they're back with a question!

[davemerrill]

Apparently they're bringing back Shogun Warriors!!

http://www.collectiondx.com/article/nytf_2010_toynami

They're starting off with Voltron robots, but waiting in the bullpen are names like Combattler and Voltes V. I will drop $200 on a Jumbo Machinder Voltes V, easy.

Speaking of toys, here's a fix-it question for all the toy experts out there. Last Xmas I picked up a Godaikin "Guardian" (or "Gordian" or "Garbin", whatevah) at an antique mall for a really low price.



Low price was because it's missing some pieces and because the legs are broken just below the knees. I like to think this Guardian owed some gentlemen some money.



It's a relatively clean break. If you stick the lower leg part to the knee part, it all fits.
It reveals a weakness in the robot's design- a weakness that could one day be exploited by Gordian's many enemies - but for now it's merely a repair job.



So my question is, what's the best way to stick this thing back together? Superglue? Some exotic epoxy concoction? Elmer's school glue in the big easy to grasp bottle for little hands? Library paste? That cold-weld stuff you use on car radiators? Inquiring minds of all the little guys shoved inside Garbin like so many Russian nesting dolls need to know!!

Comments

[rootstudio.livejournal.com]

Good luck fixin' that thing. I actually got that very same robot one year for Xmas and those spindly little joints broke the very first time I played with it.

Conversely my die-cast Dougram held up very well over the years.

[hillsy2k.livejournal.com]

That's a tough one....all that blue plastic Bandai used is uber brittle. I wouldn't use superglue as it will fog/cloud the surrounding plastic (unless that's not an issue for you. Maybe something from a hobby shop.

[animejump.livejournal.com]

I like the idea of bringing back Shogun Warriors, but $200, seriously? Seems really expensive. How much did Shogun Warriors cost when they came out?

[destron-gmx245.livejournal.com]

Testors cement pen. Essentially, liquid model glue in a pen form. Won't fog like crazy glue, and should bond the styrene well.

Before final repair, though, it might be worthwhile to completely disassemble the parts (if possible) and explore some ways to reinforce those joints/parts on the inside...via epoxy or similar structural enhancement materials...to prevent future (re)breakage. =8^)

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

Off the top of my head I wanna say in the $30 to $40 range. Also comic books were 35 cents and movies were two-fifty and gasoline was 69 cents a gallon. And we walked to school ten miles in the snow uphill both ways!

Seriously, I got no clue.

[voiceofisaac.livejournal.com]

OMG, I had that toy! The legs weren't as brittle, but the neck joints on the outer blue robot definitely were. I was the only kid in Cincinnati, apparently, that had this toy, and many of my friend were jealous. I don't even remember *where* I got it, to be honest.

[ferricide.livejournal.com]

the difference between toys for children and toys for adults. says the man who just spent $30 on a fucking rockman be@rbrick.

Robots by the Foot

[(Anonymous)]

Seriously if it's the toys I'm thinking of, didn't they sell them by the foot?

RWG (damn things were huge!)

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

Wow, according to Toybox DX the original MSRP on the Shogun Warriors Dragun was $13.97!

Of course in 1979 my allowance was fifty cents a week.

1979 Minimum wage was $2.90. So, you had to work about 5 hours to get your Dragun. Now, in 2010, minimum wage is $7.90 - for your new-style Shogun Warrior Voltron at $200 you'll have to work 25 hours! Which is how many weeks I'd have to save up to buy a Dragun with my allowance in 1979.


Naturally we must take into consideration that Mattel was able to market Draguns fairly cheaply - $14 is cheap even by 1979 standards - due to economy of scale, and that these new 2010 Shogun Warriors are better toys, more articulated, and generally more awesome in every way, and are aimed at a more affluent market. So it all evens out, kinda sorta.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

Those are good ideas - thanks!

[sbfone.livejournal.com]

It's all about the adult fanboy fleece: re-releases of the Jumbo Machinder toys are always $200. I mean, yeah, these robots are huge but they're also hollow PVC shells. They can't cost a ton to make.

I bought a Power Rangers one (the police-themed robot) a few years back. It's hollow PVC and two feet tall. It cost me 30 bucks, because it was actually sold to children.

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

What he said. That sparkly blue plastic is just famous for being shit. Also watch for the shoulders to break as the machine that punched the pin in ( the rivet at the rotation point) put huge stress on the plastic. Mine broke there.

A good liquid plastic cement would probably do the job, Testor's Model Master in the black bottle with the metal needle spout is good stuff.

and I'm the whipping boy over at Toybox DX currently for daring to suggest that a $200 shampoo bottle plastic toy isn't the best way to go in this day and age, but that's the designer vinyl crowd at play. I think I made some of them cry to their mommies because I dared to suggest that the Dairugger XV jumbo just might not get made.

I seriously doubt we're going to see those other robots that they tossed out. If they couldn't make the Bandai/Tamashii thing work I don't see them finding a way to sell a $200 Voltus V vinyl.

[tochiro998.livejournal.com]

I picked up mine, of all places, at a seasonal vendor cart during one Christmas. You know, the things a mall will truck out to get a tiny more rent.

Paid $20 for it, IIRC. Much better than the insane price Bandai was asking at the time. but it triggered me into a slight obsession to buy all the Godaikin releases because soon after they were hitting red ticket like crazy at Kay Bee Toys and Toys R Us and Children's Palace. I paid $10 for my DX Combattler V, $8 for Goggle V, I think the most expensive was $20 for God Mars.

Yeah, the boxes are a little ratty in some cases but hell, so what.

[animejump.livejournal.com]

So it all evens out, kinda sorta.

No, I don't think it does. According to the inflationary scale I pulled from google, today's $200 is 1979's $60. So they should rightfully be charging $35 or so... if they were trying to sell these to kids. I realize the adult toy market is a little more conservative, but still, I'm getting sticker shock here.

In any case, though, I wish them luck, and will be happy to buy these bad boys when/if they hit the clearance bin.

[davemerrill.livejournal.com]

I was just struck by the coincidence - if you're nine in 1979, 25 weeks allowance for one Shougun Warrior. If in 2010 you're getting minimum wage, it's 25 hours pay for one New Breed Shogun Warrior With Special Sauce. Of course if you were nine in 1979 and are working now, and are just getting minimum wage, you probably should be thinking about getting a better job before you buy $200 toys.

[sobieniak.livejournal.com]

This is why I never collect toys!