Taekwon V

Go Nagai’s Super Robot anime Mazinger Z was extremely popular with children in South Korea during the 70’s. So, with this in mind, Kim Cheong-Ki, a Korean director, wanted to create a Korean hero for Korean children. In order to emphasize that this new Super Robot is Korean, it is able perform the traditional martial art, taekwondo… hence it’s name, Robot Taekwon V! From Wikipedia

Robot Taekwon V is a South Korean animated film directed by Kim Cheong-Ki and produced by Yu Hyun-mok, the prominent director of such films as Obaltan (Aimless Bullet) (1960). It was released on July 24, 1976 , immediately becoming a mega-smashed hit in the late 1970s, and consequently inspired a string of sequels in followng years. Robot Taekwon V was released in the United States in a dubbed format under the name Voltar the Invincible. Robot Taekwon V became the first Korean film to receive full digital restoration treatment in 2005. In Japan, it is known as a plagiarism of Mazinger Z.

I do not necessarily agree with the statement of Taekwon V being a plagiarism of Mazinger Z. I agree with the fact that Taekwon V has similarities to Mazinger Z, but doesn’t most Super Robots? I don’t know, you be the judge.

On to the toy! Taekwon V comes in a very unassuming black corrugated cardboard box measuring 2.5″ deep x 9″ wide x 11″ long. The packaging is very plain as you can see in the pictures below. The box only has few markings in silver and red type, letting you know what awaits you inside. The thing that I would like to emphasize about this rather boring box is its weight. The box weighs in at a hefty 2.5 pounds. You know what that means, die-cast! glorious die-cast metal goodness!

Upon opening the box you are greeted with Taekwon V encased in his very own Soul of Chogokin style Styrofoam sarcophagus. Also included in the box is 2 plastic trays of accessories and the instruction booklet. Now if I only could read Korean…

The accessories included are:

• Taekwon V
• One pair of closed fists (already affixed to Taekwon V)
• One pair of open hands
• One pair of hands with pointing fingers
• One pair of taekwondo chop hands
• Display base
• 3 extra chest V’s (clear read, white and silver)
• Die-cast metal “Tin-Can Robot Cheol” mini figure
• One autographed certificate of authenticity with production number

Towering over the SOC GX-01R Mazinger Z, Taekwon V stands 8.5″ tall and weighs 1 lbs, 7 ozs. due to its mostly die-cast construction augmented with PVC and ABS. Since the Japanese feel Taekwon V is a plagiarism of Mazinger Z, I figured I would give you a few pictures of Taekwon V with Mazinger Z. Note that he can do Mazinger Z’s famous, arms up, fists clenched pose really well.

Well, like the picture below suggests, I too am now bored with comparing Taekwon V with Mazinger Z. I totally think Taekwon V would kick Mazinga Z’s butt…LOL!

Moving along, Taekwon V has all the nice tight and ratchety joints that we now expect from any high-end chogokin, allowing him to be posed in many ways. He also has a waist joint! All I could think of when looking at the picture below is that song by Right Said Fred, “I’m a model you know what I mean and I do my little dance on the catwalk!”

Who is Taekwon V plagiarizing in these 2 photos below? Give you a hint, 2 words…G…..M…. c’mon you know who I am referring too…LOL

Here is the only flaw that I could find with the figure, that is if you even consider this a flaw. Damn ugly exposed screw holes! I hate them! I guess I can let this go because the figure is so great in many other ways. And let’s face it, the figure looks great when viewed from every angle except its backside.

Here is Taekwon V atop his base with all the included accessories mentioned above. As you can see he displays really well and will fit right in with other SOC’s you may have in your collection.

I wanted to give you a nice close-up shot of the little die-cast metal Tin-Can Robot Cheol mini figure. From what I gather this is supposed to be Taekwon V’s pilot’s little brother wearing a home-made robot suit with a tea kettle head. Tin-Can Robot Cheol is the comic relief element in the TV series.

Lastly, Taekwon V is proudly displaying his autographed certificate of authenticity. You will notice that my figure is number 586 of 1976 produced to commemorate the year that Taekwon V was first released in Korea.

In closing, I would like to say that if you like modern chogokin this is a must-have. Even more so if you are into the more obscure characters. With only the very limited number of 1976 being produced, the original MSRP of $110 is quite a bargain. The figure is sure to go up in value. Heck, last time I looked, it was going for around $160 on eBay. Grab it before you have to pay with your first born son! You can click on the eBay links we provided below.