Post by KingboyD on Oct 10, 2008 9:24:24 GMT -5
Vintage collectors often refer to the terms "soul" and "funk" when discussing vintage toys. They're kinda hard to describe to non-vintage collectors. I just picked up the epitomy of funk, a toy I have long coveted. No one can deny the funk in this one.
Goranger was the very first Sentai show. Although giant robots had not yet been introduced into sentai shows, the (literally) colorful characters had a cool collection of vehicles, from their motorcycles to their larger transports.
The original large transport was the Variburen. It featured a flaming paint job, propellor (helicoptor) blades under the vehicle, three cockpit bubbles, and what I assume was a birdlike face that opened up to allow the motorcycles to enter the transport.
It was later replaced with the Varidorin. The Varidorin also included propellor blades, claws, and an opening beak. The Varitank (a tank with extending claws) rode down a ramp from the beak.
Later in the show, they introduced the craziest contraption yet - the Varikikyun. It was a large hot air balloon with a propellor below the base and two extending arms. One of the arms ended in a claw, while the other ended in some sort of bird head. Truly wacky and "funky" to the core.
Popy made a great rendition of this craft (in addition to the others, including the motorcycles). I finally managed to snag a nice specimen. The toy includes adjustable arms that fire the claw/birdhead, but can also fire missiles. The propellor at the base can spin, and some nice detailing can also be seen under the craft. The shaft of the vehicle features a beautiful tin litho. A spinning wheel is mounted at the front of the vehicle (pehaps to mesmerize opponents?). Pushing a button extends a wheel at the top, from which this toy can be made to glide along a string. If this sounds like a winner, that's because it is. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.
Introducing the Funkmaster Varikikyun:
Here's my entire collection of Goranger toys. I don't own the characters or the motorcycles. The Varidorin and the Varitank were released under the Shogun Warriors line. The Japanese versions of these include chrome in the place of much of the yellow plastic, and the Varidorin's beak opens.
Unifive also released a large scale Varidorin that rocks.
Goranger was the very first Sentai show. Although giant robots had not yet been introduced into sentai shows, the (literally) colorful characters had a cool collection of vehicles, from their motorcycles to their larger transports.
The original large transport was the Variburen. It featured a flaming paint job, propellor (helicoptor) blades under the vehicle, three cockpit bubbles, and what I assume was a birdlike face that opened up to allow the motorcycles to enter the transport.
It was later replaced with the Varidorin. The Varidorin also included propellor blades, claws, and an opening beak. The Varitank (a tank with extending claws) rode down a ramp from the beak.
Later in the show, they introduced the craziest contraption yet - the Varikikyun. It was a large hot air balloon with a propellor below the base and two extending arms. One of the arms ended in a claw, while the other ended in some sort of bird head. Truly wacky and "funky" to the core.
Popy made a great rendition of this craft (in addition to the others, including the motorcycles). I finally managed to snag a nice specimen. The toy includes adjustable arms that fire the claw/birdhead, but can also fire missiles. The propellor at the base can spin, and some nice detailing can also be seen under the craft. The shaft of the vehicle features a beautiful tin litho. A spinning wheel is mounted at the front of the vehicle (pehaps to mesmerize opponents?). Pushing a button extends a wheel at the top, from which this toy can be made to glide along a string. If this sounds like a winner, that's because it is. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.
Introducing the Funkmaster Varikikyun:
Here's my entire collection of Goranger toys. I don't own the characters or the motorcycles. The Varidorin and the Varitank were released under the Shogun Warriors line. The Japanese versions of these include chrome in the place of much of the yellow plastic, and the Varidorin's beak opens.
Unifive also released a large scale Varidorin that rocks.
