I spoke to Marty Abrams from Mego a couple of weeks back, he told me that when he was getting Microman from Takara, he visited Bandai and was also offered what would become Shogun Warriors but he turned it down. When he saw the Mattel line on the shelves, he told me he really regretted it.
I just realized that by dying when they did, the shogun warriors dodged a major bullet, the toy line discontinued about the time the empire strikes back toyline came out, along with the infamous boba fett figure controversy, considering how many small projectiles those figure launched, if the changing of toy fads hadn’t killed them, the parent groups and controversy of that frenzy certainly would have
Fun fact: I actually was going to go into that in the main episode! Some behind-the-scenes shenanigans called for me to restructure the script, and a segment focusing on the projectile issues and the Galactica "Missile Mail-In" Campaign got lost in the cracks.
In the late '70s I was obsessed with Shogun warriors and the micronauts. to be a kid in the late '70s and early '80s was all sci-fi. And it was a lot of fun. After that it became all Smurfs...
I was born in 73. I can remember the craze in the late 70s. I was so happy anime caught on in America. In Chinatown at NYC I would always see model kits of various mech robots and knew that world still existed. Great video.
RAIDEEN was my favorite. I'm 49 years old and this really brings back some very fond memories. I had the five inch chogokin figure of RAIDEEN. Thank you for the nostalgia.
I remember having a Godzilla figure as a child and after I saw Godzilla vs. The cosmic monster I covered my Godzilla figure in aluminum foil to make my own Mechagodzilla.
There was one major detail you left out of your retrospective of this toyline, one that was also a major factor in its downfall. Kids were hurting eachother with the toy's projectiles, and it stirred the ire of parents all across America. This was during the hight of the child safety scare that saw old toylines like this one get heavily nudderd to meet the new safety regulations. So not only was it facing stiff competition from other toylines, but it also became a pariah among parents because of previous incidents with kids shooting at eachother with the toy's missiles.
True, I was planning to dig into it along with the Battlestar Galactica missile mail-in recall. Ultimately it ended up just slipping through the cracks in the final edit due to complications behind-the-scenes (I had to restart this episode from scratch midway through production, yay).
This is the best Shogun Warriors historical video on RU-vid. All the other ones fall short of this one. Even the video produced by Toy Galaxy was lackluster. I loved how you tied in the history and aftermath of Japanese toys as a whole surrounding the legacy of Shogun Warriors. This is the quintessential video to show others who don't know what Shogun Warriors was about. Thank you for your time and effort in producing this video!!
Toy Galaxy didn’t go that in depth to the history of the Japanese toys, but their video wasn’t bad at all. Their focus was on the American brand, and in that regard it’s pretty good. I see this video and the Toy Galaxy one as just two sides of the same coin for the same story. Both are great and I learned a lot from these.
These images were truly everything to my seventh grade heart and mind. I really believe this was my first taste of what it's like to have your soul crushed. Seeing the TV guide listing on our local station for the afternoon Shogun cartoon at 5pm in Sept 1980 and it never aired. They continued showing Battle of the Planets reruns and I went ahead and just grew up. Thanks for showing me the reality of the situation. It was wonderful playing with those fantastical toys.
What makes me sick to my stomach is knowing that as a kid I owned those classic Shogun Warrior characters I had mazinger Z and the great mazinger I remember casually losing the rocket punch fist and breaking off one of the diecast legs on my mazinger Z you see as an adult one of my past times is collecting soul of chogokin figures both modern and classic so it hurts me deep down in my gut to know that as a stupid little kid I was so reckless and careless with a figure that as an adult I would pay a small fortune for sometimes I think about wanting to build a time machine and going back in time and kicking my younger self right in the ass.
If you didn't play with it, you wouldn't have such fond memories of it. Hawley is right as toy in boxes are no fun to a kid. It's like having a birthday cake, but can't eat it. My brothers and I had 3 of the big plastic ones. They were so much fun. I wonder if I can 3d print one now?
Kids are supposed to play with toys, just because you have an obsessive compulsion now doesn't mean you should be able to punish your younger self for being normal
I had a bunch of these as a kid as well. I really wish that I still kept them or convinced my parents not to get rid of them since I have no recollection of what happened to any of htem.
