhien X1 doesn’t come with her chest fan attack accessory.
-No styrofoam trays.
-Yeah… still no screw hole covers. That’s one sorry sight to see from the back.
-Rhein X1’s head has very limited articulation due to her helmet design.
The Ugly
The box for some reason seems to be improperly glued on the copies I got for myself and my friend. As a result, the box splits open a bit. Weird QC issue to have.
Overall, it’s a mixed bag. I appreciate the colors they used for Dianan A here to match her Mazinger Z Vs. General of Darkness movie deco but I think fans would’ve preferred the classic TV deco as a reissue for this figure.
The Rhein X1 is what this set’s really all about and thankfully, at least that figure came out pretty decent. I think Bandai should’ve just released the Rhine X1 solo instead of forcing folks to get a not-so-in-demand second figure in a two-pack, but that’s just me.
Funfact: The Dianan A actually never appeared it the old Mazinger Z manga. In the Manga, after Aphrodai A was destroyed, Sayaka’s next robot would be the Venus A, which looks vastly different from the Great Mazinger Anime’s Venus A and had attacks that more closely resemble Mazinger Z’s like the Koshiryoku Beam and Z Cutters. The reason for the change to Dianan A instead of Venus A in the Anime is never quite revealed.
Gold
