Post by captainamerica on Mar 12, 2007 22:44:02 GMT -5
I won't be the first person to call knock-off toys 'toy crack'; but this fine specimen transcends all the typical traps of a k.o. to be the Panama Red of my diecast addiction. I love my newly acquired Starzinger Z:
Your eyes do not deceive you, friends. That is a copy of the classic Popy/Shogun Warriors UFO Grandizer. More than a dozen years ago, when I started collecting Japanese die-cast, I thought I'd never be able to find a Popy Dx Grandy with Spazer. I searched for years before finding a boxed Euro Shogun version and then a Popy Grandizer base(no arms, harkens). Now, to my amazement, I stumbled on a cheaper version that in some ways betters them both.
(all shots:L-R Popy, Euro Shogun, K.O.)
The mold is exactly the same where it counts, identical die-cast content and no funky head warps or half-assed assembly. Unlike the E.S. version, the head tilts cleanly and smoothly front-to-back. The paint is naturally sharper overall, and so are the head spikes (ouch!)
The differences are there, as can only be expected from a KO. The paint on the legs and biceps varies from Royal Blue (popy) to Navy(ES) to Black(KO). Starzinger also sports some redchrome stickers at his knees. Grendy's codpiece also morphs throughout all three versions. Popy's is gold with aqua trim, ES has all gold, and the KO has yellow, to match his harkens and firing pins. The waist sticker for the Popy and the ES feature Kanji, Starzinger boasts his name in English! The harkens have three variations, with the yellow belonging to the KO:
The back is another indicator to which version you might have. The Popy features Popy markings and Japan on his butt:
Th ES has the Popy and identical sticker print, but no Japan. Finally, Starzinger sports CLOVER and MADE IN Korea on his shoulder blades and no printing on his sticker back:
The fists for Starzy hold a subtle difference as well. The Popy and ES fists can be attached two ways (90 degree rotation at the wrist), but Starzy's attach only one way.
Lastly, there's the box, the coup de gras for any fine KO. First, the goofy name that vaguely resembles something that relates to the actual toy. And the rough english warning "age 5 and up". On the side is a surprise, a pic that actually matches the toy inside(some modern companies can't get this one down)!!!!!
And here's the back, like the name on the front, just odd. I can only speculate that this is what you'd draw if you had the toy in front of you but hadn't actually seen the show or manga. It's great and pure KO crackiness!
Starzinger Z is just great an all around great knock-off.
Your eyes do not deceive you, friends. That is a copy of the classic Popy/Shogun Warriors UFO Grandizer. More than a dozen years ago, when I started collecting Japanese die-cast, I thought I'd never be able to find a Popy Dx Grandy with Spazer. I searched for years before finding a boxed Euro Shogun version and then a Popy Grandizer base(no arms, harkens). Now, to my amazement, I stumbled on a cheaper version that in some ways betters them both.
(all shots:L-R Popy, Euro Shogun, K.O.)
The mold is exactly the same where it counts, identical die-cast content and no funky head warps or half-assed assembly. Unlike the E.S. version, the head tilts cleanly and smoothly front-to-back. The paint is naturally sharper overall, and so are the head spikes (ouch!)
The differences are there, as can only be expected from a KO. The paint on the legs and biceps varies from Royal Blue (popy) to Navy(ES) to Black(KO). Starzinger also sports some redchrome stickers at his knees. Grendy's codpiece also morphs throughout all three versions. Popy's is gold with aqua trim, ES has all gold, and the KO has yellow, to match his harkens and firing pins. The waist sticker for the Popy and the ES feature Kanji, Starzinger boasts his name in English! The harkens have three variations, with the yellow belonging to the KO:
The back is another indicator to which version you might have. The Popy features Popy markings and Japan on his butt:
Th ES has the Popy and identical sticker print, but no Japan. Finally, Starzinger sports CLOVER and MADE IN Korea on his shoulder blades and no printing on his sticker back:
The fists for Starzy hold a subtle difference as well. The Popy and ES fists can be attached two ways (90 degree rotation at the wrist), but Starzy's attach only one way.
Lastly, there's the box, the coup de gras for any fine KO. First, the goofy name that vaguely resembles something that relates to the actual toy. And the rough english warning "age 5 and up". On the side is a surprise, a pic that actually matches the toy inside(some modern companies can't get this one down)!!!!!
And here's the back, like the name on the front, just odd. I can only speculate that this is what you'd draw if you had the toy in front of you but hadn't actually seen the show or manga. It's great and pure KO crackiness!
Starzinger Z is just great an all around great knock-off.
Never had the desire to pick one up, but for my own edification what will one of these cost me nowadays?