Toybox REVIEW: Shokugan Modeling Project GaoHunter

Release Date: January 2022

RRP: 5610 yen

While the line moves on to Gosei Sentai Dairanger and filling some of the other gaps it missed over the years, I'm slowly clearing my model kit backlog but continuing on with the Shokugan Modeling Project Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger releases. After impressing in 2021 with GaoKing and GaoMuscle releases, Bandai's premium mecha candy toy line continued to celebrate the 25th Super Sentai series in 2022 – releasing all of the mecha that appeared onscreen. The year kicked off with Shokugan Modeling Project GaoHunter – the line's second retail release for Gaoranger and the personal mecha of its sixth ranger, GaoSilver.

As a retail SMP release GaoHunter's components are separated into three individual boxes, which in turn are boxed up together in one "case" box. Said packaging is a fairly simplistic purple cardboard box, decked out with greyscale images of GaoHunter in its various modes as GaoSilver himself and the Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger logo. These are all stock images that also appear on the individual boxes as well, so this outer packaging isn't really offering anything unique (making it far more 'disposable' as such). The colour scheme however is rather fitting for both GaoSilver and GaoHunter, loosely mirroring those of GaoSilver's suit.

Then of course in true SMP style the main boxes have been done in the style of the original DX GaoHunter packaging from 2010, with one side of the box depicting its true form piloted by GaoSilver whilst the other features "GaoHunter Evil" – the dark version that appears whilst Shirogane/GaoSilver was possessed by the Duke Org Rouki. Alongside these main images are several smaller ones of the individual Power Animals, with all forms/combinations also highlighted on one side of the box. As mentioned the set is spread across three separate boxes – two containing parts for GaoLigator and one containing both GaoWolf and GaoHammerhead. Each box contains the necessary parts across a number of differently coloured runners, some individually painted parts, sticker sheet, instruction leaflet and a piece of soda-flavoured candy.

The first and largest Power Animal in this SMP GaoHunter set is GaoLigator, an alligator who is spread across two boxes. As a pretty sizeable model (over twice the size of any Power Animal released in the range prior to this) it's a really fun build – with lots of intricate well-detailed parts and plenty of pre-painted ones as well. Buyers looking to add a little more detail might want to consider painting the silver and gold parts prior to building, but even without that it'll still look great once finished. While the legs do have some articulation at both the feet and where they connect to the torso, the main feature here is definitely that head sculpt – not only does it have suitable jaw-snapping action, but the head can raise as well. On top of that, the tail can also pull out and bend for a bit more of an organic look.

GaoLigator may be the most substantial component of GaoHunter but its heart is definitely GaoWolf, being GaoSilver's totem Power Animal and thus the one his ranger form is based upon. The kit itself is a remould of GaoTiger, giving it a more canine appearance whilst retaining the same articulation and transformation. Said articulation consists of moveable legs and feet, a hinged jaw and a head that can lower as well as rotate. It's a nice little model and a great place to start with the GaoHunter set, however being almost entirely made up of grey and flat gold plastic needs to most substantial paintwork of the three to look its best. Not all of the detailing is moulded into the body so some of the stickers are required, however like most of the smaller Power Animals the number of stickers involved is relatively low to begin with.

Rounding off the Power Animals is GaoHammerhead, a purple remould of GaoShark which transforms it into a Hammerhead shark. The newly moulded head piece is particularly nice, featuring pre-painted silver and gold details. The rest of the body however is exactly the same as GaoShark's, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it's a great design that mixes organic and robotic elements really well. Articulation points include a moving jaw, moveable front fins and a hinged mid-section that allows the two halves to move separately – just like how a fish would swim.

Altogether it's a nice little set of Power Animals – one big brand-new mould and then two remoulds which, while offering less, still have enough unique charm to stand out from the original versions. The transformation and combination into GaoHunter mode is really straightforward to – with the articulation on GaoLigator laid out clearly enough that you can see how all the parts move without having to consult the instructions, whilst the two arm pieces are simple enough even if you haven't handled GaoKing and previously seen how the moulds work. Pulling the alligator head down to reveal GaoHunter's wolf-shaped head sculpt is particularly satisfying – one of those great "final step" moments that make Super Robot transformations so special.