The Marvel Micronauts comic was one of the better efforts of its era, went far beyond just being a toy commercial. It was admittedly rather obvious about borrowing from Star Wars in spots, but it executed it well and a young Michael Golden's artwork gave it a distinctive look. The similarly toy-inspired Rom: Spaceknight book lasted longer and was (at times) a better read, but the original arc in Micronauts was top notch.
Vintage Henshin I want to say it was the one that used to be up by Mayfair Mall. After connecting with coastal collectors on TBDX many years later and hearing what the Bay Area folks and Massholes were getting, I was a bit envious!
I also didn't realize how much a moving force Kiku Honolulu was in the tokusatsu/toy/ licensing development. I was born a little too late in 1981, but I remember watching a little bit of diamond eye on it when I was really small and they re-aired kikaida in 1993 for a short bit. But to me kiku was just the channel my Grandparents watched Abarembo Shogun and other Japanese mystery and samurai dramas on. My dad still watches their new samurai shows even now. Amazing to think that they contributed so much. Wow.
Great video! I was born in 74 and have distinct memories of finding Shogun toys at rummage sales. I was also strangely given a brand new Bandai Godaikin Godsigma at Rahway Penitentiary in the mid 80's, I'm still not sure that wasn't a fever dream.
As a child of this era, I can say that the lack of any TV series for the Shogun Warriors or Godaikin had no serious impact on whether or not I wanted them. It was the price point. I had a number of the smaller vehicles from the Shogun Warriors line. The Shigcon Jet was one of my favorite toys, despite it not fitting in with my Star Wars toys. The giant robots were simply not in my price range. I was practically drooling the first time I saw Godaikin mecha at Toys R Us, but they were outrageously expensive. It would have taken me half a years worth of allowance to buy Golion. That doesn't seem so long as an adult, but it's an eternity when you're a kid.
Also the fact Bandai made Tamashii Nations which involves anime robots and got American releases defeats the purpose of a Shogun Warriors and Godaikin revival as well.
"Sometimes, well, he's not a very straight shooter." You just know the copy editor of that news network was having himself a giggle at that line making air.
Really well done video. I remember the Jim Terry Productions Force Five series when it was out. A lot of us in New England, North Eastern states watched that way back in the day. Good times back then.
Hi , I'm from Mexico and i want to share a similar story with the Shogun warriors and even Kamen rider here in my country . Jugarama was a brand in 1976 who brought to Mexico 3 jumbo mazingers and 1 Kamen rider, and yes 3 of them where renamed except geta 1 . They have some weird names Goro Goro was geta 3 , Aquaman was Kamen rider X and Ultraman was the name for Raideen Fun fact , the return of ultraman was broadcast in Mexico in 1975 before this toy line was brought in here . Even the original ultraman and ultraseven were broadcast in the late 60's and they were very popular among kids , and some people suggest that was the reason for renaming raideen .
I remember In when I was visiting family in Puerto Rico had my cousin had Gaiking toy. I even recall my mom rented Gaiking on VHS that was around the mid 1980's.
Aw, man, I loved these as a kid. I had Raydeen and Daimos. Always wanted Gaiking, but never managed to get them. Got a bit of nostalgia high by watching the Gaiking 2005 revival anime with my son. :)
This video displayed my childhood. These toys, especially the Micronauts were my world. I can't believe this video showed so many things I had as a child.
What a great trip down memory lane! As a kid growing up in the 70's, I had a lot of those toys! Sadly, as a kid of the 70's, I also had no clue about collectables. LOL! All of those toys either broke or lost. However, one thing I won't regret is the countless hours I spent playing with them and how they fueled my imagination as a kid.
I want to make one statement, Jim Terry in no way was in a buisness agreement with Mattel. Jim purchased the licensing for the five shows, The Great Mazinger fell through and The Spacekateers, which, had no Giant Robot was used in the line up. Jim Terry was the one who used The Shogun Warriors when all five Force Five shows was Dubbed into a 1 hour and 41 minute movie on Showtime, Mattel was unaware of it.
I was in a used book store up in Cincinnati when I ran across an entire collection of Shogun warriors done by Marvel comics. I was floored because I knew all these robots because earlier I had lived in Japan right there at the end of the '70s in the beginning of the early '80s.
I'm 47 and i still have that huge Godzilla figure!!!! My 10 year old plays with it now! Thank you for this video, brought back a lot of memories from the Shogun toy line. I had the initial three robots, Rodan and Godzilla!
