Minipla Gokaiger Robo Series: Kaizoku Gattai Gokaioh

[areaseven]

Minipla Gokaiger Robo Series: Kaizoku Gattai Gokaioh (海賊合体ゴーカイオー)
Bandai, 2011
Made in Japan

Contents
Box 1: Gokai Galleon
Box 2: Gokai Jet
Box 3: Gokai Trailer
Box 4: Gokai Racer
Box 5: Gokai Marine with Gokai Ho
Ramune-flavored candy in each box

Minipla - It's the Super Sentai Robot counterpart to Gunpla. The kits are fairly cheap and very easy to assemble. Plus, each box comes with a delicious ramune candy pill. The line is also a great alternative for Super Sentai fans who can't afford the big and expensive DX robot toys.

Each box contains 1-2 runners of parts molded in a single color. Gokai Galleon and Gokai Trailer are molded in their correct colors of red and yellow, respectively. The other three Gokai Machines, however, are molded in black. In the case of Gokai Marine, it's not so much of a problem, as it looks better in black than the original white color. But for Gokai Jet and Gokai Racer, you will need to use paint no matter what, as the provided stickers don't do much to give the kit justice.

Speaking of paint, that's exactly what I did with mine. There's still a lot more detailing to do, but I'm impressed with the end result.

When combined, Gokaioh has an over 40 points of articulation, making it as poseable as a HGUC Gundam kit. Weapons consist of the two Gokai Ken swords and the chest-mounted Gokai Ho cannon. Each component has a front-opening compartment; in the case of the arms, each has two. Unlike its larger DX counterpart, this kit does not have the spring-loaded mechanism that's activated by the wheel on the back. Fortunately, each compartment has one or two hardpoints for the upcoming Gokai Machine add-ons such as Magiranger's Magi Dragon and Dekaranger's Pat Striker.

Overall, Gokaioh blows away the Minipla Dekaranger Robo I built over seven years ago. It's undoubtedly one of the most fun kits to assemble - whether or not you're into Super Sentai.

Detail: B
Features: B+
Articulation: A-

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyFhOhoE23I"]Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger - Minipla Kaizoku Gattai Gokaioh[/ame]

 

[areaseven]

Minipla Kaizoku Gattai Gokai Machines (海賊合体ゴーカイマシン)
Bandai, 2011
Made in Japan

Contents
Box 1: Magi Dragon
Box 2: Pat Striker
Box 3: Gao Lion Set A (head and front legs)
Box 4: Gao Lion Set B (body, rear legs and tail)
Ramune-flavored candy in each box

For every past Super Sentai power unlocked, Gokaioh is given a unique upgrade. And for the Minipla Gokaioh kit,. Bandai has released the Gokai Machine candy toy series to go with it. As with all Minipla kits, each box comes with a delicious ramune candy pill and the box is cut from one side to access the assembly instructions.


Magi Dragon (マジドラゴン)

In Mahou Sentai Magiranger, the Majin forms of Magi Yellow, Magi Blue, Magi Pink and Magi Green combined into the mythical mecha known as the Magi Dragon. In episode 3 of Gokaiger, the Gokaigers unlocked the powers of the Magiranger keys, giving them their own Magi Dragon, which enables Gokaioh to fly and execute the Gokai Magi Bind. Unfortunately, no toy version has given justice to the Gokai Machine Magi Dragon - and this is no exception. Sure, it has more articulation than its larger DX counterpart, but it's just an underwhelming pile of plastic. Disassembling it and attaching the parts to Gokaioh doesn't make either figure any better, either.

"Kansei! Magi Gokaioh!"



"Let's Go! Gokai Magi Bind!"

Detail: C-
Features: C-
Articulation: B


Pat Striker (パトストライカー)

"Pat Striker, hasshin!"

Deka Red's badass mecha from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger gives Gokaioh the firepower it needs starting from episode 5, when the Gokaigers unlocked the powers of the Dekaranger keys. Save for a few differences, this is spot-on to the original Pat Striker. The front fenders and quarter panels attach to Gokaioh's limbs to give it Gatling cannons for the Gokai Full Blast attack. In addition, the front fenders become handguns for Gokaioh to do some hard-boiled, dual-wielding action. By far my favorite of the set - and not just because I'm a hardcore Dekaranger fan.

"Kansei! Deka Gokaioh!



"Let's Go! Gokai Full Blast!



Detail: B+
Features: A-
Articulation: N/A


Gao Lion (ガオライオン)

"Gao Lion!"

Gao Red's Power Animal from Hyakujuu Sentai Gaoranger sided with the Gokaigers after they unlocked the powers of the Gaoranger keys. When summoned, Gao Lion merges with Gokaioh (which separates its legs) to form the centaur-like Gao Gokaioh and decimate the enemy with the Gokai Animal Heart. After unlocking the powers of the Shinkenger keys, Gao Gokaioh changes into Shinken Gokaioh and destroys its opponents with the Gokai Samurai-giri. By itself, the Gao Lion kit has good detail and articulation. However, once combined with Gokaioh, things go wrong. Gao Gokaioh was a silly idea to begin with, and it shows on any toy version. Shinken Gokaioh would've benefitted from the Minipla's poseability, but it ends up being very clunky. The hind legs protrude too far forward when attached to Gokaioh's forearms, resulting in some wonky arms. The naginata attachments for the Gokai Ken swords is a badass add-on, but the Rekka Daizantou is disappointingly small (even though it is formed from Gao Lion's body). As a Samurai Sentai Shinkenger fan, I consider this one to be a minor letdown. At least I have the Super Robot Chogokin Shinkenoh.

"Kansei! Gao Gokaioh!"



"Kansei! Shinken Gokaioh!"



"Rekka Daizantou! Let's Go! Gokai Samurai-giri!"



Detail: B
Features: B-
Articulation: B