Dancouga

[bbechtold]

Stability has never been a problem with my Dancouga. I have it on the top shelf of a display case and it has NEVER fallen or tipped over. I wish I could say the same thing for those topsy-turvy Evangelions....

I still say that skipping out on Dan is a big mistake. By far the most popular SoC I have on display by house visitor is the Dan. (With the possible exception of Optimus Prime, since most people remember him fondly.)

I must also say that I never heard of Dancouga before buying him. Hell, I never heard of any of the SoC robots before a year or so ago....except maybe Mazinger...but I really knew nothing at all about Mazinger but the name. Getter robo, who the hell is that? Grendizer? Combattler? Boss Borot? I never knew any of these, and still pretty much know nothing about their story lines. But I LOVE all the figures. So, I don't think you need to know the story to love the figures.

Basicly I love all robots as long as they have a cool menacing presence. And I even like some of the goofy ones as well- like Boss Borot. I enjoy debating the merits of each toy as well. I argues that Dan was cooler than Zanbot before, but I still love my Zambot. They all rule!

Oh well, I think I'm rambling because Im tired.

G'night.

Bill

[ronin777]

as far as stability of posing I give more points to Dancouga vs Optimus Prime 20th. sometimes it feels like he's going to fall over, Danny boy on the other hand stands like a rock, very stable.

[ptjoe]

I have a few of the SOCs, and Dancouga is a worthy addition. I'm very impressed with the engineering of the multiple transformations. They may not all be complex, but the fact that there are several transformations and they combine into a well proportioned robot is pretty awesome.

The head attachment is not as nice as I would like, but each SOC has some issues.

I like the idea of having a "new" super robot in the mix too. The colors and look are very different than the Go Nagai ones.

I think the price is justified by the engineering involved, and not the metal content.

It's your $$$, so do what makes you happy. I would recommend looking/playing with one before you decide to buy. Just my $0.02

[jwm]

I have the same problem with the chrome finish on the Dancouga sword. It polishes up ok- I use a soft cloth and spray cleaner that came with my glasses. But the chrome on the GX 22 Eva is the same way. It's one area of QC that needs attention.
JWM

[Chen]

I can see both points to this argument, to new fans like bbechtold all these Super Robots is new and exciting and he wouldn't think twice about buying any SOC out there (especially Dancouga who is the biggest SOC). As for guys like Josh B who's job is it to rate and dissect the toy for it's good and bad points, he can be a little more objective. The bottom line is there are no perfect toys no matter if you paid $10.00 or $10,000, and everyone has their own unique perspective on certain figures, yet all are correct.

[Omni Existence]

ptjoe said:

I would recommend looking/playing with one before you decide to buy. Just my $0.02

My point exactly.

I stayed away from getting the Dan becuse I was able to handle and play with two GX-13's and found similar problems on both, the worst of which is, one of the Dan's has two left hands.

Reading toy reviews by someone who actually has the fool thing does carry some weight, as it's the next best thing to finding the actual toy and playing with it, to help you decide whether you're going to plop some serious $$$ for it or not.

[rx79msg]

I apperciate the reveiws also.It makes it easier to put your hard earned money into these SOCS. ;D

[bbechtold]

Hell, I am gonna buy all the SoC's no matter what. But I love to read anything on these pieces of art, so keep the reviews coming! Ever sice I got my first SoC, I knew I was gonna get 'em all. (Isn't that the Pokemon theme?)

Bill

[rx79msg]

I think it would have been cool if dancouga came with a stand like most of the other SOCS.

[JoshB]

bbechtold, I think you touched on something there.

One you mentioned that all the SOC's are a work of art. I think that is one aspect of them, they are beautiful. Dancouga IS beautiful. So are mcfarlane statues, but as toys I think they suck.

Two - you mentioned that you are going to get them all no matter what. When you have as many toys as I do, you can no longer collect EVERY toy from each line you collect. You have to start analyzing WHY you want each toy on its own merits, not just because you have the other 1-12. You set a certain standard for what you want to spend money on, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices.

This has been my personal experience. If you are new, or are specalizing on SOC's, I suppose you would feel differently. I just done like buying thngs because Bandai says I should. I dont buy Gundam for that same reason - I just cant keep up.

Good luck on your quest to get them all.

Josh

[bbechtold]

Well, I probably have 500+ robots in the collection now, so I agree space is getting a tad tight. And like you I am beginning to make choices, I no longer collect Gundam action figures, their quaility (or lack of) does not merit shelf space. Yet, I believe all the SoC belong, and I will make space if I need to. ;D

And yes, I collect most of my robots as art. I no longer stage massive robot wars or whatever like I did 20 years ago. All I care is that the robot poses well (hopefully in many different ways), and that it looks great on a shelf. Other than that, I could care less on what brand, series it comes from, or whatever. I collect any robot that fits the above critera.