アメリカでも日本のロボット玩具を販売してたとは、全然知らなかった。日本の玩具メーカーもアメリカの玩具メーカーと提携して頑張ってた事を知りました。 ジャンボマシンダーの登場は、当時の子供には驚きだった。でも欲しくても、価格が高くて買ってもらえなかった。懐かしい昭和の玩具を思い出させてくれてありがとう。最後の「owari」には笑ってしまいました。 I never knew that Japanese robot toys were also sold in the United States. I learned that Japanese toy makers also worked hard in partnership with American toy makers. The appearance of Jumbo Machinedar was a surprise to children at the time. But even if I wanted it, it was too expensive to buy. Thank you for reminding me of the nostalgic Showa toys. I laughed at the last "owari".
Great video! I lived in Guam '79-'82, and there was plenty of Japanese influence. Not all of that neat stuff had its full impact stateside, and Shogun Warriors just kind of faded away. With each new wave of Japanese pop culture, I'm always reminded of Speed Racer, Johnny Sokko, Ultraman, and the Shogun Warriors.
An excellent video with an excellent, insightful, mature and thoughtful conclusion. Could not agree with you more. Finding the vintage, smaller-sized Great Mazinger and Voltes V on a trip to Japan gave me more joy than any modern re-release could hope to match, and new ideas are sorely lacking in these IP-obsessed times. Here's to any Shogun Warriors future bringing with it something we've never seen before.
I'm combining a Raideen head from Shogun Warriors with the body of a Marvel Universe Sentinel for a 23" tall super posable version of the old Shogun... I still have a ways to go, but it's a labor of love...
I never knew that Super Shogun Optimus Prime existed. What an awesome looking toy. Never realized that there was an Optimus Prime toy, prior to Master Piece, that bore so close a likeness to the comic and cartoon.
Yet another amazing video from you! So much amazing detailed history. I always learn something new from your videos. That 2013 Shogun Warriors line seemed awesome. I very much wish to own them and hope they somehow get made!
The SW's went hand-in-hand with my 1970's youth! So many fond memories of pitting Mazinga against Godzilla! I also had a few issues of the comic book line as well. Those toys took a beating and wound up missing a few parts here and there, but most kids of my era played rough with their toys, and we didn't think twice about it. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, and as a 50-something toy collector now, I kind of wish we had taken better care of them.
Absolutely great video I grew up in japan in the early 70’s I loved the Giant robots there was not one I didn’t have. My collection to this day looks like a small toy store. I now reside in japan I decided to Go to the big mandrake in Nakano. Good God the toys start at $800 the jumbo figures $3000. My prize possession is jumbo UFO Daiapolon. I actually picked that up in queens NYC. Everything I have is complete and still in the boxes but I can’t give them up. As for my comic and toy collection I’m gonna need a bigger boat. I still have this plastic toy of Daiapolon it was going for $2000. It came in a pack of candies when I was 6 cost ¥360 yen I couldn’t believe I saw the current price. When I arrived back in the states we had Japanese TV programs in Manhattan on Saturday’s from 7pm until 2am to see the old cyborg 009 brought back some memories. Raideen, Grendizer and Daiapolon were my favorites growing up in japan, 1975 was a great year.
Thanks for putting this together. Brought back a lot of memories for me and to know the history of the toy line. I remember wanting to get the raydeen shogun warrior at Fedco and my older brother talked me into getting mazinga instead.
I mean that is a good trade-off but I do also love me some Raideen/Raydeen so I feel that pain. All the same, happy to help bring back some good memories.
So glad this showed up in my feed! I was so young during this time I all but forgot about a lot of the details. I even remember having a Godzilla and Mazinger Z. Thanks for the walk down memory lane
I have all the US Jumbo Shogun Warriors, the Canadian Goldorak/Grendizer, Godzilla, Rodan, the Popy Godzilla, Combattler V, as well as all three Getter Robo G jumbos! I also collected the Jumbo LJN Voltron from the 80s and the Jumbo Shogun line from Toynami released a few years ago! I'm obsessed and love them all! Fantastic video!
