J. Fighter Mercury

I never flew in an airplane until the 2000’s, but i’ve heard tales of kids on commercial airlines getting gifts when boarding a plane. This was apparently also a thing in Japan, and my assumption is that is where this item came from.

While I don’t have a solid date on this one, I’m assuming it’s early 90s based on the design.

The J. Fighter was produced by Kawada as part of their Diablock line in conjunction with Japan Airlines. While not “true” Diablock toys (which were essentially Japanese Lego), these share the same materials and branding.

Four different versions were offered, and which one you got was random. They came in the following styles:
Mars (red), Mercury (blue), Moon (Yellow), Jupiter (black).

The package is bilingual which makes sense due to J.A.L. being an international airline. It’s got one of my favorite lines of Engrish ever:

“Safe to lick, but do not put in mouth.”

Inside the box you get instructions, stickers and a pile of parts.

In robot mode, without stickers, the robot is simple and unassuming. It looks like a rejected Orguss design by way of Virtual-On. The only articulation is in the head and arms.

Adding stickers brings the robot to life and makes the design pop. It’s simple but effective. I love putting on decals.

The Mercury can be re-assembled into ship form which resembles the Zeta Gundam in vehicle mode.