They’ve been branded by many names over the decades: Super Deformed, Robo-chan, Choro-Q, and others. Over time, the blanket term “deform” has settled in as a reference point. It’s a classification for representations of a character or mecha that in some way distorts the original image, usually for cute/comedic effect....

Bandai Converge figure series, 2016 Scopedog Turbo Custom Bloodsucker 6-type A.T. set 5PRO Studio Robonimo figure series, 2018 Scopedog with Chirico Scopedog, Melkia colors Scopedog with Round Mover Scopedog Red Shoulder Custom with Vanilla Scopedog Turbo Custom Brutishdog with Fyana Bloodsucker with Ypsilon ArtStorm/Beaver B2FIVE figure series, 2019 Scopedog with...

Kotobukiya D-Style model kits, 2014 Scopedog Turbo Custom, Sunsa War Chirico type Scopedog Turbo Custom, Sunsa War Gregor/Baiman/Muza type Burglarydog Scopedog Berkoff Squad type from Pailsen Files, with Pailsen figure Cavico Choypla Series model kits, 2020 Scopedog Scopedog in Melkia colors Scopedog, tan version Scopedog, clear version Scopedog Red Shoulder...

When you think Votoms merch, the Armored Troopers jump right to the top as the most obvious products, whether they be toys or model kits. But there’s plenty more gas in the tank, as this wide variety of goods will demonstrate. All of these were released after the year 2000....

When you give Armored Trooper Votoms more than a passing glance, you quickly find the Takara toy and hobby company built into its DNA. The concept itself originated as a joint production of Sunrise and Takara to generate toy and model kit sales. Takara released cutting-edge versions of both during...

Hanketsuya through Nori Motors Hanketsuya 1/60 Diving Beetle, Hanketsuya 1/24 Pentatrooper rifle, Hanketsuya 1/24 Shoulder Missile Pod, Hanketsuya Hobby Japan 1/20 Solid Shooter, Hobby Japan Ikari Manbou 1/24 Berserga DT, Ikari Manbou Illusion 1/35 Erdspinne, 1/35 Order Buckler, Illusion Imbecile 1/35 Bloodsucker, Imbecile Inagawa Sai Kits displayed at Wonder Festival...

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Story by Hiroshi Yamaguchi Art by Fumiaki Shibata Read Act 1 here Read Act 2 here Read Act 3 here Read Act 4 here Originally published in Cyber Comix Vol. 46 and 47 (Bandai, September & October 1992) To preserve better reproduction quality, these pages were scanned from the collected...

Debuting in July 2005, Actic Gear was by far the biggest line of Votoms toys made by anyone, culminating in more than 50. By rendering them in 1/48 scale (just over 3″ tall), they landed in a sweet spot for maker and user alike: they were small enough to keep...

Here you will witness an impossible task. The world of Votoms garage kits is so vast and deep, it may literally be impossible to catalog. When I decided to make a go of it, I dug into every online archive I could find and came up with over 550 individual...

I’ve had the tremendous luck of having created Votoms art as both an amateur and a professional, from ‘zines and APAs to comics and box art. The full range is collected here, except for interior comic book pages – which I’ll get to in another article.   Fanzine cover, 1985....

Let’s say you built all the 1/20 Votoms models released by Bandai (see them here) and this still didn’t scratch your itch. Where would you go next? Simple: you’d leap into a hurricane! That’s Project Hurricane, one of the most respected garage kit companies in Japan. Starting in 2008, they...

Story by Hiroshi Yamaguchi Art by Fumiaki Shibata Read Act 1 here Read Act 2 here Read Act 3 here Originally published in Cyber Comix Vol. 41 and 42 (Bandai, April & May 1992) To preserve better reproduction quality, these pages were scanned from the collected edition. TO BE CONCLUDED...

If toys are your jam, and you like Armored Trooper Votoms, the biggest and boldest came in 1/12 scale from a company named Yamato. That’s just over a foot tall, which makes for a very impressive display piece. From 2004-2009, Yamato released nine A.T.s and an equal number of accessory...

Among the masterminds who assembled the primary concepts of Armored Trooper Votoms one layer at a time was Koichi Inoue, whose simple “Concept Advancement” credit represents a lot of complex work. From helping devise mecha gimmicks for the Scopedog to driving the overall story itself, his participation in the original...