Freddie Mercury (Bandai / S.H. Figuarts)

Freddie Mercury
Bandai / S.H. Figuarts
2016

For those of you keeping up with my blog, you probably recognize the below Freddie Mercury figure. I actually shared images of him open in my personal collection back in March 2018. Today though, I'm sharing images I probably should have shared back then - The figure mint in the package.

Bandai released this fairly limited figure in 2016 and since then while it hasn't necessarily gotten to rare to find, the price continues to go up and up. I think, if I recall correctly, when I purchased mine I paid $60.00. These days, I'm seeing it fluctuating in price, but as high as $115.00.

One of the best aspects to this figure is the maximized articulation. You can literally get this figure in just about every single post you can think of. Additionally, he comes with multiple sets of hands and heads. Combined with the articulation, you can create a unique Freddie Mercury you want to display.

What I don't particularly like about this figure is the poor paint jobs on the heads. I don't know what method they used for painting, but it looks spotty. Literally like tiny dots. Additionally, the mustache on one of the three heads (at least on mine) seems to have been missed completely. If you're going to create an ultra collectible figure with a collector's price tag attached, then you need to put 100% effort into it.

Despite this, I would be lying if I said I didn't love this figure. As a huge fan of Queen, it's great to have this in my collection. I'd really like to see Bandai take it a step further and release the remaining band members.

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Lionbot (AKA Voltron) (Unknown Company)

Lionbot
Unknown Company
1980's

2018 ends with a bit of a wish list item. While I'm not a big fan of Voltron personally, I have an interest in this particular version known as Lionbot which was only released overseas - Typcially in Taiwan. Why? Because I had this particular version of Voltron when I was a kid living overseas.

This particular version is made out of die cast metal / plastic and stands roughly eighteen to twenty-four inches when the lions are combined together. It also features a massive amount of weapons - One or more for each lion as well as the sword and shield for Voltron himself.

I remember only owning this bad boy for about a week or two when I stupidly lent it to a friend for a weekend. Said friend promptly broke the black lion, causing the thing to never be able to be combined again. I recall my dad asking me, "Did you learn a lesson?"

Not only did I never get a new Voltron, but dad wasn't able to fix it. So throughout its lifespan, until probably just thrown away, my four and a halfish lions could never again become Voltron, Defender of the Universe!

Unfortunately, I don't know who actually produced this particular version, nor can I pinpoint a specific year. There's nothing denoted on the actual box.

I know that Bandai produced a higher quality version for Japan / US released in 1982. So perhaps one can speculate the above is from the same time frame and perhaps even the exact same one. But, I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer the above...Well, knock off version. It gets extra points for having been a part of my past.

Both versions are fairly readily available on secondary markets. However, they are both rather pricey and the Bandai one commonly doesn't come with the accessories. With that said, it only makes more sense to purchase the one from Taiwan.

Stick around as we cross 2018 off our list and spring into 2019 to see if Lionbot eventually makes its way into my collection. Until then, happy holidays and happy New Year from The Toy Box. For those who don't celebrate anything around this time of year, happy Monday! We'll see you in January.

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It's A Kind Of Magic

Now that things have finally settled in my move and I have my toy room all set up it's time to get back into some photos.

In this Blogger's personal opinion, he was the lead singer of the greatest band of all time.

Their albums span twenty-two years, starting with their self titled debut and ending with a posthumous album - A tribute to their lead singer.

Though Freddie Mercury tragically died of AIDS in 1991, he remains a legacy.

I had my eyes on NECA's Freddie Mercury figure for the longest time, but didn't pick one up until just recently. However, as the figure was in transit from the seller to me I had this thought in my head. I wanted to pose the figure with a piano. Something which would not be achievable in a very display friendly way with NECA's all but statue version. As such, when it arrived I decided to keep it in the package and continue my search.

That's when I found a fantastic version from Bandai / SH Figurarts. This thing boasted a ton of articulation from head to toe and I knew it would work perfectly - Which are the loose photos shown here today.

This figure has articulation in the neck, breast bone, shoulder, bicep, elbow, wrists, stomach, waist, knees, ankles and even toes. In short, if you can think of a pose, you can get this figure into it.

