Keroro Gunso Kerobot Gattai

Keroro Gunso, or Sargeant Frog, is a popular anime and manga series which follows the exploits of the titular Sargeant and his cohorts, two-foot tall frog-like aliens bent on the conquest of earth. The cartoon is a manic, goofy affair, and the frog-alien story wouldn’t typically be of much interest to a robot fan. But Keroro is suffused with a deep love of the mecha genre, particularly Gundam. Keroro’s platoon regularly pilot all manner of mobile suits and spaceships, most of them direct homages to classic robot designs.

I don’t follow the show, but i always keep my eye out for Keroro toys, as Bandai often produces some really killer product, including tons of Gun-pla and even faithfully realized FIX figuration figures.

The Keroro Gunso Gattai Kerobot Five is one of those toys which is way better than it has any right to be. Released as a set of five cheapo Gashapon figures, the Gattai Kerobot Five (hereafter ‘GKF’) is a gem.

Each piece was released in a smallish box, with the top and an inset photo showing you which component you are getting.

kg boxes all

The GKF is similar to Combattra and Voltes V in its build-up. Each piece includes a vehicle (with accessories on sprues), a driver, and a sticker sheet. The set consists of:

1: Head/Walker Mech

kg head box

kg head parts

kg head front

kg head back

2: Torso/Boring Machine

kg torso box

kg torso parts

kg torso front

kg torso back

3: Arms/Submarine

kg arms box

kg arms parts

kg arms front

kg arms back

4: Feet/Tanks

kg feet box

kg feet parts

kg feet front

kg feet back

5: Jet-Pack/Airplane

kg back box

kg back parts

kg back front

kg back back

The pieces fit together intuitively. The completed Gattai stands around seven inches tall. Though it’s barely articulated, and something of a static brick, it’s still a very successful plaything. The cartoonish interpretation of the real robot gattai toys is dead on, with excellent proportions and color composition. I love the clear cockpits, the visible drivers, and the classic mech styling.

keroro combined front

keroro combined back

keroro combined side

I think, as collectors, we tend to get too wrapped up in the high-end, serious adult ‘collector’ segment of the market, missing the contemporary, genuinely fun, simpler toys which grabbed us all as children. The Kerobot Gattai is a remarkably silly, soulful piece which transcends its disposable nature.