Soul of Chogokin Gx-110 Ankoku Daishogun
Story
The ancient civilization of Mycenae was originally a peaceful nation. Mastering robotics, they created machines called Talos to help protect their nation from enemy invasions. After their prince, Kelvinius, was overthrown by the Emperor of Darkness together with Ankoku Daishogun, the populace becomes enslaved and their warriors’ minds are transplanted into the Talos to serve as Warrior Beasts under the Emperor.
When a massive earthquake forces the empire to hide deep underground, they would become sealed away for centuries. Resurfacing after Mazinger Z’s final battle with Dr.Hell, the Mycenae are once again lead by the powerful Ankoku Daishogun and poised to conquer the world.
When attaching the cape for the first time, it can get VERY difficult. You will really have to force the ball joint in.
I STRONGLY recommend applying tape on the Generals’ chest to prevent scrapping. Some very light scrapping occurred on my figure’s paint finish on its chest after I installed the cape. Sigh…
To attach the general’s scabbard, you’ll have to replace this tiny piece on his skirt armor with the one that has a hole in the center. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO LOSE IT. I didn’t realize that mine had fallen out while I was taking it out of the tray until my son pointed to it on the floor. The connection for both pieces is very, very loose. Sheesh.
Ankoku Daishogun, also known as the “Great General of Darkness” or General Dark, is the military commander of the Mycenae Empire. Like his brethren, he is centuries old and still serves under the Emperor of Darkness. The general commands the seven armies of the Mycenae empire as they plot to take over the modern surface world through sheer terror and brute strength.
While incredibly powerful and merciless, the General of Darkness has a strong sense of warrior’s honor. Preferring to face his opponents head on as opposed to relying on underhanded tactics to win. Ironically, it’s Great Mazinger’s pilot,Tetsuya Tsurugi, who’s more open to cheating and using any means to win in combat.
I love the chromed gold finish they used for this figure. It makes it stand out more, compared to the Figuarts Zero version, which used only matte gold paint finish.
Thankfully, the chain around his sword is actual chain now. It was a molded plastic, looped chain for the Figuarts Zero version back in 2018, it was hard to pose that.
Cloth cape with bendy wires inside allow for dynamic poses for the figure.
The figure sports butterfly shoulder joints. Perfect for those sword-holding poses.
To get the general to hold his sword, remove the pommel from the handle first.
I love how shiny his sword is. The matte silver finish of the Figuarts Zero figure just leaves me cold.
Prepare yourself, Great Mazinger!
How the big fight went down between Ankoku Daishogun and Great Mazinger in episode 31 of the Great Mazinger TV series happened as told through .gif files (I’m too lazy to do video editing, lol).
Part 1
Part 2
I gotta say, the finishing blow was a bit anti-climactic.
Here’s the link to the old Figuarts Zero Ankoku Daishogun review gallery that came out in 2018.
I thought about breaking out the old Aoshima release of this bad boy for comparison shots. But I just didn’t have the time to dig it out from storage. Maybe another time.
“Warriors of Mycenae, attack!!”
The Good
-Weighs 466 Grams and stands roughly 8.5 inches tall.
-Diecast parts include:
–Main torso
–Lower legs.
–Main joints.
-The cape really adds a nice touch of class to the figure.
-Bendy wire running along the sides of the cape help make it very poseable.
-Ratchet joints!!! I miss these! The newer, Kakumei Shinka version Mazingers no longer use ratchet joints for some reason.
-The figure sports some ab crunch articulation as well.
The Bad
-Like the Gx-105 Mazinger Z, this release doesn’t come in styrofoam packaging either.
-It’s a shame the box isn’t designed to fit in with the D.C. subline artwork, like how it was done with the Figuarts Zero release. They looked nice together back then.
-I feel like the cape should’ve been longer. It’s a bit short in my eyes.
-Both pieces for the general’s skirt armor for the general’s sword and scabbard falls out VERY EASILY. Keep an eye out for it, or alternately, just leave both in the tray for peace of mind.
The Ugly
No real QC issues here, but again, be VERY CAREFUL when it comes to installing the cape, as you will have to press down hard on both sides of the cape to snap the ball joint into the sockets, there will be some friction rubs on the front chest of the figure. Remember to apply magic tape to protect that area for scratch prevention, then remove it once the cape has been successfully installed.
Overall, a beautiful piece! It’s big and hefty and the ratchet joints were a nice, welcome surprise. Definitely an upgrade over the Figuarts Zero version for sure.
While it is a very good figure, there are some downsides, such as the difficulty in installing the cape, as well as the shortened length of the cape, plus the easy-to-lose tiny piece for the skirt armor (that really should have been executed better).
I do hope at some point we get the Seven Generals of Mycenae, even if it’s just the Figuarts Zero line. but I think it’s probably a long shot.
I’ll try to do some shots of the General versus Great Mazinger once I get the Gx-111 Great Mazinger Kakumei Shinka in hand.
Gold
