Customer Reviews

Super #1 Robot: Japanese Robot Toys, 1972-1982

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Finally, an English language book about the Japanese toy robot phenomenon that swept the world in the 70s! Awestruck by Shogun Warriors and Micronauts in those days, I always suspected there was much more to these mysterious visitors from Japan. As an adult, I have rediscovered my childhood robot friends and have been learning about them and even collecting them. If you are just starting on this path as well, this book will be like finding a long lost family album of Super Robot relatives that you never knew existed!

Matt Alt and Robert Duban's tight, capable writing allow the brief 22 pages of text to be informative and entertaining while leaving the rest of this 256 page book for outstanding full page color photos by Tim Brisko. This photographic emphasis shows that the authors truly understand the appeal of Super Robots and their kin. The fantastic designs, colorful forms and dramatic lines of these extraordinary creations captured the imaginations of children across the globe and it's that aesthetic value that takes the spotlight in this book. Let's face it, these rocket punching, brightly colored enamel painted die-cast and plastic toys are exciting to behold and no descriptive text, historical account or checklist could be as satisfying as high-quality photos. The book makes no attempt to be a comprehensive checklist or field guide. Instead, it highlights what the authors believe to be the best of the best Japanese robots from the Super Robot era with an emphasis on representing as many different characters as possible. From Mazinger Z to Gundam, there are plenty of wild creations by toy companies like Popy, Bullmark, Takara, and more! Chances are that your favorite is in there!

Super #1 Robot is a wonderful book, chock full of Chokogin, jammed with Jumbo Machinders, and suitable for both novice and expert Japanese robot enthusiasts!

It's about time an American book in english came out on this subject, authored by people who know what they're talking about and thankfully NOT including tin and wind-up robots from the 60s and earlier. This little paperback is what chogokin collectors would humorously refer to as "robot porn." It's a glossy, high-quality picture book that causes salivation and drooling with the turn of every page. Unfortunately it is by no means a complete encyclopedic manual for all toys diecast during the 70s and 80s, but that can't be expected, considering such an undertaking would produce a book (or morelike a series of books) far heftier than this little paperback. Since that expectation is unreasonable, it is entirely forgivable since this little tome covers quite a chunk of the chogokin, vinyl and plastic market, and a nice variety, as well.

First off the book construction is sweet - small and easily handled, it's like a mini coffeetable book with a glossy softcover. I wasn't expecting such a nicely made little book. There is minimal chitchat and all the talent is poured into the photography of the most mint-looking chogokin robots I have ever seen. I think the thing that I was most tickled about was there was a picture of a mint Tetsujin 28 in the front of the book, and a beat up, played-with, broken and paintchipped version of the same robot in the back of the book. The wear on the used robot shows more as a sign of how much that toy was loved, not abused, and anyone who loves collecting chogokin, I think, would get the same tingly warm feeling looking at that beat Tetsujin 28 as the shiny minty one.

There are a few vinyl robots included in the line-up, and I could think of quite a few chogokin that were left out that could've taken up the pages of the vinyls, as I'm not much of a vinyl collector myself; vinyls are a whole other collector market and I can see why they were included in the book, but then again, I would've preferred that they weren't. Vinyls were usually monsters, but the ones that depict robots were the ones focussed on. All in all they don't take up a lot of space. Also the book is an almost even mix between the comical/humorous chogokin like Robocon and Robodachi and the more serious robot gladiators and team robots like the Godaikins; again these are (more or less) two different collector markets and not everyone collects both. As well, there are some Giant Machinders included, which is not even a scratch on the surface for them since there are quite literally hundreds if not more to collect in that category, but this book is really not meant to be a catalogued record of every robot ever made. Even though one will be able to think of some robots that were left out, all the major ones were included. The only complaint I have is that a lot of them are shown not holding a weapon, when many of them are known for their specific or characteristic weapon(s). Some are shown with a weapon, like Garbin, but too many are just robots standing weaponless. Again, though, this book isn't meant to be an official catalogue, so don't expect accessories to be featured.

If you want lists and cataloging of every robot ever made during the 70s and 80s, there are plenty of online sites that attempt to accomplish such a massive undertaking. But if you want to flip through a nice hefty little book just to get the tingly warm feeling of joy gazing upon the robots of your childhood, this book is totally worth it. It's a little window peephole into the past, but man is it worth peeping.

My love affair with Japanese robots began with the Transformer toys of the 1980's...those generation one beauties that were at least part die-cast metal compared to the plastic versions of today. But as a collector my obsession grew once I found out there were Japanese Transformers that were never released here in the states, or were variations on the American versions such Twin Cast a re-colored version of Blaster which cold hold two of the mini-cassettes instead of one, or Sound Blaster which was an awesome black repaint of Soundwave. But as I started to get into collecting these Japanese versions I started finding other interesting toys...Macross I had been aware of for some time, mostly as model kits. And I knew that Takara had licensed a version of the transforming Valkyrie that would be called Jetfire. But then I discovered Popy, Bullmark, and Takatoku, among others and began learning about Mazinger and the Jumbo Machinders and so many others.

