Back to main article

Sunrise Mecha Action Series toys by CMs (see a series of blogs here: part 1 | part 2 | part 3) Vorct Custom (see an unboxing video here) Rane Custom Norden Custom Zetra Custom (see an unboxing video here) Borque Custom Bockmesser Custom 35 Max CV-01 Rane Custom toy by...

As a mecha anime fan in general and a Votoms fan in particular, there’s something I’ve always had a beef about: Mobile Suit Gundam spinoffs. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve followed and enjoyed many of them. But the Gundam world is inherently limited since it takes place on and around...

Why is the term “model” applied to a toy? One of the selling points of this product was that it had the durability of a toy and the appearance of a finely-crafted model kit that could be painted and finished to the user’s liking. The version in these photos was...

Back to main article

Back to main article

Back to main article

Mini card set using the same art Back to main article

Back to main article

Back to main article

No. 1 Scopedog Red Shoulder Type Reissue version Clear version No. 2 Snapping Turtle Reissue version Clear version Back to main article

By the time Votoms first hit the airwaves in April 1983, systems and patterns for mecha anime merchandising were in full swing thanks to big success stories like Gundam and Dougram. This meant Votoms would have a healthy lineup of model kits, toys and other products to support its broadcast....

by Kouji Akimoto In a previous installment, I curated and translated an apocryphal Votoms manga titled Excellent A.T. by artist/writer Kouji Akimoto. It was originally published in Volume 2 of an anthology from Bandai titled Cyber Comix. As it happens, he returned in the very next issue (Volume 3, August...

Continue to finished version Back to main article

Back to main article

Shin Ueda Art Collection Character Mechanic Sunrise Edition 上田信画集 キャラクターメカニック・サンライズ編 144 pages, color and b&w Dainippon Kaiga, 2016 Box art and package art for 1980s Sunrise mecha products including Gundam and Votoms (order here) Back to the hub

Hobby Japan #239, April Uchusen Vol. 47, April Gunhed is in good shape for its July release. Here, we present an interview with Shoji Kawamori, who was in charge of the design of the main mecha Gunhed. Interviewer: At what point did you get involved in the planning of Gunhed?...

Soundtrack CD, July 1989 I collect anime and film soundtracks by the ton, but very few get spun as often as this one. It’s like another main character in the movie, so pitch-perfect that if the world of Gunhed was a musical instrument, this is the sound it would make....

PC Engine Game Hudson Soft, 1989 Released shortly before the film, this game was a vertically-scrolling shooter for PC Engine that would later be exported under the name Blazing Lazers in 2007. It was set many years after the movie and included some of the characters, but otherwise didn’t have...

Introduction People are always looking for a hero. And the times have always given birth to such heroes. This work is a live action SFX film with the heavily armored mobile robot Gunhed, the ultimate in high technology, as the main character. It is an unprecedented experience, exactly what we...