Gaiking
Growing up in Boston during the early 80’s, I was subjected to the channel 25 phenomenon know as FORCE FIVE. For those of you reading this not old enough to remember, or never watched Force Five. Let me give you a brief explanation. Force Five was series of Japanese anime shows, that were dubbed in English, and brought to America by Jim Terry productions. The show was actually five different shows, a different show depending on the day of the week. The lineup was the following:
- Monday was Dangard Ace (Planet Robo Dangard Ace)
- Tuesday was Starvengers (Getter Robo G)
- Wednesday was Spaceketeers (Starzinger)
- Thursday was Grandizer (UFO Robo Grendizer)
- Friday was Gaiking (Great Sky Demon Dragon Gaiking)
Friday was always my favorite day of the week. Not only did it prelude the coming weekend, but it also brought a new action packed episode of Gaiking. Gaiking was my favorite show and was the true catalyst for my eventual Japanese toy obsession.
When I found out that they made a new Gaiking Show, (Gaiking: The Legend Of Daiku Maryu), I was very excited. In conjunction with the new show, Bandai released the GE-10 Gaiking. Being that Gaiking is my favorite anime character, I just had to have it!
With all the above being said, I will be reviewing Bandai’s GE-10 Gaiking: The Legend Of Daiku Maryu.
As you can see, the box of the GE-10 Gaiking has that old school feel. The box displays the 3 parts that comprise Gaiking behind cellophane windows. The box also has a cool illustration in the background, as well as a picture of the assembled figure to the right. Upon opening the box, you will find similiar packaging to other Soul Of Chogokin robots. Unlike the GX-27 SOC Gaiking, this version has much fewer parts. I find that having fewer parts is refreshing. Less parts to lose and easier to display. The figure comes with 2 sets of hands, Gaiking Lance, Gaiking Axe, Gaiking Shield, and Counter Lance.
Assembling the figure out of the box it quite easy. The transformation is exactly the same as the GDX Gaiking reviewed by Sanjeev a few weeks back. The GE-10 Gaiking has substantial die-cast content and once assembled, the figure is very solid and poseable. All joints feel really tight and the knee joints ratchet. Chest plates and face place are removable, allowing you to display it in “Phase Open” mode. The “Phase Open” mode kind of reminds me of hot dogs on a grill.
Like the GX-27 version of Gaiking, you can open the mouth on the chest for some cool poses.
When separated all 3 parts and weapons fit nicely on the custom display stand.
Fun Fact: Many parts are actually interchangeable between the GX-27 SOC Gaiking and the GE-10 Gaiking. If you own both, let the fun begin!
Overall, I really like this version of Gaiking. It can be had relatively cheap compared to the SOC GX-27 (I purchased mine for $30 USD). Even though the GE-10 Gaiking shares a lot of the same charm as the GX-27, it’s not without minor flaws. Like the GX-27 Gaiking, the GE-10 Gaiking versions collapsible leg detent is weak and the leg collapses very easily. Also the firing fists have a hair trigger and tend to fly off when handling. Even with the mentioned flaws its still s great figure. Capturing much of the essence of the original GX-27 Gaiking. The GE-10 Gaiking figure isn’t better but its a close second and worth adding to your collection.