Thursday 30 June 2016

Anime REVIEW: Space Patrol Luluco

Space Patrol Luluco

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Hiroyuki Imaishi is currently one of the hottest names on the anime scene. From the likes of Gurren Lagann and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt to the more recent Kill la Kill, the former Gainax member and Trigger co-founder has made a name for himself with his own unique brand of fast-paced craziness. His latest work Space Patrol Luluco continues that trend in miniature form, with series comprised of 13 episodes approximately 10 minutes each in length - perfect for the director/writer to go nuts. Imaishi's series are always best described as a wild ride, and this could be the wildest one yet.

Tuesday 28 June 2016

Toybox REVIEW: Megahouse G.E.M. Series Misty (Kasumi) & Togepi (Togepy) & Psyduck (Koduck)


Megahouse's journey through the Pokémon anime series continues with the release of their G.E.M. series Misty (Kasumi) figure! The Cerulean City Gym leader appeared in the very first episode and is currently Ash's longest-running female travel companion, having travelled with Ash over three different regions for a total of five seasons. Also packaged with her are Togepi (Togepy) and Psyduck (Koduck) - two of her most iconic Pokémon that she carried with her on her journey.

Monday 27 June 2016

Toybox REVIEW: Megahouse G.E.M. Series Ash (Satoshi) & Pikachu & Charmander (Hitokage)


The G.E.M. Series line must be making a lot of collectors’ childhoods feel pretty satisfied right now. Not content with just pumping out the cast of the original Digimon Adventure series, the static figure line from Megahouse is also currently working its way through the original cast of the long-running Pokémon anime. After kicking things off over the last few months with Jessie and James from Team Rocket, Megahouse have now turned their attention towards the protagonists with two simultaneous releases in June 2016. First up is Satoshi – better known to Western fans as Ash Ketchum, with both Pikachu and Charmander (Hitokage) in tow.

Sunday 26 June 2016

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Specter


Kamen Rider Ghost's entry into the S.H. Figuarts line continues with the release of the show's secondary Rider - Makoto Fukami aka Kamen Rider Specter! Although Specter initially fights against his childhood friend Takeru Tenkuji is how own quest to gather the 15 Heroic Eyecons and restore his sister Kanon's body, he eventually joins with Ghost against the fight against the Ganma forces. Kamen Rider Specter is the second figure from the series to be released in the line, following on from Kamen Rider Ghost Ore Damashii's release the previous month.

Thursday 23 June 2016

5 Tokusatsu Shows Worth Watching (That Aren't Kamen Rider or Super Sentai)


Right now we're living in a pretty good time for English-subtitled tokusatsu. The internet and the hard work of fansubbers across the world have made the latest shows available mere days/hours after their release, Crunchyroll is adding various Ultraman series to its wide back catalogue of shows and Shout! Factory are even licensing Super Sentai series in America. That said, there's a wide history of tokusatsu out there and many fans might find venturing outside the confines of Toei's big two - Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, a bit out of their comfort zone.

So without further ado here are five accessible tokusatsu shows that are not only definitely worth your time, but aren't part of either Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, the Ultra Series or even Garo. No real favouritism was shown during the creation of this list, and there are plenty of other ones also available for fans looking to try something a bit different.

Wednesday 22 June 2016

Toybox REVIEW: Kamen Rider Ghost DX Yurusen


Over the past year Kamen Rider Ghost has proven itself to be a rather divisive series, spawning considerable debate about everything from characters and story to gimmicks and merchandising. One such facet is of course Yurusen - the small ghost that assists Takeru Tenkuji on his journey and acts as the show's unofficial mascot. Some might see Yurusen's childish and often unhelpful nature as one of the more memorable aspects of the show, while others might not be so fond of a floating hand puppet whose plot significance is ultimately questionable. However Bandai clearly have faith in the creation, with the release of a 1:1 scale DX Yurusen toy as a Premium Bandai exclusive. The full name of this toy is the "Chat Familiar DX Yurusen" (Oshaberi Tsukaima DX Yurusen), and just as this name suggests it features a number of sounds and phrases provided by voice actress Aoi Yuuki (of Madoka Magica and Symphogear fame).

However what makes this toy truly special to collectors is that it was limited to only 6000 units - something that will likely make it a sought out item among Kamen Rider Ghost fans.

