Who can forget these awesome missile-launching plastic giants!? Shogun Warriors were a line of toys, made by Mattel during the late 1970s that consisted of a series of imported Japanese robots all based on then-popular giant robot anime shows. They were manufactured in a number of sizes, the most common the 24 inch plastic versions and the 3.5 inch diecast metal versions. My brother and I loved Mazinga and his little rocket-ship brain was spotted all over our house.
The most attractive features on these toys were the spring loaded launcher weapons such as missiles, star shuriken, and battleaxes. Some robots were able to launch their fists. The diecast versions of these toys also had the ability to transform. Grandizer, for instance, was changeable into a saucerlike spaceship. But unlike the 80s Transformers, Shogun Warriors transformations were based on dissasembly and reassembly into a new mode.
Like certain other toy lines of the 70s, the Shogun Warriors came under pressure due to safety concerns regarding their spring loaded weapons. Mattel was hit hardest because quite frankly, they were the masters of the spring-loaded weapon! Toy manufacturers were facing new regulations due to reported child injuries as a result of playing with these toys. Consequently, many toy companies were forced to remodel existing toylines with child safe variations (such as spring loaded "action" missiles that would remain attached to the toy). For this reason, as well as decreasing sales, the Shogun Warriors line disappeared by 1980.
Quick Links:
24" Jumbo Machinders
5" Die-Cast Shogun Warriors
6" Two-in-One Shogun Warriors
3" Collectors Series Vehicles Did You Know?
My personal favorite of the line are the 24" Shogun Warriors (called Jumbo Machinders in Japan). These bad boys look awesome on display but apart from that, they are a blast to play with. Launching missiles and flying fists - think of the choking hazards! There were 7 released in the United States and quite a few variants over-seas as well.
The 24" line included: Mazinga, Gaiking, Daimos, Dragun and Raydeen as well as Godzilla and Rodan.
Quick Links:
Mazinga Gaiking Daimos
Dragun Raydeen
Ah yes, the crown jewel. Mazinga is by far the most popular of the Jumbo Machinders. He is action packed with two swords, a boat-load of missles that shoot from his launching hand and a launching fist. Mazinga was a comic book hero in Japan prior to Mattel's creation in this toy line and to this day, Japanese toy companies crank out small and large versions of Mazinga to be sold all over the world. There are two versions of Mazinga: the first version with detachable brain ship and pointed chest emblem (which can poke your eye out) and the second version which does not have the deatchable brainship and a more safe chest logo (see bottom photo).
Version 2
Although he has never been one of my favorite, Gaiking is a highly loved Shogun Warrior and is probably the second most popular of the 24" Jumbo Machinder line. For some reason, the giant face on his chest just bugs me. He has two shooting missiles (the eyes) that are launched from his chest by a trigger in back as well as a launching right forearm. Otherwise, pretty basic.
Daimos is probably the hardest U.S. released Shogun Warrior to find. He was the last of the Big 5 to hit the market and quite frankly, he wasnt very popular. He features a shooting fist and two big puffy "child-safe" rockets on his calves. Boring! Bring back the little choking hazards!
When it comes to gadgetry, no Shogun beats Dragun! That big contraption on his right wrist is a shuriken launcher! That's right, you load up the little stars in it and they launch! Totally awesome. But wait! There's more! Dragun also launches axes from his left arm! Granted they are tiny and out of scale, and they are often mistaken for He-Man axes, but they really do launch.
Taken straight from the pages of Japanese robot comics comes Raydeen! Raydeen featured a launching left forearm and 5 spring-loaded launching little planes that fly out from his chest. An awesome toy.
If I were to rank my all-time favorite toys, Godzilla would be in the Top 10 for sure. He is huge, has a firing fist, a lever-operated tongue and rolls! Who can beat that!? The yellow toes are frequently broken off and the tail detaches easily, so keep your eyes out for those parts when you are looking to pick one up.
Ok, Rodan just rocks. This photo shows him without his horns attached (see box photo). His back has holes for inserting your fingers and you can make his wings flap and jaw chomp. Rubber bands do the trick. Basically, he is just a kick-ass puppet with a 3 foot wingspan! He was not sold as a Shogun Warrior but is part of the Mattel Toho trademarked line.
Mattel also released a series of four smaller die-cast Shogun Warriors with lots of awesome features and shooting parts. Different versions of the four robots were released. Later versions have less functionality in the toy as features were dropped. Be careful of which version you buy because the 2nd and 3rd versions are not as valuable.
The 5" line included Great Mazinga, Raider, Dragun and Poseidon.
The Two-in-Ones were some of the first transforming robots to be mass marketed in the US. Although the transformations and alternate modes were lacking, at best, these could be considered the predecessors that paved the way for the later Transformers and Gobots.
The main release 2-in-1 Shoguns included: Raydeen, Gaiking, Danguard, Daimos and Voltes-V.
Late in the Shogun Warriors toy line life, Mattel cracked out 3" "Collector's Series" Shogun Warriors. These are very basic and have no real "features" which were the hallmark of the Shogun Warriors line.
Included in the initial release in this line were: Combatra, Great Mazinga, Dragun, Grandizer, Gaiking and Poseidon (shown below). The second release added Dangard, Leopaldon, Voltes V and 17, and re-released the initial six with different boxes and box back graphics. Many of these figures were later released as Mini-Godaikins (there is virtually no difference in the actual figures (GoDaikins have "Taiwan" in stead of "Japan" embossed on them an also are covered with metallic decals) and due to this confusion, prices on loose figures vary tremendously).
Combattra, Leopoldan and Poseidon
"17", Grandizer and Gaiking
Mattel unleashed a number of nutty vehicles on the world, in part inspired by Mego's Micronauts line. Many of these are re-released of Japanese-sold toys marketed by Toho. Most were from television shows in Japan called Kyodain and GoRanger. I dont recall every having any of these (or even seeing them when I was a kid) but they are quite common now. They feature many dangerous choking hazards! There are a few awesome ones like the super rare (and valuable) Kargosaur!
Among the variations of the Mattel Shogun Warriors is a super cool Raydeen equipped with a yellow "bow" in place of the two-handed axe. This version was sold in Europe only but is a pretty interesting variation.
Have a question about a toy you have or one you are looking for? Send me an e-mail!
