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Post by KingboyD on Apr 9, 2010 7:47:14 GMT -5
After reading the negative thoughts about the L-Gaim, I was wondering what were some of the worst vintage robot toys made? I always hear a lot of negative things about the Govarians. What else tops the list of crap vintage bots?
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Post by magengar on Apr 9, 2010 9:44:10 GMT -5
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Post by xiombarg on Apr 9, 2010 10:45:08 GMT -5
I know this nears blasphemy, but I don't like the Bullmark Machine Blaster robots because of their lack of detail and minimal moving parts. It all goes back to when I was a kid of course when I got my first three robots for Christmas which were the Shogun Warriors Mazinger, Reideen and the Bullmark Robo Kress. He was my least favorite of these, to the point where I never played with him.
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Post by sketcher on Apr 9, 2010 13:05:31 GMT -5
Which Bullmark Kress?
Also, Myles, are we talking about the worst in regard to aesthetic or engineering?
Anyway, I can't really judge anymore. Even the toys that I did not care for that much back in the day have become special to me. I used to hate the Jumbo Shogun Godzilla, but that sucker has grown to have a special place in my heart.
As far as diecast, I would have said Robocon toys when I was young, but they too have grown into nostalgic reminders of that simpler time.
I love them all!
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Post by magengar on Apr 9, 2010 13:31:46 GMT -5
It's hard to declare vint specimens as "worst" when they cast fond memories of our youth. But, yeah, there are some that may have been of poor quality or just plain badly made... ...many of us were just too young and excited to look for those traits back then. The jumbo Godzilla RULEZ, Hands Down. Chics just luv that tongue! ;D zozo-Magengar .... I used to hate the Jumbo Shogun Godzilla, but that sucker has grown to have a special place in my heart... |
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Post by KingboyD on Apr 9, 2010 13:43:50 GMT -5
Also, Myles, are we talking about the worst in regard to aesthetic or engineering? I was really thinking in terms of engineering and quality. I know that toys made with Popy's infamous blue plastic (Gardian, Albegas, Daimovick, etc.) all have fragility issues now, but back then I assume that the toys were well made and did not suffer from the same issues that age has caused now. If we're talking in terms of aesthetics, that's certainly wide-ranging per personal opinion. But I was just trying to get a list of items that perhaps vintage collectors should avoid, especially in light of the high prices of these. But I guess the blue plastic issue is yet another category - toys that don't hold up over time and as such, care should be taken when shopping for these. The Kemler's another one in this category. But if we're talking about quality, I remember the first time I saw that plastic transparent Gardian with the paper insert. At that time, everyone was bashing it, saying it was such a cheap POS that cut way too many corners. More recently, everyone was praising it. Opinions change over time. What toys do you think you've seen more often broken than not? Ans what toys seem to be missing specific parts more often than not? |
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Post by magengar on Apr 9, 2010 14:09:13 GMT -5
IMO: Micronauts, and any rocket-firing robots (such as Jumbos,
and walking/turning-at-the-waist tin robots) were prone to have
their parts lost... namely, the rockets and missiles.
Almost two years after gettin it for christmas, my jumbo Grt Maz
lost most of its rockets to kids stealing them or gettin chewed up
by the family dog.
Vintage windup toys had a rough life through so much wear-n-tear
gettin over-wound to a point that either the springs or the sprockets
would strip and break.
As for the Guardian: every time I see one (and it's smaller inner figures)
that had been played with, it's always lost its arms from gettin busted
at them funny elbows.
How about vintage diecast toys having suffered oxidation over time,
from getting wet, or just sitting in a humid evironment too long?
Man, that was an ugly mess. ;D
zozo-magengar
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Post by xiombarg on Apr 9, 2010 14:15:53 GMT -5
Which Bullmark Kress? Also, Myles, are we talking about the worst in regard to aesthetic or engineering? Anyway, I can't really judge anymore. Even the toys that I did not care for that much back in the day have become special to me. I used to hate the Jumbo Shogun Godzilla, but that sucker has grown to have a special place in my heart. As far as diecast, I would have said Robocon toys when I was young, but they too have grown into nostalgic reminders of that simpler time. I love them all! The one with the red fists. I think it's the junior(?), not the DX. Quality wise it was fine, but where the body was basically one solid piece without little bits of different whatnot, it just didn't work for me for some reason. The spinning thing was cool, but as a kid that wasn't my kind of thing in action figures either. I was more into shooting fists because they made more sense to me than a giant propeller. When it comes to quality, really all vintage toys seem fairly heavy duty. I think long term durability was the standard for toys back then. The onset of American Transformers seemed to move down the durability scale a bit, but I don't know how the Hasbro stuff compares to their Japanese origins. |
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Post by jeromy on Apr 9, 2010 15:58:53 GMT -5
This is very interesting. A buddy of mine has completely grown away from toys (he was never a true collector but did have some Transformers and GoBots) because he says they do not live up to the memories of the toys themselves. He loved Blitzwing as a kid but now looks at that wonderful old toy and it seems sad to him. Almost like the romantic allure has faded. He has even said they were poorly made toys (he does look at my Chogokin and admit they were very well made toys). Some of the Transformers from 1987 were pretty bad. I don't know if I can think of a worst vintage toy but in my experiences there are some vintage toys that I think were poorly made. I have had nothing but problems every time I buy an old Takatoku Orguss toy. There was one that I couldn't even get out of the box without one of the arms snapping. They do look beautiful but I can't even pick them up anymore.I have heard people speak negatively of the old Tomy Ideon toys. The only one I own is the 6'' Diecast and he seems fine to me.