Monday 20 June 2016

Toybox REVIEW: Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger Minipla Zyuoh Wild


When it comes to milking toku fans of every penny they have, you can’t be a good old fashioned animal-themed Super Sentai series. Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger showed that this theme is perfect for producing a menagerie of different animals for a variety of mecha combos, and it looks like current series Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger is going to follow suit. The second combination to be introduced into the series is Zyuoh Wild, which combines Zyuoh Tiger and Elephant’s cube robots with Cube Gorilla – partner of Zyuoh Eagle’s second animal power Zyuoh Gorilla. The lower body parts are interchangeable with those of Zyuoh King, and along with Cube Giraffe and Mole these eight cubes can combine to form the mighty Wild Zyuoh King. Bandai’s second wave of Zyuohger minipla candy toys includes the three components of Zyuoh Wild – Gorilla, Tiger and Elephant as well as the second of the team’s auxiliary animals, Cube Mogura (Mole).

Friday 17 June 2016

FEATURED: Access All Areas Music Batman & Adventure Time Ukuleles


My Shiny Toy Robots may be a website dedicated to toys, toku, anime and of course robots, but every so often something particularly cool comes along that's a little bit different. This feature is one of those times, as UK music distributor Access All Areas gave us the opportunity to take a look at two pieces in their various comic/cartoon-inspired instrument line. These are the Batman Rooftops Ukulele as well as the Adventure Time Oookulele. Both instruments are officially licensed and real musical instruments, retailing for around £34.99 each.

Since I'm not much of ukulele player myself I've also teamed up with my partner in crime Bethanwi and her Youtube account for some additional video content, which can be found embedded just below.

Sunday 12 June 2016

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts First Order Stormtrooper Shield & Baton Set


If there was one thing that Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens proved, it's that Stormtroopers can be a force to be reckoned with. Gone were the cannon fodder troops of the Empire days who couldn't ever seem to shoot straight, replaced with the brainwashed army of the First Order - highly specialised and ready to take on any opponent. One Stormtrooper became particularly notorious when he managed to almost take down a lightsaber wielding Finn, but was ultimately defeated by a carefully timed blaster shot from Han Solo. The Star Wars fandom knows him by many names - TR8-0R, FN-2199, Nines, Riot Control Stormtrooper...however Bandai Tamashii Nations have simply opted for First Order Stormtrooper Shield & Baton Set when it comes to their S.H. Figuarts release. This figure is the sixth release in the line for The Force Awakens, and the first to be a Tamashii web exclusive.

Wednesday 8 June 2016

Movie REVIEW: Kamen Rider Drive Saga: Kamen Rider Chaser

Kamen Rider Drive Saga: Kamen Rider Chaser

With the success of both the Kamen Rider W Returns movies and the more recent Kamen Rider Gaim: Gaiden releases, Toei seem to have confirmed to both themselves that direct to DVD/Blu-ray V-cinema releases starring the shows' secondary and tertiary Riders are both popular and profitable. Just as current series Kamen Rider Ghost has jumped on this early with its The Legend of Hero Alain blu-ray bonus miniseries, previous show Kamen Rider Drive is refuses to stay down with a number of feature-length V-cinema entries. The first of these is Kamen Rider Drive Saga: Kamen Rider Chaser, naturally starring Chase - the prototype Roidmude whose appeared as both Proto-Drive and Mashin Chaser before joining Drive as Kamen Rider Chaser.

Sunday 5 June 2016

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts WarGreymon (Our War Game! Version)


As Digimon fans patiently wait for the next instalment of the 15th anniversary celebration movie series Digimon Adventure Tri, Bandai Tamashii Nations are tempting fans with another slice of digital monster nostalgia. Following on from the successful S.H. Figuarts Omegamon released at the beginning of 2016 comes a brand new WarGreymon figure, again based on the character's appearance in Digimon the Movie: Our War Game! (also known as Bokura no War Game or one third of the English language Digimon the Movie). A Tamashii Web exclusive release, this is in fact the third WarGreymon figure Bandai have released. The first two were released as part of the now-defunct D-Arts line, one as a mass-release figure and the other a web exclusive "Original Designer's Edition" repaint.