I had the giant Shogun Gaiking featured right in the middle of the thumbnail pic as a little kid in the late '70s, but I didn't know any of the backstory, so my parents just told me to call him Shogun Warrior. That toy was passed down to my brothers later. They lost the flying fist and 2 of the missiles, and broke off 1 of the rolling feet. My dad glued it back on, and glued a trident onto the arm to replace the missing fist. I always wanted to pull the head off and just imagine it as a spaceship, but I never could manage to pop it out of the body, because that part was built like a tank!
I had the Great Mazinga as a kid, later having quite a micronauts collection, sadly almost all got destroyed in a house fire. I still have some of comic books. Also had ROM the space Knight and its comics, ahh good times.
DUUUDE. My brother and I had all the Shogun Warriors and Micronauts in the late 70s and early 80s. Loved to have them in battles against our Transformers and GI Joe toys in battlefields made from Erector sets while watching Saturday morning cartoons until noon. THAT'S when being a kid was awesome!
1:35,THAT WAS MACHINE ROBO BATTLEHACKERS OST!! NICE! 11:42,Combattra...now viewable on RU-vid thanks to Toei Tokusatsu World official. 13:07,ok..am I starting to realize we're missing out on something spectacular here? Bandai!! Where are our monsters to fight KR,Sentai and Metal Heroes?! 18:35,good one using the Juspion soundtrack for Godaikin. 19:03,SHIT!! That's some articulation! 0.0 21:25,GODDAMN!! 0.0 23:50,perfect end.
@@VintageHenshin I was wondering if anyone got the soundtrack from my Mega account and looks like it paid off. :) I'm basically a huge fan of the underrated anime and middle child of Machine Robo which was Battlehackers.
Another great video! Love my Takara Microman and Henshin Cyborg figures... and while I think the Shogun Warriors are amazing, they are waaay out of my price range these days. Love a bunch of Popy's other figures. Hope to see more toy-centric videos from ya!
Damn, love the video and you really did your research knowing "Goldorak" and all! Grandaizer in up till now one of the biggest anime ever in France on the same level as DBZ.
Thanks! I used to have friends in French fan circles where I learned a lot about 80s sentai, Metal Hero shows, and some anime. So Goldorak was always in the mix somewhere!
@@VintageHenshin yeah, the 80th was really good for japones show lovers in France. we love Space Sheriff Gaban, called after the French actor "Jean Gabin". Anyway, great Chanel, thanks for the video. I'm subscribing right away ❤️
Excellent video! I was there when these were new! I was awe struck! Popy Bullmark , shogun warriors and Godaikens were my toy of choice! And to this day I still collect them.
I really like your video, and I still own several of the Shogun Warriors and Soul of Chogokin. But i disagreed that they should be lost in the past. Many cartoons from the 80's shows have seem newer beginnings in recent years, some less than interesting stories have seen movies in the big screen. I hope that one day I get to see them in the big screen too. PS. I did enjoy Mazinger Infinity in the big screen as much as I enjoyed Shin Gojira.
Thank you so much for this!! I had a Mazinga and of course, the Godzilla!! We had a show and tell at school and the subject was our favorite toy and I actually got to take my Godzilla to school with me!! I was pretty popular that day. Loved this video.
There’s a local family owned food joint that’s been in my town since the 80s and still going, and as long as I can remember they HAVE a Shogun Warriors Godzilla by their soda machine. I don’t know the story on it but it’s been there for years even when they relocated shop.
Glad I found your channel. As a kid I always wanted the Shogun warriors. I got the play with them because my friend had them. I had some Micronaunts, but he had several of the Shogun warriors. He also had a couple of the Godakin toys which funny enough he refused to play with because they were expensive and hard to find. In Atlanta back in those days there was only one toy shop that carried that stuff and I can only remember going to it maybe twice. Usually we went to Lionel which mostly stuck to the main lines of the day. We did watch all those shows though. I remember Force 5, and loved all of those robots. We had Grandizer to as a dubbed series that was broadcast by itself weekdays, Force 5 was on Saturday mornings. Japanese shows were so much a part of growing up in the 70's and 80's and I loved those shows far more than US cartoons.
OH the other thing you didnt mention. What killed the Shogun toys and I believe what hurt alot of Japanese toy lines was that dumb ass kid that shot one of the Battlestar Galactica missiles down his throat and choked to death. After that they stopped selling any toys that fired little missiles. They had to have the big rubber heads on them, and Parents stopped buying toys that shot missiles.
