Soul of Chogokin Gx-31SP Voltes V
Same as with Gx-71SP Voltron, each 50th Anniversary Soul of Chogokin re-release comes with an outer clear plastic bag.
Same as before, the missiles for the Voltes Bazooka come packed beneath the display base platform.
Same as with Gx-71SP Voltron, the manual for Voltes is also a reprint of the previous release (40th Anniversary Voltes).
Volt Cruiser
Piloted by the eldest of the three Go siblings, Kenichi is the team leader and controls Voltes V when it is combined.
Fold out landing gears
Attachable Crew Cutter blade attachments. I didn’t really feel like cutting more of these off as I already have two of these already cut off from their sprue tree from previous releases.
An interesting gimmick here, in the Anime, the Crewzer’s white gunpods disappear when it Volts in. This is replicated by having the little piece fall backward when you tilt the unit.
Opening c0ckpit (only the Crewzer has this gimmick. It’s a throwback to the same gimmick present in the vintage Popy Voltes V DX from the 1970s).
Volt Bomber
Piloted by Ippei Mine, a former rodeo champion. His cynical nature has him often at odds with the temperamental Kenichi.
Same as previous releases, the Bomber’s four landing gear pieces have to be attached by hand.
Volt Panzer
Piloted by the second eldest Go, Daijiro. The Panzer is the only unit to house a nuclear reactor that functions as the main power supply for Voltes in combined mode. Daijiro has the important task of controlling the power output for Voltes when in combat.
The Panzer features extendable working claws.
Volt Frigate
Piloted by the youngest Go, Hiyoshi, the Volt Frigate functions as a repair unit for the other Volt Machines while in the field.
Hmm… no one inside the c0ckpit. I guess Hiyoshi’s out goofing off at the model ship RC racing grounds again..? Lol…
Flip out landing gears for Volt Frigate.
Volt Lander
Piloted by Megumi Oka, daughter of the General of the Earth Defense Forces. The Lander functions as a reconnaissance unit, capable of gathering and analyzing enemy mechanical data even in the heat of battle.
Flip out Volt Lander Drills
V TOGETHER!
VOLTES FIVE!!!
Created by the brilliant Professor Go as a last line of defense for Earth against the coming Boazanian invasion, Voltes V is mankind’s only chance to counter its greatest threat.
Essentially a straight up redeco of Gx-31 Chogokin 40th Anniversary Voltes V, this release features chrome plated parts as well as more Anime accurate deco! This marks the fourth time this mold of Voltes V has been re-released in the Soul of Chogokin line (not counting the Gx-79 “Full Action” version) .
VOLTES’ ATTACKS
Grand Fire! – Voltes’ belt buckle opens up to reveal a powerful flame thrower.
Voltes Missile! -Voltes’ hand retracts into its sleeve and it becomes replaced with a missile battery capable of rapid, repeating firing of several missiles at once.
Voltes Beam! – An intense stream of beam energy fires from the yellow circle on Voltes’ chest.
Chain Knuckle! – Similar to the Voltes’ Missiles, Voltes’ hand retracts into its sleeve and becomes replaced with a chain-connected , retractable, non-explosive projectile.
“Firing” Chain Knuckle – a gimmick first introduced with the Gx-31 “Respect for Popy” Voltes V release. Here, an optional means of converting the Chain Knuckle into an actual firing Chain Knuckle gimmick was provided. You will have to detach the Chain Knuckle from it’s original post though.
Voltes Bazooka! – Another toy gimmick introduced from the “Respect for Popy” SOC Voltes release, Voltes’ arm can be attached with a working “bazooka” projectile launcher.
Bazooka bullets
Choudenji String! – Voltes uses his belts to lash at an opponent.
For Anime accuracy, it’s recommended to remove the little plastic “belt” clip first.
The set offers two belts. Which is actually very show accurate, as we never see Voltes holding just one belt when in combat (they’re usually used as a pair).
Choudenji Goma! – Voltes launches bladed tops from his abdomen panel to be used in conjunction with his Chodenji String (Ultra Electromagnetic Belt).
The tops can be plugged in like so:
Tenkuu Ken! – Voltes’ finishing move. Voltes’ chest emblem generates a blade to become a sword that the team uses to cut down their opponents with finality.
Same as previous releases, Voltes’ features two swords. One standard chromed, “non-transforming” bigger one, and a collapsible version that can be stored into Voltes’ chest.
TenKuu Ken V-Slash!
While attempting to replicate the pose on the box, I realized that Bandai’s photographer actually cheated a bit and folded down one of the Panzer claws in order to get Voltes’ head to rotate a bit more to one side.
Volt Tank mode
The Volt Tank was a concept for Voltes V that never appeared in the Anime series, but was a fun non-canon gimmick for the vintage Popy toy.
Mecha Falcon / Mechanical Eagle
Halfway through the series, the Boazans upgrade the armor of their Beast Fighters, resulting in Voltes’ Sword now unable to cut through the new plating. A mysterious Mechanical Eagle suddenly appears and provides Voltes with the schematics needed to increase and stabilize its power output create a new power move that can weaken the enemy’s armor.
The Mecha Falcon comes with the Chodenji Volt Control device (which regulated Voltes’ new upgraded power levels so it can repeatedly use the new Chodenji Ball attack)
Display base
Display base fully loaded
The Good
-The Weigh in:
–Volt Cruiser – 25 Grams
–Volt Bomber – 93 Grams
–Volt Panzer -178 Grams
–Volt Frigate -272 Grams
–Volt Lander -160 Grams
–Voltes V – 729 Grams
-Voltes stands roughly 9.75 inches tall.
-Diecast parts include:
–Voltes’ torso (a large section of the Panzer)
–Upper thighs
–Upper halves of the feet.
-Beautifully chromed paint really does make the figure stand out.
-Thanks to the deeper blue colors, this figure stands to be the most toon accurate version of Voltes V in the Soul of Chogokin line yet.
The Bad
-Essentially just another repaint in a slew of repaints for 2024. With nothing really improved or redesigned for the figure.
-No added bonus items or anything to justify the price increase from the previous SOC Voltes SRPs.
The Ugly
Sigh… annoyingly, my unit came with a huge scratch on its right chromed shoulder right out of the box! Grr….
Be careful NOT to push the Panzer tracks inward too much like I did when in Voltes mode. This resulted in my having to unscrew the Panzer apart just to reposition the Panzer tracks to their default placing for returning to the box.
I don’t know if it’s from the chroming process or actual mold degradation, but you can see some rough imperfections on Voltes’ tummy. Hope it doesn’t rust or anything down the road…?
Overall, despite being another redeco, this version of Voltes actually seems to be the most Anime accurate amongst the releases. Thanks to its particular shade of blue. If I had to pick one out of the four releases (Gx-31, Gx-31V, Gx-31 40th, Gx-31SP), this release (Gx-31SP) would be my Voltes of choice.
Just be careful when handling the chrome parts. While they are obviously fingerprint magnets, I think they also tend to get scratches very easily. So be mindful of the type of gloves and wipe cloth you use when handling this figure.
Funfact 1: Ippei Mine/ Mark Gordon, pilot of the Volt Bomber is actually the grandson of Professor Hamaguchi/ Doctor Smith, according to the Japanese Wiki entries for the characters. I can’t really recall this ever being mentioned on the show?
Funfact 2: Voltes was originally conceived to have a gun as his finishing move (the Voltes Bazooka?), which fits, since Kenichi was already written to be an expert marksman. But thanks to some convincing from Popy/Bandai, the finishing move in the final draft was changed into a sword to better hype sales for the toys.
Gold
