Product Line / Super Robot Chogokin
Scale & Class / Non-Scale Collectible Figure
Manufacturer / Bandai Spirits / Tamashii Nations
Release Date / 2013
Appearances / Mazinger Z
Tamashii Nations’ Soul of Chogokin line is considered one of the better high-end collector lines thanks to the overall detail, articulation, and play value. That said, I don’t collect these figures, save for a couple, due to their prices, sizes, and my nonchalant attitude towards transformation and combination gimmicks. That’s why I was very ecstatic when they announced the Super Robot Chogokin line, featuring smaller scaled figures with focus on better proportion and articulation, without the limitations of transformation or combination. Kicking off the line is of course Mazinger Z, a progenitor of the mecha genre and the classic definition of a super robot.
Mazinger Z has a basic design that Tamashii Nations is very much familiar in translating to figure form, and the Super Robot Chogokin version is no exception. But it also has nuances that would set the standard for future releases in the line. Standard joint assemblies provide a wide range of articulation, further enhanced by collapsing armor panels on the forearms and legs, with the latter also featuring ratchets. The torso joints also extend for more poseability. Sculpt and detail are basic, as expected from a Mazinger Z figure, although it would be better if the visible rear screw holes had covers. Mazinger Z comes with the essential accessories, including multiple fists, the Mazinger Blade, and a removable Hover Pilder. Of course, it’s not a Mazinger Z figure without Rocket Punches plus an additional right Kyoukagata Rocket Punch.
If you want more display options with your Super Robot Chogokin Mazinger Z, then there’s the Super Robot Chogokin Mazinger Weapon Set. This adds a left Kyoukagata Rocket Punch, multiple Rocket Punch effect parts, and the all-important Jet Scrander. Not really sure why they didn’t include these with Mazinger Z, though the figure did have a lower price when compared to succeeding releases.