If that wasn't enough, it also features several interchangeable heads and hands as well as two microphones - One on a stand and one without. Unfortunately, there is a downside to this. While the heads easily change out, the hands are a tad more difficult. It took me about five to ten minutes to get the two on that I wanted for posing which is why you won't see any other photos beyond the one above showing the various hands. I didn't dare bother fighting with them to change them around again.

For those of you unfamiliar with Queen, this particular version of Freddie is based on the 1986 Magic Tour which is most notably remembered for its Wembley Stadium venue - A great concert in its own right. It shows the group at their height of popularity and unfortunately their last concert series due to Freddie's illness.

As I mentioned above, I wanted Freddie to be displayed with a piano. The problem was I didn't know where to find one. At first I looked at wooden doll furniture versions, but these were going to cost me two to three times more than I paid for the figure. So, those were quickly out of the question. I then looked at a Barbie piano from 1984, but knowing Barbie was ten to twelve inches tall knew this too probably wasn't the best solution for this figure.

Then I stumbled upon this purple piece...

This piano came packed in with Chelsea, Barbie's younger sister. Okay, this was a start in the right direction, but would it be compatible with Freddie? A quick Google search answered that question. Chelsea stands five and a half inches high - The exact same height as this figure. A match made in plastic heaven.

When I initially purchased it I thought I would at least paint it to match a real piano. However, I have to be honest and say the purple color with Freddie's yellow and white clothing really work great together. So, I decided to leave it as is.

The perfect backdrop for this figure to be displayed with is a fantastic record I recently scored; Queen's Sheer Heart Attack...

...Autographed by the band (hopefully). This one is on my list to get PSA certified and I have to be honest and say at a glance it looks pretty legit. I've been able to find signatures on other memorabilia which looks dead on to the ones on this record. The seller also didn't bat an eye when I told him I was going to get it PSA certified. In fact, he took it a step further and said, "You should look into a more reputable autograph authenticator (not a real word apparently). PSA is all opinion based while people who specialize in this field do a handwriting analysis." He also provided a thorough write up of how the autograph was obtained and by who. Typically when you mention getting something authenticated to someone selling fakes they pull the plug and cancel the sale on the spot.

Here's a closer look at those beautiful signatures;

What do you think? Legit?

I'll let everyone know what the verdict is.

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Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (Bandai)

Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot
Bandai
1999

Bandai unfortunately doesn't get much love around here at The Toy Box. We hope to make up for that soon. We'll start with today's round - Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot.

The duo began their climb to fame in the 1995 series of the same name by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow. Frank Miller is of course well known in the comic book industry for his gigantic ego work on Batman, 300, Ronin, and many other iconic stories. Darrow's most notable work includes Hard Boiled, Shaolin Cowboy, and of course, Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot.

The series of figures we see here today are the ones based off of the 1999 adaption of the character for the Fox Kids cartoon series which ran for twenty-six episodes between September 1999 and March 2001. One of the most notable actors attached to the project was Tim Curry as the voice of Dr. Neugog.

Not too many toys were produced for the series - Which is disappointing considering the volume of characters that were featured in the show. What we got was a Deluxe Big Guy (shown on the left), Flying Big Guy, and Talking Big Guy (both below).

Flying Big Guy*Talking Big Guy

A Deluxe Targo was scheduled for release, but got cancelled before going into production.

It's not difficult to find Bandai's line of BGaR "figures" on secondary markets. In fact, they seem more so in abundance than when they were on store shelves. You can easily nab the two smaller figures for around ten bucks, while the Deluxe one will set you back around $35.00.

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Little Dracula (DreamWorks / Bandai)

Little Dracula
DreamWorks / Bandai
1991

Happy Halloween, all! In honor of the day, we're going to cast our sights at a relatively unknown / forgotten series from DreamWorks / Bandai. 1991's Little Dracula!

Little Dracula was a character created for UK children's books by Irish Author Martin Waddell which became a US television series...Whoa, that's a lot of countries involved with one series. The stories began being published in 1986 with the first book, "Little Dracula's First Bite". It would be followed by seven more books, unofficially ending with 1992's, "Little Dracula's Other Monstrous Poster".

In 1991, Fox Kid's picked up the rights, and developed it as an animated series. Unfortunately appeal never really took hold, and as such the series was cancelled after just one season (13 episodes). However, just because US children didn't enjoy the series didn't mean that it was a total flop. France and Germany television studios ordered an additional 13 episodes for a second season which aired throughout various European countries.

