Gunbir-Oh

Sets required for this combination:

Engine Gattai Series #1- Engine Birca

Engine Gattai Series #2- Engine Gunpherd

Engine Gattai Series #3- Engine Carrigator

In Grand Prix 07- “Partner Amigo”, Bombe Banki has grown to giant size, and just shot Engine-Oh with a powerful beam which is rapidly rusting the Engines! As he closes on the three helpless Go-Onger and their decaying Engine Casts, the newly-arrived Gian race Engine Carrigator arrives after making friends with Go-On Green and Black, with their own Engines Birca and Gunpherd riding atop his back. The three split up and engage a swarm of Bandou Moth fighters. Quickly defeating the massed grasshopper-like mecha, Go-On Black is impressed at what a powerful ally Carrigator is turning out to be. [Carrigator]- “It is time to become one!” [Birca]- “It can’t be… we can be like Speedor-tachi?” [Gunpherd]- “Can we combine?” [Carrigator]- “We can!” [Birca]- “Speaking of which, I learned this in school, al dente… Long ago, it was said the Gian race had the ability to combine with all Engines.” [Go-On Green]- “Let’s try it!” [Go-On Black]- “Carrigator, show me your soul!”

Engine Gattai!

Though Gunbir-Oh displays no particularly abilities greater than those of Engine-Oh, its weapons are more aggressive, and it allows a second Engine gattai to take the battlefield at the same time. It now uses two Engines on its arms, allowing it access to both the Gunpherd Gun and Bircutter Slash attacks, in addition to the new Bircutter Storm typhoon-like attack. The only downside may be that it cannot grip anything, but using its left arm allows it to deflect bladed weapons and then dish out its own cuts. And for its finisher, it has the energized Gunbir Grand Prix– the left and right arms slash, followed by the chest lifting up and then all three Engine’s energetic souls shoot out at the same time to demolish the target.

Gunbir-Oh: Tune Up!

Engine Gattai Gunbir-Oh (back) has unusual features, though not nearly as wacky as the DX Engine Gattai Engine-Oh first presented. The head is similar in that it has gold[-painted] exhaust pipes for its crown, but then has red eyes with a more traditional blank silver mouth plate. However, Carrigator’s front set of six wheels rest on either side of his head; even though it cannot turn. His torso is a rectangular block, and is accented by having Carrigator’s head cover the whole front side; a small gold-painted “V” sitting on top of the chest. (I don’t know why that “V” is there, but it reminds me a bit of the one on Engine-Oh’s V Shield for some reason…) Surprisingly for a combo mecha this big, the shoulders are rather plain small orange-and-black rectangular blocks. Engines Gunpherd and Birca- the right and left arms, respectively- are in their Engine Busou forms identical to when they form Engine-Oh Gunpherd and Engine-Oh Birca. The legs are where things get interesting. As opposed to more mecha-like boots, a different approach was made, and they have something of a three-point high heel foot, taking up more than half of the lower legs! Very different. (I don’t know why it has those painted green stripes along the front of each foot.) This time, also unlike Engine-Oh, you can look at it from different angles without groaning about the Gunbir-Oh only looking good from one angle.

. . .

As far as weapons go, you don’t have any hand-held weapons to deal with. Instead, you have Gunpherd and Birca which you can use the same as you always do with Engine-Oh; which means that you get to keep those great elbow-twisting joints. As to Gunbir-Oh’s range of motion, it brings a few nice changes to the table. During the process of changing it, you suddenly realize that this toy has very versatile shoulder joints. Not only do you get the standard 45°-increments forward & backwards, but you can actually make the arms snap out 45°- and 90°-increments as well! Adding in the two rotating elbow joints and you can get those arms into some very dynamic poses [for a DX Super Sentai mecha]! Now, unfortunately, if you want to recreate the Gunbir Grand Prix finisher, you’re kinda on your own for this- while Carrigator’s head can pivot up freely, it doesn’t snap to the 90° position that it does in the series, so you have to hold it up. The legs do not move, and snap into those slightly-angled positions while changing Gunbir-Oh. All three Engines Souls are still fully accessible in this form as far as their activation buttons go. However, inserting or removing them while it is transformed like this is in no way easy. Since Carrigator’s is in his mouth, and that is pointed downwards here, if you open him up the cartridge just dumps onto the floor. And with Gunpherd and Birca, you have to disconnect them since their access doors also are also their elbow connection joints. Ironically, Carrigator’s is the only one of the three where you can still see its bright red LED light when it activates in this form; it shines out through Gunbir-Oh’s chest/Carrigator’s head.

I’ve already given my recommendations and opinions on the three individual Engines, so I’ll not rehash that here. Though the lower legs have those three-point feet which seem rather out-of-place on a Super Sentai mecha, it does give the mecha an interesting if misplaced appearance. The combination of the colors & decorations used across the three Engines is sufficient, though I kinda disagree with Gunpherd being all black which kinda makes you not notice him as easily in the gattai. If I sung praises about the elbow joints on Birca and Gunpherd, I am absolutely thrilled with the shoulders on this guy! You heard it here first: “I couldn’t have asked for anything better” regarding their simple design and yet amazing functionality. Could the head have been able to turn side-to-side? I don’t see why not. I actually find fewer problems with this combination than I do the Engine-Oh as far as overall shape, functionality, and transformation. It’s not quite as simple as its predecessor either, so that was a bonus point there. And it looks a bit more coherent than a totem pole-arrangement of the Engines’ faces too. If only Gunpherd had had a little more functionality to his transformation, or an additional feature of some kind… But, separate from my opinions of its separate components, the Engine Gattai Gunbir-Oh is definitely worth shooting for!

. . .

…but hold on a moment-! Carrigator has one last role to fulfill before I’m done with him. In Grand Prix 09, just moments before he expires, the teleporting camera-themed Lens Banki transmits photos of his battle between Gunbir-Oh and the revitalized Engine-Oh to the Gaiarc ministers, revealing all of the techniques used against him before his destruction. With this insight, the ministers cooperate in Grand Prix 10 to create a special monster that is a hybrid of all three of their specialties- polluted earth, water, and air- a mirror monster called Kagami Banki which can replicate and counter any attack used by the Go-Onger. Knowing since they were joined by Carrigator that more-powerful enemies would come soon, Ren begins to work with Bomper to modify the Engines…

Engine Gattai Series #3- Engine Carrigator is the final component required to make a new combination which also utilizes all four DX sets released thus far. And so, go on to the final page to read the review on the Engine Gattai Engine-Oh G6!