While long time collectors may know all the history that "Super #1 Robot" relates, less knowledgeable collectors will certainly find it valuable. The book spans the history from 1972 to the early 80's and covering the first Popy toys right up to Bandai's Valkyries. These toys first started appearing on American toy store shelves in the mid-1970's but under new names with new background stories created for them. We knew them as Shogun Warriors or Micronauts. The book traces the history of Japanese robot toys which began to take off after WWII as weapons factories were re-tooled to make toys. Popy, a division of Bandai, would introduce the first Chogokin Mazinger Z toy in 1974. Made almost entirely of hefty die-cast metal, with bright enamel paints and real firing missiles and fists, they took Japan by storm. By 1977 there were over a dozen giant robot shows on Japanese TV and over two dozen makers of toys.

The book provides a brief history on the main players such as Popy, Bullmark, Ark, Takatoku, and Takara. Popy introduced the Jumbo Machinder in 1973. Standing two feet tall and made of sturdy polyethylene these giant toys would become Shogun Warriors in the states, complete with a Saturday morning cartoon and comic book from Marvel Comics. But the real robot craze would begin a few years later with Takara's Diaclone series of transforming vehicles which would eventually make their way to our shores as the Transformers.

Some 250 pages of full color photos trace the history of these robot toys from 1972 to 1982, just before the arrival of the Transformers. The photography by Tim Brisko is absolutely stunning and is worth the price of the book alone. Each photo has the toy name and number and the manufacturer. So what's pictured? Here's just a brief list: Getter 1 Chogokin, Great Mazinger, Robocon, Robo Meka, Black Raideen, Getter Ryger, Robo X, Gakeen, Dangard A, Buildplan Daikengo, Gokai Dragon, Tetsujin 28, GoLion, Royal Comination Daiojya, Combat Armor Dougram, VF-1F Super Valkyrie, and the Destroid Tomahawk.

This is simply a fabulous book and one that needs to be in the collection of any die-hard Japanese robot collector or fan!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Excellent photography! At last a coffee table book for the geek in all of us. This is not a book to use as a collector's bible, but to admire the love and craftmanship that was involved in the creation of this tome.

The text is a great introduction into this hobby that is gainins some momentum in the US and speaks of the love and enthusiasm a true afficionado possesses.

And there are some pretty rare toys in here too, just to make the connaisseur drool...

Hi, this is hubby James writing this review...

I just got SUPER #1 ROBOT and it totally rocks. As much as I thought I knew about J-bots, this really showed how much I didn't know. Even if you are well-versed in "super robots" and anime mecha, expect to be surprised by some really far-out machines you've never seen, from shows you've never heard of (but wish you had)!

The photos are wonderful, shot from a proper low perspective, giving these tiny giants their respect. They look like huge works of art here, which in some ways, they truly are. Great work! I am looking forward to Alt's next book very eagerly.

Got an advance copy and the crew at Super7Magazine highly recommend this must have book...the first in all English with awesome pics by Tim Brisko and prose by Alt and Duban !
Order today !!!

I actually don't have much to add to the excellent reviews
already here. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars for two
reasons:

The first has more to do with the publisher,
Chronicle Books - its been years since I handled one of
their books, but once I picked this one up it all came back
to me: lousy cheap glue bindings typify their books. Once
you crack open the book, you literally do 'crack' it open.
Or, in my case, the cover popped off before my first browsing.
At least the pages have (so far) not fallen out. Anyway, a
little properly applied glue may get it back on.

Secondly, though I do love the pictures (I wish a book like
this would be made for all the Popy, Bullmark, Bandai and
Banpresto etc. editions of Ultraman figures), all the text
pertaining to company histories is condensed into the first
few pages. Some reviewers find the emphasis on pictures over
text in this book appealing (and after all, the authors did
this on purpose), but I think I would have prefered more text
(on the history and creators, etc). I'm only going to look
at the pictures so many times before I retire this to the
book shelf.

All in all, this book IS a worthwhile purchase
if you'd enjoy a picture book dedicated to Meka and
old tin & vinyl robots/monsters.

This book is exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a picture book of toy robots to use as reference material for an art project. This book was perfect. Great photographs. The small format was appreciated-I did not need, nor want, a coffee table book. Minimal verbiage, lots of pretty pictures.

I finally know some of the names of the die cast (chogokin) and plastic robots that I drooled over as a kid. Thanks to this little book, I've spent a lot of money on very neat unusual Japanese toys.

This book contains stunningly beautiful pictures of japanese chogokin (=die cast metal) toys from the 1970's and 80's. Many of the toys are quite rare and hard to find pictures of (like toys made by Takatoku, Nomura, Marushin and Nakajima), even in Internet times. Highly recommended!