The year Little Dracula debuted on television, an action figure line was produced by DreamWorks / Bandai. Why DreamWorks and Bandai? That's easy enough to answer. DreamWorks released the figures in the US, while Bandai handled the remaining globe.

Each figure featured numerous accessories as well as an action feature which was activated by twisting arms, legs, hands, feet, or simply by pushing a button - Corresponding to each figure as denoted on the bottom left of each package. Unfortunately for the toy line, it was as short lived as the television series in the US.

With that said, nine figures did manage to make their way to retail shelves. This wasn't bad considering it covered the majority of ground of the characters from the show. In fact, the only figures that didn't make it to plastic were; Big Dracula, Granny, Millicent, Ms. Dracula and Hannah the Barbarian - Certainly enough for a second series should popularity have garnered such a release.

In addition to the figures, four vehicles were produced. While all of them were made available in Europe under the Bandia banner, only two made their way to the US via DreamWorks. What's interesting to note is that depending on which area of Europe you look for the Coffin Car will depend on what it's called. It's been found in boxes denoted as; Coffin Car (obviously), Drac-Mobile and Voiture Cercueil.

Unlike the Coffin Car, the Drac-Moto appears to have only come out entitled as such. We have not been able to locate any other versions that contain a different name, or language other than English. That's not to say they don't exist. We just haven't seen them.

Because we are mentioning the various variants for the vehicles, it's worth noting that an Italian version of the Garlic Mobile can also be found. However, you're going to want to search for Spar Agilo - Which translated apparently means Spar Garlic. Much like the Cereuil, we have no clue what Spar means. We have not been able to find any variants to the title for The Dracster despite our searching.

UPDATE

Reader Da Cu writes to tell us, "Spara Aglio means (Shots Garlic). Because the car "shots" (or better Launch) pieces of Garlic."

However, in our search we did find the awesomeness that is...

...Dracula's Dragster from Polar Lights!

No, this isn't related to Little Dracula - As we're sure many of you deduced just in looking at it. Instead, it's a re-issue of the original 1964 released version of the same name from Aurora. It's just a simple model kit that requires mad painting skills, and of course, glue. Good times for model and Dracula fans.

We digress though. Back to Little Dracula.

The last piece released for the series was the cosplay Little Dracula Scepter & Amulet. This to date is the most difficult and expensive piece to track down in the line.

Little Dracula remains popular in European countries, and had a short lived revival in book form through 2001 when a handful of the prior titles were re-issued in print. However, nothing new seems to be brewing around the character currently. Perhaps much like the resurgence of 80's cartoons and toys, in a few years demand from children of the 90's will take its toll, and we'll see a resurgence in nostalgia from that decade.

That about wraps it up, folks. Enjoy your Halloween. Keep it safe, keep it fun, keep the candy coming and scare some little kids in the good spirit of all three.

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God Jesus / Urani Robo (Bandai)

God Jesus / Urani Robo
Bandai
1985


It's kind of one of those, "Only in Japan" moments.

God Jesus, or Urani Robo as he / she was also known is a robot toy that was designed to be somewhat of a Magic Eight Ball toy. However, unlike a Magic Eight Ball which provided you with a variety of answers stemming from a yes or no to more vague ones, God Jesus only provided a yes or no answer by way of either shaking or nodding his / her head.

Just look at young Tang Shen here asking the all knowing God Jesus if heartthrob Hamato Yoshi will ask her to the Foot Clan's Annual Barn Jamboree. Look at the brimming joy on her face as God Jesus gives his nod of confirmation. Sure hope Oroko Saki doesn't catch wind of this.

What's interesting to note about the robot is that while he's shown on the box as having a bouquet of flowers, the accessory inside was actually a large cross....Or with a little imagination, a broadsword.

As mentioned above, the robot was also known as Urani Robo. This particular boxed version came in both a pink and blue iteration - Obviously meaning to distinguish between a male and female bot.

Just look at the poor little guy below getting a nod of approval one minute, and then a heartbreaking rejection shake the next.

The robots were never exported to the USA or European markets, and honestly we've yet to come across one on secondary markets. As such, we really don't know what kind of price these things are going for these days. If you have one that your recently acquired, drop us a note in the comments section letting us know what it cost you.

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