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Post by repairtechjon on Apr 9, 2010 21:30:02 GMT -5
Speaking of Robo Kress, the Bullmark big one is crazy expensive, and beautiful. But the little spinner launching one? Yeah, way simple, and lacking.
Most Machine Blaster toys people think of as worst, are the TAKEMI ones. Those are decent sized, and heavy, and have the best packaging, but man, those have some issues. Firing fist mechanism is particulary silly, and frustrating, and plastic molding, well, not so great.
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Post by jwm on Apr 9, 2010 21:55:37 GMT -5
The truth of it is- most of the Bullmark line is not particularly well engineered. The spinners don't spin well, the missiles and fists jam or spring out on their own as often as they work properly. The parts just sort of fit. (I'm not divulging anything new here. I said as much in my blog series on the toy collection) Most of the pieces are a throwback to late nineteenth/ early twentieth century toy making. They are primitive in comparison to their Popy contemporaries. Nonetheless, they have personality, charm, and a sort of charisma that just grows on you. If you want precision, buy an Acura or a Lexus. Bullmark is pure funkadelicism in zinc.
JWM
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Post by cholocarwash on Apr 10, 2010 0:15:46 GMT -5
Gobots. i cant beleive Popy even put their name on those.
Another toy line that i really hate were the Rock Lords. Not because of quality control, but just because they sucked.
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Post by xiombarg on Apr 10, 2010 0:22:26 GMT -5
The truth of it is- most of the Bullmark line is not particularly well engineered. The spinners don't spin well, the missiles and fists jam or spring out on their own as often as they work properly. The parts just sort of fit. (I'm not divulging anything new here. I said as much in my blog series on the toy collection) Most of the pieces are a throwback to late nineteenth/ early twentieth century toy making. They are primitive in comparison to their Popy contemporaries. Nonetheless, they have personality, charm, and a sort of charisma that just grows on you. If you want precision, buy an Acura or a Lexus. Bullmark is pure funkadelicism in zinc. JWM Now that you mention it Bullmark figures do seem a lot like what I've seen of early 20th century metal toys. Sorta thick, no intricate details, the seams aren't really tight or sometimes rough. From a collectible toy point of view it is kind of cool, and maybe the last of that old world sort of build before plastic and precise engineering completely took over. I can just imagine some old dude smoking a cigar and sweating over a smelting block as he pours hot lead into robot moulds at the Bullmark factory.  |
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Post by sketcher on Apr 10, 2010 1:07:38 GMT -5
Bullmark = Best toys on the shelf!
As for the Takemi Machine Blaster toys, I would tend to agree about fit and finish. The plastic on these is misaligned on most examples of the toys, even the legs can be kinda tweaked on some you will see. Still great toys. The Marushin Machine Blaster toys share the fault of the Bullmark smaller Kress and Palder, in that they are basically single chunks of diecast with articulation only in the arms, but these toys are still awesome, with great paint applications, and the fists really fly when you pull those triggers!
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Post by KingboyD on Apr 10, 2010 8:05:07 GMT -5
Jeromy, I had forgotten about the Orguss toys. I hadn't seen a lot of damaged Orgroids, but I have seen tons of the other vehicles damaged, like the M-Lovers, Drifand Dee, and Ishkicks/Ishforns. I think these are more often seen damaged than intact.
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Post by Erik Sjoen on Apr 10, 2010 9:00:00 GMT -5
Wow, how confusing this thread is.. OK. xiombarg? was originally either talking about the TAKEMI machine blasters OR the BULLMARK mid sized Mekanda Robo. Both the "mid sized" and the "young" (often referred to as Jr.) have red fists. More likely to be the mid sized as it was massively imported bay Marukai trading and sold on both coasts. Here is a review I wrote on the young and you can compare others in the Bullmark datafiles: toyboxdx.com/brog/?p=938 |
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Post by Erik Sjoen on Apr 10, 2010 9:07:47 GMT -5
Some of the most beautiful pieces are poorly engineered unfortunately.. As far as "teh suck" I would go with Myles on the "DX" , and I use the term loosely, Poem Kyogokin DX LG Type (ST) Govarian.  |
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Post by xiombarg on Apr 10, 2010 10:34:18 GMT -5
Wow, how confusing this thread is.. OK. xiombarg? was originally either talking about the TAKEMI machine blasters OR the BULLMARK mid sized Mekanda Robo. Both the "mid sized" and the "young" (often referred to as Jr.) have red fists. More likely to be the mid sized as it was massively imported bay Marukai trading and sold on both coasts. Here is a review I wrote on the young and you can compare others in the Bullmark datafiles: toyboxdx.com/brog/?p=938 It wasn't Mekanda. I pulled this pic from the TBDX datafiles. It was this version of the Bullmark Robo Kress which I believe is referred to as the Jr. The fists were this kind of an orange-ish red.  |
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Post by Erik Sjoen on Apr 10, 2010 12:46:04 GMT -5
MY BAD!! When you say Bullmark Robo Kress my mind goes to the super duper rare one. I totally forgot about these. Yeah, they suck. I'd be a pissed off kid as well..
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Post by sketcher on Apr 11, 2010 17:09:54 GMT -5
The RoboKress xiombarg posted above also comes in a red shoulder/blue fists combination. There may be other variations.   |
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