One cool little thing about GaoHunter is that you're basically getting two versions of the robot in one. When it first appears in the show as "GaoHunter Evil" the combination features a wolf-shaped head sculpt. But once Rouki is defeated and GaoSilver regains control, the Org horn atop the mecha lowers and the jaw of the wolf pulls down to reveal a humanoid face, signalling the arrival of the "real" GaoHunter. Naturally both of these heads are built into the model kit, with the gimmick working just the same as it did on the show and DX toy. But that aside, what a great looking robot this is. The very first Sixth Ranger three-piece combination robot, although it may belong to GaoSilver the colour scheme is far more balanced – with there just as much green, black and blue on the body as well as silver and gold. Although not entirely symmetrical GaoHunter also feels much more balanced in design as well compared to GaoKing, likely thanks to GaoLigator making up both the body and the legs.

While the articulation is quite similar to that of Gaoking, the body and legs being a single component makes for a much more stable base as well as adding a little more into the mix as well. As far as the main body is concerned GaoHunter has; 

- Ball jointed head 

- Extending butterfly joint shoulders 

- Rotating shoulders 

- Swivel hinge hips and ankles 

- Double hinge knees Single hinge elbows 

- Waist, bicep, (left) hand and thigh swivels 

The leg guard pieces can also lift and rotate separately from the legs to maximise hip articulation. One key feature of GaoHunter not listed above however is the ability for the GaoLigator to raise a full 90 degrees, once again making the jaw articulation useable as well as freeing the waist movement for full use. This is a key feature on GaoHunter both in the show and on the DX toy, so of course the SMP version was going to be able to pull it off without a hitch. Even though the GaoLigator head needs to be raised a bit to use the waist joint, doing so does not completely break the look of the mecha and action poses look suitably dynamic. The inclusion of ankle tilts alone puts it a cut above GaoKing.

GaoHunter's arsenal includes the Ligator Blade (formed from the tails of GaoLigator and GaoHammerhead) and the Crescent Boomerang (GaoWolf's tail). When not in use, the Crescent Boomerang connects to the robot's chest (GaoLigator's forehead) while the Ligator Blade can be carried on its back – carefully perched on GaoLigator's front legs. The Crescent Boomerang is a fairly straightforward weapon but the way it can be removed from the combination to fit into GaoWolf's mouth is a good design feature as it gives the robot a different "formation" of sorts. The boomerang also has four small holes in it which the moulded teeth on GaoWolf fit into, allowing for a tight grip when wielded. By comparison the Ligator Blade is a far more substantial weapon, with GaoHammerhead's bladed tail acting as a hilt to the impressively sized GaoLigator tail piece. Given the size of the weapon there's no way GaoHammerhead's jaw could support its weight, so just like GaoShark an additional joint has been built into its mouth that the sword can slot into. Doing so requires removing the bottom half of the sword so that the handle can be pushed through the slot, but makes posing far more stable. It's also nice that both weapons are part of the animal bodies and have storage places on the robot, effectively leaving no unused parts lying around.

The straightforward arm-switching gimmick of the Gaoranger mecha also allows for a number of different combinations, such as "GaoHunter Evil Double Knuckle" or "GaoKing Another Arm" (both pictured above). These were two that appeared on the show itself, but of course the freedom is there to make up a variety of other combinations as well. Sadly as GaoHunter's torso and legs are one component it lacks the leg-swapping ability both GaoKing and GaoMuscle have, but even without it the interactivity between these mecha make it far more desirable to collect them all.

The Gaoranger mecha had already lived up to the line's high standard with its first two releases, but Shokugan Modeling Project GaoHunter manages to be even better yet again. While the limb components may be remoulds of parts previously seen with GaoKing, the size and detail of GaoLigator certainly make up for it – not that GaoWolf or GaoHammerhead don't look fantastic regardless. But while the individual Power Animals may be impressive it's the combination that really makes this kit a must have, providing fans with the best looking Gaoranger kit yet with wonderful articulation and gimmicks. Whether its going by Super Mini-Pla or Shokugan Modeling Project, this is the line that just keeps on delivering.