I don't look down on people who collect Gundam action figures, as I did for years. But like you I am making choices.

Bill

[ronin777]

I don't have that many in my robot army but I agree. Besides the shelf space issue there is the wallet damage to consider. I for one try to concentrate on the SOC line, Macross (preferably the Yamato 1/48's), Takara Transformers (although I have the hasbro 20th anniv. Prime & I'm getting my binaltechs soon) and Aoshima's robots. Of course if a good diecast bot comes along and merits the shelf space, I'd buy him too. You try to collect them all and you end up going insane! So this is why I try to collect some, not all the lines.

[ronin777]

...........and of course I think Dancouga merits the shelf space............I have him too. :-)

[Gransazer]

Our hobby is all about making choices. Like many, I tried to "catch 'em all", but couldn't keep pace with the new releases. Unless one is incredibly wealthy, I don't see how anyone can keep up these days. So we pick and choose which pieces merit inclusion in our collections. Not necessarily a bad thing, particularly in terms of overall collection quality. I'm sure we've all bought figures we didn't like just because it was part of a series. After time, these pieces tend to stick out like sore thumbs (see the Toys You Regret Buying thread ). Judging each piece on its own merits is a good way of trimming the fat from our collections.

Or at least that's what I keep telling myself...

[jwm]

I know it's kind of late in the thread, but Gransazer bring up an interesting point : Pokemon Syndrome the 'gotta' catch 'em all ' disorder -another affliction dogging the heels of toy collectors. {see also misb disorder-otherwise known as Lenny Baxter Syndrome} I tried to get all the 5 1/2 inch Gundam Wing figures a few years back. I kept up until they came out with Battle Scarred, and then I just threw in the towel. I was buying the things just because they were there. But back to Zoobot- I bought Dancouga a year ago. I was not a Dancouga fan, and I can't say the pictures I had seen of the toy had me hooked, either. I thought it was just OK, but I still bought it. I got it pretty much on the basis of the buzz it was getting here. I remember that my initial reaction to the toy was disappointment. It seemed more like a Transformer than an old style Super-Robot (no offense meant to TF fans). But I figured out how to get it balanced OK, and I have come to appreciate the toy for what it is. All in all I give it a "B". Nonetheless, Dancouga is a cool beast to mess with. And if you haven't seen Dancouga in action check out:
www.robot-japan.com/pages/Eva-01/doesn%27t%20play%20well1.htm
New episodes coming...
JWM

[ronin777]

Sounds good to me!

[dogmeatsausage]

Hello everyone I'm new here. I was reading the review of Dancouga and I thought most of the review was really good even though I totally disagree with the final decision. My Dancouga does have the flaw of the chipped paint on the feet. If anyone is really good at matching toy paints please let me know what you would recommend for the feet if you have the figure.
The head fits fine if you don't use the attachment (neck).

There were a few points that I don't understand. I totally understand about Mcfarlane toys point because I hate unposeable statues. But saying you can't play with Dancouga to me didn't make sense and I honestly would like clarification if you read this.

The figure is no less "playable" than any transformer or transforming SOC. When you make a die-cast fully transformable figure as complex as Dan obviously your not going to be able to move him around as quickly or as extreme as other figures with far less weight but he is still far more poseable than the other figures.
Also I didn't think the feet needn't more metal just to have more metal they are already pretty heavy, but they did need to have some tire tread. I dont have zambot yet but Dan's the only gestalt I believ that can bend his knees.

I also heard a lot of people complaining about the price, I'm not sure where people are buying, but I payed around $130 for Combattler V and I bought Dan for $160-170 so I thought it was very reasonabley priced.

[Omni Existence]

dogmeatsausage said:

Hello everyone I'm new here. I was reading the review of Dancouga and I thought most of the review was really good even though I totally disagree with the final decision. My Dancouga does have the flaw of the chipped paint on the feet. If anyone is really good at matching toy paints please let me know what you would recommend for the feet if you have the figure.

If there's a shop specializing in paint, near your area, you can go there, and have them get the right color or color mix for you.

[dogmeatsausage]

thanks, i found a hobby shop that sells car and tank models so maybe they can do it.

[jwm]

dogmeatsausage:
Welcome to Robot-Japan.

At the risk of stirring up a little dust, I will raise this question (to everyone). I have read several comments about Dancouga, Zambot, and Combattler not being "playable" enough. Playable enough for what? Scooting across the floor, and crashing into Lego buildings? Death drops from the highest shelf? Bash and smash wars with other toys? Storming sand castles at the beach? That's OK if you're in grade school, and messing with plastic action figures, but is anyone really spending upwards of two hundred bucks a pop on Soul of Chogokin issues to do this kind of stuff?
JWM