Friday, February 8, 2013

Mattel Shogun Warriors Mazinga


Mazinga!  I picked this guy up last year to add to my Shogun Warrior collection.  I lucked out and found one in pretty nice shape.  After tracking down a few original accessories, he's complete and all original.






The Shogun Warrior toys were distributed in the US by Mattel in the mid-to-late 70s.  They were created by a Japanese company, Popy, and were produced as characters from several different Japanese licenses (cartoons).  Mattel brought them over to the US with a few minor modifications and sold them under one banner and license… The Shogun Warriors.

As toys go, these Shogun Warriors were huge… around 2 feet tall.  To a kid, these things were immense.  Even as an adult, these things seem very large and Mazinga is no exception.







I didn't have a Mazinga as a kid but a friend down the street had one.  I had a Dragun but was secretly jealous of my friend's Mazinga.  Mazinga just had an intimidation factor that the other Shoguns just didn't have.  His horns, pointy head, Vader-like grill on his face, and red chest armor made him look like something not to be messed with.  He could shoot 3 rockets from his fist at the same time, or one at a time.  He even came with two swords should he run out of missiles and have to cut down his foes "Medieval Style."  If things got really dicey, Mazinga's pilot could jettison from the top of Mazinga's head in a separate craft.  How cool is that?!







My appreciation for these large Shogun Warrior toys seems to grow with age.  In the history of US toys, they were really something different and special on the toy shelves back in the 70s.  While in Japan these characters' popularity continues today with new cartoons and toys, in the US we haven't seen true Shogun warrior toys in decades.  I'd love to see Mattel or another company take the necessary steps to rerelease these guys or continue the concept with brand-new Shogun toys.  I'm sure the fact that Shoguns are actually from different Japanese licenses is a hinderance.  But, hey, they made it happen once, right?






As a kid, I was more into things like 12" Gijoe, Star Wars, and the Six Million Dollar Man.  However, in adding more Shoguns to my collection lately, I have a renewed appreciation for them…. and, Dang! do they look cool on the shelf.




9 comments:

  1. Okay. How did you get the space ship detaching in mid air shot?

    Shogun magic?

    Great pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mazinga! One of the coolest Shogun Warriors! I had the version without the removable ship, obviously not as cool.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Damn, he's great! I never had any of these, but always admired him. I can't believe how pristine this thing looks- whaddya runnin' a museum over there?! Nice...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Welcome back from your hiatus!

    The only Shogun Warrior I had was Raydeen, who was cool enough with his flying fist and airplane-shaped missile that flies out of his chest, but I always wanted Mazinga. For the bullet-fingers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Another Zom-blog rises from the grave!

    Nice to see you back here too :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. If you like Pet Products wholesale
    dogs collar design in punk style, we will give you some. Besides Small Dog Carrier that, we will give you some dog collar design based on your dog’s sex.

    ReplyDelete
  7. If you are constructing Pet Products wholesale a dog house for a puppy, make sure that it is Pet supplies wholesale large enough to compensate for its growth.

    ReplyDelete