Soul of Chogokin Gx-73SP Great Mazinger D.C. Anime Color Version
Aside from the black and white instruction manual, we also get a colored guide to Great Mazinger and his rogue’s gallery as well.
Brain Condor
As with the regular version, the set comes with the spare “docked mode” Brain Condor.
Mazin Go!
Optional “Fire On!” eyes.
The figure is a redeco of the Gx-70 Dynamic Classics Great Mazinger, this time in cartoon accurate colors. This set is meant to compliment the Anime Colors Dynamic Classics Mazinger Z release. The set is also a Tamashii Website exclusive item and costs a bit more than his mass retail counterpart. I have to say, I am liking this version a lot more than the standard release figure.
As usual the optional little Scrander is included for attachment.
Scramble Dash!
The leg fins are supposed to fold out when Great Mazinger is in flight mode.
Same with the standard Gx-73, to get Great Mazinger to look up all the way for “flight mode”, you have to angle the “mullet” so it slides into the gap at the base of Great Mazinger’s neck. Although this is trickier to do here since the paint might scrape off? I probably won’t be doing this more than once.
The Scramble Dash comes with 2 sets of wings. Similar with when Mazinger Z goes top speed, the wings are supposed to fold back. This is done here by swapping the wings out with the “inverse wings” pieces.
Great Mazinger Attacks
Navel Missile!
Requires popping out the pelvic plate and swapping the belt buckles to show the missile.
Knee Impulse Kick!
Requires part swapping on the knee plate.
Back Spin Kick!
Likewise with the Knee Impulse Kick, you have to swap out the knee plate to the one with the notch (I actually forgot to do this and was too lazy to redo the photo, lol) and then insert the shin blade for the kick.
The set comes with an optional pelvic plate with the larger front gap so you can raise Great Mazinger’s legs higher for action poses as well.
Drill Pressure Punch
A more powerful version of Great Mazinger’s standard “Atomic Punch” attack.
Included are optional “elbow plugs” so you can cover up the bicep ports when you launch the forearms.
Great Boomerang
Same as with the Gx-70 DC regular release. Bandai included a “notchless” Great Boomerang for the D.C. Great Mazinger to use, as an added improvement, the figure’s chest also provides it’s own cavity cover automatically when you remove the Boomerang from the chest.
Mazin Blade!
Double Mazinger Blade!
Breast Burn!
Thunder Break!
Great Booster!
There’s an optional spike attachment for the Great Booster, the spike appears whenever the Great Booster is not docked with Great Mazinger.
Scrander Cross!
In the Anime, the Great Booster didn’t appear much and when it did it was usually to give Great Mazinger an added pair of wings whenever his default set got damaged. It was also occasionally used as a projectile to crash into enemies when launched from a flying Great Mazinger in mid-battle
Display base
The catapult for the Great Booster is actually on a track rail with a sliding gimmick to simulate launch.
The support arm isn’t the greatest in the world, but you can get some decent action poses if you’re gutsy enough. Just don’t leave them like posed like so for long periods of time, just to be safe.
Comparison with Gx-70 SP Anime Colors Mazinger Z
Double Rocket Punch!
Double Breast Fire!
Handshake! Mazinger’s “handshake” hand is included with this set.
Comparison with Gx-70 DC Great Mazinger
Lighter blue on the catapult plastic for the SP version.
The Good
-Stands roughly 7.25 inches tall and weighs 304 grams (317 Grams with the Scrander)
-Diecast parts include:
–Chest
–Forearms
–Pelvis plates (both versions)
–Thighs and Lower legs
–Top part of the feet
-Even better Anime accuracy than the regular Gx-73! It looks so good it totally blows away the earlier Gx-73.
The Bad-Straight up redeco of the Mass retail release Gx-73. No new items or bonus accessories have been added.
-I found my copy of the Gx-73SP has a lot of difficulty rotating at the thigh joint level. I never encountered this issue with my mass retail version. I didn’t want to force the joint to rotate in case I might accidentally tear the peg or something. Sigh…
-Bandai Tamashii Website Exclusive release (similar with the Anime Colors Gx-70 Mazinger Z), this means this is a bit more expensive to procure.
The same issues I had with the Gx-73 still apply here:
-No more “firing” Atomic/ Drill Pressure punch gimmicks (compared to the old Gx-02s).
-Likewise, I miss the “firing” Navel Missile gimmick of the old Gx-02 as well.
-No spring pop-up rear leg fins (like how it was with the Gx-02). You have to manually lift out the leg fins.
-While the default forearms are diecast, the “Drill Pressure Punch” forearms are just plastic (the Gx-70 Mazinger Z had metal parts for the optional forearms for the Iron Cutters).
Some smudges on the finish of the black parts? I can’t be sure if this is from moisture due to contact with sheet plastic in the tray or if it’s something else. Since the figure sports a matte finish, this makes it evident and also harder to remove compared to glossy surfaces. I didn’t really feel like trying to rub it off since I’m was worried about ruining the finish. I’ll have to try some solutions to gently rub the smudges away.
My display base arm was assembled wrong (they didn’t slot it in properly), as a result, the slot for the arm has now become too loose and no longer ratchets when you pull it. Thanks Bandai Blue team quality control (sarcasm)!
The sprue was cut too deep on my Great Mazinger’s heat sink, as a result, you can visibly see the notch in some angles. Sigh…
Overall, even with the quality control flaws (and there are a number of them), I still love it!!!! It looks like Great Mazinger just walked out of the TV screen. Given the choice, I would recommend skipping the mass retail versions and get these instead. The only downside is that the Anime Color versions are website exclusives so they are a bit harder to find and cost a bit more.
I do have to wonder though, was this color scheme the true original intent of the design team and Bandai just rolled out the mass retail “regular” versions first to maximize the mold, so people would double dip? I don’t think it would’ve worked if it was the other way around and the “regulars” were the “later released” exclusives. Hmm… I smell a set up. 😀
Gold
